Steve G.

You guys must be rough on your kick stands. I checked mine after reading this, and find it is in good shape. Ciao, Steve

The problem is, carbon fibre is the opposite of shiny, and looks like shite after a while. Ciao, Steve

Totally agree. 160mm rear is the way. Ciao, Steve

It may not be a very long ride. There have been reports of quite a few 675's engines going boom. Ciao, Steve

Meow Mein!!! Ciao, Steve

Frickin' vise grips man, with attitude!!! Ciao, Steve

An original ELR. Very cool!!!! Ciao, Steve G.

Luckily for me, my original aluminium brackets broke while under warranty, and the local dealer had a bunch in stock, handing them out. The steel ones show no signs of failure. I was 1/2 way between Winthrop and Grand Coullee Dam when I noticed my cooler flying around in the 80 mph wind, threatening to grind a hole into my front fender. I was seriously not impressed! Ciao, Steve

Here's what I did. I have the Agostini bar weights. They still didn't take out enough vibes. So, because I wanted bar end mirrors as well, I combined the two. I removed the cool brass wedged tightening/securing things from the Ago bar end weights, and used them to secure the chrome Napolen Beren bar end mirrors, which work great, as the rubber crushing thing on the Beren mirror doesn't work so well on the stock V11 bars. The result, is less vibes than the Ago bar weights, and the best mirrors for the money, all in one! Ciao, Steve

I wouldn't mind checking out what you did to black beauty Ryan. Will you be at Calabria next? What kind of stuff did you do to the bike? Ciao, Steve

It's very shitty when stuff like this happens. Glad you guys are going to be ok. Ciao, Steve

Ryan is correct. If you are impatient like me, you can "burp" the vapourized fuel off the left side hose, disconnecting it, it will come out as air. I found the main cause of this on my bike was due to bad fuel line routing, which had the main fuel line comfortably nestled against the back of the left cylinder, superheating the bloody fuel. Since I have re-routed the lines away from the engine, the problem has stopped, in spite of riding/stopping in 100 degF heat. More than any other make of motorcycle, my Moto Guzzi has made me into a self imposed engineer of common sense, and I am able to diagnose and see evidence of 'lazy' engineering with mechanical machinesbetter than before ownership. And for that, I thank Moto Guzzi's engineers. Ciao, Steve

I thought the headers on these V11's were stainless. I wish they were the same quality as my Staintune cans. Anybody know of any hotjet places in B.C.? Ciao, Steve

Good write up Doc. I was in Baja in Februrary with a gang of buddies. Stopped in San Felipe, drank beer in the same place as you. I could spend the winters there without too much arm twisting! Ciao, Steve

I have the chromed ones, much more durable. I have one on another bike that is 15 yrs old, plating is still perfect. For the money, they are clearly the best bar end mirrors available, who cares that they are made in Japan. Beware though, on these and all other 'true glass mirror' mirrors. S100 bike cleaner is to be avoided at all costs, as it will remove the silvering from the glass. I wrecked a set. And, because the mirror in these is slightly convex, one must buy replacement glass from Napolean, at the same cost as a new complete one. Ciao, Steve

I've got my Odyssey owners manual right here in front of me. I sais right here "do not use trickle charger or battery tender devise". Do not charge it. I think you've #@$&@#@ it. The battery in my V11 has been slumbering for 6 months. I pressed the starter last weekend, it started immediately! DO NOT CHARGE THESE THINGS! Ciao, Steve

One of the 'start of the season' events this weekend in GVR [Greater Vancouver] , the big bike swap meet/show in the south west of the region, South Delta. While it is a dedicated classic/vintage event, people do not turn a bad eye to modern bikes employing older design pushrod style engines. Hence the biggest unorganized collection of V11 based bikes seen in a long while. 4 Lemans' , from '02 - 05 models, from mileages of 5000kms, to 88,000kms. It was very good to see. There were many other classic M.G. models, all twins, the oldest being a grand old Ambasabor. Other Italia, including a genuine Serie'2 SFC Laverda, very special to people who really know about 'bikes'. Sunny weather and warm after a very long winter of rain/wind. Thank christ it's spring!!! Ciao, Steve

You will be surprised at how long the break in will take, as in the engine "loosening up". Try 10,000 miles! Pete said it correct. The key is to work the engine, through the middle of the rev range. Lugging a new engine is worse than revving it out. Ciao, Steve

The response of some of the readers of this request for info makes my head shake and eyes roll. Honestly, I think most of you complainers should sell your Lemans' and get yourself an old Falcone or something like that. Something with pitifull brakes and no power. Golly, wouldn't want technology like them new disc brakes, oh no!!! What if that brake fluid leaks out, NO BRAKES!!! I've had seat time on many ABS equipped bikes. The ABS system will not activate in normal dry riding conditions unless you have hands of steel. A rain soaked highway is a condition I would not consider normal. ABS would be a definite asset. Retrograding an off the shelf ABS system I think is something we will never see, the product liabilty and lwyers will see to it that you:ll never see this kind of product. Ciso, Steve

Just to give you an idea where I'm coming from as I give you my opinion. I play no favourites, I look at no bike through rose colored glasses, and I do not wear blinders. I own 3 airhead BMW's, 2 Norton Commandos, 2 CBX's, RC30, 400/4 SS, Laverda Jota, Kawasaki H2 750, Etc, Etc, Etc. The V11 Sport I bought new offers a physical feedback that an airhead Beemer cannot reproduce. A Moto Guzzi does not make any sense to own mind you, the way an R100RS does, but while the big head tells you the Beemer is the bike, the little head [if you know what I mean] says the Guzzi is the cat's whiskers. This is the straight goods. A V11 Sport and a Lemans are surprisingly different bikes. I prefer the road manners generally, of the Lemans. More stable at speed mainly. Eye appeal is a very strong consideration in the purchase of a motorcycle. A bike should make you look back one last time as you close the garage door. The V11 Sport has this is spades over the Lemans. The Sport is the bike that spawned the entire series. It's is what it's all about, the stright goods! Ciao, Steve

Sorry, doesn't do much for me. Ciao, Steve

Yup, that's what I did, a Givi A755. Ciao, Steve

Hi Brian, To your first question, The Magni kit has a lower reach than the 1999-2001 V11 Sport. As absolutely lovely looking as the Magni kit is, and how it positively transforms the look of the bike, the reach down would be not to my liking. Add to this the fact that with the fairing installed, any chance of wind supporting your torso a bit at speed, to give the wrists a break, is not good. To your second question, it's not so much the difference in handlebar location between the V11 and Lemans, but all post 2001 bikes have a different set up than pre 2002. Pre 2002 bikes have the bracket location under the top triple tree. Post 2001 bikes have the attachment location above the top triple tree. Ciao, Steve

Of course one must understand that Mezcal is not Tequila, but Mezcal. Mezcal is but a poor cousin to genuine Tequila, which must be made with 100% Blue Agave cactus nectar and only from the Teguila district in and around the city of Tequila, in the province of Halisco, Mexico. Tequila has 3 basic ranges of quality, or aging, the first being basic Tequila, aged in barrel after 3 months. The next stage of quality, Reposado, aged from 3 months to 2 yrs. The third, Ajio, the finest quality. Remember, Tequila was a study learned from the Germans in the early stages, and the proper description for this beverage is Agave Schnaapps. There are examples out there of extremely high quality, where you don't need the salt on the back of the hand and the lime to down the stuff. It can be savoured nicely as an after dinner finisher in high regard. Mezcal? Well, it's the basic green agave rot gut. The worm is a larve that lives in the green agave, eating and shitting it's whole life away, chewing the corns of the plant. Cheers buddy. I wouldn't serve the worm to my worst enemy. Ciao, Steve

You know, you are going to have to try them on, each of them. Comfort is a huge issue, and determining this on a forum based on someone else's personal experience is not the way to go. That said, the EEC has put a "safety lid" [no pun intended] on most of western Europe. As a result, any product allowd on sale must meet Belguim's high standard. Any helmet for sale there will meet very tough standards. Price, well, it's deal making time, the funnest part. Ciao, Steve