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That one gets my vote... Does that make me a wanker?

I'll leave that here...

Since we're all having fun with this, 'would love to hear from the forum members which current bikes you could buy from the showroom today that you think is a more desirable design than this. I will confess that my other bike is a Thruxton RS Showcase, but I'd take this custom build with the aluminum tank and better proportions any day.

They finally arrived! Here are my speedhut gauges. The new design has removable clips for the cables so they can be disconnected during installation. Both came with the inner o-ring to help weather proof the glass seal. The bezels now have two little lock tabs which need depressed in order to unscrew them. Now I need to decide how I want to secure the back housing in the gauge cluster. I think I am going to attempt something similar to doc’s method by using the three screw holes on the back of the warning light cluster.

This one still has my vote: https://caferacergarage.eu/moto-guzzi-griso-1100-zero-by-officine-rossopuro/

Not 'Covered' John but I've built a couple, and by 'Built' I mean built. They weren't just a 1400 motor stuffed into a 1200's cycleparts. The 1200 and 1400 motors are two very different animals. Apart from the radically different cooling systems for the heads the 1400 heads use much smaller inlet tracts. It's one of the reasons the 1400's make less power than the 1200's. My 1400's used big port, single spark heads and have the heads machined for oiling purposes. They both make phenomenal bottom end and midrange torque but not substantially more power. That is down to the side draft head design and camming and they are both outrageously thirsty! Mark had to go to higher flow injectors as the stock ones just couldn't pour enough fuel in at higher RPM. The 8V is absurdly greedy and wasteful, it's one of the reasons it was canned. If you made it meet €5 it would be a gutless pig of a thing! As it is, mapped and piped right it's a lovely thing to ride but *Efficient* and *Modern* are not really two words that should be used in any sentence that has Guzzi 8V in. There are some parts of it that are modern in design. The combustion chamber is very nice, but one swallow does not a summer make unfortunately. That's why they had to go to the 'Ugly as a hat full of farty arseholes' V100 motor for the next generation bikes.

Could be worse

I love the lines of this bike, so much so it is now sitting in my barn. Looked for a long time before a well kept one finally one popped up reasonably close to home. That muffler will be first to go. Then I can call it a custom build...

I still like these....

The original Bitubo damper had failed. I had the Ohlins damper laying around but not the bracket. The original V11 Ohlins bracket I couldn't find anywhere for sale so I acquired the Ducabike item then made the fittings from Ti. Didn't make the Ti bolt and nut though. Made the HDPE washer to control the spherical bearing movement. Phil

all cool bikes. So far as styling, the V11 Sport/Lemans is still better

Start Here….. https://www.ghezzi-brian.com/en/our-models/

This looks like Josh’s V7 Sport

I have been following this guy, "46 Works", and if he was closer to me, I would not mind commissioning something. He has all the machinery and makes a lot of the parts himself. To be totally honest with you, I am no longer attracted to modern bikes. I am currently salivating about the purchase of a Quota 1100ES. I do like the Thruxton RS and the Triumph dealership where I spend time has one since 2020 which they don't seem to be able to sell. It is customized and looks pretty good. If I had the money, I would buy this one over the café. Not because of the looks, but because of practicality. https://www.rideironsupply.com/New-Inventory-2020-Triumph-Motorcycle-Scooter-Thruxton-RS-Jet-Black-Iron-Supply-Powersports-9184236?ref=list

I updated the reporting for my last outing done Saturday 22/23 July 2023, under a hard weather.... I have now done 40 stops out of the 50; I am wondering if I should do the 10 remaining in one go, or split them into two. If I cover the last 10 stops in one trip, it is 1731 miles. If I split them, it becomes 2648 miles. Covering 1731 miles in three days should be possible. But not with these current temperatures. Also, it means that I would have completed the tour in July, and maybe I should leave some stops for later...

There! There on the distant horizon! Looks like the Nineteenth South'n SpineRaid coming into view . . . . . . Weekend after (US) Labor Day September 8-10, 2023 Tellico Plains, Tennessee > "Get there. Bring tools." < [ [ There is word, again this year, of other elements reserving rooms already for that weekend. So, heads-up, time to consider our plans and reach out, if you are so inclined] : https://www.lodgeattellico.com/page 8.htm

I know Mr. Roper will lose sleep over a Tonti frame being used for this project, but to each his own. This build is deserving of the Tonti, and so is the engine: https://www.bikeexif.com/moto-guzzi-v11-tonti-frame Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

In true Guzzi thriftiness and suspender snapping.... I'm thinking of running 91 octane instead of 95 after it cost me $28.00 for 14 litres on Thursday morning. Never really worried about it before but that's beginning to be on the nose! Cheers

AudioMick- My father has owned the Kawasaki Z900 and currently owns the V7 850. Both bikes are lookers, the Kawi is another level of refinement and power. The v7 is still a nice bike, underpowered but nice. I would own both. I have a buddies that own 4 different V85TT's and they seem to swear by them for traveling.

Sir, thank you. I will get studying. Looks promising!

That would be the same one as is required for the V11 for Guzzidiag operations. Here is a supplier: https://www.lonelec.com/product/moto-guzzi-ducati-3-pin-to-16-pin-obd-adaptor/ Here is a wiring diagramme, along with quite a lot of info about Guzzidiag and links to it and other useful stuff. The wiring diagramme for the adaptor is quite a long way down the page. https://www.von-der-salierburg.de/download/GuzziDiag/ Without knowing for sure, I reckon Guzzidiag is probably your best bet, anyway, to read out the error messages and generally have a look at what the motor management is doing. As I said, info on that page....

Yes, I've seen a couple of his films. Fascinating to watch him work. The one that particularly got me was one in which he was hand bending titanium headers. Beautiful to watch.

Since everyone is still opting for customs and vintage bikes - the Magni Filo Rosso (nero) gets my vote, and is still currently available by special order: Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

The V11 Quota does not appear to have the "wide sump" of the V11 Sport/LeMans. Hard to say if a "wide sump" would clear the Quota's lower frame rails and close-fitting exhaust . . .

While the lines of that exhaust are not disturbing (as some can be), and no "bandages" (relief!), something about the uninterrupted radius and clean sweep of the original V7 Sport is comforting to me . . . a gentle, liquid flowing . . . Comparing that Exif custom to anything on today's showrooms seems a bit an "apples and eggcrates" exercise.

I know that. My old Camaro had all that too. Computer + knock sensor. Where I'll disagree is that it won't go any better or faster. No seat of the pants difference whatsoever. I ran both cars for years running 91 premium. I switch to cheap gas and it runs exactly the same. So I've done a before and after. The computer was already calibrated for premium. I don't even pay for 100% gas, I get the cheaper 10% ethanol. If I felt a difference, I'd pay for premium. One advantage with cheap gas, it's fresher and gets pumped out sooner, less chance of old gas and contamination. If I was tracking the car or running down the strip, I'd follow your advice. I'm a little skeptical it would make more than a few hundredths on the quarter mile but why leave it to chance? For my bikes, I buy premium. I don't want to risk detonation, particularly those legacy big cylinder air cooled Guzzis with the clunky gearbox that makes me occasional lug the engine if I take out in 2nd. But that's another story. And I will admit that I'm not totally convinced that what's pumped out of the 91 pump is any different than the 87. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't

It's a bastardised Tonti with some sort of squarefin 2V motor in it. So what? These things are like locusts. I used to love a 'Cafe' Tonti, but they have become, like this unit, 'Cookie Cutter' items bought from a catalog just the same as any 'Screamin' Eagle' Harley. OK, the aftermarket suppliers may be independent, unlike the 'Screamin' Eagle' catalog suppliers but it's the same thing. They may well be 'Independent Builds' but they are all terribly boring and formulaic. The naked frame triangle, or coy copy of a V7 Sport tool box. The battery under the gearbox. The clip ons and rearsets. The absence of any suggestion of practicality and funniest of all, these things often are based on old roundfins and they STILL wear shitty 30mm VHB carburettors! What do these idiots not get about the name they adopt 'Cafe'? OK, that sort of has some sort of oddball reference to a mad cult in the south of England sixty plus years ago. Perhaps if you stretch the point you could say that an engine and frame that didn't go into production between ten and fifteen years after the 'Cafe Racer' thing could be made to look relevant but basically it's a load of tiresome, irrelevant, wank! But then they don't do anything to increase the performance! So where in the name of holy F*ck is the 'Racer' part of the equation??? Look, I'm glad these people have built these things and they make them happy. At the end of the day though fawning over them is like wanking to AI porn. YOMV. (PS, I have a picture, not a good one, that I can't post on this site of a much younger me with my little green hot-rod. It looks like a T3 but it made 81 rear wheel BHP out of 891cc. It torched its big ends frequently because to make that I had to rev it to 10,000 indicated by the Veglia. It was stuffed full of twenty years experimentation and a lot of money. Then I bought an 1100 Griso which made a bit less power but did EVERYTHING better and didn't blow up regularly. @#&#33;#&#036;# 'Cafe Racers'!)

Linking this to the Tank Off Maintenance Checklist. Something I need to see to, myself . . .

Addendum, regarding servicing the crankcase ventilation: (Thanks @worthyperformance! )

No sleep to loose. That is not a V11 LeMans/Sport motor/drivetrain. Let's say it's a V11 "EV" or "Cali" square fin with a 5speeder gearbox and not our reardrive. So, someone made a slumpy croozer-goozzee into a café ride. (A VERY nice one, I would say!) No Spine Frames were harmed in this . . .

Even four weeks out, I ran out of time for the Kentucky SpineRaid. Got that sorted now. I will need a new rear tire before the SSR XIX. And, well, you know . . . that slippery slope that goes with a tire change . . .