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Hallo. I haven't found a dedicated board to introduce oneself, so I decided to do it here. My name is Michael, but Mick is good. I turned 59 a couple of weeks ago, and have been riding motorcycles since 1985. The first one was a Suzuki GSX 250 (at the time in Vicroria, Australia, beginners were only allowed a 250), which was followed by a 1976 model Z900. I owned a couple of those 2-Stroke 3-Cylinder Kawasakis (a 250 and a 400) for a bit, but one was a basket case, and the other one had been out in the weather for several years and didn't run. In addition, I had a Honda MVX 250 for a while. The Honda got sold to an acquaintance, I don't remeber why I got rid of it, and the Kawasakis all got sold when I moved to Germany at the start of 1996. After the move, I didn't have a motorcycle for about 10 years. Then someone gave me a Honda CBX 650 E, a soft-chopper thing. Never would have bought it myself, but after the first ride I couldn't understand anymore how I had got through the 10 years without a bike. Rode that for a while, and then I made the "mistake" of going to have a look at a V35 Imola that was for sale about 20 km. away from where I was living at the time. Bought it, of course. A mate of mine who lived in the same house with me for a while in Melbourne had a Le Mans III, which was the clincher for the interest in Moto Guzzi. The Imola is "only" a small-block, but the lines are very similar, and I couldn't resist. It wasn't a runner, as it had been in a cellar (going by the waft under the seat...) since it was taken off the road in 1997 according to the papers I got with it. I took it apart, put it back together with new seals everywhere and an electronic ignition (Silent Hektik), and have been having fun with it ever since. About the same time as I got the Imola, I got rid of the soft-chopper Honda and got a Kawasaki 1000 GTR (Concourse in the USA, I believe). Not my style, actually, but I wanted a bike that could hold its own on the german Autobahn, and for that, the GTR is hard to beat. I once rode it from Leipzig (where I have been living since 2015) to the north of France. More than 800 km., rain almost the whole time. On that bike, that is a doable proposition. I broke that one (the GTR) at the end of 2017 by not noticing that a car that I was overaking in a long line of cars was about to turn into a side road. Broke both hands in the process... The GTR I broke was ok before the accident. The one I bought to replace it turned out to have a heap of problems, which leads us to why I am here. The interest in Moto Guzzi has been increasing over the last several years, and the justification for the GTR through changes in my employment situation decreasing. On top of that, I'm having a bit of "if not now, it may be too late", so I bought a V11 Le Mans about a week ago. Haven't ridden it yet, as there has been snow on the ground here more or less since the day I picked it up (slightly over 1000 km. round trip to go and get it....). I am absolutely delighted to have found a forum a) in english and dealing with the specific model, and b) with such good information. I've already read the thread about the ominous pawl spring from start to finish (65 pages, wow...). Looking forward to reading more here, and I dare say I'll be posting some stuff eventually too. 'till then Mick

To tell if your spring rates are right is fairly easy. Measure how much the bike sags with you on it in riding position. Get that sag where it needs to be, usually around 25% of total suspension travel. Then measure how much the bike sags under its own weight, without you on it. Both sag measurements should be from suspension fully extended, that is the baseline. Compare the two different amounts of sag. Typically you want around 25% sag with you on it and 10% sag without you. Some like a little more sag with you on board, maybe 30%. But either way. If you have the right amount of sag with you on the bike but not enough sag when it is just the weight of the bike your spring rate is too soft. The soft spring required too much preload to get sag correct with you on board and thus sag without you on board was too little. If the sag is too much without you on board after getting sag right with you on board your spring rate is too stiff. The second thing is, for the early V11 forks, the compression adjust does almost nothing. Until the piston in the fork moves past the bleed holes the valving and the adjuster do nothing. All the fork oil simply goes out through the bypass holes. If your V11 has a set of the early 'zook's the adjuster doesn't do anything until you block off those holes. A great tip when trying to dial in suspension is to tie a small zip tie around the fork or shock, the smaller the better. Tighten it tight enough that it stays where ever it is put. Slide it all the way against the moving side of the suspension, then ride. That will show you if the suspension is too stiff and not using the travel, leading to a harsh ride, or if the suspension is bottoming because it is using all the travel too easily. Suspension can feel harsh for either reason, it can be hard to tell the difference, but what is needed to be done to fix the issue can be completely different.

Now there is a debatable topic, which has been debated fully. Search around. Some go with the standard twin-plate that was OEM on most V11s. Others have found RAM single-plate parts that work. But if it was me, I would just run it till it wears out, then inspect everything - and if the flywheel looked good, I'd just replace the friction parts. And since this is a "for sale" topic, I would not let the single plate setup deter any serious buyer. It looks to be a fine machine with low miles.

She's starting to get sorted out. Plugged the mirror mount holes in the fairing and went to a neat set of bar ends. Like them so much I'm thinking about putting some on the Coppa. Used the cheapo Amazon wraparound fork mount signals. Double sided mounting tape with 1/2" aluminum angle, just below the headlights. Baffles in the pipes, didn't make them much quieter but they have a deeper burble. I've never been a big fan of traction control, I've always thought you should hone skills the old fashion way. I still think that but if you know how to ride well without it it's a pure joy when you put the two together and ride with it. And quickshifters are awesome

Very close, but I think the pork chops are black. And the mufflers are a kind of bronze colour. I'm not prone to go and have a closer look right now. It's about 3.30 a.m. here, and around -5°C outside. The beautiful lady is four floors down in the back yard under a "tarp". I know,that is not the best place, but putting her in my "garage" up the street is not really an option. I share the garage with 3 other blokes, and there are already 5 other bikes in there. But my V11 is not alone. The Imola and the GTR are right beside her keeping her company.

I lusted for the CX100 way back in the day, but although I was a bike fiend and hit every shop I could for a number of years,in all that time and for many decades after,I had never actually seen a guzzi in person. The first guzzi I actually saw in the flesh was approximately 15 yrs ago,while outside on a smoke break,a guy at work rides into the parking lot on an RM that he had just picked up on a bus & ride deal from Chicago? I love red guzzis, and there's something special in the RM red that doesn't always show up in photos. I think there is some type of Candy Apple Red thing going on in the mix. Imo it's the nicest red I've ever seen on a bike. RE considering the clutch/flywheel angle;I'm just glad it's not for sale close to me,so I don't have to worry about it being my issue,lol

My RM has done 85k. So far all good

Those look cool. But, as mentioned previously I believe, the stock Guzzi top triple clamp has bosses cast into it where some versions of the V11 are drilled out to mount handlebar clamps. All you have to do is drill out those bosses with holes of the required diameter (for the size bolt) and either mount a set of BillyBob ( V11 Ballabio ) handle bar clamps or most any set of handlebar clamps can work. Just make sure the handlebar clamps are sized to match the chosen handlebar. We used BillyBob handle bar clamps and the BillyBob handle bar, both factory BillyBob parts. But aftermarket bars and / or aftermarket handlebars will work. That said, LSL stuff is nice. I have LSL stuff on my Daytona.

I have two different old beam style torque wrenches, the ones with the pointers are typically called beam style torque wrenches because they use the flex of the wrench beam compared to a reference to gauge torque. One is a classic beam style, with the pointer (probably like yours). The other uses an interesting setup, possibly called a split beam torque wrench. It has a two piece beam in something of a scissor arrangement where instead of a pointer it has a sliding scale where it scissors. I don't think it is any better, but it is interesting. While I have two beam style torque wrenches, I rarely use them. Occasionally they are the right torque wrench for the job, but usually a clicker or digital torque wrench is the right torque wrench for the job. Beam style torque wrenches have a couple advantages, including they generally keep their calibration where as a clicker or digital style can loose its calibration over time. But for general work, like installing a wheel, the clicker style or digital torque wrench is far easier to use and get the right torque value. It is hard to apply the required torque using a beam style wrench AND look at the reading while doing so. Far easier to just apply force until it clicks or beeps. I have had to have a second person when using a beam style torque wrench to watch the reading and tell me when I hit the required torque. Much easier to just muscle it until it clicks.

Nice introduction Mick. Welcome. "I know there is "active involvement" on the horizon, and that is not all bad. " - many a beautiful relationship requires it .. no?

Well, I say, again: You are in the right place, here. As the old adage goes, "Expect some owner involvement " . . . . Anybody that stays up to 3am to post on some random internet forum is already putting skin in the game . . .

The first time I saw a Rosso in person was at a Mid-Ohio AMA SuperBike race circa 04-ish, love at 1st sight. This year I finally bought one, & she’s a keeper.

Yet, I do not believe we have a confirmed report of a Rosso Mandello flywheel actually exploding. After the (exceedingly lengthy) debates on this forum and elsewhere, it seems (at least to me) most likely that a bad batch of flywheels was delivered during the Scura's production run. Personally, if I had a RM, I'd be inclined to run it as-is. Tenni has the same clutch/flywheel, but was made in same model year as Scura, so it has a higher risk factor (IMO).

My two cents..... Or just remove the valve. The valve only allows venting in one direction. There are legitimate reasons why the tank needs to vent in both directions. From the factory the valve should only allow venting from the fuel tank to the charcoal canisters, pressure can escape. But as fuel is used, air should be allowed back in to the tank. Otherwise you get tank suck, a vacuum developing in the tank as fuel is used. That can result in the tank suck phenomenon of tank suck when you open the tank and the tank re-expands back to normal. But you clearly don't want the one way valve installed in the other direction either as then it would not allow the fumes to vent out of the tank, potentially causing a build up of pressure inside the tank. That could end poorly. An even worse idea. If the valve is installed, you should only be able to blow through it in the direction of from the fuel tank. You should not be able to blow through it towards the fuel tank. If you open the gas tank filler, you should not be able to blow through the end of the vent line to the fuel tank with the one way valve installed. The one way valve is to meet EPA requirements in the USA. The EPA wants the fuel system to be captive, any fumes venting the fuel tank are supposed to be directed to the charcoal canisters, where they are kept until they are feed back into the engines intake tract while the engine is running. In other countries they do not have the one way valve in the tank venting system. It is just some countries like the USA that they do that for. Some people remove the canisters, others remove the one way valve. Some remove both. I would say removing the one way valve is a more important improvement than removing the canisters. I would rather the fuel tank vent goes in both directions. But for racing it was common to run a one way valve that only allowed air to flow into the fuel tank and not allow fuel to escape in the event of the bike being on its side. That was more about keeping fluids off the race track then making the fuel tank work as well as possible. In a perfect world the fuel tank vent would go in both directions.

This didn't get any ads, so I'm guessing it'll be in video with in a few weeks. Anyway, Jon Hamm brings back Fletch, you might remember a couple of Chevy Chase movies with same character. It was a good laugh, a whimsical crime journalist comedy. I didn't even know about it until I read the review, so it's been out this week and only at two theaters in my metro. So if you are in mood for a comedy you might give it a shot. I only post this because you might not have heard of it and might enjoy it. Confess, Fletch

I think there is something wrong here. That seems contradictory. Could it be that the second sentence should have ended with "too hard"?

4.5" rear wheel...I'll go with the 160.

Well my spark plug trick won't work on the front axle of my V11...too big. I have the 14 mm allen it needs though. Won't have time to put the tires on until after Christmas. Hoping for some sunny days to heat my tires up.

I rode to work today, 20 miles one way with no issues. I plan to do so the remainder of the week. If all goes well, I'll count the V11 as road worthy. I noticed at 80mph, RPM is just over 4,000, nearly the same as my V7. This surprised me. Although the V7 feels like it's working hard at that RPM, the V11 feels merely cruising.

Apparently, you got the fancy upgrade model!

Yes! I have one with a battery and a little light.

I would take the Advanced Rider Course every 2-3 years when offered by Goldwing Road Riders Association. I found the lead up to training day caused me some anxiety. I would take the course to improve my riding skills and lower my insurance rate but didn't want to drop the bike in front of my peers, get hurt, break expensive plastic that envelops the bike, etc. At the end of the day, about 2hrs of classroom and 6hrs of parking lot, I was cheerfully exhausted. I felt I had improved my riding skills, my poor habits had been pointed out to me as areas that need improvement and mainly, I didn't fall, get hurt, damage the bike, etc. I could hardly wait to send a facsimile of my course completion certificate to my insurer so my rates would be lowered accordingly and the the tremendous savings realized by me by taking the course, this scenario played out about a dozen times over the years. Well, the GWRRA has recently closed it's doors so, I don't know when, where or how I'll go about taking another ARC in the future. And, what will that do to my insurance rate reduction? So, I called my insurer and asked what my rate would be because I don't know if I'll ever be taking an ARC again, my insurer told me to hold on while they look at my policy list of discounts, I replied that if it listed in my policy I'll look it up myself and then I hung up. The policy discount for training is $1.00. Yeah I thought I was saving all sorts of hard earned cash by staying current with training! Oh well, not such a big savings moneywise but all that training probably helped me survive the "mean streets" over the years. Anyway, I advocate taking an ARC if you're able to, I was never successful selling the benefits to my riding buds, they were always too busy, didn't feel they needed it, etc. Art

Fusion breakthrough!

Ah, very interesting. Thanks for the info.

Indeed. Yes are "2M".

Welcome to our part of the WWW!

There is no nut on my axle so it must be threaded. Thanks Doc.

Yes, I'm counting on it. I did actually have the thought "buy something that just runs", but I've read Phil's thread about optimising the shifter mechanism, and the business with the ominous pawl spring. I know there is "active involvement" on the horizon, and that is not all bad.

Oh, forgot to add: the Le Mans is a KT, if that says anything....

The actual build date (month-year) is inscribed on the metal plate on the left side of the headstock (requires close inspection and pushing wiring etc out of the way). Black face gauges (ITI/hUR)? The tenth/eleventh digits of the VIN may be a clue as well . . . "ZM, YM, 1M, 2M, 3M . . .) This beautiful lady?

Hi Docc. Don't know for sure when it was built, as the german papers only show the date of first registration. That was May, 2003. It black, well rather a dark metallic gray. Long frame (as I gather the Le Manses all are) and the later tank shape.

same bike is on FB. It’s about 3 hours from me. If I can fix and sell my Norge I could get interested. progress is slow,

Good point about this being a "For Sale" topic. Posted by a new member with no history here. The new member @Impala has not been back to visit his listing in the last ten days. Yet, the question of the risk of the aluminum flywheel that is coupled to the "single plate clutch" is fair discussion. Has any Rosso Mandello suffered a flywheel failure? Perhaps our member @Tinus89 could contribute . . .

Approximately equal to acceleration due to gravity (dropped off a cliff face) . . . Good to see you on, @Baldini! We joined here within two months of one another. Twenty years ago, brother!

I'm the ideal weight for stock springs. With no gear, I'm 170. I should be able to set the sag, then adjust for ride preference.

Have you installed correct spring rates (front and rear) for your weight (in gear) and riding style? That would be Priority One.

Hard to believe those are only 750cc. They look more like 750cc each . . .

There are things better left alone

Sorry to hear about that. I know a lot of people rely on oil heat in the US Northeast. Here in California, we're getting ready to ban sales of new natural gas heaters (in 2030). So I guess electricians will be busy installing new sub-panels in homes to provided dedicated power to heaters. I've got solar panels going up in a few weeks - Federal tax credit of 30%, combined with reduced electrical bill (and protection against future electric rate hikes) makes this an easy financial decision.

The root of the rise in petroleum product prices in the US is that Europe has to import a huge amount to make up for the tomfoolery in Ukraine and Russia. You, and I, are paying for the economic pressure NATO is bringing to bear on Russia.

Such a comforting presentation. The man's kind tone is so complimented by the delightful thrum of the Moto Guzzi. So unhurried. So confident and reassuring.

Ok, when I went to Glacier National Park, I just didn't have time to do Waterton Park, but after that video that is going on my list of rides that Needs to be done. Watching Nick tooling down the road on his Eldorado I could picture myself on my old scooter (Very entertaining).

https://www.nickadamswriting.com/ Nick is a classical Man's Man. Intelligent, witty, articulate, tough as nails and free! And he has damn good taste in motorbikes!

Is the Pope catholic? Does a bear shit in the woods?