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It is written: "They will beat their side stands into swords..."

My '97 Sport came to me with an empty leaking Bitubo. I have a WP and an Ohlins damper on the shelf, neither of which could be made to fit the MG. Being a cheapskate and easily annoyed, I took the end cap off the Bitubo, cleaned the seals and internals, refilled with power steering fluid (with leakstop) and it's been righteous ever since- ~15k miles. (Edit-on review, I took the PS fluid out after a bit and gave it Motul fork oil) Smooth, great adjustability, and leak/weep free. Costs nothing to try. If you do, be sure to get all of your cleaner out and run the shaft up and down a few times in the oil with the cap off to release any bubbles. Then fill to top and let the excess run out while you thread the cap on. Clean up and go.

Well, I was amazed that the "Seal Mate" @Mikko sent me out of pure kindness extended my fork seal life another 5,000 miles. That was a gift beyond expectation! Current attempts to restore the seals (especially the left) are to no avail. Time for seals (at 125,000+ miles/ 201.000+ km). I have the seals (and dust seals) in The Pile . What to know and do? Early V11 Sport Marzocchi (are they 40mm?) . . .

You know I do all my own work (usually) but I was quite happy to let the local WP service center give them a mechanical rebuild and facelift for only a couple hun; replacing bushings is something best accomplished with correct tools- which requires in my experience either time and money to acquire the 'official' tool (which lays unused for eternity after) or 3 trips to Home Depot for the correct (?) size PVC pipe to cut into a tool. What broke the camel's back and drove me to outsource it wasn't that WP is literally a half hour drive, but that I couldn't find online a way to be certain of what fork I have and educate myself on the process before I took them apart- or halfway apart. FWIW here's your nearest WP service center; WOOLY'S CYCLES OF ATLANTA Address 1581 Cobb Pkwy S 30060 Marietta, GA There are few things I hate more than taking something apart and being stuck for parts or tools while I forget where I was and how it fits back together. Like my Sport with no TBI linkage. Or my Mille GT waiting for spoke nipples from Sweden. Or my Aermacchi starter needing a register bored for the Suzuki upgrade. I have nothing that works properly today.

Hi all, Whilst performing some maintenance on the V11 LeMans I noticed the Bitubo steering damper weeping oil. As I’m overhauling the suspension (front shocks -> Andreani Misano Evo, rear shock -> Hyperpro) I figured I might as well find a good replacement for the steering damper. After browsing the forum and searching all over the internet I've not found an alternative to the less than ideal Bitubo steering damper. The Shindy 17-001 seems to be unavailable in Europe and the guys at Hyperpro can’t confirm that their steering damper will fit as they only tested it on a V11 Sport. Have any of you found a good replacement that is still available?

Nah, tha failures of the tappets in the 8V had bugger all to do with oil or it's additives.

I’ve always used Motul or Putoline 10-40 semi synthetic in the V11s, but the issue of the amount of ZDDP present is relevant as they’re flat tappet motors and there’s no information about these oils ZDDP ppm level For the 8v high cam motor from the Griso / Stelvio, a fully synthetic 10w60 is the manufacturer recommended grade, as is a must as it’s an oil / air cooled motor with additional coolant galleries in the heads. My Griso has a roller tappet motor, and the saga of the premature failure of the flat tappets has been well documented, presumably not helped by the lack of ZDDP in todays oils

Definitely doable…I found the 90 route to be more relaxing but also more remote, with historical stops in Pecos, and along the Amistad reservoir and many sections of just plain nothing…but still more interesting than just doing I-10. The other alternative is to take I-10 for a portion and then grab 290 all the way from around Junction thru to Austin, much more scenic ride and rolling hills ride in my view! I love I-10 in the Rover or Porsche, but not so much on the motorcycle…I really try to avoid the interstate as much as possible while on the bike…

I see there is a gas station in Terlingua: Alon. Marathon to Big Bend is 100 miles+. I would not want to run out of gas on the 118 or the 385. But given that we have a stop at that Big Bend Biker hotel, I think the 118 to go to Big Bend is most likely the way to go. Enter the park through the western entrance and exit through the northern towards Marathon. I am hesitating between the 90 and the I-10 though. What would you recommend? on the I-10, which is the recommended google itinerary, it is an 8:00 hours drive not taking into account the stops. 563 miles. I think I want to check if I can do that in one single drive. I could take US-90 on my way back. I think I should be able to do it in three days total. I-10 to Alpine. Overnight at the Biker Hotel. Then down through Terlingua, cross Big Bend, get to Marathon and US-90 to San Antonio overnight there, and back to Houston the following day. I am going to ignore all the stops around San Antonio leave them for another trip. Is this a good way to do it?

Yep, there it is: February, 2004. I forgot about the corner mod . . .

You guys rock. I'm just a custodian.

Yeah, you've gotta love this forum. It is *the* knowledge base for the V11S. Thanks, Jaap, and Docc..

Glad to see you are still on a V11S.. and it is working for you.

Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology.

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

No marks on my seat base (2004 Naked) from the battery L post adapters, but then I weigh only about 150 pounds all suited up. Real men may have a different experience.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/german-prosecutors-mount-raids-over-suzuki-cars-alleged-test-dodging-2022-04-27/