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And just when I had thought all hopes were gone.... here's Francesca!

......or

@Admin Jaap for the win !

https://www.leccoonline.com/articolo.php?idd=61360&origine=1&t=Mandello%3A+raduno+'in+rosa'+per+il+centenario+della+Moto+Guzzi

https://m.facebook.com/donneemotoguzzi/photos/a.566290240101796/665789596818526/?type=3&source=54&ref=page_internal Qui ci sono un po' di foto.

It is probably because I am old, but I like the large round head light on the V11; it really gives its true identity as a café racer. The newer dot lights are more efficient, but in my mind, it kind of desecrates the aura.

True. Well spotted. Although normally those little screw-on covers are fitted to protect against shorts. Then I always follow the golden rule: " disconnect negative first, reconnect negative last"

Enough! Have a nice Sunday before President's day.

Finalmente!

Lots of scratches on the cylinder head... kind of ruin the photo...

@docc I found a website in Italy, translating into "girls on motorbikes". Lots of day to day ladies riding their own motorbikes, but competing for views of their clichés. Only... after sifting through more than 100 pages of photos, I could not find a single lady on a Moto Guzzi!!! Most of these all around the age groups beauties are from Italy, and the great majority ride on Ducati; many Japanese, a few odds and ends like KTM Duke, even Harley Davidson (when you know how much they cost in Europe!). Sad truth is, I did not (so far) find a single one on a Guzzi, let alone a V11... The people on this site are the last of a kind...

Congrats on the Scura. Great bikes. They're definitely a different animal from the other V11s. They sit a little higher, rev a little quicker, slightly faster. Oh, and the flywheels can explode.. 🤣 But if you bought one, you know. Chuck's was already sorted. You're good. I'm fortunate to own one too. I love it. I need to ride it more often though. I may just pull her out today.

I did the same as Tom; added terminal blocks. A jumper goes to each battery terminal, so there are only 2 connections to each battery terminal.

It has, very much, a "custom Rosso Mandello" vibe. Like a RedFrame Sport slept with a Rosso Mandello and had a Wild Child . . .

O.k. After 55 years of riding on and off road ,and as many years of listening to loud music..plus a number of years in my 20's covering Top fuel dragsters and funny Cars out on the Starting line as a cameraman for wide world of sports my hearing is getting pretty bad...I saw a Specialist at Stanford this week had an Audiologist test me ...verdict =high frequency hearing loss and Tinnitus. I'm leaving now to start the process of getting Hearing aids.. Do you wear them? What do you do with them when you ride? I usually wear the best ear plugs I can find online..but that is hit or miss. Care to chyme in with your experiences? I figure its something we should ALL learn as much as possible about I found this article which explain's some of what I have heard about in the past. http://www.hearingtestlabs.com/motorcycle.htm

Moto GP

Hey, hello all. Thanks Chuck for the introduction. Yes, the Mighty Scura has a new pair of hands caring for her. Still keeping it local in Indiana. A bit about me. As Chuck mentioned I'm a 20+year aircraft mechanic and life long tinkerer of all things mechanical. The Mighty Scura being the fifth Guzzi I've owned. She'll be joining my current Guzzi stable of a '13 GRiSO and a '67 V700. I'll be adding a '74 Police Eldorado in a week or two. I'm going to need a bigger shop now for sure. Also a current member of the Indiana Chapter of the Moto Guzzi Owners Club. I've enjoyed meeting the my fellow enthusiast and being able to assist when I can. Really, it was my wife's idea for me to join up. She said since I had the new GRiSO I had to join the club and make friends. So I'm out there making friends. I've been to a couple of the rallies here in the Mid West and had a good time every time. I am looking forward to participating and meeting fellow riders. On parting with Chuck this afternoon I might have detected a tear in the corner of his eye. Not quite sure since it was raining. Finally, nice of Chuck to post up a cheesey photo of me. Now I don't have to.

I think some of you have time on your hands.

Maybe a translation thing but I'm not sure about "less", ie reduced "handling" whatever "handling" is defined to be. My 1198 has reduced offset triple clamps down from 36 to 30mm. The std 36mm offset road clamps means the bike doesn't finish off the corner well and has a tendency to run wide exiting corners under power. The increased trail and added weight on the front wheel corrects this by and large. It's noticeable on the track but not the road, as you're not pushing that hard on the road. There are a lot of compromises made in the set up and dimensions of older road bikes to accommodate for pillions, different weight riders and the highly variable conditions all the bikes sold will be ridden in around the world. Some of the reason modern bikes handle so well is because the manufacturers have gradually narrowed down the compromises which is great for particular riders and environments but not for others. They then drag it back a little by electronically tailored adjustability. Ciao

It’s correct what LowRyter said, and Google. And they were referring to engine oil. That note are a few years old tho. Yes we want the best for our bikes. Overdo is better than,,,, so l bought Orion 870 for gearoil, US made. Cheers Tom.

Alone we go faster but together we go longer

"No Castrol Use" according to Mr Google. "Kein Castrol verwenden"

Apparently the previous photo was overexposed, and this is why the cylinder head appears scratched. I am still not sold on the checkered painted tank though... this is Northern Italy. The building in the left hand background is typical. I would even say it is in Emilia Romagna...

A short offset is larger trail. So more stability and less handling. I hope they didn't change to much on that.

Wheelies on a Griso

What work has been done on that Scura? (hope all's good w you Pete).

You only need to cure VHT engine enamel for "Chemical resistance" read gasoline resistance. You could probably get away without the heat curing but if you have an oven and an understanding wife then it can't hurt anything. Personally I'd stay away from wrinkle finish paint. It collects dirt too easily and is hard to clean. looks nice but not in the "real world" Ciao

IDK her , but the bike I remember !

oh gawd yeah- one further point is that my ace h/c fabbo relay is sited 1 inch from the + terminal… i reckon i’ll live with it a while yet, but them terminal blocks are the way forward for sure. My monza has 1 wire to the neg, and 2 wires to the pos hahaa!

Okay FreyZI, Now we reveal their names? The V7 is Bridget: the ingenue/cheerleader, perky, fun The V11 is Betty: the serious keeper, you'd go to war with her Think what our wives therapists could do with this thread.

I can no longer react today.... We should start our own photo shoot with "normal" ladies and our own motorbikes? I am going to go to Galveston today, they are having their Mardi Gras celebration, and I know there are plenty of ladies willing to pose. Unfortunately, my Le Mans is still at the hospital. So we should post our own pics with whoever we find along the path.

And it's @Guzzimax for the thread-save!

Yes docc, brings a big smile just looking and think about it. Turning angle ain’t much, and what degrees ?, but can’t wait to check out her behavior in the mountains. Snowing outside right now. Cheers Tom.

We have a "Hearings Aids" thread right next to our "What do you listen to" thread . . .

Got my new hearing aids this past Monday...$7k all up....so far they are worth every penny, my audiology Doctor specializes in working with classical musicians who have hearing loss ( NOT ME)...the hearing aids are small little things, re chargeable, you replace the batteries once a year..3 year full warranty and with blue tooth..I can control them thru an easy App in my I phone.. equalizer..front rear side to side, bass treble midrange...and I can get my calls, and music, TV thru them when I want .... I am hearing sound now I havn't heard in years..From 57 years of riding and racing, working in motorcycle shops and in the wind up on on tall sail boat masts,and lots of loud music concerts I had a bad high high frequency loss...So Monday I was listening to some sirius music in the car on the way home I heard a Song I have loved and listened to 100's of times...suddenly I could hear lyrics clearly, some I never heard or understood before. Both Retinas repaired 2 years ago, Now ears this year..., Shoulders next...things are wearing out...trying to do the maintenance but thankful for technology!! " Keep on Rollin"!!!!!! Elvin Bishop

When I first saw a Guzzi, I liked it's design. Two cylinders angled out into the airstream. Equal cooling on the hot side of each cylinder head. No shared cyl wall like many twins, no rear cyl running hotter like HD & Ducati. Like a BMW twin, but cooler looking, with more ground clearance. Shaft drive. Less mess and less maintenance (or so I thought then). Dry clutch. Oil on a friction surface just seems wrong to me, and oil for engines and gearboxes should be different. Those features are no longer so important in modern bikes, but I still love the character and soul of the bike. It feels alive. I took a Triumph Bonneville for a blast, and nearly died of boredom (unlike the Thruxton R). I don't feel that way on a V11. Also I like how there are not many on the road.

Lots of significant changes for an 1800 mile bike. Collectors, and purists, will cringe, and shy away. I once rode a hotted-up GB with the 600 cylinder, 10.5:1 Wiseco piston, and custom semi-downdraft intake for the >no-idle-circuit< Mikuni. It, too, had a SuperTrap exhaust. The fellow told me he stacked every (exhaust) plate he could find in his shop. There must have been twelve, or more! I asked the clever Aussie about his air filter . . . "Filters just slow the air down!"

here is a clean low-mile GB500 on Craigslist: https://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/mcy/d/phoenix-1990-honda-gb500-tourist-trophy/7443300180.html

Having read many of the articles here, I wanted to ask about what gasket sealants members use & recommend. ThreeBond's 1194 comes up as a gearbox sealant on Lucky Phils gearshift thread. That seems to have been replaced with Threebond 1184. Threebond 1211 was in an engine build article somewhere. Jim Hamlin likes using Threebond 1207B when re-attaching the two sections of a CARC unit together. Appreciate the advice.

ThreeBond 1104 neo and 1215, Hylomar, Permatex thread sealant, Ford TA-30 and Permatex Ultrablack. But if you want the best I've ever used this is it, dries clear as well so it's invisible. Used it many many times for vertically split Ducati crankcase halves and engine covers. Omnivisc 1002 is also excellent. The 1050 is it's successor. https://www.scooter-center.com/en/liquid-gasket-loctite-omnivisc-1050-90g-3600017 You can obviously buy it from other sources as well. Number 1 thing after an immaculately clean surface ( I use MEK to clean down the joint before applying sealant) is to let it cure for whatever the manufacturer recommends, usually 24 hours before subjecting it to oil or running. If you want sealants that can be used immediately they are available but the amount of really labour intensive jobs I've seen botched from not allowing curing is staggering. Ciao

What sort of battery? If it's an Odyssey it'll still probably be ok after conditioning. They start better in my experience if you set the high idle lever on and don't touch the throttle until it's running. Ciao

Pretty sure it is the fault of my "last technician" as my watchmaker and BMW dealer referred to my errant efforts, rather with minimally restrained askance . . .

Sorry Scud I meant to PM you but had to step away for a from the computer. Truly amazing speed for this to arrive from the US, thanks again, much appreciated. I'll get the package in the post first thing Monday and I have southern hemisphere spring and detent bearing supplies for anyone thats in need. Yes for my bike. I have some late 43mm forks for it with Andreani cartridges and I'll machine up a Titanium axle. Then a set of PVM wheels and a machined rear bevel box like this and the MGS-01. That's the plan. Ciao

See? Jus' sayin' . . .