kenm

Don't care who wins. Just want to see some good football.

Me too. It looks like something strange happened. Maybe the admin account was hacked?

This reminds me of my favorite Adam and Eve joke: What were Adam's first words when he first saw Eve? "Stand back! I don't know how big this thing is gonna get!

I got mine yesterday. The watch is even nicer than I hoped it would be. It is absolutely beautiful and has a great feel to it. Thanks for all the work Jens.

I'll be there on Sunday.

Hey Jens, Just checked your watch page. The number of preorders has skyrocketed! I guess that changing the design was a good idea. Just 14 to go. I'm starting to get excited!

Hi, Goffredo, I must admit that I'm madly in love with Guzzi-watch-2.jpg. It matches the existing elegance of the Junkers watch almost perfectly. Jens, I sure wouldn't mind if you change the dial to this! Either way, I'll keep my preorder in. Regards, -ken

I've recently been tempted by an Omega Seamaster and Panerai. So this looks like an absolute bargain in comparison. I'm in for this one. Hopefully it will satisfy my new watch craving! Even if it doesn't, it's cool!

Hi Joel, MG made bad choices in the spring rate and valving in the Scura Ohlins parts. They can be made to work well, but it takes time and more money. If you want an Ohlins fork, IMO your best approach would be to buy the forks from the German company previously mentioned and the other parts you need. Then either do it yourself or pay somebody else to do it. That's what's I did. Well, I did buy my forks used from Paul. I then bought a Ducati 999 axle, washer and nut from FBF and a carbon fiber front fender. A fellow from an LA company nicely sent me new bearings and another lister here made me a spacer. I did all the work myself except for changing the bearings. A local mechanic friend did it for a bottle of nice wine. I highly recommend upgrading both the forks and the shock to Ohlins. If you do just one, it points out how mediocre the other end now is. I might be at Ojai tomorrow so you can take a look at the bike. I have a cold though and may not make it but I'll make the first ride where both my health and the weather cooperate. I'm kenm on the socal list if you want to talk to me there. Regards, -ken

Unless he's changed policies, Guy will open it up to anybody who visits on a motorcycle. Just give him a call and see when (if?) you can come. You don't need to wait on a Euro-Moto group that may never get around to it.

I did this exact thing (with some help). You'll need a new fender, which only comes in carbon fiber. You'll also need a new spacer in the front wheel. Search for the "hollow axle" thread and it will provide lots of detailed info. Good luck, -ken

Glad I could be of help, even if it isn't exactly what I had in mind! It is a little difficult to connect everything to the battery and then get it in place. It's not surprising that you missed a wire. Have fun out on the road now! Regards, -ken

If it turns out that the pump is spinning, you may have the problem that I just had. On a recent ride, my bike started, then sputtered and then would not start. It basically showed vapor lock symptoms, except that I had just finished eating breakfast and the bike was parked in the shade for 45 minutes. The fuel pump worked, but was making a high pitched whine. After 20 minutes, it started and would run. I took no chances and headed home and then later to my dealer. The mechanic there tested the output of the pump and it was within specs. We decided that the problem was most likey the electronic petcock, which is a known issues with V11's. When they removed the petcock, one of the wires basically crumbled. This was most likely the problem. I rode the bike today and there were no problems, once I tightened the bolt on the negative battery terminal. So your problem may be a bad petcock too. Something to check. Regards, -ken

Hi, Assuming that the problem is the fuel system relay, why not switch it out with another relay? It's highly unlikely that all 5 are bad. This will give you something to do until the 5 new relays arrive. -ken

Hi Rj, Here is a chance to make lemonade from your lemons. I suggest going to a radial m/c. I did and the feel is so much better than the stock m/c. You can go to www.guzzitech.com to get the details. On the other hand, if you really want a stock m/c, I still have mine laying around somewhere. If you are interested, I'll dig it out and make sure that it's still in good condition and come up with a price. You will still need to get a reservoir. Get me a PM if you are interested. Regards, -ken

Hi Greg, The Ohlins forks from a Cafe Sport that I got from Paul went right into my 2000 V11S triple clamps. I think that your Ballabio triples will work too. Regards, -ken

Hi Greg, I have stock forks from a 2000 V11Sport. Will that work for you? If so, email me at kmueller "at" cisco.com (email addy changed to avoid spam). Regards, -ken

Hi, Did you have to relocate the controls after the pegs were moved? Or did they work fine? Could you tell me what size boots you wear. I'm seriously considering the kit but have fairly short feet (size 9 boots) and am afraid that I'll have to move the controls. Regards, -ken

Ed Milich at www.guzzitech.com sells some oversized head protectors that still look good. I have them on my bike, so if you are at Euro Moto Fest - West (San Diego Guzzi rally) next week, you can see them in person. If not, you can see them quite clearly at the web site above. Just click on the "CNC billet .." button and navigate from there. Regards, -ken

I had the problem on my silver 2000 V11S. MG replaced them under warranty. When the new, nicely red plates arrived, the problem was obvious. There was no clear coat. So I paid $50 to have several coats of clear applied to them before they were installed. They haven't faded in the last 3 years. So paint and some clear coat should work for you. Regards, -ken

Hi, I've installed the Bosch and would like a sanity check here before re-installing the tank. The fuel (on a 2000 V11S) flows from the pump to the filter, right? In other words, the direction at the filter is from front to back. It certainly appears to be that way, but there is a lot of hoses there and I might have missed something. Thanks, -ken

Hi Lex, You know, I really don't know. I bought the forks used from Paul Minnaert. The settings as they came work so well that I haven't bothered to experiment. I'll have to do that someday. I have 15wt oil in the fork. If your weight is different, my settings wouldn't help you anway. Regards, -ken

Are you sure that you want to install that shock? I installed an Ohlins on my 2000 and that accomplished two things: 1. The rear worked so much better. It actually tracked bumps instead of just softening them, a little. 2. It made it obvious just how mediocre (or bad) that the stock Marzocchi fork is. This led me to acquiring and installing Ohlins forks too. This accomplished two things too: 1. The suspension works so much better. The bike tracks bump much better front and rear. It's also much more stable but still has the quick steering of the short-frame V11's. 2. My pocket book took a $3.5K hit before I was done upgrading the suspension. For me, it was $ well spent. But be prepared to be led down that path. Regards, -ken

Hi David, Thanks for the reply. I'll look into the Napa version. The Bosch is an automotive filter for Citroen, Fiat and Renault according to the label on the box. Also according to the label, it seems to be equivalent to: Fiaam FT 5207 Fram G 6400 Knecht KL 14 Mann WK 613 Anyway, I'm sure that this will do the job as long as it can be securely mounted. It was $33.50 from the dealer. I'm sure that that price can be beaten on the web, but I do like to support my dealer when it is not unreasonable to do so. The manual states that the fuel filter should be replaced every 12K miles. I'm a couple of thousand miles early on this one, but it's a convenient time to do the replacement, so in it goes. See you next month at the Moto-Euro rally. Regards, -ken