al_roethlisberger

This is great, although I've already built my own as of last year. Given the tight fit inside the headlight bucket of the LeMans, and the special connector between the harness and H4 socket to the outside of the bucket, there may still need to be some minor modifications to these harnesses to make them fit, but nothing too major. Great find al

Cleaning the caliper/pads with a good soaking of brake cleaner stopped my groaning the first time, and the second time it recurred a while later. I just pulled the caliper, hung it in a big coffee can, and just about emptied a spray can of cleaner... and tons of black crud washed out. al

Mike, I don't mind so much that you are selling the bike, but goodness... you joined back in November of 2002, and you only have 17 posts?! al

Thanks Tom, but even I've forgotten what it looks like at this point I called them for the last two days, and they "can't get a spark".... but "didn't have time to really look deeply into it today". That worries me I've been way to busy to be able to drop by the shop these last two weeks, but I think I may make time tomorrow or Friday to have a chat and see what the deal is. al

Everyone has always said that as the "baby boom bubble"(mostly a phenom in the USA) moves through this segment in time, things at HD will eventually be impacted as their customer base ages. Anyone think this is the start? ...is the "craze" about to start fading? ...or is this just a minor bump? http://www.fool.com/News/mft/2005/mft05041311.htm al

That is a nice one, although I like the ~89 models that ditched the 16" wheel in front, and had some better brakes. I keep an eye out for these every so often for nostalgia's sake

That's true, I forgot that as of '02, MG added additional frame bracing in the front engine cradle, behind the transmission, and two braces along the side of the transmission. al

Carl, I am beginning to think that someone has put a curse upon you. What did you do?

....now are you asking about a 2:1 system, or a "dual exhaust" that simply is swept to one side? If the former, yes many of these have been made, although I don't know of a kit one can buy. That being said, it is a relatively easy thing to do. Just go with the stock sized tubing, and make sure the headers are equal length(which will require some creative bending). A good 2:1 system will be a good performer, but most v-twin owner eschew them simply on visual and audio aesthetics Enzo/Captain Nemo did indeed make his own, and you can do a search on "cobra" to find some photos here or on Wildguzzi. You can also visit his forum: http://p209.ezboard.com/btherollingcrowmotorcycleclub ...it looks like he pared down the forum there, but if you ask for photos, I'm sure he'll gladly point you to some al

...or just buy some Yeah yeah, I'm in a smart-alec mood today. It's tax time

.... exactly Neat

... carbs? .... "big difference"? Well, glad to hear it worked out for you But honestly I'm surprised you noticed any real difference, unless something was horribly wrong with your plumbing from the factory prior. Honestly, removing the EVAP kit shouldn't make any noticeable difference in performance, other than perhaps removing 10lbs of crap from the bike But hey And, yeah... carbs... since the bike is EFI, those are your throttle bodies, and intake plenum/runner Here are some relevant threads on the subject for those interested: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=167&hl= http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...39&hl=cannister http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...61&hl=cannister

This will mostly be a matter of personal preference when it comes down to it. If you can get a good look at an 00-01 series bike, an 02, and a true(see below) 03+ bike... that may make up your mind for you. The 03+ bikes have some changes that I think are "significant", and would be nigh impossible to retrofit inexpensively to earlier bikes if you found them attractive. So it is good to do your homework first indeed, so that you get what you really want IMHO, if the price ends up being fairly close, I'd personally opt for the '03. However, if the '01 is significantly less, and well appointed and taken care of... then the differences may not justify the price. But on the other hand, with prices falling rapidly on NOS/used 03 bikes, the difference between a similarly well ketp 00, 01, 02, and 03 will become smaller over time. Personally, I think the 03+ bikes are much better sorted from the factory, and do have some changes(some being improvements) over 2001 and earlier bikes. The only real advantage, other than entry price and aesthetics(colors), that an 00-01 bike may over the 03 have is the shorter frame which does make it a "quicker steering" bike as stock. This issue is a matter of personal preference, quicker steering versus "rides on rails" stability, but the 02+ bikes with the longer frames can be made to steer nearly as quick with the right choice of tires, and suspension tweaking. One word of warning though, many of the '03 V11 Nakeds I have ever seen are really '02 spec bikes, sold as '03s... but don't have the '03 "improvements". You will want to check into that with regard to the '03 Naked you are considering, if the 03 changes are what drive you to buy that bike. See my comments on this subject in this recent thread: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4918 So briefly, in your case, if the '03 V11 Naked you are looking at has the white gauges, a "tank chin pad", and "fuzzy" textured black engine paint... I'd lean toward the '01, as the only thing you are getting with the '02 spec bike is a slightly longer frame, that's it... and the defective fuzzy black drivetrain(Do a search on "fuzzy", "bubbling", or "paint" to check into the recall issue). You also may want to do a "search" for "03", "2003", "differences", etc... and you'll find many threads of this type where folks have asked about the differences between the model years. In the end, I think any of the years will be satisfying, so you really can't "go wrong", but it doesn't hurt to try to find the model that you'd be satisfied with the most long-term. ...and of course, if money isn't an object... short of changing out the frame, there isn't any feature of any of the model years that you can't change or retrofit/adapt if you really want to. And that's the beauty of bikes like these, that they really are only a "base" as delivered from the factory, for you to build upon and make your own bike. Good luck! al

..... man, if you didn't just jinx yourself there, I don't know what will

Fortunately(for me, as it keeps me from spending more $$ ) ... personally I don't find that most of his parts fit the aesthetic of the V11's design very well

I love the angular tanks of the SP, orig LeMans, Sport, etc... I especially like the ones on bikes like the 1000S that have the angular bumps that protrude over the heads And of course, I like real badges versus decals: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...c=2395&hl=badge al

...nuts I know the Ohlins forks(if that is also what the green Sport had retrofitted) are worth about $1000 used, but good grief.... I can't believe they go to the trouble of just ripping off the front of the bike. Very weird

Well, honestly in my humble opinion.... MG has had some "design challenges" with tank design for the last ~decade I love my Le Mans, but honestly the tank on the V11 could have been a bit more elegantly executed. The cruiser "paisly shaped tear drop" tanks are just plain ugly(a matter of opinion ) and leave that huge gap in front between their leading edge and the head-tube. And the Sport 1100 tank, while not really bad per se, is uninspired at best. ...and don't get me started on the Centauro MG should really look to their heritage for inspiration. It wasn't that long ago that some brands were closely identified with their tank designs, and it might be a good idea for MG to consider the same(which at this point in their life cycle I guess can be said for the cruisers to be fair). Some of the classic tanks of past MGs were simple and elegant. al

FYI: if interested, there is a NOS left lower SP fairing on eBay right now. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...4542664004&rd=1 al

I read an article on the Indian a while back, and found it interesting. It was a design study for the US army in WWII, but they ended up not using it widely. They are collectors items now, but don't seem to be very desireable.... I guess because they weren't widely used. al

Yep, this is what was related at the dealer's meeting.... focus on the new bikes, big and baby Breva, Griso, Nevada, and phase out all the other models, except maybe keeping one "V11" model. But I'm not sure if that means a V11 Sport or Cruiser. But as mentioned, MG has quite a bit of old stock at this point, so regardless of what we hear today, the standard old models will continue to trickle out until they are gone. And by then, MG/Piaggio may have some new models up their sleeves, who knows. They did specifically say no more V11 Le Mans though, again except what is left. al

Yeah, that's a good one... I watched it like 10 times this weekend when I needed a "pick me up" ...what an idiot.

... you know, I've never really had any interest in fixed wing flying, but have always wanted to learn to fly choppers. It looks like a blast. So, back on topic.... hrmmm, not sure. The oil pump is mechanical, so you shouldn't hear anything from it after the engine is shut off. Similarly the fuel pump gets killed as soon as you turn off the ignition or run/stop switch. Dunno. Where is the sound coming from? al

Ah, this is one of those threads I can't read past the first 6 or so posts.... ever since the forum crashed a while back So I'll just add a reply and see what happens al

...just call around to some shops, or someone here may have a set. There should be quite a few "take offs" running around from folks that have fitted different bars. You should also check eBay. But just as an aside, I've heard of folks wanting to "slow down" the steering of the 00-01 series bikes that had the shorter frame, but even those weren't considered unstable per se. And as of 2002 with the longer frames, a lot of folks thought the bikes were not only now "rock solid stable" but almost too slow to turn in comparison. Are you sure you don't have another suspension, tire, etc... issue before fitting new bars and raising your triples? al