jrt

I can't tell you why, but I can suggest that this is perfectly normal. Every Guzzi I've ever owned (ok, only 6) had one side louder than the other. As I recall, on mine it has always been the left side as well. Maybe it's a 'feature'. You could put some of those plastic spacers between the cylinder fins- that can help with ringing (prolly won't help). I read about some folks who glued felt on the inside of their valve covers to deaden the noise, but I wouldn't recommend that.

So, how did they do?

The ticking is just the relays cycling. You need a better charge on your battery. When you recharge your battery, it's a good idea to disconnect it from the bike (remove the (-) pole first).

Well, you have me beat, though not by much. I took this picture in Prarie du Chien, Wisconsin, during the Natl. Rally a couple weekends ago.

I'm not seeing the problem here.

I'm a slow learner- I've had several throttle rockers of various styles. I dislike them all. They make the throttle sensitive to bumps (as mentioned above), don't let you take your hand off the bar (as mentioned above), but mainly their problem is that between town and highway riding, they are always in the wrong place. I prefer the vista cruise which really does lock the throttle. It can be disengaged in a fraction of a second, so it's not unsafe.

Well, good for them! Thanks for posting these images, Carl. That sun is amazingly low in the sky considering it's high summer here. I know, I know. Simple pleasures, right?

Meh. All the cool people have pods. Cue music..... When you're a Jet you're a Jet all the way From your first cigarette To your last dying day When you're a Jet let them do what they can You've got brothers around You're a family man You're never alone You're never disconnected You're home with your own When company's expected You're well-protected....

I definitely do NOT want to know why you need a septical seat. Seriously- do you have the original seat pan? If so, send it to Rich Maund and you'll get a seat that is more comfortable, you'll get it faster, and "your ass will thank you"®

I wasn't aware that the cylinders were painted. I thought it was raw aluminum. You might try a high-heat exhaust paint...sorry- I don't have much more of a suggestion than that. Well, one suggestion- if you try some paints looking for a match, use a scrap piece of aluminum as a test piece- see how well it mimics the original color.

Congrats to you and Helen! And sorry to hear about your friend. I hope she heals up quickly and well.

uh, yes.

That's not a trip, that's a weight-loss program.

Yeah, the US commentators (TV guys) got real excited when they were three across. Wild stuff!

Right on! The track is a completely different world- I'm glad you enjoyed yourself!

Well, I can't speak to the conditions, but I sure enjoyed watching it on TV. I thought it was a nice race; the Kentucky kid was just on, I felt a little bad for Rossi, and I was very impressed with Pedrosa. His weight (or lack of) is a BIG asset exiting corners- did you see him just walk away from Roberts and Vermulan?

I thought graphite was a lubricant.....

I don't know how the Bassa oil lines are constructed, but I've replaced all my old-style cloth covered lines with either hard-piped steel (from the Eldorado) or use the stainless steel braided line. The fittings seem to leak on the cloth-covered stuff. Be sure an use all new crush washers (6 of them) when you install new ones. If you careful, you can put a *very small amount* of teflon sealant on the fastener threads (not tape- use the liquid stuff).

I think a very good suggestion has been made- we need a set of definitions, acronyms, and abbreviations. Anyone want to set up a 'wikipedia' style FAQ?

OK, so I admit it. Dave's comments really piqued my interest, so I did took some measurements on my V11 and since I have a G5 block in my basement, I took a look at that as well. From a back of the envelope calculation using numbers posted above, and from just looking at the V11S dispstick in the G5 block (they're really close to the same, if not the same), the oil level in the V11S, when full, is about at the upper gasket. Fine, that's been said before, and now I believe it. The oil level on older bikes is about 20 mm higher..or the oil level on the broad sump motor is about 20 mm lower. The distance from the bottom of the crankshaft lobe and the top of the oil is about 60 mm on the V11S motor and about 40 mm on the older models. This ASSUMES that the V11S and G5 crankshafts have the same diameter lobes. This explains why I was remembering 3" (7.5 cm) and Ratchet measured 6" (16 cm). At this point, Pete and Greg are but were're all having fun pushing our pencils around here at the Group W bench. So, this brings up the next ignorant question- why not just fill the crankase up with another 20 mm of oil (a quart?)? Sure, it'd be closer to the crankshaft, but still 40 mm away. J Dammit, Pete just added that while I was typing and measuring and bears, oh my. Thanks Pete, that answers my question- too much pressure build-up.

perfect- thanks! J

Hey Ratch, Since you have it out, could you measure how far up on the dipstick is the upper oil level? 7.5cm or so???? Thanks, J

This fellow must watch too much MotoGP.

I think he (the guy selling them) said he was working on one. It wouldn't hurt to email and ask him, but I think he's aware of the niche aspect of this market. The only reason he had a loopframe fairing is because he owns a loopframe. I also think these fairings ran just upwards of 1000 dollars. I was the guy that gave you my pork. No, wait, that doesn't sound right. We shared a table and I gave you some food and talked about various stuff you had on your Le Mans (nice looking bike, btw). My wife and I had the baby with us. Those were my best photos, but I'll see what else I can find- probably just similar stuff. I did take about 5 minutes of video of the 'parade'. Here's some other peoples photos (I copied the links from mgnoc): http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a117/One...0MG%20national/ and http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSi...20_754275830206 Next year's national will be in Money Creek, MN. It's just about 100 miles north of Elkader (this years) along the MN/WI border- beautiful country. Also, it will be a month or so later, so hopefully a bit cooler. Two years ago I woke up at 6am to frost. Should be worth the trip- The MN rallies have been smaller, and a couple people have traditionally brought smoked fish and wild rice soup. Oh, that's good stuff.