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My first MG. Should have never sold it!

For mine, I kept the tail stock, but removed the hugger/fender/whatever you want to call it that was concealing the swingarm (which was also powder coated to match the rest of the frame, because they didn't think to do that at the factory... I guess because they didn't expect anyone to see it ). I do have a small plastic mud guard mounted up above the front of the rear tire (hard to see) which helps prevent crud from flying up towards the engine. Someone was selling those guards years ago, but I don't recall who/where. __Jason

Pre-take off report: "Two turning and two burning"?

I did one last year..All of my life I have heard I'm French/Canadian which surprised me because my last name sounds Irish..but I had read some French people have my last name...None of my Family other than myself and a cousin seemed too interested one way or another. So as a result of a Birthday gift from my wife, I Did the DNA tests..and sure enough..I'm about 92 percent Irish with a dash of Welsh on top....My best riding buddy ( Who I've ridden with for 40 years and is 100% Irish thru and thru ) commented " Well that explains a lot!" Referring to my great love for Guinness and Irish Whiskey...(It was a bit odd for a Frenchman I'd guess). Anyway good and bad but now I have more excuses to drink the Irish..Its in my Genes!! I cant help myself!!

I did the 23andMe DNA test and it mostly confirmed stuff I knew, because my family had kept good records going back to people who came to the US from England in the 1600s. But the big (and fun) surprise was that my quantity of Neanderthal DNA markers is in the top 2% of all people tested. I am totally using this as an excuse to go to the mountains any time I want. It's in my nature... have to get back to my roots... a cave-man has to build a fire... etc. On the intellectual side. I find it fascinating that my body contains evidence of interbreeding of two human species 40,000 years ago - which is one of the more important scientific findings in recent years (at least in the field of human evolution). Have any of you done a DNA test and did you learn anything surprising?

I do know this much , we all need a blown up wiring diagram next to us while we are on this forum .

Will check tomorrow as it has been suggested I could have left an earth wire off the battery. I remember there being a few but I have only reconnected 2. Its been 5 months so memory is a little vague and the crafty little cable might have slipped out of my sight!

I ordered the #"175" tank ring. Still not sure if chinpad and no chinpad caps have the same bolt pattern. I'll report findings when my part gets here.

Saved by the (la)bell...

Now you are simply trying (and successfully) to make us envious. Beautiful!

Yes all good for Zink and everything else looks fine. I've always used Mobil 1 0W-40 without any issues like oiling up the filter box, it's been perfect. I am going to try a 10-60 in the Daytona engine after running in though. One issue with Diesel oils though is they are very high detergent oils and if you switch to them in an engine with a few miles on it they will break loose a lot of sludge and any build up in the engine which can lead to issues. If your engine has been kept clean you should be fine. Personally I dont see the need to run a Deisel oil in a petrol engine anymore. Anything over 1000ppm ZDDP will keep a flat tappet engine happy and around 1200-1400 is perfect. More Zink than that is getting into the diminishing returns category. There are oil manufacturers around that make flat tappet specific oils these days such as Penrite for older engines. I'll be running their full synthetic 10W-60 oil in the Daytona. Dont even think about a mineral based or fortified oil these days. Ciao

So, I built a replacement internal support plate for this broken one. This material is pretty brittle and, evidently, this one took an impact at some point. I decided on this 5-ply 1/8" cutting mat material thinking it wouldn't split or crack. I got a decent facsimile, yet it is not as rigid, or thick, as I would like. If you are running Tekno bags, take time to inspect the internal rigid panels from time to time or after an impact. Especially the deepest mounting panel.

'splains why I've been trolling for homo sapiens chicks all along.

It seems entirely plausible the Neanderthal gene may be over represented in the Moto Guzzi population . . .

$20 shipped to the lower 48. PayPal only.

Thanks! Yeah, I love that photo. Taken under the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia. __Jason

A correction to start with, if you've had the airbox off then you will also have disconnected the ambient temp sensor mounted to the airbox as well. Wont be that unless the plug is trapped somewhere shorted out I guess. Have you thought about the ignition switch? They have a habit of creating strange issues and a disassemble and clean usually fixes them. Ciao

If your bike has a lambda sensor it will have the 15rc. Thats the only practical difference between the RC and the M. Ciao

You know, as much as I like the way the bridge sets off the Sport in that image, this amazing backdrop is awesome:

I'm thinking it turned out pretty okay, buddy . . .

Then Maverick bailed and binned it today.

Tell us more! So my son sent me the DNA, kit, sent it in. Pretty cool but somewhat as I expected: 62% British Irish 32% (but specifically recognized Isle of Mann area!) 4% Swedish and surprisingly 1% Filipino and 1% American Indian.

I found out way more than I wanted to know with a DNA test..

We'll see about durability. Thanks @KINDOY2 for putting me onto the SEM product! The Krylon just scratched off after a time of use.

By quick comparison between a '02 and '03 tank ring, measurements appear to be the same. However, I only measured with carpenters rule, did not micrometer. Note that the 2 most forward screws are inverted flat head machine screws installed from the bottom of the lower adapter ring and do not match the tank ring cap screw locations below them. This is how SWMotech adapts the upper lock ring on multiple different tank ring/bike configurations. So to answer the question, it appears the tank ring bolt config is the same between early and later models (at least between an '02 w/chin pad and '03 w/o chin pad).

Today's project! Taped off the buckles and zippers last night. I've used common spray paint in the past, but this time KINDOY2 helped me source some proper product: SEM® Color Coat, Landau Black: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/smm-15013 "Purple-b-gone!"

Is that a S/D oil pan ?

Keep the VStrom . The object is to keep them , not get rid of them .

Dad the pilot was a Valvoline guy. So, am perusing their applicable products. Cummins Diesel likes this oil, but I do not know their valve gear. https://sharena21.springcm.com/Public/Document/18452/5a457451-fe75-e711-9c10-ac162d889bd3/b240026d-0abd-e711-9c12-ac162d889bd1 Zinc is shown as 1270ppm. Sufficient for flats?

I found out about this man about 9 mos. ago while I was in CD warehouse at Cape Girardeau . Playing through the speakers was what sounded like a garage band playing Shake Your Moneymaker . As crummy as the recording was , I purchased the copy from the store and listened to this racket EVER since. Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac at the Marquee Club . Unfortunately , he passed away July 25 of this year . His music ( and I have worn YouTube out ) is/was/will always be some of the best ever recorded . I am sorry I did not post a video , but I can't find one good enough to post w/out deciding "this one is better" . RIP , Peter Green .

I am going to advertise ......... FYI , If you have carpal tunnel problems , a chiro can fix it if it is not too far gone . If you have the surgery , you will be "fixed" but you not be able to pick up the carton of milk either .

Thanks. I'm trying not to be overly wary, but on the other hand I don't want fried ecu for dinner.

pursue it with an ad in 'classifieds wanted.' You never know what may turn up. I have had success there. My '02 LM came with a solid (not padded, not carbon) chin pad that can be pulled off like the black padded ones, so they are out there. If you can get a padded one cheap enough you might convert it to what you want. With the right bits I don't think it would be that hard to fabricate something. patience + example.. too much $$ imo but ... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Moto-Guzzi-V11-Sport-Tank-Chin-Pad/164192102045?hash=item263a9ca69d:g:Xw0AAOSw3axepyNW now that I think about it with all the mount points at the top of the early tanks a handy person could fab a piece of flat stock and space it up to desired height fairly easily, replacing the chin pad altogether. From there, add attach points for whatever.

Is that an aftermarket head guard? looks like it. It appears countersunk at the bolt heads but if it's thicker than stock guard then the bolt will come up short of some threads, if using stock bolts. Even if that isn't a problem I wonder if there is enough depth in those holes to maybe get a bit longer bolt in. A couple extra threads couldn't hurt.

Sardegna 2006!

This place is absolutely stunningly beautiful. Unfortunately as others mentioned not a lot of cool bikes to see unless you want to see a ton of Vespa scooters and the occasional BMW GS Adventure. The bus drivers on these tiny coastal winding cliff side roads are darn good drivers. Literally coming within inches of each other without even flinching. We visited mainly Positano and stayed right in the main square (Mulini Square down by the beach). We went to Capri, Rovello, Praiano, Nochelle, Montepurtuso, Amalfi, Pompeii. I would have to say the most memorable thing from this vacation was to see a level of service and pride in ones work that I have not seen in the states for a long time. Every single person provided 5 star service whether it was a baggage porter, server at a restaurant, boatman taking us into seaside caves, driver in a cab, or private driver to tour us around Pompeii and Amalfi. No one expects to be paid tips there (but the drivers do appreciate them). Servers in restaurants were confused when you try to leave them tips and encouraged us not to do so. Every meal at a family restaurant came with free wine included....and it was very good wine. It seems like a lot of the tourism businesses are family run so each family member had a vested interest in simply providing an excellent service without motivation by extra money. From what I was told the majority of businesses on the coast are owned and operated by families who have been living there for generations so their goal is not to get rich but to maintain the lives they've always known. And living on the coast does not look easy. In fact it seems that everything is physically difficult. The second most memorable thing was the pizza. Best pizza in the world and they bring it to you fresh in less than 10 minutes from ordering. Third most memorable....the cannolis. I've never had such good cannolis in my life. The food is so rich and tasty I was shocked that the average person is bone thin and very few morbidly obese people. Seems like life on the Amalfi coast is very active. Lots of walking and literally thousands of stairs (steep steps) all day long. We walked literally 2000 steps to get down from the Path Of The Gods from the city of Nochelle to Praiano and my legs are still in pain from it. And this was no escalator. These steps looked like they were built by the gods 2k years ago. Spent one night in Milan before flying back to LA and Milan felt very different and a world apart from the coast. It was beautiful to see the snow capped foothills of the Swiss Alps in the horizon from our hotel in Milan. Overall loved the trip but can't say I would want to ride a motorcycle there. At least not on the coastal roads. The congestion on the tiny roads made LA seem not so congested. And even if the roads were not congested, you could barely get past 30mph because the twisties are so tight and has blind hairpin turns every couple hundred feet with unprotected cliffs (100's to 1000s of feet in height) out of nowhere. Lastly the most impressive thing that comes to mind is that despite a constant barrage of tourists, they keep this place spotless. At least Positano, and some of the other smaller towns are literally without a single piece of trash on the ground. Amalfi was surprisingly not this way. It seems they have garbage trucks running daily (recycling one day, paper one day, plastic the next day....and so on). I have a new level of respect for the Italian people in this region because they have turned what at first seems like total chaos in to a very smoothly run operation. I would recommend visiting the Amalfi Coast to anyone thinking of traveling through Italy. But don't ride a motorcycle, just take a cab or bus. It would be great to hear from some Italian members on the forum to see if my experience is typical or did I just luck out and meet all the nicest people on the coast? Positano, Italy (view from the ferry ride to the island of Capri)

It is probably simple to solve once the problem is identified since it was running fine before it was put off the road for maintenance. So before I start, the tank and air box have been off, Swing arm and rear shock have been out. Only connectors pulled have been the two gas tank ones. 2003 Cafe Sport. So on powering up there is no fuel pump prime. No neutral light and it will not turn over. No lights on the dash. (neutral and oil is what I would expect). Only the park light turns on. When you turn the key off, the oil light comes on and the headlight also comes on. No fuel pump prime or neutral light and it will not turn over. I can have the lights and the oil light turn off by either pulling the 15A lights fuse or clicking the bike into first gear. Put the fuse back in or click the box back in neutral and everything stays off as it should with the key off. This is very repeatable. I have changed all the relays around with no difference. All the contacts look nice and clean. Two Bosch and 3 Tyco relays. The 30 amp fuse and holder is in great shape. Got to be something simple ..........thanks in advance......oh and yes when trying to start or get the fuel pump to prime i have the side stand up and clutch disengaged. Cheers, Nick

It's past time to review all the tracks and make MotoGP races safer, as reflected by the 2 horrifying crashes last week. Unbelievable no one was killed in either incident. You will have to follow the links in order to view it on YouTube. (Admin: remove this post if it is unacceptable). Thanks, Tom

Sorry . Out of production ?