audiomick

Don't forget that paint can fade with time, particularly metallic types. "Plain" red is also particularly bad, I've been told. Two 20 year old parts that have been exposed to different amounts of sunlight over the years can easily be different colours, even if they started out the same. But I know that doesn't really answer your question. Sorry. PS: My V35 Imola is red. Year of manufacture 1983 (although it is all in a 1981 frame now, but that is another story...) When I bought it, I believe all the bodywork was original. Currently I am working on replacing the fairing. Again. For the third time. One mishap in the garage whilst it was dismantled, and twice fallen off the bloody useless sidestand. Anyway, when it was still original, there were four shades of red. Not radically, but definitely different. Fairing, tank, side-covers and tailpiece. I'm pretty sure they were all the same colour when it was new, or at least very, very close to the same colour.

When I was a kid (in the '70s) I was told that if you run the tractor out of diesel, you have to bleed the injectors to get the air out. I don't believe this is (even with tractors...) the case any more, but maybe that was the origon of the advice. Completely off topic, this, but it is almost related. My older brother did a round trip around Australia about 40 years ago. He told me of a road on the West Australian coast on which there was only one petrol station in the middle of an 800 km. stretch. By that I don't only mean there was no other petrol stations. There were no other buildings either, just countryside.

Hi Igor. I see you are in Belgium. It might be feasible for you to simply send it to Casa di Moto in Bielefeld in Germany to get repaired. https://www.casadimoto.com/service/ I haven't had anything done there (yet), but every time someone asks a similar question to yours in the German forum that I visit, someone recommends them, often several people do so.

I noticed that as the level got low, the light was coming on when the bike was on the side stand and going off when it got stood up straight. After a few more miles it was on constantly. Oviously that doesn't help during a long drive, but I shall be watching for this as an "early warning system" when I start up the bike.

No worries. Have a look at this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_Australia In 1971 I turned 8 years old, and in 1981 18. So I grew up in the middle of the conversion process. I still sometimes think in imperial, but metric is better. Ok, that lines up well with the trip meter. I think it was scratching 200 km when the light came on, and "instinct" said that there must be at least 50 km. still available. Having said that, I don't remember how close to "really full" I got the first (and up till then only) time I filled up before that. Anyone else?

Long tank I guess. Internal fuel pump definitly. It's got the fragile red connectors coming out of the tank. @ p6x : thanks, I'll look at that.

I was able to get out for a ride the other day. The fuel light came on, and the number on the trip meter seemed a bit low to me. I don't remember what it was, but less than I would have expected. If I recall correctly, I think I put a bit over 16 Litres in when I filled it up. So... Can anyone name a figure for a 2002/2003 V11 Le Mans for about how far one can expect to be able to go on after the light comes on? Kilometres would be nice, but the internet knows how to convert from miles to proper units.

Don't get hung up on "China". Remember that, for instance, everything Apple sells is made in China. Sure, a lot of crap is produced there, but I have also seen some real crap with "made in Germany" written on it. And remember the reputation Japan had in the '70s. I'm pretty sure the expression "Jap crap" would have also in use been in the USA as it was in Australia. Nowadays "Japanese" is taken as an indicator of quality. China is getting more and more proficient at producing quality items. The crux of the matter is, who it is being produced for. If the client demands good quality, China can produce it. I even have a classical guitar, made in China for a German company and fine tuned in Germany, that is amazingly good for the price category. As far as relays go, I'm trying to wade through the specs at Hella and Bosch to see what they can offer. I'm pretty sure one or both of them should have a suitable relay. The only thing is whether the physical size will fit in where it has to go.

Thanks docc. By the way, I had another look at the message from the bloke who gave me some info about relays. He wrote that he changes the relays in his Centauro about every 4 years.

He's in Rome. You have to take the curvature of the globe into account. The green is very nice.

I have the impression that all of the bodywork is a bit crooked. Look at the gap between the end of the fairing and the tank left and right, here and here But the impression of "crooked" in the photos is partly exacerbated by the wide-angle lens and the photographer not taking care to be really on axis when he took the photos.

Waiting for someone to shout "here!"....

@ Al: I noticed that too. It says "1st series" and "2nd series", which indicates that Guzzi changed it during the model run. Looks like they added a washer under the nut.

Hmmm, does he have another V11 owner in his vicinity that might be willing to lend him the one out of his own bike for a test?

Yes, absolutely correct. But the V11 has a lot more in reserve, and the temptation to use it is very strong. On the V35 I've seen 145 km/h on the Sat-nav on a long, straight stretch, maybe with a touch of tail-wind. That's all it can do. That means, at 100 km/h your not at the start of the fun, but rather right in there with not much potential to get really silly. That has its advantages. Having said that, in town the license is definitely in danger on the little darling, because she wants to get up there where she's happy, but in town the speed limit is 50 km/h.

I also believe that is the case. If I remember rightly, I think I read something to that extent in the German forum, and that it is possible. I reckon Paul Minnaert would know for sure.

That's a quote from the Pressureangle post that Al quoted. It is also the reason why I love my V35 Imola. 40 years old, and there's often work to be done on it. But... The speed limit on country roads here is 100 km/h, i.e. about 60 m.p.h. That bike is built for that sort of speed. You can hammer it, use it's potential, have enormous amounts of fun, and never get beyond the pale.

Tell me about it. I had a prang a couple of years back (destroyed a GTR 1000 when someone turned across in front of me...) and broke my right index finger. I think a bit of the car's side mirror went through the finger and smashed the middle section into about 5 pieces. The circulation in the finger is now very poor. If it is too cold, it hurts immediately and a lot. Bugger....

To give the engineers credit, one never knows, and will probably never find out, what was planned and how different that was from what the "budget engineer" thought would probably suffice. Not always the same thing...

I would rather say "can" and "up to" than must, but yes, the 10.9 can deal with a good bit more torque. I just had a look at the parts lists at Wendel and Stein-Dinse. The nut is a bit confusing. At both of those sites I found the reference you mentioned to "1st series" with 1.25 and "2nd series" with 1.5, but also later models with allegedly 1.25. I also looked at a site showing listings for ISO standard pitch. An M10 *should* have 1.5. I don't know if Guzzi swapped back and forth between a standard and a fine pitch, or if the parts lists are misleading. I would say care needs to be taken in getting the right nut. By the way, it seems that the bolt at the final drive end of the torque rod has a 1.25 pitch.

Have another look at this: https://www.anzugsmoment.de/anzugsmoment/ 45-50 corresponds to the value listed there for an 8.8 bolt, so the general table is right, as far as that goes. Given that the bolt in the torque rod is apparently a 10.9, it can deal with a bit more welly. I'm with you and Pressureangle that the thing should be properly tightened up to prevent wear. That's gone onto the to-do list for mine for when I get it into the garage for a good look at everything.

Yes, that occurred to me after I posted. Good point.

Yes, it is for beginners. Like me. Me too.

That can be derived from the number, can't it? The one I linked at Stein Dinse is apparently a 10.9 According to this table (which includes values that I know from other applications, so I guess it is accurate...) an M10 10.9 can be tightened up to 70 Nm. https://www.anzugsmoment.de/anzugsmoment/ the tensile strength can be derived from the formula shown here in the diagramm under the title "Festigkeitsklassen von Schrauben". https://www.rosentaler-schrauben.de/magazin/schrauben-festigkeitsklassen/ The first number 10 * 100 N/mm² = 1000 N/mm² stretch before it breaks The first number times the second number 10 * 9 * 10 N/mm² = 900 N/mm² stretch before it is permanently deformed. Or did you mean something else?

I just found a document quite similar to that, but in English. https://www.electronicshub.org/relay-wiring-diagram/