Greg Field

That's funny. Either one.

Has anyone found a good paint coded for the paint used on either the porkchops or valve covers of the Rosso Mandello/Corsa or Nero Corsa? I've searched and only found a touch-up reference. Thanks.

Probably. But as I said, until I personally verify it, I'll stick with the factory recommendation. Had some of yers's heads spinning for a second, though. There's some good in that.

Grease transfers heat pretty well. That's why they use it to make chips or french fries or whatever you call them.

I didn't suggest anything. Rather, I pointed out that assumptions were being made that may or may not be valid.

Guzzi specifies that valve be checked at TDC. We are all assuming that Guzzi is really specifying that valves be check on the base circle of the cam. This may or may not be the case. UNtil I personally do the work to verify that Guzzi really is specifying that the valves get checked for lash when the tappets are on the base circle, I'll keep doing it at TDC. FWIW, I didn't think I had marks on my flywheel either, so I decided to mark some. Using a piston stop, I found the precise TDC for the left cylinder. After cleaning off the flywheel and looking closely with the aid of a flashlight, I found that there already was a TDC mark there. Same for the right cylinder. YBMV.

Ryan: If your bike were making the noise, you would definitely know it.

Have any of you LeMansisti found a set of flush-mounted turn signals that integrate well with the LeMans fiaring? Thanks!

Diesel: That looks fabulous.

The late Duc reg may work, but you will lose use of the charge light. I say "may work" because the Cal vintage and a few others use a Ducati reg. again (instead of the Denso used in 03-05).

There're carbon and polished covers available.

I've always been the first person to complain about the seats on all my other bikes. Except the Billy Bob's seat. I can ride all day on it. I have no idea why it doesn't bother me. I'm not complaining, though . . .

I'll ask him, just to be sure.

I have personally seen Micha's method transform several bikes that the owners of which couldn't make run right any other way. I use it. Works great. Mine's a later bike with the front crossover. So's Mr. Beans. So's the bike his method made the biggest difference on (a Coppa Itali owned by a mechanic who tried everything else to get it to run right and then just sold it because he couldn't figure it out). We here are all amateurs, so far as I know. Micha has worked professionally on V11 Sports almost daily since the very first one to enter the US was sold through Moto I. He's learned a thing or two in that time.

It's the first one I've heard of snapping. I'll be checking mine. Thanks for the head's up.

It's really easy to set the mileage to whatever you want it to be.

Well, I have bearings and bolts in stock, if you need some.

Life is good.

I have no idea how the head castings're made. The washers were installed right side up. The teeth on the washers distorted the aluminum enough to jam the head on the studs. I believe hardened, toothed washers should never be used against bare aluminum. I have never seen them so used by any factory. Maybe someone does it, but I haven't seen it. In the application we're talking about, a flat washer does a perfect job. That's what I'd recommend people use.

Guzzi folks suffer more than most from the syndrome "It ain't never happened to me, so there can't possibly be a problem." Mention filters spontaneously spinning off, and hear them howl again. Guzzi folks also suffer inordinately from the opposite syndrome, which some call "Guzzichondria." Where to strike a balance? I work at a Guzzi shop selling parts all over the world and get to hear about and see what breaks and what does not. I also fix Guzzis in my own garage on the side. I don't have a definitive answer, but on my own V11 I have a slopper and a hose clamp that prevents the filter from spinning off without my permission.

Ratch: I stay off freeways. On the trip to Hyder, we did maybe 30 miles of freeway each way. On the trip to SF, aabout 90 miles each way. Both the Eldo and V11 do not cause me that much pain. I do take aspirin before leaving and periodically along the way. This helps tremendously. The trick is to take roads that are so nice you don't want to stop. I never just ride to see how many miles I can endure. I've not tried Marathons on the V11. I do have the bias versions of these on the Eldo, though. They wear like iron.

Ah, the good old days. I'll have to fire up the MGNOC Tips column again. It's been a couple years.

Well, I've ridden down to San Francisco one day and back the next. By the route I took, it was about 1,800 miles. That's nothing, though. My friend John Boettcher left work in Chicago at noon on Thursday and was in central Washiongton at the Deep Forest Campout on Friday night. He did that on a T3, and spent much of the trip on secondary roads, including Hwy. 12 over Lolo Pass. Last year, I rode the Billy Bob to Hyder, AK. We put on 1300-ish miles the first two days. We had to stay an extra day because of a breakdown and waiting on parts, but then rode home in 2 days. How do you tell if you have 2600 miles left on a Z6? It's a deal breaker for me, personally.

8,000 miles out of Z6s? Our customers are getting 4,000-5,600 miles on the Norges and Brevas. Plus, with that bare strip down the center, it's impossible to tell how much tread is really left. They look fine one day, and cords're showing the next. If you're leaving for a 2,000-mile long weekend and need to decide whether that rear tire has that much left, it's impossible to say. As a result of these "problems," I've stopped recommending them to customers. They do stick and handle well, though.

Usually, they are unplated. That's why they rust with gusto.