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Better stay in and drink, KB. This may be your only chance.

You're making my head hurt. I'm going to start drinking now, and raise a toast to Enzo who's thread this was initially. Who's prison bitch name is 'the perv'. hmmmm, related to Jim, meybe?

Doh! Martin, damn you!

1939 AJS V4 and watercooled (obvious) and supercharged

Well, I guess that's definitive, Dave.

Way to go Tim! Bruce, check out 'ratbike.org' for some really lovely creations Søren- the name is "Crosley" and it's actually an old US (I think US) car manufacturer. Typical to the companies in the 40's, it manufactured cars, jeeps, bikes, generators, etc. The motor was put into a Guzzi loopframe- the owner did a nice job, although I think it looks kind of funny. Too much plumbing, maybe. It has a very long wheelbase, so it's quite stable; the owner drives it to Guzzi rallies occasionally. Jason

Mmmm, I'm trying to find a good competition for you, Søren... There was a bike from the '60s or 70's by the name of "Road Dog" (might have been the owner's name too?) that was mighty ugly. I can't find a picture of it, but damn. 17 ft long (5+ meters) 3000 pounds (1100 kg)

Martin, You know the old saying about 50ft tall radioactive typcast actresses. OK, here's the poop- the bike was based, not from a lawnmower, but on a washing machine engine. That's a 2 stroke Maytag. A fellow built it up for his son in 1956- I guess in lieu of a go kart. It's a sweet looking little thing- looks like a lot of fun to drive. Here's the next weird one (full size bike- you can see the parts it was made from). Jason

Sounds about par for the last...bunch...of years. At least since the '80s. Do ya' think this emphasis on sell-sell-sell is the reason parts are in shorter supply? urp...good wine. J

Close....so close, Jaap. jerrold, you shouldn't start drinking this early. Here's a different perspective. That's my wife by the way, and if you try to argue with her, she'll squash you like a bug. (I'll post the answer in the morning) J

Anybody have a clue as to this make (I'll warn ya', its been customized )

Bill, Series B Rapide. I can't completely rule out the shadow, because I can't see the speedo. Jason

Keith, I appreciate your skepticism. I think a lot of parts are over-hyped with respect to the improvements they bring. I bought a Stucchi crossover- found one used- and installed it. There were/are some fitment issues that I took care of with some extra washers here and there. But it did make a noticeable improvement in the bike. I don't think it's so much the openness of the crossover as it is the shape- I suspect that the X shape helps scavenge exhaust from each side more efficiently. But to the point of your post- I like your pipes! They look very nice and one of these days, I'm going to have to consider doing something similar. Jason

Heck. Thanks for the info, Todd. Jason

Nice sig Do keep an eye on the oil. They don't go through it very fast, but it's not a good idea to run low. Also the valves, if set appropriately loose, will make some noise. Like a very loud sewing machine. On the older ones they really do tick or slap or howl depending on the rpm. J (hmm. Like TX said....the above is a blanket statement- take it for what it's worth)

Trouble is that there are very few Guzzi riders out there and even fewer of them ride V11's. So it's hard to get Mistrals next to Stock next to Staintune next to FBF and a QuatD next to that. Any aftermarket pipe is going to be louder than stock, I would bet. The aftermarket crossover gives another jump in decibels, but is well worth it. Personally I've heard Stock, Mistrals (mine) and QuatD (early version). I like the Mistrals over the QuatD, which was more raspy and metallic (sorry dlaing). It wasn't bad sounding, but I just liked mine better- about the same loudness but lower frequency. I have the 'round' Mistrals, and I bet the 'oval' pipes (any brand) sound even better yet since they will give a better low frequency response. Also, fwiw, mine sound like "rump rump ruummmmmpppaaa ruummmmpppaaa" (a little more rum in it )

It's no problem to richen the mixture and ride. I've got lots of miles on my Sport- modified with mistrals, K&N, Stucchi crossover- and no PCIII. Yes, it runs just fine, the spark plugs are good, no popping or pinging. The PCIII would probably incrementally improve it more, but it's fine for now. Worry less. Ride more. J

An inch longer would be good because [insert joke here] the bends could be made less sharp. I just kind of wonder if the ends are the same and I can't remember if the ends changed when Guzzi went to the newer speedo. Jason

Good call. That could do it. I think Rich Maund wrote up something about greasing the cush drive around a year ago. And you're right- it's rubber and in the rear wheel. On the output shaft of the transmission, there is a heavy spring loaded gizmo that (I think) acts as a cushion for heavy load conditions. I could well be wrong on that last one though. BTW, don't be surprised by the amount of free play in the drive chain. It seems to be a lot even compared to older Guzzis. J

Tx, yer a freak. A funny freak. Good on ya' BigJ- now don't pamper it. J (medium sized...)

Hmmm, I wonder if that fits the 'older' V11's? My speedo is starting to get jumpy, which can only mean one thing.... J

It has to be rather loud for you to hear it while driving. Can you put it up on the centerstand, put it in gear and rotate the tire to reproduce it? I don't like to hear clicks on these bikes- particularly metallic sounding clicks. Makes me start to wonder about the condition of the ujoints and the cush drive. Have you taken the rear wheel apart and greased the cush drive? J

Aspirin. Bottle of water. Cell phone, credit card. Not necessarily in that order. J

Anybody looked at this one? http://www.prattlay.co.uk/cgi-bin/ezb3.4c/ezbcam.cgi#SH The minimalist approach. Jason

Kind of depends on what you're looking for- You might check out: http://www.airtech-streamlining.com/vintage/prodvintage.html or http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1062 or http://www.mgcycle.com/windshield.html or http://www.motorworld.com/roadtests/2001/moto_guzzi_v11s/ should keep you busy a while j