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Nice ride followed by a photo op.

Some things are worth repeating. Nice, Dave!

As much time as I have spent on, and with, my RedFrame Sport, I only recall riding two other SpineFrames. Interestingly, a previous generation 1100 Sport-i and a next-gen LongFrame Café Sport (with handlebars and forward set instruments/headlamp). I immediately found both of them less 'responsive' to cornering input, more "stable", if you will. And discovered my RedFrame Sport offered the perfect (for me) riding posture compromise between the rather "committed" 1100 Sport-i and the more upright, handle-barred, LongFrame Café Sport. My first riding buddy, RIP, always told me the perfect number of bikes is five. I paraphrase, "Sometimes you want a glass of milk, another time: Bacardi. Another day, a comfortable reclining chair, then to be shot out of a cannon." I reckon mySport has done all of these things for me. Otherwise, how could she still be soldiering on, so admired and trusted? JMHO, YMMV

I am lucky. For a couple years racing the TZ250 my wife was the mechanic. She would jet the bike (TZ250s need proper jetting to avoid seizing), and do whatever we needed done at the track. We tried to have everything good to go, and rarely did anything to extreme to the bike at the track. The worst thing we did was change the internal gearing in the trans once. That was pretty hard. But usually it was read the spark plug, change the jets, and make sure the tires were properly aired up. Later in life, after we started riding the Buells, she would do BattleTrax (which was basically autocross for bikes). She did that on the Blast at first, and then steeped up to doing it on her V11. She probably took it more serious than I did. She didn't like to loose. Sadly, they stopped doing BattleTrax when Buell was shuttered. She did highside her V11 once going for a faster time. And we always said, slow guys lowside, fast guys highside. She was a little proud of that.

Good morning on Departure Eve, well, mine, at least. The Norge is ready ... ... Kathi's car and the two of us "need work." Apropos morning and breakfast, I just talked with Brian at the Lodge about that. He said that while they are not doing breakfast -- and the jury's out if they will ever go back to the spreads of yore -- they will have coffee; hot water for tea, etc.; oatmeal; commie (oops, I mean granola) bars, limited pastries, and the like. They would time center-visible-mass of that for what our group or others might want, i.e., crack of dawn v. teenager wake-up hours. I told him that I would pass that all along and ask for some consensus -- assuming such is possible -- about how many would partake (assume all), and preferred best serving window so as to make it easier on them. Don't think it's a big deal as coffee and pastries have lengthy shelf lives, but it probably helps them plan. So, if anyone reading this has firm ideas about time and the like, post here and I (or docc, to reduce span-of-control issues) will get back to Brian. Brian added that when he wants "real manly 'Merican food," he goes to Linda's Cafe in Madisonville. Even I, however, would likely find the Lodge fare fine enough for the two days we'll be there. I'll get my carb and fat fix on the road there and back. A domani ... Bill

I also remember entertaining a BMW R1100S while mySport was down for a warranty issue. Yeah, I "stepped out" on her. The various V11 variants are really just incrementally different. The BMW "Sport" was like driving a van. I kept taking my eyes off the road to look down under the tank thinking, "I thought this has a big twin ? " It was like I had to radio the "Engineering Section" to change lanes. And the exhaust note? whwhwhwhwhwhwh I've never heard a V11 Guzzi that didn't sound . . . just: bellissimo!

Geez-zoy. I think I'll have to get a couple greasy biscuits at Hardee's to maintain my manhood. No mint-and-citrus-infused water to accompany a lightly fluffed frittata cum spinach and feta. No latté with extra froth? Might as well choke down a sausage-n-biscuit at the EXXON. Tarmac diet. Scratch-burp-fart-RIDE!

Dupuytren's is a bitch. I know a couple people who are dealing with that. If flushing the fluid and adjusting the lever don't do the trick, consider replacing the hydraulic line. Sometimes a little flap can come loose inside and restrict the flow of fluid.

Hi Kane & VTwinStorm, No longer have the Speed Trip 1050, sold it a couple of years ago, loved the bike, didn’t mind it’s bug eyed headlights, but I found it too easy to ride like a hooligan, and decided it would be a license looser sooner or later. I’d bought the Speed Trip when it was just a year old from a guy who’d just picked up a speeding ban I think my current favourite is the Griso 8V. Difficult to pick a favourite V11, I don’t feel any stronger attachment to any one particular V11, I genuinely enjoy riding the 1999 Greenie/Silver red frames as much as the Rosso Corsa. I don’t currently have any Triumphs, following many years of riding Hinckley Triumphs. I'm going to try a 1200 Scrambler to see how I find the big parallel twin. Did have a Hinckley Bonneville 865 a few years ago but couldn’t really gel with that bike, it just felt a bit too characterless, dare I say it even a little bland. I’ve yet to try the new 1200 Triumph Twins These are my 3 V11 Sports, and the MT01 tucked away behind them

As Docc says I would suspect the ignition switch, when's the last time you cleaned the contacts? If you wire a small lamp to the petcock fuse F8 you may see it go dim or flicker confirming that there is a bad contact somewhere between the ignition switch, kill switch or side stand relay.

Some pre ride Ju-Ju? Can't fault you a bit.

thanks for adding that to my vocabulary Bill. It will come in useful.

Never tried a 1200 Daytona, I did own a few Hinckley Triumphs a few years ago before getting submerged in the world of Guzzi’s. The polar opposite of the V11 was a Speed Triple 1050S with a full Arrow system. It was a fantastic hooligan bike, felt like a genuine street fighter, but it encouraged very fast riding, I felt like I had to be pushing the envelope all the time, and eventually I sold it around 3 years ago before I lost my license Where the Speed Triple was short & flickable, the V11 feels long and stable. The weight bias is towards the rear being a shaftie. The brakes are excellent and even the non ohlins machines handle well. However if you are used to a multi cylinder bike the V twin could feel raw & unrefined. Close the throttle and the engine braking is immense. I find that part of the attraction of the Guzzi. Whilst it’s been said a thousand times before, the V11 is a motorcycle of character and rider involvement. They have been hand made in Mandello del Lario in relatively small nos. Where I ride Truimph Speed Triples, Beemer GS’s, Gixers, R1’s etc etc are everywhere. A V11 is a rarity. Heck every Guzzi with the exception maybe of V7’s are a rarity around here It’s a motorcycle with soul, the sensation of the transverse vibration. It’s unique, but not for everyone 1429

The mention of UK manufacture is to maintain confidence in the brand. So many companies are turning to 3rd world and emerging nations for manufacture. Brazil, Thailand and many other nations are now relied on for major brand tires. On a car, failure is a disappointment. On a bike, it can be fatal. Confidence in both brand and quality of manufacture carries much weight in my mind. As a company, Avon has over 100 years of experience in both car and motorcycle tires. Do they make a top level racing tire? Don't know and I believe it is irrelevant to the street rider. I have ridden on their bias ply tires for just over 20 years and wet or dry have not had an issue.

Yeah, good idea. Long overdue on bleeding. I got the lever on the 4 setting which the closest in. Thanks DOCC! I'll have to pass on the "Spendy" part

So year identifier on frame is a Y which seems to make it a 2000 bike, type KR and frame number 112219. [emoji106] Jimmy Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

Three of a kind! Impeccable taste, my man. I think next year I will sell my 696 and find a minty LeMans. We'll see how much love my '01 V11 Sport needs first...I already ordered a bevy of seals, gaskets, and other things that tend to go on these bikes, at least as a backup...MGCycle and AF1 in Austin, TX. so far have been great (no shipments received yet), very helpful.

I got a little last minute maintenance done today, I will load up tomorrow and stay in Lenoir City tomorrow night and be there bright and early Friday.

I just use a typical racer paddock stand, one that picks up the back of the bike by the swing arm. Once it is on that, I can lift the front of the bike up with a small jack under the front of the sump.

Here is a thread covering one aftermarket centerstand. My V11 has one. It is well made, but poorly engineered. The pivot point needs to be about 2" higher with the stand's legs increased about the same amount. As it is, you are lifting the bike too near vertical in the first part of the lift. The rear tire ends up about 1 1/2" from the ground. Therefore, I roll the rear wheel onto a 2X6 laid flat and the stand is much easier to deploy. Takes a little balancing act, but it works.

There was a "paddock stand" offered. It is pictured in the Workshop Manual (another V11 necessity along with everything you need to perform a "Decent Tune-up"). There was an after market centerstand, IIRC, but it wasn't very popular.

I believe it was a factory option, but I don't think they actually came from the factory with it. More of an accessory. I am not sure they are still for sale. Likely one of the experts will be along to clear things up shortly.

AFAIK, you could use any of those, but the "CAT." Certainly, you could select "Rosso Corsa" and be successful. guzzidiag cannot detect that the graphics are missing from your tank . . .

My professional life has been a long succession of o'ring.... different sizes, shapes, material too. High pressure, high temperature, 10 years shelf life, don't expose to UV rays and so on. o'ring in viton, kalrez, with or without backup rings... Proper installation of o'ring is an art too. You should never roll them on. Here's an excerpt from an operating manual I wrote; this one is specific about o'ring....

@p6x, I believe you can select any year Le Mans or any 2004 V11 available (Ballabio, Café Sport, Coppa Italia. etc.).

I noticed my dipstick O-ring is compressed into the angular shape and no longer resembles an “O” at all. It would require a pick to lift and and know it is actually there.

Sorry, I am not very good at finding the new topics in the forum. I should probably subscribe, that seems to be the only way to know when someone has answered, other than perusing all the topics one by one. The dipstick was missing the o'ring... Now, I don't remember having seen an o'ring there ever. How could it suddenly appear? the top part of the dipstick lid is tapered. I did not see an o'ring groove? But it is clearly visible on the drawing above..... therefore, I am going to assume it came off out of my knowledge, stayed on the bike? and eventually fell down for me to notice.

Pete once said, "rather like a Parson farting in a bathtub." I've had an airhead and an oilhead, but I'm a slow learner.

I've owned a couple BMW R1100S and R1100RT's, decent bikes...Yawn......Like My friend Mike said..." I had a R1100s...very nice bike, But the whole time I had it no one ever came up and said " Hey! Nice Bike!" Kinda Sums up my feelings.

I had a couple..great motors..one of the ones I had I had pumped..they are good bikes, and easy to maintain... But it is a certain kind of riding style for sure and not a good 2up bike..If you don't ride up on the tank and keep the front end fully weighted into corners you'll find yourself on your can quick..don't ask how I know. Also the front brakes are very touchy at low speeds partly because the front end is so light....a new RCS19 Brembo master helps that some.

Hi doc. I should have known better than to be a bit lazy and vague about the build year on this group 😀 You are absolutely correct of course. Jimmy

I owned a new BMW R1100S for a while docc. Mine had the optional 5.5" rear rim. Ciao

Mouse farts and saggy jugs. Must have been a stocker. The mouse farts can be remedied, but the saggy jugs are not treatable. Thinking about it... I don't recall ever hearing a conversation about named BMW frame types - I only recall hearing about engine types: airhead, oilhead, hexhead, etc. Same with Harleys: knucklehead, panhead, shovelhead, evolution, etc. Similar with Ducatis; bevel, desmo, etc. Although with Ducati, I think about the Trellis frame - but cannot think of any other frames that have a distinct name.

If the bike is one owner, then something is amiss, clutch-wise. If the bleeding and cleaning/lubing of the lever and pivot do not help, I cannot imagine what the issue is. I swapped out the OEM levers for shorty CNC units, adjusted the lever plunger screw and lever for reach, and no problems. No arthritis, but I do have neuropathy in both hands. A different diameter master cylinder might help and is not all that costly - cost being very relative here.

What Scud says. I also have the RAM single, it's an easy 2 finger pull. And I have arthritis in that hand. How does the Cafe feel compared to the 78? Isn't that one a cable?

Yeah, chicks dig those places. You'll be a hero. And really hungry for a big lunch at The Tapoco Lodge. Yet, there is also a Hardee's in Tellico for The Biscuiteers among us . . .

^^^^^^^^^^ Both https://troutmountain.net and http://tellico-grains-bakery.com look a bit effete for my tastes, tho Kathi would probably approve. Sigh. I think I'll pack in "real 'Merican food." Bill

OK, let's talk about something even more important than motorcycles. Yes, I know. But it is not an unworthy topic: breakfast. I suppose I could ask the new proprietors if that's back on, but thought someone here might know. If not, I can't find that any place in the area serves breakfast, at least of the manly, sit-down, wives-wouldn't-approve sort of menu. Seriously, this affects a bit how and what we bring. Anyone know or have ideas? Bill

If I had a bigger trailer I would bring my RC30, but I'll stick with the Italian theme (this year).

Now, I've been feeling apologetic about my nostalgic post. It occurred to me that the The Inaugural South'n SpineRaid, 2004, was the only year with 100% (four in all) SpineFrames, all V11. They were new bikes then, but the process of discovery had already begun. Since then, a broad variety of machines have attended: all types of V-twin Guzzi (everything from Ambassador to V85TT), Ducati (again this year! ), KTM, BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Triumph, Aprilia . . . a Porsche and a T-bird, even. IIRC, there are only two criteria to be warmly welcomed at a South'n Spine Raid : Get There. Bring Tools.

She started riding through me. I was racing motorcycles when we met, but I actually did not ride on the street (too dangerous). I raced Ducati's, then a Yamaha TZ250. We did a couple two up rides on a bike we borrowed from a friend. Then Buell came out with the Blast, she read about it in RoadRacing World magazine. She decided she wanted one, no pressure at all from me on that, I still did not own a streetbike. So we bought her a Blast, and I ended up buying a Buell X1. She rode the Blast for around a year, then decided she wanted a second bike that was faster. A friend owned a Guzzi Daytona, so she knew about Guzzi's. And the V11 Sport at the time came in the awesome green with the red frame, she really liked that. She was also interested in Triumph, the Speed Triple. So we did a test ride of those two, there was a dealer not too far away that sold both Guzzi and Triumph. In back to back riding, she liked the Guzzi better. So we bought her a V11 Sport, sadly we couldn't get the greenie, by that time there weren't any still available. But we found her a nice silver red frame V11 at a dealership a few hundred miles away. We rode down there two up and rode both bikes back. We took the scenic route back, up skyline drive. In the years since then, I bought the Daytona from my friend, as well as the first Griso sold in Maryland. We also picked up a V65 Lario, and sold the two Buells. I do wish I still had the X1, that was a great motorcycle when it ran.

Here I thought this was only found on the US V11 . . . That bracket holds the ends of the two 1/2 lines from the fuel tank vapor recovery/ charcoal canister system. On the early RedFrame Sport (like your silver V11, pictured), there were two charcoal canisters in the tool tray under the seat with twenty feet (yes, 20!) of various hoses in duplicate, most of it 1/2" double-walled fuel line, that terminated at the bracket shown. The entire mess weighs five pounds. Upon removing the fastener holding that bracket, I recall an exuberant stream of motor oil streaking out . . .

I sent you a PM re spring. Search the forum for details on the brace.

@p6x , any luck finding the missing O-ring? I was hoping that post took the prize, but we're not beyond looking further . . .

Yes, it's like a Japanese Buell, but, you know, without a garbage asthmatic Hardly-Abelson engine. 😂 Confession: I really wanted an XB12R around 2 years ago. The YammerHammer is still better. It has to be.

Hi p6x I had the same error trying to open GuzziDiag on my Mac after downloading. Try unzipping the file with The unarchiver instead of Archive Utility. Then open the unzipped app with right click/Open It worked for me on Catalina.

I personally think that tires brand, type don't necessarily work the same on every motorcycle brand and type. They are design this way. To fit the most in the best possible way. But there will always be some differences on how they handle and how they last based on weight, chassis geometry, sizes, your own appreciation, and local conditions such as temperature, asphalt composition and shape, speed and the list goes on. At least on this forum, when we speak about tires, we generally refer to tires that equip a V11. That certainly helps to narrow it down. How do we know we are qualified to judge tires? how can we tell one tire is better than the other? and what could we do to understand tire choice better? Myself, my first and most important criteria is safety. At present, I don't think I am able to have an educated judgement on the best tires for my Le Mans; I never had one before, and my experience lies with bikes from the 70's, with different size tires, and different parameters. But there is nothing I can do but not judge the handling of the Le Mans based on the feel imprinted in my memory from those days when I was riding every day, and racing against my friends on open roads or open go-kart tracks. Also, the choice of "good" tires was considerably less than today's. What tool(s) can we use to pick the tire that best fits our V11? -Brand? -Origin? -price? -mileage? referred to what? normal riding, sports riding, dragster acceleration between two traffic lights? -grip? all weather conditions? better in hot temperatures? better in milder temperatures? -wet grip? what kind of rain? heavy rain, light, at what temperature? -structure? more rigid for better handling? less for more comfort? -dual compound? softer on the sides for optimal grip while curving, harder on the tire center for better longevity? I had a few conversations about tires with other bikers here. Most of them mainly concerned about price and longevity. The thinking being: all the tires are similar, and for day to day use, cheaper is better.

Yes the '78 Le Mans is cable and feels much lighter than the V11.