joe camarda

Paul, Actually that wasnt what I had in mind...but after viewing your post, I think it looks kinda cool! Whatever option I choose, I will take into account the "aggravation factor" to Carl! "fugly"....

I'm thinking about mounting Triumph Speed3 dual headlights onto my 01 V11 Sport. I did so onto my SV650 and really liked the "goofy" bug-eye effect. Anyway, the logical mounting point would be the steering head, which on my Sport has two small (2 inch +-) tubes welded horizontally across the front of the head. They seem to have no use on my Sport and I've spent many sleepless nights wondered what their purpose is. In my sleepless deliriums I've come to the conclusion that they were put there for me to mount the Triumph Speed3 headlights....which on a Speed3 would mount thusly (front to rear) : the headlights mount onto the front of a 5 inch bracket. The rear of the bracket has two holes for attachment to the Triumph steering head. Ideally (yeah right) the holes in the Triumph bracket would align with the "tube" holes on my Sport's steering head. (They won't so I'll need an adapter). Anyone care to comment as to whether or not the tubes on my Sport's steering head would support the weight of the forward mounted Speed3 dual headlights, as well as the mounting bracket and the necessary adapter? BTW..Mike, I really like the reverse cones! Theyre sweet! Lastly, please send a group hug to Carl. He has discovered that HIS V11 Sport lacks these steering head "tubes" and he is in a deep funk over this. He NEEDS your love and support (and I need your advice). TIA, Joe

I was lucky 'nuff to stumble upon a set of frame side plates from a Sport for a nice price and intend to mount them onto my V11 Sport if the swap out isnt too expensive. At this point I'm presuming two things, (1) that they'll fit, and (2) that they can be anodized...Which brings me to the point: Is there an advantage to either process? I've no experience with anodizing, but it doesnt seem as if it would be durable as the powder coating.

This guy makes products for V11 Sport applications (windshields included to fit a Stucchi 1/4 fairing). He may have other applications available...or if not he seems very easy to contact and work with. Good luck. http://www.dansguzzi.com No affiliation with company..Joe

Al, Like so many women I've known, they've lead me on, only to dash my hopes bitterly against the shores of desolation and despair. All is misery, all is bleakness and bitterness unbridaled. Immeasurable woe and unrequitting sorrow everlasting. Well, after a six-pack I've snapped out of my semi-eternal funk and have decided to move on to plan "B", the tubular bars. But, darnit, those "Cyclekats" sure looked sweet!

Well, I'm hoping that the system they come up with will work on a V11 Sport which has the clip ons mounted beneath the upper triple clamp. Can anyone see why it shouldnt?

Has anyone removed and replaced the frame side-plates (that the footpegs mount onto) on their V11 Sport/LeMans? I'm considering a color change, but am wondering if the effort is worth it. On another note, does anyone have a set of these frame plates to sell or to loan to me for several years ?

Sorry to hear of your mishap . I would use the opportunity to upgrade if that may be your future intention anyway. I have CRG mirrors on my V11 Sport which are very nice. They can be purchased already machined to your stock bar-end weights and are foldabel for lane splitting. Cosmetically thay are beautiful and visually integrate with the speedo and tach gauges. I love em. Napoleons have a differnt look, which I think is also very nice, but I dont think they have the quality of the CRG's. I replaced my stock t-signals with Lockhart Phillips bullet units. It took a bit of finicking with an adapter but was (IMHO) worth the effort. I photo of these mods is on this site somewhere, 24/7 I think under "Powder Coated Gold Wheels". Since Ive made these replacements I have the stock units. Stand by for a "PM".

I also passed on the Staintunes in favor of the Leo's, but only because I wasnt able to see them beforehand. I now think they look very nice on the green Sport. But I really like the red hugger! A very nice touch! BTW...are the headers ceramic coated? I noticed there is no discoloration...all in all, very nice!

I triangulate the motion. The first two weeks of ownership were full of misery and doubt...I saw my Sport loaded onto a tow truck TWICE. Dan also sent me the relays even before he recieved my check. I think he must have bought 20,000 of them :!: NO problems since.

Mikie, Hello. I have no direct experience with Gianelli's . On p. 1 of the "Muffler Choices" thread Chris states that "passengers suffer because the rear pegs are mounted higher". So, are rear pegs compatable? Maybe a "private message" to Chris might help you decide. FWIW I really like the look and sound of my Leo's. Joe

Try dansguzzi.com. He makes taller w/s for V11 Sports and might be interested in your business. Ive e=mailed him several times and he seems very open to possibilities.

Another option would be to have the wheel widened by Kosman Racing near SF Bay Area (CA). They have a website and will widen the wheel for about $350. I'm sure other places around the country could do the same if youre not near SF Bay Area. Regards, Joe BTW, I think the stock rear wheel (on my 01 V11 Sport anyway) is 4.5 inches. Ive also thought about widening it!

Photo of 01 V11 Sport with Leo Vince Ti-Ovals , CF "hugger", custom fender eliminator with "bullet" turn signals and LED brake light (below stock brake light), Rich Maund non-gel seat, and gold powder coated wheels. Another photo in 24/7 forum.

My pretty red MG stand clears the Leo Vince Ti's (left side, handle to rear). Someone else suggested coating the socket on the stand (or the bolts) with grease to preserve the paint on the plates and to generally ease the lift. I did try this and it seemed to work, and was easy to clean afterwards.

Well, since wheel color is a topic I invite anyone interested to check out the gold powder coated wheels on my silver V11 Sport. I'll be posting the photos soon.

Hi Jason. Does the moly additive go into the transmission oil? I was under the impression thet it went into the final drive oil. Regards, Joe

Guys, thanks for the advice. Yesterday I drained the transmission oil and replaced it with "Red Line" Heavy Duty Gear Oil. The bike shifts MUCH easier now...can the solution really be THIS simple? I only went for a short ride after the change but the difference was incredible, and only one missed shift, and that because I was trying to see how "lightly" I was now able to shift. Anyhow, the problem was intermittent, so I'm hoping that I'm just not in the "inter" part of the occurrence. But for insurance I am going to also perform some of the changes suggested as an extra margin of safety. Also noteworthy: When I pulled the magnetic drain plug it was pretty "fuzzy" with metallic chips. Is this normal? 3 K miles. No previous problems downshifting whatsoever... only upshifts. I'll keep y'all posted. Joe

I just changed the oil and filter on my bike...BUT I forgot to fill up the new filter before I replaced it. After buttoning everything up I put in three US quarts of oil (Syn. Mobil 1) and the dipstick read "high" and I attributed this to the bubble in the filter so I started the bike and the oil pressure light came on for about a second and immediately went off. I ran the bike for approx 1 minute at low idle and then checked the dipstick again and it was still at "high". Shouldnt the level have dropped as oil entered the filter? Did not filling the filter cause any damage to the engine. PS the oil capacity in the owners manual specifies 3.7 US quarts. Well, okay. After 30 minutes or so the oil level dipped down to "low", so I guess all is well.

Shifting is no longer FUN as my V11 Sport tranny is progressively developing more false nuetral shifts between 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 gears! I know this has been covered in some depth in previous threads, but I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has had direct experience with using a non-OEM MG spring. And spring base. I am especially interested in finding out where to obtain a spring and spring base. On the other hand, has anyone had the warranty work done with an OEM spring, and was the replacement satisfactory? I guess that I'd like to hear from ANYONE who has had this problem successfully resolved.

I believe theyre MISTRALS. They advertise on this site...see home page. Dont know about the labels though.

Well, most of you may recognize me as the guy who is soliciting money for the "MOTO GUZZI MOTORCYCLE" little league baseball team...and I imagine that some of you may be somewhat suspicious of me. So in an effort to preserve my good name, I thought I would enrich your existence by introducing my humble self! Besides, if Carl Allison can post here..I can too (good guy, he lives several blocks away and is ALWAYS willing to help). Pretty mundane bio. 52 years old, born Clark Air Force Base in Phillipine Islands and (mis)spent youth in Des Moines, Iowa. Okinawa (near Japan). Brooklyn, New York (Fort Hamilton). Puerto Rico (Fort Buchanan). Oakland, California (Oakland Army Base) as the son of a career soldier (who in 1965 was in the first promotion batch to the new rank of Sergeant Major). Joined Army myself in 1969 for 3 years, spent at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey and bought first bike in 1970, a brand-new Kawasaki 175 Enduro. 1971 saw me on a Suzuki 250 Savage (enduro)...and those brothers and sisters were the most enjoyable motorcycling days of my life, riding through the pine woods of New Jersey without a care in the world! The movie "On Any Sunday" was a semi-religious experience when I saw it then. In 1972 I bought a CZ 250 Motocrosser and got out of the Army. Sold the CZ and thought I would become a professional motorcycle racer so I went to a mechanic school in Milwaukie, Oregon. While there I met an Oregon State Trooper who unknowingly recruited me into law enforcement. I moved to California and several years later graduated from the police academy. But my existence was meaningless...still no motorcycle. Until 1986 when I bought my first HUGE street bike, a 1985 Kawasaki GP-z 550. But, sad to say I sold it about a year later to pay off some debts. Re-married in 1987 (yeah, I know I left out the first one) and now have 3 wonderful children and a wife. SWMBO was ambivilant about the bikes, and I guess I became so myself. Until mid-December '93 when while looking for a burglary suspect I fell and broke my ankle . As I was laying there I KNEW something in my life was about to change drastically. And it did! While in the hospital (severe break..three operations, 9 screws and a steel plate) a friend brought me a motorcycle magazine to read. I was hooked again, and it was a Moto Guzzi (Sport) that reeled me in! But Guzzi's seemed a little impractical to me then, so in '94 I bought an 88 BMW R100RS. Traded that for an '88 K-75S BMW two years later and then in '98 bought an R1100RT BMW. I put some Staintunes on the RT and I thought it HOWLED! Seriously... But inthe back of my mind I still remembered that Moto Guzzi, and when I saw the new V-11 Sport, I just knew that despite my lingering suspicions about MG's reliability I just had to have one! So, on a cold and rainy day in February 2002 I rode my first Moto Guzzi. And that, brothers and sisters was that! I sold the BMW and an SV 650 (see it at SVRIDER.COM forum 22, with the Triumph Speed Triple bodywork - I'm very proud of that creation) and plunked down some change for a '01 V-11 Sport. Ten months later, the free ($1000 accessory incentive) tankbag FINALLY arrived, and I'm still infatuated with my silver V-11 (Stucchi x-over and windscreen, Leo Vince Ti-ovals, Rich Maund seat, gold powder-coated wheels and other misc modifications). Love this list and many thanks to Jaap for allowing me to bore everyone on it with my bio. And if youre ever on I-5 in Central California, stop by and see me in Patterson. Wave down a "black and white" and ask for Sergeant Camarda (they'll find me). Heck, if youve bothered to read this far, the least I can do is buy you a cup of coffee!

Jason. Ive just ordered a set of "Tommasseli's" (sp), but may hold off installation as I like what youre doing. Would be curious to know if cables, lines or anything else needs to be changed. I too have a V11 Sport. Are you in Bay Area near Al?

I have a bottle of "Redline" Shockproof oil to add to the trannie. I've read that the bike should drain overnight to ensure that all the oil drains out so that when the 850 cc's are added, you dont end up with more. If the bike is lifted on the paddock stand, will the "tail-up" position allow the oil to drain completely? Or, should it be left on the side stand? Is it necessary to remove the Stuchhi crossover? Joe Camarda ('01 V11 Sport, silver)

Very nice!!! Can you show some detailed photos of the welds and mods necessary? Ive half a mind to attempt myself!