felix42o

The roads will be hot that time of year out to Vegas for sure. If you are thinking of going north from there, find something with tall gearing and good power... There's a whole lot of straight, open road through central Nevada. If you've got the time, there's great riding all the way up the eastern sierras and into northern California, while avoiding some of the traffic of the big tourist spots.

Great pictures! Out there in Fallon is my old stomping ground...you're absolutely correct about the Autobahn hiding in Northern Nevada. I've hit the limiter quite a few times on the way out to Middlegate for lunch.

Thanks Paul, any recommendations as to where we can source the stacks from? Yeah, the 914/908 was fun project, but i have NO desire to make a custom front end again any time soon! The x-country guzzi/porsche road trip was great fun. Other than the usual starter relay issues, the V11 never missed a beat. You can use the 'stacks' from the original airbox to keep some length in the intake track. Just have to get creative in the attachment of the pods to the 'stacks'. When I mounted mine, the K&N pods slid into the mouth of the plastic stacks with a tolerance fit. I drilled four holes through both the stack and filter seperated by 90 degrees, then wove lock wire through in sort of an "X" to keep them together.

Thanks, that is a really generous offer. I will let you know how I get on with the hire shops. I am going to sit down and plan a route - perhaps you would be kind enough to cast your eye over it when I am done ? I want to go to Vegas just to say I have been there and then maybe head North. I want to see as much as I can. I have been to the States several times before (I work for an American Company) but never California. Very envious of your planned trip to Belaggio. I aim to take my Guzzi back to it's place of birth one day. Maybe in 2013. Look forward to the photos. Consider it done, on all counts.

Believe it or not, there's LOTS of great riding out here in California. You just have to survive the traffic long enough to get to it. Which can be difficult. GraeV11, if nothing else turns up, I've got my R90/6 up in LA (about 5 minutes south of LAX) that you could run around on. Just lemmee know. I'll be touring the Guzzi factory (OK, I'll be on my honeymoon in Belaggio and Croatia, but that's just a cover) but I'll be back in June.

Are you referring to the decals? There are (or were) files on this site that had them. You could try and search for them maybe. Jaap had them stored somewhere I thought...good luck with your search, though- I am starting to have similar plans with mine as well. Figured I'll have the whole thing done at once. That way, if the color's not a perfect match it'll be all wrong together. EDIT: Here's the link, on the top under "reference section"... http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1399

Lot cleaner than mine, for sure! Now get out there and rack up some mileage before she breaks from sitting still! Congrats, clean bike.

The place has definitley grown up in the last 10 years or so I've been going there! I'll have to find that importer next trip out. I like the Griso, but can't for the life of me decide what I will buy if I ever spring for a brand new bike. If a Griso SE hits stateside, the decision will be made. 'Till then, though, I can come up with a good reason to buy just about anything out there right now. Don't need a sport tour; the V11 fills that niche, as well as a few others. I have my DR650, so that's covered. The R90/6 I'm putting together is filling the vintage spot right now. I guess the Griso could pass as more of a tour bike? I really like the XR1200 as well, and I could hook my trailer to it... Then there's Multistradas, Stelvios, and that cool GS800 to consider.

Did you check all the settings (TPS, valves, balance the throttle bodies, etc)... usually that will go a long ways towards these kinds of troubles.

Still in Bahrain? How's it going out there? I was there this time last year \...glad to be home, tell you that. Although a pint at JJ's would be nice. Probably won't be out that direction until next summer I suppose.

Maybe now that our bikes are all broken in, adjusted, modified, and sorted to such a high degree, nothing is breaking anymore! Admittedly, I've spent a lot of time wrenching on my new toy, a '74 BMW R90/6, that I'm sort of turning into a mild cafe bike kinda thing. But I have been busy on the Goose, as well. I finally got my Tenni back together following a fairly extensive tear down. After about 18 months of little use and lots of sitting (moving, year long deployment, marriages, births etc. being somewhat of an excuse) it needed grease, oil, lots of grommets and clamps, corrosion work, and a deep cleaning in all the nooks and crannies. Not to mention the rear caliper had a bad habit of locking up, due to crud build-up in the caliper and a plugged expansion port in the cylinder. Other things finally done: -Buell pegs (I've had these in the kitchen drawer for two years. The former girlfriend (now wife) has used her new status as matriarch to politley ask me to remove all motorcycle parts from the kitchen). The position is now much more comfortable than I thought that inch drop would give me, but the brake and shifter positions are outta whack of course. Not sure if I'll keep this or not. Fine for commuting, bad for sporting. We'll see if I can get used to it or not. -Rizomo Grips, end weights, and CRG levers Wow, what a difference in feel. I'm glad I waited till the engine had broken in, though, as they let a few more vibes through. Still, worth it. -Mud guard deleted Not sure why I waited on this either. Much cleaner look. -Wiring harness I re-routed all the wiring that was uncovered after the airbox delete. Much cleaner look now. Cleaned connectors and replaced a bunch that were corroded as well. Finally fixed the wire that broke on the left horn. -Air filters After pondering a way to add some length back into the intake track, I realized that the stock plastic tubes could be used, so I attached those in between the TB's and the K&N pods. Feels like I got a little low end back, and now I can get the dyno tune done, as all is at it should be again. -Engine temp sensor I know this one's touchy, but I was having lots of trouble post-brass temp sensor install. So, using a cutoff wheel in a dremel tool, I cut slots in the grooves all the way around it, and fashioned a heat-sink out of big fender washers that also serve to pull the sensor away from the head a bit as well. In short, it helped noticeably. Waaay less popping, wheezing and backfiring when hot (read: almost none). Next step is doc's holder fashioned from delron. Also, I tried to fix the tach, which was stuck at 1200 RPM. Now I have a nice little cubby to hold the garage door opener.

I had a 2003 Cali for a couple of years that I recently traded off for a BMW r90/6. In short, I really miss it. It's a great bike, and I'll be getting another one at some point. I loved the handling, braking, and power of it. So I guess I'll second your opinion, and say "go for it".

Doohan and the 500 2-stroke NSR...pretty vicious machines. No traction control, and a powerband so narrow it was hardly rideable. Awesome stuff. Lots of high sides!

It's a Koso, the RX2N I think...I've been looking into them. Looks slick, if not a bit too high tech looking for what I want. Waaay cheaper than the prime-choice Motogadget setup.

Also, the connectors on the mentioned yellow wires coming from the alternator are not of super high quality...check them for corrosion and tightness, and the condition of the bolts/threads that mount the regulator/rectifier to the frame of the bike. This causes alot these problems.

I have the Pitbull stand, and have no complaints. It's well built, and doesn't slide around. Doesn't work for the front, but I have other methods for that.

The only other thing I would throw out there is that you're still looking at a Ducati. With all the attendant cost that can come with it. So you really have to be ready to sign on for the higher upkeep, unless you're up on desmo valve maintenance and the like. Whereas some dual sport thing will have a lot less cost involved with both maintenance and replacement parts if needed, and better mileage to boot. Okay, I'm now out of responsible things to say. Just buy the damn thing and be done with it!!!

don't need pipes the stockers are plenty loud and its not a bike I would care to pipe out, tires are just about 30% left for life at most and the levers are fine I just don't like them they curl up a bit and more so on the clutch side I found it annoying but an easy fix, new tires and chain will be about $500 but could roll with it easy enough until next fall or even first thing in the spring. Seat is just personal preference I had a rich maund seat and the aprilia seat was pretty damn awesome actually I had no complaints there until 3 or 4 hours in the saddle. I know I kind of have if I'm looking up some parts, the DMV sounds bad I'm going to goto one tomorrow and ask questions before I go any further and don't any of you feel scared to be more than blunt with me I don't want to make a terrible decision but it does look a lot better than the KLR650's I was looking at in the same price range.

The ST2 (from what I know of it) is probably the most reliable Duc you can get at that price. Air cooled, 2 valve head, mild tune, etc... The few guys I know that have them love them. And you can always add pipes and whatnot as you can afford it. BUT, if it needs tires, levers, fluids, and all that to be safe it's gonna cost another grand to get going, not to mention all the DMV crap. All that said, though, it looks like a sweet bike for the price. And really, even if the stock seat's not great for a sport-tour, how bad could it be compared to your V11 or RSV-R? If you're anything like me, you've probably already bought it mentally and just haven't figured it out yet

That makes more sense if you're living in a one-holer: that way, if someone is tying up the bath, anyone can still get access to the bog... KLRs are fine, but I'm still more of a DR650 fan. Slightly better off-road, w/o enough of a hit to the on-road perf to matter [unless you're planning on riding round the world; then some of those long high-speed empty stretches you'll want the KLR's higher top end...] Either way, hard to go wrong. If my '99 SV wasn't darn near worthless now [ Agreed, by the way...I like my DR650 more than the KLR I rode. More torque, better off-road, etc. And if you drop a tooth and jet it properly, it's fine on the highway-I just got back from a 2000-mile trip on mine, and it did fine at 70+ the whole way (for the on-road parts, of course). You can find them pretty cheap (~1500 or so) all day long.

Our beloved bikes have earned most of the bad (sporting) press they've gotten, as much as I love them. BMW took abuse for a long time in the sporting world while they tried to make the boxer engine bikes go fast. They just don't cut it as a pure sports bike. So they made the S1000 and put everything else on it's ear, gaining the credit it deserved. If Guzzi made a bike that lapped everything else (I don't know that they should) then I'm sure it would get the same good press as BMW. BUT, to do it, I doubt they'd be able to use any recognizable engine set up. Shaft drive won't cut it. Air cooled is definitely not going to make the (reliable) power required. BMW built a bike that is basically the same conventional architecture as the Japanese bikes to get there. Stateside, I've read lots of good reviews on the Stelvio and Griso, where the motor fits the machine's intended use much better. And that new Ducati just gets uglier every time I see a new picture of it.

Asking a bike forum for finance advice is...touchy. I'd have to say I wouldn't take a loan against your retirment for a toy, but it's all you in the the end. I'd stick with the dual sport beater plan myself. That way, if something happens again (let's hope not) you won't be upside down on yet another toy.

It looks like a broken Hypermotard. At least in those pictures. I've never thought the Ducati engine would make much of a cruiser motor. Too free-revving and fragile sounding. Not that it is, maybe. Probably just me.

If you end up on a big dual sport like the KLR, you'll probably find (like I did) that the floaty suspension, short gearing, torquey single and the ability to both ride over curbs and look cool with a milk crate strapped on all sort of counter the lack of power. The brakes are pretty weak, if I had one big complaint. Other than that I think everyone should have one. Plus, if it falls over on the trail (or gets knocked over by an idiot backing up at the market like mine) you'll likely not even notice. Just look for a decent used one-they go for dirt cheap all the time and you want the "used" look on a ride like that anyway.

Isn't that new Motus thing supposed to hit the streets in early '11? That might be worth waiting around for...