al_roethlisberger

No new info from State-side(I think I am one of maybe two folks here that have done the conversion), but here is the dual-plug FAQ: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2355 .... I don't know of too many folks on the forum that bothered with the conversion, but it would be good to get some feedback from others if so, so I can update the FAQ if necessary. Good to see you back Rudi, where have you been? al

Thanks guys, great quick response on the crank That's a relief. Tom, The "new" Moto Italiano in San Jose, is on West San Carlos, just one building removed from the intersection of Meridian and WSC(Safeway, Walgreens, GE Appliance store). It is located between the new construction on the corner(across Meridian from Walgreens) that is going to have a Starbucks, etc. and the self-storage complex. It is on the opposite side of the street from San Jose BMW, which is a bit further down WSC toward 880. Moto Italiano is in the old two story building that used to have the custom HD shop in there(Trident Customs?), which is now in the rear BTW. They've just about got everything setup, and it's a much more spacious shop than the one was in San Mateo. I think, especially with the long windows along WSC, Moto Italiano will get a lot of exposure in this new location. I'm not sure when they'll actually be open, but it looks to be soon.... al

Well, I dropped by Moto Italiano's new shop(still not officially open) in San Jose this afternoon to see how the bike reassembly is going. Duane, the service tech, had my bike's parts neatly categorized/organized, and the engine itself mostly assembled. His estimate was that the bike should be ready in a couple days. However, he had an odd preliminary observation that concerned him, and consequently me, a bit. With the engine block on the table, crank and conn-rods installed, one could grab the tail of the crank and physically move the crank forward and back about 1/16th of an inch(it seemed). Although the pistons, jugs, and other components were not yet installed, this initial observation seemed unusual. With that in mind, with just the crank installed into the block, how much(if any) free play should the crank exhibit... "free play" meaning front/rear(non rotating) play? And if none, or neglibly none, what is the first culprit to suspect and inspect to correct the problem? I don't doubt that Duane will have it figured out himself, as he seemed quite knowledgeable and conscientious, however I wanted to get an idea myself. That being said, the shop that balanced the crank seems to have done a nice job Also of interest is that my stock pistons seem to have been worn, especially the left piston, on the skirts. The teflon coating on both sides of my left piston had the coating worn off down to aluminum as if the piston had be moving around, or the jug had been odd al

...I always tell them outrageous things Like the time I was offered a free "Home Health Encyclopedia".... and just told them I was a doctor. ...or if they offer you health insurance, or credit card insurance... tell 'em you are dying. That'll make them quit offering the coverage al

BMW is making some pretty funky stuff these days, so depening on which way the "influence" goes Reuters Reports on BMW and Aprilia Joint Efforts Discussions

I've heard kegel excercises can help with that

If you want to make some all aluminum bodywork while you are at it, let us know

Here is the "How To" thread: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2719 .... not a whole lot more info than what's already been synopsized, but a bit more that might be helpful. al

Here is the headlight rewire thread: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...67&hl=headlight I bought my relays/relay-sockets from Summit racing for around $30 I think. They are the normal sized relays one gets with foglight kits, etc... not the micro relays we have. This is a good think IMHO, as the "mini"(normal sized) units should be more durable long term. al

ahh, well I guess the RM doesn't have a "plate" like the Tenni then

Didn't Aprilia just sink a ton of money into modernizing the line(s) at the plant? ..... often cited as one of the "bad investments" Aprilia made prior to the insolvency? I also have heard before that large portions of the old factory currently go unused, and the whole complex is about 5km across. If so, one could theoretically continue to modernize one section without impacting the line. If all that's true, it seems less likely that Piaggio would simply cut and run. Further, Piaggio probably recognizes the value of Guzzi's roots as much as anyone, being an Italian company itself. That's no gaurantee of course, but I think it bodes well. We'll see I guess. Time will tell al

Wow, ya'll wrote quite a tome here, and I honestly have to say that I think several points got lost/confused along the way .... at least I know I am unsure of a couple positions following all the verbiage Anyway, I'm not taking any particular side, as each dealer/business has to decide what works well for them in their market. But I will say that I attempt to purchase items from my local dealer if possible, as it's just more convenient to drive a few blocks than wait for days. However, up to just this month, the nearest dealer was almost an hour away, and that dealer doesn't typically stock some of the oddball items I want. Some he can order, some he typically doesn't. And even if he did, I'm back to waiting for days or weeks. So, if it's something I know I need, and isn't something I know my dealer has in stock, I often do buy over the Internet/Phone But I do try to buy what I can from them, although admittedly it doesn't work out to much. However I have a very good working relationship with my dealer. That being said, I am very grateful that they have so far been willing to install parts I have sourced from elsewhere when necessary. Of course, I pay full shop rates, but then again this happens very infrequently as I usually can and do install most things myself. The only recent exception is that whilst doing the engine case swap, they are putting in my new pistons, cam, and valve-springs from Mike Rich, for which I'll pay the additional labor of course. And I'm having them balance the engine. Not disparaging any other shop's policies, all I can say again is that I really appreciate my shop's willingness to at least entertain installing parts they don't normally source. al

What's the cost going to be? When you have some protos, let's see some pics

I did the headlight rewire last year, and it worked well.... but I'd love to have the redundancy of two bulbs. al

Check out this one on the Centauro Owners Group: I know nothing about this bike, nor the hugger pictured. But it appears to be more "full coverage" and made from CF. It could be a custom piece for all I know The bike is owned by Clyde Gale, so maybe someone on the COG could ask about it if interested. http://www.centauro-owners.com/ al

Hey Enzo, I think I found the long lost cousin to your bike: * From the Centauro Owners Group gallery

I didn't find the model shown above at xenondepot.com ? But from a quick look through, their products look to be non DOT and conversion kits for our OEM reflector/H4 base. I don't think they would perform as well as the kit from Speaker al

Although I think this is a better fit for the LeMans, given the diameter... check out this thread: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4527 al

Well, given that this is a Dynotec bike, I'm sure that the engine is far from stock... and punched out to 1225cc. So, I wouldn't expect the average stock Daytona to keep up with a R1. While this Daytona ran nearly head-to-head with the R1, the R1 looked to be stock, and an older model itself. One used to be able to buy these types of engines complete, and the pricing is posted somewhere in a thread.... but they weren't cheap, at all. So it's not really a fair comparison, unless one is quite wealthy. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of MG and pushing the envelope to show what the products can do against the latest tech... but I am also realistic that without a lot of $$ and skill, all things otherwise being equal.... even a 600cc modern sportbike from any of the big 4 will leave most MG products in their dust. I'm ok with that though, as it's more than pure HP, speed, and performance that attracts me to MG. Fun article though, from what I could glean. al

Here is the thread for where I mounted mine: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...ic=967&hl=pciii ...however, with the 2001 and earlier Sports(or just 2000?) the rear carapace is solid foam on the sides, versus concave on the later bikes. Obviously this location offers less access for adjusting the PCIII via the buttons, but if you don't perform this function often, then it's less of an issue. But this may still be helpful. al

Although you may not know the answer since you are simply passing on this info, I wonder what is meant by "The new line up will be maybe the V11 & EV Touring" .... does "V11" mean just the "V11 Naked(Sport)" or one of the "V11 cruisers"? It's too bad the LeMans is on haitus, but perhaps a new platform will bring the LeMans name back to the forefront of performance bikes in the future, versus just a badge engineered Sport. I would welcome that I'm sure tough times are ahead, but I think they offer a lot of opportunity for MG if executed upon. And if the old models like the Sport have to fade away for some advancements... well that's progress.... after all, the model is six years old, and that's pretty long in dog(motorcycle) years al

.... and you're just now figuring this one out? Heh, just giving you a hard time Yes, this is a popular modification

I am sure you are correct, but this is the state of things as they stand today never-the-less Of course one can drop a kit into either to bump the displacement a couple hundred cc, and throw the whole debate to the wind.... but as delivered stock, the "old" 4V is only marginally better, and "better" defined by perhaps how one rides.... than a "current" well tuned stock 2V. Again, I am sure that if someone continued to have developed the 4V engine over the last decade, or even began tomorrow... advances could be made As to why Guzzi has given up on the 4V, the reasons I gave were followed with an interogative... in that the reasons given are known speculation. Perhaps one day we will know the real story, and indeed your suspicion may be spot on. I have no idea. Regardless though, the future of the 4V seems to have reached its finale.... at least so far al

Not all the bikes have a "logo" or anything else there.... it just depends on the model. On the Rosso Mandello, I believe that if yours is one of the first 300 of the "limited edition" versions, you would have a number plate there. If you have one of the .... MG: "well, gosh... we sold a whole bunch of the limited edition RMs, so why don't we just make a couple hundred more" version... then you won't have a plate there. MG made 300 limited edition versions, then followed on another few hundred more, un-numbered, making the RM not so "limited" anymore al

...come on now, have some respect... he's dead after all http://german.about.com/library/blmus_falco.htm Let's all have a moment of silence for “Der Kommissar”