canada goose

My Ti exhaust kit came from MPH, so I'll think of him when exercising my right wrist. RIP Todd.

If it's a bottle filled battery, as opposed to "factory activated", it's a potential leaker, no matter what anyone tells you. For Yuasa, you want YTX15L, not YTX15L-BS or any Yuasa that ends in BS. I buy the "factory activated" YTX15L (no BS ), at my local Bombardier dealer. They keep them on the shelf.

You're on the mark about the COG. My GSPD is farkled right out, so it weighs about the same as the LeMans. When pushing it around, it feels about 75 lbs. lighter. V11 has slower / heavier steering at low speeds and feels much more awkward and heavy. Once you get up to speed, everything changes. It is absolutely rock solid and stable from 50 mph up to the max. The airhead "weave" and that vague flexible feeling when you get hard on the throttle will be a distant memory for you. A V11 is on "rails".

I buy both my airhead, and V11 parts, online. On average, neither one is any more dificult than the other. I don't know too many "walk-in" BMW dealers that stock a wide selection of airhead parts anymore. They just keep the common maintenance.stuff.......filters and such. I recently had to contact 3 different places to find a rear main seal on the shelf. If I was fortunate enough to be living close to Moto International, I'd be running 2 Guzzis. As for ergonomics, I'm 67.5" tall, with 29.5" inseam. The stock LeMans / V11 Sport clip-ons are too low and far away for me. My bars are about 2.5" higher and 2.5" closer. Stock length wires and brake lines are routed under the top triple clamp. My Buell footpegs (direct replacement), have a 1" drop. It's a comfortable set-up for me. LeMans and V11 Sport (naked) with clip-ons, are made for long arms and short legs. Cafe models (tubular handlebars / bikini fairing) are made for regular arms and short legs. Try this site: http://cycle-ergo.com/ Engine heat is about the same overall as an airhead, but at the end of the season, your riding boots won't end up looking like a dried out roast turkey, The LeMans fairing works very well. I get very little wind on my chest, and my helmet is in fairly clean airflow. Twisted throttle sells a taller MRA windscreen.

I rode a R100RS for many years, then a R100 set up like a "S", and I still have a GSPD, which I ride regularly. As good as they are, I never really bonded with any of the post airhead beemer boxers, and I also tried many other bikes, unsucessfully looking for a replacement, until I found my V11 LeMans, eight years ago. No BMW boxer, of any vintage, is as fun to ride as a V11. For me, it just never gets old. In stock form, the airheads are more comfortable than a V11, but V11 ergonomics are easily modified, and mine is now very comfy for solo sport touring. Unfortunately, there is not much you can do for the passenger. The pillion position is what it is. If you've been doing your own airhead maintenance, you won't have a problem adapting to V11 maintenance.

I'll cast another vote for the Wilbers. I have an Ohlins on my GSPD and a Wilbers on my LeMans. Both are fully adjustable with remote preload, and at least 8 years old. The Wilbers hasn't had as much wear & tear as the Ohlins on the Beemer, but it's equal in quality and performance. No matter what you end up going with, the key is having the right build and set-up for the intended mission.

I'll add one more vote for the Sidi Sympatex On-roads. I pretty much agree with what the other wearers have said and I've had them for 2 years. KenM

Then, why not an assembled crank with plain bearings? Although, delivery of oil to plain bearings through an assembled crank could present some challenges, it might be possible. There may already be one out there. Ken

I pretty much agree with your whole post, but I think you got this one backwards. The roller bearing requires the pressed-together crankshaft, otherwise it would be impossible to assemble. I think many old bikes stuck with roller bearings long past their time because the manufacturers couldn't or wouldn't produce castings and machined surfaces that were tight enough to contain the oil pressure required by plain bearings. Ken

They are, because they're sitting about 10 feet away from me right now. Ken

I've been away from the board and out of the loop for awhile, and I've just read this sad news. I purchased my bike via the internet. It was sold on consignment by Detroit Eurocycles. Jeff handled the details and I went there and picked it up. I'm 1000 miles from any Guzzi dealer and I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a good one. Best of luck to Jeff and company in the future. Ken

embarASSing toilet accident Ken

Welcome Gerold, I think we all have some pivotal childhood motorcycle memory. When I was about 12, a teenage neighbor girl started dating this teenage Brando who would show up, leather-clad from head to toe, riding a '68 Bonneville. Although my Dad had always had bikes, and the other kids thought he was pretty cool, this Brando wannabe blew the cool-meter right off the scale. Me and my cohorts were drawn to this guy like moths to a flame while he regaled us with tales of motorcycle machismo. Later on, the Bonnie burst into flames while he was riding it, and although he survived, the Triumph went to its grave, ensuring its mythical status in our 12 year old minds. He immediately replaced it with an oil-in-frame BSA Lightning, which was really a re-badged Bonneville. Although the Lightning was impressive, it never quite reached the status of the legendary flaming Triumph Bonneville. Ken

Same here. I had to call a couple of times, but they came through. Ken

Twisted Throttle Ken

I have the Wilbers (640, I think) on my LeMans and it's a considerable improvement over the Sachs. I bought mine used and it's fully optioned, with high & low speed compression damping, rebound damping, and remote hydraulic preload. If you ride solo and lightly loaded you'll never need the hydraulic preload. Mine's been backed off fully since I installed it. Correctly set-up, the base model shock is probably all you need. Wilbers builds the shock to suit the bike and rider and they are very particular. Based on the info you supply them, the shock will be delivered with the correct springing and damping. Set your sag correctly when you install it and welcome to a world of difference. Consider getting a correct set of fork springs at the same time and setting the front up as well. Otherwise you may end up with front to rear imbalance. You can buy the base shock and new fork springs for less money than the optioned out rear shock, and you'll probably end up with a far better handling and riding bike. Ken

Welcome, Slavomir and good luck with "changing the look" of that LeMans! Ken

Welcome, Freya. Nice bike. Good story! Ken

What's the p/n?

V11 Sport on eBay Ken

Yup! It's possible that the previous owner may have converted to the angle drive in an attempt to solve the speedo cable issue, but it's always left me scratching my head when I read a speedo thread. I don't think the cable will reach the transmission without the angle drive, but it might if I re-routed it. The thread on the transmission speedo output and the thread on angle drive output look to be the same. I installed a new angle drive last summer and got 8500 km out of it and now I have to replace it again. If I could get a reliable cable that would allow me to ditch the angle drive, I would do it in a heartbeat. Ken

Stunning pics! Ken

OK, I knew I something was fishy. My '03 LeMans has the ITI instruments and the "wonky angle drive". I have the worst of both worlds. Is it possible that some V11's arrived with this bastard combination? Ken

Condolences on the loss of a fine looking Sport and a big round of applause for the walkaway. May the vital organs of your V11 allow others to live, while seeding the fund for the acquisition of another! Ken