P3GA

Ditto: I agree completely with Mr. Natrix. I picked up a set used that were adorned by the M-G mandated "For Off-Road Use Only" tags, shined them up, they sound great without being obnoxious & look real purdy. And with the money I saved buying the aluminum pipes as opposed to the Ti's or Carbon's, I was able to squander the cash I saved on something else! (See my post this am on Givi soft bags). Phil Atlanta GA '02 Lemans

Changing direction a bit, I couldn't quite swallow the cost for a GIVI hard bag set-up or even purchasing the Tekno's from TLM or Motomecca & shipping them stateside (heck the shipping was about half the price of the bags!) for the limited number of trips I take each year. I've ordered a set of the GIVI T431 soft bags from R&L (Link below), which look pretty slick and were quite reasonable. They expand from 19 to 25 liters, I'll have a review & post some pictures of them mounted on the bike once received. http://www.cyclesaddles.com/home/Accessories/GIVI-T431.jpg Phil

I think BATES Leathers is right in your backyard, their work is great, and they have been around forever. There's good reasons why. Comparable quality to Vanson & SYED, which have been an East Coast racer's thing, Bates, Helimot, and others have catered to the left coast. (Kind of like how Pro Italia was the performance shop for the Western Duc owners, Ferracci for the East....) While I currently have a Dainese two piece suit which I like, an off the rack suit will never match the fit of custom made leathers. You'll appreciate the difference very fast. If I had to do it over again, I would have dug out my old suit specs & had the folks up North make up another for me. If you're thinking of investing this much $$ for multi-colored pieces of a cow, check out the custom suit makers. Really. Hope this helps. Phil

Sounds like all the kits were shipped out within a few days of each other, installed my kit over the weekend, pleasantly surprised how it looks. My only concern was the gaping hole where the bracket passes through after removing the original fender, that was handled by going to Ace Hardware & buying one of their kits to make washers (two sheets of rubber). A few cuts with the X-acto knife, run the wires through, and lay the sheet over the hole. Done. With this kit, I might have shut myself out from being able to install the Tekno bags, appreciate any thoughts on that. Phil Atlanta GA '02 LeMans

Thanks for the info Frank, once you've received & installed the risers, please share how everything went. Phil

Did anyone ever confirm availability & pricing into the states for the Das Mototec risers? I'm interested if (as a group) one of our dealer members is placing an order. Thanks, Phil Atlanta GA '02 Le Mans

Andy, might just make it over on Friday for the practice sessions, weather dependant. Looks like I'll have an appointment with a wheelbarrow, shovels, and 4 cubic yards of mulch over the weekend. I have extras if you (or other list members) would like to help, will trade one beer for every wheelbarrow full that's spread...... Phil Atlanta GA

After letting the bike cool post-ride, I started jockeying the bike back to it's designated space in the garage. This usually involves making a three point turn while straddling the bike, missing the kid's toys and the bride's car in the process. In any case, while moving backward, loud groans eminated from the shaft / final drive area. Is this an indication that the bearings / joints need greased, or......? Thanks, Phil

Has anyone had any experience with this product? Moto Guzzi Shop.com announces partenership with the TECHLUSION PERFORMANCE GROUP Moto Guzzi Shop.com now offers the Techlusion Fuel Injection Box for fuel injected Moto Guzzi’s. By Techlusion Performance Group Mark Dobeck, the original founder of Dynojet is at it again. Often called the master of fuel injection, Mark has developed an affordable way to adjust your fuel injection system to accommodate modifications to your motorcycle's exhaust system, air cleaner, or engine components. The simplicity of installation and adjustment provides anyone the ability to achieve an optimum fuel mixture setting for their motorcycle in all riding situations. A major advantage the TFi enjoys over other modules is that it is load based. Other modules only take into account throttle position and R.P.M. The TFi reads those inputs, but it also takes into account the load the engine is under. Rolling on the throttle going up-hill to pass a truck while riding two-up pulling a trailer puts a much different load on an engine than running the same bike through the gears while riding solo on flat ground. Even though you may encounter the same throttle positions at the same R.P.M.s in both situations, the engine's fuel requirement will not be the same because it is not under the same load. The TFi module allows you to tune the fuel injection much the same way you jet a carburetor. There are four adjustment "pots" to tailor the fuel delivery for your application. · The green "pot" functions like the fuel mixture screw and pilot jet on a carburetor to adjust light throttle operation through highway cruising and steady throttle. · The yellow "pot" functions like an accelerator pump on a carburetor. It adds fuel as the throttle is opened. · The red "pot" functions like a main jet on a carburetor to add fuel on top end. · The RPM "pot" adjusts at what R.P.M. the green and yellow fuel addition stops and the red fuel setting takes over. The TFi module includes scotchlock taps which allow you to quickly and easily splice into your stock wiring harness. There's more info on the website following this.......

Also, in a post late last week, one of the list members mentioned that a friend was in the process of fabricating cans for him, hopefully we'll get additional information & photos when they completed. I know that I'm interested, as I truly wonder how much "black magic" goes into the development of these exhaust cans. Seems like the biggest challenge would be to get the inlet size correct and the pipe bends made in such a fashion that the flow was not affected - more impact would be realized upstream of the cans - whether it be tweaking the air intake, F.I., or via crossover pipe. I think I'm getting a bit more skeptical the older I get. My wife just reminded me that I'm much more of a pain in her ass too.... Phil

I heard the Staintunes this weekend on another rider's Le Mans, they did sound very good. I could of sworn - but now I can't find it - some comments about using a pair of reverse cone mufflers (Saintune? Emgo?) on a V11..........with the lines of the Le Mans, it might look & sound pretty darn good, the 'seat of the pants' evaluation was favorable. Appreciate any leads or comments on this one, I may be hallucinating, but want to check out all options for my LeMans before laying out the cash..... Phil

Checked out the website, was disappointed to find that the "Jug Hugger" was, in fact, a line of exhausts..... So if this Bub exhaust works on the older Sports 1100 & the V11 series, any reason why some other company's offering for Sport 1100 exhausts / cans wouldn't work on the V11 series? I'm still having sticker shock at the price of an aftermarket exhaust + Power Commander or the M-G option. Yes I'd like a little more 'presence', but having a hard time justifying the $$ outlay. Go fish for cans that were designed for the Sport 1100 & more options can be found at reasonable prices. Appreciate anyone's thought / comments. 55 degrees in Atlanta @ 6:20 AM. Goin' riding. Have a safe weekend. Phil

Oh oh. As I've just acquired an '02 Le Mans with about 5800 miles and a "buttery-smooth" transmission where shifts end up in neutral / between gears if I'm not careful, I'd appreciate a quick synopsis of what I should be on the look out for.... Thanks, Phil

Dave Richardson at Moto International (Seattle) mentioned in an e-mail to me that he had received some new windshields, they might be the same or similar. Granted that was a couple weeks back, but still might be worth a call (206.297.3822). I'd ferret out the info, but I'm heading to the airport right now, and it's 7:20 am out there.. Phil