Martin Barrett

Very nicely done I could have been tempted to have a spare tail section , or even have changed it to - is it Pauls replacement one first . Though he'll probably say it would ruin his aesthetics I'm allmost tempted to do something simular with my Krauser K2s. But the red frames and white boxes with red doors would look a bit odd on the black and graphite Lemans. I'll stick with my teknos. Though hard cases that take a full face are a bonus. Again nicely done , neatly executed I would have bodged it with a variable gap between an inch and a foot clearance.

No maybe, It's the way to go. All the protection of a one piece and practical for when you get off. I assume that they will zipper all the way around. I loved my BKS set allmost as much as food. need to lose some weight. Its a lot of money(£1200 replacement) to have hanging in the wardrobe.

Now most of my night time driving is done either under street lights or on the motorway, where there's often other vehicles lights interferring with my spread. I hadn't really given it that much thought before. But tonight, being a bank (public) holiday, whilst returning home from work on the near empty motorway. I could see the pattern of my dip beam spread. I was thinking about blanking off parts of the lens for Continental touring (The gathering in Holland in September) When I realised with the actual pattern being The cut off going from left to right , is horizontal and then 45% forward. A Left Hand Drive pattern for driving on the right, to illuminate the nearside and not blind oncomming traffic! Now this isn't my original headlight. The original was severly damaged by a thrown up stone. They changed the whole unit as had one left over from the warranty work on the loose reflectors. So do UK, Australian and Japanese (and any where else who drives on the correct side of the road) models normally have a Right Hand Drive headlight? Has the wrong one been fitted? Or given the fact that vibration unwinds the adjuster, so that most of the time it only illuminates the bit of tarmac immediatly in front of the wheel, who cares

This happened to me again today, at least third or forth time its happened in all. Went out short ride down town, parked up . No neutral light comming on , engine cuts out when side stand goes down. Prod the slector in and out of gear , light still wont come on. Never mind of to next stop, Same thing, and the next, and the next. But when I came back to it, ignition on , neutral light comes on. All back to working as it should. Well I can live with this occasional niggle, provided it doesn't do anything else. I don't warm her up on the side stand , I kit up , get on , start up and go. This just fuels my Guzzi paranoia, but it all vanishes as I pull out on to the road, a gentle "s" sweep past the neighbours parked car, and with a little bit of accleration feel the seat hump carress my backside ( Oh! that sounds a little too sexual) as she pushes forward. As I settle in to position. I love my bike Well I'm off to bed now , just time to check that the neutral light still comes on, the gearbox return spring still works and that the fridge interior light goes out

Glad to see that you sorted it without the long delay for parts to arrive or finding a dealer to do under warantee. Your detailed report gives me confidence that if mine goes I might beable to rectify it as easily. I loved the "tools required" style of your link, There are some gaps in my tool box, but I might be able to adapt what I have.I did learn the hard way (new clutch basket for my XJ550) that some times the correct tool is required On my FJ I had to reseat the spring on the selector quadrant, couldn't find any breakages or reason for it to have sprung off. But worked okay afterwards.But haven't done too many miles since.

Yes i have been experiancing guzzi paranoia since gearbox posts are becoming more prevelent. My 2003 lemans has 2,500 miles on it now. Since new I have found that if I dont fully remove foot so that lever can fully return it wont take the next shift. and reecently I've had a couple of crunchy down shifts. Whilst in traffic so not driving it through the box, giving it a good blip. So i'm concentrating on my gearchanges and hopeing for the best. But I will be getting the extra RAC cover for the Holland meet , over the guzzi scheme that came with the bike. If it takes weeks for a part how will you have to wait for a tow truck?

I see you also have a spada, If she can get a full licence, thats your answer. Much more fun to ride than to pillion! Obviously if you're touring can spread the kit across two bikes , but doubles the cost. But as said before is more fun to ride than pillion. SWIMBO as previously mentioned no longer rides pillion due to medical reasons. My kidneys can't take the rabbit punches It's our plan that she will get her licence one day - kids etc permitting- Perhaps a CBT course for her birthday would be a start.She fancies a baby blade (CBR400R) I also have the teckno bags. I slid the stops back to allow the pegs to go up and down with the bags on. But it still looks like heel and instep only. But I don't plan on carrying a pillion. But I supose if she does have a licence of her own she will want her own bike not your other one, so something might have to go to make room Well theres always the train.

As there is no clock on the V11, I ride in local time. It is allways now. Only when I stop and can pull back my sleave to look at my wrist watch does time have any meaning. Therefore enjoy the moment - man and machine in perfect harmony.

the uk owners club magazine - translates as " long legged" sorry don't have a copy http://www.motoguzziclub.co.uk/ club site under reconstruction but getting there slowly. My earliest recollection of Moto Guzzi is the "long legged and easy to live with" full page adds in the "motorcycle news" circa 1978. I was 14 and just discovering the finer things in life - motorcyles of course http://www.thundergod.plus.com/Mole%20Valley%20Remember.htm

Thanks Cliff - I take a fast idle does just that by lifting the throttle. I know I'm thinking more of Throttle slides and needles rather than butterfly valves, but its how this luddite can visulise it best. I again assume that with EFI theres no float chamber so theres no jets to open up to enrichen the fuel air mix. Does it do it using electrickery on the injector? or is the lifted throttle all you get?

I allways wondered why I have a choke lever fitted with EFI. I assume its because there is a sensor reading air temperature in the air box but nothing reading the actual engine temperature. So the bike can't make any adjustments for cold starts. I've not experianced the rough running mentioned above. I tend not to ride when there is snow or ice on the ground, but otherwise have done so . From memory I think 6 degres celcius is about favorite for icing, allows a good degree of moisture to be held in the air and any drop in pressure over a venturi will allow ice to form as the temperature drops at that point. I might be mixing up carb icing and wing icing. I would like to think that there would be enougth heat flowing back from the cylinders to keep the throttle venturi clear. But obviously not in every case as kawasaki had a big problem in the late 80's with the introduction of watercooling.

Easy one this, the main odometer is mounted above the trip meter. Therefore every time you go around a bend it takes the inside line, traveling a shorter distance, It also actually goes slower whilst maintaining the same angular velocity

Belfastguzzi - i like your topical avtar of the scales - - but if you everchange it for another thread it will also change here. So i copied it in above

Re spedo's at MOT time - a quick look at the inspection check list that came back with my last MOT test (on a car) the collum for motor cycles where it meets spedos has an N/A in it as for cars only class v vehicles have a ref (6.8) There for I assume that its not a test requirement. Though Construction and Use regs say you have to have one. The exact requirement differs with type of vehicle and date of first registration. I believe that there are new requirements comming in this year, along the lines of the increment of the display and the accuracy- no longer aloud to under read. Stand by for draconian speed enforcement :!: NB for those who didn't know - MOT - is the annual Ministry of Transport inspection of vehicles and is a requirement on the 3rd aniversary of registration for motorcycles: cars and light vans As for metrication. I would rather buy my bannanas by the inch, but i don't know to measure along the inside or outside of the bend. I suppose it depends if you're buying or selling

I was searching the forum for threads on lugage - looking for info on bagster - baglux tang bags and tekno paniers, before starting a thread seeking comments. Here is a link to a tekno supplier in the UK http://www.motomeccaspares.co.uk/illustrated/luggage.php As for the bagster system they don't seem to list the V11lemans correctly, but I think they do a fitment listed as a 1000cc lemans with the right dates on it 2003 in red or black http://www.bagster.com/ These are the two systems that I'm thinking of for my 2003 lemans in black. I don't want to try and kit my large white with red door k series krausers from my Fj to it. would spoil the lines. I know that R-B was thinking of the bagsters also Anyone with any comments

Yes as supplied - BATLAX 020's 180/55ZR17 - original tyres only done 2k miles hope to get a few more miles under them in the spring , but its difficult with kids,wife, work etc

Al, I think you have something here SWMBO The one who Still thinks I should have bought the Blackbird (CBR1100XX). Thinks that the Lemans" is a great looker from the rear with that huge ( two words contains 3 F's)" " rear tyre" but she doesn't like the single headlight being a fan of the R1's foxeye look. I must say that One has become used to seeing large section tyres on sports bikes, and looking back at pictures of the older bikes you can't but notice the skinny tyres. So there must be an element of marketing in there. But Guzzisti must take SWMBO's comments in context, She doesn't actually ride, She no longer goes pillion due to medical reasons. My kidneys couldn't take the repeated punching She has a questionable taste in asthetics - Just look at Me, I've followed this trend and gone from a skinny section in the 80's , through a little wider offering a little more grip in the 90's , and am now extensivley over tyred, complete with pinching causing a distorted overhang But I am happy with the way she handles. The Guzzi that is