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I joined the group back on October 4th, made one intro post, and then.... well, just forgot to check back in. I've been busy, with life and stuff. Yes, the bike in this discussion is mine. I'm Tom Witt. It did indeed belong to Terry Whitaker. Terry passed away last year. I did not know him personally, but we have several common friends. I bought both his V11 LeMans and his 164k-mile California (with gold plated valve covers) a few months ago, from Maggie. I also considered buying his yellow Centauro, but it had some minor issues that spooked me away at the time. I've been contacted by several members from this group, through my Marketplace post and directly via email, I'm assuming mostly due to this thread. I never did post this bike for sale here on the forum because.... well, that's gotta be about this most distasteful thing for a new forum user to do. Sign up and the first post is.... "Hey, I'm a new guy. Buy my bike!".

I've had my share of problems with the starter motor but I've never had any problems with my micro relays. That's not to say that the starter contactor may not draw a short-term current that could cause problems, it's just not something I've experienced (yet). However, I have experienced exactly the same symptoms; lights dim when starter button pressed and you hear the click of the starter contactor but it doesn't crank, or ties to so weakly that you know it's not going to start. You try again and sometimes it may work, sometimes not. The cause in my case (and this is the reason I thought I'd add to the wisdom already given) was that the crimped (female) blade that pushes onto the starter motor contactor, was not particularly strong/grippy and had a bit of corrosion in it. Sorting this out cured the problem. Effectively insufficient current could be drawn by the contactor coil to pull in the starter contacts strongly enough, these then added extra resistance to the starter motor circuit and the motor cranked weakly or not at all. Perhaps it was this that caused the actual starter motor contacts to arc and pit, because soon after this I had the same thing again, but this time diagnosed that it was these main contacts that take up to 500A peak and typically interrupt the 120- 150A d.c. cranking current in an inductive circuit. This in itself is something that you might expect to cause degradation over time. Anyway, having checked that it wasn't the same thing again and diagnosed that the actual main contacts were adding abnormal contact resistance, I fitted a new starter and this solved the problem. So my contribution in all this talk of getting better relays (and of course the relay could also cause a weak pull-in of the starter motor contactor relay) is to make sure you have checked these other two causes.

I have learned to never throw a spring away. Shampoo and soap pumps have useful sized stainless springs in them.

Bloody hell , I've got the stutters now... Please disregard the double up, I must be hovering round the 3 -4 k wobbly zone myself! Cheers Guzzler

Haha, so, this reminds me of the fairly early idea to swap the High Idle Spring for the Seat Latch Spring and both work better. Mine did!

Try leaving the throttle alone and applying the cold idle lever instead before you hit the button. How much you ask? Depends how it's adjusted as they tend to have a fair amount of "dead band" if adjusted properly. Move the lever while looking at the mechanism on the r/h throttle body until it starts moving the throttle shaft to get an idea of the size of the dead band then give it a little bit more for a cold start and crank it and don't mess with the throttle. When it fires it will probably go straight to 2000rpm or so and you can then slowly back it off to a high idle of 16-1800 rpm for a minute and then off and use the throttle. I think playing with the throttle at low cranking speeds isn't the optimal scenario for the ecu trying to apply the correct injector timing duration. Ciao

Geez, thanks for the quick replies! I guess I'm good to go then, what you're all describing is exactly what is happening. Terrific, I can cross that off my "things to do" list. And to the best of my knowledge and the original owner/po, the bike has the factory map and I'm really not enthusiastic about changing it because it runs great imo. Thanks again, Art

Not mine but nice 2002 LeMans for sale on FB, www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/606413023708370

My meagre attempt at stopping my side stand from being buried in soft soil or melted bitumen. Chris.

Hi Art, I agree with a change in ride hieght needing a change in stand hieght. On my Lux model Bellagio there is only about 50 mm rear suspension travel and I have upgraded the shock to include 120mm travel and lower the front end by 15mm so the stance the bike had is now very different. Coupled with the fact that the side stand on a Bellagio is a biatch to kick down as using the tang that's meant for the job as it burns your boot sole against the headers since it's so close. So adding real estate to the foot allows easier deployment since it sticks out a bit further as well as giving insurance on soft surfaces. Chris.

Barry Sheene helmet and leathers and boots. Ciao

Ahem…today in fact right here in Houston…nice and cool ride on the Scura, after all it’s only in the 50’s! After a week in Wisconsin where it dipped well below zero, this feels positively balmy. We ride all the way down to just above freezing, and the hot coffee tastes even better when stopped for a break. Good riding gear makes it quite comfortable. A balaclava helps too…and the right pair of gloves. I wouldn’t ride if it’s icy, but just cold is still very enjoyable. Maybe time to consider a backup generator…Generac or Kohler…life saver during a hurricane or a winter power outage. I put one in after Hurricane Harvey, it’s kicked on several times, including those occasions when transformers have blown in the neighborhood…

Art.. if it is leaning that much, just to be safe, check the bolt that attaches to the engine.

there’s one, maybe two, weak-points in the system

Ah, USD is the official USDollar currency moniker. Acronyms can be misleading.

I'd prefer this.... Do you recognize the helmet?

I'm always glad to see something new and exciting from duc, and I'm always content to not be in their demographic.

I've not noticed any engine paint bubbling. My past observations with other V11's, is that commonly happens on the valve covers, doesn't it? I see no bubbling on the valve covers either. It DOES have cracked/flaking paint on the red porkchops though. I was going to replace them with a nicer silver set that I had in my possession, but the longer I've owned it, the less it seems to bother me, and I still like the red. I'm not aware of any shift return spring issue(s).

It is still art on wheels... you can get that spare tank to make it easy on anx... I think it is well positioned with regards to the competition. If you compare with the new Triumph Tiger wet weight of 525 lbs. KTM Adventure 1290 wet weight is 551 lbs. Seat eight 34.6 inches. I think they all target the same people. Including the 15k price mark. But the Ducati is made in Italy.

At a seat height of almost 35 inches and a dry weight of over 450 lbs they lost me...Nice bike for someone though

Hi, - I did the seat/high cam spring swap a few years ago. I think I checked cable slack to make sure I got full high cam but will recheck. - I don't recall whether I move to high cam before or after ign "on".....in the Spring I'll try to figure out if either makes a difference for my bike. Thanks! Art

I like that commercial..... the surroundings and even the perfume!

Here's the details about the engine.... Rotax indeed, and that's the engine they designed for the BMW F 650.

I just caught wind of this yesterday. Owned by Mahindra, designed in the UK, engine engineered in Austria (likely Rotax), and built in India. 45bhp(likely 35-37hp) single cylinder with a top speed of 105mph (my bet 95mph.). Weighs like 450lbs so it's likely 90% steel and highly overengineered to be super reliable. Then they're pricing it right on par with the Enfield Interceptor. I may get one.. I love road going thumpers..

Barber Motorsports Park Vintage Festival? https://www.barbermuseum.org/barber-vintage-festival/

Yes. Actuating the fast idle lever is the same as cracking the throttle it's basically a hand throttle or variable throttle stop. The engine ecu has a "cranking enrichment map" to add extra fuel for a pre determined amount of engine revolutions at start up. In the case of the V11 it is for 4000 engine revolutions and is at maximum "richness" from the first revolution of the engine tapering down to zero enrichment until 4000 revolutions have been done. This map is adjustable and one I modified on my bike to assist starting which was initially very hard with the 2 valve start enrichment map percentages. It is also active no matter what the engine temp is so even works with a hot engine. This is why when adjusting the CO level you need to start the engine and wait for around 3-4 min before any CO adjustment can be assessed by engine idling. In addition there is also the enrichment determined by the engine and OAT temp sensors which are added to the base map along with the Cranking map. At extremely low temps all this adds up to around 200% extra fuel at the initial hit of the button. This is also why your tank range is reduced quite noticeably with a lot of cold start cycles esp in cold weather. Add to this the TPS adjustment accuracy, wear in the throttle shafts and, how the air bleeds are set and valve clearances etc and it's a wonder they start at all, lol. They all start differently but in my experience all need a little throttle when cold. There is a big difference also between manual throttle manipulation and using the fast idle lever and using the twist grip. My bike starts very well using the fast idle lever before you hit the button but not as well if you try and manipulate the throttle by hand. The difference is quite distinct. Ciao

Tell me the V100 Mandello will live beyond the flighty promo videos and "perfume commercials" . . .

No. There are three Firewires, a custom-shaped Linden, some no-name stuff, and a groovy old Chuck Dent 7'6" with glassed in fins. And a 1980s 10' 5-fin Bonzer hanging from the ceiling.

Overall in good shape, but not totally original. I'm gonna go through it a bit to freshen up some things and find out the details. The pork chops and rocker covers were repainted, they are perfect match to the script on the tail, which is a bit on the pink side... But I have a set of Candy-Apple-Red chops and covers to swap in. I'll probably have some play time over the upcoming holiday.

I found a Nero Corsa at the foot of Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevadas... it followed me home, so I guess I get to keep it.

Missed this somehow.. I've flown a Super Ace, but it was a completely different animal with a 65 horse Continental on the nose. Being able to see forward is over rated..

Sellers name is Tom Witt.. I sent a message so wait and see if I get a reply. I can't buy it unless he can deliver from Ohio to Mpls.

I meant images of the modifications to your bike. Ciao

This gorgeous champagne LeMans looks entirely capable of making the next (Eighteenth!) South'n SpineRaid in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, from "Southwest Ohio", @witttom . . . (Weekend After Labor Day/Get There/Bring Tools.)

The Guzzi eagle! Even pointing the correct direction.

^ that just makes me want to hold up lighter and yell FREEBIRD.