docc

With an inch of solid ice on the ground here, I don't know why I'm even speaking to you. Tacos, orange juice - it's pissin' me off At least you found the place where they keep the lost ponchos . . .

I added Scud's throttle cable experience to the Tank Off Maintenance Checklist; not that the tank actually has to be off to do it. While thinking over all the incidents of Ridus Interuptus I have experienced over the years with my V11 and others, it occurred to that everyone should work through that maintenance checklist, especially before a big ride. It addresses most of the issues that could strand your V11.

Gotta love it when it's easy! Still take a good look at those flat metal contacts in the housing. As they flatten out and loose good contact, the intermittent connection from the vibration will fry the bulbs. Really common fail point on the V11.

I'll give you a hint:

The tail light is a separate circuit, separate filament in the 1157 bulb. Make sure the bulb is good. It's also common in the factory tail lamp that the contacts get flattened out. Pushing rather hard in on the bulb may light it. If so, remove it and reshape the contacts. Inspect the solder contacts on the bulb itself to be sure they are both prominent enough to make good contact. Finally, the tail light, instrument illumination, tag light and "city light" are all on a common circuit that bypasses all relays and runs through Fuse 6. Since your tag light is burning, I would suspect the contacts or bulb in the tail lamp itself. (You can look in the bottom of the headlamp to be sure the low-watt city lamp is burning).

Sheesh! You had me up late looking for my "emergency blanket" and made me realize how many things I move from the Jeep to the panniers for a long ride (like my first aid kit). A small can of CRC Electronics Cleaner is brilliant for cleaning contacts, loosening stuck stuff, and cleaning up those pesky oil leaks that Guzzi riders seem so compelled to point out.

I've been surprised at the use of spray-on rubberized "Plasti-dip" for leading edge trim in cars. With careful prep and multiple light applications, it appears to hold up surprisingly well. I've not seen this on forks (or, say, the alternator cover), and it would be a little fiddly to mask everything off for good coverage, but if you don't like it, it just peels off.

I just keep rubbing on it like an old lamp hoping one day a genie will emerge to offer me The Three Great Tuning Secrets of All V11! (BTW: original valve cover and sump gaskets!) I love Kostarika's dance analogy! The key to the factory lift is to be certain the nuts are fully seated and everything is perfectly level before hoisting. On level ground I would do this from the left side, pushing the stand's handle backward. On the lift it works better from the right. The Sport Chock that captures the front wheel makes this much more steady!

I thought we might consider carrying on in this thread with posts of what to do on the road in the event of Ridus Interuptus. More for reference than story-telling, although the mix often makes for the best of winter reading! It's Scud's thread, so it's your call, buddy: carry on with Road Repairs, or start a new thread?

Factory stand, combined with the Baxter Trailers Sport Chock, using a polyethylene cutting board to roll over the diamond plate of the Harbor Freight motorcycle lift (gives 35mm/ 1 3/8" under the rear tire by using the 4x4 block as shown): Factory "spindle" pictured above, ostensibly designed to prop the sump. With both wheels off, the whole affair rolls easily dropping the front onto the forks. Don't ask me how I know this.

Rosso Mandello forks are black and identical, no?

Show off!

Charge a battery, drink a stout, play music . . . but don't end up like Buzz:

I've heard of Umbrella Girls, but Drop Light Girls? Well done, man!

There was a thread detailing the dimensions and construction - DIY frame stand!

This is going to be so cool!

I unloaded quite a lot in my post above. When you say,"The brass temperature sensor: This problem really showed up when I installed it after struggling to remove the old crumbly one." - that sounds like a great starting point. Also, it's easy to unplug the TPS and hook up a sensitive Ohm meter and watch the resistance change as you slowly open and close the TPS. If there are any *jumps*, ditch it for a new one. That was the last straw making my Sport jumpy. Otherwise, being able to run pure premium gasoline has made an extraordinary difference as well.

>Clean the ignition switch >What are you running for relays? >Remove the spark plug wire caps at the coils and inspect for ugliness. >Melting or charred 30 amp fuse? >Remove the brass idle air bypass screws and clean them along with spraying out the passages. >The brass temperature sensor holder gave my Sport fits. I would only consider it an "upgrade" if the plastic one keeps breaking. This links to a thread that traces my odyssey of chasing the Nasty Hiccup in my Sport for over a year (warning: over 120 posts ) which revealed numerous faults and culminated in discovering the TPS had a little glitch that I only discovered with a careful resistance test while rotating it (it did not show up watching the transition in millivolts, at least not with my meter). Also: a synopsis of my experience with various Engine Temperature Sensor holders (YMMV! )

I'm vague on this , too: if the slave leaks forward along its shaft, will the fluid go clear through to the bell housing (and dribble out the weep hole), or would it flow into the gearbox oil?

Charging looks good, and 10.5 cranking the starter is not bad. But under 12.65 is an indication to charge before riding. Under 12.5 may require special attention to get the charge optimal. My experience is : letting the battery get below ~85% (12.65v) and expecting the bike's charging system to bring it back up, or expecting a "trickle charger" to bring it back up , is likely to give you disappointment.

Moved here from Tech Topics by popular demand . . .

sp838's intake: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?app=gallery&image=1343

The nuts are off the deck about 10 1/2 inches with the front up about an inch in the Sport Chock.

A volunteer! Please measure the height of the lower porkchop bolt off the floor when stand up. Also, how high is the rear tyre off the ground? With the preload cranked up on my Ohlins, I have to put a 4x4 block under the factory stand handle to get the rear tire to clear the floor about an inch.

Looking forward to seeing what you'll come up with. Saw these decelerometer brake lights that are fitted to the (US size) license plate frame: http://vololights.com/