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And in the crank-case breather system. There are rubber hoses involved that don't stand the test of time all that well.

Leave the tire and oil threads to the amateurs. Here at V11LM.com, we take The Valve Adjustment from a maintenance task to the level of Philosophical Ritual.

I'll dive in! First, welcome to this V11 SpineFrame community! Yes, indeed, you are in the right place! All our V11 have the "Nylon" tank. Best not store ethanol fuel in it for long periods. Use non-ethanol for storage. If you are running the fuel through it regularly, a high octane premium with ethanol is probably fine, while not "ideal"." All of the oily haze looks like she could use a good cleaning. Yes, there could be a weep here or there (especially at the timing chest at the front of the engine). The "crinkle black paint" is a known issue with 2002 V11 and 2003 "Carryover" Sport that featured that beautiful burgundy tank and grey accents. There is a passenger seat cover missing, BTW. What year is this Sport being sold as? The rear fender has been removed in favor of a "tail tidy" mount for the license plate and closer signal brackets. Lots of folks like the cleaner look, but expect more road spray from wet roads. The white face Veglia speedometer/odometer are rather notorious for failure, usually because of the angle drive at the right side of the gearbox driving (or not driving) the cable. Numerous approaches to remedy are known, yet the mileage could be suspiciously low and hard to know if the speedometer has been changed. Or replaced more than once. (I'm on speedo #4 ). Honestly, looking closely at the typical road-wear places, she looks really clean, more like she's been sitting up quite a lot. Did you ride it to see how the speedometer needle (and odometer drum) act? I get $4000CAN as ~$2870US. Pretty easy money for an awesome bike if you can accept the foibles and "a certain amount of some owner involvement" . . . Best to you on this journey, @MacMcMacmac !

20 years old is a pretty new bike by my standards. My previous bike was an 83 XS650 I rocked as an only bike since 2018, and owned since 2008. Believe me, I am no stranger to repairs or maintenance. I'd still be riding it if we both hadn't been squashed under an Ecosport back in June. I have been riding mostly non-stop since 94. The price is right on a very desirable model. I was looking at a V9 Roamer, a W800 or maybe a Bonneville to replace the XS, as it had given me a deep affection for twins and classic bikes. The XS showed me there is a lot more to riding than droning around at 1/8 throttle on a litre bike. The V11 promises an extra bit of performance and handling than those other bikes, while still being fun at sane speeds. I have a 1200 Bandit I'll be selling on in the spring, sporting carbs and pipes worth more than the bike unfortunately!

I'd go in with a lowball offer, maybe $3k Canadian. What can they say but no? After 2 years, and it's a towing company so they got it for nothing beyond the paperwork to recover the title- they're not invested. Cash is King. At $3k, I'd jump on it quick. At $4k, it's probably a pretty good price, if it doesn't need every single rubber bit replaced and every electrical connection made secure. Which it does, certainly. Pretty.

Reminds me a similar story in Tulsa OK. This was during Leon Russell's heyday. Many of the major musicians came to town like Geo Harrison. Anyway, this guy is playing solo guitar in a local bar, The Colony. He's really, really good. He finishes his set and says "Thank you, I'm Eric Clapton". Walks out.

It is amusing to see this devolve into discussion about accuracy beyond what the rod bearings require.

Speaking of old farts.... I had a job in 2004 in Bremen. I was responsible for monitors (stage sound) for the guest artist, so when the "studio band" was playing, I spent a lot of time on stage in the rehearsals facilitating the communcation for my colleague who was doing their monitor sound. There was a bass player who appeared with the studio band, singing one of his most famous songs. A fairly unpleasant person, I found, as it happens, but that is also a fairly well known thing so I don't fell all that bad about writing that here. Anyway.... Time came to rehearse the song. The man in question came on stage with his quirky Gibson bass, and wanted to plug in to the amp that had been provided. Problem: no cable. After a few minutes of confusion, someone produced a collection of adapters, saying "this will work, wont it?". NO, says I, and went and nicked a cable off a prepared riser that was behind the stage. I then watched the approximately 70-year-old man fiddling with his bass amp, forgot who it was and only saw the old man, and asked "do you really want to do that?" (what he was doing on the amp didn't make sense to me...). He nearly exloded, and explained in no uncertain terms that he was involved in the developement of those amps, and knew very well what he was doing thank you very much (and was later proved by the sound that came out absolutely in the right...). In the course of the rebuke, I rememberd who I was talking to, and was able to back down more or less elegantly. This is the song that was played, featuring the slightly unpleasant 70-year-old man on bass, a clip from the TV show where this all happened: More name-dropping on the theme of "old farts": the bloke with the acoustic guitar is Greg Lake. The bloke with the black beanie is Chris Thompson. The bloke with the long coat on keyboards is Manfred Mann. The bloke playing flute is Ian Anderson. The dark-skinned bloke in the back-ground who is also playing bass is also up there, but unfortunately I can't remember his name. EDIT: Victor Bailey, the other bass player. Needless to say, I really enjoyed that job.

Thought I'd close this out by showing my (hopefully temporary) solution to fit the original steel swing-arm. Adding the widths of the components together, it was 6.7mm short of the designed 301mm between arms so I machined up a thick washer and milled a "T"-shaped brass block with 10mm reamed hole to take the brake calliper pin.

I made up a new kitchen shelf today. It's an engineers shelf due to the fact that I dont like wood and as a mate once said to me wood would be just perfect if it was made out of aluminium. I need to free up some bench space for the arrival of a new Espresso machine and grinder. Italian heart made in Germany. ECM Synchronika11. The Electra Nivola has done its time and deserves its retirement after 22 years as a faithful servant. Phil

All I can do is reiterate what others have said. It’s a seemingly low mileage machine that has likely spent a lot of time parked. This is more likely to be a curse than a blessing. If you do go ahead do not expect it to be a simple, ‘Turnkey’ proposition. On any machine like this I’d be taking the back end apart and checking stuff like the driveshaft alignment and the state of the outrigger bearing in the bevelbox which are notorious for getting water in and rusting out. The timing chest weep will need fixing but that is a simple gasket swap and most of the breather hoses will likely need replacement. Then it will need a full service and tune to make sure it runs correctly. That includes brake and particularly clutch fluid as V11’s, (And the CARC bikes.) are absolute murder on clutch fluid. I haven’t owned a V11 in a long while and never owned one here in Oz but I’ve ridden and worked on many and if I wasn’t ageing out of larger bikes would still dearly like to own one. They are comparatively rare here though and command higher prices than in the US/Canada. Put very simply, if you are just looking for a cheap and cheerful ‘Everyday ride’ that you don’t have to put any effort in to? I’d look elsewhere. If you are really drawn to the V11? Fill yer boots!

I remember seeing Hendrix live on Cavett. As well as Janis, Lennon, Jefferson Airplane. His band was led by Bobby Rosengarden. The show's theme was "Candide". Cavett perhaps educated me as a young teen as much as any news, lit or humanity study I ever had. There were some nasty feuds as well, like Mailer and Vidal. I recommend Gore Vidal's US History Series (aka "Narratives of Empire"). My favorites were "Lincoln" and "Empire". Chronologically, the series begins with "Burr".

Still boxed up until Christmas day. It's my wife and I's Christmas present to each other. Phil

Definitely not LeMans, the 5 speed trans has the shifter 90* to that one. The brake side is interesting, made for a shaft so I'd say it's for something with mechanical rear brake- could be literally any japanese or british bike up to the 80's, maybe somebody can ID the peg mounting to get a fit. ....Aaaaaand they'd look really nice on my Aermacchi.

And my little point was Guzzi are good with clearances to 0.30mm Cheers Tom.

Aha...I completely missed the pun...good one! At least I have a heat gun...middle of winter here in Texas...a freezing 55F...should be good enough for a valve adjustment!

The idea was to investigate the common lore (I would say "myth") that the valves have to be "stone cold" to adjust, hence the infrared temperature reader and the stone. More on that here:

That story reminds me of : one time one of Jack Bruce's former bandmates was in a pub where there were some musicians playing live music somewhere . Said stranger after a while asked if he could play his guitar . The guitarist was a good man and handed it over . After some strumming and playing around he got serious . To the owners loud objection , he announced "be careful there , those strings cost me ___ quid " ! Eric took it easy after that admonishment .

Something important; why do you want to purchase a V11 from the early 2000? One thing we all have in common here, is that we do appreciate the Guzzi, especially the V11. We are willing to be forgiving to the little issues we all have experienced at one point or another. If you are in that category, and you are not simply curious, depending on how much you are willing to roll up your sleeves, those V11 are extremely reliable once you look past the little quirks here and there. You are not listing any other motorcycle in your profile. Is this a "getting back in the saddle"? There is not much you could do wrong in purchasing a V11 anyway. If you jump the gun, people here will help you all the way. Spares are reasonably available by mail order, and flowing supplies are no problem. As an aside, I recently changed the timing chest cover gasket, replaced it with a metallic one. But I ran the bike with the oil seepage for a long time. For the instruments, as Docc pointed out, there are many solutions. I have had my gauges fixed by a fellow in Tennessee who specializes in fixing and making reliable those Veglia Instruments. I also have Veglia on a Guzzi Quota and I got my tachometer fixed in Germany. But you can purchase modern replacements. After, it is a question of what you want to do, for what price. For the rest, I crisscross Texas with my V11 each year without a worry in the world...

Whilst I truly fully understand having and liking such a precision instrument, I really couldn't be buggered farting around that much with the valve clearance on a push-rod motor. Having said that, I respect the attention to detail compeletely. It's just me trying to curb my compulsive perfectionismus a bit. If I didn't, setting the valve clearances could cost me a week of solid work. What, already?

@Pressureangle If you can see a pun hiding in there, I have an inkling that a conversation with you might be really good fun.

I recently went to look at a V11 Sport I am interested in. I have seen it in the classifieds off and on for 2 years now, so it seems like it doesn't have many people interested in it. I would like your input on its condition if you would be so kind. I cut and pasted this post from another forum, so my apologies if you have seen it already. The guys there said this was the place to be for V11 knowledge. Thanks in advance. Beautiful color. Plastic tank. Any worries there? Motor has general oil sweats over it. I couldn't find the leak, If the mileage is to be believed, this is somewhat disappointing. What's up with the shaft tube? Is this normal? It seems a little, agricultural in fit and finish. That doesn't really turn me off if eveything is mechanically as it should be. Again, general oil sweating over the tube. No experience here. Lol, that brake light is the same Emgo unit I put on my XS650. It's a sign! Again with the sticky film on the final drive. I'm not sure if Guzzis have an incontinence issue, or the owner wasn't handy enough to fix the issue. Has some minor blemishes. To be expected after 20+ years. Must have been a stateside bike. Mileage is super low, if the speedo gears haven't already packed it in. Seems a bit fishy for the age of the bike.The forks have a sticker on them stating that the bike was modded to meet Transport Canada regs in 2013. The bike has some 4" bar risers installed. Ergos seemed really good. It started ok, after a few tries. Starter spins up a bit slowly. Nature of the beast? Sounds lovely, with the characteristic sideways tug when the throttle is blipped. No noises except the dry clutch rustle. Clutch action seemed quite light compared to my old XS with the heavy duty EBC springs, which did nothing to stop the slipping! If this is in decent shape, it would probably fulfill my desire for s simple, torquey, sporty/standardish twin, with a dollop of Italian flair to boot. It looks better in the ad than in person, but bikes usually do.At $4000 CAN, it's not a huge financial risk, but a time bomb bike is no good no matter what the price. That price has dropped $1k in the last week or so, as the seller would like to clear it out before winter (towing company). I was given a list of recent repairs carried out on the bike, which included new tires, a new fuel pump, new turn signals and 2 new solenoids. I'm wanting to love it, but a few red flags has me wondering. What does your Guzzi spidey senses tell you all?

@Lucky Phil I really hope the machine delivers all it promises. I've gone down a different path. Coffee is a luxury that gets shipped halfway around the world before I get to see it. I want it to be a ritual. This is what I have at home. I know how many times I have to turn the handle on the grinder for each Bialetti pot, so the beans are ground fresh every time. A Bialetti pot for every occasion, a metal pot to warm the milk for my flat white. Amazing how in-depth one can get with even the simplest of equipment.

I've got a Breva 750 i.e. that pretty much fills the bill on that. It had less than 10,000 km on it when I got it for a good price. The catch is the "20 year old bike" bit. It had run a documented 800 km in the ten years before I bought it, and has the whole "change all the rubber bits" thing. So if "cheap and cheerful" is what you are after, go for the V9, if that's your thing, or one of the new V7 range, i.e. not twenty years old. If you want "interesting" as well, go for the V11 and put in the effort to get it good. It is worth it. I haven't got mine good yet, and I still love it. The Breva 750 is all good, is fun indeed, and runs beautifully, but it isn't really "interesting".

Yeah, don't try calling me a @#$$#! We gots software for that kind of thing!

Love this expression!

I tried to correct Mr Cavett's name but it would not let me

And you know Eric knew he was an unknown in that bar and enjoyed the moment . You see all of these self-inflated a$$ holes in public , on TV , etc. Then you see these really great people in person and in interviews on TV and the are humble and respectful . The @#$$#! Cavett interview of Jimi Hendrix comes to mind as the example of humility .

Outstanding. I've been planning a remodel, and the new kitchen will have space dedicated to an espresso machine. If I could find the one in 'Saving Private Ryan' I'd probably do that, but not really convenient with one eye open first thing in the morning. I don't like the idea of another handful of electronics for something a Moka pot suffices, but I like this machine. They should have hired an Italian for the video, though, this guy is like Billy Mays but neither entertaining nor exciting. Nor shapely, I might add. Give a video when you get it set up.

I blame all-y'all for this special variety of sleeplessness . . . Talking about you, @v11_meticcio!

Sorry for the blocky typeface....

There is really something special about an old fart who has been playing his instrument for 50 years, isn't there.

G'day folk's. On my way home from the hospital after visiting Dad yesterday, I stopped in at the servos to grab a burger at Maccas ( late lunch ). So I park the bike in the car-park and in the middle of the bay as you do to avoid car doors etc and in I go. So 20 minutes or so later I come out and am doing up the jacket and about to put my helmet and gloves on and notice a couple walking round it and looking at the bike, then they notice me and come over ( I was about 20 metres away )and start telling me that some arsehole just backed into my bike and drove off never bothering to stop to see if any damage or whatever! Instant panic but what the fook, bike is still standing and can't seem to see any damage or sign of impact.The bloke followed me back to the bike and explained the shithead reversed back and nudged the front wheel pushing the bike back about 8 to 10 inches and showed me the scrape mark the side stand left on the concrete. Dumbfounded I quickly checked the bike over and thanked matey for telling me as would never have even noticed it or known. Talk about dodging a bullet! Anyways I gave her a bit o welly on the fun part ( well the part without any mobile chicanes - bugger ) of the road home, and no handling issues at all. Then when I got home gave her a good looking at and the only damage if you can even call it that is a 5 or 6 millimetre scrape on the very front of the front mudguard. It's not really even a scrape but just sorta pushed the paint back a little without breaking the surface of the paint.If matey hadn't told me about it I would've assumed that it was a stone chip when I eventually found it. So, from now on I'm gunna be parking the bike next to the bloody front door and not anywhere near where we share space with the imbeciles and their conveyances.... End of rant folk's but be wary of where you leave your bike eh! Cheers

Oh, yeah. Let's ask the other inmates on the ward if it's crazy for docc to lie awake at night thinking about another motorcycle . . .