rocker59

Aprilia? Aprilia is not even on my radar. I don't give a shite about them. I don't give them a second look. If I wasn't on Guzzi, Piaggio would lose my business to Ducati.

I use an AirHawk for longer trips where I'll be doing more than 300-400 miles in a day. I've had it since 2005 and it's served me well.

He said "independent". There's a good dealer in Fort Worth, Eurosport. For some reason he's looking for something else...

Yes. The Sport 1100 1994-1996, used an 18-inch rear. The factory equipment was the Michelin TX15/25 combo. 120/70-17 front and a 160/60-18 shoe-horned onto the narrow rim. At the time, the 150 and 160 width 18-inch rears were pretty standard on sporty bikes. In the mid-'90s, though, the 17x5 rear became pretty standard with 170/60 and 180/55 sizes being fitted. The '99-'01 V11 Sports have a 4.5 inch rim and came with a 170, but as we all know, the 160 usually works better on that rim. In '02, the LeMans came with a 5-inch rim and a 180/55-17 rear tire. Again, per usual Guzzi practice, they shoe-horned a one-size-too-big tire on the 5-inch rim. The 170/60-17 rear usually works better on these bikes. Anyway, the Sport 1100s need the 160/60-18. Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of choices for that size out there. Eight or ten sport-touring tires and a couple of sport tires. It's really not that big a deal to keep rubber on bikes with the 18-inch rear wheel, and I'm constantly amazed at the threads on different forums complaining about the the tire size. If you want sporty, the Bridgestone BT-016 is more tire than most street riders will use. For sport-touring, every big player has a couple choices in the size. I've never had a problem finding an appropriate 160/60-18 for my 1996 Sport 1100. Right now it's got a set of the (now discontinued) Pirelli Diablo Strada. They've been great.

Orange, Pretty much all the sport-touring tires are available in the 160/60-18 rear size that the Carb Sports require. Pirelli Angel Metzeller ME880 Metzeller Z 6/8 Michelin Pilot Road/II/III Bridgeston BT-021/23 I would think the ME880 would be the mileage champ here, but the PR2 and PR3 get great reviews. I'm running the out of production Pirelli Diablo Strada on my Sport 1100. It's been a good tire.

I'd still like to get my hands on a nice V11 Ballabio/Cafe Sport/Coppa Italia top triple clamp. I'd like to try a handlebar conversion on my Nero Corsa. No, I'm not interested in drilling my stock clamp. Please let me know if you have a clamp you'd like to get rid of.

I like 'em! The slip-fit and the springs are cool. Old-School racy.

This ^

Orange, At what RPM would you like your rev limiter to cut in? I don't recall ever bumping mine, and I ride it pretty hard.

You will not find spine frames of any kind in the USA in model year 2005. The only 2005 available was the Scura R, and in very limited numbers in Europe. As for the Cafe Sport, you will find that they were imported in very few numbers. Probably 50, or less, just like the other Ohlins-equipped spine-frame bikes. "Collectors Value" is subjective. It won't be the next Vincent Black Shadow, but it will always be a rare and special Guzzi, for those who care about that sort of thing.

Since Ohlins shocks were standard fare on the Scura, Rosso Corsa, Nero Corsa, Cafe Sport, and Coppa Italia, I'd imagine that fitment shouldn't be an issue. However, I really like the WP shock on the back of my Sport 1100 and can't see ever replacing it unless I just wanted the bling factor of an Ohlins.

It's got the 18" front. I use ProGrip 699 gel grips on my Sport 1100, so I'll give them a try on the LM-V.

I have hose clamps and Roper Sloppage Sheets on all my bikes...

My two spine-frame bikes reward a smooth hand and the proper tire for the job. The comment about cracking a walnut with a sledgehammer seems about right to me.