tmcafe

How did you know (well duh, it's a small world, lol). Hope whoever got the bags will be happy with them. I decided not to bid. Not really a priority for me right now. There's another option I haven't tried, but if I do I'll let others know. I'm thinking about Ortlieb bags (the quick attach version?) and since Happy Trails is here in town, I could check with them for some kind of simple rack that would fit. Another easy solution is just a pair of throw-over saddle bags. I wouldn't leave them on the bike anyway. I have an OEM system on my Dakar and never used it except for long trips.

Hello all, Wondering if the Tekno bags can be used along with the OEM rear rack. I've searched in the forum but couldn't find anything specific. Does anybody know? Thanks.

Thanks. That sounds better. The extra portion then maybe to allow for some sliding to compensate for heat expansion, or some compression of the two parts due to the motion of the swingarm? It still looks weird, as if it's not fully assembled.

Thanks. After I greased the driveshaft I wiped off all the extra grease that had leaked and kept an eye on any further leaks. But the driveshaft is still "detached" in the middle.

This sounds silly, but velofish's post makes me think if there's anything wrong with my driveshaft. When I took it apart and greased the front zerk a while ago, I was careful to put it back together with the marks lined up (checked the U-joint crosses too). I never had a problem installing back the wheel axle. However, there's a gap between the two shaft parts, enough that about 1/4 in or so of bare metal from the front part still shows. What gives? Should I worry?

Keep us posted how the D R works for you, on dry and wet. Don't know of any V11 experiences with this tire as of yet.

Tire threads, oil threads... The manufacturers differ in terms of their recommendations. Metzeler says go with theirs (32/36 minimum), Michelin says go with bike manufacturer's (which sometimes appears too low). One rule I've learned from some sources is to check pressure when cold as usual, and then see how much it raises after you've done some riding, including high speed, twisties, whatever you do. Pressure should go up by about 10% (somewhere I saw 5% in the front). But some say you can't go wrong pumping up your tires to max on sidewall.

You guys talking about S100 Engine Brightener, or S100 cleaner? As far as SG, I sometimes mix it half and half with kerosene, just shake it in the bottle and it ends up like a fairly stable emulsion, still water soluble.

LOL

lol. Maybe with subtitle: "wired and chained"

Location and time: Istanbul, Turkey, near the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet)--forgot the street name, August 2008. Couldn't find out who the owners were, but it wasn't staged

" CHARGE PROBLEM,NEED HELP,MIGHT SELL!" Now you can donate the bike to a raffle for the v11lemans members

Sounds good Tom, thanks!

Thanks guys! Seems that turning the LH idle screw is the thing to try, which Micha also suggested. However, as the manual says, will that include balancing the TBs ? (I've got a Twinmax) Funny thing is, the more I'm working out these little glitches, the more I love this bike. This forum has played a good part too...

Like most, I too like simple solutions. Since the fast idle lever seems to (at start, barely) do the job, I was thinking about pretty much the same thing. But won't that mess with the TPS setting?

Thanks Greg! This is good to know. Makes my 120 C look almost normal. (late at night when it's cool it goes only to about 80-85 C). I put in dino because the engine's still breaking in; I remember many say go synthetic only after at least 10k miles. If that's not an issue, I'll go synthetic right away (I've got plenty, including a case of Elf 10W-50 SG PAO synth--hope that works). You're right that best oil is cheaper than all the other options. I remember vaguely feeling the steering being heavier. Is it because the gas expansion due to heat? Does oil increase in volume with heat (though it's not compressible)? How many clicks from closed do you usually have on your s/d?

Thanks dabore. Don't know about cat bikes, US ones came without. Also even the sticker on the swingarm says 1100. Again, if I keep the fast idle lever partly on, just enough to rev around 1100, all is well. Your previous post adds to my reluctance to mess with the TPS, because otherwise the bike runs fine. Plugs were correctly gapped and cleaned, but I could take a look again. Oil dumped was motorcycle Valvo 10W-40 (dino). Replaced it with 20W-50, same brand. (planning not to go under 50 from now on). OEM filter should be okay too.

Thanks Garsdad. Good to know it's not just my bike. In the meantime I've found some posts dealing with the effect of heat on the engine. Here's a very useful one: Summer Oil Temps

Thanks Cliff. I know low idle means low oil pressure, so I've been keeping the revs to at least 1k since. Still surprised about the temp. I don't get to sit long at traffic lights in this small town, and 120˚C is still too much. Edit: FWIW, I remember that riding at highway speeds in low temps (around/below freezing) would get the engine fairly consistent to about 80˚ C (around 175˚ F), but I don't know how that rates.

Thanks for your comments raz. The most competent members here have said it enough that the red light on is often too little too late, and stopping the engine before anything else isn't just optional. The bad sensor was suspected first, but it's likely not the case, as the light goes off as soon as I start the engine. However, the engine is still getting too hot in my opinion. Even after a mellow ride with revs kept around 3k, the temp is about 100˚C (212˚F). It's summer, but not that hot. Also the idle is still low (when starting the bike, the "choke" pushed to max will barely keep the revs around 1000. I can try to adjust the idle to 1100 on the bike's tach at least (TPS included). Something else I can think of is that the bike may be running too lean, hence the overheating. Can't tell why, since otherwise the bike has been running smooth since I got it from MI. More suggestions would help.

The other day I noticed the idle seemed lower than usual. While it had always a bit low--just under 1000 on the tach with engine warm, this time it kept low even after a few miles, to the point that at least once at a stoplight it felt like the engine was about to stall. I kept on riding and played with higher revs (no more than 6.5k) in several gears. The bike seemed to work okay, but the idle kept hovering around 500. After about 40 miles as I was riding back into town, the dreaded red light came on as I was about to take off at a traffic light. It was a matter of couple seconds before I turned the engine off and pushed the bike on the sidewalk and into a parking lot. Worse, the temp dipstick showed 120˚C (that's almost 250˚ F). Crap! Another loose filter case? Low idle caused low oil pressure? And why the overheating? Anyway, I took Micha's advice, who said he wouldn't try to start it again, and that I should drop the sump and check to see if there was a problem. Later got the bike towed compliments of Moto Guzzi, and the next morning I dropped the sump. Oil clean of any bits, filter very tight just as I had installed it, nothing in the mesh screen (I replaced the oil anyway). Micha said that I could start the bike, and that it may be a bad pressure sensor. Well, no red light this time, but I fiddled with the "choke" and didn't let the idle drop under an indicated 1100 or so. I'm still wondering about a few things. 1. What caused the idle to drop (I thought maybe I accidentally messed it up while I was trying to mount the new shock I got back recently)? 2. What caused the overheating? (maybe some relatively high revs at lower speeds? ; outside temp lower 90s I guess ?) 3. What's the max oil level without changing the filter? (I put in 3 quarts, 4 qts when I installed the filter; confusing dipstick reads "full", but I hate that capilary run up the stem; still haven't marked the thermo dipstick ). 3 qt seems less than what I'd expect, even without replacing filter. Anybody has figured how much oil is needed when filter is kept in? Suggestions welcome. Muchas gracias! PS Beloved bike has been getting spoiled: I took the advice of forum members and took apart rear wheel and bevel box, greased front zirk, checked all other critical points for grease, done the "Swiss cheese" cush drive job, cleaned rear caliper, greased clutch and brake pedal axles, plus other points Luigi didn't bother with... Checked for "endangered" electrical cables. And installed the 3 "Edge" guards.

Crap! Probably a good idea to keep an eye on that seal and keep it clean. If it's exposed, at least it's easy to check.

Checking my rear caliper, I was looking at the sealed bearing right next to the caliper bracket. Sure it's sealed, but wondering if being exposed to so much road dirt doesn't affect it at all. AFAIK, there's also nothing between the alu caliper bracket and this bearing (the only large washer is under axle nut, the other end protects the needle bearing). Did any anybody think of somehow protecting the bearing other than keeping its surface reasonably clean?

Thanks everybody. In the meantime I tapped the pin back in. Worked like a charm (had pin and spring smeared with a bit of brake grease beforehand). Guess it was just a lot of dried-up gunk. Little ring in groove worked as described. Glad to see that you guys confirm what I was hoping to be the case.