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Today I got around to having a look under the seat of the V11 Le Mans. The short version: it doesn't look butchered, which is a good start. This is the V11, and for good measure her sister, the V35 Imola. The big Bertha under the cover behind the Le Mans is my Kawasaki GTR 1000. T The VIN has a "2" before the "M", which I gather is a sure indicator that the bike was built in 2002 (first registered May 2003). and the build year is corroborated by the label on the ECU Under the seat looks like this. Turns out there is even a collection of mediocre tools in there for rounding off the heads of bolts on the side of the road. There are more photos in the Gallery of the seat base and a couple of spots on the frame where it is obvious that there is contact, as there is wear visible, as is also the case on top of the batterey. The battery box mounts at the front haven't been moved to under the frame rail yet, so I'll have to do that soonish. After having already given some thought to relays (see the "Best Relay" thread) it occurred to me to take notice of what is in there now. Turns out that they are all 5 pin relays. SPDT is the acronym, I believe, i.e. they have both an NC and an NO contact. NO 35 A., NC 20 A., so I'll be leaving them in for the time being. Never heard of the brand, but I expect to be able to find some info in the net somewhere. There are no signs that the relays are contacting the seat base, which is good, but the upper mounting bolt in the picture, i.e. the one to the front of the bike, seems to be. The blinker relay (I guess) is mounted behind the relays with a cable tie. Is that where Luigi put it, or has it been moved? It is apparent that someone has been at the wiring. The first clue is a red wire going away from the battery positive. There are also more pictures of the "new wiring" in the gallery. It looks like a fuse holder that is normally not assigned has been used to supply a fuse for this wiring, the light blue one at the top of the picture for which there is no pictogram on the fuse box lid. Is this assumption, i.e. that this socket is normally not "assigned", correct? Following the wiring, I found this, a 12V accessory power supply socket from Hella. The wire going to it (photo in the gallery) has "Niedervoltleitung" written on it. German for "low voltage line" or "low voltage cable". There is a ball mounted on the handlebar that looks like it will fit the RAM mounts for my Sat-Nav, so the power socket makes sense, and the wiring looks half-way sound, so that is also good. The biggest question is, who's bloody idea was it to put the lock for the seat on the right-hand side of the bike? Took me quite a while to find it.

Photo was from a few years ago so before saga started. But hopefully will have bike back together & going tonight 🤞

Many think the same. That he is often getting away because of his notoriety. Note that before him, the same was said about VR46. I think DORNA is stuck between a rock and a hard place; trying to rebuild an interest for MotoGP, they need Marc Marquez. I feel that he is the main act of the GP. Everyone wonders if he is going to be able to throw a spanners in the Ducati works. Therefore, they have to thread carefully with what they do to him; I bet he knows it too.... I respect that after all his injuries, he still has the will to win. He makes 30 million Euros a year, plus bonuses and sponsors. He certainly does not need to continue to race. However, he needs to play by the same rules as everyone else.

Al, Well, the steel subframe socket head screws that go into the steel spine frame are 10mm x 1.5 and have a "standard torque value" of 33-37 lb.ft. (45-50nm) according to the V11 Lemans shop manual B4,B12. The two 12mm x 1.75 steel socket head screws that fasten through the subframe and into the aluminum cam chain cover torque value was not in the shop manual, that I could find. According to a publication by Dodgeram/Allpar forum and Kohler Service Manual cv17-750, General Torque Values indicates the torque to be 41-45 lb.ft (56-61nm). So, unless someone chimes in to correct me, those are the values I'm going with. Art

I fiddle with my sat-nav far too much to mount it on the brake/throttle side. Garmin even designed their motorcycle units to operate with the left hand.

Good overall report, pics too! I'd say the bike looks like it was owned by a decent owner, few little mods here and there. You're in good shape. Give it a good wash and ride on! I like the way the Ram mount is located, I may do the same.

Yesss! 100% https://silodrome.com/laverda-v6/

Excellent feedback - my Scura R came Ohlins equipped I credit forum advice here from Pete years ago to concentrate on suspension (before engine fiddling) to prompting a session with Perry (https://leaskracing.co.uk/perryleask/) when he was at HM Racing. Best ROI imo having suspension improved by a top notch professional - lightening the rotational mass would be next level tier But then I ask myself - am I just getting sucked in too deep by the air cooled porker? Sitting…

Dorna (Spanish) let MM get away with it '15 when he was screwing with Rossi and they penalized Rossi for the championship race to the back to grid. They've created this monster and have no way to deal with him now. He's crashed so many riders and himself and now the they're floundering by penalizing him a couple of long laps even though he's been out of control and a danger to himself and anyone he's racing against.

The closest oily source to the starter is the crankcase vent return line from the side of the spine frame to the sump. This is routed across the starter under a relief in the plastic cover. If that became abraded from chafing, perhaps it might affect the solenoid? There is also the nefarious primary crankcase vent that comes up from the back of the engine just inboard of the starter. Worth looking at as contamination sources . . .

Yup, same here. The starter guy said it was wet so oil for sure. Along with just plain gunk. Over time they just get full of stuff, some of that must be clutch wear...? You bring up a good point regarding oil level. This one, as it sits is not too high but who knows the case history over the past twenty-one years. I always encourage owners to run the level between the hi and lo marks. A tell-tale of over filling is excess oil draining from the filter box and gummed up throttle bodies. All good now. Cheers, Rob

We call the Multistrada and GS reindeer in my neighborhood. You just don’t by a bike like that for the look, ugly as shit. But riding, oh yeah. Never put my eyes on it, entering the cave. Cheers Tom.

The angry parrot face of the Multistrada is just lost on me. What ever happened to Ducati = Drop-dead Gorgeous? . . . .

I am more an "older" motorcycles kind of guy. The "new/modern" stuff does not do it for me. I do not want to be surveilling a robot; I want to change my own gears, I don't need nobody between my throttle grip and the injection system. To each its own. I think I am old, old fashioned, and don't really want to pretend the world has changed. One exception though. I have purchased an airbag jacket. Yes, the 27,490 EUR is for the Multistrada V4 Rally; VAT included. 170 hp - 227 kg. In line with the competition since adventure bikes are those that sell the most, at least in Europe. If I manage to solve my parking space, I will go for a Stelvio.

I was reading a comparison between three motorcycles in one a magazine, the "mid-size" adventure bikes, between the BMW F750 GS, CFMOTO 800 MT touring, and the Moto Guzzi V85TT. The Moto Guzzi V85TT comes on top in every department by the way... but that is not what this is about. In the presentation, the journalist stated the V85TT was an honorable worthy creation originating all the way from the Moto Guzzi TT650 Baja!!! This brought back a vague remembrance. But I did not recall anything specific about this model, which, according to what I read, was very successful. If you scrub YouTube, you don't find much about it. More questions than answers. Apparently the TT650 Baja spawned from the Paris-Dakar. Who here knew about this obscure model?

Lucky to get away with a new shaft and spline connector. Cheers Tom. Sent fra min SM-S906B via Tapatalk

Of course it would, but they (the manufacturers) don't really want that, do they? Because then your average consumer (us) could easily compare their products. Ok, that was a bit cynical and nasty, but I am getting a bit frustrated with trying to understand those spec. sheets.

It was there on mine too. I installed LED everywhere in an attempt to be more visible. As you know, if you change the incandescence bulbs of your turn indicators, you need to change the blinker central. This is how mine looked before I replaced it with one for LED, that failed one month after I had installed it.

Yeah, I will almost certainly move the mount to the other side. I've always had the Sat-Nav on the left handlebar, and in the car down in the left bottom corner of the windscreen, not in the middle. I think that probably has, at least in part, to do with my eyes. On account of amblyopia (Wikipedia knows what that is...), I'm practically blind in my left eye. Putting the device on the left means it is there when I actively look at it, but otherwise doesn't bother me. On a computer with two screens, the right-hand one is also the "main" screen. The left one is there when I look at it, but otherwise just "parked". On top of that, the accessory socket on the Le Mans is on the left, so it would seem to make sense for purely practical reasons to move the mount to that side.

Thanks docc. I've seen those picture somewhere before, I think. Here is what deepl.com reckons the text means:

To honor these beginnings, one must know of Claudio Torri . . . http://www.parisdakar.it/claudio-torri-dakar-1985/#/?playlistId=0&videoId=0 https://www.facebook.com/MotoGuzzi/videos/my-dakars-with-moto-guzzi/323475908644789/

How fast that bike started ! I backed it up 5 Xs before I realized , the first cylinder that came up and it was running . Then how quick it revved . A religious experience .

This was way back when the crusty gas station would make you a sandwich way before commercialization had set in to Deals Gap, circa spring 1996-ish. Some old 80’s Kawasaki 1000, a Hawk GT I must of rode 7 times thru the Gap that day. My dad was riding a 96 Harley Sportster 1200.

This "Twenty Years Ago " business can be a bit unsettling . . . Homecoming day, August 3, 2000

Fashion, and too many Transformers films.

Guzzi has no monopoly on that one. Twenty year old almost anything can have it.

If it is going to make you feel better, the first time I hand maneuvered my Le Mans from the little ramp on my garage, I left the side stand extended as I thought it would be a safety stop. I planned it as if I lost my balance, I will push the bike and it will safe land on its stand. I did not have enough strength to flip the bike, so it felled on me. I was lucky that none of my limbs got pinned under anything protruding. So much for taking precautions. Now I don't try to push it by myself.

I agree with you. You cannot start penalizing each time a pilot attempt a pass that did not go well. It is somewhat part of the expectation and show provided by MotoGP. But when there is a pattern, then there should be some ways to curb behaviors before someone injury. My main grief is that the rationale behind sanctions are never made public by the stewards panel.

Well here is my personal review of the MIVV cans on a V11 sport. The MIVVs sound amazing. They make the V11 sound exactly what I always wished it would sound like ! Very vocal yes, they talk the talk yet at highway cruising speeds they mind their manors. And the tone is so nice. I’ve had riding buddy’s comment that they sound almost like a musical instrument. The style, build quality, and price are all “on point”. I love um.

MM didn't have top 10 pace but qualified on pole by getting a tow, and then when the race starts surprise surprise he can't keep up, he then reverts to his default setting of red mist and over riding and the inevitable happens.

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 😜

Goose ran like a scalded dog 🐶 today.

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

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

Wheels are forged OZ. Ghezzi-Brian had a batch made and I got a good deal on them. Much lighter than OEM and together with Öhlins goodies it improved handling very much!

Oh, easy! You just need to get all those pesky extra parts out of the way to get the Q-Tips into the tight spots . . .