docc

Weather is certainly too far out to forecast specifics, yet dew points (sweaty stickiness) look to drop after a midweek system and weekend rain should be more of the afternoon thunderstorm variety. Waddington and I continue the waltz toward my departure. Everything I touched in my preparation went sideways. Turns out those original green "paper" valve cover gaskets won't quite make 130,000 miles. And tightening the fasteners more is never the answer. Thread repair complete, along with a fresh gasket. My Decent Tune-up not only ended in a leaky valve cover, but also a TPS that refuses to find a decent place to set. Replacement TPS here tomorrow. Along with high hopes that solves the new hesitation/hiccup. The stuff SpineRaids are made of . . .

There's an "idea!"

FFP/BH . . . Far From Perfect/ But Hopeful . . . .

From MG Cycle, the rear Brembo "carbon ceramic"/ blue back GF were $26.43US/pair in October 2022. That same order, the front Brembo "sinter"/ red back SHH (that I had to take off immediately) were $34.67US. The front Brembo (OE)/ black back FF from OPP Racing I just received were $44.50US. YMMV I just rode some miles to do a bedding exercise on those new pads and they have great feel, no excessive dusting, and don't sound like a lathe rolling the sport up onto the lift.

I mean, there are 4 pads at the front and two at the rear. Not sure how the rear could "cost more." Perhaps the message here is: Beware of aggressive HH and even "sinter" pads. If they eat your V11 rotors, you'll be halfway to a bad day. Replacing rotors makes any pads look cheap and easy.

Haha, well, I've been to Daytona, but I don't have a Daytona.

The last Brembo rear pads I found for the V11 are the blue backing. The wear pattern on the rotor looks "compatible." As far as I can discern, the (black backing) OE pads are FF, the blue backing "Carbon Ceramic" are GF. *Perhaps* pads rated GG are okay? But I have had two distinctly bad experiences with HH and "SHH" pads on our rotors. Sure, they brake aggressively. Plan on new rotors.

Note to @Joe . . . What with inaugural SpineRaider @Bill Hagan coming, @Skip coming all the way from Michigan, and now longtime SpineRaider @Josh bringing the "Bus Bike ", no doubt you have shared a quite good idea* . . . . Shoot, even @gstallons thinks this is a good idea!

This is AWESOME news!

More truth.

The "wrinkly paint" 2002 V11 do seem over-represented in timing chest leaks. +1 on @MartyNZ's advice . . . Yet, also, consider cleaning all the surfaces and spraying a coat of "foot powder", take a ride and look for discoloration indicating the leak source.

I saved S602 to the list, above. Beautiful pic, @roktbox!

Proper black backing FF Brembo 107670810 pads cam today from OPP Racing. Thanks, again, @Speedfrog for the quick reply and links last week! We shall see how they bed in, but I have confidence that they are correct for the rotors instead of the "sinter" SHH rated pads from Brembo.

A couple things first . . . @audiomick, consider editing the signature in your profile to show the year of your LeMans. Certain changes through the range make the production year helpful. (I realize European model years" could vary from the rest of the world, but it's a start.) Next, where does the leak appear relative to the front/rear, left/right of the motor? It is, for certain, motor oil? Does the motor, itself, show a wet area anywhere?

@Guzziglide posted this image of his caliper rebuild on his Café Sport . I never noticed the arrow etched in the retainer. I suppose it is obvious that this is the direction of travel of the rotor?

I should clarify that I'm not feelin' fotoguzzi's love for the bike. I so agree with this. Others have pointed out that, as the world's premier V11 Sport/LeMans community, we consistently undervalue examples that come up. I really enjoy looking over listings for what is changed, what accessories are offered, common issues, and try to share what knowledge we have accumulated about these rather rare (and soon-to-be-vintage) motorcycles.

I'm not feelin' the love . . .

There were reports of early filters coming loose with catastrophic outcomes. This could have been some faulty UFI gaskets, perhaps improper installation (the old "hand tight" oil filter DOES NOT apply to the V11). Some owners decided to add the hose clamp as a stop to prevent the filter loosening. Obviously, the sump then has to be removed to change the filter. Others of us followed some sage advice from testing carried out by member Ryland3210 and turn the filter one-and-one-eighth turns past gasket contact. Lots of us quit using UFI filters, as well . . Changing oil on a V11 I did not know, the owner marveled that I used a flashlight and a dental mirror to inspect for the possibility of a clamp on the filter . . .

With the spring Kentucky SpineRaid a week out, I reckon it is time to refocus on the matter at hand . . . My latest TPS setting(s) remind me of a girl I dated in college - like, I was never sure where she was going to be (all over the place). Pretty sure mySport is rideable, but what a mess fighting the TPS. Second try at replacement brakepads are scheduled for delivery tomorrow. I'm 230 miles into a 400 mile Waddington Window and running out of time trying not to be The TechSession. More SpineRaid swag . . .

Yes, -11 could be problematic for the bike at idle and just "off idle." You know, that barely cracked throttle we use to pull away, make tight parking maneuvers, and cruise slowly stuck in traffic. All those situations that the V11 spit/cough/stumble/hiccup are so annoying. Some owners have pushed their CO Fuel trim into positive settings, but it becomes rather arbitrary or "trial and error." Glad you persevered and got it done! Looking forward to the ride report . . .

I really can't imagine Zappa live. That had to have been amazing. I suppose the best live band I ever saw was Little Feat on the Waiting for Columbus tour.

Thank you @motoguzznix! That confirms all V11 have the 2-pin calipers, either Brembo P4 34/30 20.6800 or 20.9230 (I cannot tell the difference?) I should have my OE-type Brembo pads by tomorrow. I am expecting black backings and an organic compound. The pads are swimmingly easy to change, especially with the Sport on a lift. With good light. Near a coffee maker. With music playing . . .

If Zappa didn't have a Moto Guzzi, it was just that he was busy with "other things" . . .

From the tutorial, try this: > Important: select the COM port. As Beetle on Wildguzzi says, "it [the COM port] is usually the last one or highest number. if it doesn't connect at first, keep trying different ports. In my example, I only have one, COM4." >If the selection menu for COM port is blank, physically plug the USB connection into a different port on your computer.

Be aware that early V11 wheels (short frame Sport/Rosso Mandello 1999-2001) have 4.5" rim width while the later, LongFrame, V11 has 5.5" rim width. I would suspect the Centauro is 4.5" . . . Also, the reardrives are different, but I am uncertain whether that would affect wheel compatibility.