bigbikerrick

Thanks, Mike thats a very informative site

That is one gorgeous, nicely set up Le Mans!

wheres the link, Mike? I couldnt see it.

The intake tube runs between the cylinders from the left side on the v twin where the air filter is to the right side where the throttle bodies are, it cracked or separated on a seam, I think it was a defective part. Kawasaki wants 75 bux for it, it seems an easy fix with a plastic welder, and then I have the tool for future "stuff" I used jb weld brand epoxy once the stuff that you knead like dough to mix,with your fingers , but the adhesion was poor ,and it came separated.

Do you know if charlie cole will work on our six speed boxes also?

With everyting around the house, on bikes/cars etc made of some sort of plastic , It seems like a good idea to have a plastic welder in the tool crib. I could have used one yesterday to fix an intake tube that cracked on my vulcan nomad, but made a a so so repair with epoxy. do any of you folks have any experience/reccomendations as to plastic welding kits such as compressed air vs airless etc, etc.

Looking good Dr. Gil! Hey, that rack looks familiar Keep up the good work, you will be back on the road before you know it. Ciao, Rick.

I thought only the early V 11,s needed the relays replaced, The rosso mandello (01) I had had the grey siemens relays, my current v11 an 03 naked has some black relays ,I cant recall the brand right now, should these be replaced as well, or has the relay issue been sorted by 02 or 03? BTW I have had zero electrical problems as of yet in 7500 miles. (knock on wood) I hope I didnt jinx myself!

Ratchet, Once again you hit the proverbial nail on the head! I serviced my caliper as you suggested and when bleeding it upside down with the nipple on top ,a large amount of air bubbles came out of the caliper. everything is bolted back together now and NO MORE DRAG : the brake feels much more solid also,as expected. If you ever come to southeastern arizona to ride the sweet roads here, The cervezas are on me,mi Amigo.

Thanks for the pic. BTW Your bike is one of the best looking V 11 sports Ive seen. I love the red accents you added, especially the wheels, and that seat, Muy Italiano!

Dr Gil, I think that may be one of the front gas tank mounts/cushions. If Im wrong Im sure one of the more knowledgable folks here will correct me.

Thanks for the information, Senor Ratchet. I swapped the pads thinking it would be better to "rotate" them to equalize wear, as one was a little more worn than the other.... Me Bad! Im going to swap them back today when I do the detailed rear brake caliper cleaning "a la Ratchet".

Sorry Ratchet, but another question occured to me... Is there a difference between the two pads in the rear ( inner and outer pad),or are they interchangeable? Muchas Gracias, mi Compadre, Muy Amable.

Thanks for the post and informative link, Dlaing. Im going to service the caliper,and bleed the brake with fluid from a brand new container in the morning.

Ya know, Rob this rear disc wear reminds me of a98 suzuki intruder 1500 LC I used to have, those bikes were heavier than heck ,and had a smallish rear brake that would wear the crap out of the rotor and the pads, actually it was a chronic brake drag problem caused by heat that would expand the pistons and they would bind up in their bores. I had to change the oil and rear pads every 3K miles! needless to say I got rid of that POS Suzuki ,and replaced it with the 2000 Kawi nomad I now have for touring duty.

Thanks for the prompt reply Ratchet, I removed the pads from the caliper last night and sprayed aerosol brake cleaner on the caliper and piston area and wiped it down with a rag. I think I need to do the more detailed cleaning you recommend. a couple of questions...... how do you partially extend the pistons out from the caliper without going too far? Do yoy remove the caliper from the brake hose to do this maintenance,or leave it attatched? ( I cleaned mine with the caliper still attatched) also where do you recommend I purchase the "road geeze" pads? I think they will be ok for me as I mostly brake with the front brake. lastly... do you use the pushrod threaded adjustment on the rear master cylinder to set the freplay? how do you know when the freeplay is enough, or if its already enough. Pardon my ignorance, but I really dig this Guzzi and want to make sure everything is just right.

The last week or so my rear brake has been "groaning" when I push the bike into the garage. Today I heard a scraping,or grinding sound. I figgured it must need cleaning as stated in the forum.Then I took a good look at the rotor and was surprised that it was scored quite a bit. I removed the caliper and pads and found that the pads were scratching the rotor in areas where the pads have the copper colored metallic particles embedded in the friction material. the pads are the stock ones,and are not worn out, the bike has 7500 miles,and I dont use the rear brake alot. The rotor even had a point in one of the ridges that are scored in it that had a sharp little piece of rotor metal sticking up ,you could feel it as a "snag" with your fingernail. I took it down with a small knife sharpening whetstone,and smoothed it further with 600 grit sandpaper. This has me concerned,are the brake pads too harsh for the rotors? should I change to a different type of pads? or is there some other problem going on here? Im hesitant to ride the bike until I get some advice from the "gurus" on this forum as I dont want to screw up the rotor more. all advice ,and opinions are greatly appreciated.

Perhaps your bike is a little carboned up from slow running in town? my V 11 did ping when I got it with 3K miles from the previous owner. I put some seafoam in the tank and ran it hard ,then replaced the plugs. since then I run 87 octane regular unleaded with zero pinging. also I run her always above 3K rpms, these bikes dont like to be lugged. JMHO.

I am like a religious fanatic when it comes to RSH. I put it in my v 11s gearbox when it had 3K miles due to a slight seepage from the rear part of the box dripping on the crossover and smelling like shite at every stop. The RSH stopped the leak and here at 8K miles still not a drop has leaked. It shifts smooth as butter,and the gearbox just seems quieter to me,especially in the summer. ( I live in the Arizona desert where temps of 105 F are common) Of course I also run it in my rear end( the bikes that is) I put it in my nomads rear end and it runs MUCH cooler also. I love this stuff! and as a bonus it looks like a delicious strawberry milkshake....

I dont think theres any dust in Canada, everything is always wet...........

Thats good to know ,Pete. as I like in a very rural area of southeast Arizona, a MG dealer is very far away, as in many miles of desert inhabited mostly by coyotes, gila monsters,and rattlesnakes. needless to say I will be doing all the wrenching on my beloved V11, with the help only of my manual on cd and folks like yourself on this forum. I LOVE the fact its a "Briggs and Stratton"!

You gotta love a bike where you can make most gaskets out of a cornflakes box!

Thanks for the links ,Ratchet, made for some very informative reading, I didnt realize that the white plastic piece in our throttle grips could be "flipped over" to use the different pull curves,I guess I just didnt look at the design of the part closely enough. Thanks again, Bro.

I used a slick 50 teflon spray for the cable, I think its in some kind of light oil base, and white lithium mgrease for the area where it curves inside the throttle housing. really smooth now.

How in Gods green earth did you manage to get $14. for a shop rag?