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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?

If you confirm the wire is the root cause, please share; Was the wire kinked? exposed in some way so it could get damaged?

I have put TLM on my bucket list, for the next time I am in The Netherlands. I also found out they rent Moto Guzzi bikes. I lived and worked in Alkmaar in 1982; lots of my local colleagues motorcycle fanatics!

We spoke about it before, but when it comes to automotive paradise, it seems the Netherlands have it all. Whatever I am looking for, vintage on four or two wheels, invariably, there will be a shop somewhere there that has it. However there is a dimension that I only found in dealerships in the USA. The "gathering and get together" idea of a go to place, even if you don't need to purchase anything. This is a concept that I never experienced before. Perhaps because the law does not stipulate that you need to close on Sundays? Many dealerships here organize events during the week-ends. The dealership becomes some sort of a clubhouse, and motorcyclists regroup there to spend time together. You can watch the MotoGP races at the Austin Ducati store, while sampling on Texas BBQ and being among fellow enthusiasts. I have never found that concept in dealerships in the European countries I visited. Also, and this is not strictly related to Motorcycle dealerships, sales' people tend to salute you and offer to provide assistance if you needed it. In Paris, you could spend hours in the Ducati store without anyone acknowledging you are even there. If you dare "disturbing" someone, you will get the appraising stare; you know what I mean.... the guy will gauge how much effort he should spare based on how you look and what probability his involvement could yield in terms of purchase. Not that you don't have this here, but there, it is the norm; here, more like the exception. Back to the Ducati store, a few years back when I had a deposit on a Panigale, they had a female sales assistant which last name was "Champion" and looking like one too; I found her more intimidating than enticing. Anybody from the Netherlands with an insight on TLM?

From Motul Oils: Oil base Groups explained; There are five different groups of base stocks used in engine oils. Groups I and II are mineral oils (i.e. conventional petroleum oil), while Group III, IV and V are synthetics. A Group III synthetic is more refined than mineral oil and typically hydro-cracked (higher pressure and heat) to achieve a purer base oil. Group IV (PAO) is refined mineral oil that undergoes a special process called “synthesizing.” Generally speaking, Group IV performs better than Group III oils in handling heat, oxidation, low temperature start ups, and has a higher film strength and viscosity index (ability to flow). However, with today’s technology, some Group III oils perform as well as a Group IV. Synthetic Group V (Esters) oils are mostly made from vegetables, minerals and animal fatty acids. Esters are much more expensive because the ingredients are collected from nature, then get synthesized (which is a very expensive process). Group V Esters have all the advantages of a Group IV PAO, plus they can handle even higher temperatures. When Esters are burned, they leave far less coking deposits and are attracted to metal parts with an electro-chemical bond five times stronger than mineral oil.

As I am looking to get the necessary tools to work on my bike, rather than purchasing sets with a bunch of sockets and wrenches that I will never use, I would prefer to buy only those tools that are necessary. Since I only am going to work on the V11, I don't need to set myself a full workshop. To go about it, I was going to go through the V11 2002 spare parts catalog, but maybe someone has done that already, or for those of you who have a functional workshop, maybe you want to give me the low down? I am looking at doing: -Oil changes, engine, gearbox, final drive -Filter changes, oil, air, gas -Valves adjustment -Spark plugs -Brake pads -Wheels front / back removal to change tires -TPS adjustments. I have purchased and received the Becker-technik central lifter. the 18mm sockets 1/2 drive are already on my list. I have purchased the tools to access are remove the oil filters. I have purchased the interface and TPS cables to work with Guzzi diagnostics I have the 2003 V11 sport Workshop manual with the torques, I suppose the workshop manual 2003 is identical to 2004? as far as I read, I only need to go up to 120 N.m for the rear wheel. All the other torques are below 120 N.m for my use.

@footgoose Their website, the current one too, is a "dog's dinner". Hopefully, they will give it the uplift it needs so you can actually search it properly. I tried yesterday, and it was really cumbersome. Nowadays, making one's own website is no longer an ordeal with the tools that exist. And if you don't want to bother, it is cheap to have it done by someone else. The biggest issue with a website, is maintenance and sustaining, as he describes it in his narrative. I know that "old school" people often neglect that aspect, but it is really important since most of the business is now happening online.

@footgoose In my former job, you could never do anything without first having a design package that met approved standards, and said package reviewed by third party authorities; once the equipment would be built and certified according to that approved design, you would still need to get an approval to use it in a specific application. e.g. verified operating envelope. Therefore, oils that met the API and JASO standards have most likely been tested before getting the seal. By the way, API has developed a seal that will be printed on oil meeting their latest standard. I feel that we are hammering this oil topic into oblivion, since I believe most of the modern oils follow very precise guidelines and recipe. Generally speaking, each oil brand is telling us their oil is perfect for our engine, and we probably feel that we are using the best oil for our engine too. Personally, I am going to give points to Liqui Moly for two reasons: Number 1; they replied to my query. So far, they are the only ones that did. Not that it proves anything, but at least, we are now better educated. Or at least, I think I am. It makes sense to me, that ZDDP is no longer the sole magic molecule. Number 2; Liqui Moly is involved in current MotoGP racing. So they have people actively working on perfecting their products. I am not saying that other brands do not. But we can agree that motorcycle racing and automobile racing have different requirements. I want to wait longer, to see if I get replies from other oil manufacturers. I believe the frantic years we went through have disrupted customer service for a lot of companies, and most likely will continue for the near future. In the meantime, my workshop of choice rolls with Liqui Moly, and they have it available for purchase. While I could also acquire the SAE 5W-40 on line, I want MGS Cycle to benefit from my patronage.

@docc, @Lucky Phil Out of all the brands I wrote to, Liqui Moly is the only one that provided feed-back:

I saw him here, but on a Yamaha....

Have you noticed the big absent here? or more accurately, the brand that we don't seem to see in those images? Remember Aermacchi? (pronounced AermaKi) Well I do, personally. Michel Rougerie used to race on them, and in some interviews, he hinted that Walter Villa was favored by Aermacchi to win the 1975 250cc World championship. Anyway, back to Aermacchi-Harley Davidson, an unusual two stroke engine... And the famous Aermacchi "Ala d'Oro"

I was still at school when Citroën came to present the GS Birotor, if you follow the link, less than 1000 were ever built, and of those who drove one, they had to get a full engine rebuilt around the 20,000 km mark. Anybody here remember the Suzuki RE5? if you follow the link, apparently this guy own and operate one still today.

@Lucky Phil Unfortunately, Penrite MC-4ST 10W-60 is not available in the USA. I spoke to the only Penrite stockist in the USA, www.RestorationStuff.com, and they do not carry the motorcycle oil.

@Lucky Phil The complete disclosure of their lubricant recipe is to be commanded. One wonders why this is the exception and not the rule. So far, none of the companies I contacted have responded. At least, we know the Motul 7100 5W-40 has 1100 ppm zinc contents, compared to the 1800 ppm of the Penrite MC-4ST 10W-60.

@Lucky Phil I found a Motul 7100 5W-40 analysis done by a laboratory and published on the S1000RR BMW Forum; The lab report the oil contains 1121 ppm of Zinc, and 1005 ppm of phosphorus. Would that meet the required needs for the V11 tappets? https://www.s1000rrforum.com/threads/motul-7100-5w40-blackstone-oil-analysis-report.245663/

I have been sifting thru many data sheets, but I was never concerned about metallurgy until that tappet came around. Phosphor, Sulfur zinc would be part of the so-called additives, but they are not always disclosed to the public. Do you have any example of a brand that disclose the full recipe of their lubricant?

Interesting point; As I started to collect data, I was looking at Shell Advance; They distinguish between the V11 Le Mans 2003 and 2004 with recommended SAE 10W-40, and the V11 Le Mans 2001-2002 for which they recommend SAE 15W-50. It seems to corroborate Guzzi's specs. So far, Shell seems to be the sole brand to propose a different oil based on the V11 year.