audiomick

A p.s. to that: it might sound unwieldy, but that system is in fact eminently logical. It's not quite the same thing, but we have an example here in the forum in the form of the name of member @al_roethlisberger . The "oe" is most likely an anglicisation of the German ö . The two dots are called an Umlaut = sound changer, the ö does sound like oe, and adding an e after the vowel in question is the "official" workaround when writing words with the Umlaut letters ö, ä, and ü on machines (computers, typewriters...) that don't have the necessary key. So we have "Röthlisberger" as the name. That means "he who comes from Röthlisberg" or "one of the folk from Rhötlisbeg ". "Röthlisberg" means "Rhötlis mountain", and that is here in the German speaking part of Switzerland: https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/47.01303/7.77832 So it is fair to assume that one of Al's ancestors probably came from there.

Some further thoughts: I've been noticing temperature specs on various relays. Cheaper ones often have 80°C as the maximum operating temperature. The ones from Hella seem to have 125°C as maximum across the board, regardless of the other specs. The other thing is, Hella seems to state 100k operating cycles across the board. I haven't seen that specification very often at all, but it seems to me to be very relevant. That leads me to think about how often the relays in our V11s cycle. As I understand it, they all cycle once every time the bike is started, i.e. most of them go on when it is started, and back off when the bike is switched off. The one that supplies the starter solenoid goes on when the button is pressed and back off when it is released. That means, if the relay is good vor 100k cycles, one could start the bike six times a day every day for about 45 years without exceeding the limit. Even if I have remembered wrong, and it is "only" 10k cycles, that is still six starts a day every day for 4 1/2 years. The relevance of that line of thought relates to the business with diodes, and that those relays may be prone to arcing across the contacts, which may cause a failure. I can't help thinking that if the relay is rated that high, and if one changes the relay every 4 years or so as preventative maintainance, one would probably not have a problem with that particular issue.

Tell me, would it be possible to get that registered in the USA? Here in Germany it would be likely to be difficult or impossible. Anything that gets a new registration has to correspond to the current emissions regulation, exhaust and noise. It doesn't matter when it was built, or if it corresponds to the regulations at that time or not. As far as I understand what I have read on the subject, to get that bike registered here, i.e. a brand new 20 year old bike that had never been registered, one would have to seek a special dispensation from the equivalent to the Department of Transport.

Because it's German... Seriously, though: "Less is more" can also be translated as "Weniger ist Mehr", und that is actually the literal translation, and is in common use as a saying exactly as it is in English. In the sense of the meaning of "In der Beschränkung zeigt sich der Meister" (literally "in the limitation shows himself the master") one might say in English "The skill of the master is evident in his understatement". As far as the apparently incomprehensively long words in German go generally, that is due to the grammatical rules of the language. Words are joined together to form the names of things, instead of using several seperate words. For instance: drill press = Standbohrmaschine, literally "standing drill mashine" = stand bohr maschine lathe = Drehbank, literally "turn bench" = dreh bank and so on. So those words that go on for ever are actually several words shoved together.

I believe someone already drew attention to that one here, but I can't find where.

Ok, that's a reason. Wonder how long that takes? What I am thinking of is my acquaintance's advice to change the relays on principal every few years. He stated as one of the reasons, that relays have a much harder time in motorcycles than in cars. More vibration, moisture perhaps. If one is changing them every so often anyway, how significant is a problem that might show up with time. As I wrote, the more I find out, the more questions turn up.

That can't be in Holland. There's a hill...

I'm still looking, and seem to be throwing up more questions than answers. There is one Hella relay that keeps cropping up. The current capacity seems ok, but it has a diode rather than a resistor. Can anyone say for sure that this would be acceptable, i.e. a diode rather than a resistor?

Obviously taking the shortest, most direct way home... For those not in the know, on the map the street is called "Yarra Boulevard". https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=15/-37.7969/145.0180 I used to like going home that way too. Out of the city area on Johnston street onto the Boulevard, back off onto the Chandler Hiighway and out along Hiedelberg Road to Macleod. Shortest, most direct route and all that... Bugger of a place to run out of fuel...

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.