Scud

Fabulous motorcycle you have there. Time to put some miles on it. Maybe you should keep an eye on the rubber (such as air intake boots) as they are getting up in years. I put a Shindy damper on my LeMans, following Docc's good experience on a red-framed bike like yours. I've been pleased with it, although I leave it fairly loose for quicker steering and insurance against big bumps. Other than the seat, handlebars, flyscreen, luggage, and valve cover paint, it appears to be all stock. You might enjoy seeing a brochure for your bike when it was new: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18360&page=2

Mine has the stock crossover, but I have an FBF that I intend to put on. I was thinking about having the FBF reinforced, since I've heard about them cracking - maybe an exhaust hanger at the same time...

Marty - I had a similar problem with the kit mounted by the PO, although mine were in much worse condition and had been shortened by a few inches. Those are great-looking straps and appear to be an improvement over the ones provided with the kit. I notice that you even cut the rubber bits so they would extend all the way to the junction of the metal straps, which should prevent further wear into the titanium skin. I have a new Ti kit awaiting installation. What would it take for you to make another set of clamps? Feel free to switch over to private message if you want.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I51ZO4CNeEY

Used pad for $40 on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-MOTO-GUZZI-SPORT-V11-Fuel-gas-tank-top-cushion-pad-mounting-brackets-/361301086508?hash=item541f39112c:g:qtwAAOSwhwdVUlQ4&vxp=mtr

Just noticed a complete arm with mounting hardware for $40 on e-bay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2001-MOTO-GUZZI-SPORT-V11-REAR-BRAKE-STAY-/361303623288?hash=item541f5fc678:g:POAAAOSwZd1VVkL2&vxp=mtr

My Scura came with a carbon fiber part instead of a tank pad. I would not want to put anything heavy on it. Maybe you could find a used tank pad and cut it down so it's flush for the times you use the bag. An upholstery shop could probably do that and make it look good too - like shaving a seat down and recovering it.

I paid my annual registration. It costs $40 extra per year to have a custom license plate. Worth it.

That luscious paint job adds an easy 20 HP on the butt-dyno. The powerband is very usable, which contributes to making it feel like more HP. Was the bike good and warm? Did you get a chance to see how it runs at higher revs? Mine likes 3,500-6,500 pretty well. A proper tune is always a good idea. It should not shake like a Harley Sportster.

I was looking at replacing those bushings myself, but I learned they are not available. Neither is the complete arm. A few months ago, when I talked with someone at Harpers Moto Guzzi, they said they were working with a machinist to create a new arm that would take a standard, replaceable bushing. Ideally, though, the suggested repair will work.

Very nice - the coverage of the main area looks better than OEM. But the stock bits go further forward and wrap down a bit more at the rear, behind the petcock and regulator.

Roy - I knew it was the 24 hour clock; I was just goofing around in this silliest of threads. On a serious note, I'm so sorry to hear about the accident. Was your buddy only accustomed to riding on the RH side of the road? I nearly caused an accident in a rental car in NZ when I accidentally pulled into traffic - I went on auto-pilot and turned how I would have in the US. Good reactions by others saved me - but the memory of that is a bit of a deterrent for me to ride there. Touring NZ on a motorcycle is kind of a bucket-list thing for me - but I don't want it to be the last check-mark on the bucket list, if you know what I mean. Fortunately, it sounds like your buddy is going to come through. Glad the brick is working out for you. Looking forward to some pics at a time of your convenience.

GStallons recommended the Pit Posse wheel bearing remover tool. I got that and it worked really well - had the bearings out in just a few hammer-blows. Too late for you (sorry) but maybe for next time?

I have a LH side tank insulation (from my parts bike). You could clean it up and reattach it (I used Seal-All to reattach about a year ago and it's holding). It would also give you a good idea about how to cut a RH side. Yours for the cost of shipping. Send me a PM with address if you want it.

I took the stock sender out and screwed in the external gauge there.

Oh, that's nasty. You are just missing the top section of the stock airbox. That looks like nothing but a rectangular ring holding down a K&N filter that is begging to be cleaned.

Glad it worked out. I see you had to make a metric to SAE conversion to mount it - but was there no problem between the drive gear and whatever it connects to inside the GM unit? The sender will probably disappear when you paint it black.

Nipped.

A New York Times article today suggests that many Americans think it might be about time to move to Canada, eh? http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/04/us/politics/move-to-canada-trump-clinton.html?_r=0

It's TIME to analyze a joke. If geography is your point of reference then Petrograd is funnier. If political leadership is your point of reference, and the protagonist is under Stalin's rule at the time of the story, then Stalingrad is funnier. If you're telling this joke in America, then it is not funny at all, because St. Petersburg is in Florida and Americans are notoriously bad at geography - heck, most of us have never even left the country.

To a degree, yes there are. And at this time in America, we have diametrically opposed political forces competing to create the next iteration. Each side seems to exaggerate their claims to the nth degree. Ooops, veering toward politics... no time for that on this forum... It is true that there are iterative versions of countries. My neighbor was born in Persia, but when he goes back to his home town, he goes to Iran. And a political joke about iterations of a city: After WWII a person was interviewed: Q: Where were you born? A: St. Petersburg Q: And where were you educated? A: Leningrad Q: And were did you most recently live? A: Stalingrad Q: And to what city would you like to return? A: St. Petersburg It's funny, because all the cities are named after leaders, but St. Petersburg was renamed Leningrad - and the person expressed a wish to go back in time by returning to St. Petersburg.

Jeez, I'd always heard New Zealand was a little behind the times... But 1939, damn, that's about 80 years ago. And what is Nth America? Are there iterative versions of countries now? I once landed in Los Angeles before I took off from Aukland. Was in Aukland, looked at my watch and said, "Wow, I just landed at LAX." It's time for you to post pics of your most excellent adventure. Having a good time on the brick?

Thanks - I'm going to be experimenting with some VHT satin black engine case paint on my BMW soon.

I read somewhere that the European emissions tests were done at 3,000 RPM - so they leaned 'em out around that RPM range to pass the tests. I enjoy my Scura's superior suspension much more than I enjoy the slightly stronger (and noisier) engine on my LeMans (although the roar from the Ti pipes is addictive). These V11s are wonderful platforms to personalize - have fun. Think about starting with suspension adjustments (or upgrades) so you can more effectively use the power you currently have - or be ready for the extra power from your mods.

I have a mechanically stock Scura and a slightly modified LeMans. The only performance mods to the LeMans are the Titanium Kit Racing ECU and cut-down exhaust. I'm going to try a new crossover soon, just for the fun of it. You can install (or have someone else do it) the Titanium map on your current ECU - that, along with some freer flowing pipes is probably the easiest gain you can get. Or you can send ECU to a tuning pro like GuzziTech in California (not sure who to go to in Australia). I rode a highly modified Scura (heads, pistons, exhaust, and who knows what else) recently. I could definitely tell the difference, especially on acceleration - but I understand the mods were extensive and expensive. From what I can see, it's very hard to improve upon the stock airbox, but you can get some "mental horsepower" by removing the snorkels and/or expanding the intake tubes where the snorkels attach. Docc expanded his with a beer bottle (which must first be emptied ) and says he can also feel a performance improvement.