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For me, I need to be able to root for some of the riders. I personally am not able to identify with any of the younger generations the way I was able to with the older guys. Probably because I am an old fart myself. In WSBK, I like the little bravado that is happening between Jonathan Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu. I am a big fan of the way TR is riding. There is a race this week-end, the last one, and I recommend that you watch it.

That is what I feel too. It is a relief that VR46 has finally stopped, I am now going to let MotoGP go and switch to World Superbikes.

Only Marc Marquez knows what he did in 2015. Although I do not want to open (again) that can of worms, my rationale explanation was that he (Marc Marquez), was not thrilled for Valentino to win another Championship; I think Marc's ultimate objective is to supersedes some of Valentino's records. We will always wonder what would have happened if Rossi had not been ultimately penalized. Would he have won 2015, to make it 10?

It makes complete sense. Routing the starting Amps through the ignition switch seemed to have been a cheap shot forced by management in a cost cutting effort.

I am a 20th century guy, and all the Japanese motorcycles I saw back in the 70's where equipped with Yuasa batteries, stock. A lot of those "new" brands were not around back then, and even if they were, they probably did not cater to the wheeler people. Yuasa is a brand I would naturally trust because of its longevity. Unfortunately, if you use the product find on the Yuasa site, you draw a blank for Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans / Sport 2004....

I am a bit uneasy about "Vaseline" grease.... it sounds "dirty"... I am thinking about either Dielectric grease, or in the case of the Switch, something like "Carbon Conductive" grease, such as the one proposed by MG Chemicals. So that would be two different type of greases: The Dielectric one, that needs to "isolate" the connection from moisture, not conductive; The "Conductive" one, this one should be used as an ointment inside that infamous contact switch. While retaining the moisture repellent property of the other type, it does not impede proper contact between the terminals. I could even pass on the Dielectric and only use the Carbon based one. What do you think?

@docc, Here's the link to the "aquarelles": http://www.callis.it/dipinti.php

@docc Here you are Docc! Ettore replied to me via FB: I don't want to insult you in translating it; basically you go on his site, section "dipinti", you pick what you like, he sends you the file and you can get it printed at a specialized printing plant around your house. But he specifies they are not Lithographs but Aquarelles....

I am still on track to equip my Le Mans with a set of Michelin Road 5. I usually change my tires after 3500 miles. I have heard a lot of praise about the Road 5, so I need to check them for myself. I want outstanding dry and wet grip.

@docc like I said, the LeMans starts like this problem never occurred.... so it is an intermittent problem. I would hope that a faulty connection on a ground would be permanent. When I read that Amps are routed through the ignition switch, it all makes sense that if the plastic tab does not properly rotate to establish full contact then the load does not carry through. As for the restricted access, there are some specialist tools that could help in getting there. I don't have any of them. But I am going to make sure it does not happen again when I am out on a craze.

I did not. But, the battery is brand new. This is one of the first consumable I replaced. And when I crank the starter, it all sounds healthy. I feel that I would be able to identify a weak battery. One can always be wrong, of course. But the problem that many have experienced, and that I did too, seem to be related to what K-Boy described in multiple threads. When the starter does not crank, there is absolutely zero solenoid noise. It is just like there is not load going through. You can hear the fuel pump, and when you turn the key, the dash board lights dim, but nothing happens. And if you insist, you blow the 15 Amps starter motor fuse.

@docc I read that thread, and all the others that treated of that subject. And there are many throughout the years. From K-Boy, I got that the starter load is carried through the switch via these flimsy poles on a plastic tab. However, on the LeMans, it is not a 15 minutes job. There is no easy access to the two screws that hold the contactor switch. Today, the starter cranked right on point. I am trying to make sense of what made the jump start successfully the other day. If the poles were not properly in line, the starter should not have cranked. Unless of course, the jump added enough CCA that the poor alignment carried enough Amps.

I found Ettore Gambioli on Facebook after finding a post about him on the AnimaGuzzisti forum. I don't know if he will read my request. I also asked Anthese, and if that does not pan out, I will register to AnimaGuzzisti and ask them, since they have made a deal with him to publish his work on Moto Guzzi. There is a thread, but it was published in 2016....

oh, that's right! you can purchase these and put them at home....

@docc Have you checked the Ambassador fully restored they are selling? https://www.tlm.nl/en/motorcycles/stock/moto-guzzi-v7-ambassador/

April 2022: As suggested by the electricians of this forum, a sixth relay was added. The ignition switch is no longer the gateway to the solenoid amps. It now drive a dedicated relay to the task. On November 11th, I set out for the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas. The Le Mans sleeps in a garage, and I noticed the starter motor cranked with just a little delay. I am talking milliseconds. Engine started immediately. Spent the night on the road. The morning, when I pushed the started button, the light's intensity diminished, but the starter motor did not crank. Tried a few times, nothing. I put the Le Mans in third gear, and balanced the engine. Tried again, the starter cranked immediately. I went on my way, no further issue. Starter would crank immediately upon request. Second night out, morning is 39 degrees F. Seat and cowl frozen. No crank. Swap 1st relay. No crank. Noticed the neutral and oil lights dim out when attempting the start. Tried again to move the engine, but this time no start. Roadside assistance comes, gives me a jump, starter motor cranks and engine starts immediately. There will be no more hesitation each time I switch off the engine and attempt to restart it. I abort the tour, and go back home. Connect my batter charger to the battery, charger indicates the battery is fully charged. Flukes between the positive and negative indicates 14.09 Volts with engine revving at 1500 rpm. At idle, it is about 13+ volts. 1) It is not the battery. 2) it is not the relay #1 3) It never happened when the Le Mans sleeps indoors, and has not happened during my previous trips with night out. 4) Once it has started the problem does not reoccur until a long stop. I have gone through the previous thread, but my symptoms are not exactly the same. As I said, following the initial start, the starter motor always works fine. After several days in the garage, it still starts. What should I check? what is that ignition switch you mentioned? is this where you put the key in? could it be the starter solenoid that does not like the cold?

Will MotoGP be the ever the same without VR46? This is the question Dorna is wondering about... Interestingly, Marc Marquez was the only "adversary" missing at the celebration. In the press conference on Thursday, VR46 avoided to bring back 2015, stating he enjoyed all the "enemies" and fights he had had along the way. However, yesterday, after the race, he brought back 2015 as one of the saddest moment of his career, having lost the championship on no fault of his own. He stopped short before saying anything else.

Today was the last MotoGP race of Valentino Rossi.... I don't know how it fits with the V11LeMans forum, but I am certain all of us have at least heard the name.... VR46 will continue racing on four wheels now.... You have to click the link to watch the content on YouTube due to the copyright owner stipulations! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz8BgSSAh3I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-o-YQgeTIE

TLM has a lot of old Moto Guzzi bikes, I am wondering if they are just for show or for sale... do you know? I have kept going to The Netherlands from H'town because Amsterdam was the only European gateway to Atyrau and Astana. I used to also go back to Alkmaar because I love cheese.... https://www.kaasmarkt.nl/en

They have removed all the telephone booths in Paris; admittedly they were never as landmarkish as those UK ones. But when it rained, they were still useful!!!

Lorenzo Eroticolor.... And as his first name indicates, coupled with his Moto Guzzi posters, it would not surprise me if he was not with some kind of Italian ascent.... He has also made some nice BMW posters too.... I liked his take on Aristocratic Motorcyclist; it is not too often that motorcycle enthusiasts are seen as "Aristocratic"...

Just back from a 1000 miles trip with the LeMans over 11/12/13, the plan was to do all the remaining MGToT stops to get me to 50. Unfortunately, it did not pan out as planned as I ran into my first V11 technical issues. I only got back last night late, and I will post the usual report under the dedicated thread. I have now 13,000 miles on the odometer, starting from the initial 8865. Of course, I did ride the bike before the odometer was fixed, and there is no telling how long that odometer had been disabled for. Still, I did in 7 months much more than the bike had allegedly recorded from 2004 until 2020 when I purchased it. Hopefully, I will still be able to add much more...

Well, now that I am best friend with the guys at the Anthese printing plant, I can always ask them. The lithography art printing business is in the hands of a few, and these guys would maybe know there competition. Who knows if they could get the dyes and authorization to reproduce...

This time, it is not a "no show" like the Sardines... I purchased the above lithography, signed by the artist and authenticated by the printing plant. Only one available, out of the 13 made. They have the same image available on a smaller format here! They also have another Moto Guzzi lithography available: 1 of 13, about USD 320 sent to you, and you can order directly from their website. Tax Free. They also had this one, unfortunately sold when I got to it.

Disconnecting before charging a battery was also something I was raised with. But that was so many years ago. Aren't Zener diodes used to protect the regulator?