audiomick

Are you aware of this? (You need a bit of spare pocket money....) https://hmb-guzzi.de/Oil-Pump-CNC-1100-cc-models The bloke and his business enjoy a very good reputation in German speaking Guzzi circles.

Art, thanks for the link. That does indeed look very similar to what I am intending to buy. That is this: https://www.hepco-becker.de/kompletttraegerset-seitenkoffertraeger-und-rohrgepaeckbruecke-topcasetraeger-schwarz-fuer-moto-guzzi-le-mans-v-11-sport-naked-1999.html And it is considerably cheaper than that. However, since I live in Germany, I am a little hesitant to buy something from the U.S. that would no doubt attract some sort of import duty, and "probably" would fit. Hepco Becker is a German company, and I already have a rack from them for the V35 Imola and one for the GTR 1000 Kawasaki, and a top box and a pair of panniers from Hepco and Becker to put on the racks. Unless someone can assure me with 100% certainty that Tusk is something like "re-badged" Hepco and Becker, and that the rack in the ad will definitely fit, I'd prefer to stick with the brand I already have.

Docc, going by that photo, I think you really need to take more care about keeping things clean and orderly when you're working on a bike.

Indeed. I would have loved to have one at the time, but as a "financially disadvanted" student it was completely out of the question.

Ok, thanks for the info. I haven't got the carrier yet (coming soon...) but I do already have a set of similar panniers. When I get the carrier and get them mounted, I'll post a photo of mine. Could take a few weeks.... Mick

It occurs to me that I need to clarify that. On the "small block" models, as with the old Tonti frame "big blocks", you need to remove the upper frame to get the gearbox out. That means that the clutch cable is no longer connected. To activate the clutch to pop the gearbox off, you need to push in the lever on the back of the gearbox that the clutch cable is connected to. I haven't had a look at the way the clutch works on the V11, but going by the parts lists, it looks like there is a rod through the gearbox that activates the clutch. In your situation, I'd be inclined to try and leave the clutch system connected until the gearbox is separated, so as to be able to use the clutch lever to push it off. You'll have to have a look at the business yourself to see if that is possible.

On a more serious note: I don't know for sure that this works with the "big block" Guzzis, but it is in the workshop manual for my "small block" V35 Imola. The constuction is similar enough that I reckon it should work. Undo all the bolts to the gearbox, and then pull the clutch in. On mine, the gearbox then pops off a bit, and you can pull it off without too much bother. Hope that helps. If it is still reluctant, hold a block of wood against the housing and persuade it a bit with a hammer against the wood block. Work your way around, and it should come off.

Don't drop it on your foot. I hope you find the problem quickly, and that it is not too dramatic.

Hi. What brand are those panniers? The look like they might be Hepco & Becker, but they seem to be sitting too high and too far forward for it to be the H&B carrier.

Well, I'd say you've pretty much achieved your goal. As I wrote, I've seen more or less the same recommendations over and over again. The context in which I have seen that stuff, and the gist of what they are often trying to communicate is "get the basic stuff sorted before you start dicking around with the map, or any of the other complicated things".

Thanks for that link. I'll have a better look at that sometime when it's not 2;00 a.m. However: After a quick glance at the first post there, I can say I have read most of that stuff elsewhere already. I'm one of the administrators in this german forum: https://www.guzzi-forum.de/Forum/ I'll get back to that.... The bloke I bought the Le Mans off had only had it for about half a year, and had been planning to keep it. I know him personally through that forum, and trust what he says. When he bought the bike it was (his words) "in a dismal condition". He put quite a lot of effort into getting the bike back in shape, and I am confident that he went through more or less the same procedure as docc describes there. He only put about 1,000 km. on the bike, so I assume (for now) that it's all good enough to be going on with. Getting back to the aforementioned german forum: Guzzidiag was developed principally by the forum member Beard (his real name is Bernd), with input from a couple of others from that forum. I've met Beard a couple of times, he's a really nice bloke. Even if I don't get around to having a look at the bike with Guzzidiag myself before then, I expect to be at the Forum Rally at the start of next June. There, Beard and Karsten (under whose name the forum is registered) spend the entire Saturday afternoon looking at people's bikes with Guzzidiag and adjusting what needs to be adjusted. So I think I've got that pretty much covered. I'm not an ace mechanic, but I'm dead keen to get into Guzzidiag, and things like keeping an eye on the valve clearances and so on is a matter of course. I"ll be onto it, don't worry.

That's an interesting idea. I might be in form something like that myself. My girlfriend is not very tall, and might be able to deal with the standard pillion pegs. Another friend of ours who quite regularly sits on the back is around 176 cm. tall, very similar to myself. I'll be very interested to hear what she has to say about the back seat. Might need something in that direction for her...

Yeah, I was a bit surprised at how the motor responds at around 5,000 and found I had to try it out several more times to make sure I wasn't imagining things...

I rode the V11 Le Mans for the first time today. It was about 12° C. today, looking like it was going to stay dry, and there was even a bit of sunshine. I'm waiting on a number plate holder that I have odered, so I needed an easy temporary solution for that. I bolted the old plates back on (they were mounted using the screw hole for the plate holder...) and taped the new plates on with gaffer tape. I'm a sound engineer, so that is like the "natural solution" for any problem for me. And then I went for a 40 km. ride before I had to go to work. Lovely. The bike was really the right choice.

Yeah. I was just curious. When the box is correctly in neutral, the input and output shafts should be disengaged from each other. So if the obstruction is before the box, it shouldn't be locking up the output shaft when the box is in neutral, I would have thought.

Hi Pete. I'm not in any way questioning your knowledge and experience. From what I've read here, both seem to be plentiful. But I can't follow the logic. Cash wrote If the flywheel is buggering up the works, but the box was really in neutral, shouldn't he have been able to turn the output shaft?

Without knowing for sure, I assume it is a survey to check if the house is showing signs of damage due to subsidence resulting from mining activity. That is apparently a big issue in some areas in Gemany (Ruhr Valley, for instance...) where black coal has been mined for so long that it is more or less all gone. I saw a documentary on that a while back on T.V. . The spoke of up to 2 metres subsidence.

Assuming "fuel oil" is what the heating plant and water heater in a house uses, yes, i.e. close relative at least. Apparently one can run at least a "low tech" diesel motor on "Heizöl" (= "heating oil", presumably what you mean with "fuel oil") That is highly illegal here, though, and is considered tax fraud. Heizöl isn't subject to the tax that transport fuels are, so using it instead of diesel avoids tax that the government is keen to have. There used to be an oil burner for the heating and hot water in the house where my girlfriend's father lives. The room in the cellar where the old tank still is, still smells faintly of diesel, even though it all got converted to gas a number of years ago. Regarding what it is exactly: the first paragraph of this Wiki article translates thus: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitteldestillat or this english Wiki article on more or less the same topic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_oil

No, He's pretty clear most of the time.

and 99% of the last 1% can be isolated by systematic troubleshooting: calmly and logically looking at one thing at time, one step at a time, from one end of the circuit to the other. I fixed an antenna combiner once (used to combine the ouput of multiple in-ear monitor senders, so you can send them all off one antenna...), and several younger colleagues were almost bowing down in awe. I had to explain how I did it: "see that big black charcoal smudge behind the power switch? That's not supposed to be there....

To put that into perspective: my de-facto father in law got a letter from his energy provider the other week. In Germany, by the way. He had been paying just over €250,- a month for gas. They informed him that as of Jan. the price "had to" go up to well over €1.000,- a month. Our provider has informed us that the price for electricity is going to double as of January. Don't know what the gas price is going to do, but it wont be pretty. Europe was, before the war in the Ukraine started, getting something over 60% of its gas from Russia. Most of it was going through pipes through the Ukraine. Also, I believe a large percentage of the diesel in Europe was coming from Russian oil. Given that diesel motors are almost the norm here, that is a not insignificant problem So Yes, this is true. One might argue that the european embargo on Russian oil is a foolish gambit in that context. On the other hand, Putin is financing the war to a large extent through fossil energy sales. I don't think anyone wants to keep financing his meglomania. Also, would it be wise to remain largely dependent for energy on a country whose leader has proven himself to be, to put it mildly, somewhat erratic? Much more importantly, to keep the industry running so the economy doesn't collapse. Lights are good too... It is worth noting that at least some of those coal power plants were supposed to be going out of service around now. Also, a couple of nuclear power plants that were scheduled to go off line will be kept going at least until the end of this winter. The bloke who had to decide about that is Robert Habek, vice chancellor and minister for the economy and climate protection. He is a member of the green party. In other words, it's all a bit complicated here right now.

There is a lot of truth in that. A sneaky little bare strand like that can be a bugger to find, though.

Hi Joe. I very seriously considered buying that one. The differences to mine: the "pork chops" on mine are black, as is the seat. The seat on that one might be from a different model, I think. On of the "Sport" variantions maybe, but I'm not sure. Mine has about 20,000 km more on the clock, and was about €1,000 cheaper. And the bloke I bought miine off is someone I have met a couple of times through a forum here. What makes that one interesting, the text from the ad indicates a long term owner who really loved the bike. He's selling because he's giving up riding motorcycles altogether. Here's his text: For those who are wondering "TÜV" refers to the obligatory bi-annual roadworthiness tests here. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the workshop stands in the photos might be original Guzzi parts. I reckon the bike would be a good buy, but I've already got one now. As I said, I seriously considered it, but chose to buy the cheaper, higher mileage bike from the bloke I have met a couple of times. Apart from the red bits, I think it is pretty much the same as the one I got.

This may qualify as slander, but I have decided to not ever buy anything from that particular vendor. He has (thay have...) come to my attention fairly regulary in the course of searches for various parts for my motorcycles. My impression, the price tends to be high, and the assertion that the part is "in good condition" may sometimes be stretching the truth. A couple of examples: a tank for a GTR 1000 Kawasaki in "good useable condition" with a dent in it and obvious rust inside. The price was at the top end of the scale. Some cams for the same bike in "good condition", also for a very healthy price, and with pitting on the cam lobes that was obvious on the photos. So, if anyone is thinking about buying there, have a really close look at the pictures, and look for some other offers to see how the price compares.

Hi Moto Fuzzi. Welcome from one new member to another. I also bought a V11 Le Mans recently. Haven't even ridden it yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Mick