Scud

Good point. I remember hearing that before, but I didn't remember well enough to actually do it today. The post-compression measurement would show more sag than the "settle-down only" measurement. Since my measurements were on the short end of the ranges, the average-sag would probably be a little bit into the range. Anyway, I went for a short ride and the bike feels great. Now I can play around with rebound and compression to fine-tune it.

Stew - you might start by checking/setting sag. From there, you could verify that your compression and rebound are set to the original spots - and maybe loosen those a bit for the rough roads. When I got my Scura set up correctly and revisited a fairly rough road, it seemed like it had been re-paved compared to the previous trip.

Today, I set up the Greenie's sag, which has Ohlins shock with remote pre-load adjuster on rear, and stock Marzocchi forks up front. I weigh about 165lbs and wore the minimum gear for my with-rider test: leather jacket, boots, helmet. Sometimes I also wear heavy leather pants and a backpack and sometimes a tank bag - rarely, if ever, do I load anything on the back or take a passenger. Starting: F1=510mm F2=485mm F3=475mm R1=469mm R2=457mm R3=433mm Free Sag Front (F1-F2)=25 Rear (R1-R2)=12 Race Sag (with rider and gear) Front (F1-F3)=35 Rear (R1-R3)=36 Conclusion - Front sag is at the lower end of the range, rear free sag is too much, and race sag is about the middle of the range. So rear is a bit too soft. Action - add pre-load to the rear. This is ridiculously easy with the remote pre-load adjuster (mounted on tab where I removed helmet lock). It is more complicated if you have to manually adjust the lock nuts on the spring. After adjust the rear pre-load, I got: Free sag Front: 24mm Rear: 9mm Race Sag Front: 35mm Rear: 29mm The race sag is at the minimum for both, so I conclude that these springs will work for me, and that when I wear more gear or carry some extra weight that I will still be OK. It leaves the springs on the stiff side of the acceptable range for solo riding, which is fine for me. So, I luck out and don't need any new stuff. But hopefully this is an easy-to follow example for anyone else who wants to adjust sag.

Here's a place for us to help each other out on this important but oft-overlooked step. I am no expert, which might make me a good person to try to explain it. I've only done it a few times myself, and each time, it has noticeably improved the handling of the bike. Hopefully, some more experienced suspension guys will be along to add to the knowledge base. To me, the best explanation is in the Ohlins manuals, which are available for download in the Fileshare section: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1427 The key is that you are looking for differences between pairs of measurements to be in the right ranges. The actual distances you measure are meaningless. The only thing that matters are the differences between fixed points under different load conditions. You need three sets of measurements on the front and rear: 1) Wheels up 2) Bike on the ground without rider (balanced, not on sidestand) 3) Bike with rider (again balanced, not on sidestand) So, you have measurements: Front: F1, F2, F3 Rear: R1, R2, R3 Here's how I took the measurements: I haven't seen any specs for the Marzocchi/Sachs setup, but I assume sag should be about the same as the Ohlins. The target sag ranges are as follows: Free sag, without rider: Front 25-30mm (this is F1-F2) Rear 5-10mm (this is R1-R2) Race sag, with rider (and gear): Front 35-48mm (this is F1-F2) Rear 30-40mm (this is R1-R2) Perhaps we can use this thread to share specs and help each other figure out if we need different springs, or can get ideal set-up by adjusting pre-load. I'll start off with the work I just did today.

I agree in general about the modern BMWs not aging well. In the brick series, I only find the K100RS and the K75S still attractive. The first oilhead R1100RT may prove to be a timeless design (for a touring bike). But... I get only an occasional compliment on my old brick. By contrast, I took the Greenie out yesterday and probably caused 20 cases of neck strain from passersby. As I was walking back to my bike, I noticed a couple holding hands walking past the greenie. She kept walking, he turned his neck, then whole body, then stopped. He looked like a dog who had found a good smell and she looked like the disinterested owner who was tugging on the leash. Cracked me up. That story is evidence of a good design.

That's a cool K75-turbo. They even kept the original gauges... and probably about three swingarms and driveshafts welded together.

That Urban GS is good looking. Although it's not got much in the way of suspension travel for off-road riding. The BMWs I have ridden do tend to wake up at high speeds. The GSA I recently rode in Germany felt pretty alive at 180kph on the autobahn - although it felt totally pedestrian at lower speeds. An aftermarket pipe can make a boxer motor bark. Now if we could add at least 4 more inches of suspension travel... Here are three R Nine Ts at the factory-owned dealer in Munich, where I rented my GSA: This is, IMO, what the V11 series could have evolved into if it made the leap into the CARC era. Don't you sort of see a V11 CARC-Sport and V11 CARC-LeMans (but with sagging jugs) here?

Salvage title makes it difficult to sell - although a salvage bike can be a great, cheap rider for a while, as it seems you have done. I parted a crashed 2002 LeMans. There are many desirable bits, such as the complete clutch assembly for owners of Scuras who want to convert their single-plate clutches. If you want to sell the engine, tranny, ECU, TBs and wiring harness in one go, you could find out where the Morgan kit-car builders hang out. But you could probably get more for the component parts if you want to sell them bit by bit. I found that keeping the unsold parts, and a whole box of V11-specific fasteners, has saved me a lot of time and money as I work on the other bikes.

That sounds like a good day. Did you recruit Matt to join us here? It would be interesting to see what an Ohlins employee does with suspension on a Scura.

Probably the red frame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWHniL8MyMM

It seems that many 2003 Sport models were mechanically identical to the 2002 models. They'll have the pad on the gas tank, which is the easiest difference to notice. They may also have the textured paint on the engine and driveline, which was problematic on many bikes. All the 2003 LeMans and special models (such as Nero Corsa) got the update with the internal fuel pump.

The parts diagrams for a 2000 V11 Sport show the bracket. So at least we can assume that it was supposed to be installed.

Like the Aprilia Futura that didn't sell too well? There's always the Honda 1200 Interceptor.

Funny. Good thing his next breath was about Harley's not floating his boat... Jester - you should visit WildGuzzi to learn more about loops. I can imagine a CalVin or LAPD Eldo in my garage one day.

I have a spare original crossover in good condition. But perhaps you are looking for an upgrade (Mistral, FBF, etc.).

Geez, signs like that are not warnings to motorcyclists, they're temptations... invitations... attractions...

Yeah the Joe Kenny ones were made by an enthusiast - I think they are rare and special. Such nice workmanship... beveled edges, right and left facing eagles, recesses for bolt heads, and they work with the shape of the heads. I like them a lot. They look especially good on a silver engine. I don't know the source of the ones on the LeMans now - they were on the Greenie when I got it.

After having such a nice ride recently, I've decided to keep the Greenie for a while and to sell my red 2003 LeMans. Here's a partial list of stuff the green tart has swiped: Ohlins Shock Shindy Steering damper Titanium exhaust and high-mount hangers Ghezzi-Brian carbon fiber hugger/fender LED taillight (MartyNZ special) and LED rear turn signals Joe Kenny Headguards

No - but I'm going to try again later today. And that brings up another difference between the red and black frames, which I'll re-state here to try to get all the differences documented in one place. The red frames have a bracket welded underneath, just above the place where the engine and transmission cases join. It seems that some early models had a brace there, but they stopped installing the braces at some point. It also seems that without this brace, the engine and transmission may move too much, putting pressure on the whole system, and could result in a crack in the rear of the transmission case.

So yeah, I think I'm going to let the Red LeMans go , and hang out with the Greenie for a while . Details later.

As others have noted, the red frame steers a bit quicker, but I didn't feel like it sacrificed stability. I assume the quicker steering is due to three factors: Shorter wheelbase Narrower rear tire No steering damper. The Bitubo damper that came with the greenie had a noticeable sticking point, so I removed it. Other differences between frames for the record: Front subframe - the black front subframe is beefier and has more cross bracing. I assume that this would be interchangable with a red frame; the distance between the two frame-mounting points is the same. Lower (center) subframe - as noted elsewhere, the black lower subframe has additional cross-bracing, including a significant one to the LH porkchop (which makes clutch slave cylinder access extremely difficult on the black-frame bikes). It also has arms that go around the transmission to the engine. The black ones cannot be bolted directly on the red-frame bikes, because the engine case would need to have holes drilled in it - and there is a small difference in the LH porkchop mount area of the spine frame where the cross brace attaches. Rear subframe - the black frame has tabs to mount the rear fender/light assembly. The painted tail sections of the red-frame bikes are heavier and mount differently than the tails on the black-frames. Shock reservoir bracket - I noticed that these are different between the two frame types. It's because the bracket mounts over a brace-point on the black frame bikes, while there is no brace attached behind the porkchop on the red frame bikes. Transmission Brace - The red frames have a bracket welded underneath, just above the place where the engine and transmission cases join. It seems that some early models had a brace there, but they stopped installing the braces at some point. It also seems that without this brace, the engine and transmission may move too much, putting pressure on the whole system, and could result in a crack in the rear of the transmission case. Edit to include trans brace from discussion below.

Here is the SHORT red frame, measuring 59cm from shock tower to center of steering head. And here is LONG black frame, measuring 61cm at the same spots. Note how the oil breather is centered at about 53cm on both frames. The extra frame length is between the breather and the steering stem.

Swapping shocks today, which gives an opportunity to answer Docc's frequently asked questions regarding differences in the frames. Here are two exposed frames. I just picked up a tape measure. What will it reveal?

those look nice. I can't work out "folding" option on them. what is that? the shorties are the way to go and... Pazzo does not list the V11... ? Here's more on the Pazzo lavers, along with a list of bikes that use the same Brembo master cylinders as a V11: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19514&p=211559 Folding levers have a hinge; they will fold, rather than break on impact. I have ASV folding levers on my dirt bike.