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This forum helped me get the courage to work on it myself. Without it I'd either have a piece of static sculpture ( which happens often enough) or I would have passed it on to someone else and I would not have the pleasure of the sensations of this visceral machine.

Got some carbon fiber goodies from Bruno (aka Brian) of Ghezzi Brian. It's always a happy day when packages arrive from Italy. I rather like the small rear fender, which I have on my Scura, although it sits a bit too high above the tire. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that GB have modified the bracket to make the fender sit closer to the tire (you can actually adjust it till it touches the tire, so be careful). Now it nestles between two rails on the swingarm, (it sat above the rails with the prior bracket.) It was also pre-drilled with mounting holes, which almost lined up with the bracket, and the holes were almost big enough for the included mounting hardware. So let's call those pilot holes. Dremel tool with small stone-cone bit required to get good fit and alignment. So, still kind of a weird shape on one side, still not perfect, but definitely improved. See thread re what makes these bikes quirky... Two reasons I like this fender: 1: it does a surprisingly good job of keeping debris off the lower shock mount and transmission. 2: you can see every inch of the beautiful swingarm, wheel, and final drive (unlike the massive stock unit that hides everything and shovels crap onto the aforementioned areas.) And possibly true but almost certainly irrelevant... it reduces unsprung weight on the rear.

WHAT..This doesn't make you want to buy it?, Come on!! lol... " This beautiful super stud is truly the Italian Stallion".....Ha Ha..I guess you have to be 16yrs old, I cant remember !

I remember in college a lecturer informing us fresh faced yoofs "You can never make anything idiotproof, because idiots are so ingenious"

One of the key factor that makes you work on you bike, is the self satisfaction of having done it yourself. With or without supervision. Some of us can accommodate some of the hurdles a week-end mechanic faces. I simply cannot. Whatever I need to do, it needs to be in an environment that allows me to face and circumvent any and every situation. Else, I would rather hold my peace. It starts with all the tools, the bench, the air distribution system, the lighting, the manual, the spares.... I had that in my club when I was 12; and the supervision, the advice, the help when needed. It was like being at the hospital. No shortage of doctors and specialized equipment. Maybe I am too much of a perfectionist, but if I break a screw, I want to be able to extract it, drill, tap, install another, whatever it was. I don't want to be in a situation where I need to order something that I don't have handy because I maintain my bike every now and then. Thus I accept that I need to be reasonable and subcontract the care of my motorcycle to someone else's capable hands. I still feel good, because I know I could do it if I wanted to, because I used to do it before.

I think it's a Duc 750/900 ss fairing, not a magni. But it's mounted well with and std bar height. Looks good. Wonder what he used for a bracket. The black wheels look good with silver. Not sure about the cans, maybe added to modernize it? The guy's narrative is a turnoff for me. Nothing against the bike, I just never liked hyped salesman antics...it always seems to accompany premium pricing. lol... I spent an hour last night scanning listings for Gootsie... what have I become

I heartily endorse what DOCC wrote. Grateful for the generosity and spirit of the folk out and about here.

My 86 yr old mentor (James Mariner) has always said , there are better motorcycles , but 99% of Moto Guzzi owners are some type of professional . A craftsman or something !

Well said. Truly, my Sport would not have survived without the amazing, and humbling, contributions from this community. This outcome is not by my own hand. I cannot thank all of you enough.

I take it Paul from Florida is in the writing of "advertising copy" line of work. Ciao

This looks like a pretty good 2003 Red LeMans for $5,000 USD asking price in Southern California. https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/mcy/d/chino-moto-guzzi/7431180688.html

My interpretation was docc one of the following happened. Option 1 the earlier 01493xx clamps were 40mm offset parallel bores and the later 5014xx were 40mm offset and "canted" by 1/2 degree. Option 2 the later 5014xx weren't actually "canted" but in fact just had 5mm reduced offset from 45mm (maybe ex 1100ie Sport triples used initially) to 40mm offset with parallel bores. Option 3 The very first clamps used were 1100ie Sport ones with 45mm offset. Then they changed them to 40mm offset parallel bores as per option 2. Then they changed those 40mm offset triples to "canted bores" Then post short frame bikes (long frame bikes) went back to "non canted" parallel bore forks with the same 40mm offset. I think option 2 is most likely. What's your interpretation, thoughts. Ciao

No looked previously docc, nothing. Thats why I assumes Tenni but no other Tenni stuff in there. Btw Tenni's also had gold fork caps as well. Ciao

At first review, a slight discrepancy between the rating printed on the case (NO:30A/NC:25A) and the data sheet (NO:30A/NC:20A). Now, twenty amps across the NC contacts is really fine even for an early V11 where the #1/Starter relay is running the current to the #2/Headlight Relay (that is fed from a 15 amp fuse). Just not okay to expect a NC:10amp relay to survive that duty indefinitely. Now, just a discrepancy, not a deal breaker. The contact material is a silver alloy, which puts it ahead of the common GEI (copper alloy). Otherwise, the "data sheet" is a bit short on specification. The coil wattage (which "may be" a measure of coil strength) is not given. Nor is the amperage rating specified between inrush current and continuous current (desirable for our application). This is awfully common to these spec sheets, but it seems the higher the relay quality, the more detailed is the data sheet. I'm on my 7th set of different relays from making preemptive changes, but I am no electrical expert by any means! Over the course, I have endeavored to learn the terminology and functional nature of relays. I wish the data sheets were standardized! I have seen and assisted in many V11 relay failures over these many years (and SpineRaids!). My only relay failures involved my last full set of OMRON G8HE (I ran the lower rated G8HN for nine years with no failures). I traced the G8HE failures to a faulty regulator along with a failing stator (failed yellow wire at the strain point) and theorized I must have been getting some horrendous voltage spikes.

Grease nipple NAS501-1 installed. Final hole dia 2.91mm for tight fit on 3.26mm dia nipple. I had to buy a pack of 25 grease nipples, so I have 24 spares to give away.

A "certified brake technician" I've never met one of those. I've met technicians that are certified in breaking things though. Ciao

When it comes to shocking pubs, the Dutch are the best!

I get it...

Mainly for the addition of Roy’s relay- please let me know if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick with that and I’ll amend it. Having the relays set bolder helped me anyway.

@stewgnu has drawn up another wiring diagram with emphasis on the relays and the relay addition to address "Startus Interuptus". He'll be along to clarify and comment on the purpose.

Very well put Doc.. These bikes are SO MUCH MORE than just Motorcycles!! Cheers Guzzler

All and all, I would rather have someone turning me back, than someone telling me no problem, and then flunking the job. As for DIY, it is not as easy as it seems. You could be a motorcycle enthusiast with little mechanical and technical knowledge. Inflating tires, topping off oil, those are not drawing too much in terms of basic understanding and experience. Thankfully, you can find videos on Google, and download the workshop manual too. But there are limits to what you can do that you have never done before, and just reading about it does not tell the full story. Most motorcycle manual draw on the fact that you understand the operation described. To me, having someone who can at least show you the ropes is important. Including in terms of safety. You don't want to find the hard way that what seemed to be so simple turned out to be a nightmare because you did not understand what it was you had to do. When I was in my battle tank factory, we used to travel to the regiments for a "train the trainer" job. In the military, all the steps were precisely described and illustrated with pictures. Nevertheless, they mechanics still managed to find new ways to destroy things.

My first riding buddy (RIP) was thirty years my senior. I benefited from so much of his wisdom, much well beyond riding and motorcycling. After buying and selling countless motorcycles in his lifetime, Bruce decided that a motorcycle is worth 10¢ a mile in what it gives us in the use and joy of riding. Having paid some $12,000US for my Sport new, it is now paying me back 10¢ for every mile. And doesn't owe me anything. Not even that 2¢ an hour for all of those countless hours of fettling and fuss. What makes > my Guzzi < "quirky?" It is no longer a consumer product, but now more a product of craft, care, devotion, and community.

I read this article on The Who . This writer called them "the thinking man's rock" . The same for the Moto Guzzi .

I am also reminded of the motojournalist, Peter Egan, establishing the going rate of reimbursement for an enthusiast restoring a chosen motorcycle at the "usual 2¢ an hour" . . .

The thing I like about this network of owners , they can discuss any facet of a bike . All other owners need someone to check tire pressures .

When people see the mileage on my >20 year old, uncommon (if not downright rare) Italian (of all places!) funky motorcycle, I am often asked where my dealer is. I used to reply, "My local Moto Guzzi dealer in Seattle, Washington!" (Which is 2500 miles away. ) Since Moto International closed, I enjoy saying, "Varsseveld, in The Netherlands. Some fellow named FieldHorse."

The bad thing is , a cycle shop can't pay a mechanic $60k/yr . There is not that profit margin on motorcycle sales/service .

Yep true... bikes for real mountain men. Men who like mountin’ women!

The refusal to work on a >10 years old motorcycle is relatively new to me. Coming from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, finding someone to work on your older motorcycle seems to be less of a problem. When I left, you still had plenty of "brand-less" motorcycle garages that would perform any kind of repair on just any kind of motorbike irrespective of production year. At least, they would tell you that finding the parts may not be cheap or fast. But they would not turn you back based on your bike's age. Imagine you go to the hospital, and they tell you they are sorry but they only treat patients below a specific threshold. I think I understood why when I realized that most of the workshops employ unskilled workers, with one serious tech that supervises a bunch of those low pay grade guys. In 2020, someone did not properly tighten an oil filter. I caught it in time (not my car) as the oil level was low but the low pressure warning was not lit. Of course, human error is always possible. I am obviously not painting every Motorcycle workshops with a broad stroke, but I can make the difference between MPH and the casual dealerships when it comes to personnel. The workshop is always the first place I want to visit.