po18guy

I bought folding Ken Sean bar-end mirrors. They came with horrible soft rubber plugs that allowed the mirrors to vibrate too much and would not hold their position. I bought some Delrin rod online and worked them down so they would slip into the bars. Bored them through at 8mm and cut in two at a 60º or so angle so that they would wedge into the bar. Placed an M8 serrated flange nut on the inside and it stays in place when tightening them. They were a bit of a pain to fabricate, but have worked very well.

I find checking the oil level to be a rather curious affair. Firstly, the dipstick enters the crankcase at an angle, which does not allow precise measurement. The lean angle of the bike when parked on the stand introduces another variable. Any change in the lean of the bike (suspension sag, tire height/profile, or slight uphill/downhill grade tosses another figurative wrench in the gears, said wrench invariably striking the shift detent spring. Was the bike, even though on the side stand, on a level surface? Or was it on a center stand or rear axle spool stand? Remember Emerson, Lake and Palmer's song, "The Endless Enigma"?

Ain't it ever-so-Guzzi to install both heims on the shift linkage with the same threads? Adjust it all day and the lever moves not one bit. Or is it just my example?

Beer > Tylenol > beer. Repeat as necessary.

Then back off 1/4 turn. Same with stripping bolts.

This fellow, who does a lot of tech vids, disagrees on 285º parallel twins.

I also fell in love with the "Trixie." They are a cult bike elsewhere, still popular in Japan. The early models had oil consumption problems, which was the recall, if "I" recall correctly. I also looked at the more recent MT-07, which was the first wave of the new 270s. It was too much of a "transformer" style for me. The YZF-07 seems a rather nice bike, if slightly extreme for many "mature" riders. Yamaha is often odd-man out in engineering, trying all manner of new designs. In the 689 parallel twin, they moved the cylinder centerline forward in relation to the crank centerline. This gives the rod increased leverage over the crank as it fires. This changes crank angle at TDC, but they have dealt with that. But a piddling 65 BHP out of such a high-tech engine seems a waste, when 75-80 HP is available. Oh, well...

Have you checked the web for Italian labor union strikes? There may be some sympathy programmed in somewhere. Couple of months ago, My V11 would not activate the starter on one particular day. Key off and on numerous times, pump priming, clutch in and out. Finally had to pop a vein and bump start it. Cleaned the micro-plunger in the clutch safety micro switch, the micro switch clicked in and out as it should. Was fine for a couple of weeks, then did it again, but has not ever since. I do now tend to park with a grade to bump start it though. We hear a lot about "AI" these days. I am much more concerned with "IE" - Italian Electrics.

Was not the TRX850 the first of the 270 wave?

Too many other ships telling you to lower your high beams.

They do have junk in their trunk. I was hoping for an update of the MKI LeMans, with the safety orange/red bikini fairing. The V11 quarter fairings are very functional, but lacking in aesthetics.

Well, mine would have to actually start first... The early models, although not really lighter, have a cleaner, more compact look. The longer ones have that cantilevered fairing - good thing I'm sitting behind it. LM plastic always struck me as bulbous. Would like something in between, but I'm playing Goldilocks here.

I learned this from Kevin Cameron's writings in Cycle Magazine. Reciprocating engines do not have a 100% consistent crankshaft RPM. At each firing impulse, the cranks accelerates slightly and on each compression stroke of each revolution, it slows a bit. If you could graph it,the variation in rotational speed could be seen. How this manifests in the V11 would seem to be: the transmission input shaft runs through the clutch disc via a splined connection. There is necessary clearance in those splines so that the clutch disc can freely disengage. Engine out of the bike, you can rattle the input shaft in the clutch disc, even though it is a relatively tight fit. Each firing impulse - especially at idle - clanks those clutch splines against the input shaft splines - first against one side of the splines as the crank accelerates, then against the other side as the crank slows on compression stroke. We are talking only a few thousandths clearance here, but it does make noise, especially with dry clutches in a notice: "bell" housing. Wet clutches do not exhibit this nearly as much, as the splines are cushioned by oil, whereas the Guzzi splines are dry. The same to a lesser extent with the transmission gears engaged by the input shaft - they also make some noise, but they run in lube, which cushions and quiets the blow. There is a solution, but it would involve a heavier, more complex clutch disc with spring-loaded "scissor splines." Not worth the cost and effort. Pull the clutch lever in and the clutch disc and transmission input shaft stop rotating and thus the "spline-banging" stops. Singles and twins are worst at this, as their crankshaft accel/decel cycles are more violent. Multi-cylinder engines have smoother crank rotation speeds. Somewhat related, years back, Honda had split cam drive gears with a preload between the two halves of the gear to remove the backlash between the gears. This reduced noise - IIRC it was on their 750 V4 Interceptors so that it could pass noise laws. It also reduced dynamic stresses between the gears. Here is a web article which explains far better than I can. https://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=437206 The third answer is from someone in the aero industry: "tbuelna (Aerospace) 1 Apr 18 01:09 It's called a scissor gear. They're used on engines with cam/accessory gear drives to reduce dynamic tooth loads due to torsional oscillations. In the case of your Toyota cam gear, the torsional oscillations are produced by the varying forces acting on the cam lobes. There is a moment in one direction as each leading cam flank pushes a valve open, and a moment in the opposite direction as the valve spring pushes against the trailing cam flank during closing. Conventional gears (not scissor gears) require some amount of backlash at the mesh to prevent interference. When there is backlash, reversing torsional oscillations will cause high dynamic contact loads on the gear tooth flanks at the mesh. These high dynamic tooth contact forces also produce noise. While a scissor gear can reduce dynamic tooth loading and noise, it also involves some mechanical losses. You'll see them used on other engines like Cummins diesels and Honda motorcycle engines"

Exact same noise as in my 2004 Ballabio. The rattle with the clutch disengaged is dry clutch rattle. When idling, the rattle strikes me as the input shaft /splines/gears rattling from the rapid acceleration/deceleration of the crank between firing impulses. The Red Line trans lube "Shock-proof" pretty much tells the story.

Thanks for that. RIP Moto Morini.

I blame Iceland splitting in two for all of this.

Moto Guzzi has made virtually every imaginable engine type. Sure, they are known for the Vs, but like H-D you then live or die by the Vs. Moto Morini has a cracking 1200 87º V-twin, but Euro-7, 8, 9 emissions killed it for the time being. So, what do they offer? A 660cc parallel twin. So, who might make that engine for such a small company? And an Aprilia-engined Guzzi would be 10K+ how entry level is that? Where facts are few, rumors are many.

North of you, we are in the same boat. Will supposedly rise to the 30s or so over the next day or two.

Crop dusting all that grain, one's mind begins to think about what could be made from all that grain. On a hot and dusty day. Or a rainy day. A gray day. Any day...

Somehow, YouTube's algorithm popped up with this 1960s Soviet designed twin radial-engined helicopter: the Kamov Ka26. Normally a utility and crop-dusting craft, the radial engine thunder and the whine of the cooling fans on the shrouded engines lends an almost Guzzi-like, visceral quality to it. Pilots seem to love it, as it is very benign handling for a 'copter. Apparently, if you lose an engine, you simply have a slower craft.

Before California completely DEVOlved. Works better than caffeine.

Oh. That is a rather big flaw as headlights go. Since they are now rare Italian works of art, I suppose that 2 bills is not all that bad.

What is wrong with the original?

Without a refresher course, it is best to crash a Honda than a Guzzi. However, one of the smaller Guzzis is an excellent idea, as the V11s tend to be rather large dance partners. If he has ridden 1000cc and above, the weight might not bother him.

If it is to be a commodity bike, any Honda will do and likely has the best resale. It is best to be passionate, to focus on the perfect moments, be capable of performing maintenance and have something in your wallet to own a Guzzi. There are many prior Guzzi owners. How much passion does your friend have to invest?