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She will be 6 months old next week...

I need to do an oil change soon and am likely to install a windage plate above the sump. I know that the sump and flange have paper gaskets, but I have a tube of Hylomar Blue sealant that I am itching to use and am considering adding a bead to the flange gaskets and the windage plate. Long ago I always added a bead of Permatex gasket sealant when I was working on my old Triumph. I think I did this out of habit and to make it easy to put things back together. On the V11 I have just been using fresh gaskets sans any sealant. Are there any places on these bikes that you add sealant to a gasket? Would be interested to hear how folks approach this. Thanks!

I’m thinking the boy may not see very many of those (in real life)

I do the same, I run Shell 93 and dump in about a gallon or so of 108 race fuel. I’ve not heard of carbon buildup using premium. I just emptied the can of the expensive stuff in my Centauro and let her take a couple chugs... she perked right up.

Yes he does, I have a new oil pump and gears sitting in my Pile ‘O Parts... It was about $1,200

I used Hylomar on the gaskets when changing the oil/filter on my black frame . Sparingly is the key on anything you put on a gasket . The Permatex anaerobic gasket sealant is a good product too . There are lots of good products , you just have to know the application . You know when you have used the correct amount when it just oozes out of the mating surfaces . i have seen rednecks use a whole tube of silicone seal on a timing cover / water pump job ! I will NEVER use silicone after having to GO BACK through a 1.8l Ford Escort engine after the oil pump / block gasket oozed out and started leaking engine oil . This was a good twenty five years ago and I still have the taste in my mouth !

There is probably a Guzzi-specific instruction on this, but I use bare gasket where I want it to stick. Perma-Tex gray or similar would be good there, if any surface irregularities exist. On the opposite surface, I use a very thin layer of synthetic grease on the gasket (i.e. valve cover gasket to head) in cases where it will be removed. If you bond both sides of a gasket, you will almost certainly have to go back in for some as-yet-unknown reason, usually Murphy's law.

I believe it goes at the top of the spacer. Once installed it would not be disturbed for future oil and filter changes as only the sump comes off. *by flange I meant the spacer.

Good to hear your hip is an old injury and not something more serious. As a general statement I'm amazed at people going in for joint replacements, esp knees and hips when they are carrying obvious extra body weight. I sat in wonder at a work function a while ago and listened to two work colleagues discussing their knees and the need of having the joints replaced and noted both were carrying around 15-20kg (around 45lbs) of extra body weight they didn't need. So every time you take a step you briefly carry full body weight on all the joints in one leg. Go and pick up 20kg and note the extra weight plus the impact effect and imagine the extra load on the leg joints when that extra weight is applied 5 or 6 thousand steps a day. I sat there thinking, before I wasted time and energy wondering about whether or not various foods like Tomato's etc made your knees feel worse and dreading knee replacements I'd try dropping 20 or so KG and see how your leg joints feel first before having expensive and invasive operations. Even the side affects of old injuries can be mitigated by keeping weight under control and lessening the stress on an injured joint. My wife recently had a hip replaced but that was due to damage caused by Rheumatoid Arthritis and running combined so I'm aware of those considerations. It's just food for thought is all I'm saying. Ciao

Somehow they managed to hold The One Show this year despite all of the restrictions. Limited crowds just meant you had more room to look at bikes. My brother and I were analyzing the Cafe Sport and got to talk to the owner. He lives south of Portland (I have a feeling there were more local bikes than usual this year). He said the bike was quite corroded when he got it (I assume it came from the coast) and he took it apart. Well, he did a damn fine job putting it back together. I need to find an abandoned Cafe Sport just to steal the suspension off it. I hope he sees this post and provides more details. I'll post a few photos and then provide a link to the photo dump. https://imgur.com/gallery/jfYuuar

Great pics, thanks. What a fine collection of motorbikes. Interesting observation about the Cub drawing a crowd. Restoring small bikes takes about the same amount of work as larger bikes that command higher prices when finished. So IMO, the small bikes represent true passion, where the vintage desmos and MVs might be seen as investment-grade restorations. Also, a lot of people start our on small bikes, so there is a personal nostalgia factor. My first bike was a Honda CB350-Four. I always look fondly on them when I see them. And... small bikes are fun. Like that saying goes - "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow." My Yamaha TW200 is actually a lot of fun - if you're not in a hurry.

@Chuck You were correct, it is indeed a '97 titled as a '98. Well, its a Centauro....That's about the only truthful statement made by the dealer. It's in poor condition. Got to give them credit for the expert photo's that failed to show the flaws. After fiddling with it and a new battery, she does run. Looks like it fell into disrepute the last number of years which is a shame really. It looks better in person. Flushed the tank as best i could and filled it with high octane and a can of Berrymans. Bottom line is i needed this engine for my project and it runs and drives. I've rode it about 50 miles? Strange bike, certainly if this was something i would keep wholesale change would take place. Convert it to a Daytona... I see now why it was controversial, not really a cruiser nor sporting bike. Hmmmm..... Custom cracked crossover Does have the upgraded chip This was especially annoying... Ohh boy......at this point I'm just happy it runs and goes down the road. Certainly paid waaay too much for it. Live and learn........

The 8mm bleeder from motion pro worked like a champ for me on the clutch: https://www.motionpro.com/product/08-0482 The 10mm ones were a disaster for the brakes...and I did the clutch first so can't point at a learning curve issue. Wound up using an earlier version of this which got the job done. https://www.motionpro.com/product/08-0143

If I posted this before I apologize. I tried to search for it. Last year my buddy Mike did a series of interviews at his cul de sac during the pandemic. It was extremely popular and this was one of my contributions.

This popped up on my YouTube feed and it's a rather nicely done Tonti - well, 3/4 of a Tonti anyway, as he explains.