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63..All the Way

It took me a long time to understand the Honda GB500. That guy just doesn't get it. Honda did not build it to sell. It was only sold in the USA? Yet, I read early on that the Japanese "built it for themselves." I was, like, "Huh, but they weren't sold there" . . . (Many) Years later I read an interesting piece by designer Glen Kerr talking about another Japanese motorcycle that "failed miserably in the market." He deftly explained that model was a "corporate pride" project and that the teams involved with producing it benefited immeasurably beyond the market performance. Suddenly, the Honda GB500 made sense to me. "They built it for themselves. " For their corporate pride. And for the motivation to carry on and build impressive models for the world to enjoy. Models that would be successful in the marketplace. The GB500? It is like a striking, and complex, piece of jewelry. And, as Gordan Jennings said of it back in the day, "Equal to a gentlemanly pace."

I did some maintenance on my 2001 V11 sport today. I pulled the rear drive off to inspect bearings for the most part and found the (outboard?) needle bearing was in need of attention. It was full of rock hard, dried up grease. It’s grease seal was also in bad shape. I don’t believe it has worked as a roller bearing for years. I disassembled it and cleaned it, repacked it with grease, and put it back into service but I’ll be ordering a new bearing for later. I replaced the wheel bearings as well. Easy task once you have the wheel off ! The front wheel bearings failed years ago so I suspected the rears needed replacement by now, 49,000 miles. Otherwise the rear drive felt nice, looked nice. On a lighter note, If anyone is need of a wheel bearing while traveling through Kentucky, I’ve got your back. I have extras 😜

A simple test is to connect a 12v test lamp in series between the solenoid power wire and ground. If it lights every time, look to the starter/solenoid. If it doesn't, look to relay/connectors/wire rubs. When you say 'click' do you mean the underseat relay, or do you mean the starter solenoid? If the solenoid clicks but the starter doesn't turn that's a certainty of trouble in the starter itself.

I lost all respect for him he ruined Rossi's championship run in '15. His antics and Dorna ruined a great finale for the title between Rossi and Lorenzo. He's sorta like Dale Earnhardt NASCAR period when Dale was allowed rough driving and perhaps was allowed a special car. OTOH, MM is talented and brave and I welcome his comeback after such an awful accident. I just see the same guy that's lost a step, on a slower bike with same level of aggression but very frustrated and mistake prone.

With 300 miles between the two this weekend (Glorious! ) . . . . . . I find the V11 a bit more challenging for the knees and the GB harder on the wrists. Luscious, enticing beasts . . .

I've always lusted after one of these, now partially sated by my RE 350 single. Every time I think about lower bars and more rear set pegs though, I remember my age, arthritis etc. and settle back to the fat ass seat and stupidly easy egos. I'll save the aches and pains for the v11...

Never mind the kick stand was down LOL kickstand up and it all back to normal 🙈 Ah ah

I certainly don't think it is worth over $30,000, and I have and love a Daytona, but it seems it is to at least two people. Daytona's are cool bikes, but they aren't worth that sort of coin to me. I would say maybe an MGS-01 is worth that sort of coin, but the build quality of a Daytona is several steps down from an MGS-01. But in the end, it is worth what someone, or in this case at least two people, will pay for it.

My red frame had the original M/G battery and it was a PC545 Odyssey . It was last on the road in 2007 and it had run that long.

temperature sensor on my '97 1100 Sport-i. I think it's 'oil' temp but indicates general engine temp to the ECU.

I am wondering what was the rationale for having a turn signal indicator repetition instead of a much more useful Battery/Charging light... When you think about it, on a motorcycle, turn indicators are ever more optional than with a car.

Should anyone be interested for reference, it sold for $11,300 (threw in the rear stand as part of the deal). Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

I dropped the starter off with Gene, the starter repair guy. It bench tested great of course, no load from a flywheel to stop it. He did go on to say it still May be a magnet or two has come undone... I should have it back in a day or so. Back soon, rad___

Today I pulled my rear bevel drive or rear transmission as it may be called for a inspection and PM. Even though my front bolt had broken in the torque rod, I found my rear bolt to look like a new one, no wear and nice and clean.

Oliveira is out for Argentina, so with Marc Marquez out, they have 5 less pilots. Taking into account they already started with less bikes this season, with the departure of Suzuki, it is not good... And because they can't replace any of the missing pilots. Rules say you have to have one GP before you can find a substitute, but the main reason is the fact they can't find substitute pilots given the complexity of the MotoGP nowadays. The only possible candidate for KTM would be Pedrosa, but he does not want to. He will only make an exception for the Spanish GP. Let's hope nothing bad happens this week-end.

It looks like we're going to be down 3 riders at COTA? I plan to be there if the weather cooperates. They were falling like flies. MM#93 used to own the place. First time I went to COTA, first ever MGP practice session, I walk in the gate into the turns behind thea paddock and he goes rag doll in the little chute before the left hander. He gets right up. WOW. That little chute used crash quite a few riders, medium sharp right (T18)- short chute- medium sharp left (T19). I've seen them crash at both turns and in the chute between them.

Here in the USA a vehicle is registered based on when it is made, not when it is registered. You can buy a leftover vehicle from a previous model year and when you register it they will register it based on the original model year, not the current year you are registering it in. That is a difference between the way we do it and the way some others do it. As such, it would only need to comply with emissions from at the time it was originally made. It will have a plate on it that declares such compliance.

Good question . . . Someone here knows what to take off to visually inspect the magnets . . .

Gentlemanly pace indeed. Years ago, I was compelled to find a clean old (Honda) bike to "Cafe". A fun, but possibly tedious, project. It dawned on me (cue Docc whispering in ear) that I could buy one, ready made. But that's another story. As to the 15k GB, it's well worth what it sells for, because: rarity, condition, quality. And it makes mine worth more, heh, heh.

Beginning of the End for Marquez, the sport has moved on from his Honda era of dominance.

Hi All, Well, maybe I shoulda put some of this in the "What did you do to your v11 today"..... I began the task of timing cover gasket replacement. I got the regulator, stator, rotor, cooler, horns, header pipes, s. stand and front fairing off. And, supported engine, loosened front engine mount bolts and I figured I'd check back here before I go further. The cam cover clearance between engine and frame is close but I see where kiwi roy still has his pipes on so I guess as long as I support the engine, I can remove the 2 front engine mount bolts, remove the cam cover bolts and manipulate the cover off??!! Or, basically the timing cover can be removed without moving the engine within the frame??!! Also, can the sleeve that the crank seal rides on slid off while the seal is installed in the cam cover? I can move the sleeve slightly back and forth but it doesn't seem to want to slid off without some force. I figured I'd ask before I force something I shouldn't. Thanks, Art

I watched the first MotoGP in its new format. Saturday Sprint race and Sunday Standard race. From my armchair, it seems that MM93 has grown desperately frantic to win one more championship. He was always an aggressive rider, but I think he has stepped up his antagonism even more. Starting last year by injuring Takaaki Nakagami and securing an impossible come back for Fabio Quartararo in Aragon. Now, he not only injured himself but also Jorge Martin, taking out Oliveira for good measure. According to what I read, since he is not going to participate in the Argentinean GP, his double lap penalty is not carried to Texas. I am wondering if the fire that burns in him will only be quenched once he manages to equal or surpass VR46s stats... Anyway, MotoGP needs Marc Marquez, so I don't suppose DORNA is going to do much about tempering his thirst.

@docc Please don't make this more complicated then it is

Ah, the hammer . . . Specifically, the copper hammer. Something I learned of from @Chuck. It has become something of a talisman and a symbol of perseverance among certain Guzzisti . . .

Docc?

I thought this was an interesting retrospective:

10-4, I may have mentioned that my 2000 Quota had the magnets come unglued but that just stopped, quite abruptly. Boom, done. Ok, going in.. or off actually. I do not recall whether I replaced the starter or had the local generator/starter/alternator repair guy repair it. BTW, yes, the battery is staying up during all this. Appreciate the assist, docc, Rob

Revisiting that thread reminded me that both @stewgnu and @Tinus89 had similar intermittent start issues that were revealed by inspecting the starter magnets . . .

[ Just a pointer on those "shared" links to click on the top-most arrow on the right to go directly to the specific linked post. Clicking on the topic title in the center of the window opens the thread at post # 1. ] For example, click on the upper right arrow, below, to go directly to one of @Kiwi_Roy's brilliant posts complete with his Startus Interuptus Booster Relay diagram:

Goose ran like a scalded dog 🐶 today.

I don't believe so. Look here: https://guzzitek.org/parts_list/gb/1200/1200Sport8V_2008_PL(GB).pdf Page 23 shows the brake lines for the hand lever. Page 34 for the foot brake. That doesn't look like "system integrale" to me.

No, not crazy. Some plastics have a "memory". If you leave them alone long enough, they revert to their original form. Some varieties do it when you warm them up a bit.

Klüber Staburags has its place on the V11, as well . . .

Al hit the nail on the head: The bike is collectable, still in the crate as it is. What it is worth is what the buyer is willing to pay. No more, no less. The price can not be justified other than by "I want it", and doesn't have to be in any way rational, reasonable, or comparable to anything. There just has to be someone willing to pay it.

It's like they say on Antiques Roadshow... it's hard to put a value on it because there are no recent comps An auction seems to settle that uncertainty though, clarifying what the market will bear. Apparently it is worth $31,500 USD to someone ...it is a bit of a unicorn in its special still-in-a-crate condition obviously. So, on another interesting note... at least to me...... Take a look at who and where the USA distributor for Moto Guzzi was in the early 1990s per the shipping label on this crate: Lillington, NC This is significant to me for two reasons: 1) Lillington, NC is a tiny town. It has one of those main streets that is only a small-town-block long that you'll miss if you blink. I'm not disparaging Lillington, as I like Lillington, but really, it's small, with a population of 4,558 today, with a population of about 2,459 in 1993! 2) Lillington is just 22 miles down the road from my also not so huge city of Sanford How in the heck did little Lillington, NC, just down the road from me, end up being the US distributor of MG in the 1990s? See the attached article from the May 1991 issue of "American Motorcyclist" for a little more information. What an interesting small world.

These tanks suffer expansion. If you were to get that bolt out (and, yes, the tank just slides forward over the rubber frame pucks at the front), it could be quite an event getting the tank back on. Buy beer. Invite friends . . .

Just because I'm a terrible attention whore but it does look very nice, especially in the sun! https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52767196911_28f284759f_b.jpg

On my last ride , I was about 20 mi. away when my bike started to run bad and die . I KNEW it had plenty of fuel until I removed the fuel cap to find a blend of vapors and air w/just a little fuel . I got real good at stopping and leaning over about 4 Xs before reaching home base . Trust me , if it acts like it is running out of fuel , it IS running out of fuel.

Yep, I reckon these are great bikes! Honda did this really really well and so much better than the standard XBR 500! As a fan of big singles I'd love one as the backroads round here do resemble English lanes in parts. Then again an Enfield bullet might be better to potter about on them and a damn site cheaper too? Cheers Guzzler

@docc He hears no evil. (perhaps it's due to the artillery reports?)

Flirting with maximum usable range reminds me to point out the "tip-slosh" method of splashing a bit of the fuel trapped on the right side of the tank over into the left with the fuel tap. This is a strenuous, roadside maneuver having sputtered out of fuel. Standing beside the left side of the bike, it is leaned as far left as strength will allow and then "dipped" abruptly to slosh fuel over to the left. Because the closed loop returns unused fuel to the right side fuel trap, I typically then ride like my hair is on fire toward the nearest fuel station

I did experience the on/off issue though. Including on a highway when not perfectly leveled. Light came on, and then went off. Also, depending on the sun position, I have missed spotting the amber glow a few times. This is why I stick to my odometer for refuels.

Fuel pumps are cooled by fuel, so running them without fuel frequently is not great, certainly for an extended period. But one doesn't need to run them long after the fuel runs out. Fuel pumps are surely designed to survive running without fuel flow for a reasonable amount of time, such as when people run out of gas, otherwise we would see huge failure rates of pumps. Note: I am neither a fuel pump engineer nor manufacturer, so that is my opinion and understanding.

I found this excellent post by @p6x on this very subject saying his (later tank) warning light would come on needing 4.3-4.4 US gallons (just over 16 liters) to fill up. Based on the stated volume of the later tank (20.7 liters/ 5.5 US gallons) and some lost volume of trapped fuel, it might be prudent to expect just shy of 3 liters to remain when the light comes on. So "maybe" 45 kilometers of reserve range? "If" you can spot the very first, dim flicker of the warning whisper . . .

Better than words: Remove the extremes, e.g. low mileage not as representative. Remember that in the US, the gas is baptized with ethanol up to 10%, but not necessarily. I have also done some trials with ethanol less fuel.

Metric is absolutely better (IMHO) When I was in elementary school in the early/mid-1970s the USA was trying to convert, but then it became politicized and deprioritized... and stalled part of the way through. So now we have the strangest mix where things like bottles of soft drinks ("soda", Coke, etc) are in liters, but we buy gasoline in gallons... for just one example. I'd have to go back and reference my tank capacity threads, but my recollection is that around 150 miles was where my warning light normally came on. I think that may have been with my original external-pump tank though, as I don't think I did too many long trips after switching to the internal-pump tank. It would be curious to see if the light comes on at different mileage between the external-pump and internal-pump tanks, whether due to capacity or how the sensor works and is located. Here are a couple other threads on the topic: