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On threaded connections? I'd just use PTFE (telflon) tape sealant. Or go to the local plumbing store and pick up a thread compound designed for gasoline or natural gas. Jason

Carl, What frame modifications are you talking about? Jason

Second picture- Warning- I resized it, but I think all the arrows still point to the right places.

Here's the two figures which should have the info you requested (sourced from the online manual, pg. 26,27). You can calculate the compression height from the second pic. Cheers, Jason

I don't think two-three years is way out of the realm of possibilities for battery going bad. It's a pretty small battery, and probably has a pretty high current demand (as you were saying). My understanding is that gel batteries require a high initial current to start charging. I'm still not sure why this is (and I'm a chemist ) but 'normal old' battery chargers are not as effective at initiating a charge. Guess I need to do some research. If anyone knows why (mechanically), I'd be interested in knowing. On the other hand, new-fangled 'smart' charges don't work for anodizing aluminum. So...I have new-style batteries and old style chargers. I do have an Odyssey battery in my Jackal, but I've only had it one season. Works fine- I haven't had it long enough to evaluate, other than the bike starts every time I hit the button. It's a much larger battery than the V11 also. Exercise caution when starting a V11 with a dead battery. The computer is senstive to voltage spikes. Don't jump the bike. Also, consider wiring in a transil diode to protect the ECU from spikes. I guess you could then jump the bike if you wired one in. Cheers, Jason

I'll paraphrase Rich, who was paraphrasing Mike. If you've got a bike, you've got bike trouble. Personally, I still advocate panicking...seems to work most of the time J

Bento, you're the best! J

My attitude is- and this has served me well for many years- panic first, then sort things out later John, have you had a good panic lately? If not, you should start worring. Cheers, Jason

Hi Goran, I've had a chain bust on my old Honda CB350. Going about 50 mph (80 kph), it sucked the chain around the swingarm, and locked up No harm done though. God smiles on fools and children. And then, this puts me in the same league as TX REDNECK, I fixed it with baling wire (pronounced balin' war to us Texans). Baling wire is the stuff used to hold bales of hay together, and it has waaayyy more uses than duct tape. Cheers, Jason PS: I'm with you- ride your bike

Check the connector style! I almost did this replacement (a warranty thing), but didn't because the connectors are different betweent he euro and the US. This on a '01 V11 sport. Cheers, Jason

The cynical part of me says to be careful around all those "sealed" bearings also. Don't blast 'em with water. I guess I could go rub an ice-cube on my bike today. How does that work as a cleaner? Cheers, Jason

Yeah, I have to apologize as an american about the Hasselhoff thing as well. What about Harold and Maude? Classic.

Too much wine, frolicking, and soldering. You're right of course. Cheers, Jason

Do you have a thing for candy-canes? Sorry... It's a pretty bright paint scheme, though. I imagine the new Le Mans and the Corsa are going to be as reliable as previous models. Al's right- every year has some 'issue', but these are pretty minor (c'mon, a leaking seal?). Many of us have put quite a few miles on their bikes with no problems at all. I've got 10K on mine, and it's just starting to hit it's stride. Guzzi's are not much more complicated than a rock. There's just not that much to go wrong on them. The engineering is stone-age, and the materials aren't much more advanced. That's a good thing in my opinion; I maintain (mostly) my Guzzi's, and I have about 180,000 miles on one of them. I expect to exceed that on my other Guzzi's. Get it set up right and you'll be a happy camper for a long, long time. Where are you, and maybe the list can recommend a dealer that *really* works well? Cheers, Jason

Wait a little while before switching to synthetics. Your motor isn't even broken in yet, and synthetics are too slick to facilitate a proper break-in (that's what I've read anyhow). I don't know what, or if, there is a recommended mileage to switch from dino to synth oil, but I waited until about 6K myself. J

Thanks Carl! I'll put it in when I have the transmission recall work done. Jason

Well, that mount was at least on some of the earliest V11's- prototypes or production, I don't know. The plate is clearly visible in this jpg from the manual (with 6 speed tranny): Does anyone have this plate off the bike? I would like to copy it and make one in my shop to fit up when I do the transmission recall fix. Cheers, Jason

I'd vote for new crush washers as well with a bit of sealant on them. Not sure what kind to use- permatex non-hardening maybe? While everything is unfastened, you could check that the mating surfaces are flat (I woudn't place bets on that one!) Cheers, Jason

Hi Jaap, Thats a great idea- for those of us who use macs, a great freeware program is balancepro http://www.macdev.ca/macos/Freeware.html For OS X. Did I mention it was free? cheers, Jason

My wife can only take the pillion seat for about an hour to hour and a half. And that's WITH a Rich Maund seat that's been slightly modified to be more comfortable. Touring one-up is doable (but my legs still cramp after awhile), but two-up is only for sadomasochists. cheers, Jason

Oh, you've been bit hard. The best you can do to ensure maximum riding time is to do preventative maintenance. As Carl often reminds us, grease up the electrical connections. Check torque on various nuts/bolts/etc. Push on stuff to make sure it's not loose. These are pretty damn good bikes right out of the box. Exhaust and intake mods will get you a little power and smooth out the midrange, but the biggest effect they have is that the bike sounds better. Happy riding! Cheers, Jason

Hey Bento, you could use this as your next avatar. (credits to a long-forgotten website). J

Oh, yeah. I forgot that the newer models have that 'stabilizer' on them. And yes, the torque values are for the thread size, not the tool size. Cheers, Jason

If beer doesn't do it, then it's time to move on..... to grappa and absinthe Cheers, Jason