jrt

Great idea, Jens! I know I've benefitted from your website- nice job on it!

Well, you did get lucky! You know what they say- God smiles on fools and children (I'm doubly blessed).

In so many ways. Well time to get back to the coal mines. What I'd give for a good cuckoo.

Greg, you're talking free tires. Free. The worst you will be out is the time it takes to change them. Give them a try and give us some feedback on them.

Good luck with that- the castings Guzzi uses are absolute crap as far as welding goes. If you're in Kansas, it's likely you are in the aircraft mechanics crowd, and if anyone can do it, those guys can. BTW, If Graham's download doesn't work, send me a PM. I'll burn you a copy on a CD and snail mail it to you.

DONT DO IT! I have to warn you guys that you're making a big, big mistake using these fancy "synthetic oils. Look, let me prove it to you with something I found on the internet: Don't say you weren't warned. J

If the spacer is longer than the bearing holders, you've no reason to change it. The problem was with spacers that were too short and put a side load on the wheel bearings.

Tom, toss some of the old relays in a plastic baggie and carry 1-2 along with. Prevents malfeasance from Dan's relays, although I've never heard of any problems with them. Roadholder- I'm jealous. We had such a wonderful time when SWMBO and I rode through N. Italy. Truly some of the best roads I've ever ridden, and I'm looking forward to going back.

No no no no no no no.... No K&N air filter arguments here. No. Take it to the Global Warming thread; I'm trying to read here.

Which is precisely one of the reasons I would prefer an 850.

Dan Prunske sells good quality relays at cost to the Guzzi community: http://www.dpguzzi.com/ Just tell him what you need. J

If there were a serious design problem with the V11, I think we would have known about it by now. Hell, we would have known in the 70's since it's the same motor.

22 ratchet beat me to it.

What? That's not cool at all. I'm not sure I can say that I've *always* stopped, but I do often enough that I don't remember not stopping to help out someone in need. I'd hold up my wedding to help a fellow Guzzi rider out. Hell, I might not do much but I do have a cellphone so I can make a call for them. Before cellphones...well, I do carry a bunch of damn tools on my Eldorado (hope you don't have a Harley). Brand name elitism is nonsense; we have to help each other.

Check Guzzitech for a schematic. Carl Allison has dedicated his life to transcribing the arcane Guzzi wiring schematics . He's like a rosetta stone. I'm not trying to say he's a blockhead (grin). Guzzitech and Greg Bender (loopframe guy) generously host these files now.

Nicely played, sir.

Cold isn't the problem- heat is. I suspect it might be too warm even for leathers. I would suggest taking the lightest fleece pullover you can find and use that in conjunction with your rain gear and/or a vented (i.e. joe rocket) jacket. I would also suggest wearing long sleeve cotton work shirts. They allow sweat to evaporate more slowly and keep you cooler- plus they will protect you from the sun, which will be fierce. Pick up a bandana (I know- it sounds goofy), and wet it occasionally to help keep cool. Also, I take toilet paper. In addition to the obvious, you can use it as a sunblock around your face if you start to get burnt. Think 'invisible man'. And allow for some water. Lots more than you imagine. I totally agree with Daniel- stay OFF the major highways. Highway 1 is beautiful, but slow. When you get into LA, try to stop by Mark Ethridge's shop "moto guzzi classics' just off the 1 in Signal Hill. He's a trip, and the bikes he has are just beautiful.

I'm looking for a curmudgeon pin. Do you have a spare?

Karl Wirth has over 500K miles, I believe. I have 170K on my old G5 and that's with iron-lined cylinders, not this new-fangled nikisil. And get off my lawn!

I've done Iowa to Toronto to Vancouver to Maine with no problems. I'm 5'11" and about 180. Aspirin, ear plugs, coffee and a fuzzy sheepskin seat worked great. I went the other way than Carl and I put on handlebars instead of lowering the clipons. BTW, central Canada is Waaaayyyy flatter than Iowa.

I have to agree with Ratchet here. Conservativism is the better part of valor in this case. The sender unit is the most likely culprit, but the cost of that being a wrong guess is too high. Pop off the valve covers and turn the motor over to see if oil is pumped up to the heads. Alternatively, remove the sender unit and turn the bike over. A "pencil thin" geyser of oil should come out.

Your other choice for crossovers is Stucchi. I have one and I like it. I think there have been some postings on comparing the two....Stucchi has had some fitment issues while Ferrachi seems to have none (that I remember). I can't remember which is better for low/midrange end (Ferrachi?) vs. balls out (Stucchi??). But really- either one is better than the stock piece. Airbox mods are common. I have pods- I completely eliminated the airbox- but I would now recommend just getting rid of your airbox lid. It's less intrusive, can be put back to stock, is quieter (good or bad) and makes just as much power. On the other hand, the pods do sound cool and they open up the under-engine area.

Looks like a good time was had by all. I used to drive through that part of the world pretty regularly. There was also a hotel called the Thunderbird in Fort Stockton. It was a real dump- I have no idea if it's there anymore. Next time you go out there- try staying in the old CCC-build Adobe hotel...near McDonald Observatory. Very cool place. Take your girlfriend(s) and your own beer, though. Not much else around it.

I have the ventura rack. It is sturdy, works well and the rack is larger than the Stucchi or other offerings, but the Ventura rack is squared off and runs outside the tailpiece, so it is kind of ugly (IMO).

I think most of it has been said, but let me chime in and say I'm thankful you weren't hurt more. You can get another bike- don't sweat that, it's your health and life that is important. It sounds like you were on your toes and responded well to the situation, even though it ended poorly. It goes to show that you can't be too careful and wearing ATGATT is a good thing. I now have a four month old daughter and I'm acutely aware of the risks. Doesn't stop me though- I just bought another Guzzi this weekend. Heal up citimoto...and sue the crap outa the arsehole.