Curses, foiled again!

[kenm]

Hi All,

 

I finally got everything together and got some time today to install the Ohlins forks on my 2000 V11Sport. Getting the first leg in was difficult until I decided that some shims were in order to spread the triples and clipons. Then it wasn't bad. I shimmed first for the second leg and it just slid in. I reinstalled and tighted all the triple and clipon bolts.

 

The only minor issue is that there really isn't enough surface below the upper triple for the clipon to grab the fork at the lower end. Mike Stewart warned me about this. I just tightened as best I could. Since the clipon also bolts into the bottom of the triple, I think that this will work. If not, I'll be looking for different clipons.

 

Then it came time to install the fender. I had to get a new V11 Cafe Sport fender to fit the new forks, which actually did come from a Cafe Sport. I position it on the forks and see that it's going to fit. Then I go to bolt it into position. Hmm, I can't get the bolt started. So I just try to thread it without the fender. It's too big!

 

I'll have to get Cafe Sport bolts too I guess. Unfortunately Sport Cycle Pacific is closed until the 25th. So I'll be calling Dave on Tuesday. He's taking my old fender. Maybe he'd like to swap bolts!

 

Anyway, I hope to be doing this soon with the new forks.

 

Regards,

 

ken

[Paul Minnaert]

ken, these are normal m5( metric 5mm) bolts

[kenm]

Hi Paul,

 

Thanks. I had to wait until the week to get metric bolts. Nothing open on a weekend has them in my provincial city. The fender is now mounted. All I have left to do is install the front and rear wheels and I'm ready to test it out.

 

Unfortunately, all the good roads are still closed from the rains we had 2 weeks ago in southern California. I can still find some bumps somewhere to try it out

 

How are your new triple clamps coming along? I haven't seen a recent update.

 

Regards,

 

-ken

[callison]

Bring your bike up to Modesto. This is the only place I know of where spitting your gum into the street is considered "Road Repair". I completely blew out the shocks on my California on the road to my neighborhood in only 11,000 miles. "Patches??? We don'ts need no stinkin' patches!!!".

[kenm]

Hey Carl,

 

I haven't been to Modesto in a very long time. Hmm, I wonder if there is a reason for that!

 

Anyway, I hope to see you at the LA and SD rallies this year.

 

Regards,

 

-ken

[callison]

Well, I want to go to a few rallies this year - hopefully before I move to Oklahoma. Everytime I think the V11 Sport is ready to go, I have another major oil leak. Now it's the transmission again, which is a less than joyful thing to remove. Hopefully I can get to that tonight. This transmission just got the upgrade and the dealer probably did something wrong putting it back together (59 miles on bike since repair). He's no longer a Guzzi dealer though, so getting the problem rectified the proper way (warranty) is probably out of the question and I'll have to haul the damn thing 100 miles to a different dealer to get the leak fixed. Since the oil is coming out of the clutch bell housing, it almost certainly will be the front seal or pushrod seal. Either way, a really big nuisance. If I can get that resolved, and the bike back together - again - and it passes the teething stages without further problems, I'll try to schedule for a rally or two.