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The owner just sent me a text. He will let me have the ruins for $1500; I politely declined. Since the bike is parked in front of his house, I am going to monitor how long it takes before he manages to find someone to purchase it.

This explains the LeMans-Airhead dichotomy.

So ....what does one need to do for a set of gears? Do I need to contact Joe personally or is someone here keeping a tally? I take one of those new plexiglass front covers so I can show them off also andy

I'm in discussions with Joe now on the design of a new oil pump along with Dynotec and I'd suggest anyone interested in new gears in the future get a group together now and get him do a run. His Gear maker isn't getting any younger and it's a bit of a labour of love as well so the availability of these things won't necessarily stretch into the long term horizon. I've got another set of Daytona gears coming at the end of the year for a 95mm bore engine I want to build as well as the new design oil pump. Don't want to sound too pessimistic but recent circumstances have focused me on the utility of acting sooner on things rather than later. Ciao

I just put my name a list with Joe for a set of gears. Anything for my Dark Lady (Scura).

Behold! In sooth it is the turdy-most! An originally flatulent and boring motorcycle with the handling characteristics of an occasional table with castors, one of which is missing, the appearance of a 1940's Belgian croissant delivery cart that makes a noise like a parson farting in the bath. To compound it's horridness large parts of it are missing and acquiring them will mean you will have to spend time interacting with other owners of noxious, antiquated BMW's. Now if old Guzzi owners are notorious for their corn cob pipes and resistance to anything that even hints at modernity BMW owners are infinitely worse! Never mind the corn cob pipes, the BMW crowd all speak in high squeaky voices, have stained cardigans that stop, (Usually because the knitting is unraveling!) above their navels revealing their undergarments that are always covered in unmentionable stains! Their beige trousers have a crotch about at knee level and the bottoms of the legs are always frayed as they are far too long and as a result have been trodden on by their leatherette brothel-creepers. Often the trouser cuffs will have dogshit on them as well because these people are usually accompanied by small, yapping, dogs that crap everywhere. Crowning the whole lot will be a tartan Tam-o-shanter that looks like it's been farted on by a horse. When you talk to these people it's always important to wear at least a mask but preferably an airtight helmet of some sort as they are incapable of normal speech and their shrill utterances are always accompanied by torrents of spittle and half digested food. If you do, mistakenly, go ahead with such a purchase it must be remembered that within 18 months you too will resemble the type of person portrayed above! I'm sorry, but it is inevitable and cannot be avoided. Remember. Just say 'No' to BMW's. It's for your own good.

I've learned this over many years of playing with classic and antique airplanes. If you see something you think you need, you had better get it because it might very well be the last you'll ever see.

Well, I had a great time scrolling through the South'n SpineRaid archives looking for the reardrive temps TechSession. It was South'n SpineRaid five, 2008, but I can't find the data (our forum lost a bunch of posts and threads back then). I'll have to load up the IR gun and get some temps off mySport for comparison. Re-shoot yours at sustained highway speeds or after repetitive accel/decel @Pressureangle 2008/ 4th South'n SpineRaid:

Having restored several Airheads myself and also being a V11 owner, I can make the following comments. 1. The bike pictured is a POS, most worrysome is the obvious rusting and Alu rust on the engine cases. Odds that the internals are in good working shape are low. 2. On the + side, BMW is VERY GOOD about parts availability for old bikes. That is why I switched over to BMW from Honda. When I needed to restore my Honda GL1200A, being more than 10 years old, Honda basically told me to pound sand for parts. Ebay helps, but there is only so far it will go. I have never ordered an old BMW part yet and been told NLA. 3. The V11 will literally run circles around an Airhead, mostly because the Airhead spends so many more miles wobbling as is goes down the road. 4. A well sorted Airhead is STONE reliable. Absolutely unbreakable. Easy to fix if you manage to break something. My Airhead R100GS is simply an awesome bike for touring and exploring in Mexico, it will never let you down. If the motor turns and the gearbox shifts, maybe spend $250 on it. Expect to spend 3-4K and many sweat hours to restore. When done, it will be worth about the 3-4K you put into it. Recommendation, many Airhead owners are past their riding days or dead. Look for a nicely maintained one being sold by a spouse who hasn't checked the KBB valuation.

a bit less than 1000., maybe

Now there is the rub. Technology is only a piece of the puzzle. One thing is sacrificed for another, and it changes every year.

Which technology do you prefer?

^Act Now. Here is Joe's website: https://woodburymotomedia.com/moto-guzzi-timing-gears-by-joe-caruso/ All the contact details are there.

Not really, it seems he makes a few sets at time for various models - and just keeps names of who's interested. He said anyone can "reserve" a set, but there is no deposit required, and you can back out without penalty. I'm in no rush to pop that front case off anyway. Just thought it would be cool to have a set on hand for a "rainy day project."

The originals look to be "blued" to me, same as the finish on a gun but polished first. You can buy bluing kits and do it at home as I did with the frame side plate bolts and a marking out tool I restored in a thread here somewhere. Ciao

Yes mine doesn't have that now. I spaced the regulator up a few extra mm so the vent hose now runs under it and has a straight shot at the airbox. You can just see it in this image passing under the regulator and fuel filter. Ciao

Or simply paint them both the same?

Yes, you stopped me from making a mistake. I think the BMW was just an excuse to start setting my garage into a workshop. Obviously, a project of this magnitude would have been a good reason to fight the good battle to get it. Come to think of it, my MG has spent more time immobilized than on the tarmac. So I should start with that before I venture and lose myself somewhere else.