Tom M

I've seen more crusty 70's and 80's Japanese bikes with Windjammers and what have you on the road this Spring than I have since the 80's. I recently had tires installed at a small independent shop and they said they are absolutely buried with repairs on bikes that are getting put back in service for the first time in many years. Gas prices have to be the cause (Captain Obvious here). Are you folks seeing the same thing where you live?

I don't have the LSL kit but I did mount Ballabio bars on my '02 LeMans (which may have different switchgear than '04?). Pics of my install are in this thread: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13300 Hope it helps.

After years of pumping levers I finally bought a Mity-Vac when I couldn't get my front brake MC to bleed after installing new brake lines. I should have bought one years ago! It works fantastic as long as you put teflon tape on the bleeder screw threads. It's the best tool that I've bought in a long time.

I just had a set of tires spooned on too. Conti Road Attacks. It's funny how you don't notice how much effort you're using to turn on old tires until you mount new ones. I installed Ballabio bars on the bike over the winter so the wider bars helped mask the amount of effort needed to heel her over. The big Guzzi turns in so quick now that I scared my self on the first fast corner. Feels good!

Check my post here: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...c=13440&hl=

I can't help with the rear but maybe I can with the fork. You should see 18 - 24mm unladen sag, maybe a bit more if you have soft fork springs. I think your fork caps should be flush with the top clamp, but I'm not positive on that because I have a later model year. Measuring unladen sag: Put a zip tie on your fork leg, stand the bike up straight and push the tie up against the fork seal. Next, raise the front of the bike so the fork is fully extended and measure between the zip tie and the fork seal.

Welcome bizarro! You're very lucky to have a shop like MI near you. More than a couple folks that have come and gone here left because they had problems that they or their local shops couldn't work out. That won't be a problem for you. The extra grand is well worth it to get the Ohlins suspension. The Ohlins rear shock alone sells for that IF you could find one. Ohlins doesn't make them anymore.

Hi Michael, Does Vanson have some kind of seconds outlet at their factory? That might make it worth the ride down there. I know they make great stuff but I just can't justify dropping that kind of money when my Cortech/Tourmaster jackets seem "good enough". I like their Magnum leather jacket up to about 85*F. After that I use one of their mesh models, but as I said the mesh doesn't look like it would protect me much in a fall. It sure is comfortable though! And it has to be better than a "wife beater" and a mullet I'd be interested in Rev'It if something was available at a BIG discount

Thanks for the opinions guys. RevIt and Vanson are a little outside my budget so I guess I'll stick with my Cortech/Tourmaster mesh jacket for now, unless I happen to find a real good deal on a perforated leather or leather/mesh jacket.

I was wondering what type of jacket you folks who ride in hot weather most of the year prefer? Do you like mesh, textile, or perforated leather? I've been wearing a mesh jacket with armor when the weather gets hot for the last few years. It's very comfortable, much more than my leather jacket or my older textile jacket, but I doubt it would protect me much if I crashed. I'm doing a 60 mile mostly interstate commute on the bike a lot more often nowadays given the gas prices, and I've been thinking about my gear lately as the occasional dork on the highway decides to try and join me in my lane . Maybe I need a louder horn too...

A few years ago I saw Leno on some TV show in his garage talking about one of his cars. There was a V11 LeMans in the background. I don't know if it was his. The man is obviously a serious gearhead.

I don't think the sticky shifter has anything to do with the spring. I have an 02 LeMans too, my spring failed at 15k miles. Others had failures at half that mileage, still others had no failures at all. Nobody can predict if or when these things will break. I installed the Cannon Racecraft spring last year. I recently got the updated Guzzi spring to have as a backup from MG Cycle when I ordered a few other parts. The Cannon spring was definitely beefier than the Guzzi part. When I did the install I measured my pawl boss and it was oversized by about 1mm. I'm cheap so rather than replace the pawl I just ground the boss down to the proper size with a dremel and stone. All you need to do is provide clearance for the spring. If I were you I'd get the spring and bring it with me along with the installation instructions from this site. In the unlikely case that it does break any shop should be able to fix it with the instructions. Have a great trip!

My guess is yes. I will say that I got other fittings onto the zerk but they wouldn't inject the grease, it just blew put around the zerk. This one worked great, all the grease went into the joint.

I know nothing about this company or their mounts but they look about right and they're a lot cheaper than $20. They might work for the instrument panel too. I don't know if the Guzzi mounts are 20mm though. http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/show.las...22B1EnQP3FE1553

Thanks guys. I assumed it wasn't really an issue but didn't want to argue with the guy since I had zero facts to back up my assumption .

At lunch the other day a former coworker (Harley rider) was saying that when you select high octane gas at the pump you get quite a bit of low octane fuel because the valve that switches between the different grades is underground, and the gas pump hoses are connected 8 or so feet high. He contends that you get a gallon or so of whatever grade was selected before you got to the pump, which is most likely the lowest least expensive grade these days. That's significant if you only pump 3 or 4 gallons. I always assumed the switch between grades took place inside the pump itself, so I would only be getting a small amount of whatever grade was in the pump hose before I got there. So...does anyone here know for sure how much 87 octane gas I might be getting when I select 92 or 93 at the pump?

Dave, Check my post at the bottom of page 2 in this thread. This fitting works without grinding it and it's available at Ace hardware stores or from McMaster-Carr. I tried a few different fittings, this worked the best.

That's what I did when mine quit charging last year. The stock 02 V11 regulator is made by Ducati. I replaced it with the Ducati reg from EME, part # EDL450-VoltRect. They call it an Enduralast on their web page, I think that's a mistake. If you click on the picture you can see the Ducati stamp on the part. They have the same regulator on ebay too: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Moto-Guzzi-...0055363395&

I replaced the stock battery in my '02 in Spring '07. Yuasa typically makes a good battery so something has to be wrong with your situation. Are you using the correct battery? How is it stored through the winter? You say your charging system is fine so I guess we can rule out overcharging? The replacement that's been popular on this site for years is the Hawker Odyssey PC545 available here. Mine is only a little over a year old so I can't testify to it's longevity, but others here probably can.

Yup I remember the Zero. It's a beauty. Hard to see the bars there though.

The Ballabio bar has about 43mm rise. I can't tell if your Griso bar is the same but it looks close. I only found one "fat bar" that's lower (32mm) and it's very expensive. http://www.suburban-machinery.com/ducati2.html Lay a straight edge across the top of your bar directly above the clamp area and measure the gap. That's the rise. If it's more than 60mm the Rizoma bar will get you lower. Failing that I think you'll need different risers. Good luck

I wrap mine under the head tube so they're just in front of the front subframe. Seems to work for me

Here's a review on the 8v Griso by the same guy who did the Stelvio review above. I think Yossef likes Guzzis http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/200...o-8v-68608.html BFG, Here's a pic from that review that shows the handlebars: I can't tell if those are fat bars but if they are I doubt you'll find some with a lower rise. I think lower risers (bar mounts) would be the way to go. Here's a link to a source for Rizoma fat bars and risers on your side of the pond. The risers are at the bottom of the page. http://www.carpimoto.com/product/Lang_EN/C.../Prod_27725.htm Cheers!

I did a lot of digging around while looking for handlebars for my LeMans, and saved some of the information. Does the 8v Griso have the same bars a the Ballabio? If not tell me what the clamp diameter is ( normal bars are 22mm, Ballabio/Tuono use 28mm "fat bars") and maybe I can suggest a lower and/or narrower replacement. If they are fat bars they won't be cheap.