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Everything posted by p6x
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I come from the "type approval" certification and reviewed designed world. I wish I could find something designed specifically for the V11 series. If I had the space, I would purchase a proper setup with a scissor lift and appropriate stands. I found another prospective company in England, which I have not seen mentioned here, on the forum; on-bike. They seem to specialize in motorcycle lifts. Obviously, nothing shown for Moto Guzzi. They have a lift for the Ducati Diavel. Boonstra has not yet replied about the lift proposed when I configure their filter for my Le Mans. I am going to check with on-bike to see if they would have anything.
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I have dropped my Guzzi already while maneuvering it to come down the small ramp that leads to my garage. This is entirely my fault. I could have sat as rider, instead of walking alongside while holding the bars. I had the stand deployed, I was on the right hand side. I thought if anything happened, I would push the bike away from me, and it would land on its stand. So the moment arrived, and I found the hard way the bike was too heavy for me to push away. It fell on me. I was so fortunate to not have been pinned underneath. I only broke a turn indicator lens, and scratched the right bar end weight. I also discovered I could not upright it by myself either. No matter what I tried. Getting underneath to push with my legs... Niente da fare! So I am now looking at it with much more respect. Back to our subject; the sump of the V11 is convex. The way it looks to me, if you enter one of those scissors lift sideways, the bike will still be wobbly. At present, I can only see the Becker Technik center stand making sense. I am going to run to my favorite shop tomorrow, and ask what they do to secure the bike on their professional grade lifts. The Boonstra site proposes this JMP elevator for the V11 Guzzi Le Mans. But you have to use the uneven sump to lift the bike. I am going to ask them if they have tried it at least.
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Do you mean the shops you contacted refused to change the tire because it was a Ducati 939 SS? From what I understand, here in H'town, the shops would install and balance your tires, providing you bring the wheels to them. And even then, you still need to make an appointment. My question is; what happens in case of emergency? say you are on the road, far away from your home, say you need to replace a tire, or your bike stops... I have subscribed to AMA, and my insurance too provides transport to the nearest shop. But what happens if that shop does not accept your bike? What do you do?
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It looks to me that lifting the whole bike from under the sump is not really helpful, as it would possibly interfere with the oil filter access, should you want to service it? I got the answer from Abba, and it is rather laconically formulated: -"sorry, we don't do anything for Moto Guzzi!" If I understood all the entries here, the safest is to purchase a rear stand, a front stand, and if I want to work on the bike at height, I need to purchase one of those scissors platform?
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Gratuitous Pics of Girls + Guzzi
p6x replied to sign216's topic in Special place for banter and conversation
Yep, this one is from the Netherlands. Easy.... -
I am guessing I am not going to try to be "too clever", I already dropped the bike by doing something stupid that served me as a lesson. I am going to get something that is safe to operate, or I will let the guys at MPH do the heavy lifting.
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I can attest that it is easier to play guitar as I do that too; but I understand what you mean. I remember how we learned at school, by first doing simple stuff, such as cutting a parallelepiped block to quotes. First starting with raw material, and then taking one already started, and installing it properly. Of course, it takes time to make it just natural. There is a lot of arithmetic to absorb to. Especially if you wanted to cut your own gears, using a divider.
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Hopefully, the newer technology will decrease the frequency at which you need to change the battery on the clock. I am not yet settled on what I am going to do to install the gauges. I thought about doing what you have, having them at the back. But I am waiting to have them on hand, with the "mounting bar" fixture, to see if I can put them closer to me. Calibrating a mechanical temperature gauge is not easy. Speaking of Silicone oil, I am hoping they have thought about expansion. With the temperature fluctuations we have in Texas, I am afraid that I will find the gauge leaking oil. So that may be a reason to have the mounting as you did it, so the gauge is less exposed to the ardent sun we have here. Or I will maybe need to have some kind of cover?
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But for the front wheel, you need the factory stand, correct?
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I live in one of these cardboard house. If I install a railed hoist on the ceiling, the moment I attempt to lift the Guzzi, the bedroom floor is going to land into the garage. I thought the ABBA sky lift was a possible choice. I can see the lathe....
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I had the training to use most of the machines when I was in school. Including learning to use files to may fine adjustments. I learned before CNC brought the sill level from knowing and understanding, to changing tools and starting a run. I even did gears on milling machines, using a divider and the technical stuff about steel and alloys, what to pick and all that. Learned some welding and the rudiment of being coppersmith, which is one of the most difficult skill to hon, since at the time it was all manual. Having access to any machines, and blanks I needed made life a paradise for someone with a motorbike. This makes me understand the difference today. None of the machine shops here would let you do your own thing. Mainly, liability if you injure yourself. I asked MPH, the shop I use in Houston, if I could come and use their tools and lifts to do my maintenance, and still pay them as if they had done it themselves, but they declined. If you know how to use a lathe, I think it is not going to take you long to master a mill.
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Gratuitous Pics of Girls + Guzzi
p6x replied to sign216's topic in Special place for banter and conversation
oh! I thought you were... it is difficult to tell with written narratives, especially shorts. I was just trying to bring some perspective, and I was not trying to one up or anything like this. -
If you did not know what to do, each year, you can run the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas; the tour runs from March 15th until November 15th of the current year. There are 50 stops to make distributed inside the state, and you are considered a tour finisher if you complete at least 25 of them. Here's the interactive map of the stops! Registration for 2021 closed on February 28th, opened to all bike brands. I intend to make as many stops as possible, so far I made 3, the third completed today. I started with the easy ones, those located around Houston. I will update the thread as I find it will incentivize me to do as many as I can. There are 50 stops total, and some events which allow you to meet other participants. there are 1250 participants to the 2021 tour; many of them from other states, not necessarily border either. I am flag 1001 which is a number that fits perfectly as it can be read in both directions. The bikes' brands are not shown, so I do not know how many Moto Guzzi there are, out of them, if there are any V11. Another reason for this thread, if any reading it are doing the tour this year. Anyway, here's my three stops so far. I will adding them as I go, to see if I can get as far as possible. This is my 1st stop: Brenham. This is the second stop: Navasota This is my third stop: Anchor blown 1 mile away Texas City. I rode it in the full of typical Texas weather, around 100 degF feel, and I am able to confirm the V11 does not like it hot!!!
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Gratuitous Pics of Girls + Guzzi
p6x replied to sign216's topic in Special place for banter and conversation
Not Paris, not France... For the rest, I don't know.. The paving arrangement is the give away. This is typical of older Italian streets, and you see a lot of them in cities. The tramway railroad compels me to say it is Milano. -
Gratuitous Pics of Girls + Guzzi
p6x replied to sign216's topic in Special place for banter and conversation
Nope! It is Italy. There is an easy tale tell... it could be Milano, but other cities have the same clues that you only find there... -
I think nature and motorbikes go hand in glove together! Nothing like a good road trip on two wheels to make you feel special and different. I always find that riding a motorbike, wipes out all the worries and problems in life. Riding issues over on a V11 Guzzi is the cherry on the cake! nothing compares to that. Why don't MDs prescribe a Guzzi ride as therapy is beyond me...
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You have a motorcycle lift as well, and a real workshop... that's nice! I can't see the lathe, milling machine, rectifying machine, boring machine, Tig/Mig and arc welding machines in the picture. At least you have a vice grip and I can only guess the cabinets are full of tools. I don't think I need to look further for a workshop stand or a lift. I will simply com and squat yours..... :-) I liked the Abba "sky lift" idea, but Moto Guzzi is not even in the list of the compatible motorcycles.
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What about the Abba sky lift? viable? safe?
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I found the Becker Technik stand sold by MG Cycle. JMP Hydraulic Motorcycle lift Red 400KG sold by Boonstra BV, although I have seen several variations of that same lift sold under various other brand names. There is also the one from Gutsibits, which I believe is a copy of the original Moto Guzzi, with a center prop that allows disassembly of the front wheel. I found a bunch of professional solutions, which are not really adapted for the "home" garage. The Boonstra seems to be a relatively interesting solution. I am wondering if anybody here uses one like this? I have read that someone uses the Becker Technik stand on his Guzzi V11, and needs the prop to get the front wheel off. There is the Zeny, but it seems it requires anchoring so that is not going to work for me. Are there any other candidates?
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You can use a powered buff, although you would have to wear more PPE and do it in a protected environment because of the projections. I am two years younger than you, but I like the blue look of my headers.