Leaderboard

Did I tell you guys I joined the 100mph (1/4 mile) club this summer at the BIR drag strip? out of 125 racers I had the third fastest reaction time. Got me into the shoot out but I jumped the light in the finals.

Plates are done but I’m overseas on business and should be back in a week or so. Will send photos when I return and can ship them.

14.2 correction 14.311 Two runs reaction time both times .035

Thanks, and makes sense. Was chewing on whether to try and stay “authentic” and stock on this very-low-miles greenie, or improve a thing or two along the way. Have half-hearted leaned toward staying authentic, but I got the bike with pods and bar end mirrors already installed, so have become more inclined to mod little things that are easily reversed back to stock, and the signals are one of those, if done right. I see lots of info on the LED conversion, and I’ve converted other bikes with little issue, but seems more of a process on the V11’s. And its not a daily rider, so I don’t think i care about the LED advantages, which leaves me with a couple after market halogen options, like the 2003+ signals which look slightly less dorky in pictures, or some of the brit bike sites that have some nifty looking options that fit the look of the bike, and look like they’ll be almost “plug and play” for fit, but are pretty spendy.

He should have seen that coming. Trucks are only allowed to do 80 km/h on the Autobahn. Everyone knows that. There are far too many drivers who seem to think that anything over the speed they choose to drive at is far too fast. There are also far too many who seem to believe that putting on the blinker to change lanes gives them right of way, although the road law states that the onus is on the driver who is changing lanes to make sure he doesn't hinder anyone. All in all, that means when you are approaching a bunch of cars with a truck in the middle, you "know" that some prick is going to pull out in front of you. If you get past without it happening, you were lucky. Don't get me wrong, that's not old-fart-preaching. It is just real-world experience. The law states that the bloke on the bike was in the right. My experience with "my accident" makes me think that, despite that, the damages settlement will probably give him 25 or 30% of the blame. In my case, I was overtaking a line of cars, and someone pulled out in front of me to turn into a side road. Techinically, I was 100% in the right, but the blame was determined at 25% for me and 75% for the other bloke. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that anyone who has spent any time at all on the Autobahn here should have seen that coming. It happens all the time, i.e. that some idiot will pull out in front of much faster traffic. The bloke on the bike was legally in the right, but I suspect he was too keen on getting a good video to concentrate on riding sensibly. And by that, I don't mean "not at 300 km/h", I mean simply observing the dynamic of the traffic ahead.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I was able to find the tank cap screws and some smaller ones at a local hardware store. For the the other dimensions, I placed an online order. I must say, the updated look is a great improvement in my view.

Both V11's and CARC bikes are murder on their clutch fluid. I have no idea why for sure but looking at the broken spring in your pic I'd think water intrusion has to be part of it. Bottom line is that it is vital that the fluid be changed on a yearly/10,000km basis if problems wish to be avoided. On the CARC series bikes this is a breeze because the slave cylinder has a remote breather on the end of a hose under the seat. With the V11's of course you have the stupid nipple on the slave cylinder itself! The obvious answer to this is to make up a hose for the bleed side with a nipple on the end and run it up under the seat like the later bikes thus rendering the pain in the arse bleed a non issue!

Got your six docc!!

Found the reference thread that confirms that...

Wouldn’t it be this one instead? https://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=110_112&products_id=5196 From the pictures it looks a lot more like the one you’ve installed.

Thanks, docc. That's for the clutch master cylinder, isn't it? [docc edit: I posted the wrong part for the clutch master cylinder rebuild kit, so these links are not correct, either. My bad. @Speedfrog posted the correct part below. ] For the europeans, Stein-Dinse and Wendel both seem to have an equivalent: https://www.stein-dinse.com/de/bremszylinder-reparatur-satz-ps-12/item-2-1045955-17659352-.html https://wendelmotorraeder.de/rep-satz-handgeber-12er-rund_gu17659352-w1-p-6111800.html In fact, Wendel has two alternatives, but I'm not convinced that the price difference justifies this one... https://wendelmotorraeder.de/bausatz-hpumpenueberholung_gu17659352-p-1001708.html

I believe that the Scura owned by myself and subsequently Chuck which has now been passed on to another person had Mike Rich pistons. It is certainly a beast but the pistons were only part of a raft of modifications to it so I really have no idea exactly how much influence they had on its blistering performance. Certainly if I was going to go to the trouble of installing them I'd probably combine it with other work and at 80+,000 kms it could probably do with a top end freshen up as has been suggested. Chances are it will need remapping to get the best out of any mods.

That should be easy to correct; I personally disagreed on the rule that you only receive one of the round patch for your first participation and 25/50 stops completion; successive completions will only yield the millesime rocker for that year. He has so far, no provision to get more than one round and rocker patches. I contacted him on the first year of participation, suggesting that some of us have more than one jacket, but his answer was, the majority have a single garment where they put their patches on. Is this how it works for everybody? I also suggested to have either a 5/10/15/20...years tour finisseur rocker or patch. He said he would look into that, maybe. I am planning to run the tour for as long as I am able to.

Or just buy the part for the later bikes and fit it to your V11. https://www.stein-dinse.com/de/ablassrohr-kupplung/item-2-1031196-05606630-.html You need part #8, the screw, and two of part #9, the seals, as well. https://www.stein-dinse.biz/etkataloge/etkataloge.php?l=de&h=MG&m=210&t=5004#a165229 I got one for my Le Mans, and bleeding the clutch now works like this: Note: I didn't figure all that out by myself. The tip came from this forum.

It's only for looks. This is an aftermarket copy, I gather: https://www.stein-dinse.com/de/nml-anlasserabdeckung-v11-valeo-grau/item-2-1021803-01733330-.html and also, like the original, no longer available. The one on mine, original I believe, doesn't have the circles between the screw holes, but is otherwise pretty much the same. I don't like it much. It is very shiny, and looks a bit tacky to my taste. I was going to leave it off, but put it back on because the rather large and mostly silver sticker on the starter motor annoyed me more than the tacky-placky cover.

Yeah, I can't quite gell with it either.... I think their earlier F3 800 looks much better.

I could NEVER figure out why one of my riding partners would ride next to the edge of the road and he could ride a 2x4 for 150 miles . I started following his habit to stay away from traffic . If I am in the left lane I don't want anyone on my righthand side. There have never been more factors to consider than there are now

I am never on higher alert than when going 60/70 mph on the freeway commuter lane with a line of cars in the adjacent lane at a near standstill...

This is a very sad illustration of the reason why people should never drive (a lot) faster than the traffic ahead of them. This video clip has been released by the German police for education purposes. The motorcyclist is legally going at 300 km/h, however a vehicle in front of him failed to notice him prior to changing lane at 120 km/h. The motorcyclist can't avoid the collision. The narrative said he survived but was seriously injured. I inferred that he did make it; if not, the police would not have posted the video. Would a Tesla's driving assistant be able to detect the incoming motorcycle at this speed? I don't know, but I doubt it. When we drive our cars, we usually only give a quick glance at our rear view mirror. This accident proves that when difference in speeds are consistant, glancing is not sufficient. You need to probably scrute for several seconds. Last but not least, your rear view mirrors should not show the side of your car, but as outward as possible, to minimize the blind spot. Another question I have, how far does the radar detection goes for those that have the blind spot warning on their mirrors on on their HUD? I don't think it goes that far behind... Because of the way "X/Twitter" works, you may have to copy the link and paste it in your web browser to see the video. It is only 20 seconds long. https://twitter.com/PolizeiMFR/status/1729123505353167305

Yes. They are quite prone to cracking at the mounting points, much like the side covers and front fender . . .

I found out the hard way that USPS is not irreproachable, unfortunately. I already have had several occurrences of surface mail lost, including a passport. Usually domestic postal services work well, worldwide.

Just a 6 month update note; My petcock is perfectly operational, but still harder to turn than I would like. If I had my 30 year old thumbs back it wouldn't be an issue. But it doesn't leak, and I can close it.

How many of us, do a thorough check of their vehicles before using them? In my company, we had to actually verify the car before each drive, no matter how short. Of course we had to record it in a log book, later record it electronically. Invariably, it can lead to rubber stamping. But when you are about to drive into the desert to reach an drilling rig, when there were no GPS systems, no Satellite phones, you never wanted to gamble on your life. I still check the basics before I go anywhere, starting with tire pressure. We do not have pressure indicators on our old motorcycles, old cars. This should be the very minimum I think. Agreed, since TPMS is standard now, it also helps drivers to not forget. I still take the dipstick out of my cars to check oil level, from habit I guess. But all the modern technology aims at making you less aware of the few compulsory checks you can't ignore, Including checking your mirrors before you change lane or you turn. In today's world, I do not even fully comprehend what "learning to drive" means any longer. I guess it is just a matter of being able to put the vehicle in motion?

You could well be right there.

BETA ==> Better For some, no need to go beyond that, read, understand and absorb the fine print . . . Human nature, I believe there is no more mishandling of the smart EV technology than there is of the old analog one. When it comes to any vehicle, even if most people are aware of the fact, nowhere does it ever says your vehicle can be turned into a weapon and destroy life.

Having had the privilege of learning more about this "intake air path", I would venture that this piece is a fine looking, yet hidden, "velocity stack" . . . No wonder chicks dig these airboxes. They are always knowing things we don't know . . . . . . reminds me of something . . .

Here is a pic of the intake air path on a 2003 model.

Welldone, @Speedfrog! Combining those two diagrams is tricky. On the airbox diagram, it does appear my 2000 Sport has the #19 "trumpet" from the airbox to the back of the throttle body with #4 sealing the trumpet to the airbox. No #21 clamp. Then, on the throttle body diagram, my Sport uses the #16 "collar" and clamp #15 to connect the airbox trumpet to the back of the throttle body. [The #14 rubber intake to the #8 intake manifold in front of the throttle body is another matter, entirely.]

I bought these. Metzler Sportec M9 RR 180x55 on the rear and a 120 on the front. I liked the look of them and the tread pattern looks quite sexy and they seemed quite expensive so I figured they must be good. Phil

In the Martin / Marquez crash, it was Martin that took the risk. It was Martin that made the low odds risky move. I am not surprised Martin thinks it was Marquez's fault, but I am surprised that anyone else agrees with him. He literally ran over Marquez from behind. Marquez was racing Martin, cleanly I might add (that is not always a given with Marquez). It was Martin that ran into Marquez from behind. A basic rule in racing is that it is the responsibility of the rider behind to make a clean pass, to pass the other guy without hitting him or otherwise causing him to crash. In no way did Martin deliver on that. I am not a fan of Marc Marquez, he historically has been a dirty rider, a guy who would hit others (often knocking them down) while passing. Sometimes he even had room to make a clean pass, but would still hit the other guy as if to make a point. I don't like Marquez. But in this case Marquez did nothing wrong. He was doing what all racers should do, race as hard as he can for every position cleanly. That Martin was in the fight for the championship should not enter into it. I don't understand why Martin thinks he deserved special treatment, that others should have let him through. No matter, Martin had already lost any chance at the title with his earlier mistake in the race. So now it is just sour grapes. Instead of owning his mistakes he instead deflects and blames others. Lame. As to the Marquez / Bezzecchi crash have you watched the overhead video? That shows the two racers going into the corner side by side and Bezzechi turns in like Marquez isn't there. I get that Bezzecchi thinks it is the other guys fault, but that doesn't make it so. The overhead video seems to indicate otherwise.

Same could be said for my V11 and a lot of other things I own. And the jacket in original post is very stylish. However, my most versatile jacket is a mesh one by Joe Rocket. It came with removable vest and water-proof insert that is also great for making it wind-proof on colder days. My perforated Vanson has zip-up windflaps that cover the perfs. Both have built-in armor, including back protectors, and the Vanson armor seems far superior to the Joe Rocket. The Vanson also wins on style points.

Mick, if we believe what was reported, Marc Marquez knew Jorge Martin was behind him, and Jorge Martin said that he, himself, knew that Marc knew it. Simon Crafar who is a Dorna employee as well as notorious former motorcycle racer, said that Marc's behavior had been appalling, as he should not have gone out of himself to make it arduous for Jorge to get by. Not implying that he had to let him go through, but not pulling all the stops to prevent an overtake, given that Jorge was fighting for the world tittle, and Marquez was not! (does it ring any bell?)... I understand that racing is racing, and you do not have to accomodate anyone's aspirations, and only follow yours. However, by and I state Jorge Martin's comments: "he released the brakes purposely when he got what pass I was attempting", he also gambled his own race by finishing in the gravels. That after he sent Bezzecchi back to the garage. Whenever there is some controversy going around, often Marc Marquez name appears. Besides that, he surely is a fantastic racer.

I must have got a good one. You got me thinking, and I went looking and found the receipt. Looks like the jacket is just short of 18 years old. I did the sums: AUD 570.- purchase plus around AUD 130.- for the repairs after the accident means I'm coming in at just under $40.- a year for the jacket, and getting cheaper every year. In an attempt to get back to the original post: @LaGrasta, I hope you are able to enjoy your new jacket for at least as long as I have mine.

Good riding gear is worth the spend. I "splurged" on a Vanson jacket and pants a few years ago, and do not regret it a bit. But I got a perforated jacket for warmer days. Long ago I had an asymmetrical jacket with a huge inner flap. That was a favorite, and I thought it a great design.

Reminds me of the "racecars" in the 24 Hours of Lemons . Take a moment and enjoy a read through their "rules" . . .

Which one for you?

The only single plate clutches/ aluminum flywheels are the 2001 Rosso Mandello, and 2002 Scura and Tenni. The Café Sport is a Coppa Italia in a grey flannel suit with a black Fedora . . .

…you guys are gonna laugh, it doesn't fit! I was so excited, it came very quick, via FedEx. I open the box and at first think it's the wrong color, appearing very brown. It did say it's Oxblood, but it far too brown for my liking. Then I try it on and can't zip it, literally. If you met me, you'd really laugh, I'm a skinny guy (5'10", 160lbs, 33" waist). 65 euros for return postage, swapping from a 40 oxblood, to a 42 black. Sheesh!