al_roethlisberger

...nope, never heard of it before, but it may have happened to others I suppose it's possible that some of the mesh/baffling that lines the stock crosssover may have come loose. You can get nearly free OEM crossovers if you watch eBay, or just ask around here.... for someone's take-off when they changed out to a Stucchi, FBF, etc... They rarely sell for more than about $25. Or yeah, you can upgrade to something like a Stucchi for around $300. al

A search of the forum will return several recent threads on this subject, however here is a post of mine from one last week:

OK, well I've installed the Speed Bleeders on the clutch, and front/rear brakes with no problem. The 1010S is the correct unit for the clutch and rear brake, although the 1010S is almost too long to work in the clutch slave as the stock design is a bit different(OEM doesn't have a conical end, and instead is blunt) but it will fit with care. And the SB8125L is the correct fit for the front brakes. .....works like a charm And be sure to get their "IV Bag" for disposing of the fluid. It's very helpful. al

I had a Shoei RF-800 for a few years, and then replaced it with an RF-900 My friend had the Arai Quantum, and it is a nice helmet, but it just didn't fit my head well al

Just last week I had my seat done by Rich Maund. That material is the 'Basketweave' sorounded by leather-like vinyl. Exactly like mine. I had Rich add a bit (1/2"?) to the seat height. And in conjunction with the peg relocators, it is very spacious. I highly recommend Rich Maund for your seat. My boots have a slight rise for the heel, but not a 'step' as on dress shoes. I also have to lift my foot for a downshift, but just sliding it forward for the upshift works for me, and I am also a size 12. I am going to try to adjust the rear brake pushrod length as that is an awkward position. ken Ken, what's your inseam length? I ask because I have a ~31 inch inseam, and even with my Corbin which was cut to lower the height a bit(but it's very wide, which exacerbates reach issues) I can't quite go flat footed on the bike.... aaaaaaaaaalmost, but not quite. But I'd like a tad more legroom between the seat and pegs, but don't really like the Evo kit for me.... so maybe a slightly higher seat? Anyway, I'm just curious about the seat height you got with Rich's seat, your inseam length, and ultimate reach. Thanks! al

As usual you've procrastinated to long. The good folks at MPH have let me have a truck load of used tires. What I dont use for swings & buring up stumps I'll throw in the ditch. ...ahh, I envisioned them out in the yard in front of the trailer as cut tire tulip-shaped planters ...or something equally classy as this

If nothing else, I think I know his real name... ...how's that? His bike AFAIK: ...that sure is a CLEAN bike TX. How do you have time to ride with all that polishing? And I'm sure that blue billet clutch reservoir cover really adds some HP

Yep... don't need this kit myself, as I ride a 2002... but again, great work Aaron This is the kind or ingenuity and sharing of ideas/solutions that our small community thrives upon since we don't have throngs of owners that more numerous makes/models take advantage of al

Mike Stewart HIGHLY recommends the Pirelli Diablo Corsa for the wider-rimmed 2002+ bikes, with the stock size. Although he's got a 2000 Sport as well, he says that with the Pirellis, he is seeing similarly fast turn-in on the new bikes with this tire, it's got great grip, and is lasting very well. I think he said he has 3000 miles on the rear, and it still looks good, which is good for a soft compound tire. They'll be my next choice. al

Well, since I was swapping out my plates, I went ahead and shot one of the old ones with this paint as a test. ...let me just first say how surprised I was to the degree the original paint has faded to a more orange tone than originally. But as shown in the photo below, this paint actually comes out quite nice. It's a slightly deeper red, but it looks just "anodized" as the original paint does, or at least very close. I shot it over the original paint, and over the bare aluminum. Based on the observed differences in the finish, I would recommend priming the aluminum with a silver just as MG did under their red paint. Otherwise the finish is inconsistent over the bare aluminum. I wouldn't say it's necessarily a good "touch up", as again, it is a slightly darker/redder red, but certainly if one had fairly marred plates, you could remove them and paint them in an afternoon, maybe add some clear for protection... and have nice looking plates for the riding season. Anyway, it's just an inexpensive alternative to powder coating, although I'm sure it is far less durable. But it is convenient, and again, quite cheap. al

Yep, if it's the stock black Bitubo damper we all have, it's adjustable.... about 20 clicks if I recall. As mentioned above, just grab the black knob at the far end of the chrome shaft, and turn it clockwise for more damping, and counter for less(or vice versa, I forget). It might be a bit stiff if it's never been turned, but it will. To answer your question, I don't think MG has ever released a non-adjustable version of these, but I've never seen one that isn't. Anyway, you should notice a significant difference in steering effort at both extremes of the damper's settings, but probably not too much granularly in between as it's sorta a cheapo damper My "busted" one was pretty obvious It was leaking fluid all over the shaft, and it felt like there was "gravel" inside the thing when you moved it through it's range of motion al

I too have thought about installing junction/barrier strips now that I have something like 5 rings on each terminal what with heated grips, upgraded horns, and a Powerlet outlet on the bike. A lot of the guys on Sport-touring.net do this to ease adding hookups. But I have to say that honestly though, the battery itself on the V11 and even the terminals are pretty easy to get to compared with some other bikes and cars I've had. I really can't complain As I've said, I've got about 5 rings on each terminal now, and it's pretty easy to get them on. I guess it's all relative though al

Thanks for the info on the HyperPro. Does anyone have any opinions on the M Toby dampers, as I may be able to get a used one cheap(er). al

All the way to the clockwise(right) stop is maximum. This is typically the point where you adjust from, and back off the prescribed number of "clicks" al

Interesting, although I've never heard of Matris, nor have any idea with regard to long term durability Anyone? I wouldn't mind spending ~$200 on this damper if I could feel confident it would last such that I wouldn't have to worry about a blown damper again. Another "single tube" design is by HyperPro, but they are pricey, and again I just don't know much about them. Anyone have experience with them, especially in regard to durability? Then there's a used "MToby" damper on eBay from a Sport1100 from my friend Pete in the UK. I have never even heard of that make before, so anything anyone has to say(such as if it will fit the LeMans ) is helpful. I've got a note to Pete to measure the damper in comparison to the OEM Bitubo unit. al al

Thanks for the alternative .... and I'll take your word for it, but this sounds very shakey to me The advantage of the MG shop stand is that both the arms that the frame nuts sit upon/in, are joined together with the jack framework such that they cannot spread apart.... which would of course cause the nut to drop out of the slot/arm, and the bike to fall. Using separate shop/jack stands does not provide for this bracing and stability. After working with lots of automotive shop/jack stands over the years, I haven't found them terribly stable, and I would be very nervous about knocking the bike or stand in such a way to slip it off of either stand, or it's just working it's way off as I wrenched/yanked on the bike... causing disaster ...this would especially worry me if I were sitting on the bike with this pair of stands, versus the MG shop stand. YMMV, and if you feel confident with this method I wouldn't though. And BTW, the official shop stand is only about $140USD ... a pretty small investment for the security it provides IMHO al

....yesssssssss, that could make for a nasty surprise I've almost done it several times, but thankfully thought to check at the last moment al

heh... very true However, with the new baby showing up in less than a month, I don't think Denise will be begging for too many rides in the near future, nor is my outlook for any longish trips looking good for oh say... the next 6mo-1yr ....so, I thought I'd just "give it a try" with some higher mounts, and figured I could always swap them back out to the lower units when bagging or planning for a 2-up ride I'll contact Pete in the UK to see if he's got a set of the Sport1100 brackets lying about. I bet he's broken one down, and didn't sell a set... He's always got bits like this cheap. Although the the shipping is a bear al

..hrmm, interesting... anyone know any more about these? Dimensions? They are kind of an odd design though.... not sure if I like them or not Thanks al

Question: Has anyone found good replacements for the OEM Bitubo steering damper? On the non faired bikes like the V11 Sport, Cafe' Sport, Ballabio, etc... an Ohlins will bolt right up, but with the fairing on the LeMans, along with the air-deflector around the forks... only a single tube coaxial unit like the Bitubo will fit. This is why the Nero and Rosso Corsa are equipped with the Bitubo, instead of the Ohlins like Cafe' Sport, et al. So, since I am on my second Bitubo(The first one blew up, as they seem wont to do Thanks! al

P.S. If the answer to my question is "no".... I wonder how hard it would be to order the MG Ti kit brackets alone, or as a last resort get the dimensions such that I could have a machinist CNC a set

Question: Has anyone seen an aftermarket exhaust hangar/bracket similar to that as used on the Moto Guzzi Ti system, that mounts the exhaust cans a bit higher, and retains the passenger pegs? I am interested for two reasons: 1) What with the future availability of the MG Ti kit in question, I don't want to invest in that kit. Plus I don't need the modified ECU. 2) I already have a set of aftermarket Leo Vince Ti cans I am happy with ...so I just am interested in the brackets I have seen the bracket used by several of the TLM project bikes in Europe that have a very high mount bracket, but from what I could tell, this bracket did not include the mounting point for the passenger peg.... and are a bit higher than I like. However the bracket as used for the MG Ti kit seems to be a good compromise between the standard "low" bracket, and these more extreme high mount ones. So, has anyone seen a vendor making/selling brackets similar to the ones used with the MG Ti kit as I've described? ...again, they must retain the passenger pegs. Thanks! al

Naw, just take the check/tip-over valve off..... not worth a "warantee trip". Now, if your tank has cracked paint, or other failures/damage caused by the tank suck, then I would report that. ...but just take the valve off yourself. It's a 15 minute job, if that al

Excellent detailed report I've added this to the FAQ al

P.S. Be glad that MG didn't use the same disconnects that Triumph has used on all it's EFI bikes since about 1997. ALL of those bikes, to present, have been recalled to replace their plastic fuel disconnects, which regularly break in half after a few tank removals See MG isn't that bad http://t595.net/messageboard/thread.asp?thread=14821