al_roethlisberger

Rich covered the rest well, and although his answer about dry clutches being noisy is correct, the noise and scenario that Brian describes is the opposite of how the dual-plate clutch normally sounds(perhaps just a typo? ) As long as Brian doesn't have a single-plate clutch equipped bike(i.e. Rosso Mandello, Scura, Tenni) the clutch should rattle when the clutch lever is pulled *in*(clutch disengaged) on a standard dual-plate clutch equipped model. Single-plates tend to exhibit "rattles" in an opposite fashion(as Brian describes), although single-plate behavior and exceptions is an entirely different discussion about exploding flywheels and such Bottom line, a dual-plate shouldn't rattle when the clutch lever is out(clutch engaged).... at least that's my experience. al

As noted in another recent thread about red paint matching, MG does have paint codes for their bikes, but they aren't well documented, and no paint shops have those codes(typically), and no touch-up vendors make specific MG formulations either. ... perhaps someone has found a specific touch-up paint color that works OK, but if no one offers a suggestion, here's what I did for the original "pork chops" on my '02, which were the same color as your covers(well close anyway).... So what I did was .... I went down to my local drug store, and bought every bottle of nail-polish that I knew would be "close". I think I ended up with about 5, so a ~$10 investment... and then went home and made some sample paint chips, and with a little trial and error, found one that was "close" I doubt you'll find a perfect match, but you should be able to figure something out that is a reasonably close match, at least from a distance. al

If you are referring to the electric petcock on the 01-ish and earlier bikes, then.... yes, they are problematic in a number of ways. I don't remember "leaking" being one of them per se, but I can imagine that would be possible given other issues with the things I recommend changing out the electric ones to a manual one as one of the first things to do, as they are so unreliable... and the manual version is about $30 from MPH(if I recall). al

Yes, not for "end user" application. ...same, for powering the diag tools, from what I understand. As mentioned, Sachs Yep, that's the pressure regulator. It is a simply spring loaded diaphram, and many offer the capability to alter the fuel pressure via vacuum, hence the nipple. But it is unused in our application. Ignore it I have no idea WRT your questions on converting to reverse shift. al

Is she even old enough to ride? (ah hem... not so subtle double entendre most certainly intended My apologies )

...cool goodies Not that we hardly ever see them on this side of the pond al

Yeah, we had a pretty extensive "debate"(some might say one-sided diatribe on my part ) on this topic a while back.... and I am on your side of the argument. The Guzzi V-Twin is a longitudinal installation, per standard automotive(and MC) lexicon, and your analogy/examples. As I said elsewhere, if the MG engine were a V4(or more), it would be much more obvious. I really can't see that there is much to debate if one just looks at the the plane the engine rotates in, and it's aligment/relationationship with the long axis of the bike... but I suspect it will never-the-less be debated ad-nauseaum by many al P.S. I received the DVD, and THANKS I haven't had a chance to watch it yet what with the new job, replacind the totalled auto, etc... it's just been wild around here. But I will try to watch it ASAP

...purty I know the "look" well, very well

.... I always worry about people that talk about themselves in the first person plural

As I mentioned, I'll be very curious to see the long-term results of this modification, as I think it looks awesome What I'd like to see in the next "evolution" though, also as mentioned: 1) An "H" crossover tube between the lead-in tubes to the mufflers. This would address the tuning issues discussed, and increase the strength/durability of the whole system. 2) A slightly more direct path through the cans for the exhaust cans. Although, I can't imagine the flow is too awful with this cut-down OEM solution now that all the steel wool packing is gone I could live with option 1 only addressed ....but as it is now, I would be concerned about lack of cross-over, and the need for a little more "beef" down there holding it all together I love my Leo Vince Ti's, but this would be a great alternative, as I really like the "underslung" exhaust option for both practical and aesthetic reasons, but haven't liked the commercial alternatives currently out there, like the Quat-D. BTW, I know it's been asked, but do you have a "general feel" for what this would cost in real $$. al

That looks awesome , but I have two concerns: 1) These bikes seem to perform better with a 2:1 or at least "crossed over" system. So especially for those that do not have any front crossover(2002 and earlier), there may be some performance hit, although that is just an assumption. 2) We've seen quite a few exhausts, even the OEM units, shake themselves apart by cracking at the welds. It's hard to tell much from the photo, but I would suggest a *very* beefy bracket for mounting these cans, especially since the shell of the cans are aluminum... assuming it is welded to the aluminum shell. Anyway, point 1 is easily researched, and point 2 is just something to consider with regard to improving durability, if your guy hasn't already Again, great work though. I had thought about this a while back, and I'm glad to see someone executed on it, as it looks really great. ...will be curious to see the ongoing pricing for this conversion, and long(ish)-term performance/durability results. Excellent work al

Quat-D changed designs.... one has the older, the other the newer, design. I love that orange/red color. But although the hugger is cool, I still wish someone made a lightweight hugger like the one pictured, but was styled along the lines of the swingarm trellis, more like the OEM plastic one was. ....or better yet, one that sits on top of the swingarm(ala Yamaha R1) with no side bracing at all to hide the swingarm trellis, and just has a tongue that extends down in front of the tire inside the swingarm to protect from debris. I did see an aluminum job for the V11 as described above one time, but is was extremely pricey. al

Dave, I don't know what else to add, but I feel for you and your wife. We lost one of our cats of 8 years just a few months ago, suddenly, in one day... and it was very traumatic for everyone. They are members of the family. Best wishes to all, and I'm sure she was the happiest in her life... the time she spent with her family. al

....cool story. But ah yes... Amsterdam. I have walked the Centrum many a times at night And yes, the "red light district"... heh, what a joke. I mean, "it is what it is" ....but it's peddled to tourists as much more than it delivers. Silly tourist trap ...although the "Banana Bar"... hrmmm, that's something .... something odd for sure If I recall, I got hit by a flying ... errrr... "plastic-male-semblance" ... the time I went there with some colleagues from work al

I've got a good leather jacket, so I doubt I would get the top half... especially considering the comments about heat, as I am quite "warm natured". Although if I take another multi-day/multi-climate ride, I'll probably opt for a textile for the flexibility/storage it offers. I had a jacket by TourMaster that was also kinda hot, but ventilated well enough. Question: How well do the textile pants play with the Guzzi soft clearcoat? Some of these textile pants seem quite abrasive, and I've often wondered/worried that the pants would abrade the finish. al

Thank you ...those are some old pictures and info though, so once the engine is back together, I hope to get some updated info/pics for Tim. Oh, and one other thing about the later bikes, the rear rim(and consequently tire) is wider on the newer bikes. The general consensus is that the bike is "over-tired" in the back, which also slows steering. We can only guess that this was a styling choice for Guzzi, as the bike doesn't need such a wide piece of rubber out back Along with my prior comments on tire choice, going down a size in tire width(BTW, on both earlier and later bikes, but esp the 02+ bikes) dramatically quickens the steering, and changes the riding experience quite a bit. My personal thoughts are to first go to the Diablos, at OEM sizing... and check that out. Then if I still want to liven up the steering further, go down a size in the rear next time. al

BTW: Along with the slightly longer wheelbase on the 2002+ bikes, Guzzi added additional engine/frame bracing down under the transmission, and within the front engine/frame subframe to stiffen things up. And although the 2000-01 Sports will always be faster steering, I have heard from those that have owned both series, that appropriate tires on a 2002+ bike will bring it close to a 2000 in terms of flickability. The Pirelli Diablos come to mind in this regard. But as always, YMMV al

I opted for the new cases, as I planned to add some "go fast" parts in the process. Since I dropped the bike off right before the holidays, and coincidentally about the time that my dealer was moving locations, they still don't have it ready... but that's fine, as the weather has been sorta poor, and we were out of town for 2 weeks anyway The last I heard(last week), they were still waiting for the crank, etc.. to come back from the balancers... then it's a simply day's work to put it all back together. I'm hoping to hear something this week. al

... glad to hear you discovered this whilst not riding .... although I don't think it necessarily would have been catestrophic if it had You never know 'till it happens though As an aside, that's a sweet lightweight trailer they picked up your bike with al

...well, two quick comments: - If one is searching for "good beer" at a standard US supermarket, your chances of finding much are slim. However, if you go to a "beer/liquor supermarket" such as Beverages & More... you're likely to find better selection. - I can't stand beer(sorry guys ) ... and I've had several Euro friends try to "show me the error of my ways" over the years whilst in various locales in Europe, including Belgium and the Czech Rep... So with that in mind, to my first point... for folks like me that think pretty much all beer is bad, logically, any beer is equally as good So even the "cost cutter" yellow label generic beer at Kroger(yes, they actually used to sell that)... would probably be just as bad/good to my tastes ...as crazy as that sounds ....ok, well one qualifier that makes me a bit of a liar I guess. Stouts like Guinness are "less bad" to me al

.... the master cylinders/controls looks interesting. I like integrated metal MCs on controls, and would be a good "fit" on the LeMans, versus the "race repli" plastic cylinders al

I think that the MPH boys said that two lengths are available .... and a shift lever is in the works as well. al

....funny, but not surprising Good sleuthing I guess I got lucky and they put mine on correctly, about the only thing they got right in 2002 apparently

We got a totally smashed Honda Pilot(only 7 months and 9k miles old ) and whiplash ... We were only into the first day of our 3 day drive to Louisiana, when some young fella in a big black Ford Expedition decided to ram a Porsche, then us, at 70mph on I-10 outside of San Bernardino, CA... sending us into the guard rail, and ricocheting back into traffic. 7 hours from home, an evening for all 5 of us in the hospital(including the 6 month old ), then 2 days in a hotel with no shoes or clean clothes(they were in the smushed Honda in a salvage yard across town)... made for the start of a great Christmas vacation Oh yeah, and then when we finally did get back on the road with a rental, we hit a historic ice/snow storm in Texas that apparently makes everyone else, including the truckers, crash indescriminantly .... took 2 hours to go 30 miles outside of Abiline All in all, it seems to have worked out fine though. I guess we'll get a new(er) Honda(hey, it did its job ) and everyone was fine. We just got to the parents a few days late, and had to do all of our shopping on Christmas Eve.... now THAT was fun al P.S. The day before we left, the pipes under my house burst. Yeah, it was one of those trips

All of the V11 models have an exhaust crossover under the transmission linking both sides of the exhaust. Later models have two. As of 2003(in North America, late 2002 in Europe) the V11 Sport models(Naked, LeMans, etc) added a "front" crossover in front of the alternator. The addition of this front crossover supposedly added some low-end grunt, but also had some mounting problems where it works loose. But a local guy on the forum made some special metal gaskets to fix that issue. al