jrt

You have to be willing to sacrifice style for comfort on occassion. I've found the sheepskins to be adequate, but I bet the wood seats breath better. One downside is they are pretty slick, so if you're an active rider, always moving on the seat, into hard cornering, etc. then it may not offer the traction you need. One other potential drawback is that with any seat addition, the 'feel' of the back is less. Like the bike's had a couple of beers- it's just slower to respond and gives less feedback.

That's a seriously ugly car from an American point of view as well. Bleah. both of 'em. Get a bug-eye sprite: http://www.classicsportscars.com/11B014652.htm or if ya' wanna pimp, get a '63 Lincoln. http://www.americandreamcars.com/1963lincolncnvt072704.htm (not a very good picture- it's got suicide doors, a 390 cubic inch plant, and loads of class)

Fear not KB! Both extremes- too long or too short are not optimal. I'd like to get the number right before asking anyone to make a couple of these. "Bulk run"??? that's pretty funny. I can't think of anything Guzzi as 'bulk' except the motorbike itself. And I don't think the aluminum is going to compress any. Do the steering clamps compress when you tighten them down? How about the brake calipers? Those are alu, and probably a lot softer. 7075 will be fine. I can get rolled rods from McMaster Carr (prices given above) that are 1" +/- 0.002% (always under rather than over tolerance though).

Carl, there are lot's of good Guzzi people down that way, just not all in OK. Texas has a fair number; I have several friends in the Dallas area on Guzzis now. Alabama has some hard-core types that'll keep you up drinking all night, and Missouri....don't even get me started. Oh, by the way, how's prison food?

Todd, Time to start stocking up on Buell lenses

25.4 mm is exactly one inch. I'm not sure what part we're talking about here: is it part #6 on drawing 32 of the parts manual (from the V11 CD)? If so, does it need to have the two collars? Dave, what are those notches cut in your spacer for? What is the diameter of the axel? So far, concensus is: L: 112.9 mm OD: 25.4 ID: 20.8 shape is plain sleeve, no collars, no detents Material choices: Alu, 36", enough for 8 pieces 7075 costs $35.34 7068 costs $51.53 (totally overkill for this application) Steel, 01 drill rod sounds about right- mild steel (I don't know much about steel alloys) 36" is $30.71 cost of machining will be higher, because it will take longer, I presume. Is that correct so far?

Sorry, S.D., I'm laughing with you not at you. That bit of metal is the reflector inside the headlamp and there are numerous reports of it failing- just like that one. If the bike's under warranty, have it replaced. Otherwise, just fish it out before it wear's all the reflective paint off the inside of the headlight. I think someone said their headlight worked *better* after they removed it, so....it's a feature.

I don't know, but a new Guzzi piece is only $10 US.

One limitation to the sigma, and most likely all magnetic pickups, is the length of the lead. I use the stock lead down to the front wheel on my V11 and it works fine. I lengthened the lead on my Eldo and ran it to the rear wheel. On that setup, the speedo fluctuates sometimes, giving ridiculous speeds. Just FYI.

Call MPH cycles as well.

What dimensions are we talking here? Ratchet or Dave, do one of you have the measurements for the spacer? I can make a few phone calls and see what I can do.

This sounds similar to the tool used to take out the head bearings on bicycles. Very simple to make (if you have a lathe) and they work great for this application.

simple pleasures for simple minds. /had to beat BFG to it

Mistral: (from the mg-griso.com board) http://www.ihostphotos.com/show.php?id=75105

As far as vibration goes- how many miles do you have on the machine? They really start to mellow out as they wear in- but that doesn't happen until ~5000 miles. By 10,000 it should be pretty smooth, but there will always be some vibration. Break-in is excruciatingly slow, but worth it. Kind of like a good leather shoe. In the meantime, synching up the throttle bodies makes an enormous difference and it's very easy to do. It requires a vacuum gauge (I use a Twinmax 'cause it's easy and no mercury to fool with). The adjustment itself takes 10 minutes. Valve lash also makes a difference. Remember, for Guzzi, a tappy valve is a happy valve. For exhaust noise, my guess is that you'll have to change out the pipes. Do you have the original equipment? And for cornering- yes, the Guzzi loves sweepers. You'll be changing your style before you know it. For physical support- it's not really necessary as long as you are willing to do some light maintenance. I've ridden Guzzi for over 20 years, and for the last 5 is the ONLY time I've had a mechanic that I can call local. People here on this forum are very knowledgable and there are even a few real mechanics and parts people. Someone should be able to walk you through a procedure. The real keys to working on bikes are patience and not getting frustrated. Enjoy, J

I'm old-fashioned when it comes to this question- I don't like headphones. I find the music is too distracting even though riding is mostly visual. If you really get into the music and start drumming on the dashboard or something then it can be a real problem. But as you said- I like the sound of the motor and it's music enough for me.

You'll get your answer in a couple days when he gets back.

The switchgear on Guzzi's isn't the best, and letting them live outside just speeds up their demise. I have heard deoxit works well on electronic gear. I would think it should work on bike switches as well. I've seen deoxit available at Rat Shack or on the web, but I've never used it myself. After cleaning the switches up, you might put some dielectric grease in them. Good luck!

Todd Haven posted on this topic on a different list- he said he carries them for a reasonable price as well- www.mphcycles.com there's an email on their front page.

Heck, looks like the mission is scrubbed for awhile. Better safe than sorry, I guess. Yeah, I've seen pitchurs of ya' Joe. Yer a handsome devil, no doubt.

I've mentioned this before- I have a writeup of torque values for the V7/T3/etc, and those values work for the V11 as well (std. size nuts). Email me for it, and I think Greg Bender (Loopframe guy extraordinaire) has it on his website as a download. update- I looked on his website: Download them here! thanks Greg!

I bet shipping on the $10 part is less than $100 AU, so buy three of 'em and be done for awhile. Actually, if you buy three, you are guaranteed that the first one will never fail again.

I didn't know that. Very cool; redwing makes some nice footwear. They tend to stretch though, so buy 'em snug.

That may be the case for some, Bill, but not for all of them. I've read that that 'parking in neutral' bit also. However, I always park my bike in neutral (not so many hills around here) and my neutral light seems to be working just fine. /knocks wood //puts it in first gear