stefano

bring me back a fifth of highland single malt(better yet a litre)if you'd be so kind, i'll gladly pay you tuesday ;^) cheers, stef

whoa....those are nice! pretty sure i can't afford 'em. stef

dr gil, i noticed a tiny bubble in paint(1/8") about a year or so on my '02 LeMans. hasn't gotten any bigger. am i imagining a problem? i hope so. i think we've all heard about this problem, even swelling where the forktubes actually hit the tank on fork turn lock. i've read a lot about it on this site, you'll have to poke around, it sometimes takes me a while to find a topic, i'm not too adept at it. i don't know how common this problem is, as you tend to hear from folks with a problem, not folks without a problem. good luck, stef

Does the switch come with the rubber boot That protects the terminals !!!. If not does anybody know the part no. For it, or a suitable alternative, mines has disintegrated with the harsh unforgiving scottish sun beating down on it. Gary MG cycle site pic shows no rubber boot for the replacement switch. there appear to be no spade connecters on the switch (like the orig), just wires with connectors coming out of the switch. also appears to come with 2 loose spade connectors. no need for a boot on new style?? i dunno my rubber boot is weathered also. yeah, i also have a harsh unforgiving sun....for about 3 months in a good year cheers

thanks for the help, i've got it now. acording to MG cycle that part has now been replaced by part # BL99231ch (guess i didn't dig deep enough) thanks again

i can't seem to come up with the part # of the rear brake light switch on my '02 le Mans. anybody have it handy? although i use the front brake more (what with the xlnt compression braking of the V11 engine) it'd be nice to have the rear brake brake light work (and it is the switch that's faulty) thanks

looks like some awsome sea kayaking in Northern Ireland also. just watched a video 'Dawn raid on The Rock' taped at Angus Rock last weekend. looks like almost too Much fun cheers, stef

as a lad in So Cal in the mid 60s i was friends with a cousin of Capt. Beefheart's. i remember him coming over to my friends house in his old torpedo-looking hudson hornet. he had small tomato plants growing under the back window, laughed, said he kept getting pulled over by the LAPD, who thought they were pot plants (can't imagine why) .

man, i'm so happy for you! and they even put the cover back on. which meant she was probably on her wheels. they could have just kicked her out & hauled ass. thieves with a conscience? i don't know, even at my age people continue to surprise me. great early christmas present for you, hope the assholes didn't do too much damage. stef

hi furry. i seem not to be able to post pictures, i'll keep trying. my computer augered in a month ago, lost most everything, got a new one & am having the shits of a time getting everything right. (i'm a good machinist, a lousy geek). and you may have to remove a couple threads off of the shifter linkage rod if you run out of adjustment lowering the shifter. don't screw the rod all the way in, or it buggers the threads when it bottoms in the heim(?) joint. and you almost need tiny hands to mess with the shifter linkage, it can be done ;-) i haven't addressed the footpeg spring issue, maybe buell ones will work, maybe someone else will know, but it works fine without them for me for now. i'm only 5'9" but the i" drop makes a big diff for me, & with the linkage mods, it brakes & shifts comfortably 4 me. as always, YMMV. and i see you have an early green V11. this was the 1st V11 i ever saw, in cycle world in '99 or so. it was the most beautiful M/C i had ever seen. stef, a true believer

WOW! 36 between 5 & 101! i lived in igo cal many many years ago, & had a suzuki gsxr 750. 36 between red bluff & platina is my favorite road of all time! no cut & fill at all. they just paved the hills, left all the terrain as is. could get lots of air off those hills. the lads & i used to really flog that road, then turn at platina and head down the "ditch grade" through ono & igo into redding. of course that was before the CHP started using radar. wonder none of us were killed....... stef

Why? If I want to go somewhere, I'll take the LeMans. I've said before that I've had 2 Beemers, but I'm a slow learner. That's why they make all kinds, of course, but *in my opinion* BMWs, especially airheads are about as much fun as watching grass grow. No offense intended.. no offense taken. what i said is *need* to go somewhere. my RS will go 275 miles before needing fuel. it has large hard luggage & i can load it down like a packhorse.(good alternative to taking the car) i live where it rains. a LOT. it has a great fairing. and it is very comfortable for traveling long distances at a high rate of speed. and it is very reliable. and i agree, it can be quite boring. that's why i have the Le Mans. most of my riding is for fun, i'll ALWAYS take the LeMans for that. and i've done much more riding since i've owned it. i hope i've answered the question. sorry about hijacking the thread. regards, stef

Thanks. That's where I'm leaning. I was concerned about the paint, too. I've read the issues but can't tell how significant they are. One year newer and 20K fewer miles makes sense to me but I wanted to make sure I'm not missing something special about the LM (vis a vis a BMW R90S much more sought after than R90 or R100). Ride a LeMans and a R90S back to back, and you'll throw rocks at the Beemer. Well, I would, anyway. I have a hot rodded 02 Scura and an 03 Rosso Corsa, and can say that the only difference between the two is the weather protection. If you like the weather protection on the R90S, you'll love the LeMans. Depends on what you want to do with it. comparing my '02 Le Mans to my '83 R100RS is like comparing apples & oranges. the LM is much more fun to ride, but if i actually need to go somewhere, i'll take the beemer. cheers, stef

i finished up the buell i" drop peg install today. here's what i did the buell peg ears are too wide to slide into the guzzi peg brackets,so i machined .045(about 3/64" if you're grinding it) off each ear to make total width .875,(7/8"), the width of guzzi peg. now i needed bushings 'cause the buell pegs have 7/16 pin holes, the guzzi uses .235(15/64")pins. i had a long 7/16 bolt, cut 2 pieces of the unthreaded part .875 (7/8") long. then drill a hole 15/64" thru the center of the 7/16 bushings. i used a lathe, but u can use a drill press or whatever, but be pretty careful, as the accuracy of these holes are kind of important. then slide the bushings into the buell pegs. now u can mount the pegs to the bike. i rode it & liked the position of the pegs, but it was kind of a PIA to shift & brake. SO......... i measured the distance of the right peg to the ground,(it was 1" lower than the stock peg) and determined if i cut 1/4" off of the threaded end of the linkage pin(the one that's tapered where it goes into the rear brake master cylinder)it would lower the brake pedal 1". now the round brake pedal stop(the eccentric with the O-ring) needs to be 3/8" lower, i put a small hose clamp around it, the screw thingy for the hose clamp is 3/8", i'll machine a new stop later. brake is comfortable for me now. NOW the shifter. i adjusted the linkage so that the lever hit the porkchop when engaging 1st gear, then round filed a SMALL groove in porkchop so the shifter is now about 1/2" lower, i would've liked 1", but it shifts fine now. this is a lot of words, but this is really a pretty easy job. it can be done with hand tools & a little care. kinda think i'm re-inventing the wheel here, as many have put buell pegs on. but i couldn't find much info. the pegs i bought were lightning xb footpeg kit(rider) from BuellParts.NET $48.90 with shipping i'll try and post some photos this weekend (i'm too dumb i guess, i'll se if my girlfriend will help me.) I don't guarantee any of this, but it works great for me, YMMV any questions, i'll try'n answer them if i can. cheers, stef Edit, soon after adding the pegs i machined a 1 3/8" round brake stop and extended the brake toe pieces on the brake & shifter (as bsmarble recommended) so i wouldn't have to ride pigeon-toed, this has worked great for me, it feels very natural, and i ride a lot. and it can all be done with hand tools (with a bit of care)

Sorry. Just learning the lingo trying to be as hip as a BMW rider can be among Goose Herders. Reference to Marzocchis, but I'm sure you got that... Ah yes, zooks, yeah, my '02 Le Mans has 'em. and i'm also a BMW rider among Goose Herders, probably more than a few here. any model V11 will be a good choice, they all have their good points, and are fun as hell to ride. welcome & good hunting, stef

what's a zook? is that something i'm gonna hafta'order? cheers, stef

cool video, xlnt soundtrack also thanks, stef

hi VNA hope you enjoy your V11 as much as i like mine. they have a couple small issues, (they're dealt with on the forum) but on the whole, they're pretty bulletproof. mine's been anyway. that can be pretty interesting, riding from vanc BC to So Cal late in the year. and on an unknown bike to boot. i did kinda the same ride years ago on the beemer, sacramento to seattle on october 31. the ride up was great. the ride back 3 days later not so much. rain mixed with snow through the siskiyou's 'til about shasta dam/redding cal. and i know what you mean about the wind between Yreka & Weed. sheesh..... cheers, stef

hi furry. i'm no expert, but i think a 2" drop would present a big PIA as the brake & shifter wouldn't be easy to adjust to that much change. not to mention possibly (don't know for sure)dragging the footpegs under (semi)spirited riding. i just last week received in mail the stock buell lightning footpegs (1"drop). i think i'll just barely be able to modify (i hate this word) the brake & shifter to use comfortably. looks to me as you'll have to remove about .045 off of both flanges where they slide into the stock peg mount. i have an ancient south bend lathe & have a milling attachment all set up for this, but it could be done with careful grinding/filing. you'll also need to make bushings, as the buell peg pin holes are larger than the stock. also not sure if the springs will work, not a big deal IMHO. i'll probably finish next week when i get home, i'll know more then. BTW i'm 5'9" with eleven shoe, the stock peg location was never an issue, but i just had complete right knee replacement surgery, the 1"drop will help i think. haven't heard of anyone installing 2" drop, but they should adapt to bike same as 1" drop. cheers, stef

Good idea but I think the position of the front brake is probably too ingrained in my brain after all these years. I think there would be a danger of grabbing a handful of 'clutch' trying to scrub off speed before a corner and ending up in a hedge Thanks for the thought. graev11, i know what you mean about the controls being ingrained. i used to have a '74 850 commando(left foot brake, right foot shift,1 up, 3 down) and when riding it after one of my other bikes, i would have a couple of "interesting" moments while trying to brake with the shifter or shift with the brake. i guess if a fellow were to have only one M/C, you could get used to different controls. i read years ago that the vincent factory would put controls on either side, as these bikes were a favorite of returning british fighter pilots, and these pilots were sometimes burned badly, or worse. or you could get a guzzi with an automatic, and then you wouldn't have to carry a spare shift pawl spring. :-) good luck, stef

tom, i'd love one (in bright HD racing orange of course) regards, stef

hi jim. i'm now on day 13, complete right knee replacement. i VASTLY underestimated the PAIN involved. also the amount of exercise(vital for a complete recovery). these operations are quite commonplace now, i'll post my recovery as it goes, might help someone in the group. my aunt has had 2 knees. and a friend had BOTH at the same time(honest). she was a catholic nun/teacher for many years.. and i've no doubt both these ladies are much tougher than i'll ever be. stef

buzz, great idea removing the coupling zerk before R&I rear drive (no air lock). while wheel & rear drive was off couple weeks ago, i was finally able to grease front zerk with a 45deg. zerk screwed into a grease coupling. then pushed the coupling onto the front zerk, then push the grease gun onto the 45deg. zerk, was simple. i'll post a picture of this coupling when i get out of hospital(going in tomorrow A.M. for a new right knee) i'm glad most of my M/Cs have electric start. stef

beautiful photos. thanks very much. noticed on the V11 with the red fairing/tankcover & tailpiece, there is what appears to be a lock on the right front disc. this could prove to be an impending disaster for me. stef

having right knee done next tues. i suspect the result of couple bad M/C street crashes MANY yrs. ago, then 25 yrs of racing in the dirt. lots of injurys there, but the rule is "if you're racing in the dirt & not crashing occasionally, you're not trying hard enough" (however this rule DOES NOT apply to the street) any advice here? i'm in pretty good shape, semi-serious bicycle rider, lots of exersize at work, kinda of a streamlined kinda guy. and i guess i'll fill the fuel tanks of the herd, they'll be setting for a while. stef