docc

I think Pete has let us off easy on this, yet another , oil thread. Noggy, on the other hand, I'm afraid may be unconscious from too much single malt by now. Or maybe he's dipping into the rhino jizz.

Most days: 4x4 Jeep Cherokee ( the 'Scout Buggy') Nice days: Ford SVT Contour ( Mondeo) - fun to toss around, still hauls the family and paid for. Wife's ride: Volvo V70 T5 - mini money magnet, but a good solid ride. She loves it. Most wanted: Maserati ( can't get ALFA here anymore). More likely: Porsche Boxster - or maybe a Cayman S in a" few years".

I'm thinking the Scura instruments and headlamp are fork mounted like the Red Frames? That will bring the Coppa flyscreen in much closer for a tighter look.

My book says rear drive holds 370 ml ( 350 ml 80w/90 and 20 ml Molykote type A). Richardson in Guzziology warns that pouring the oil in the rear drive until it runs out the level hole is likely to underfill as the oil cascades off one of the gears and out the hole. By careful measuring I found my bevel box 20% low from this method. Now I always measure and like to use the Guzzi Final Drive oil that contains the moly. The gearbox holds 850 ml. It's easy to like the Redline products and they have a lovely color. Overfilling may irritate any leak tendencies your box may have. Bel Ray makes good products. I e-mailed them once about their waterproof grease as an application for the Guzzi final drive. I think they're still laughing about the specifications I asked about. The book says: " To lubricate the cardan transmissions, only use saponifying greasers (sic) with lithiumof a grade 2 consistency, 265/295 penetration and with a dropping point of about 180 degrees. The lubricants must not containadditives with MOS2." Other than the widely held notion that rhino jizz will do, just what does all that relly mean?

Oh, we never get tired of talking about oil. Wonderful stuff and everybody has some.

I've had this as well. Very easy to remove and clean which is likely to increase your effective range. Thanks, Ian!

Yeah, but when the blue fades it's sort of light blue or blue-grey. My byootyful red on red Aerostich has tuned pink and orange within 2 years. Nice suit and good people but no fix. They even told me reds dyed overseas hold up better since there are fewer restrictions on the dyes. I'm using a 2 piece Roadcrafter which has a big water scoop gap over the belly. If I did another it would be one piece. Motoport(Cycleport) has a great reputation with the riders I run with. Interesting no one is riding in t-shirt and shorts with his bird in a halter and thong?

I've had too many bikes fall over in the garage. Sorry for the mishap. I'm sure someone here will hook you up with a mirror. I really like my CRGs but never try to tell if that blur in the image is maybe a Crown Vic. I can tell if the lights are flashing but then it's too late. To gather enough height with the factory stand to remove the rear tire simply place a 1" flat board under the handle of the stand. This angles the lift up just a bit without any additional instability.

For local 'cafe' riding in predictable weather I love my Z-leathers. Custom fit , no flap, and armor. 80% of the time I use my Aerostich Roadcrafter ( DON'T get red). It's versatile, waterproof and comfortable. I can wear my office clothes under for commutes to the office or Gerbings electrics to extend the season. Plus it has good armor. Did I mention the armor?

And I suppose it is serendipity the tag on the thumbnail which reads "click to enlarge?" Or is it that easy to make them bigger?

Yesterday after riding I noticed the battery light came on immediately after shut off but the oil light took a few seconds to come on as the pressure dropped. What Pete said ^, on a scale of not to bad, the oil light coming on is bad. And , just to keep us up at night, drinking single malt and pondering the virtues of our beliefs, I always use my run switch ( 5 1/2 years, 41000 miles ). I know a fellow who's switch quit from his not using it.

That's how mine starts up. I'll have to pay more attention to the panel when I switch off. Some have noticed the oil light flickering on under hard acceleration, a sign of slightly low oil level and past time to top up.

This is a rather strange conundrum here in the US. And other places in the civilized world as well. I believe it is at the heart of the "Whole Harley Thing." For the past 50 or 60 years we have had it so new-and-improved, prepackaged, disposable and engineered-and-refined that a dull and grey complacency has fallen over the ownership and use of things. This has pervaded our lives with a predictable reliability which has , in turn, degraded our skill levels, self-reliance and esteem. The Japanese plastibikes are the pinnacle of this near-perfect-yet-no-character achievement. The Harley perhaps has become at least a token statement, or symbol, of the antithesis. Those of us who ride, risk and wrench on our Guzzis are an anachronism in this day of deference. Adventure riding , and the Ural, are surely at the extreme of a few people's desire to have a tangible, personal connection to their exploits. Like the V11 Guzzi, if your Ural is in a decent state of tune you are a 'real biker.' The Ural, and yes the Guzzi, appeal to those who seize upon doing and being over having. "We few , we lucky few . . . "

Now I'm worried. I see among BFG's last posts was the close of the 'acid test' of forum civility. I thought we had passed but perhaps we really should offer a more ungentlemanly, darkness only forum to lure BFG back in.

Tom , What year/model is your V11? Early gearbox leaks shoul be inspected very carefully around the left upper mounting boss for a crack. Hopefully it's all just sealing surfaces and the cure of patient work!

Is that "MPH" in Houston? Mrs. Bloodworth told a rider at a show this weekend that BMW, Ducati and Vespa were plenty for them to look after. Probably so, but I was hoping they would at least be 'non-stocking' like Duc-N'ville had ended up. I haven't talked to David yet but maybe that will be an option down the road. They are, after all, hooked into Piaggio via Vespa already. How's the rest of the country/world on parts flow?

Ahem . . . due to the world trend in political correctness, we are to be referred to as "Appalachian-Americans." And we hardly ever use shotguns outside of weddings anymore. Some traditions die hard . . .

Michael, great news! You'll have the Nero sorted before the season comes on. I smell a trip to Dahlonega coming . . . Shelby is a top notch gut. During my loooong gearbox debacle, he was a reassuring voice. This is the first I've heard of the run switch giving intermittent trouble. And another testimony to the trend that most electrical problems are actually pretty simple stuff.

Er, so it is. The early bikes have the white faced Veglias.

I'm thinking you're speaking of the reset knob for the trip odometer? It does unscrew. In fact it will sometimes unscrew without asking you and cast itself to the wind. To avoid this, I resorted to a little blue Loctite and a slice through the rubber gasket for removal. Headed into the speedo for a look around?

So , is the parts supply getting any better? We've apparently lost the remnant of a dealer we had in Nashville. Someone else took on the Ducatis but not MG. On the bright side shipping and handling costs about the same as fuel to Nashville. Time to develop a good relationship with a parts counter that doesn't mind phone orders.

Mike, Glad to hear you've been out riding! As therapy I certainly prefer it to sitting in the chair wired up to electro-pulse. True that the 3 year mark is considered 100%. The difficult thing is to maintain a diligent course of rehabilitation for that long. Most people get bored with it and just accept whatever deficit remains. You hang in there with it! ( More of that "Russian stim" perhaps - you know "no pain- no gain". No one knows this more than the Russians.) I tried the " could have been the lawnmower" defense, but selling the mowers to ensure my safety didn't fly. We are such a small slice of the general populace. Most people cannot comprehend why anyone would ride. And to suggest not riding? Like telling a bird the virtues of walking.

Ha! I hadn't thought of the BAR. A real thudder like the V11. ( I thought they were .30-06?)

I can see this is one of those parts that I ought to go down to the garage and give it a wiggle. One more benefit of the collective wisdom! Thanks to all for taking the time to post!

isn't this one one the great truths of our day? Makes me appreciate the people here on this forum.