Scud

... and sh!# and some other words too. And money flying off my bike... Anyway - looks like I was fenderless in Joshua Tree National Park. Wanna help me look for it? The road through the park is about 60 miles of uninterrupted curvy roads with perfect pavement.

Free rear fender. All you have to do is find it somewhere along the blue line on this map. Fender was in good condition when last seen, but may have a bit of road rash now. Here's a picture of the stress point. It was clearly a bracket failure; the fasteners did not come loose. So if anyone (Craig) has yet to install this, think about how to reinforce it. I'm going to let GB know what happened. I only put about 5,000 miles on with this fender - and it gave up Saturday (just noticed this morning before work). Therefore, I retract my endorsement for this fender unless (until) a better bracket is available. Sure was pretty while it lasted.

Glad to hear it. Will we be seeing some photos of the gaggle?

When I looked at the two bikes side-by-side I thought "they'd both look better if I swapped dashes." But if (when) they fail, I think the Scura will go darker - at least the trim rings should be black, the grey face with black type might be good - or just copy your color choices. Anyway, I hope the Veglias will last a long time and that I won't need to replace them anytime soon. This might be a good time to lube the speedo cable... BTW - the first part of this project was time-constrained, because I couldn't easily get the LeMans registered in California with less than 7,500 miles showing (government rules for out-of-state vehicles, previous title was in Florida). I got a 30 day extension on the inspection, and Speedhut takes 3 weeks from order to deliver finished gauges - I got the two big clocks installed and inspected on the next to last day (nothing but a power cable so I could show the Odometer reading - and hauled the stripped bike over in the truck). Adding some miles to the broken ITI's actual reading when ordering the Speedhut made it easy to pass inspection - and kept my new California title clean and free of the "not actual mileage" warning/statement. There's a sweet irony in the creation of evidence to support what I believe is true and clear bureaucratic processes. So... pretty convenient to be able to get any starting mileage reading you want. I started at "approximate-actual-with-rules-in-mind." I noticed you started at 000000 after your restoration, which also makes sense. Docc should get one set at 100000 (one digit more than the stock gauge can handle).

Joshua Tree National Park this morning. 400 mile loop. Note climber on left rock face.

Thanks Chamberlin, these gauges are on the red LeMans (fairing still off). It came with grey-ring, black-faced ITI gauges, while the Scura came with chrome-ring, white-faced Veglias. Reasons for my color choices: I find black letters on white background easier to read with a quick glance. I like the Scura dash - and how the gauges sort of pop off it visually - so I copied the colors to the LeMans. The LeMans might get a big, white stripe on it one day... As for the extra oil and volt gauges, there's a lot of extra room behind a LeMans fairing - and nearly none behind a sport fairing.

I got the gauges mounted in the stock bucket today. Here's some more detail about how I did it: 80mm O-rings - 2.5 mm thick between trim ring and dash, 3.5 mm thick between dash and bucket. This takes up about the same space as the stock rubber gasket did around the ITI gauges - and allows the little rubber gasket at top of warning lights to align correctly. Here's how all the wires and brackets aligned to fit the cup. I didn't put the inverter or the fuse inside the cups; still need to do some cable management. Here's the stock cup all fastened up. I cut a section out of a black pvc pipe elbow and glued it to the inside of the bucket with black RTV. I was a little messier than intended, so I just smeared the whole thing. Can't see it anyway. And here's the rider's-eye view of all four gauges. Still pending a road test, but I sure hope it holds up - and that the oil pressure and tach work. FYI - I think the "open sky" advice about the GPS receiver is not that important. My GPS receiver was tilted at least 45 degrees, and it quickly locked on a signal while in the garage (under a two-story house). I don't think a fairing is going to interfere with it.

Yes, it can be true - and you are not alone, I've seen pictures of other bikes with pink mufflers. The pink sleeve should slide off after you remove the end cap, hanger bracket, and passenger foot protector. I think the sleeve is anodized aluminum - and the heat and sun made it fade. You could probably have the sleeve re-anodized, plated, coated, or painted. Maybe you could find a few local shops, drive the bike by and ask their advice.

Rosso Mandello in Oregon: http://eugene.craigslist.org/mcy/4972378403.html Cafe Sport in California: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/mcy/4998613719.html

Here's how I mounted the oil pressure sender unit that comes with the Speedhut oil pressure gauge. The thing is huge - so big that I called to ask if they had a smaller one (they don't and they said this is the only one compatible with their gauge.) After much experimentation and thinking about how to relocate it to the frame (where the fuel filter or pump are on pre 2003 models), I hit on this: To block: Washer and metric 12 x 1.5 male to 1/8 NPT female adapter - available from Speedhut in brass or steel, I used steel. Adapter to Sender unit: 45 degree elbow, 1/8 NPT male to 1/8 NPT female (also steel) The sender unit has two electrical studs, one for the signal and the other for ground. The ground is not needed if you use teflon thread sealing compound (brush-on) instead of teflon tape. I tested and got 0 resistance between the ground terminal on the sender unit and the negative terminal of the battery. So just one wire is needed (from the gauge). FYI - this would interfere with the rubber snorkels from the airbox, but I already ditched them.

Thanks guys, I had to be more forceful. That switch doesn't come apart easily (which is probably a good thing). Look what I found in there... Two loose strands just waiting for the right time to cause a problem. I snipped 'em (and took it apart the rest of the way, cleaned, and lubed with petroleum jelly as you recommend). @blacklist - it might be worth taking that switch apart. A couple loose strands like that could make "illegal contact downfield" and be a ghost.

Since mine is apart and the switch is easy-access, I decided to do a little preventative maintenance as suggested. But I'm stuck. I've been trying to release the white or black tabs and prying a bit at the seam near the bottom. But no release. Am I supposed to take the black Zadi switch apart? If so, how?

Reading threads like these is what sent me down the aftermarket path to replace the ITIs on my LeMans. If (aka when) the Veglias quit on the Scura I'm not going to try to fix them. I see from the photos that Gottagetone's doesn't even have 7,000 miles on it. Not trying to be a downer. I do hope the new cable provides a long-term fix.

I hadn't noticed the two item numbers - looks like one is the manufacturer's number and the other is the retailer's. So they are just two numbers that mean the same thing. Just put 5 in the shopping cart (or more if you want additional spares). Re valve clearances: I'm also going to set mine to .006"I and .008"E. I've seen enough reports of problems cured by these settings to convince me. Make sure the clearance doesn't change when you tighten the locking nut over the adjusting screw - it's easy to accidentally set the valves too tight if you don't hold the adjuster in place while tightening the locking nut. Black bikes.

Welcome. One thing I've learned from this forum is to trust the manual about 90%. The hard part is figuring out which 90% - but that's what this forum is good for. I have found it useful to follow the recommendations of members here who have put a lot of miles on their bikes and found improvements in performance AND reliability through some non-specified settings, procedures, modifications, or aftermarket parts. Docc recommends the OMRON 5-pin relays for all five positions. Why not just buy a set of 5 ($30) and carry your other new 5-pin relays as backups? That would take "intermittently failing relay" off the potential problems list, get you closer to a solution, and some peace of mind going forward (not wondering when the stock relays will fail). BTW, the icon sometimes means: I am old as dirt, have learned from many mistakes, and am trying to help you.

No, it doesn't matter at all. I was just noticing how the stepper-motor worked. If I didn't know about that I would have assumed that the meter was still measuring voltage with the key off and was draining power (albeit slowly). I like how you turned this into benefit - you must be a marketing guy. "Speedhut Gauges - now available with voltage memory!" I guess they will also have hot idle speed memory and oil pressure memory. So many extra features...

Right? And now that you have so many new friends, you'll need a fleet of V11 . . . one of each! Yeah - like what would I do if I Docc and Czakky came to visit at the same time? This is all play-time for me. The hard part is figuring out what to do or how to do it - most of which is well-documented on this site. So I'm trying to point out threads that I find useful, and add to the knowledge base if I figure out something new or different. But holy smokes, the Speedhut gauges are taking me a lot longer than I imagined. I'm pretty slow with electrical work (because I don't understand it well enough yet) - and trying to use the stock (unmodified) case for the tach and speedo has required more than one trip to the hardware store and some online ordering. Maybe I can get those "dialed in" this week. Plus - I'm scheming on a ride to Denver in early June for work (instead of flying). It would be nice to get the LeMans sorted in time and then give it a little endurance test.

Good advice. To supply the signal to the voltmeter, I ended up using another one of the yellow wires that went to a dash light; these are alive with the key on and headlight relay removed. I was able to get a correct reading on the voltmeter. I also now see what you mean by the stepper motor. The voltmeter must use the same type of stepper motor, because the needle stayed up at 12v after I turned off the ignition switch. The voltmeter needle returns to 0 as part of it's startup routine, so a well-timed on-off gets it to rest at 0. I'm really glad you mentioned that, because I would have been puzzled otherwise - and probably would have assumed that I messed up the wiring. Cheers to Kiwi_Roy!

You should also read through Chamberlin's restoration thread. I "followed" the thread, because I keep referring back to it. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18247&hl= Hi Scud, FWIW many here set their valve clearance to .006 intake/.008" exhaust. When I set mine to .004/.006 my bike would sometimes stall after being run hard in hot weather. Opening up the valve lash and balancing the throttle bodies cured that issue for me. Here's an quick & easy way to adjust your valve lash for the next time since you shouldn't have to retorque the head again. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17247&page=2&hl=%2Bvalve+%2Badjust&do=findComment&comment=191378 Thanks, I had seen that alternate setting mentioned, but I didn't understand the issue. I didn't re-torque the heads, so maybe I should do that, just to be on the safe side, and try those looser settings as hard running in hot weather seems very likely. I recently built one of those DIY manometers - need to try it out.

Thanks Roy. Seeing your and Chamberlin's (agreed stunning) installations gave me the confidence to try these gauges. But despite Chamberlin's meticulous photo-documentation, I didn't see how he secured the gauges to the dash. Straps: The ones I made from metal roll-strap and split vacuum hoses are only for the smaller volt and oil gauges, which are add-ons - I'm not using that type with the speedo and tach - trying to keep as stock-looking as possible for those. Wiring: Thanks for the tip on connecting the volt meter. I wonder if the same logic applies to the red wire from the ITI tach plug (in hand in photo in post #13). I'll test that this evening. It would be nice to re-use wires that are no longer needed. Inverter: One inverter can power 7 (IIRC) gauges - and it comes with a daisy-chain with plugs that go to each gauge (the black box and black wires with a red zip tie pictured at left in post #14)

ah technology... it either frees us or freezes us. I've gotten very comfortable with GPS navigation on my dirt bike, in fact, used the handheld Garmin on the handlebars as a speedometer. Anyway, I've been trying to figure out how to use the stock gauge cover, because I'd prefer not to cut it down. Here's what I've got so far: A bracket made from home-electrical parts - the stuff that is supposed to be used to mount lamps in ceiling boxes. I cut the ends of the bracket and ground them round-ish to fit inside the cover. Here's how I think I can glue the brass cap nut to the gauge, then screw in the whole assembly to replicate the base of the stock gauge, where the rubber vibration dampers screw in. With the threads to adjust the height, and some play along the grooves in the bracket, I should be able to use the cap nuts to secure the whole assembly. I suppose I'll need to cover that huge hole like Roy did, but for now, it's nice to see how everything fits. I also ordered some 80mm O-rings to place around the gauges between 1) gauge and dash, and 2) dash and plastic cover. I think these may do the job of the rubber bushings that go around the stock gauges - to keep them from rattling in the dash. Comments or suggestions to improve?

When I talked with a someone at Speedhut, they said it was ok to stick it behind the fairing - so long as it is not directly under metal. The LeMans fairing has more than ample room to hide it out of sight. I think it could also be easily hidden behind the smaller sport fairing.

Docc - looks like you got the same measurement in both pictures, which makes sense, because they are both of the left. Did you take a picture of the right side too?

For anyone else thinking of these gauges, here is a photo of how I wired the power and lights to all four gauges. Speedhut's directions are pretty good and I have only a base knowledge of electronics. Per Roy's suggestion, I used the feeds to the light bulbs for the stock gauges. That's especially handy, because those lights are no longer needed anyway. Power to the gauges is provided through the red, white, and black connectors (each gauge has a matching plug). I used one light bulb feed for that - but that one takes two power sources, the other (white wire) is supposed to join with the inverter at a dash light power source. The inverter (little black box) powers the lights in the gauges via the two-wire black connectors (each gauge has a matching plug.) Just to keep myself straight, I used a second light bulb feed for that. Each gauge has one more wire - for the signal it measures. I will put the GPS receiver under the plastic inner-fairing tray. Tach connection was described above. The oil pressure signal comes from a replacement sender (the placement of which I almost have figured out). I still don't know where to get the signal for the voltmeter, but I have a long wire. To mount the volt and oil gauges, I made giant P-clamps from metal strap (the hardware-store stuff that comes in a roll) and split some vacuum line as a bushing for the inside. I was only trying to mock them up temporarily, but then I thought they looked pretty cool - I'll paint before final assembly. BTW - gauges are not connected in this photo - but that's simple - just connect the matching plugs. I tested it - all four gauges light up and do the start-up needle-blip.

JB - what road is that?