jrt

You know that's just going to encourage the gremlins, don't you?

ewww @Pete- blue jeans aren't all that comfortable nor durable so you ain't missing much.

It looks like Mark Ethridge of Moto Guzzi Classics is parting out a V11. You could ask him about the driveshaft...could be ??? cheaper than having one rewelded??? I have not idea on it; I just noticed Mark had a few parts on fleabay.

I'd echo what others say- think pretty hard about it and why you want it. If you do really want one, go for it. I got tattooed when I was 17. I thought I was all cool and tough and it was different than mainstream. 15 years pass, then flippin' every teenage girl and boy, every want-to-be-badass, and all their grandmothers get tattoos and now I'm exactly the mainstream that I thought I was avoiding. Even my Mom got one. At age 65, she decided to take up motorcycling and get a tatoo. She's tougher than I am. Edit: Just ran across this tangentially related article. WTF?

Shoot, I woke up last night about midnight and thought to myself- 'self, the V11 already HAS a hydraulic clutch'. I was projecting my old Tonti and Loopframes. Man, I miss my bikes. So, what you might be able to look into is a radial master cylinder. Some of those have adjustable piston sizes, so as to make for an easier pull. Also, you could change out the clutch. Not sure that's much more expensive than a new hoopty brembo master cylinder. I don't know that this has been done on a Guzzi, but I've read about it elsewhere. So- just to be clear, I am NOT suggesting this. You could put in a standard clutch and leave out two springs. I kind of doubt that's a very good idea though.

How handy are you with machine tools? There is a hydraulic slave cylinder available for 5 speeds, it seems like you should be able to use it or use it as a design template to make your own. http://www.mgcycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=2554&osCsid=4ceb91021a557a42fc5ae51169c5f8fb Sorry- this is all I am aware of at the moment. Although- have you tried clutchless shifting (when it's safe)? That won't fix anything but it will put off the problem for a bit.

Guzzi2Go Here's an edited Lewis Black- turn off the video- it's not worth watching. OK, threadjack over.

I'd say it depends on how you want to define it. It's a Tonti frame, therefore older. But the model was produced after the end of the V11 line, therefore newer. I'd say go with newer. Or just divide by zero.

And Lewis Black (American comedian) has a hilarious monolog that's a similar punchline to your picture Raz. Something about the Swedish coming over and colonizing Minnesota. Worth looking up.

Like a mud bath for the skin? Nothing defoliates like a bit of hot ash.

And somewhere there is a picture of some crazy bas@#$d ice racing a V11 with spikes and all. I don't have the picture but it was from some Danish/Swedish/Finnish....I dunno- some country that gets too little sunlight. It was a good image, though.

My bad- you are right, of course.

Well, yes, (or no? There should not be any side play) but remember that you are putting side load on the bearings by tightening up the axel. The idea is to match the distance between the stanchions to the distance between the bearing races.

Tom- thanks for that info! I'll order the grease gun fitting now. I'm a big fan of McMaster as well.

For which bike? I put one on my V11 sport ('01) which came from 'fenda extenda' and was for one of the 500 cc models, I think. It required some modification with a dremel tool. A quick search should turn up that old thread.

Right up there with the KLR650?

Do the 8V motors run any better at low rpm than the 4V motors? i.e., could you just be lugging the engine? All my Guzzis run ok at low rpm, but they have more snatch and do sometimes pop or fart depending on the temperature....

Wow, she looks great!

Now THAT'S a good name!!

4500 and up. Docc is right on the money for my riding tastes as well.

A good place to start looking is on the Aerostich webstie: http://www.aerostich.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=tank+bags They're expensive, but I like their stuff and they are good to work with. J

Good Luck on it! I'm looking at one those in the near future. I'm flying from Boston to Phoenix to pick up a Ducati next month. Hope to drive it home in a couple of days (2600 mi). We'll see, though. I may take longer and sightsee a bit.

Hey, fotoguzzi, do I see some non-guzzi silliness in those photos? Should I shut this discussion down? Should I have another glass of scotch? Tune in next time for 'Silly is as Guzzi does' or 'Scotchbrite those piston skirts, boys'. (see Rocky and Bullwinkle) Carry on, folks. damn, another pun.