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I’m a drummer, so anything I say about music is suspect. 😄 Bill

Yes, quite fine. It may be, however, that you read more into my post than I intended. I was not extolling the special virtues of that rendition of Ode to Joy, but remarking on the vocal range — and other pleasing attributes — of Carla Maffioletti. That said, as my roots are those of Swabian peasants and Kentucky dirt farmers, perhaps I might be forgiven for liking occasional schmaltz, oompah, and fiddling. And, while I (usually) know better myself, I even consort often with commoners who happily applaud when every movement ends. Many “serious music" cognoscenti sneer at Andre Rieu, but it seems to me that he has brought great joy to so many people around this planet. Is he guilty of what you say is "buggerising around with it making 'easily digestible' arrangements or any of that sort of rubbish[?]” I suppose. Actually, I would not even know of him but for spending so many nights at my mother’s bedside over the five years in a nursing home in Atlanta before she passed in 2018. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/atlanta/name/carmen-hagan-obituary?id=13131309 In her late 90’s, Mom was so addled by dementia that every evening with her seemed like the movie Groundhog Day — I have to be careful here about not digressing into daydreams about Andie MacDowell! — as Mom would ask the same question every few minutes. But, in the course of finding Youtube videos to entertain her, I ran across Andre Rieu and that Ode to Joy vid in particular. Mom NEVER tired of asking me to play it. Sometimes, Kathi and I would listen to that four or five times an evening! On a related note, do you have any idea how many vids there are of babies laughing or puppies playing? Thousands. Mom loved them! I think nursing homes should pipe those sounds in to sooth the residents. So, I will never forget and always be grateful to Andre Rieu for the pleasure he and his orchestra gave to my mom on so many (and I mean MANY) nights. Finally, Mom was born in 1920 in Wurmlingen, 103 years and some 600 km from where I see you live in Leipzig. You traveled almost that far to hear the BRSO in Munich. Near death, Mom seemed to revert, as so many do, to her childhood. She slipped away into sleep every night when we played this: I just teared up listening to it again; I know every word. Schmaltz. Tomorrow, I’ll be back on y/t, but in the Moto Grappa looking for the best video on static balancing the V85’s rear wheel with its new MR6. Life goes on. Best, Bill

True, but, for me, the ride there is a journey of joy. OTOH, the 500-to-600-mile ride there generally leaves me drained, so the SSR is more a “rest & refit” time of beer, bourbon, and BS than local riding, tho Kathi and I will do a bit of two-up while there. No matter how many times I ride that general axis of advance — and it’s been MANY — to the SSR, Atlanta, Hiawassee, or other points to the SE, there’s always something or someone new to make it fun. This is my planned route on the out-leg for this year. Map doesn’t show the short bump north, but I'll likely RON in Princeton, W.V., as I usually do. I am less happy with the Day 2 run, and will likely mod that into something very different and less straight and trafficky, even if longer. I will launch on Thursday; arrive on Friday afternoon sometime before BENT. Kathi will drive down on Friday. I’ll not even think about the return on Tuesday — from my brother’s house in Hiawassee, not Tellico Plains — until the night before. Serendipity is the best planning technique. As I noted — in an (unintentional, I swear) serious thread drift here, https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/topic/18925-what-music-do-you-listen-to-share-your-favs/?do=findComment&comment=292234, I just pulled the rear tire — an OEM-mounted Dunlop Meridian — and put a Michelin Road 6 on the wheel. It awaits the black-art of static balancing. Regrettably, I am no magician, but we shall see. Bill

Yeah, I got that. I'm up for schmalz and fiddling too, and yes, people like Rieu do bring pleasure to millions and perhaps even bring some people to listen so stuff they might otherwise have missed out on. I just prefer to go on and listen to what the originator of the piece actually intended. Mostly, as in the case of Beethoven's 9th., there is a heap of really interesting subtleties that get lost when someone does a "greatest hits" arrangement. Anyway, difficult to hold such a conversation via text alone. It can so quickly sound (look) like something other than what was intended to be said. I'm not a music snob, I'm a sound engineer, I studied music and currently work in an opera house. That doesn't stop me enjoying a bit of kitsch now and then, or distorted guitars.

and this

The clutch hub you need is GU01211640. This is the hub that came with the RAM kit for 6 spds, which was discontinued because they ran out of oem hubs and couldn't source them (we think). That hub was already used in oem Scura/Tenni assemblies, so use the one from your Scura. I think (but not sure) the one MG sold you was for a 5 spd. What I am unsure of in your case is the actuating rod length and it's compatibility with the spring actuating cup. Pretty sure the Scura rod and cup will work. I purchased one of the last RAM 6 spd kits and the GU01211640 hub came with it.

Have you read this? https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/topic/20772-ram-clutch/page/2/#elControls_238925_menu And this: https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/topic/21247-scura-single-plate-clutch/#elControls_242019_menu

The bike is in mint condition. Its based on a 2004 Canadian imported Ballabio Sport. I have the full documentation and official paperwork from Guzzi to verify this. V11 SPECIFICATION DATE of manufacture: 2004 UK REG 1-1-2020 MILEAGE: 6786 MILES (may rise as the bike is used) MOT: Will have 12 month MOT dated from 31-8-23 MODIFICATIONS: New Ducati 900 classic fairing fitted with custom built brackets New LED halo headlight New LED taillight fitted and frenched into the rear bodywork New LED micro indicators fitted front and rear. New steel mounting bracket fabricated for rear indicators and license plate. Stock airbox removed and twin cone filters installed. New battery fitted New rocker covers fitted with vapour blasted / polished finish. New stainless exhaust fabricated with cross over and stainless Delkevic stainless silencers. Front and rear brake calipers stripped, powder coated graphite grey and fully rebuilt with new pads Wheels stripped and powder coated graphite grey. New bearings fitted. Silver rim decals made and applied. New stainless steel infill panel with Guzzi logo fabricated for top yoke. Full professional respray in Kawasaki candy burnt orange, graphite grey metallic with silver pin striping and off white tail panels. Guzzi logos airbrushed in. Various hexhead bolts replaced with new stainless items. New bar end mirrors fitted. Alternator cover refinished silver MECHANICAL- all worked carried out by Jason at 1921 Moto, Guisley. All fluids changed. Bike fully serviced. Ignition system, injection and timing set up. New clutch, pressure plate and release bearing fitted. Front brake hydraulic balance hose relocated. Brake calipers rebuilt with new pads. The bike runs beautifully £6999 UK sterling

EUREKA! Definitely worth checking throttle body balance . . .

On to the other parameters that affect idle, then. TPS, of course, and throttle body synch. Even some seemingly minor tweaking of these critical settings can make for profound outcomes . . .

A couple pics from my recent roadtrip across the country. Even had dinner with some Guzzi guy... It was the entire month of June and I covered 9k miles.

Well, from the last show I went to these were some of the bikes sporting the Avon Roadriders. So, yes, they aren't the highest performance tires but for a lot of bikes they don't need to be.

It's been a while since I did that work, but I do recall getting the input hub with the RAM kit, comparing it to the input hub already on the Scura, determining that they were identical, leaving the hub on the Scura, and then tucking the spare hub away as a spare in case the original ever wears out.

.006 intake and .008 exhaust

Isn't the V11 single plate clutch input hub (Scura/Tenni/Rsoso Mandello) already just that? Pretty sure this is the hub that mates the RAM unit to the V11 6speed . . . (I'll look, again, for a reference to that . . .)

Moto, running the 50mm throttlebodies without adequate filtration will kill them stone dead in next to no time. Believe me, after working with them for fifteen years I have a lot of experience in this. TB damage is one of the major Achilles heels of the 8V CARC bikes and the problem is, I'm certain, one of the reasons the Cali 14 went to a single throttlebody with plenum system.

The lady sings very well indeed. However, let's do the piece properly, shall we? Ludwig got it exactly right the first time round, and it doesn't need anyone buggerising around with it making "easily digestible" arrangements or any of that sort of rubbish. Here, the link is set at the start of the relevant last movement. Take the time to listen to all of it (about 25 minutes). It builds up so well, it is really a shame just to jump to the "hit" and leave out the rest. And this is the reason why I chose that recording...

I thought I had posted about Carla Maffioletti before, but a search found nothing here. Knowing that my horn vids seem to have resonated with few, I'll try again, given the mention of some wonderful women singers. For all sorts of reasons not limited -- as Kathi sweetly thinks -- to the lady's considerable vocal talents, Ms. Maffioletti is a favorite of mine. Even if you can't stand this sort of thing, go to 2:25 and get a feel (so to speak, of course! ) for her vocal range. Bill

There are folks here that have been through this. For some reason, I was thinking you simply use the input hub already on the Scura?

Agreed that is an impressive and interesting project. At first glance, I liked the styling, but on closer look I don't care for the pairing of the angular, faceted tail section with flowing, organic fairing. Personally, for the expense and effort of this project, I'd prefer to have retained the original Sport and the original Griso (but with aftermarket exhaust).

Can’t wait for the next Spine Raid, last year was epic. Quoting Kale, “ this was the best weekend riding of the whole year”. I agree.

How cute! It's got tiny bellmouths and no air filtration on the 50mm TB's so they're buggered before you've ridden it more than 1,000km. It also has a wheelbase that dwarfs a stock Griso! It would be like riding a hearse! A flexible hearse with a hinge in the middle!

I shared a house in Melbourne with a couple of mates of mine for the last several years before I moved to Germany. It was something of a meeting point for motorcycling friends, and perhaps a bane for some neighbours. One of the blokes who lived there had a Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans III, a Honda CBX 1000, a Yamaha XT 500 (awful...), and a Honda NS400 R. At the time, the Motorcycle Rider's Association https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_Riders_Association_of_Australia was really on a roll, and they organised track days at Calder Raceway a couple of years in a row. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calder_Park_Raceway (On the flat bit, not on the banked "thunderdome" bit.) So, my mate let me ride his NS 400 R whilst he had a go on my 1976 Z 900. My mate was not the fastest in the bunch, and I was reeling him in. At the end of the long straight I could see him ahead of me in the 180° turn, and thought "I'll get him on this lap". The next thought was "oh dear, I know that noise" (of fairings and such scraping across the asphalt...). The culprit was the Avon tyre that my mate had fitted to the front wheel of his (according to the standards of the time) super-sport bike. The tyre was a middle price, long-lasting touring tyre, and not up to race-track shenanigens. To give my mate credit, there was not much choice available at the time for the 16" front wheel of the NS, but the Avon was definitely not a good choice. So, I've had a bad experience too. On the positive side, I've got Avon Spirit ST on the Kawasaki 1000 GTR, and those tyres on that bike are a really good choice.

Thanks Bill. I'll admit to quirky moto maintenance music. Several sopranos, but she's my fave.

Said m times before. See your ex valve goes down and up, intake valve down and up. Piston at tdc. Straw useful just before tdc. Clockwise only. Cheers Tom.

As a Guzzista, I emulate the marque by liking quirky music. My most recent affectation for Moto Grappa listening is the Trompes de Chasse, e.g. this ... I am listening to that now while R&R'ing the rear wheel of the V85. The OEM Dunlop Meridian has 4.5K on it and probably enough tread for the run to the SSR ... he says hopefully. But, it's squared off, and that's no fun, and I already have the MR6 here. So, naturally, the "why not" rule kicks in. The front tire is, as expected, in better shape, but its replacement is inbound, thus another application of the WNR. Pulling the rear wheel was the easiest of any of my present and former Guzzis. Fell right off like well done rib meat off the bone. Lots of space, and the cush rubbers stay in place. I didn't even need to drop the lift's cutout. OK, back to listening, now this ... Bill

Thing is, since the adoption of crank/cam triggered timing sensors the marks are essentially completely irrelevant. You can establish top dead centre, or close enough to set valve lash, by observation or, if you've done it a few times, simply by *feel*. All that is required is the cam lobes be on the base circle while you are checking the clearances. What are the clearances for after all? On bikes with points or a distributor of some sort you needed to know where TDC was and where the static and full advance marks were on the flywheel when you were strobing them but since the advent of electronic ignition and ECU's all that is unnecessary because all the needed data for engine management vis-a-vis spark and injection timing is controlled by a phase wheel behind the cam sprocket,(On V11's and the like. Why the persisted on still marking the flywheels right up until the advent of the CARC bikes I have no idea? Force of habit probably! Ignore any marks. They are utterly irrelevant!

From some early South'n Spine Raid [SSR III/2007], this tribe of F'karewe Indians in PowWow near the Nantahala . . . "Where the F'karewe ?"