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dlaing

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Everything posted by dlaing

  1. Details HERE For a calendar of SoCal Guzzi events, bookmark this website http://www.socal-guzzi.com/Events.html
  2. Joe, I think buying a Coppa and trading or selling the plastic is a great idea! I just wish my plastic was in tradeable condition But it you choose to buy a bike out of state, you of course know the laws But I had to look it up... http://www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/os.htm It has to have atleast 7500miles, and it must be a 50 state bike. Are all V11s 50 state (CA) legal?
  3. dlaing

    Warm Fuzzies?

    Now you are catching on, and maybe have gone too far. I think there are more reasonable fairing options available. Magni But then again maybe it was a streamlined Guzzi that Slim Pickens was riding when he helped us escalate "win" the cold war????
  4. The grease fitting has a one way valve. To ease re-assembly, poke the valve with something blunt but pointy and the air (and grease) can escape. What effect this has on riding, I don't know. Air suspension???
  5. Could it be the carrier is flexing or less likely, damaged from overtorquing the axle??? If flexing, one would predict the leading edge of the left pad and the trailing edge of the right pad would wear more. But maybe a more rigid carrier would be something someone could market. Of course it is no big deal, right?
  6. dlaing

    Warm Fuzzies?

    I suspect Ratchet may be right...no matter what you do to a Guzzi, it won't give you the warm fuzzy feeling of a Japanese motorcycle And cruiser can benefit even more from modifications But if we can't modify are V11 to make warmer or fuzzier, maybe we can get helmets with more warm fuzzies to help us keep up the the Japanese hyperbike riders http://www.roadkillhelmets.com/index.html
  7. dlaing

    Warm Fuzzies?

    Yes, you are correct that if you don't modify a V11 it won't become better than a V11. Sorry, I thought modifying and engine was an acceptable form of improving an engine. I mentioned earlier if you had rules about modifying and you said you did not. So, if putting big bore cylinders is not an acceptable modification, what other rules do you have to narrow your vision? No turbo? No Super Charger? 1100cc Maximum? No twin plugging? No enhanced cooling? You are re-defining the rules of modification when there are no rules. This is not land speed record chasing where you have to stay within a class. In my opinion if the frame with serial number stay the same and the engine and serial number stay the same, it is a modified V11. Maybe it should be renamed a V14, but it is a modified V11. I fully admit that if you don't add a turbo or super charger, or bore it out, or go to multi-valves, or nitrous, you will not get hyperbike performance, but I did not think that those were unmentionable options on this forum. Sorry for the misunderstanding
  8. dlaing

    Warm Fuzzies?

    Perhaps I am not being clear enough. The Guareschi MGS01 that one this year's BOT did not use the 8Valve MGS01 engine, but instead used the BigBore engine. You, yes you, Ratchet, can buy the Big Bore engine kit for your V11 engine. From what I understand it uses the engine, but completely replaces the top end and converts the engine to water cooling. Was the engine that Guareschi modified a V11? I don't know, but it could have been. Obviously Guareschi is using the MGS01 frame, that may very well be superior to the spine frame. As for the bike in that photo, no it is not a V11, it is Paul's Fast Guzzi, but it does have the following V11 parts * 6 speed gearbox. * V11 swingarm. * V11 reardrive with drive shaft. * V11 tacho cable and angle drive, i * V11 clutch master cylinder , clutch line. * V11 gearshift rods * v11 rearframe between engine and swingarm from >2001 model The main frame is not very different from a V11, so comparison is valid. The only significant difference between Paul's bike and what a V11 could be is the engine. He has an awesome ~1200cc 8valve. But considering you could take a V11 and do all that Paul has done and then do the engine kit that Guareschi has used, the answer is yes, a V11 can be competitive with a Hyperbike on just about any road. Ratchet, assuming you understood this simple plan to convert a V11 into a Hayabusa eater, why do you doubt this modification plan would work? FWIW I think this 130HP Dynotec bike is probably a pretty competive bike, and it did not even need water cooling. It looks to me like a V11 is the base bike for this Guzzilla. As I said before, I agree with your concerns about unsafe riding, and go even further and think that "the PACE" is pushing speed too far. But to each their own.
  9. dlaing

    Warm Fuzzies?

    What makes a bike go fast is mostly rider. Learning to ride a Guzzi fast takes longer than other bikes. Track school will help Zagato keep up with the "modern sport Japanese bikes" But yes, assuming riders are of equal ability, and the "competition" is are sport bikes typically ranging from 375 to 475 pounds and anywhere from 60 to 160HP "competition",as if they are competing on the street...Nobody said Zagato was competing with them, he is just trying to keep up with them, on the street, not the track. A stock V11 is not much slower than a VFR on most roads. The VFR has a slight weight advantage, a big HP advantage, unsprung weight advantage at rear. But the Guzzi has a nicer power band and the direction of the engine turning does not increase the gyrosopic rigidness the way a transversally mounted bike does. This gives the Guzzi an advantage quick switch backs. If Zagato is losing ground on them in the straights, he needs more power, and for that he can either make small improvements, or he can think big and bore the engine out with the aforementioned bigbore kit which is all standard hot-rodding technique except for the conversion to water cooling. Sorry if that breaks your narrow minded rules But with the power that that conversion allows, I don't there is not a stock Japanese bike that could "compete" with that in a straight line, until you hit redline at about 150MPH. But now the bike would be up in weight so you would have to drop the weight. The rear subframe is an excellent place to start. Next would be the wheels. Ceramic brake rotors and bearings. Titanium wherever possible. Billet and or forged brake components. It might not be a bad idea to redo the pork chops and triple clams in billet and maybe the rear brake carrier. Kevlar brake lines. You could mill out some of the rear drive to save a few grams as JediOne did. You probably could not put in lighter battery because the engine modifications will probably require a lot of juice. Plastic headlight. Replace the ECU, speedo and tach with that one that Paul M. uses. How much will that drop the weight? I don't know, Zebulon's G&B weighs about 425#wet. And Paul's bike is sure lean. So it is possible to get the weight down to that of a heavier "hyperbike" if you have the time, money, resources, etc. And it is possible to make it MORE powerful. Combined, that is certainly "competive" Not to mention, after the investment, the brakes and suspension are superior to the "modern sport Japanese bikes". I am spending enough time and money just trying to keep it running, and track school is the best investment I could make to go faster and safer. The limitation is mostly rider. Put me on an R1 for a few months and I'll get from point A to point B only marginally faster. But put me on a heavilly modified Guzzi and you will get about the same result, but the bike would be much more pleasurable....and that is what a silk purse is all about.
  10. It is not difficult to guess. think about the clue question and then look at the poster's name. PS if you want to read or post more about this incident, you might try here. http://socal-guzzi.com/PHPBB/ Fear and loathing on Piuma road://http://socal-guzzi.com/PHPBB/ Fear ...g on Piuma road
  11. dlaing

    The Pace

    But for me, the Harley riders have the ride addage, Ride to live, live to ride.
  12. dlaing

    Warm Fuzzies?

    While I appreciate and agree with your words cautioning one to ride carefully and know the limits of your motorcycle, the rest is hogwash. A Guzzi is a fine bike that CAN go fast, especially when modified. LET IT BE A WARNING: If one goes off chasing V-11 Guzzi, may I suggest that this is an extremely foolish and unwise idea for all but (possibly) the Here are some numbers comparing sport tourers Guzzi V11 Dry Weight ~490 pounds sport touring BMW R1100 ~490 newer beemers have been getting lighter Honda CBR 1100 XX Super Blackbird ~490 Honda VFR ~470 Yamaha FJ 1200 500++ Honda ST 1300 600+++ Sport The Japanese four liter sport bikes weigh ~375-425 The 600s even less. FWIW a Ghezzi and Brian has a dry weight a little under 400 The MGS01 is a little under 430 But those are not V11s. To get a V11 into that weight category, if it is even possible, you might start with forged wheels, a lighter battery, and a lighter rear subframe. Maybe an aluminum mono posto. If losing weight is your goal stay away from a corbin saddle as they are heavy, and anything with gel will probably also be heavy. In any case, if the Japanese bikes you are riding with are riding "the pace", you should not have trouble keeping up, right? Just don't let them see you violate the Pace rules and tuck to go faster on the straights, or hang out to keep your pegs from scraping, or fail set your line to avoid oncoming traffic in your lane...sarcasm intended...
  13. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...=10389&st=0
  14. That is what I was thinking. The washer should be fairly snug around the axle, with no room to go off center. Another possibility is that it is the wrong size needle bearing. If my notes are correct, the bearing should say Torrington HK 2516 2RS. And still another possibility is that the bearing seat was milled too deeply....assuming it sits in a milled seat. If it does not, then it must be held by the washer within, that is held in position by a bearing spacer loaded down by the case bolts that are visible when the wheel is removed. Could those bolts have come loose? EDIT what was I thinking!!!????? The washer should be snug around the inner race, not the axle.
  15. Not answering your question, but some in the same boat as you might consider TPO-Dragon wires made with MSD wire (low resistance, high suppression, and high durability). I bought some a few years ago and they hold up very nicely. This link won't last long, so if broken search for guzzi spark plug wires http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TPO-Dragon-...1QQcmdZViewItem
  16. dlaing

    Warm Fuzzies?

    These rhetorical questions are so boring.... I don't know your Uncle Wiggly. Sounds like something you should keep in your private life. grow up. I agree, fantastic engine :grin This is a kit that is available to all of us, that will, as far as I can tell, make our bikes run nearly as fast as Guareschi's Is it still a "V11" if it has 1400+CCs? Maybe it should be called a V14? I gave you a link to the website with the details. If you make an effort, you will see that I did an OK job at extrapolating points to scale. It is not perfectly to scale, but it is close enough to scale to show that this engine kit clearly makes more torque than the petty one liter four cylinder "competition" Maybe the Guareschi victory is exactly what we need to inspire people to use this fantastic engine kit. R-E-A-D the information at their website. No Turbo, no nitrous, no BS. Just sound engineering and design. Over 1400CC, water cooling, superior combustion chamber compared to V11's. 97 lbs/ft is what this kit offers. How can the silk purse 4 cylinders compete with there mere 70-75 lbs/ft of torque, that you have to wind the engine up to reach?!? Don't forget, that in pursuit of the V11 silk purse conversion, weight reduction will be part of the plan, so we will looking at much less than a 150lb difference. Beating the weight of a Honda VFR will be easy. Getting down below 450 dry pounds a little more tricky and getting down to 400 dry pounds may be impossible. I know Paul and Zebulon are close to 400 pounds dry. Is it breaking the rules to use a G&B frame as Zeb does? The only example that I know of won the BOT...on this planet, this year. BELIEVE. (bored to 1288cc, but may not be street worthy...)
  17. dlaing

    Warm Fuzzies?

    I am pretty sure this is the bike on which Mark Etheridge smoked me and my V11 or maybe it was this one???? No doubt, it is mostly all rider. And I should certainly do a few track schools before turning my V11 into something like Guareschi's.
  18. dlaing

    Warm Fuzzies?

    Nothing wrong with dreaming. No, I don't have the money to build my ultimate dream bike, but it is headed in the right direction. Will it ever have the power to weight ratio of a 2007 BMW R1200S? Probably not. But if I could just fix the bloody oil leak, I could say that I have added enough silk that it runs much better than stock. Here is a comparison of the ultimate Japanese stockers vs. the oh so silky Sow's Ear. Of course I extrapolated the scale and I don't know if they are talking crank or rear wheel torque. Source of dynos http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Article_Page...3149&Page=3 and http://www.bigbore.it
  19. dlaing

    Warm Fuzzies?

    Dear John, You continue to amaze me with your narrow minded vision. Who says a V11 has to stay a V11? Bore it, stroke it, anyway you want to. Port it, twin plug it, put a hot cam in it and you got that magical 100HP atleast at the crank. Want over 100HP at the rear wheel: Guareschi used a motor that you can mail order. And most of the other parts can also be mail ordered. Yah, keeping the spine frame, the bike might weigh a little more than Guareshci's, especially after the bracing, but it won't weigh a lot more. Whether or not it is a silk purse or not is a subjective argument. You can certainly make a huge difference over a stock Guzzi with a little investment. In my experience, the average Guzzi rider is faster AND more importantly, safer than your average gixxer rider. Yah, their bike cost less and has more HP, but average the cost they spend over a lifetime and the costs even out. Mid-range vs. Peak Power is a whole other argument. If you put a certain So-Cal rider on his far from stock Jackal up against Keith Code, or Freddy Spencer riding oh, say a stock Honda VFR on a tight track, and I have no doubt my money is on the guy riding the Jackal. The only edge the VFR will have come from the peak HP. Maybe that is not a fair comparison. There are certainly alot of lighter Japanese bikes, but not in the same Sport Touring class. Oh but the Jackal is a cruiser, so let us match up a V11 with Ohlins, ceramic rotors, forged wheels, braced frame, the mail order motor Guareshi used but maybe with a little less power, up against an R1. Now, that would be a nice matchup! the R1 has the weight advantage and the peak HP, but that is all. The Ohlins are superior. The Guzzi Torque is superior, and I am sure that on most tracks the R1 will win, but on the real road where we ride the match is close in all areas. Motorcycling fast in the twisties is mostly rider, followed by tires, followed by suspension, followed by the weight of the bike, followed by width and strength of torque band, followed by the peak HP of your mighty silk purse, four cylindered, multivalved, water cooled, crap.
  20. dlaing

    Warm Fuzzies?

    I guess Guareshchi got his World Class silk purse from beyond the intergalactic chip-shot. Long live Moto Guzzi, builder of World Class Super Twins Not to mention Zeb's, Paul's, and other fine bikes, many from FireStarter Garage. There is much one can do to shed weight, make the bike more rigid, and make the suspension work. The analogy of a Kenworth with Lotus suspension does not hold water when comparing what Ohlins and other fine upgrades can do for the Guzzi. Do not pay attention to the doubters of the amazing Moto Guzzi, winner of the Battle of the Twins! WARM FUZZIES!!!!
  21. That ain't funny. Funny is Donald Trump's World's ugliest comb over and billionaire pimp daddy lifestyle. You think he could afford a decent $5 barber.
  22. Machismo?!? We are just too lazy to stud the tires the "normal" way.
  23. dlaing

    Warm Fuzzies?

    I went from a Honda CT90 (trying to keep up with smaller, faster XL, XR, YZ, RM, etc.) to a much better Honda SL125 (my first street legal), to a Honda 500F, to a Moto Guzzi V65SP, to a V11S. I certainly scraped more pegs on the 500F, but it was nowhere near the fun of the V65SP. And the V65SP was relaxed at over 100MPH while the 500F was less stable. But I missed the combination of kick and electric start ...and what an easy bike to kick over, too! But none of the bike's compared to the V11S. No, it is not the easiest bike in the world to handle, but half the fun is that it is not easy to handle. I too have trouble keeping up with others, even some on El Dorados and Ambassadors , and sometimes think if I had a water duck or one of the 2007 beemers I could keep up. But they always wait for me at the crossroads and I have not swung wide into the oncoming lane since the first year or two of bike ownership when I made some dumb mistakes. Some of what has helped has been to do work to the suspension. The bike's dry weight is claimed to be under 500#, so it is not nearly as bad as many other sport touring bikes. You can get some excellent advice from forum members here on suspension and handlebar setup. Generally, to make the bike more nimble, you may find wider and higher handlebars will help. Lowering the front end can help dramatically, and despite fears, it should not make the bike less stable. Raising the rear can also help, again contrary to fears of making less stable. Of course you can go to far in any direction. Correct spring weight and sag will also give you more confidence. Tire opinions are all over the place. But Pirellis and Metzelers both help the nimbleness of the bike compared to most of the competition. If you got money, Ohlins shocks and forks help as does lighter wheels. But the increased speed ratio per dollar decreases as you spend more money. The biggest investment increase, after suspension adjustment, may come from track school! I have seen riders slower than I, go to track school, come back, and then I can no longer safely keep up with them. A Guzzi is not for everyone, but there are certainly ways to go faster safely, without swinging wide in turns
  24. at least the part about having trouble with females, bad connections, etc. Maybe I need more olive oil
  25. There are forum threads discussing how to grind down the grease gun fitting fo a better fit. My fitting barely wedges in there and is a pain to get off once fitted. I don't disconnect the shock, perhaps I should. Some use a 90º angle fitting, but I have not found one small enough. Others have no problems what so ever For me, the cage is not a problem, but the swing arm is. I think a 45º angle zerk is the solution. But I could be wrong
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