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An open source compilation of Spine Frame terminology . . . > Spine Frame : the series of big-block Moto Guzzi with the rectangular box-section frame member connecting the forks to the swingarm support plates. (Daytona, SPOrT 1100, 1100Sport-i, Centauro, V11 Sport/LeMans models 1999-2005/ all). Compare to "Loop Frame " and "Tonti Frame ." (Forget about all the other frames since) . . . > SpineRaid : A gathering of Spine Frame bikes/ riders/ aficionado for the purposes of comparison, note taking, sharing, and mutual enlightenment. > Spinus Interuptus : Interrupting some-other-kind of gathering with your Spine Frame . Don't fall for their relays. Or the free candy. > Spinendipity : Out for a ride on your Spine Frame and you happen upon another. Pure four-leaf-clover unicornism! > Spinurbating : Having a delightful ride out on your Spine Frame alone, finding the experience ecstatic, yet embarrassingly difficult to mention in pubic. > Spinelighting : "I wasn't out on the Spine Frame , dear. You must have left the refrigerator door open." > Spinadeniability : "No, no, I wasn't out riding my Spine Frame . . . eh, the hillside avalanched; road flooded; there were elephants. No really, it wasn't that I wandered off on my Spine Frame and lost track of time, reveling in the joy of riding, and got to work/home late." * nope *

Spineazoic: the era of Moto Guzzi sport motorcycle evolution characterized by the successful adaptation of a skeletal mutation spawned by Dr. John Wittner. Further mutations saw the spine frame gradually evolve from thundering carbureted wild beasts to the partially domesticated V11. The V11 DNA proved inherently unstable, with the most notably unstable example being the "limited" edition Scura. As the spine lengthened and changed from red to black, excessive variations within model years made genealogical tracing virtually impossible, however, the LeMans gene was successfully reintroduced during this era. A phenomenological study of the V11 noted that long-lived green variants developed a hyperactive ego with narcissistic tendencies. The spineazoic era concluded with the advent of two significant mutations: reliable electronics and the cardano reattivo campato (CARC).

Spine-oza : a monistic, metaphysical awareness that you, your V11, and the road are a singularity. Apologies to Baruch Spinoza

Actually, the plan is to get a modern Stelvio for the missus. She likes them in white. I could do an Alfetta....

Spinachronism: individual characteristics of a motorcycle that, on a generic motorcycle, may be considered anything from "not quite state of the art" to "downright old-fashioned", but in harmonious combination result in an irresistable appeal.

I've heard rumors that well known Guzzisti Guru,Dave Richardson,former owner of Moto International in Seattle Washington;the author of "Guzziology" & recently "My Life in Bikes", is working on a film documentary. "Spineless in Seattle"

Those Alpina wheels are about as common as dinosaur bones

Spineticipation: the feeling that arises shortly after deciding to go for a ride on a spine frame in the near future

Hey CDR & everyone else on this thread,sorry I'm slow replying,been busy on a few things,,,including a good thrashing of my Lemans,lol I definitely defer to your obvious knowledge & expertise,sounds like a win/win. Tom gets the input spline he needs and I get the wrench I need. Tks very much for taking the time to provide photos & a detailed explanation. CDR,replying to your pm very shortly to work out the details

BTW , don't drop the screws in the fuel tank when you install the new cap . They are stainless and all the magnets in the world won't stick .

And , of course , Jaap is the man !

Spinisfaction!

Spinisfaction: the feeling afterwards.

This place is and has always been a god send as far as keeping these bikes on the road! Especially in the early days of ownership when having ah teething issues and getting them sorted! Even when you have it sorted it's still a bloody great place to hang out as I get the feeling we're all kinda like-minded! Anyhoo it's a credit to both Jaap and Doc and long may it continue to be such a beacon! Cheers Ps actually I see new members keep on joining so definitely doing it right....

hi everyone Today the dashboard of my V11 le mans got loose . Watching how it's fixed it seems it's just 3 metal pieces going into 3 rubbers with a hole in it . Is there a way to fix this and to be sure it wont happen again ? Is it the rubbers that got old ? Would love some advice how to fix this . Also by getting loose it placed itself on the right side of the handlebar and somehow unscrew a bit the bolt of the brake line fluid, so fluid went out . Now no front brake anymore . Is it easy to fix this ? I guess i have to put back brake fluid and purge the brakes , is it easy to do ? Thanks a lot in advance

Everyone wants to say the V11 is heavy. Depends, I guess. My first liter bike was a first-year GoldWing. I pared it down to a sport-tour trim. Not to the degree shown below, but that big valve, big carb, hot cam, first year motor was a rippin' delight! At 650 pounds it makes the V11 Sport a comparative lightweight . . .

Mate in this day and age of gold wings and bloated cruisers it doesn't seem as bad as it was back in the day... I reckon they still look pretty good too! Cheers

I should add that I've got the bike pretty much how I want it though so no biggie really! But if ever the Tattslotto #'s come up.... There's a set of Alpina wire wheels for starters!

Quick fix, sandpaper, rub both parts and glue it back together. Or order new ones from Stein Dinse, TLM. Brake bolt sounds to me, must have been on the loose side. I make a water lock on a hose and stick it down in a jar with old brake fluid and connect it to the bleeder valve. Build up some pressure and open the bleeder valve. Not to hard. I always zip tie the brake handle over night to get all air out. Cheers Tom.

That's about right. On mine (2002 V11 Le Mans), and I assume the V11s are all the same, the instruments are mounted with three screws that screw in to isolation blocks. You might know them as "silent blocks", i.e. a rubber block that has a threaded shaft on the back to mount it to the frame, and a threaded hole on the front to screw the mounting screw for the instruments in to. The purpose of this method of mounting is to isolate the instruments a bit from the vibrations. What came loose on yours, the screw at the front, or the nut on the back? If the rubbers got too old, they might have broken. In that case, replace them and it will be good for a long while. The rubbers being old wont affect the screws. The threaded insert for the screw on the front is metal, and the threaded shaft on the back is also metal. If the problem was that the nut on the back or the screw on the front came out, the solution is to check that they are tight occasionally. Maybe a bit of Loctite or something similar on the threads, but not the permanent sort. Tighten up the hose again. Maybe renew the sealing washer on the banjo bolt. Top up the fluid, and bleed the system. It is not that hard to do, but can be fiddly. Explaining it takes a while. There are lots of videos on Youtube about how to do it. The principle is the same for any vehicle. However, if you have never done it, get someone to help you and show you how to do it, or take the bike in to a workshop and have them do it. It is not that hard when you know how, but it is your brakes. It wants to be done properly. I was fortunate to have been shown how to do it by a mate of mine who is a trained mechanic. I think trying to figure out how to do it by yourself without informed help is not such a good idea. PS: in case you don't know the term, " bleed the brakes" means "get the air out of the system". I checked deepl.com for a translation. The french is "purger les freins", and it offered the alternative translations "purge des freins" and "la purge des freins". DeepL can't do flemish, but the dutch is "ontlucht de remmen", alternatively "de remmen ontluchten" or "de remmen te ontluchten"

Spinesaurus Rex: a V11 Le Mans with the motor mods that I would like to make, but will probably never be able to afford.

Yeah so left the bike out in the rain yesterday, and made it about 3 miles today before the sputs started. Order new cap, clean fuel system. "A bought lesson's better'n a giv'd one any day"- Uncle Ford

Same number on my original Valeo.

I have ordered from SD before. Good prices and fast service to the US. I'll check it out, thanks!

Loved the spinendipity... I bumped into another greenie not so long ago at a servo close to home none the less! I've only ever seen one other,it was at my mechanics a few years ago and bugger me it's the same bike as at the servo... There is Lucky Phil's and possibly one other greenie that a bloke in the Vic club had and sold but seems to have disappeared. Bloody hell common as muck... Cheers Ps I've seen a red Lemans and another bloke in the club had a V11 Tenni but sold it and also disappeared. Almost forgot about the local Scura but that's gone to Qld. Pps a spine raid here in Victoria might be a lonely affair!

Ah, yes, the Honda VFR 750 F. The "Ice Queen" So much like the V11 Sport on paper (tires, size, weight, power, purpose). Such different ladies "on the dance floor" . . . Ms. Vanilla had to go . . . I went to balance her carbs once and heard her say, "Don't touch me ."

Before this, we thought all the Red Frame (1999-2001) had the bracket/mounting tab and only the black Rosso Mandello short frame (and all of the Long Frames) did not. It seems the bracket/mounting tab was eliminated sometime for the 2001 RedFrames, as well. What do other 2001 Red Frame Sport owners have under there? Some tabs and some none?

When I had her apart, you bet I checked for the bracket. Yes the spine has been painted in red candy, but absolutely no sign of a bracket. But what a playful gal. Grappa my be. . Cheers Tom.

because I'm an idiot I bought a five speed clutch hub wrench, as shown it too, is useless to me the other picture shows it overlaid on the RAM (six speed) clutch hub. the pic is terrible, but they are not the same here's a possible solution. I can send the wrench to 80CX (which is something he can use) I can send the hermaphrodite clutch hub to Tom whatever 80CX wants cdr

I'm the one who brought and rode the V11 and 14 Custom. My son Gus rode the Norge and our buddy Tim rode his Harley. We packed them tight in that configuration for less wind drag at 75 mph. with 175# tongue weight. Was it overloaded, YES. Tim and Gus rode the cruisers on the way home, took off almost 2000# towing weight. SKIP

80CX, Doc is of course correct. But. The internal spline is five speed. The external spline is six speed. Won't fit your clutch plate. It's half and half. 80CX got here first, fair and square. But it won't do what he thinks. TomChri also wants it and knows exactly what it is. AFAIAC it's 80CX unless he wants to forfeit to Tom. Ball is in 80CX court. If you don't mind confirming you still want it, it will let me feel like I have served fairness. Or something. Thanks for everyone's patience. Sorry for confusion. cdr

Rick, how about this car? Old school MotorWeek Flashback video, super cool Alfa.

May we all get to take our own shortcuts from Nayook to Noojee! I tried that from Dowelltown to DaleRidge on the way to this KSR and rode the worst "road" in my riding career. It was some combination of a Trials Course and a bombed-out battlefield. I ran off the "road" (just) once and only noticed as the surface improved up the local's driveway!

You guys are too kind. My efforts would be nothing without this worldwide community. Look at the continuity we have here. A web-based forum over twenty years old? With contributors dating that far back. Seriously, that is pretty much unheard of on the web, or even with specialty "clubs." @Admin Jaap has given us such a great, and consistent, arena here all this time. All y'all just rock!

I have to concur!!!

Play it loud....

I drove a Kawasaki KZ1300 back in the 80's; you remember? the 6 cylinder water cooled shaft driven.... 710 lbs it was truly a heavy bike. However the music coming from the engine helps you forget the weight.

Docc , you are probably the MVP of this forum for the US.

Yep, I fear the minister has put paid to any further aspirations in this regard too.....