Scud

Pete - I'll need your PayPal address. You can send it in a PM or reply to my recent e-mail if you don't want to post it publicly. I just need to collect a bit more before I can pay for all the plates that will come to the US. FYI - I'm updating the first post of this thread as I receive the payments. OZ and NZ members will also need your PayPal address. Should they send the amount of the plate now - and the balance for gaskets and shipping later? Or would you prefer to figure out the total including gaskets and shipping? Tim

I think the numbers are going to work out with a bit left over (unless I get stuck holding several plates). Pete's asking price of AU$120 is about US$88 at the current exchange rate of $AU x 0.73 = $US. I'm asking US$130 per kit. That leaves US$42 per kit to apply toward 3 gaskets, inbound shipping from Australia and MG Cycle (shared charge), and outbound shipping from me to you. As I mentioned earlier, I'll probably ask Canada/Europe members for extra to cover their higher outbound shipping costs (once they are known). I think Pete could have asked for a little higher price and most (if not all) of us would still have bought the plates. If you want to pitch in a bit more, I will pay Pete extra, and make a donation.

Done. And I just finished sending PMs to everybody regarding payment. If Pete's going to make 30 V11 Plates, there are still about 5 more available.

Close Encounters with Aliens while riding Scuras. This has to be a small club. Welcome.

Today I marked the Guzzi-spot in the truck for family road trips. Found the stickers on Amazon, these (two separate stickers) are Red-Reflective. Flash-photography permitted.

Happy to do it. Pete hooked us up with an excellent deal, I'm just passing it along. I bet this saves somebody's bearings along the way. I think I saw Pete talking before about how he decided to invent the thing - by seeing too many torched bearings. "Roper lines" for everybody!!!!

Looks like we are about ready to launch with: 22 V11 Committed 2 V11 pending response 3 Daytona/Early sport style Committed I'm assuming (which could change) that Pete will accept direct payment and provide shipping to Oz and Not oZ. I'll be sending PMs to all Northern Hemisphere buyers asking for US$130 for one plate, and US$120 for each additional plate shipped to the same address. Then I'll pay Pete for the total that he will ship to me. Since Pete's price is AU$20 more for the "Tonti" style that fits the older sports, and I am not going to supply gaskets for those, I'll call it a "wash" and keep the price the same for every plate. When it comes time to ship from California, I may ask a few of you for a bit extra to cover international shipping costs. I've rounded up a little to cover exchange rate fluctuation and the unknown shipping costs to me. If I have some money left over at the end, I'll make a donation to this forum so Jaap can buy beer... ... or wine... ... or whatever...

Thanks. I already had you listed in the "committed" section on page 1.

That's good for Oz; Aussies will need to know a total price including gaskets and shipping. Could you do the same for NZ? We have only one going to Europe so far. I can take care of that if you'd rather not ship it directly. If you make 30 of the V11 plates, I can buy half of the unclaimed plates and hold them here. We're at 20 V11 plate commitments now, and that will probably go up as others see the price and commit. I assume you'll more than cover your production costs on the sale - and we'll each have 3 or 4 plates leftover. I would just have a few hundred bucks tied up on my shelf (hopefully not for "yonks"). As for AU-US shipping, I'll cover that when it's time. I just need to know the amount, which you probably won't know till you weigh the package. - Tim

Thanks Pete. OK boys... it's decision-time for anyone whose name is in the "interested" category. For USA and Canada, I estimate the total cost should be about US$130 all-in. That's including: your share of shipping from Australia; 3 gaskets and your share of shipping from MG Cycle; and shipping from me to you. That's for a V11 plate to the US. Canada shipping will be more, and the early sport plate will be more (although I'm not supplying gaskets for this version). Post up or send me a PM if your name is in "interested." Should I: Move your name to "committed" Change the quantity Delete your name Once we get the list cleaned up, I'll send you all PMs with PayPal details. I think I will collect and consolidate for the US/Canada and that residents of other countries should pay Pete directly. Since we're all friends we can use PayPal's "send money to a friend" feature and avoid extra fees.

That should provide a good test. If you put the plate in and the sound ceases, then you have your answer - and another good reason for anyone to install one of these plates. Two thumbs up for lane splitting in California. I snuck up to the front of a light in AZ last weekend - got some dirty looks - then I remembered it's illegal over there.

Glad to hear you and family are OK. Here's the video you referenced:

Great thread - although lots of older pics don't show anymore. Looking forward to more.

You'll have to tell me what pattern you see. You can barely see the headlight of a tan motorhome (no doubt inhabited by Aliens) on the RH side. The only theme I can think of is "Vehicles I don't want to see my daughter in."

Craig - since you turned me on to these speed bleeders, I've got them for other vehicles too. Just ordered a set for my truck - and now I won't have to spend an hour under the truck yelling "pump... hold... release..." over and over. I put them on my K75S and will put them on the Guzzis when it's time to change the fluids (coming up soon).

It was a great ride - especially on the way to AZ. The trip home had too much Interstate, but I was escorting my daughter in her Toyota Highlander. A Harley passed me going up I-8 from Ocotillo toward San Diego - I'm sure you know that section where you have 10 miles of huge sweeping curves going up about 3,000 feet. It was hard to let that Harley go... I had some nice conversations inside my helmet - especially while crossing deserts. For me it's not so much "time to pay attention" but where to put my attention. (I think that's probably what you mean too). After 50 or so miles of desolate two-lane desert roads with expansive views, my focus was waaaaayyyyy out in front of me. My mental error was that I was paying too much attention to where I was about to be, but not enough to my immediate surroundings. Ride safely.

Sounds like you are making good progress. The Fileshare section of this forum has a lot of good stuff in it. Here is the post with links to get the Ohlins manuals: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1427 Many riders have raised the fork tubes to make it steer quicker (aka lowered the front end). The Ohlins fork tubes have rings to mark the height. Mine shows 2 rings above the top triple clamp - but some go to three or more. I think stock is 0 (flush) or 1 ring showing (can't remember). New tires should help a lot - but if someone has dropped the front end, you should also try putting it back to stock.

Here is a thread with part numbers if you want to buy speed bleeders. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19259 If you want an OEM bleeder, I have one I could put in the mail for you - send me a PM with address if you want it.

More pics from the event over at WildGuzzi: http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=83354.0

Yeah it was a bummer. But I made a mistake and I got off cheap. In over 30 years of riding, I have never-before hit another vehicle. I just reminded myself: "Any problem that can be solved by spending money is not a problem - it's an expense." I didn't even need to get out my fix-it kit, which includes a spare spark plug and boot. Today she gets a much needed bath... new turn signal lens is already on.

Great news. Get some pics when you fee like you're "done" enough. Did the FBF crack at the weld? I've got an unused one that I intend to try on my LeMans - but having read many cases of these cracking, was thinking about having it reinforced somehow first. Is your welder going to try to strengthen it as well as repair it? If so, would love to see a picture of that.

Most people find the front springs too soft and have to replace them. I got away with stock springs, but I weigh 165. Suspension set up took me a while, because I had never done it before. But it totally transformed the bike (in a good way). Step one - check sag. There are some Ohlins manuals on the filesharing area that show how to check sag. @Docc - perhaps moving these posts to a new thread would be good.

People came from far away, Seattle, Canada, Alaska... the guy from Seattle is about 80 years old. THAT'S an inspiration.

Just got back from an overnight trip to the MGNOC Not-A-Rally, "not-sponsored" by the Arizona guys. Here's my 900-mile loop. The low point, both in elevation and mood came early. After 70 miles of rain in San Diego County, I got to dry out in the Anza Borrego Desert. Out by Salton Sea (200-feet below Sea Level) I had a little mishap. I was following a car, from a stop, to merge onto another road, I was looking left, just as the driver panicked and came to a full, sudden stop. I damn near stopped in time, but nicked the corner of his bumper, lost balance and did a 0-mph spill to the right. Ding on the front fender, broken turn signal, a couple minor scratches (mirror, lever, head guard). All my fault really; I should have allowed more space so I had more time to react to any potential dumb move by a car driver. He acknowledged he made an error - but his friend (passenger) correctly pointed out that whoever hits a stopped car is at fault. We went our separate ways without involving police or insurance. Lesson learned for me: after a long stretch of "making good time" in open areas, I need to intentionally change my mindset/focus when I get back in traffic. Sufficient curse words aimed at self, attitude adjusted, bike inspected... move on... nothing more to see here. Stopped to admire the Glamis Sand Dunes and give my "Camel" another inspection. Still looking good despite the rain and the mistake. Ten miles after this picture, she decides she don't need no stinkin' speedometer. The Veglia quit. It had started a little "St. Vitus Dance" a few weeks ago, so this was not really a suprise, but it was a true "insult to injury" moment. I compensated by thinking about how cool the black Speedhuts are going to look. Then I started rehearsing my "I really don't know how fast I was going" speech, just in case... Now this is what I've been waiting for. The start of 89 and 89A into Prescott, and then Jerome. Motorcycle heaven. You MUST go here. Twisty, steep, and scenic. Jerome is my kind of town, with proper signage for parking. I was supposed to round off 10,000 miles on this trip, but no, I've been staring at 9,410 all damn day... How do you like my SPS (Scura Positioning Service)? The RAM mount phone holder is a perfect spot for analog directions - and it doesn't require use of my data plan. Here is the view from Jerome. Flagstaff is at the top left of the picture, where you might be able to see the San Francisco Peaks (12,000 feet) on the horizon. Jerome was a mining town that went bust and is now home to artists, restaurants, and motorcycle parking spaces. Then to Tuzigoot National Monument. Which I can't help but call "Guzzi-Toot." According to the National Parks Service, the Guzzisti have been in the area for 13,000 years, and this settlement is 900 years old. I think that makes Moto Guzzi the oldest motorcycle manufacturer, by far. Who knew they started in Arizona? Found my way to the un-official meeting place. Guzzi people are cool - but you already knew that. Only one other V11 - a lovely, original-owner Nero Corsa from New Mexico. Later another spine-frame joined the fun, a carbed 1100 Sport (no pics, sorry). Thunderstorms were expected in the afternoon and evening - but they didn't show up till nightfall. I watched an episode of Ancient Aliens. Apparently, some guys in the 1950s in Pasadena California played with black magic, and this opened a space portal that explains why so many alien encounters, such as those in Roswell, NM, happened at the same latitude - at least that's what's "...suggested by some ancient alien theorists." Finally, I have found a reason to use this icon: Left 5:30 AM on wet roads to meet my daughter for breakfast in Yuma, AZ. She's back home now from her 2nd year at NAU (Flagstaff). We stopped at the Desert View tower on I-8 in CA. I had not previously afforded much credibility to the Ancient Aliens TV show, but I do find it curious and entertaining. However, on the way back from the desert view tower, I had a close encounter with aliens. My daughter took my picture so I could prove it. She was driving her car, so I led her on some of the old highways to take a break from the Interstate. Back in San Diego County, this is about as close as you can get to Mexico. The dark stripe in this photo is the wall on the US-Mexico border. The Not-A-Rally continues through tomorrow. This was my first one. I'm pretty sure I'll be back for another - a worthy adventure.