Lucky Phil

There was only ever 3910 Hi Cam models made in total across all the versions so if you are going to own one and put miles on it parts will be an issue. With so few built the aftermarket world will never be interested in re manufacturing stuff either. They aren't really like your traditional Guzzi BB that will do big miles as well. So it's a collectors piece in a sensible world. Bikes like these aren't for the average guy anymore like bevel drive Ducatis. Add up the cost of an engine rebuild on a Bevel drive these days and be sitting down when you get to the total and they built a lot more than 3910 of those. Even if you already own one the nagging worry in the back of your mind will always be parts cost and availability. Personally I'd buy something like a Ducati 1098R if I was after a classic that will appreciate and buy some still readily available spares for it. Ciao

If you can get the C of G and the seat height low enough to get both feet flat on the ground with some knee bend it goes a long way to helping. The amount of times I've seen girls topple over in car parks I've lost count of. I did a magazine 4 way bike test 3 day ride/trip years ago testing the big 4 sports tourers of the day and one of the other riders was a fairly petite woman. Every time we needed to park perpendicular to the gutter/sidewalk we had to give here a hand. She was a competent rider but just too small to handle the walking pace/manoeuvring stuff. Ciao

I think most girls would find the V11 Sport way too heavy for them to manhandle around off the bike and carpark type riding. Mine seems to get heavier every year. Magazine images always look cool but the reality of riding a heavy bike with a fairly high seat height and C of G is another matter. I've known quite a few female riders and racers and I've never seen one of them that looks totally 100% safe on a large capacity sports bike at walking speeds. Ciao

Yea I've bought quite a bit of stuff off Denis (deal_ ricambi) over the years. Good seller. Ciao

Yea, I didn't even consider it wouldn't be the reaction drive but looking at the image at that res it actually makes me think. Ciao

You know what Pete you might be wrong about the reactive arm. The devil is in the detail of course and it's a low res shot if that's your only reference but I wouldn't be surprised if that big round boss on the axis of the bevel box situated on the outboard face of the arm is carrying a through axle and retainer that pivot/rotates in the arm along with the whole round bevel housing and the reaction rod is behind the main body of the arm. Seems surprising they would return to the old pogo system on a new model. Ciao

01466430XX is the base p/n and the last 2 digits are the colour but I don't have the number for black. Red is 65, Grey is 64 and unpainted is 30. There is a new red and grey ones on ebay from TLM in the Netherlands but I could retire on what they want for one if I sold my spare. I may actually have 2 spares, I'll check. Ciao

It's for my own good, I've led a bad life. The universe is punishing me. Could be worse, I could have lived in London in 1940. Ciao

I love the idea that a beautiful design like that sprung from an individual engineering mind. A pair of hands at a drawing board guided by an individual engineeringly brilliant mind created that out of nothing. To me it's creative art and a thing of beauty. Mind you I'm on my second glass of red wine and in a few hours and I might just see it as a heap of old useless shit. Ciao

I think a bit of wee would come out if Pete Roper saw it. Ciao

No Pete rail away, I'm stuck at home, nowhere to go or I'll get arrested:) Ciao

That would send me completely over the edge I think we should all be kinder to each other and be there to comfort, console and support each other through these stressful times. Anyone want to donate me a full restored Ambassador I'd be very comforted by one of those to put around on. Ciao

Same, the std headers from my V11 fitted perfectly to the Centy engine in a v11 frame with the v11 Stucchi cross over, amazingly. Ciao

Yea I don't think Pete and I would be qualified to give the "settle down" talk to anyone on a forum Both too curmudgeonly, happily so I suspect, for me anyway. Ciao

So I need to settle down? Be honest, I've been in lockdown for 4 weeks. Ciao

Bloody hell I must be getting bad, Pete Roper is trying to pacify and settle me down, LOL. Yea I saw the front bearing solution in the BB from those training notes you sent me, not that impressed with that. What I loved about bevel drive Ducatis was there wasn't a single chain in the whole engine and every bearing was replaceable in the average blokes workshop with the exception of the big end which needed a press and some engineering expertise to do. I didn't like the transition to cams running in the head material either. Kawasaki 900's used plain replaceable cam bearing but that was abandoned as well. I know it's inevitable the way things are going and it's unstoppable, but rage,rage against the dying of the engineering light I say, You are correct in that just about anything can be saved by an engineering/ machining specialist but you know Pete those people are fading away as well. I wouldn't be at all surprised if in 20 years time they dont exist anymore. Anyway, whats this "retirement" thing I thought you were already? Ciao

Pressed up cranks are usually because the engine uses rolling element main or big end bearings or both so there's little choice although I think MV's may have used a split roller bearing, can't remember. The one piece slipper bearing crank is a much better design and used on virtually all performance engines these day and for many years. Rigid and along with plain/slipper bearings has no practical rev limitations. The Norton crank is a bad example, ridged as a piece of black pudding. So wobbly in fact you need to use barrel shaped (Superblend) roller bearings on the mains to stop them exploding. The crank flexed so much a standard roller bearing inner and outer ends would collapse under the strain of the angular displacement as the crank flexed and wobbled about. My main point is the continual drift towards the disposable engine. I find it offensive from an engineering and philosophical perspective. Piston engine technology isn't progressing at a break neck speed anymore like electronics and software. Modern engine design is all about the corporate profit. Make it as cheap and profitable as possible and bugger the long term owner. Ciao

Nope totally different shape. There are some non cross over V11 sport headers on ebay you know. Items 384351533431 and 164043373894 Ciao

Really! That's surprising. How do you sleep at night Pete Ciao

Aprilia scooters I think, probably with rolling element big ends. Ciao

I agree Pete and your point is a valid one but I'm a bit of an engineering purist plus it goes deeper as well. The modern engine is a wonderful thing as long as it's a "good one" Will give many trouble free miles without any issues. The modern mass produced philosophy falls apart though over the long term and the short term if you have a serious issue. The long term may not bother you and fair enough but here's an example. My Sunday drive car is a Focus RS 2.3 Turbo 4. The engine is as is common practice these days a friction drive camshaft system, no crank or cam keys on anything as god knows that would cost and extra $10 in machining and 3 keys. The Upshot? well now you when you need to do a simple job like change the front timing cover crank seal here's the process. Release the crank pulley bolt, the cam timing is now gone. Remove the cover and replace the seal. remove all the cam drive and oil pump drive to fit new friction drive washers behind the cam drive sprocket. Remove the HP fuel pump off the exhaust cam, remove the vacuum pump off the inlet cam remove the cam cover and then the drive end and journal off the inlet cam so you can install the cam timing tool. Install the crank TDC stop. Re fit and seal the front timing cover set the cam timing and then torque up the TTY pulley bolt without disturbing the cam timing and re assemble half the freeking engine. This is what you get to save a few pennies on some keyway machining. Now the hard part, how many Ford dealership workshop drones do you think are capable of doing this task without screwing up at least 1 of the processes. Ford had a recall on this engine to replace head gaskets and when I saw what was involved I predicted a world wide total catastrophe for owners. I was proved totally correct, it's been a nightmare for just about every one of the 27,000 owners involved. Not me fortunately. This is the modern corporate engineering philosophy in practice. personally if they offered and old style build engine at a premium cost I'd be the first to opt for that if for no other reason than a dealership mechanic would have less chance of screwing up any significant maintenance when it's required. Ciao

The latest iteration of the V85 docc I believe and maybe the one before. Ciao