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Ready to launch here ... on the Guzzi shown in avatar. The burdens of a (moto-)harem. The Norge is (almost) ready. Will do a check ride tomorrow with Kathi, The Perfect Pillion & Polish Princess. I'll head SE on Thursday; RON somewhere along the way that night. TPPPP will cage it on Friday in the old (as in '09, with 258K miles! ) Fit. Always nice to have a support vehicle chasing me ... at a distance. Bill

I've wondered that myself. A higher oil level seems like a good idea for improved pump priming and reduced risk of pump cavitation, so long as the plate is there to stop the crank from thrashing the oil into foam. But then higher oil level means less space for air/oil separation in the returning oil. Also less crankcase air volume may mean more energetic pressure pulses into the breather system, possibly leading to more oil into the air box. Although a 90 degree twin probably has lower pulsing than some designs. Or maybe there is no practical difference.

Just want to say that I have PM'ed with a couple of you (Chuck, LuckyPhil, Denis, others) and I'd like to specially thank Weegie who's literally an encyclopedia on anything related to the Centauro (and other Guzzi's). I got quickly hooked up with both Will and Joe Caruso and am in love with my Centy. Thank you all ... I'm illiterate in motorcycle mechanics (despite owning 7 now and several other the years), but I have chose the Centy to change that Hope to contribute some to this forum ... thank you all

Yes Paul ... I'm Rodrigo

I found this company in Burlington, North Carolina: JetHot Look what they did....

Kane, when my front end was rebuilt it was fitted with both a 0.9 and a 1.0. I cannot say which spring went where. The springs were only part of the equation along with an Andreani valve kit in 26mm. Interestingly the oil that was used was 20 cSt as opposed to the usual 26 cSt recommended for Marzocchis The stock front end is atrocious with next to no compression damping. New springs would help a little but a deeper dive into the forks would give much better results. Race Tech would be a good place to start for either springs or a full front end rebuild. Rob

@docc just a question for my own curiosity. Regarding oil level, on the V11 is it better to just fill to the dipstick mark? Or as I've done on my Sporti and HiCam, fill to the base of the plate, which is a good deal higher than the high mark on the dipstick? John

So not fair..........

+1 on Melissa Holbrook Pierson's presentation. Yes, she captures some of the essence of why we ride. While her work is also autobiographical, I think that lends a truism to her experiences that she was determined to share with us. Would she have realized these dreams without a Moto Guzzi and Moto Guzzi "people?" "The Perfect Vehicle" (*not a Moto Guzzi!) is worth the read and consideration without the thought-provoking heaviness of Robert Pirsig's philosophical "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" (required reading) . . .

G'day mate No not threaded. They have an end cap with an arm,the mirror clamps on this end and is inserted into the bar, Then when you tighten the allen key the arm expands inside the handle bar and tightens everything up. I'd take a photo but as usual with these digital cameras every time you want to use them the bloody battery is flat.. Hope this description explains? Cheers Guzzler Ps being a cheaper Rizoma copy I did have to resort to a little bodgery, not much mind.

This is my 97 RS which Pete has mentioned, it currently has the Euro fairing/headlight and a full Staintune exhaust system. I changed the belts a couple of years ago but it still has the original oil pump which will have to be addressed at some point in time though it has low miles. I know others have taken the gear route but I was just going to get the V11 series oil pump and a set of chains whenever I get around to doing this work. In terms of selling the bike, I'm a bit on the fence as I really like riding the bike though it kills my neck after about 150-200 miles. These bikes are more comfortable for someone who has some long arms and that is not me. And to be honest I have no idea what one is currently worth. This bike was originally owned by a collector who put no miles on the bike and it sat in a basement in Wisconsin until about 2003 when my friend David bought the bike. He only put maybe 3,000 miles on the bike and then I have put another 2,500 miles on the bike. It is fun to ride, and the engine is like no other Guzzi.

I was looking at what services the Netherlands based TLM offers, and I found they do Ceramic Exhaust Coating. Anybody knows a US based company offering that same service for motorbikes? those that I found in Houston specializes on cars.... My Le Mans is equipped with a beautifully chromed StayInTune exhaust, but the headers and by-pass look different, unfinished. Do you think a black coating would improve the look? Don't get me wrong, I like the way they look now. Kind of showing they have been around. But when I look at the result of the black ceramic coating shown on the TLM page, I think it would match the engine color pretty well; No?

I sent them pictures and they have not answered back. But this is supposed to be Labor day; I don't think they will answer before Tuesday.

(I believe that is too small for anything related to the air intake . . .) O-RING 17, 86X2, 62 #35: GU90706178

yes Chuck ... I got the Will's chip!

Powder coating is a different universe from ceramic coating. There may be a company which does both, but IME they tend to specialize. You could ride to a few D/FW shops and get their estimates. You probably know this, if so kindly disregard. Powder coating is pulverized colored plastic that is electrostatically applied and then melted (baked) in an oven at 400F. It is highly durable, but is not intended for high temperature post-cure use. That's where ceramic coatings come in. Personally, I think silver gloss ceramic like on that Griso would look fantastic on your bike, which is quite a looker as is.

This Daytona brochure is probably as close I will get to owning one of these beautiful beasts.

I requested a quotation. That's what they replied: Quote: Thank you for contacting Jet-Hot. I need to know a few things before I can get the quote together. Is your motorcycle header a 2-1, dual with crossover, dual (singles) or something else? Are there any heat shields, clamps or mufflers that you would like to include? There are several reasons for motorcycles customers to coat their exhaust. It all depends on what you are looking for as to what we will recommend as far as a finish and a color topcoat go. If you are experiencing heat issues, we recommend coating your header pipe in our Extreme 1300 Classic Polish (our chrome lookalike) and your heat shields/muffler in a color topcoat. Most motorcycle exhaust headers are completely covered up by the heat shields so if you are trying to keep your bike blacked out or want to run a color topcoat on your heat shields you can still benefit from our heat reductions by just coating your header in our Classic Polish. This way you are getting the most for your money. You get the heat reductions of 56-65% but also get the esthetics of the color you would like. If you are not experiencing any heat issues and would like to just get your exhaust coated for esthetics we have several options available. If Nat Asp: We can do our Extreme 1300, there are two finishes and several colors available. Classic Polish (our chrome look-alike) which we spoke about above is our biggest heat reduction coating of 56-65%. Satin Silver is the other finish that is a little less in heat reduction and is more of a sheen silver finish. If you opt for a color topcoat, we have several colors available here for an upcharge: https://www.jet-hot.com/colors If Turbo/Super Charged we'd recommend our Ultra 2500 coating, this is a thermal sprayed on the outside only. You would need to pick a color topcoat as it does not come in our Classic Polish "chrome lookalike" or Satin Silver finishes. The Ultra 2500 does have a texture to it that looks like orange peel. I've attached photos for your review. If you can send us an email with exhaust information we would be glad to get you a quote together. If you have any pictures those always make our job easier. If you can send measurements of any heat shields that you would be interested in sending we will need those too, our team can always make an educated guess based on photos, whatever is easier for you. We look forward to hearing from you. Keep in mind, all of our coatings come with our Lifetime Warranty. Unquote;

@p6x, Check your dipstick to see if its O-ring has gone missing.

Another member just solved a similar problem discovering one of the spark plug resistor caps was intermittently giving resistance in the MegaΩ instead of ~5kΩ. Easy check, easy fix. Once found.

*Disclaimer: The "South'n SpineRaid" only borrows the term, tongue-in-cheek. True rally raids are serious, gruesome, impressive affairs. About the most serious event at a South'n SpineRaid is figuring out how to get the stack of pizzas delivered. Mademoiselle Dautheville:

Unless something unexpected happens I'll be bringing the Coppa. Otherwise it will be the Griso.

Don't know about others but my wife and I are.

https://www.jet-hot.com/ Okla City

There are various ceramic coating companies in Houston. You could check these companies. KBS Coatings in Valparaiso Indiana also makes high temp aerosol and spray gun coatings p primer, color and clear top coat. https://www.kbs-coatings.com/engine-exhaust-paints.html Or some Rolite and terry cloth and a beverage or three.

Black would look good… https://www.eastwood.com/satin-black-hi-temp-coating.html here’s an option as well to consider…

I've been told its a good idea to mark a new notch on your dipstick just at the bottom of the plate while installing it ..thats what I did.

When it comes to ladies who have done something exceptional, the reference I always go to is Anne-France Dautheville, who did the Orion Raid from Paris to Iran on her Moto Guzzi. I read her book published in 1973. Doing a raid that offers (limited) assistance is something to be praised. She pushed the envelope continuing by herself in Afghanistan. That part of the book is really interesting. She later did the first ever woman solo ride around the world, but on a Kawasaki 125 this time. As far as I know, her books are not translated into English and out of print.

Voldav, this should be the schematic for your bike, click on it to zoom in. Fuses 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 should be alive in respect of the chassis with the key Off, find a good shiny bolt and attach the negative meter lead to it. When you turn the key On F6 & F7 will also be alive, F8 becomes alive when the bike is ready to start. If you don't find this touch the positive meter lead to the battery Negative terminal that will become negative if you have a bad ground. I will check back in a day or so,

Theoretically all the broadsumps should be the same as the bottom ends are for pratical purposes the same. You've obviously given the subject more reasoning than I did. I just came across the recommendation on the GOG forum (on several threads) and thought I'd give it a try, I believe @Lucky Phil also fills his HiCam V11 to the bottom of the plate. So I now run the Sporti and HiCam bikes with the oil level just below the plate. I kept an eye out for leaks on the first couple of runs out, but there were none and both bikes seem perfectly happy with the larger oil volume in the sump. Perhaps it's just me but with the Roper Plate installed I find it trickier to see the oil level on the dipstick. Running the level just below the plate you can shine a flashlight down the dipstick hole and see the oil, making it easier to know how much lube is in the sump. As I don't posses a V11, I just thought I'd ask on behalf of other V11 owners. I was previously running my HiCam at the mid point on the stick, the increased oil level seems to help in slowing the engine (over)heating when slow running a little and works for me.

I think I am running Race-Tech springs/oil . I will have to go out in the shop to see .

@VtwinStorm There is something you need to factor in too.... Today we had one of those tropical storm in my area. Something like I only saw in Africa during the rainy season. You can't ride because the streets flood. And this is what happens here too. Prior to recently, I never was concerned about riding under the rain. But what we experience now is not any more suitable for motoring safely. I hope these weather systems are going to remain exceptional. I had something planed for Labor Day with Guzzi, but not in a storm where visibility requires an auto-pilot.

No, I won't. I see where the winds are blowing. This is why I have so many motorcycles. They don't build them how I like any longer. Nothing Ducati, Triumph or Guzzi currently build excite me. They no longer build V11s, so I bought one before doing so would be very costly or impossible. I also have a hoard of parts because that supply will dry up. I'd say gassers will be under 50% on new motorcycle sales in another 20-30 years. Plenty of time to play with gasoline...but at least in terms of style, the best years of new motorcycles and automobiles are looooong behind us.

Thank you, Docc! Will buy and install one post-haste!

Assumedly, because you have found a Tenni...

Melissa Holbrook Pearson rode a Guzzi. I enjoyed her book. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfect-Vehicle-Melissa-Holbrook-Pierson/dp/0393318095 Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

Reservations in for Thurs and Fri nights, only problem is waiting to see if there is a cancellation for Saturday night . Didn't know if I could get the time off until today.

My penance for being spineless...

If your V11 weighs 500 pounds, its probably out of fuel . . . I can remember two, or maybe three, female forum members. I think two of them actually rode V11 and the other had some pretty V11 jewelry on offer. Recalling just a few lady riders coming through our local "sport-touring" community reminds that the more talented ones chose bikes that fit them well (shouldn't we all?). The most adept of these wore full leathers and rode a Honda Hawk GT. Quite svelte, nimble and capable. The bike, too.

If you can get the C of G and the seat height low enough to get both feet flat on the ground with some knee bend it goes a long way to helping. The amount of times I've seen girls topple over in car parks I've lost count of. I did a magazine 4 way bike test 3 day ride/trip years ago testing the big 4 sports tourers of the day and one of the other riders was a fairly petite woman. Every time we needed to park perpendicular to the gutter/sidewalk we had to give here a hand. She was a competent rider but just too small to handle the walking pace/manoeuvring stuff. Ciao

I think most girls would find the V11 Sport way too heavy for them to manhandle around off the bike and carpark type riding. Mine seems to get heavier every year. Magazine images always look cool but the reality of riding a heavy bike with a fairly high seat height and C of G is another matter. I've known quite a few female riders and racers and I've never seen one of them that looks totally 100% safe on a large capacity sports bike at walking speeds. Ciao

I think Cheech and Chong made one of those too.

I didn’t intend to post a anti-progress manifesto. It just tweaks me to see the blatant hypocrisy. Electric vehicles were tried and abandoned 100+ years ago. The same problems that caused its failure then are the same problems today. Henry Ford developed car bodies using hemp and also engines that ran on it. Totally renewable energy source and the bodies were rust proof and durable. See how that turned out…. The ecological damage batteries cause not only in the extraction of the rare earth minerals, but also in the fact that they are not readily recyclable makes me think it isn’t for “saving the earth” The same issue that plagues wind turbines. Read up on the graveyards of those monstrosity’s. Diesel engines are highly efficient (I can personally attest to that) clean burning and can also run on renewable energy (as that was the reason they were invented)

I'm going to pull the seat and tank tomorrow, check coil, wires, plug ends, and plugs, got to be something in there, fuel would turn my plugs black.