FreyZI

Was reading latest post on "What did you do to your V11 today?" thread and saw @gstallons tire tread breakdown and @Gmc28 mentioning the Greenie on the stand. I've been wondering for a while if I should invest in some stands. Central Pennsylvania winters are pretty wet, grey, and cold, but we do get the occasional warm-ish day of sunshine for a longer ride (maybe the Tenni) and I try to ride a motorcycle in to work most days (sadly just a few miles), either the champagne V11 or one of the Beemers (R1200R or F800GS). With any luck, none of those bikes ever sits long enough to let the cobwebs form, though maybe a month or more during January and February. The Beemers have center stands and they're always on them when parked in the garage. Not so the V11 stablemates. As to stands, what's your practice? Use all the time in the garage? Use when you believe it's going to be some time before the bike sees action? What brands do you like? Front and rear, I assume? Issues with shafties? Cheers

My parents told me if I ever got a donorcycle, they'd disown me. My first motorcycle disappeared because of them. They came to visit (I was a young adult) and I moved the bike out of the garage and put it on the curb around the block. When they left and I went to retrieve the bike, it was gone. Eventually I called the city. They said they had it in the pound, alleged it was an "abandoned" vehicle. Admittedly, it was a bit of a rat bike, but I suspect the city's taking it had something to do with the realtor trying to sell the property I had parked in front of. When they told me how much $$$ to get it out of the pound, I had to tell them GLWS. I should have taken them the key, too. I was having kids about that time and thought maybe better to ensure that they grew up with a dad, so I didn't get another moto for several years. Fortunately, when I did get back into it, I was able to afford more than the $900 I spent on the lost Yamaha XS-750. BMW R1200R was my first decent moto. Eventually, I manned-up and told my folks. Several years later, my dad and I bought a '79 V1000 G5 to restore. That was to be his ride. Sadly, the Covid years and bypass surgery came and time went, and I could see my old man getting a little older. Even though he's strong for late 70s, if he had a get off, I think he'd be in a pretty bad way. I don't imagine late 70s is a good time to learn to ride a motorcycle. So, I had to put the idea of riding some with my dad to rest. Same general idea: You love to ride a motorcycle; but you don't fully love the idea of your loved ones riding one. Can't imagine how I'd have felt if my dad got injured on the "Roto-tiller". I have a teenage son and daughter. They've both ridden a bit of trail bike (graduated from TT-R90 to 125 to 225 (we also have a fun Dave Miller Concepts CR/XR cross). Both express interest in riding on the street. So now I get to go through the conundrum, again, x2. I certainly will not tell them I'll disown them. But neither will I encourage them to ride. If they want to ride, they'll insist on it, they'll do the state-mandated street riding safety course, and they'll figure out how to acquire a suitable learning bike. We live in a college town, where most of the drivers from 16-22 have their heads up their arses, and a lot of the others, too. I think it will be valuable for them to have a significant amount of cage driving time on the road before they try a motorcycle, so they have a better sense of traffic patterns, anticipating others' movements, timing, etc. If they ride, I'll worry, but I'll appreciate why, and I'll hope to have some fun miles with them.

Had Bubbles out the reservoir. I have a GS and a WR, so I don't generally take the street-oriented bikes on gravel. She acquitted herself pretty well. Maybe some knobbies next tire change...

I had always been curious how off the speedos are. I believe you have the same gauges as on the Tenni. Do you suppose they are all a little different or that they're reasonably consistently off across many units? What do you suppose 124 is in real world MPH? Anybody ride with a GPS on the bars to compare?

I haven't heard from Greg in ages, so I believe this is dead in the water. I would still like to replace the CF hump/cowl on the Tenni, so I will make some inquiries (though pretty low life priority). Perchance I find someone to make a batch, I'll just get a bunch and sell them off. I won't get anyone's hopes up in the meantime.

Received mdi CF alternator cover (35% off, supposedly, at $65). Originally intended for the Tenni, but I'm not blown away by the look of the matte plain weave -- and already have a smorgasbord of different CF on her -- thus, this new CF bit ended up on Bubbles. Definitely looks better than the painted alloy cover, but showcases the dramatic need for a thorough cleaning. The irony of putting a new part on the parts bike is not lost on me.

Yes. [Took Bubbles for another ride today (probably 70 miles). I'm working through the niggles on this now road-going parts bike. Last year was aft of the transmission. This year, working toward the middle. This week: changed front wheel bearings and tire. Dramatic difference.] I'm gaining confidence that nothing is going to explode, but I'm not sure how to feel when at a stop in traffic and this thing is loudly clattering. Should I be embarrassed? Should I be amused? Should I care about the gaze of the other at all? Is there a point, knowing how these clutches rattle, when I should nonetheless take preventative measures?

So, I had the champagne LM to the local-ish MG dealer Monday for inspection. It would have passed, but for two problems -- front tire was pretty worn and brake light wasn't actuated by the hand lever. Fiddling with the wires to the micro-switch ensued: two wires, three spades. Tried the various combinations (before looking up the wiring diagram). In doing so, broke one of the spades off. Looking online at replacing the micro-switch, looks like a two-spade switch, so I wonder if this was a case of parts bin manufacture or replacement. New switch on order. Meanwhile, I lifted the bike from the sump and removed the front wheel to take for tire replacement. Seems bearings are knackered, as there is enough play that wiggling the spacer results in a rattle. Maybe that explains a little weaving at speed. Surprised they didn't say anything about that on inspection.... In the box of random parts that came with the bike were two Fafnir bearings. I had hoped that they would be what I needed for the front wheel, but they are 47mm, not 52mm. Getting mixed information on the size of the rear wheel bearing and the final drive bearing. If nothing else, they are the right size for the F800GS. Should be street legal in a couple days. Valve clearances check to come in the next week or so. Meantime, what is that rattle at idle in neutral with no clutch? Should I be worried? Seems marginally better when very warm, but still disconcerting.

~Indicated. No idea what speedo error is.

Had the longer ride today. About 25 miles this morning to work site and the long way home, probably 40 miles. Aquitted itself reasonably well over a mix of interstate and highway -- some long, straight stretches and some sweepers. I built enough confidence in the bike to foray into triple digit speeds. From the cockpit, it looks and feels an awful lot like the Tenni. I'd have to do a back-to-back ride to get a better sense of the differences, but my impression is that the Tenni (equipped with PC3 and open air box) has a little more poke at the top end. I also don't have the lovely 'induction' noise of the Tenni. The champagne, in neutral, clutch all out, clatters like crazy. Clutch pulled in, or in gear, or with revs, the noise goes away. I'm sure there are a few threads within discussing the rattletrap noise in N without clutch. The idle is quite low, so the bike vibrates to the point of worthless mirrors and the sense that the engine will cut out momentarily (though it chuffs along just above flat line). And I noticed zero difference with enrichment control. One other interesting note. Bike wouldn't start a couple times. I did a number of things: key off/on, kickstand up/down, neutral in/out. A little general fiddling and fuel pump primed and bike started right up. I think I've figured out that if I simply press the off switch firmly, the start button works properly. Filled with 93 octane. What do you all use? I'll search the forum.... Tonight: cleaning up and prepping H&B big luggage rack for paint (question, perhaps better addressed in a different topic: do any other panniers work well (the side cases that came with the bike are serviceable, if worse for the wear). This weekend: Maintenance (oil, filters, etc.). Monday: state-mandated inspection. Cheers! Frey

Today: Insured, titled, and registered champagne V11LM. Yesterday: Took it around neighborhood to see if it runs and if it's worth paying the taxes and fees to get plate. Still undecided. Been incommunicado (work got me down, and other priorities) for the better part of a year. January 2022, I bought a fairly rough V11 from Ohio; figured I'd keep a spare V11 around as a parts bike in case I ever need to scavenge for the Tenni. Took stock of what I had bought (sight unseen) -- a well-used and grungy bike -- and started into cleaning and sorting. Last spring was back end (stripped and painted final drive housing, among other things). Haven't yet tackled the front. I had been discouraged that I was going to have to rebuild throttle bodies, as I had seen fuel dripping from the R body after a start in my driveway. However, I read here that sometimes a start up with quick shut off can result in back pressure that forces fuel out of the body. Yesterday, two shut downs, no leak -- no fuel dripping on exhaust header A couple issues: Sounds like a box of rocks at idle, but some throttle input settles it into a reasonably quiet rhythm. The Tenni isn't exactly the picture of smooth at idle, either, so I don't make too much of this, though it does seem a bit noisier. After a good warm up and a mile or two of 25 mph neighborhood roads, I shut 'er down. For a minute or so after shut down, the engine and/or transmission made some "tinking" noises. I imagine some of that is completely normal noise of expansion/contraction, but I wonder too if that could mean some internal condensation (bike has been sitting in a laundry room or garage without being run for the better part of a year and a half). I have not done anything to the front end, yet, other than check engine and gear oil. Engine oil looks pretty fresh and level is good. There's a good bit of oil on the engine block -- particularly the left hand side -- which I'm hoping is just breather spray and 40K+ miles without a bath. Not a drop of oil on the driveway or garage floor. I will change oil, filter, and sump gasket; drain and refill gear oil, check valve tolerances, and give a reasonably thorough scrub in coming days. But first, a bit longer of a ride tomorrow to see how she fares. Known issues: Bitubo steering damper leaking oil. Engine side tach bevel gear held together with a green twist tie. L bar end comes awfully close to L side of tank, so that hand is pinched at full lock (easy fix, but it can wait). Other note: Started up easily enough (big fan of Odyssey batteries), but I didn't notice that there was much difference at all with enrichment all the way on (it's fairly obvious on the Tenni). Happy to hear suggestions. Thanks! Frey

Now I need a CF belly pan!

Since I seem to be going down the road of accessorizing with CF, I'd probably get in on an order from MDI. The matte will probably age better than the gloss, as nicks and scratches won't contrast so much.

BTW, every other CF part on my Tenni is also 1x1 weave except for the hugger. 1x1 looks like a checker board. 2x2 looks like diagonal blocky lines. 1x1 is also called plain weave, and 2x2 is sometimes called twill weave.

Just realized looking at pics online that Tenni doesn't appear to have any CF from factory. I bought my Tenni with all the CF bits. Side cover I believe to be an MG product, judging from sticker. It appears to be 1x1 weave. But, my Mistral mufflers are very clearly -- like Docc's -- 2x2 weave.

A closer shot of the prototype side cover showing somewhat the weave and hand-laid character.

Note that these pieces are prototypes, not final product. There are a few rough edges, holes are not yet holes, and I presume the CF was laid a bit quickly. Even with the final product, you will know that this is hand-laid fiber. To me, that's a plus -- and similar to the rest of the CF bits on my bike. If you're not okay with that, walk away. First up, a pic of the humps: Prototype at north. Note that this was an attempt to replicate the more satin finish of the vacuum-method pieces. I am not a fan. Next up, the side cover. Original on right. If people want these, we should figure out what to do about the depression for the gummy stickers (wanted or not). Next, a close up of the samples of the Kevlar weaves. They are leaning against the prototype side panel with regular 2x2 CF weave.

I'm baaaack. Sorry for the long, long delay and being incommunicado. Summer seemed to have other plans for me. I did manage to get down to Gettysburg and talk to the CF guy. He's made a couple prototypes for me and I'll share some pics of what I've got in a follow up post shortly (it's really hard to get a decent photograph of carbon fiber parts). When I first went down there some months ago, I left with Greg three pieces: 1) a OEM plastic seat cowl to model, 2) my aftermarket (presumably) non-vacuum mold seat cowl for comparison to 3) my OEM vacuum-molded CF side panel. To clarify, as I understand it, there are a couple different CF processes, including: 1) where a vacuum is created that sucks quite a bit of the resin through and off the carbon fiber, leaving a thinner, lighter, less glossy finished product; and 2) a standard process whereby much of the resin remains on the finished surface, rendering a somewhat glossier finish and more robust piece. My Tenni, between the seat cowl, side panels, front fender, hugger, gauges thingy, and starter cover, has at least three different finishes. My initial hope was to match the seat cowl (tail hump -- what are we calling this thing now) to all of the other CF pieces (excepting the hugger). Unfortunately, that is not possible with the manufacturer. Frankly, it may not be desirable for the tail hump anyway, from a durability standpoint. Anyway, although I had only taken the side panel so Greg could see the finish I had originally hoped for, a little (potentially fortuitous) miscommunication resulted in him making a prototype of the side panel, too. I like the prototypes well enough to commission a better mold and a batch of tail humps. I'm not opposed to doing the same for the side panels. Cost is not going to be prohibitive, but it may change a bit with inflation, so I'm not going to quote any prices. I'm pretty sure I can make my initial outlay. Since I hadn't spoken to any of y'all about the desirability of side covers, I told Greg to go ahead with the seat cowl and that I'd get back to him on the side panels. So, let me know if you are gung ho on the side panels and I'll have those reusable molds made up, too, if there's enough interest. As for the options, I got a sample of the red and the blue kevlar weaves. I like them both. They are very understated and would only really pop in bright sunlight. Kevlar weaves will be about 50% more $$$ than standard 2x2 carbon weave. Photos coming shortly. Thanks for your patience and understanding that both the manufacturer and I have other things to do as well. For his part, Greg recently had a joint replacement and is still getting around a bit slowly. He and his family business have more than enough dragster bodies work and he only took this on because he thought it was a cool project. We are at least several months away from having finished products. He and his daughter are very nice folks and I know they will do their best to get us high quality stuff. Cheers, Frey

Okay. Tried a few things this morning. First, no fuel cap, with the old spark plugs gapped to 0.6mm (spec per owner's manual, but wider than the 0.5mm I previously had them at), I still had bucking. Then, I looked up the factory spec on NGK BP6ES plugs (0.8mm gap), and set them accordingly. Engine wouldn't start at all. Then, I reset the gap to the 0.5mm I previously used (still with no fuel cap). Started right up and warmed it up a bit. Once choke was released, I started getting popping and chuffing. So, maybe I have a fuel mixture issue. Maybe an air leak? Other notables based on comments elsewhere: High test wires and spark plug boots are new Carburetors were stripped, cleaned, and rebuilt Fuel petcocks and filters were replaced (and I did away with the electrovalve in favor of simplicity)

Thanks, Pete. I'll give it a try. Not sure if there's a best practice to make a vent hole in the cap. It's the old plastic fuel flap with the spring-loaded stopper. The stopper doesn't appear to have ever had a hole in it, excepting the little square one that accepts the post from the flap. If I'm to drill a vent(s) hole in it, what size would be appropriate?

Hoping for some advice on next steps for a '79 G5 that's bucking. Background: This was a project bike and got a full (not museum, but solid) restoration. I did most of the work, but couldn't get it running and so took it to an experienced classic Guzzi mechanic. He got it running (with an entirely new Bender wiring harness and other sensibly replaced electrical bits, etc.). However, his brief rides up and down the neighborhood didn't reveal a problem that has been with the bike ever since. Started out running well, but after 15 minutes or a half hour, it would begin to feel bottled up and decel for a second, followed by a surge, repeated ad naseam, resulting in a bucking sensation. If I parked it and rode the next day, it would start fine and ride fine for a while, but the bucking would eventually return after a bit of riding. I thought this was limited to when the engine was quite warm. At least, until today. A little research and chat with another Guzzi mechanic revealed that this decel/surge issue can be a symptom of ignition coils faltering when hot. I installed new ignition coils and took a spin yesterday -- same issue exactly. Warmed up in the driveway, did ~7 miles and (on interstate doing ~65mph indicated), the familiar bucking returned (though not so bad). After a few more miles, I filled up the tank and continued, doing ~4 miles before going up what passes for a mountain in these parts (somewhat less that 1K') and then another 25 miles or so of country riding, 30-60 mph, with no problem whatsoever. After stopping at a friend's place for an hour, I rode 5 miles or so, with a good bit of bucking in the last mile, to a farmers' market. Bike got a 10-minute rest, then bucked the last 5 miles home. So, the new ignition coils didn't resolve the problem. Today, I replaced the NGK spark plugs with some E3 plugs. That was terrible (worse engine firing and more bucking than before). I removed the plugs and the points were black and wet. I looked at the old plugs -- they were gapped at about 0.5mm. I widened the gap to 0.6mm, per the owner's manual and took it for a ride. Still crap -- probably a bit better than the E3s, but -- until today -- I hadn't experienced the bucking when the engine wasn't particularly warm. Today, both with the new plugs and the re-gapped and cleaned up old plugs, the bucking was present right out of the driveway. Since those rides around the block, I've confirmed that the condensers were replaced in the restoration. I also checked the gaps of the points and they are right at spec of 0.4mm. This certainly seems like an electrical ignition system failure, but I don't have any sense of what may be going on. Nothing has changed since restoration. Bike has been inside. No corrosion. Haven't removed any ground wires. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Frey

All: Sorry for the delay and for being incommunicado. April and May are always busy months for me, then my kids wrap up school, so lots of other priorities. Now on vacation (hang gliding school with kids) and next week off to Colorado for wedding (I decided instead of renting a car, I'd get a bike, so I have a used sport touring waiting for me to pick up there). Not much free time for Guzzi stuff between all this. Meanwhile, the fabricator had his big show in Vegas, lost his mold maker, and had a TKR. Between him and me, we haven't had a confluence of time to connect at great length. Last I spoke with him, he was planning to work on it last week and see if he could get quality edges with a different technique. I told him I don't need at mold that can be released a thousand times, so let's see what happens. As far as commitments go, there are none. I didn't want to take anyone's money for exactly this reason: the stars not quite aligning and people being pissed at me. It hasn't been a priority for me lately, or the fabricator. It'll be after July 4 by the time I get around to dealing with it, and then I'm at the mercy of the fabricator. I'll update when I know more, hopefully with pics of a sample. But no guarantees this will be soon.

Thanks! Definitely adding these ideas to the itinerary.

Taking the kids to Lookout Mountain area (Rising Fawn, GA, actually) for five days of hang gliding school. Never been to that neck of the woods, but I know there a few of you not too far away and at least familiar with Tellico Plains. Putting out feelers for ideas for things to do in the Chattanooga area (with teenage children). Our lessons each day should end by early afternoon, so we'll have time for some afternoon and evening outings. Please let me know if you have ideas. Cheers, Frey

All: Sorry to be incommunicado. Been busy and haven't tended to this -- I have meant to reach out to fabricator, but always seems to be somewhat after COB every time I get around to looking at my to do list. Last update was that he won't do vacuum finish, so no matte/satin. I am hoping to finish up my hell week and then have some time for fun next week. I'll plan to ride down to Gettysburg then and see if I can get some pics of samples for color options, etc. He never did give me a final price. Hopefully it doesn't look dramatically different from his estimate a couple months ago. Sorry for the delay.