dale-j

L380 (Turkis). Turquoise is the direct translation, but more mossy/minty green than Turquoise. Hubert, with a Standard you'll see a lot more of your paint inside, too. Standards are pretty rare in Canada but very cool with the smaller headliner etc.

Here you go... my distraction for the summer so I don't think too much about riding...

Thanks guys for the kind words. Sports Car, not exactly Foto. I like aircooled engines with pushrods (recognize a theme?), and taking the time I would have spent riding this summer I might actually finish a 20 year project (oops, 24 years this year actually) to get a 1963 (1192cc 34bhp) Volkswagen Beetle back on the road. Old and slow, just like I'm getting - at least that's what it feels like at the moment. I do help my father out occasionally ;)' when he needs a sedan, by trading him the 550i you see in the background of one of the pics up there for his 335is turbo cabriolet. I love the power-brakes-handling-back seat, but honestly the Miata is a more fun car to drive. That one looks really clean, too. I love those things, the feedback is probably the closest thing (short of a Lotus) to a motorcycle that you'll find on four wheels. Bello, the appalling thing here is that this one happens to be the opposite.... I'm 43, and the guy who bought my bike purchased it as a retirement present for himself - and he's in better health that I am. Geez, doesn't look any older either, although I suspect if he grew out his beard too it might have more 'blond' highlights than I do ;)' Someday I hope to have it turned around and get back on a bike, though. Someday... even if it doesn't, the plan is that when my two daughters are moved out and independent, some risks will be more tolerable than they are today. Could be 12 or 15 years, but holding the hope (and the get out of jail 'bike' card) in my pocket will be enough to keep me for now.

OK, found the info on the battery. There is a bit of a catch versus what the Ballistic site lists. from my order info: _______________________________________________________ A brief note if you're in touch with Ballistic Performance, I have a 2004 Moto Guzzi V11 Lemans, which they list as taking a 16 cell unit. The 12 cell exceeds the capacity and specs of the stock Yuasa YTX15L battery on every front (an 8 cell probably would even have worked), and there is no way a 16 cell would have fit. I think they are a bit mixed up in their fit guide, as the 16 cell is replacement for a Yuasa YTX30 not the YTX15. _______________________________________________________ 1 Ballistic Battery 12 Cell EVO 2 Lithium (2lb 5oz) for Built 1000cc, Big Twin Motorcycles Type: L, - left, + right Your motorcycle: 2004 Moto Guzzi w/ YTX15L I ordered it from www.solomotoparts.com and the service was great.

I would highly recommend the Ballistic 12 cell Lithium Ferrite. Super light, compact enough to add a tire plugger, PC3 and small tool kit in the area vacated under the seat, and very low resistance so it cranks the big lump over RIGHT NOW, and recharges super fast too. The only caveat I would give is if you store your bike outside in cold (sub-freezing) weather and want it to start. Never and issue for me (fair weather garage queen) but for some it might be. I'll try to find the model number and post it up.

Due to several months of medical issues and some apparently permanent solutions (blood thinners) that will make riding exceedingly risky, I've reluctantly given up riding. I hope for the short term, and that there will be a solution sooner than later. In the interim, it has made me frustrated to keep looking at my beauty LeMans in the garage and the sunny weather begging for a ride, and so I recently posted an ad to sell the bike. It has sold - quickly and with more interest than I expected, which is a bittersweet event for me. I'm pleased to report that the purchaser of the bike is well qualified to take good care of her, arriving on a very nicely kept 1982 R100RS BMW airhead that he purchased new in 1982 and had nearly 200,000 km of riding on the clock. The Guzzi is IMO the perfect upgrade in style, handling, power and braking - and none of the foibles related to a transverse engine, an aircooled pushrod engine, dry automotive style clutch or shaft final drive will surprise him. The improvement in cornering clearance from the BMW might though My sincere thanks to those here who have so generously assisted in helping me get the bike sorted and keep it running beautifully over the past few years, especially Kiwi Roy who went so far as to show up at my house on a Saturday with multimeter in hand and walk me through the process for TPS calibration on the V11. My brother in law is keeping his red frame V11 Sport - so not all is lost for me, and I hope that Gary Z (her new owner) will pop in and become a new member here so that you'll all know the bike remains in good hands. If I can figure it out I'll get him to post up his username here. I'll still pop in from time to time, and if there's anything that I've tackled that others can benefit from I'd love to assist. Steve

I don't have one permanently fitted to the bike, but I have a Becker Technik service stand that mounts to the lower pivot bolts (18mm) on the pork chops. Works very well and goes on and off easily. Very close to the balance point so all it takes is a little lift from the front and block of wood under the sump to have both wheels safe and stable up in the air. Unlike the factory centerstand on my brother in law's V11 Sport, the rear is high enough to remove the wheel and replace tires at both ends at once. As there is not a regular need to do chain maintenance as with other bikes, I'm happy to put it on and take it off when needed for service and to rely on the sidestand. One less thing to ground out when cornering IMO. Instructions available on line for the stand are limited, and the photocopy that comes with it is not much better. Thankfully, it's easy to figure out and MG Cycle was able to get one in stock quickly for me. Steve

Just went back to my notes and the bike tonight, and for one, I gave the wrong numbers, prior to dialing in the preload on the caps. That *was* 40mm and 50mm, but with the preload caps maxed I have 30mm sag just the bike, and 40mm (or 38mm depending on which direction you measure) with me on it when rechecking tonight. Doesn't seem quite right but it really doesn't seem to move much by my weight... then again I'm not wearing my gear either. Even when I bounce it and release slowly it comes back up right close to the static sag point. Now you have me thinking that the PO (a bigger guy who liked the corners) may have managed to change springs without marking up the caps the way I did (oops), I'm going to look more carefully at them when I open up the forks to change the spacers, and I'll take some pictures. They *may* not be original after all, they did not look like the tapered ones I saw in the link posted on the other thread. By the way, this is the front forks, no gas pressure that I know of other than 1 bar of atmospheric when I close them up. Rear shock is behaving a little more normally, with 18mm static and 36mm of rider sag. I will add a little preload to this but generally seems to be working close to right in the back. The good news is that it looks like I *do* have a firmer spring and less compression damping now. Maybe. The fork definitely doesn't seem to be binding, lots of smooth travel on the brakes now that I have the lighter fluid and very little evidence of stiction in the measurements (which is a surprise given what i've read about the Marzocchi's). Going to pull them and see if I can figure out how to disassemble the fork caps from the cartridge on the weekend, more news then

I have a Tekno bag that was apparently designed for the V11. With my modified (raised, swept back and closer set up) adjustable Tommaselli clip ons I can't use it, it's so big. Not a fantastic bag, the strap mounts allow it to slide around and it is not a grippy (or removable) base but I'm sure that you could find one somewhere on your side of the pond and maybe just add some grippy stuff to the bottom. I have pictures if you want to flip me an email steve at dale-johnson dot ca

I have a Becker Technik (spelling?) workshop stand from MG Cycle. It took me a few minutes to figure it out due to the lack of clear instructions, but I absolutely love it. Rather than a fancy prop stand for the front, once I have the bike up on the Becker 'centerstand" I simply put an old Toyota scissor jack under the sump and it can be turned by hand to take the weight off both wheels at once. The stand does require two 1/2" drive, 18mm sockets to mount to the swingarm/pork chop nuts, that you then won't be able to use to work on the bike, but so far no issues with that.

Hmm, with a measured travel (unless I did it wrong?) of 123mm the Lemans does have more total travel than the 100mm I've seen batted around in sport bike discussions, so maybe a bit more sag is not bad on this bike. 30% would be about 36mm so I may only need to add a half inch to my preload.... but then still, my static sag would still be quite a lot at over an inch. The tire on the rim issue is one that we're also looking at. My brother in law's red frame bike runs a 160 (/70??) in place of the 170/60 and handles very well as a result. With the wider rim on my bike I have contemplated a similar reduction to a 170/60 but at this point the front tire has pretty similar errrrrr... 'reserves' left. As far as compression damping, I've just gone the other way to good effect, replacing the oil with 7w Lucas Synthetic fork fluid. It has helped with high speed compression damping harshness and jitters in quicker corners, and I have raised the oil level a bit to provide some additional progressiveness and resistance to bottoming. That part I'm very happy with so far.... thankfully there is lots of rebound damping adjustment in my fork so I've been able to compensate for the thinner oil just fine. I think I'd rather have a slightly too stiff spring than slightly too stiff compression damping, so if the preload doesn't put the front end up in the target range I will definitely look at springs. That said, with the amount of static sag I have I don't *think* it's spring rate, I think it's preload.

I may have underestimated the gear, but I'm about 170 so maybe 180 in leathers etc? With the cap adjustments maxed out, static sag is 40mm, rider sag in front is 50mm. What I need is to get the static sag from 40mm to my 10-15mm target and I think the rider sag will be dialed in. If I get there on the static and it's not as linear as I think with matching rider sag, then I'll start looking at spring rate but right now the static sag needs a big bump in preload. Rear sag is currently a tiny bit high, I'll have to recheck my numbers tonight but I think static was 22mm and 34 mm rider sag. I was shooting for 30mm in rear but as you suggest 25mm might be a better target as it will allow some weight to be added to the Hepco bags without upsetting the balance. I will put a little more preload on the shock when I get the fork dialed in, but right now it's already a bit too firm for the fork. I do have a subtantial amount more preload available on the shock without any modification, and with the high static sag again I think (*think*) the spring rate is OK, or at least pretty close.

Sometimes the simplest solution is staring right at you. Jaap and Baldini, thanks for jumping in with what should have been an obvious solution. With the sag and a bit more clearance from the rubber I think I'll be good.

Hey KB. I initially thought the same but it appears that here this is not the case when I got in to the actual measurements. To summarize my limited knowledge of sag, you want a 'static' sag without rider of 10-15mm to allow some top out resistance, and a sag with rider (varies by taste) of 25-30mm. If you need to add so much preload for the rider weight that at the recommended rider sag there is not sufficient 'static' sag then as you say the springs are too soft. In this case, the problem is insufficient factory preload for the weight of the bike in the front fork. Mine sitting without rider sags 40mm (!) at full preload on the cap adjusters, and adding my 175 lb weight it goes only to 50mm. As an aside - now rechecking my numbers I can see why the kickstand drags in lefts .... oops. If preload was totally linear, this would look like the springs were borderline too stiff for me. Seeing as it's not totally linear, adding about an inch and a quarter (32 mm)... or maybe even and inch and a half of preload should allow the bike to rest at a static height of approximately 10mm, right in the zone for static sag and with more available by releasing some of the cap adjustment that's maxed now if I overshoot it a bit. Assuming no adjustment this will provide a rider sag of approximately 18mm - maybe a hair too stiff. Backing off the caps to provide 15mm static sag would have me bang on where I want to be, as it isn't actually a 1 to 1 between preload and ride height, it takes a bit more spring compression than 1:1 I'm sticking with the springs as stiffer would further exacerbate the issues I'm having with high speed compression harshness, but what I do need clearly here is a bit more preload - not more spring. Together with the lighter fork oil improvement on the compression issue already (thankfully lots of rebound adjustment to compensate for the thinner oil) I think this will exorcise my handling demons.

Thanks, Tom. I'll have to look at it at home where the pics aren't blocked, but that probably shows what I need to figure out those jam nuts. Makes MUCH more sense at that point, as then with the cartridges in I can also as you note check proper oil height. Will post back when I can see it later on, but it looks like this will be what I need to get it nailed. Thanks again...

Yes, even before my first go at the forks this was my intent. I have called, emailed, left messages etc. Got one voicemail back from Rod stating they couldn't work with my swaged cartridges and nothing since. Thinking they are not particularly interested in the headache. Good suggestion, though. Thanks.

I realize this may be related to my previous post (I need about 1/2" more preload in my fork) but I'm finding that the kick stand on my 2004 V11 Lemans is getting pretty seriously beveled in left hand corners, far before I get to the edge of the tires. Rights are better, although I don't think I'm going to be getting a knee down on this bike I'd like to do a couple track days this season and the kickstand dragging so early in corners is a real damper on it. Yes, I could do superman heroics of hanging way off with the bike still pretty upright (actually, less Superman and more Goofy), but I'm following my riding buddy on his VFR, butt planted firmly on his seat and only riding 7/10 on the vfr with chicken strips still, and decking the stand on my Lemans pretty regularly. I don't expect it to handle like an ST3S - although that may be a solution ;)' but if I wanted a Harley so I could drag stuff in the corners I would have bought one. I don't think I'm riding the bike at inappropriate corner speeds on its sport-touring tires (am I?) as traction is not the issue and I've barely scrubbed the first index line ("Slay the Elephant!") on the z6 interacts. Not my favourite tire ever but that's another discussion. Anyone have a good kickstand mod to suggest (other than the asphalt grinding it shorter in the current manner)? I have good rear ride height and the sag well dialed in the back, need only about 1/2" more preload in the front, and I'm out of ideas. I weigh 175 lbs and the stock spring rates are good for me. Considered going from the stock 180/55 in back to a 170/60 but that only gives me 3 millimeters... I don't think more ride height is going to be the answer. I do have a Becker Technik shop stand and I suppose for the track day I could take the kickstand off, but that's pretty awkward and would require an assistant.

Hi all. Had a bit of an interesting experience flying blind last weekend trying (well, succeeding eventually) to change the fork oil in my late Marzocchi forks. I have a 2004 v11 LeMans and at 23,000 km it was due for a fork oil change. I also intended to lighten up the fork oil as Steve Gurry recommended (and did to good effect) on my brother in law's 2001 V11 Sport, to reduce the harshness of compression impacts and fix the spooky handling issues I've been chasing at bigger lean angles on my bike. These had to be the oddest set of forks I've ever worked on. The top caps would not come off when loosened, but were affixed firmly to the top of the cartridges, which in the usual manner were and are bolted in to the lowers. Removing the fork caps to change the fork oil required disassembling the front wheel and fender and removing the cartridge bolts, which double as oil drains. The whole of the cartridge and the fork cap then comes out as a unit. No simple process of popping the fork cap off to suck out most of the oil and then remove the springs to reset the oil level with compressed fork..... it's not even possible to take the springs out while leaving the cartridges in to check oil level! I ended up thoroughly draining (and cleaning) the cartridges and lowers and then going with a volume measurement. That would be a first for me, filling without measuring the actual level. Odd, but there appears to be no way to take a conventional measurement. In any event, my question (yes I have one and I'll get to it) is that I need to add a bit more preload to the fork springs, and I can't figure out how I would disassemble them to do it. The spring rate appears fine, I just have too much of both static and rider sag and need to add to the captured plastic spacers (new longer ones actually) that are captive with the springs between the cartridges and the fork caps. The manual I have (2003) is of no assistance as it does not show enough detail, and the detailed manual I have is earlier and consistent with my brother in law's Early marzocchi's with the compression in one leg and rebound in the other. I have rebound damping adjustments on both legs, no compression adjustability (just an unused adjuster boss on the fork lower to frustrate me) and from conversation to date with the local suspension guru apparently the swaged fork cartridges that can't be disassembled. There must, however, be a way to change springs and preload spacers. By the way, I have changed to a lighter (7w blend) Amsoil synthetic fork oils from the original fill in the forks, which incidentally appeared much, MUCH heavier than the 10w that the manual calls for. The change has been fantastic and with a bit more preload I hope I'll have her dialed in. I did see a reference to sticking a small allen key in to a set hole on the cartridge, walking the spring down and undoing a nut under the fork cap. Tried this, and the nut just seemed to spin (or perhaps the preload nut on top I was holding did) and all I got from it in the end was a buggered allen key. There must be a more robust and reliable way to do this. I realize that the later V11 bikes are a pretty small subset of the population and most I've seen posted about have been the later Ohlins forks. I'm not that fortunate, but would be happy with the performance of mine (with the new fluid) if I could just figure out how to get the preload correct. Anyone help?

IBA = Iron Butt Association. From what I've been told locally, if you can source Ethanol free gas (petrol) you may be OK for the new tank. There are still additives in the fuel that were never intended or foreseen by Acerbis when Guzzi had them mould the tanks, but I have had good results locally in Canada inquiring with the retailers, and have found that Chevron 94 is Ethanol free in Western Canada, as is Shell V-Power (91 octane). Everything else has varying amounts of ethanol up to 10%. There is a site at http://www.pure-gas.org that can help for people in Canada and the US. I had read a couple years back that The Tank Shop was for sale - business, equipment and apprenticeship included. Hopefully that they are still around will mean than someone has picked up the torch. Cheers. Steve

Value, as in beauty, is in the eye of the be(er)holder. Glad if you found it helpful. S

As described docc! Thanx. Lots of good advice above already, but just to toss in my 2 cents... I ran the Macadam 100X radials on a former FJ1200 I owned. They were superior in every way to the BT45 Battlax, but unless you enjoy power sliding the rear end out of corners and leaving big black darkies (a big strong suit of the FJ with its rigid frame, long wheelbase and low center of gravity, not to mention monster torque and skinny 16" rear tire) there were certainly better sporting tires (we do have 17's at both ends, unlike the FJ), even several years back when I had that bike. I have run Conti Road Attacks on a (more recent) previous 1993 VFR750. I liked them - good feedback and better than average stick, reasonable wear - but in warmer temperatures (and it never gets truly HOT in a worldwide sense here in British Columbia) they did not fare all that well for wear. I have had good experience with BT016's on a previous FZR1000 in a 120/180 combo and though I didn't put a lot of miles on the tires before selling the bike, they had a nice neutral feel, rode well and turned in well. Tempted to try these on the Guzzi, as it is not that different in weight. I have loved Dunlop Q2's when I had the chance to ride them, but honestly... they were on a Triumph Street Triple R owned by a good friend and at the time I was switching off with him against my FZ1 that was running a BT020 rear/ BT014 front combo, and anything would have been an improvement in tires, and the Street Triple R is just such a BRILLIANT handling bike that ??? well, it would probably have made even the tires on my FZ1 (that I hated - both the BT020 and BT014) feel good. On the Guzzi, I have a 2004 LeMans with the "long" frame, the 5.5" rear wheel and the more relaxed geometry. I replaced the Metzeler Z6's that were on it with the newer Z6 interacts last year just as the Z8s were coming out (stock sizes, 120/70-17 in front and 180/55 in rear), and have not really been happy with them. They are fresh DOT codes and have never given out on me completely, but seem to have a narrow 'happy' range of operating temperatures and offer little confidence in the cold and/or wet, and some unnerving cornering 'slips' when riding in warmer weather, well warmed up, and sporty-ish riding (occasional scraping of the sidestand, but still some chicken strips and a long way to knee down). When they start to wear (cupping and flattened profile in the rear in particular) the ride can get downright scary, with speed wobbles in high speed sweepers that even max setting on the steering damper won't eliminate. This MIGHT be the bike (I've slid the tubes up 7mm in the triples to accommodate some higher Tommaselli clipons and to quicken the handling a bit) but I don't think so, as changing the rear tire eliminated the wobble (although not the lack of confidence/feedback from the tires). My brother in law has a 2001 Sport with the narrower 4.5" rear rim, the 'short' frame and the sharper steering geometry (Steve Gurry's old bike, for those that know it) and Steve suggested keeping what he was running (after much trial and error) - BT021's at the time, with a SMALLER yet rear tire in 160/70-17 and the stock 120/70-17. The bike now has a BT023 front tire and is awaiting the new rear (the 021 just won't die, but it's got to be getting hard now at 4 years old). Despite the old, slightly flattened rear tire, his bike has a beautiful, fluid roll response. It loves to turn in, sticks well and has had NO issues whatsoever with putting down the Guzzi's modest output on the 160 section rear tire. As for the change in the front, the BT023 feels even better. A great fit for that bike IMO. For my next set the question of "which tire"? is still up in the air. What I can tell you is that I will follow GuzziMoto's suggestion above (as well as Steve Gurry's) and go down one size in the rear, on my bike to a 170/60-17 in place of the 180/55. Steve

I have silicone based DOT5 in a vintage VW and for the intended purpose (slowing a 1900 lb car powered by all of 34 bhp) it is fine. The car is driven infrequently and it is more important to not seize up wheel cylinders from sitting and moisture. I was told at the time that silicone DOT5 fluids were NOT suitable for ABS, stability control systems (due to cavitation and foaming under high frequency applications) or any car that needed a high boiling point (high performance braking) so I have steered clear of this in anything remotely modern. For my other vehicles and for the Guzzi, I tend to alternate ATE Typ. 200 and Super Blue with each bleeding, and use the ATE SL6 in my newer car that has a stability and traction control system (Acura). IIRC the only way that the SL6 differs from the Typ.200 is that it is lower viscosity and therefore more responsive to the system interventions by the stability system... I've used both in the car and to be honest I'm not sure I can tell any difference at all. I'm sure there are other high performing but not excessively hydroscopic fluids that will work similarly and will be available locally wherever you are, like the StopTech offerings or Motul RBF600, etc..... IMO you get more benefit from changing it each year than worrying excessively about whether you have the "better" or "best" dry boiling point in the fluid you select. Regards, Steve

OK, we're supposed to be having a go at it on Sunday and I will take pictures as best I can. My hope is that there won't be any special parts and I might just be able to provide a parts list and some instructions that interested people could use to source what they need locally. I might be persuaded otherwise if there is a custom run needed and sufficient interest, but let's leave that for now. The one caveat I have noted with this is that if your feet are smaller than about a size 9.5, you will have to shift your left foot forward to reach the shifter due to the distance back. Mine are 10-10.5 and I don't have any issues. The height seems to adjust fine, and I didn't notice an issue with the brake (although I rarely use mine and again my feet are a bit bigger than brother in law's). Anyone by any chance have a copy of the original instructions from the Evoluzione kit?

Seems to me that using steel would be simply trading one problem for another. Any thought as to using aluminum (or aluminium to those of you on that side of the pond)? An interesting idea though, especially for the IBA types and road warriors out there. Personally I'm usually thankful for the break at the end of a tank on mine, raised clipons and Rich Maund seat notwithstanding. Steve