John in Leeds

Just giving Guy some 'toffee'

Don't know if they get more air though. Go Guzzi

You are the man! Congratulations for doing us proud From Yorkshire too

Top

Yes, I think 'nutbag menace' is fair.

Take care Jaap could pull this one On this I too will do a little ass kissing Our little veneer of civilisation

Perfect - Extremely forgiving and make me look like a half decent rider.

Bought a 1150gs new in'01 sans ABS. Thought it would be the dogs danglies. Great handling, very good 2 up. Did some European tours and some local off road. Kept it for 3 years. The bad stuff - criminal gearbox and chronic corrosion of wheels and some fittings. In the end I was pleased to see the back of it. Maybe BMW could have eased matters by being more forthcoming with their warranty but this was not the case for me until I discovered Rainbow in Sheffield. I've had the Rosso Corsa for 2 years and it is a delight, there is no pretense that it will do adventure biking or give the finest of finish and reliablity but for me it is the most involving motorcycle I have ever ridden, long lazy legs and so far I can mend and service it. The inhabitants on this site are helpful, knowledgeable and make the ownership and riding even better. Don't know if it will work for you Timbo but this bike will stay with me for as long as I can ride. Give one a (long) try.

Back on the oil subject - I've been using Texaco Havoline 5/40 fully synthetic in the car and the bikes. I buy it at around £12 for 5litres and that's really cheap. Works fine in the Turbo diesel and the V11 but foams badly in the Highland. So have gone back to tried and trusted Motul. Has anyone had any experience with this Texaco stuff?

Sean, where did your centre stand come from, it looks a nice bit of kit? Can you post a few more details please e.g. how much? How effective in use etc? Cheers John

was this before or after despatch of goods?

She ain't no beauty, unless she's the best at something she needs to be

Taking the trouble to apply common sense and the possibility of a first class centre stand, excellent, top man

If it's of any interest, I have also been trying to get the ideal 'dual sport' balance. Off road and decent long distance, well they do it on the Dakar but they are so focused. My efforts are recorded (somewhat long winded) on this thread Highland experiences. It would be good to hear what you experienced gentlemen think. I tried something different.

Be patient, I'm sure John will soon contact you.

Wonderful, thankyou.

Fitted my Ti cans and found the original ecu ran smoothly with a little (very occasional) pre ignition at high revs under full power, top grade fuel cured this. The race ecu made more power but ran relatively roughly with bad pre ignition under power over 5000rpm. I'm running the standard ecu on good fuel until I can finally purchase a Cliff Jefferies set up and get it tuned properly. (Currently short of spending money for toys) From my limited experience it seems as if your spanner men screwed up as it is unlikely they will be able to alter the ecu without the kit and the appropriate knowledge.

There are times when you have to step up to the line. Thanks for the thorough and carefully researched replies. I'll just carry on as normal and NEVER let it go below the bottom of that sticky thing (Is that screwed in or out? )

So now they're on. A big run tomorrow to Machynlleth the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales. Around 300 miles by the time we get home. Have just done a few local miles with them fitted and they seem excellent. Being a little slow in fitting I got the brake side done 3 days ago and did some 150 miles with gear change side standard for comparison. Weird I know but there was a real difference, pain in my left hip, otherside easy. John I do a have a small problem however, where my feet naturally position themselves I need the controls at their lowest posible position. This is no problem with the brake side but set in the ideal location the gear change lever meets the 'pork chop'. I have relieved a little meat from the underside of the lever to get my ideal position and a clean change. BTW I foolishly mentioned polishing some of the components, there is of course no need, I had not realised the gear pedal was a fine cast finish exactly as the original. That is absolutely fine. I found fitting the gear side a little fiddlely but like all these things if I had to do it a second time it would be a far quicker job. Also the kit a supplied is EXCELLENT with all the required parts supplied with proper fit and finish. Top job John, all I need from you now is a centre stand of the same quality.

I seem to have problems accurately checking the oil levels in both the Guzzi and the Highland. The existing wisdom seems to be that in a cold engine left standing all oil would drain into the sump area and give the highest possible reading. This always supposing the bike was set on a centering stand and not moved. My experience is that when the oil is hot I seem to get the highest readings. Does anyone have similar experience? And if oil does expend appreciably then by how much? Could of course just be the onset of senility

See it on ITV4

Would these be any good for you, I have not fitted mine yet (probably on Sunday) but they seem an excellent product. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10389 It is a more expensive alternative but reports suggest a proper solution for the long legged V11 rider.

They're here After a £42.73 customs and P/O charge they arrived well packed in 11 days from the US. Will do some polishing work before they go on, fit 'em, try 'em and report back after a decent mileage. Shame I couldn't have tried them on the ride down to Limoge but it was a good test for the Highland.

There are loads, (and loads) of bikes that are better, measurably, Greg is absolutely right. However there are many people on this forum who have and can afford other motorcycles. What is about the V11s? Read round the forum and get a flavour.