Leaderboard

Having weathered a non-start issue an hour away from home, I did a few things. First was to check, clean and DeoxIt the wire at the solenoid. Pulled the number 1 relay and popped the cover off. Tiny little thing for high current. With magnification, I could see corrosion on the contacts. So, a little dexterity (a rare moment) and some 800, then 1200 then 2000 wet-or-dry, we got them spruced up. Then a blow dry, a spritz of contact cleaner and then DeoxIt on the prongs and in the receptacle. I used pipe cleaners dipped in DeoxIt to clean them. Slipped it all back in and the starter activated immediately, without pondering, as it often does. If the relay covers were transparent, we would see the arcing. Also tried one of my stash of Omron double-throwdown Diesel caliber relays. Worked at least as well and probably better. With the original relay (part of a "decent tune-up"?) back among the living, I found a "relay-sized" tire patch kit plastic box in my bicycles spares. It seems that the Taiwanese bicyclists also had Omron relays in mind, as it is a perfect fit and reasonably water-tight. I applied some WD-40 dry lube to the contacts to slow corrosion. Back it goes into the monkey's paw. It requires almost micro-photography to capture the daintiness of the relay internals. And Tyco thoughtfully tucked the contact points into their own romantic alcove, just to avoid any boredom. What's done is done and a spare tagging along for those "special occasions."

There is "something" beyond definition about riding with these sorts of riders . . . Something that engenders a genuine respect and admiration . . .

Full disclosure, @Pressureangle is an ATGATT guy, but was just pulling out from breakfast, headed a mile back to The Lodge. I will vouch that he accepts that socks is gear and "all the socks all the time" is the way to roll . . .

Sadly, 'could not make the Southern Spine Raid this year, but went for a long ride in solidarity Sunday, ending at my friend's cigar shop, who captured my arrival with a decent photo. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

As prolific as I try to be, capturing images along the way, I could not find anything with @Josh's 1973 V7Sport juxtaposed with @KINDOY2's 2025 V85TT. Fifty-three years of Moto Guzzi, together, on the same ride! So, I made this collage (with my 2000 Sport in the background, almost exactly halfway between the bookend years) . . .

No Goozzees were harmed in the making of these marks! [Pirellis are replacement items, after all . . . ]

That looks fantastic. One thing, though. Funny marks on the road here. I wonder how they happened? By Ebyabe - Own work, CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2614616

He can sure put away the pancakes and eggs, too.🥞🍳

Okay, proof positive:

It has occurred to me that, when we asked @Randy about where his "friends" were for the BikeWash, he pretended to be deep into some sort of TechSession. mySport came home dirty . . .

@Tellico Andrew on point with @Randy's Coppa Italia in pursuit . . .

Purchased another V11 ! Pick it up at the weekend. This one compliments the Rosso Corsa, ie. another “limited edition” model Here’s a clue …

There were SpineFrames . . .

Ah, yah, man: The Cherohala Skyway. I know you are fond of this source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherohala_Skyway And this image from https://cherohala.com/ . . .

One more photo from my weekend. I know you'll all be stunned by the good looks. To be fair, it was taken by a professional photographer who was there (on his Guzzi), so it's no wonder it is such an amazing picture.

Peter Hindley races his Sport1100 in August, 2004 at the Manx GP, Isle of Mann. http://www.guzzipower.com/TT/HindleyTT.html

A couple pics of some Moto Guzzi from last weekend IMOC rally. Only saw a few V11's, lots of Norge, Brevas, V85TTs

Don't V11s already have high compression piston? A bore out to maybe 1290 would be really nice.. Port and polished heads help, but it isn't life changing. Valves and springs help. Without cracking open the motor, airbox mod, full exhaust, fueling... 85ish rwhp.. + or - a hp...(more like minus)And that is friggin good... I chatted with Todd about doing this despite not having the disposable income at the time. A 1084 bored out and on its best day I think he said low to mid 90s.Kinda not worth to get that little extra and risk reliability issues. I'm happy with my mid 80s on both my Lemans and Scura..Oh, the lighter flywheel? Not a whole lot of help. The motor just revs quicker..And to be honest, the heaver flywheel makes these bikes sound and feel a little better, but that's me. My Scura, thought I love it, the single plate clutch can be a little too snappy. I've broken traction traction in the ass end entering corners more than I'd like to..How I don't have a skidmark on my seat from almost crapping myself is an enigma.. That little bit of slip in the Lemans is kinda nice..

R/R = Regulator/ Rectifier

Thanks to all of the SSR XX participants, it was tremendous! Great people, great roads, great location and the best motorcycles.

Looks like an amazing cat on an amazing weekend. Don't miss next year's South'n SpineRaid !

No worries mate, you'll be right. Have a look at the pictures here. The stand mounts to the bottom-most nut on the pork chops, which appears in your photos to be accessible. https://shop.becker-technik.de/en/products/central-lifter-24 I've got one of them, and it is brilliant.

There is the matter of the point in time it must come off . . .

I did offer to practice with applying the insulation tape ….

There were Sports . . .

The older motorcycles are going to slowly but surely go away, unfortunately. Most of the guys riding them are passionate, and most likely want to ride a V11 by choice. The "younger" riders are probably more interested in bikes that are more modern, and have fewer flaws or require less effort to maintain. I am thinking that because of the lack of options for maintaining an older bike, some may just pass on. Especially when you are getting older, physically, it is really difficult.

I would check where the R/R is getting its reference voltage from. The stock one got its reference voltage from the headlight circuit, and the voltage drop from the draw of the headlight was factored into its settings. Replacing the R/R with an aftermarket R/R may require changing where the R/R gets its reference voltage, otherwise it may overcharge. Where as, changing where the stock R/R gets its reference voltage from may cause the system to undercharge since the stock target voltage is low because it is including the voltage drop from the headlight. Eliminate that and its target voltage should mean it undercharges. There are also common issues with the ground for the charging system. DC voltage is 50% voltage and 50% ground. A restriction on either side restricts the whole thing. As mentioned, the relays are a known issue as well as their bases. A good relay with a poor connection doesn't work any better then a bad relay.

I have replaced the relays with Omrons I sourced from a recommendation here [can't remember who though!] when I initially got the bike running after I bought it. Engine was stuck from a loose oil filter/disconnected oil press. sw./seized the rear main. Prev. owner must have replaced the HL/T/S switch with the euro version and from what I can tell by the wiring diagram the main harness is the same. I'll have a look at the relay socket[s] and swap the relays around to see if something else is intermittant! I've taken the PC out of the circuit but haven't had a chance to test ride it. Any R/R suggestions? I too think the charge voltage is a bit low.

Not that I'm jealous or anything, but that looks like a really nice bit of road.

See, that's why they didn't take you for the job. To the professional eye, it is obviously gaffer tape, not insulation tape. © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY 2.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaffer_tape

The weathers been so bad here, as summer rapidly recedes in the rear view mirror, that I was confined to the workshop this weekend. Greenie sump & timing chain covers off for powder coating, Roper plate to be fitted, tatty belly pan, side panels, fender etc to be resprayed…just hoping the paint shop does their job with color matching this Guzzi green

Well , some forums do exist . I will be here as long as possible . The only problem people have in forums I see is , what I post ; what you read ; what you respond with and what I read and interpret gets misinterpreted . I wish there was a way to fix this. I stay away from FB and all the other social media "look at me" forums that want to show the size of their kidney stone or where they are staying in the Bahamas . Me , I want to have my friends and make sure their bikes are running properly .

And, there was "modernity" . . .

Brand new never titled. 11 miles from factory run in. Dealership MSO and warranty card included. 2 keys still attached together on factory rubber tag. True collectors item Five6seventwofive9seven3twotwo 2024-09-10 11-57.pdf

A couple of pictures from my weekend. We got lucky, probably the last cry of summer this year. About 30°C, sunshine, just beautiful. It started raining just now (late in the night after I got home today), and is going to be wet for the next 3 or 4 days. This is the spot. Don't be confused by the exposure, the two pictures were taken from the same spot, one into the sun, one away from it. It is the grounds of a canoe club, mostly slalom kayaks as far as I can tell. The poles are visible in the picture taken towards the river. Lunch time, half-way through the ride on Saturday. I counted 48 bikes. Two of them were side-car outfits (both Guzzis), and only three were not Guzzis. I was pleased to finally see this bike. The owner and builder has been reporting his progress for a while now in the German forum. The frame is a late model Tonti California frame. Motor is V11 (with ground off fins to look like an older round motor), but carbies instead of injectors. The rest of it, I don't really know. Suffice to say that absolutely none of it is "standard", neither for the frame nor in relation to any of the other parts. I don't like the Cali 2 look, actually, and the paint job is a matter of taste, but the thing is a work of art. There were two V11s there. This one, which I didn't like much. It said "Le Mans" on the side covers, and the colour suggests it may have been a Rosso Corsa. So why would one take off the Le Mans fairing and put on that shitty looking fly catcher? The other one was a Greenie. Not pretty, you might say. I liked it. It belongs to Bob. He bought it in 2005. The bike is loved, and lived, and matches the owner perfectly: a bit tousled and slightly eccentric. Here is Bob on his Greenie, loaded up and about to head off home. I had a great weekend. I hope you all at the Twentieth (XX!) South'n Spine Raid 2024 this last weekend did too.

True, but not all of them. The German forum has a couple of members in their early twenties who have '80s Guzzis. One of them only introduced himself today, i.e. brand new member. He's bought himself a Le Mans 1000, is delighted with it, and is only 25 years old. There is hope...

...ok - had to try. So, not going to give us a hint on your asking price? Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Thanks for the clarification Mick, of course it's the bottom nuts, same as the Guzzi version

...resulting in the 2000 mile "Usage" at the top.

Nice hat.

Looks like plenty of clearance for a paddock stand to engage the lower frame side plate nuts.

That's it, indeed. The gap is to accomodate the fat blonks that buy that sort of thing...

Nice story. I hadn't heard of this. A little surprised that there were so many newcomers that didn't know their way around on their first escorted lap as most including the year we were there with a newcomer we did a lot of laps before the practice week even started. There was no escorted laps in those days for newcomers. Phil

Well, I have noticed that we are all getting heavier quickly, so if you have one of these passengers, you certainly don't want the rear tire to wear out prematurely, don't you?

After twenty years, this is now etched in binary code (closest thing to stone there is ): Weekend After (US) Labor Day. Tellico Plains, Tennessee Get There. Bring Tools.

Best SSR ever!

Best regards to all Twentieth South'n Spine Raiders ! What a great bunch of people, fabulous roads, terrific weather, and proper TechSessions (without anything too dramatic) !