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Finished up taking the dents out and repacking the second TI race can. Polish the headers left to do and I will be back on the road ready for summer and when our current lockdown finishes!

Not gonna happen. Mine, mine, mine.

No worries, David. I just want to get my V11 before the NH winter (of which you are well aware). Ideally, I want everything you have---especially the MAGNI fairing. I want the maint. records, all the parts. All of it. PM me when you are ready. If they can't figure out the brakes, I can. I just need a quick start and brief ride and the cash will be in your hands. Worst case, I can drop it off at Seacoast Sport in Derry, NH, but I think I can get it sorted, even if it takes me until Spring '22 to get it all sorted. I'm a serious buyer and not wanting to waste your time. Thank you, -Tony

Vtwin, I'm going to check with the shop again today, but I'm sure the answer is going to be the same, "I talked with the parts distributor yesterday and they say it will be a few more days", etc etc. Once I do that I will contact you to see what you are thinking. Some considerations: Bike has a handle-bar conversion (uses Jackal handlebar clamp) Open airbox Have all parts from original sport handlebars (sans grips) Have a Magni Fairing and parts available to be included or sold separately depending on offer. And if memory serves the pipes are Mistrals (bought that way) David

It’s getting time to replace the Pirellis that my 1999 silver V11 is riding on. This has lead me into browsing what brand/spec of tyres I should choose Both my black framed V11s with 180 rears have Michelin Pilot Road 2 sport touring tyres, and I’m happy with their performance, although Michelin now offer newer versions Does anyone have any recommendations for the red framed V11s with 170 rears? My Greenie has Bridgestones, and I feel that they are more touring than sport, the rubber seems harder and takes longer to warm up yesterday I was taking to a guy I know with a 2015 V7 II Special originally fitted with Pirelli Sport Demons (bias ply). Hated them, said white lines and poor surfaces unsettled them very badly. Changed to Avon Roadriders & reckoned it’s transformed his V7 handling Now I know that V11s with 17 inch rims would have more modern radial rubber compared to a V7, but whats people’s recommendation for rubber for a red frame with a 170 rear?

I got up Sunday morning and de-glazed my rotors on my V11 Sport, greased my pad pins, found my rear pads in need of replacement, ordered new ones, then went out for ride anyway. About 30 miles into it, I see an old metallic red bike in a front yard with a for sale sign, first thought was a Honda Dream, but as I got closer I see it is a Guzzi, spin around, meet the owner, chat awhile. I finish my ride, have lunch, hook up the trailer, and go collect it. I have my next project.

This looked to be the closest "correct" forum for my question. I'm looking at a V11 Sport several states away, and once I get the VIN and make sure it isn't stolen/wrecked/salvage, I'd like to know how I can pay the man? I've purchased a motorcycle through eBay before, so it wasn't such a big deal (buyer protection), but this is a private seller. Shipping is under $600.00 from his place to my garage, so this is doable. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you. -VTS

You do not need to have the same bank to do a "wire transfer". You just need the ABA, account number, Name, Address and bank name, and address of the branch where you wire the money. The Escrow is an additional safety, but it is not free; sometimes it is a percentage of the sum that will be put in the escrow. I would not use Western Union to transfer funds to pay for a motorbike. The Bank to Bank transfer has the advantage to disclose the identities of both the seller and the purchaser. More difficult to vanish in thin air. The ideal transaction would be for you to go there, and close the transaction on the "spot". Most banks have an app allowing you to do wire transfers. The seller is notified the funds have been deposited, and you sign the paperwork and you are good to go. This is how I sold my car on Autotrader. Actually, the guy transferred the money before coming to pick up. But he had met me at my house and he was confident. I would really recommend to meet the guy. I purchased my Le Mans from a dealership, and while they assured me the bike was ready to ride, when I got there, the odometer was not working. One last piece of advice; it is always better to ask written questions. For quality. You also use the phone to get a feel for who is it you are dealing with. But all the technical questions answered on email you keep. Phone calls can be subject to "misunderstandings".

My Le Mans has Pilot Road 2 too.... I have penciled a set of Road 5 next... but I still have some life left in the rear, and the front was new when I got the bike a few miles ago. So please, install the Road 5 and let me know how they hang, so we don't make the same mistake both of us...

If you both have the same bank like Wells Fargo you can just do a transfer. If not the same bank I'm pretty sure you can send money with your bank via something called Zelle or Venmo. there is also wire transfer from Western union. Escrow.com will hold the money until your agreed upon terms are met and delivery takes place, then you ok the payment.

Metzeler Z8 for Sport Touring use, M7rr or 9's for something more aggressive. Z8's been fine on my red frame, & I still use the 150/70 sizing....

Thanks, I took her out for a break in ride yesterday, only rode about 8 miles, got a couple of little coughing a 3k rpm, so I turned around and headed back in a lower gear and she was fine. Drained the oil oil and dropped the pan and had a few little flakes of metal, but nothing that concerned me too much, checked the valves, one intake was a little tight, the other was a little loose, both exhaust were fine. Both plugs had a nice color to them. New oil and I will take a longer ride and see how she does. Got the generator working, but the headlight is still flaky, last time it was the switch, worked fine for the ride, but decided not to work again today. I also need to address the fuel line cross over, bought a new one and it leaked at the x, put new clear hose on the old x connection, but having issues with the clamps at the carbs, they keep leaking, I may cut the hoses off the new x and rebuild it with new rubber hose and crimp clamps and just use normal screw clamps on the carb ends. The bike is definitely old school, the sounds, the feel and the riding position. I really enjoyed it, brakes are weak, but I will keep playing with them, the ride is good, the handling is good, engine is smooth and the shifting is agricultural, but solid. For fun rides down back roads and riding for the pure joy of riding, I think this is going to be the perfect bike for me. I am still keeping my eyes out for an old California II, I think it will fill the gap between the Ambassador and the Quota.

Indeed..the BT 46 works really well on my 1999 Bassa...one of the few front and rear matching tires available in the required size for these type early bikes. I'm not tracking it...lol

The BT45 was a bias-ply/cross-ply tire. Now upgraded to BT46, it is reputedly excellent for the earlier Guzzis. Am pondering something slightly more modern than the Road 3s I have now. A distinctly rounded profile that does not seem completely happy on a long-frame.

I think most all the current tires from the various brands are quality tires. It is more like flavors of ice cream than it is which tire is better. I have used a few different brands and model tires on our Guzzi's. They have all been good. I can't remember the last "bad" tire I tried, perhaps a Bridgestone BT45? It was OK, but I really didn't care for it. It seemed like the rubber was too hard and lacked grip. I would rather have a tire that wore out too soon than had a lack of grip. We also used to have issues with tires not heating up fast enough. But that doesn't seem to be an issue anymore. Progress. I do agree, if you have a 4.5" rear wheel go with a 160.

Metzler M7's or M9's.

I mean look where Honda and Ducati started...and look at them now. You never know!

Speaking of Peugeot, they have started to make motorcycles again. But they did not really push outside of the boundaries; they are presenting two "new" models: 125cc and 300cc. Merely trying to tap certain types of motorcycle's driver licensees, car drivers who get motorcycles with limited HP.

I far prefer the Guareschi Corse, to my eye it's more innovative, the frame appears to have a Ducati influence and is more original in its appraoch Gorgeous as the Monza is Ghezzi and Brian have been producing this style for a long time, right back to MGS-01 which one of them was invovled with. At its heart its a Sporti with a VERY expensive list of farkles. I'm sure a standard sport wouldn't have a chance against it, but IMHO it's really not that ground breaking Don't get me wrong sure I like and would love to have one, but given what it's going to cost I'd purchase the Guareschi.

Really wanting that V11, David. lol If you just want to wash your hands of it, I can take it off your hands. I wrench and have no life. This is totally the bike for me. lol I'm looking at one in Michigan also, but I'd rather buy local and not on faith. Let me know what shop it is at so I can go take a look at it. Thank you.

The rock of the stones happy

A shame they didn't stick with it. After all, don't our French friends often say "viva le difference!"? I heard of Pugeot or Voxan...that's it.

The owner will be happy to know the bike is now in tune.... maybe he wants to buy it back from you?

Up to the 60's France was actually quite prolific in the manufacturing of motorcycles. A lot of different brands, some only making frames and purchasing engines. But since you asked, I want to bring back one very prestigious company: Gnome et Rhone. They started as an aircraft engine manufacturer, and was very successful. So successful that German Luftwaffe were one of their customer, direct or using German companies to manufacture the engine under license. After the war, Gnome et Rhone ventured into manufacturing motorcycles. Now, does that ring any bell? However, unlike BMW, Gnome et Rhone got nationalized by the French government. They became SNECMA, and then Safran. They still make rocket and aircraft engines, associated with G.E. to produce CFM Tubofans. If they had continued making motorcycles, who knows what would have happened....

Stelvio shock is longer and has a bit more travel. It's a good 'Budget' replacement for the inadequate original and helps quicken up the steering as well.

I recently put a set of Michelin Road 5 on my ‘01 red frame V11 Sport. They seem pretty good, stable and sure handling. I am a recreational sport rider and commute with this bike. The Road 5 is supposed to be a very good wet weather tire, which is not much of a factor here in Southern California, but might be good for you. As docc has mentioned, I went with a 160 rear tire. I know that the specs for the bike call for a 170, and that’s what the bike had on it, but with the 160 the bike feel a bit lighter and turns in nicely, with no loss of stability, more sure-footed and spritely. I am not sure if this tire is offered in a 170 rear.

That would be a hoot. Looks a bit like a “vw thing”. I think mentioned this before at some point, but living in France several decades ago and pretty much broke, I saw a 2CV for sale and went to look at it. Hey, James Bond drove one…. I was fairly mechanically competent at that age, but partly from youthful haste and partly due to a preformed assumption of what I should see under the hood, I walked away from the (super cheap) deal because I told my friend “no wonder it’s so cheap…. No motor, just that strangely mounted transmission”. Of course had I looked even slightly closer, I’d have seen the spark plugs on that “strange transmission”. Later that year I had friends there with a 2CV who would fill the car with 3 people plus skis and gear and somehow make it up into the mountains (Les deux alpes), with that 2 cylinder motor chugging away. Albeit damn slowly. Back in Oregon years later I see one and find out there’s an owners club here, and that a nice one would cost a pretty penny, many thousands of dollars. I’m quite sure the one I looked at in France (many years ago, and in rough shape) was $200 US. That said, I’ll stick with Italian (headaches and all). The French did a lot of unique stuff, but little of it appeals to my (biased) eye other than as an oddity.

I did use an LED headlight which could be part of my problem, but wanted a smaller load on the electric system.

She is about 99% done, runs very good, just a few electrical issues to sort out, generator may or may not working and the headlight is giving me fits, but other than that she is road ready. I pulled a little bit of the 60's/70's out of the style, pin stripes and chrome knee area of the tank, a little more understated.

I queried their website with the part number posted, and drew a blank. I got an Aprilia part number instead: Front brake caliper - AP8213196 Obviously, the manufacturers always do that! they take a Brembo part number, and they rebrand it with their own part number. It would be so simple if they had kept the Brembo part number across the board, so only one reference, even if compatible with multiple motorbikes. But we are no longer talking about a repair kit....

I got a new one for my Rosso Corsa from AF1 racing a few months ago...Brembo Gold Rear....GU30653001.. ( it says front on their site when you enter it but its the rear..and that is the correct number for a rear) It was only $104.00 dollars complete with new Brembo pads..and they usually have it in their USA warehouse..took about a week.

You should be fine. Most of these shops go eBay for the exposure. But you don't need to pay the extra money from eBay since these guys have an Internet site, and they are certainly used to send goods all over the world. I looked at the Powerhouse uk web site, and when you click on the repair kit to buy it, you are taken to eBay. Looks like you are going to pay the 20% local VAT on top of everything else eBay is going to charge you automatically, such as local US taxes too. Do not waste time trying to address that issue with eBay, I tried so many times, and you can never speak to anybody who understands taxes.

I ordered bars end weights from Boonstra in the Netherlands. It was at my door in three days using DHL. Actually, they arrived before my Formotion instruments ordered the same day from California. Contact Powerhouse UK directly tomorrow https://powerhouse.uk/ forget eBay... Remember, if the parts are new, they should be VAT exempted and the courier to the USA should also be VAT free. Since the parts are below $800, you should escape paying import duty. I did not pay any import taxes for my bar ends weights. When you use eBay, they charge you automatically for local taxes independently of the country where the goods are sent. Because in Europe, by law, sellers have to quote new item prices with the VAT included. There is no VAT on used goods. In EUR you only pay VAT on new items.

Have you tried Brembo USA? https://www.brembo.com/en/bike/original-equipment Do we know the exact part number for the rear caliper?

Thanks saw that would like to get it before Aug 23. US supplier if possible.

@Mikko just posted this in another thread less than a week ago! https://www.ebay.com/itm/Moto-Guzzi-V11-Le-Mans-1999-2005-rear-brake-caliper-piston-seal-repair-kit-/162694437725?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Celebrated twenty years with the Sport today.