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Here is the other decent shot I got out of the series. I just though that first one the more "artistic" . . .

https://www.museoalfaromeo.com/it-it/collezione/Pages/GiuliettaSprintSpeciale.aspx

Raising the kickstand closes the circuit, which I believe then energizes the run/off switch, so worst case... you just cut the switch off and splice the ends together. * I'm 99% sure of this... the wiring schematic is clear as mud to me. __Jason

Guy's When are you going to do a REAL Southern Spine raid ?? Like the Southern hemisphere per chance!! You could call it the EXTREME Southern Spine Raid perhaps ? Seriously though, hope the planets align and it's a goer for you all.Have a bloody good time and enjoy it eh. It would be a hoot to be able to be there and catch up for a ride and a few sherbets afterwards. Take plenty of photos for us down here eh!! Cheers Guzzler

I would never have a bike with a self-retracing side stand. I rode my dad's K75 and the side stand retracted when you pulled in the clutch. On my 850T that I had and on my Nortons the side stands are so long you can't forget them. I have seen people ride off with those long side stand out but they were always drunk.

Use copper. The bruises don't show as badly . . .

A more elegant solution, in the event the Sidestand Switch will not close and energize the Run Switch is to lift the seat and "hot wire" the middle/#3 relay (30 -> 87) bypassing the neutral switch and its relay to energize the Run Switch hot off the Ignition Switch. About 3 cm of wire would do it. Of course, LowRyter's issue is the opposite: Sidestand Switch stuck closed. Makes my want to tap on it with a suitable persuasion device . . .

Yep off to the Supermarket now ...........

Feel free to PM whenever... all good. I generally park the V11's in the fall when the rains come, and then ride less and ride stuff with bigger windscreens and that i don't mind getting as dirty. Many good all-weather V11 riders on this forum, and my hats off to 'em, and it makes me happy to read about them, but i've chosen at this point to make the v11's my "keep them shiny" bikes, and abuse other bikes. But point is, i try hard to do most of my bike mx in the rainy season, with the wood stove going in the shop, and am game in the winter to offer whatever help i might be. You mention the ducs.... i'm a big multi fan, having owned multiple Gran Canyons, the "grandaddy" of the Multi's, and then a couple air cooled multi's, then an early 1200, and now a multi enduro 1200. Other than the PITA for doing the valves on the big, 8v water cooled engines, i love them, and the valve job is really only a thing every few years, and any more i just pay to have it done. I've eyeballed the 950 MS lustfully many times, because the 1200 is a heavy beast, but i always come back to confirming that i love the multi enduro 1200 with its huge tank "the mostest". The only issue with the size of the 1200 or 1260 is if going off-road. Off pavement is fine, such as the FS roads around our beautiful state, but single track or technical stuff is just ridiculous on the top-heavy Enduro. There are those who do it just fine, but just because it can be done doesn't for me translate into "hey, this is fun", because it just isn't. Even if the top heavy-ness doesn't cause a crash or lay-down, you're still thinking about what a bitch it will be to get that bike back upright if it goes over an embankment.... you'll need several good, strong friends, or a heavy-lift helicopter to get it back on its feet, on the trail. Getting it upright is one thing, and I can manage that, but upright from down a slope where its landed upside down.... that's what in your head as you navigate rocky single tracks on a steep slope, which leads to a death-grip on the bars and the consequent less graceful riding technique. But man, the ridiculous amount of torque and HP, comfort, that 8gal tank, and the fact that i get between 42 and 49 mpg, depending on how i'm ridding it, makes for huge range, and just removes the worry from trip planning for gas stops. I have a KTM 990 for when i want to take a long distance machine on a good long ride but also go off road... its the best for that for me. It's currently stuck in Alaska at a friends place, where covid and life have caused me to leave her un-loved now for this whole season. A truly comfortable long distance machine, with that windshield that looks like a barn-door but works perfectly for me, and then its better center of gravity, and just all-around better manners for off-road. it ain't no dirt bike, but for me is the best model in that little micro-slice of the riding segment.... where you want to be able to ride for days on tarmac but also be comfortable on some easy to medium single track. I'd actually argue the the Cagiva Gran Canyon is the best for that (imho), but after riding them for years i finally admitted to myself that i'm just too tall to make it fit me. The Duc enduro is the opposite... it's tall, and with that 8gal tank, it feels huge, but she's like a harley on the highway (in the good sense... comfortable, and with a ton more HP and handling thats not even remotely comparable). A close friend of mine down there in Bend bought my nicer Gran Canyon a little while back, and is why i have two v11's... i have his beloved v11, as part of that trade. He wanted more off-road option, and i loved his v11. I let myself get on a huge tangent there... forgive me. all of that was to say that i think you'd LOVE the 950 MS, though i have not owned one. I'd certainly want the tubeless spoke wheels, though i don't think i'd care as much about the cable clutch vs the later model offered hydraulic (normal) clutch. And for what its worth, while you certainly can't beat a japanese bike for reliability, Ducs are just plain easy to maintain and are reliable these days.... gone are the days (for the most part) of the beloved but less trustworthy Bolognese machines. Since 2010 (anecdotal, not scientific) my ducs have been drop dead realiable, with only the oddball issue now and then, just like my friends on their hondas and suzukis. And importantly, despite what i said about my KTM and about japanese reliabilty, I try and keep it italian!

Not only could riding off with a V11 sidestand down be demoralizing or injurious, the attachment to the sump spacer and timing chain cover can wreak a ridiculous amount of damage and take the bike out of service. This is a fair time, I suppose, to post a reminder to address the proper tightening of these fasteners at one of the V11's Achilles' Heels. The large upper bolt is torqued to 70-75 Nm! One of the few specific torque values in the Workshop Manual . . .

as mentioned previously, the hammer solution worked well for my lawn mower starting rope ratchet. (I actually fixed the problem with some soap) Regarding the Greenie, there are many moments of frustration with that machine that have tempted me take a hammer to it.

And I thought it was "just" a Giulietta. I was feeling great envy thinking it was yours Docc. Now I can still feel sorry for you since your bike isn't Green.

I learned this one from Kiwi_Roy, so I have a legitimate reference! The Run Switch is powered two different ways: 1) In gear, riding, the Run Switch is energized through the Sidestand Switch which closes its circuit when the stand is raised. Direct connection from the Ignition Switch, no relay. 2) In neutral, the Neutral Switch pulls in Relay #3 (the middle relay, third from the front) that routes power from the Ignition Switch through its NO/ Normally Open contact [30 to 87, labelled on some relays as "3 and 5", or simply the outboard two contacts on the relay base]. This relay is confusingly referred to as the "Sidestand Relay" on wiring diagrams, but it is energized by the Neutral Switch and more accurately is the "Neutral Relay." So, in the event your V11 will not run in gear with the sidestand up, lift the seat, pull Relay#3 and either insert a short length of wire into the outside two connections in the relay base or, as Kiwi_Roy says, wrap a short length of wire around the outboard two blades of the relay and reinsert (either way, effectively "hot wiring" the relay and sending power to the Run Switch full time when the Ignition Switch is on). (Again, this is a field expedient solution for the case that the Sidestand Switch fails to close with the stand up and the bike will not run in gear ("stranded"). The OP, LowRyter, has the opposite case with the switch stuck in the closed position or the wires shorted together somewhere, like pinched together under the alternator cover.)

Ah, finally our go to electrical guy arrives:) Ciao

A most interesting problem What year and what model is the bike? I'm sure there is a simple explanation.

Gonna miss seeing Adam and his sweet Rosso Mandello. Be nice to see Scott again!

Scott (Café Cali) will be attending. Unfortunately Adam is not able to make it this year.

Oh, my no. A fellow I know who gave me permission to get that close. Maybe the most beautiful Alfa ever, the Sprint Speciale by Bertone. Or, as my friend likes to say, “Bert One.”

I just got stuck with a $6,500 repair bill....all the money and time I thought I had in reserve is now a mustard burp... momentarily tangy...now lost in the air. Idk..... this blows