Lucky Phil

They do. https://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193&products_id=1698 Clutch pull will be highly dependant on the clutch cable condition esp if the bikes been idle for years. Phil

No idea. It's a video of "I'm your man" a live concert of Cohens work by various artists inc Nick Cave, Rufus and Martha Wainwright Anthony from Anthony and the Johnstons and others. Quite brilliant performances of Leonard Cohens work. To fully appreciate his work you need to listen to other performers versions I think. Brilliant poet and song writer but less so as a performer. Phil

I don't know what you mean by "fooling around with" The CA cycle works TPS is a quality replacement for whatever your model of V11 used originally and thats what you should stick with. Phil

California Cycle Works as previously mentioned. Phil

Brilliance in song and performances. Phil

I didn't think there was ever any question with regards to this. Same as Ducati, early non linier and later linier. One has adjustment slots and one doesn't. The earlier PF09 large style are also non linier. Phil

I'm sure wondering about the length of that cam chain tensioner adjustment bolt. Doesn't look stock to me which leaves questions, maybe. Spares are the issue and it's the sort of bike where specialised bespoke parts were used unique to that bike. Brakes and suspension are all easy but body stuff ,instruments and engine are the question. The earlier Jota series naked bikes would be a lot easier with regards to parts. Phil

I read the book years ago and the saddest thing was learning at the end his son was murdered in a totally random knife attach when he was in his early twenties from memory. Felt like you got to know the kid well in the book then this happened. Phil

I remember these when they were new. A friend of mine had one. Parts were a nightmare even then, don't know about now. Most vivid memories was vibration and LOTS of mechanical noise from the engine. A mint one at the right price might be worth considering if you're into quirky Italian motorcycles that won't see too many miles. Phil

I think I can answer that with a no it didn't. Homespun engineering without a purpose. Phil

It's not and never was with anyone with any sense. Why the hell would you Swiss cheese the dampers? Or replace them with something else/softer? A slight smear of rubber grease to ease the assembly back together is all thats needed and then don't mess with it. Phil

You can buy it here but it's expensive. Not sure they sold the del sol here. Phil

Cost is prohibitive for us docc. That there's a $50aud tube of grease by the time we get it and here they charge a lot more for the product itself. I did some research on buying it a few years ago Phil

Yes maybe. They are a bitch to remove/install on a V11 sport. I usually fit them to the throttle bodies and inlet spigots then bolt the inlet spigots to the heads. I'd be interested in learning what non hardening epoxy can be used to repair rubber components?

I don't have a definitive answer about sourcing you intake connectors but any rubber part for a motorcycle is the most difficult thing to replicate when sources dry up. If you intend keeping the bike for a long period then always buy additional rubber components when you get the chance like I do. The unused stuff I put in a clip lock plastic bag after treating with Armour all and store under the house where it's cool and dark. The intake rubbers are hard from new as they are made from a high shore rubber. The cracking can look worse than it really is and not be causing leaking. Phil

The main issue with the place at Bakersfield was the part of town it was in. Looked well dodgy and the icing on the cake was a dark morbid room that hadn't been updated in 25 years. It's a bit hard as a tourist on the road to ascertain the actual quality of the neighbourhood a place is in from an Ipad image. Now I just use Google maps street view to get a better idea of the lay of the land before booking. We got up earlyish the next day to have breakfast in town and a bit of a look about before we continued on and found almost nothing opened until about 11am for some reason. Hit the road after that. Phil

If they are relying on that ugly piece of shit in the video to get them back to the top then they are delusional. Phil

These things are just another consequence of the IT world we live in. The IT now allows the airlines and hotels etc but esp airlines to break down what was a standard service into it component parts and charge for them separately. Book your ticket 9 months in advance and chose what you would like to eat on the flight in 9 months time! Chances are they won't even be serving those meals in 9 months. What pissed me off greatly 10 years ago travelling by air within the States was paying extra for my luggage and then sitting at the gate lounge with people showing up to board with large suitcases that they were obviously not going to be allowed to board with and the gate staff informing them of such and then sending their luggage down the shute to be loaded into the hold for FREE. I made my feelings known to the gate staff that I didn't appreciate paying for my luggage to be put on board in the hold only to see grifters that work the system getting it loaded for free. Personally having travelled the world a few times pre and post internet the only benefit I see is Google maps for navigation and more convenient ways to pay for things. The flight and hotel booking processes have been broken down so much into their component pieces it's more painful than it was just arriving in a town or city and driving up and asking if there was room at the inn. And if you think internet hotel images are useful think again. I arrived at an internet pre booked hotel at Bakersfield in 2015 and looked at the neighbourhood it was in and then the actual room and quietly went back to the car and drove to the nearest holiday inn for the night. The next day I dropped back in to the reception of the first place and handed the keys back in after having paid for a night in a hotel I didn't stay at. Life is just to short to stay in a dump like that and i couldn't be bothered with a discussion about it with the staff at the time. Phil

Here's a thought. Modern CEO's and boards are focused on value to the shareholder and fight the employees over every 2 cents and benefits to reduce costs. When times and business gets tough as it inevitable will for long term companies the first group to jump ship and leave are the shareholders and who's needed the most in those times? The Employees that's who. There's zero loyalty from 99% of shareholders. Value your people for it's them the business will need in the long term to ride out the peaks and troughs should be the mantra for modern executive management.

I have a "theory" on this sort of thing. The original manufacturer contracts to Chinese/Indian/south east Asian company to make X amount of product and they supply X amount of items then keep the production line rolling and make some for "mother" and sell them themselves. You know 10 for you and 1 for us. Either that or they don't discard the "seconds and out of spec items" and do the same. Zero proof of this just something "I feel in my water" so to speak. An educated person would refer to it as Intuition I think. Phil

You know when I started my aviation career the managers were all people that worked their way up in the organisation, knew the detail of everything and when they got to management level they managed to avoid chaos and catastrophes. Then came along "professional manager" you know people with MBA's and business degrees and it all went to hell as they made short term decisions aimed at looking good on their resume. They often had a "throw the deck of cards into the air and see what lands" philosophy because then they could all get together in their MBA club and "crisis manage" the situation they had in fact created. It was truly pathetic to observe. My original managers managed to AVOID a crisis and the new ones managed to help create them so they could look like the guy that rides in and takes charge and "sorts it out". KTM is a classic example of modern management. Covid hits and the market goes on a buying spree and instead of pausing and thinking "this is a blip" lets make hay while the sun shines but not lose sight it's short term, no they react like a "blue sky thinking" muppet and go gang busters ramping up everything on a a short term "bubble" The Aussie wine industry did the same with the Chinese market. They all got on the Chinese gravy train as it pulled out of the station and neglected the other markets because the Chinese market was "going to last forever" but it didn't for political reasons and then they all fell on their arses and wanted the government to help bail them out. It's a very old story and if you want to see a classic version of it read "on a clear day you can see General motors" by John De Loreon. GM used to do similar to their smaller suppliers then swallow them up. I read that book 40 years ago and the lessons are still valid today. Phil

True docc. When the parent company fell on it's sword the Indian branch kept on keeping on. Phil

Here's one. Note cover only price. https://www.topsellerie.com/en-gi/designer-style-seat-cover-HSD8340-moto-guzzi-v11-sport_955.html

There was a company on ebay selling covers for the V11 sport a few years ago. So aftermarket covers exist. Phil

I was seriously appalled a few years ago when I saw footage from one of the royal weddings, can't remember which of the inbred ones it was but they made a big deal of driving away from some palace or in other they frequented/inhabited in an E type jag that had been converted into an electric car. Showing the world how environmentally aware and supportive they were. I just thought, what total wankers. It's one thing to be all that stuff and another the totally shit on your countries automotive history. Phil