al_roethlisberger

That dyno run sounds about right... the last run I had(before the new high-comp pistons and cam) had me running about 86RWHP and 64 ft-lb. I haven't bothered to look into any certified PCIII Dynojet centers around here to get it custom mapped again with the new parts, but think most stuff in my new neck-o-the-woods is HD centric But I would be interested to see if I was able to squeeze another couple HP out with the new goodies. al

I agree, especially about #1... well, OK, especially about #2 as well This year has been a riding "disaster" for my bike. It was in the shop well into the riding season last year, and I got it back only a couple months before its being shipped to NC prior to our move. And being so busy getting the house ready for the sale and move, then moving, then unpacking... etc... the next thing one knew, the year was gone, and I bet I didn't put 500 miles on the bike. I know that's awful, but thems the breaks sometimes. So that being said, I am really excited about this year! But, why is this relevant? Well, even with so little riding... with the "new" Odyssey battery that I put in last year, this thing just fires right up even after all this sitting! Honestly, the old OEM unit would have never cooperated that well.

.... although not specific to an "exhausts" conversation, I agree that for most street applications one could think of, CF is about fashion... which is fine, but there ya go However, I do have two items on my 02 LeMans that are CF, and although I like them just fine, I didn't really want them to be CF. First, my dashboard is CF, and it came that way from the factory, so who am I to complain Second, my front fender is CF. I DIDN'T want a CF front fender, but when I fitted the Ohlins front forks, the regular ABS fender on the Sport/LeMans would not fit... only the Guzzi CF unit would So there ya go on that too

..from my ill-fated calendar photo session

http://www.xe.com

Well, the Buell pegs are about 1/2 inch lower, stick out about 1/2 inch further, and are a bit further back. From what I can tell from Centauro controls, they are about 1.5 inch forward, about an inch lower, but not noticeably spaced further out. As far as sourcing them, you can attempt to get them from MG directly(good luck) or call around to the standard list of reputable dealers and see if they can source them. I am getting mine from Pete at www.rebootguzzispares.com. I'm sure that both solutions will work fine, but they will feel different. I'll be interested to see how they differ in practice. The Buell ones have worked fine, but they've never felt "quite right", so I'm hoping the Centauro controls will work a little more seamlessly. al

Well, I've already got the Buell peg conversion, but was never quite happy with how far "out" they moved my feet from the already wide riding position. So I've sourced a set of Centauro controls and am going to give them a try as well. I'll let everyone know which I end up preferring. Al P.S. See Ian's website for details on the slight modification required: http://www.obairlann.net/~reaper/motorcycle/guzzi/ergos/

...lookin' good I just ordered some new heated-grip-elements(Dual Stars), grips, and various bits to start fitting the raised bars that Zebulon made for a bunch of us. That will be my project this Winter. al

..... actually, for those that can't get the "financing" for the spinner wheels, we actually DO have the cheapo spinning hubcaps already over here If you thought the spinner wheels were stupid looking....

Lookin good Gil I'll be very cool to see the whole bike back together soon, and a photo of the bike with that rear rack installed. I haven't seen a photo of a bike with just the rear rack "unloaded" in a while, so am curious how it will look. BTW, I don't know if you are aware, but MG makes a small(pricey though ) backpack/bag that is made to fit that rear rack, and matches the MG tank-bag. They pop up on eBay every so often. al

...awesome news Glad to hear you are well on your way to "recovery" with the bike. At this rate, you'll have it all buttoned up, looking good, and ready to go by the time Winter is waning al

BTW Rachet, how well did the ABS throttle cam hold up over time? I have an ABS prototype, but never installed it prior to moving. I had intended to test it out, then get it machined out of stainless/aluminum later for durability. But if the ABS has held up fine al

And if you DO end up sending it to someone to paint, might I suggest: http://www.cyclefinish.net/ These guys are awesome. I had them paint my tank, and they perfectly color matched it al

Echoing all of Jason's concerns. I have used the Krylon plastic paint, and it is essentially colored glue. It isn't suitable for anything that one would like a nice finish on, but was good for painting my kids' plastic shelves. Except for perhaps the black color, any blemishes or dark marks under that paint will show through regardless of coats. If you are going to paint the plastic, visit your local auto paint supply and show them the part. They will have the appropriate plastic primer that is *required* to make the paint stick. If you attempt to just "rattle-can" your cover, the paint will soon start to come off. al

So, I asked for the stacks from Sport Cycle for Christmas... and although I didn't get them(no big deal)... I sorta got a better surprise. When I asked for them, the GF got back to me a little while later with a message from the guys at Moto International where they had explained to her that a drilled/open lid produced verifiably more HP than pods, etc Why was this good news? Well, I just thought it was damned neat that my GF knew to call someone like Moto International before just buying some gizmo for the LeMans, and ask their technical opinion before blindly buying the part Now, I'll still get the stacks, as I've previously pointed out that I understand the trade-off, but just like them aesthetically... but I just thought that was neat. She also got me the latest copy of Guzziology signed by Dave himself for my birthday back in November. Now that's a sweet Guzzi GF al

I don't need these as I have a 2002, but I think that since this is the type of thing that many 2003+ owners may want, but be unaware of being available.... and only comes around once every year or so in batches.... Jaap may want to "sticky" this thread or somehow get it in a headline on the forum so you guys can get as many orders in as possible, and also reduce the price via volume. Jaap, what do you think? al

...yep, it is a passive air-cooled(oil) motor after all. There are limits Although when this topic(VL) was more in "fashion"(mostly due to yours truly grousing about it ) .... there was talk of retrofitting the Buell cooling fan, but the part was pricey(> $200 if I recall ). But Buell apparently had similar cooling issues for the rear cylinder what with all that bodywork covering it, etc... so they added an undertank/seat fan to keep it cooler. Although I don't know that anyone here ended up giving that a try, one fella in the "high country"(Colorado??) from the forum did install some weather-resistant fan under his tank to keep the air moving and temps down. I think he kept it simple, not using any sort of thermal doo-dad-switch, and just manually flicked it on when the conditions were just right to overheat. I don't remember who that was, but I do recall that high altitude and Summer heat were causing him to run into this problem almost daily, so he had to come up with some workable solution. al

I'll have to check into that Bill, and thanks for the generous offer I'll have to check out your infamous "garage-mahal" one day as well

Here's the synopsis "scoop" on fuel tank physical changes, and for more info see the following thread: 2003 Tank Retrofit Thread 1) MG changed the frame length in 2002 for the V11 Sport/LeMans, making the "spine" noticeably longer in an attempt to quell complaints about "squirrelly" handling at speed with the 00-01 V11 Sport models. This essentially slowed the steering of the 2002+ bikes, which to some was an improvement, but to others a disadvantage as compared to the "faster" steering 00-01 bikes. I am not certain if the longer frame(as well additional frame bracing) was included in the 2001 Rosso Mandello, but I believe it was, as this model incorporated many characteristics that would show up later 2002 bikes. 2) When MG changed to the longer frame, there was now also a noticeably larger "gap" between the nose of the tank, and the triple tree. This is because although MG lengthened the frame in 2002, they did not change the tank design. 3) In 2003, MG switched to a new tank design that is physically larger, especially in regard to length, than the prior model tanks. This new design was to accomodate the new in-tank fuel-system(pump, filter, etc), and also allowed the unsightly "gap" on the 2002 models to be tightened up again as of 2003+ where the nose of the tank now again covered the oil vapor recovery hose/fitting, and made for a more finished look. Basically, we have two tanks: 00-02 with support for the legacy external fuel-system, and 2003+(not 2003 V11 Sport Naked model though, this bike was all 2002 spec) which has the new tank and in-tank fuel system. So, how does this apply to your primary concern/question?? ...well, not much I'm afraid, but I thought I'd offer the clarification on the tank design for our models. But there can be several causes for the condition you describe. Some could be as bad as bent triples/frame/fork, or as simple as the tank being incorrectly mounted. I would first see that the tank is correctly mounted and that the rubber mounts are not gone or deteriorated. This has been known to happen, and if they are damaged/gone, the tank would sit too low and too far foward. Another potential cause, although unlikely, is that your tank is a victim of the dreaded "Tank Suck" and has been deformed from plugged-up tank venting. This can cause the tank to "cave in" or even potentially "expand" and deform causing it to hit, rub, and wear in unusual ways. Check out the Vapor Lock and Tank Suck FAQ for more info. And of course, as mentioned, see if your fork locks are broken, or the frame is somehow bent. I would hope this last potential issue is not the case, as that could prove to expose some very serious issues as these bikes do not respond well to being hit up front(ask Carl Allison). Good luck, and let us know what you find. al

Yep, congrats I saw the note about the photo being taken on Hwy 25 in Central CA, which I have ridden on my old FJ1200 and my LeMans many times

*if* VL related, and *if* interested Vapor Lock FAQ ....I spent months and months researching this, shielding pumps and lines, and even relocating the pump. Ultimately the only real/sure solution is to ditch the external system and go with a 2003+ tank. However, shielding the pump, and making certain the fuel lines are not in close proximity to the "hot bits" can help. Also, moving the pump to the old Sport-1100i/Centauro location "out front" of the engine seems to cure this problem. Good luck

Yep, mine are powered via relay, direct feed from the battery, but switched via a tap into the fuse block(I forget which circuit), and I used the empty fuse location to for a new fuse for the grips. ...although, for some reason my grips stopped working last year, and with the move, I haven't bothered to look into it I figure I'll just rewire them anyway when I put on the new bars later. al

Well hey, that's a good response so far considering the time of year(holidays) At this rate, we'll have a pretty big Carolinas/Georgia/Virginia V11 Sport/Lemans contingent I generally don't do the rally thing per se, but we'll see. It seems like a lot of the MG bunch in this area is more attached the MGNOC, so maybe I'll have to break down and actually join to get the newsletter Anyway, in the next months, we'll definitely have to see if we can corral some of the local/regional MG folks for a ride, etc. If possible, it would really be nice to get the V11 folks together for a lunch/ride sometime. ...hope everyone had a safe and exciting New Years celebration al

OK, although perhaps a bit premature given we are still in the dead of Winter(although with admittedly very mild weather so far ) .... I've just recently moved to North Carolina from the SF Bay area of CA and was wondering who else in is my vicinity. So, I know we've got two folks in the Charlotte, NC area(davindav, and citimoto) and I am in the Raleigh(Cary) area... but thought I'd start a "roll call" of others in the vicinity, in the hopes that in the next months we can all work at getting together for rides, etc. Me? .... I live in Cary, NC, zip 27513 We'll probably be building a house this Spring/Summer and move out of Cary "proper" but remain in the general Raleigh area.

...have a safe and happy one all!