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So, who's gonna show lex the 'secret handshake'? Welcome to the club. I just removed the rubber grommet under the tank cap- that works just fine, and no- I've never leaked gas- no matter how full I got the tank. cheers, Jason

A nice solution- looks like the bars are pretty wide, though. Maybe just an illusion? Now if only I could fit something like this on my Sport. Cheers, J

They are all good, from what I hear- I doubt they improve handling or cornering any, but my advice is to wait until the break-in period is over. Why flow more air, more heat, etc through a motor that isn't quite ready for it? If you get aftermarket mufflers, you WILL run your bike faster. Ask me how I know... Cheers, Jason

put 'em in the vacated holes from the peg relocation I know, I know...they won't fit, but I had to say it. Glad to hear it all fits now. I'll probably follow your lead and try something similar. These bikes have a helmet lock?? Learn something new every day, I guess. Cheers, Jason

Very cool. Very cool indeed. please keep us posted.

Photoshop? Sheesh, I put Norton repops on my Eldo. Good for a couple of horsepower at least! Here she is: Cheers, Jason

I bought a (photocopied) V11 sport (not LeMans) factory manual from pacific sports cycles in Santa Barbara (love the internet). They, or many other internet savvy companies might do the same for the LeMans. Good luck, Jason

Hi Dino, Bear in mind that most posts on bulletin boards like this are based on failures. 'My engine leaks', 'my brakes squeal', 'I sucked a pigeon through the intake' sort of thing. Rarely does one post the message about how their bike didn't misfire while tooling around the countryside. I've got close to 10K miles on my V11, and no major troubles. One relay blew and my headlight switch broke. These were early on (less than 2000 mi). I had all the relays replaced, but you won't even worry about that with a new model. My tranny spring hasn't broken, and my understanding is that it's a pretty trivial fix- drop the starter and open a panel in the case. The fuel 'problem' is not really a problem, just a vacuum in the tank. So vent it (which won't help for electric petcock valve failure). If you get a LeMans, my advice would be to ride it and maintain it. Simple as that. Maintainance includes preventative as well, so grease the bolts that were forgotten at the factory, put an oil mist or equivalent on the electrics, etc. And ride it. If you can keep an EL and a Knucklehead running, then the Guzzi will be a cool drink of water. Cheers, Jason

MGcycle makes up Earl's hoses- or at least sells the fittings. Or at least their website says they do... I'd never heard of that particular brand before- I suppose they are upper end? Cheers, Jason

Hi Al, There's two 'kind of small' pics on my website of my V11 with Rich's seat. Gawd, my English teacher would kill me for that last sentance... Anyhow- I replaced the seat by the time I took the pics of my bike with the mistral mufflers attached. One has the cowling on it. http://plasterbath.chem.uiowa.edu/fairing.html The fit is excellent. The seat is also a lot more comfortable now that Rich re-covered it. I specifically wanted to be able to put the cowling back on- as I recall, Rich can do it either way, although the 'with cowling' style is less comfortable for the passenger (wouldn't know about that part I could post a couple of bigger pics if you're really interested. Cheers, Jason

Hey, I FINALLY remembered to look it up while at the house (I bought a shop manual for mine). 40 N.M, or 29.5 foot.pounds. The reason I remembered is that I had to retorque the heads on my Eldo- 28.5 foot pounds. The last sentance is just to confuse you... That's me...Agent of Chaos ™. Cheers, Jason

Don't knock it, fellows- it's a cool idea. Maybe she ain't finished yet, but one day.... Carl is right- there is some pretty cool stuff from the other side of the pond. I personally liked the 'ram air' system one guy did to his bike by installing the heads backwards and the carbs pointing out the front. Way crazy, man. Still, we (U.S.) have our moments. We need only look at Nolan's trike, or some of the badass custom Guzzi's that show up at the rallies. Maybe we're just a bit more dilute, that's all. Good lord, I'm sounding amenable...somebody slap me upside my head and give me a beer... Cheers, Jason

Don't knock it, fellows- it's a cool idea. Maybe she ain't finished yet, but one day.... Carl is right- there is some pretty cool stuff from the other side of the pond. I personally liked the 'ram air' system one guy did to his bike by installing the heads backwards and the carbs pointing out the front. Way crazy, man. Still, we (U.S.) have our moments. We need only look at Nolan's trike, or some of the badass custom Guzzi's that show up at the rallies. Maybe we're just a bit more dilute, that's all. Good lord, I'm sounding amenable...somebody slap me upside my head and give me a beer... Cheers, Jason

Hey, I bought a CRG 'roll-a-click' lever for my wife's jackal. Stock was a bit of a reach, so she needed an adjustable one. Besides, she dropped the bike and bent the lever... Anyhoo, they're awfully expensive, but really nicely made. And they fit the V11 (I put it on mine for a short while ). And they're adjustable. http://www.constructorsrg.com/page3.html Cheers, Jason

Hey-o I use full synthetics (Mobil one, cause it's available). At 10K miles (just a few more), I'll probably start adding in the moly as well. Don't bother with slick50 or it's variants. IIRC, they're embroiled in lawsuits over false claims. Today's oil is plenty slick already- witness Carl's statements above. Actually, I wrap all my plugs with teflon too, although I don't go so far as to safety wire them (good on ya' Carl). It has caused me some concern, because I would hate the little strings of teflon to get caught in an oil port and clog it. Doh! Happened to my brother's Datsun PU, when he rebuilt it. So I CAREFULLY wrap the plugs and whatnot. Cheers, Jason

Enjoyed your post, Buck! One other way to remap the injection system is to go the DIY approach: http://www.jefferies-au.org/My16M/index.htm (I saw that Cliff Jefferies posted this on MGCL this morning or yesterday). An alternative to the PCIII, I suppose. I think it's a pretty cool idea, particularly when he implements the accelerator emulation and exhaust feedback. If you put in the effort to install and tune the computer, you should end up with an intimate knowledge of how the system works. Cheers, Jason

Dangit Dangit Dangit! What, now I'm going to have to go out and buy a Stucchi crossover too? My other bikes ,er, I mean my wife. is gonna be jealous! Cheers, Jason

You could add some pigtails to the electric petcock, and activate it with a battery (or the bike's battery). It's not a manual petcock, but it would test whether they are working correctly. Cheers, Jason

It's a technical term. Took me years of college and therapy to say it with a straight face. Cheers, Jason

Thanks dlaing! Nice info to have. Here's an off the wall question. Old Guzzi's (Eldo's) are recommended to use copper-core spark plug wire, due to the way the ignition is set up (resistors are in the coil and the caps). Do the newer Guzzi's use 8mm silicone wires with super-whoopty conductors? I know they don't need suppression wires, but I was curious about using them. Actually, I don't know much about plug wires at all...All I know is they say champion...shows how little I pay attention some times... Cheers, Jason

Hey all, I had the tank suck too, but because of cold weather (happened last winter) not while I was riding. I tossed the canisters, associated plumbing (I didn't throw them out though- I use the hose for gas line on my Eldorado!) and I removed the rubber seal for the tipover valve. yes, it may leak someday but so what. I just don't lean the bike over that far (unless I have a few g's to push the gas down!). Other issues with the bike- My headlight switch died. Dealer (Ned's, in Riverside, IA) replaced it promptly. One relay died. Dealer replaced all of them on the spot. I developed a crack in one of the side panels. Dealer ordered one up, and I got it 4 months later. I don't use the side panels any more (K&N pods), so no big deal. He's been real good about fixing problems before they become a problem. Fixed my wife's Jackal by replacing a U-joint that was going bad, before I even noticed it. I had asked him to give it a once-over before warranty ran out. The V11 has never failed to start (except for the relay thing- and that happened in the dealer parking lot!) and has never failed to run well. Knock on plastic. Remember, all mechanical things tend to wear out. Keep an eye out for what you can, and preventative maintenance is far cheaper than a catastrophic failure. Like your Mom says- change oil and diapers regularly. OK, I'm paraphrasing. Cheers, Jason

Pretty cool idea, Tracy. I like the industrial look of it. Have ya'll (best Texas drawl) thought about using radiator hose? It can take the heat better than PVC (PVC has a nasty habit of releasing HCl gas when it gets too hot) and the color is black. I was thinking about the big pre-bent sections that go to/from the radiator. Cheers, Jason

Russ is correct; installing the set-backs will make shifting more difficult. I have to rest my heel on the peg in order to reach the shifter now. It will be easy to fix. The world is a small place nowdays; I bet they can send you a set (perhaps without VAT even?). Like I said, it may not work for me, but heck, for 18 bucks shipped, its a cheap date. Just the experiment is worth that to me. I encourage people to try it if they're interested. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind in a couple of hundred miles. It's been known to happen. What I really liked were the tail-piece eliminators. Cheers, Jason

Hi, I just installed a set from evolucione (sorry, spelling it from memory) as well. I'll give them the A+ in speed, shipping and price, but I'm not sure the ergo's are going to work for me. I've just puttered around town, but it seems to make me lean even more forward than before. I definately did not want to do that. Maybe when I put some higher bars on it, it will be better, but for now I lay down too much- hurts my wrists. I'm about 5'11", 34 inseam if it matters. Basic human shape. Took 15 minutes to install- helps if you have a 17mm open end to back up the nuts on the allen bolts. I do like the brake position as well as before, but I'll have to rig something up for the shifter- it's too far forward now. It'll be easy to do with a "J" shaped piece with threads on the long part, and a hole in the other. Cheers, Jason

yep, that's me. I'll try it myself, but probably not before spring. Nice looking fairing! I think the lines compliment each other with those things. Looks good in silver. Funny picture album as well. I laughed hard at the 'tetanus' bike! I'm still grinning over it. Cheers, Jason