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@PJPR01 I received my 2024 "Tour finisher" rocker. On to 2025...

For the sake of completeness, also in Europe. Wendel in Berlin https://wendelmotorraeder.de/ansauggummi-sp1100iv11brgr_gu01114390-p-1034021.html?ref=expl Stein-Dinse https://www.stein-dinse.com/de/item-1-1020293.html I'm pretty sure that in both cases they are not original parts, so apparently someone is making "after-market" replacements. PS: in my opinion, the best lubricant for fitting rubber bits is silicone spray. Works wonders. A judicious application of a hot-air gun is also often a good thing.

Thanks to Pete Roper and PJPRO1. I have read the tuneup instructions and will get to that but don't have what I need to balance the cylinders yet. I'll check that link. Thanks again!

I don't have a definitive answer about sourcing you intake connectors but any rubber part for a motorcycle is the most difficult thing to replicate when sources dry up. If you intend keeping the bike for a long period then always buy additional rubber components when you get the chance like I do. The unused stuff I put in a clip lock plastic bag after treating with Armour all and store under the house where it's cool and dark. The intake rubbers are hard from new as they are made from a high shore rubber. The cracking can look worse than it really is and not be causing leaking. Phil

Likewise!! Very well earned rocker…time to sew it on this weekend I hope! Looking forward to 2025!! There will be a new one near Big Bend at the Teepee Rest stop!

If they are relying on that ugly piece of shit in the video to get them back to the top then they are delusional. Phil

If Jaguar is "going back to its roots", will that include Sopwith" (their 1st carriage frame factory), maker of Snoopy's famous Camel and the infamous Snipe?

Not sure why a full EV (concept car) would have such a crazy long hood. I understand styling, but seems a bit too cartoonist. Bring back the V12!

I have finally got Collector Status on my Balabio which gives me cheap(er) tax here in BC. So it is going back on the road after about 4 years of standing. Right now I am planning a fluids flush plus replacing the fuel filter and in tank hose. The tank is off and I am emptying out the old fuel/mush and cleaning that out and will do the brakes and clutch. what else am I missing? Tyres are new/5 yrs old. Brake pads are good. also any suggestions on the in tank portion of this challenge gratefully received. I got past the dreaded QDF connectors to get the tank off, but the tank breather hose underneath is a bit tired so will replace that. Not sure on pump gasket but will find out shortly but does anyone do a complete kit for the pump hose, gasket and in tank filter? Thanks.

Glad to see this topic. Looking forward to following the progress and sharing the joy of the outcome!

These are easily available from MG Cycle and in stock: Here's the link: https://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=279 Cheap enough you don't need to worry about refurbishing...I had no trouble fitting new ones...you can always add a slight light film of lubricant to help them slip on.

Also, if you think it is running lean give it a full tune up before you do anything else. If it has leaky manifold rubbers I’d expect it to be a barely running, spluttering mess. Very often simply ensuring the TPS value is correct and balancing the TB’s will work wonders for *Fixing* issues.

I'll try to find the name of the epoxy I had in mind. It is popular for bonding sailboat hulls to decks and I've had good luck with it for a variety of materials. There is a hardening and non-hardening version of it available.

https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/topic/18195-tank-off-maintenance-checklist/

Have a good look at all the rubber bits under the tank whilst it is off. That is, of course, a good idea for any bike that is a bit older and has been standing for a couple of years. On the V11, a particularly close look at the breather hose that goes from under the frame up near the steering head down to the back end of the motor is to be recommended.

I suggested to David to make a "5 years" patch; the tour's first year was in 2020; I am certain some riders have been tour finishes for 5 years already.

And an historic one at that... Apparently there from when the highway system started to be deployed, with places where people could make a stop and relax. This is something that is actually missing today. When I compare with what we have in Europe. Highways have rest places coupled with Gas Stations, so people can actually get out of their cars and sit to eat and exchange too. I am aware that in Texas, the simmering heat does not invite to stay outside of the AC in your car, but there are a few gas stations with some benches outside of the building.

Well, now that I have a dealership that represents Piaggio a few miles away from home, I am hoping to see those bikes in the flesh. I don't know about the fancy colored ones, which maybe limited editions, but I am certain the V7 Sport will be there. I am still sulking about the digital display instead of getting two clocks though... because this is something not easy to transform.

I found this video exclusively showcasing the 2025 Moto Guzzi; I like the V100 Mandello "Wind Tunnel" model. The V7 Sport is also really enticing. I wonder if you hit the tank with those rear view mirrors, the way they are placed at the end of the handlebar. That seems silly.

These things are just another consequence of the IT world we live in. The IT now allows the airlines and hotels etc but esp airlines to break down what was a standard service into it component parts and charge for them separately. Book your ticket 9 months in advance and chose what you would like to eat on the flight in 9 months time! Chances are they won't even be serving those meals in 9 months. What pissed me off greatly 10 years ago travelling by air within the States was paying extra for my luggage and then sitting at the gate lounge with people showing up to board with large suitcases that they were obviously not going to be allowed to board with and the gate staff informing them of such and then sending their luggage down the shute to be loaded into the hold for FREE. I made my feelings known to the gate staff that I didn't appreciate paying for my luggage to be put on board in the hold only to see grifters that work the system getting it loaded for free. Personally having travelled the world a few times pre and post internet the only benefit I see is Google maps for navigation and more convenient ways to pay for things. The flight and hotel booking processes have been broken down so much into their component pieces it's more painful than it was just arriving in a town or city and driving up and asking if there was room at the inn. And if you think internet hotel images are useful think again. I arrived at an internet pre booked hotel at Bakersfield in 2015 and looked at the neighbourhood it was in and then the actual room and quietly went back to the car and drove to the nearest holiday inn for the night. The next day I dropped back in to the reception of the first place and handed the keys back in after having paid for a night in a hotel I didn't stay at. Life is just to short to stay in a dump like that and i couldn't be bothered with a discussion about it with the staff at the time. Phil

No tricycle! That would be suicide on these Tennessee hills . . .

Remember that the airlines used the same kind of argumentation when they started to implement their fees: -you pay for checking your suitcase, because not everyone travels with luggage; really? I would say that most travellers take a few basic necessities with them. Furthermore, on long haul flights, the airlines reasoning does not hold water. -you pay for picking your seat; it started with the seats located at the exits, because they offered more leg room, and they were limited to those initially. Today, you pay for picking any seat. However, for this, there is a snagg they can't avoid. You have to travel seated, and the price of the ticket includes a seat. When I travel domestic, I get my seat assigned at the gate, sometimes just at boarding time. So far, always in the middle, and I don't care. -the last one I came upon was the boarding pass. There is an airline that charges if you do not come to the airport with your boarding pass, and need to print it there. I thought those machines which print the luggage tags were also printing the boarding passes, but I was wrong. I believe all those fees that seem to be the norm in the USA, coupled with the tip gallore, contribute to the general public unrulyness and bad behavior in planes. Personally, the line of thinking that some features could be turned on or off by adding money to the initial purchase is not correct. If I cannot use it, then I do not want it installed.

They bring in more money then they spend to promote the brand. Spending all that money as they do makes them even more money. They have built themselves into a 10 billion dollar, that billion with a B, company. They have done that by spending money to market themselves. As they say, you gotta spend money to make money. They don't lose money on all that spending, it is marketing and advertising. It leads to more sales of their product, and that makes them money. I don't know the numbers, but no doubt each dollar spent on sport brings back more money from product sales. All that spending has made them the number one energy drink in the world, and as such they are making lots of money by spending relatively little money. They spend a lot on sport, but compared to how much they make back what they spend on sport just isn't that much. They make back more.

My first "real" (serious) tractor was a (somewhat) refurb'd IH. Pulled a five foot "BushHog" (flail-blade mower) and a five foot box blade. Lifted a boom. Tried to kill me several times and taught me to hate (hate) groundhogs for the holes they hid for the front tire to drop in (to try and kill me. several times). I got even with them, eventually . . . I have a really good buddy whose entire family came from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and deep traditions with IH, Scout, and TravelAll. VeeWee wants to hold up this electric "Scout". Something about as International Harvester as my toaster oven. I ain't feelin' it. Jus' sayin" . . .

sucks IH was a favorite brand. Grampa had a Farmall and a high school buddy drove his dad's Travelall. Nope don't like it. "Get'em Up Scout"

I wish I could take credit but alas, I can't.

We've been at this SSR business for "a while" now. . . . SSR III/ 2007 . . .

With the awesome assistance of the folks in this site, I seem to have the bike sorted out. A working substitute fuel pump and new relays did the trick Thank you!!

thank u, and thats my hope! depends on whether i’ll end up down there with my bride, or with a riding buddy… the wheel of fate is currently spinning. i’ve always rented guzzi’s from Agostini’s, but probably won’t prefer to start up in the como area, and will pop straight down into Florence, where there are a few good Duc rental options. and maybe they have that Ducati free parking area at the race, like they do at the Austin GP venue…

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 . . .

I felt similarly, Pete, about the V85 line for several years. The Jurassic Park beak and more were first-class "No Fornicating Way" warstoppers for me. I feel very differently now that I own one. It's not that I especially like its looks -- tho I have become fond enough of it to overlook its "defects" of that sort -- but it is, for me, at least, a joy to ride. It does almost nothing (that I have found) better than any other motorcycle, but it does everything in a singularly compliant and pleasant way. Bill