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I did not realize you were displaced from your home because of this storm, @p6x. So glad to hear you are back home, now! High heat index is dangerous, especially for those with heart conditions. And old-ish-ness types . . . like most of us?

well, that was interesting! it was a 60th Anniversary crossplane crank R1 though, a pretty superb bike. try this one: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/462370239456218

Your bike has the Ohlins fork ?

Finally back home, after 5 days and 1/2 of power outage. This was an experience. Houston opened "cooling centers" for those without AC because the temperatures are close to 90 degF with the heat index around the 100 degF... It's impossible to not have AC in these conditions.

It occurred to me to add, while the level can be checked in situ, the forks should be removed to change the oil. I have used a vacuum siphon to remove "most" of the oil for a pseudo-change, but is pretty shaved-ape, I admit . . .

There's a bloke on the German forum that makes pull-out dipsticks for Guzzis. A screw in plug for the filler hole with a dip-stick through the middle secured by a locking pin. Made of metal, and flat in the relevant measuring area. I reckon I will get one of those (likely one each for all three Guzzis), and the suggestion to make a mark on it just under the Roper Plate in the case of the V11 is very likely to be used.

That link leads to a Yamaha for about 17 and a half thou. . Who wants a bloody Yamahahaha?

+ 1 on the SealMate! And the oil level can be checked with the forks mounted if you have a way to support the bike safely and let it down to fully compress the forks with the top caps off. This is by using the "air gap" method to determine fill level.

i have seen that one, thank you mate. there is another i've been watching also, for under $5,000. 11k miles and fully serviced. these bikes just don't typically sell for big money... https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/459793800340877

I used SealMates on my Stelvio forks. They were leaking pretty good. Lots of crud came out and now everything seems like it should be. So that either means the fork is out of oil or there is oil and I fixed it. Only thing I dont know is how much leaked out for the previous owner. I don't think you can check oil level with forks installed. So if I take them out, new seals and wipers go in.

Fwiw, the 35mm negatives have worked great for me over the years but I've not yet tried it on inverted forks. And, the film thing didn't work on my Wing last Fall so I bit the bullet and bought a Seal Doctor at RevZilla. The Seal Doctor worked great! It was hard to believe how much crap the Seal Doctor pulled out over and above what the 35mm film had removed. While I do my best to routinely make sure my fork tubs are clean and free of bug goo & dirt, the newest bike I have now is in excess of 16 years old so if I do experience a fork leak that film or Seal Dr can't resolve, I really can't complain. Also, FWIW, check this guy out....

I copied Chuck's method so I wouldn't have to dig deeper into my wallet for the stuff that shows up better on the dipstick.

On the ride home yesterday, I noticed my left front fork appears to be weeping a little bit. Right one seems ok. I've read thru some of the various threads about forks and will dig around for some 35mm film and see if I can reseat existing seal and get thru the season. Looking for a tutorial or something that outlines the steps to replace the seals, what seals to buy, and any special tools needed, etc. Will look thru the manual later tonight.

Kinda too big

I managed to crack my front fender on the Coppa while rearranging the bikes. I can probably glue/patch it but I would rather just replace it. Anyone have one? Thanks!

A classic move when installing a Roper Plate is to install the oil dipstick while the plate is in place and mark the dipstick right under where the plate is relative to the dipstick. You can drill a couple holes there in the dipstick and use those to set oil level. As mentioned, with the Roper Plate installed you should be able to run the oil level right below the plate with no issues.

Great song writer...!!

Good idea, another mod I've seen is to dimple the stick metal or plastic. Can't help think a flat metal stick would be better, like you used to get on older cars. I purchased the flashlight after losing 3 pints of oil when an oil cooler hose started to leak (you see now why I prefer to overfill). The subsequent Motorcycle Accident Invetigation Team report cited "user ineptitude" as the root cause of the failure. In accordance with the mandatory recommendations both lines were replaced. My main worry was too little oil, as if you're obeying the stick marks waaaaay overfilling isn't an issue with a "Roper Plate" installed One more thing the Australia with its solid belly pan, collects all the oil at the front which then blows rearwards and exits in the vicinity of the rear tyre. Coating the rear tyre with engine lube provides early fault warning, preventing premature engine failure by potentially trashing the whole bike insted.

I did what Chuck did, drill holes in the stock black plastic dipstick. They make it much easier to see where the oil level is. But I agree, the stock set up is hard to see. It should have the holes from the factory. Classic engineering fail.

What? You aren't using the Guzzi spec "white" oil so you could see it on the black dipstick?? I drilled a series of 1/16" holes in it, and that worked.

Not sure if I'm just inept (highly probable) but I've never been able to asses with any confidence the oil level in my 1100 or HiCam engine (both broadsump engines) I've tried the plastic standard dipstick and a metal one, the metal one being slightly better, but I still find it hit and miss. Not that it is really so critical, as now with Pete's sloppage plates in I way overfill the sump past the "high" mark, until the oil is just below the level of the plate (thank you @Lucky Phil for the advice) and never had any problems. Even seeing that though is a little tricky, I usually asses it with the help of a small torch and barbecue stick to see when it touches the oil. Anyway I suppose this is stupidly obvious but I purchased an LED flexi torch and it's great I can put it into the dipstick hole and get a good view of the plate and the oil sitting below it. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00008BFS6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

I saw this guy live at The Tampa Theater about 1980-ish. What a captivating showman . . .