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Hey I must tell the wife that for this reason I have to get out and ride more. A pity its a long holiday weekend here but rain forecast the whole three days.

I can bring more material and knowledge to the topic; as said before, o'rings have always been at the core of the many failures we had to contend with. The oilfield environment always was a nice playing ground given the slue of effluents and conditions the o'rings had to be submitted to. This is one of the reason my company worked with chemical companies to get the best compound to address said conditions. But for our purpose, Nitrile should suffice to cover the vast majority of our application. The fluid used in brake lines may be incompatible with Nitrile. The color of certain o'rings may be added for compound identification..

That's a good chart. It would seem that most O-rings on motorcycles are Nitrile. But those green ones on the oil line fittings must be Highly Saturated Nitrile. And the seals in brake calipers and pistons must be Ethylene Propylene. What kind of O-ring can seal a rabbit hole?

Those look like cracks to me. I would look at them long and hard before deciding they were sound.

I think it's a good idea to spacer up the rear tank mount to stop the tank rubbing the paint off the side covers. The covers are very prone to cracking around the mount holes and it's a material thats very hard to repair even with plastic welding. The solution is to elongate the holes nicely esp the top one which allows the cover to fit without stressing the thing. I can supply an image if you want to do it. Ciao

I've given up trying to be O-ring efficient and started an O-ring parts bin..right next to the bin containing a myriad of Cu sealing washers. First addition...99 #112'S of the Viton persuasion. Those of unknown pedigree I use in place of those plastic washers generally used where bodywork is involved. Keeping track of those things is worse than trying to find a 10mm socket.....

Ok...bit of a ride to Taupo the other day. Another nice one

Adventure Bike track

Congestion on the road from Mt Aspiring

Well, it’s “Ground Hog Day” here in The States and everyone knows what that means. 💨 Halfway through winter and time to think about riding !

I’ve had 2 sets of pork chops powder coated at a local powder coating shop. They shot blasted the old finish off, and masked the threads with excellent results. Much more durable than the original red paint (these are off red frame bikes), and no issues with longevity. This one was done 2 years ago and it’s pristine

I've had one set powder coated flat black and another candy apple red. I recommend it for durability, looks, and ease of cleaning. The only problem is if they get a little powder in the fine threads for the swingarm pivots. Ask the powder coater to be extra careful with the masking there. If they do get powder on the threads, I found that Rust Oleum's Aircraft Remover will dissolve it. Just dab it in the threads with a Q-tip, wipe out the worst of it, then run one of the pivot pins all the way through from the inside. BTW - that Aircraft Remover is the only chemical that has damaged the epoxy coating on my garage floor.

No Idea what this is, however Texas is spawning in Tennessee... Buc-ee's has turned out to be so popular in Texas that road trips always include a stop in one of their locations. Whoever invented the concept was genius!!! Road Trip Wonderland Buc-ee’s Sevierville, Tennessee Location Will Be the World’s Largest Convenience Store

So first. I LOVE that this is happening in the laundry room. Answers and observations: Side panels usually fit well, but some can be a bit fiddly. They do tuck under the tank, so even if all the screws rattle out, they will not blow away while riding. The back of the tranny and subframe are quite a mess... have fun with that. And while you're at it, check that lower shock mount carefully. It looks like the original Sachs, which is prone to crack the lower mount. That hugger damage is common. My Nero Corsa came with a rear rack that used extra-long bolts and mangled the rear wheel hugger. This would be a good time to install one of those remote clutch bleeder hoses if you feel like spending $70. Otherwise, this is a good time to flush the clutch fluid while you can easily reach the bleeder.

My Scura's did that. Started with a cough. Thought maybe I needed a thottlebody synch but at a closer look... It IS 20 year old rubber... Help up pretty well for be being a bike that spent its life in dry weather its entire life..

Let's get some housekeeping out of the way so we can have some fun . . . Weekend after US Labor Day (Sept. 9-11, 2022) Tellico Plains ,TN, USA > Get There. Bring Tools. < While many SpineRiders stay at The Lodge at Tellico, there are other places to stay or camp. It is far better to perform TechSessions in the garage at The Lodge rather than a pull-off on the Cherohala or some remote motorcycle shop down in Georgia. Prep well. "Bring Tools" . . . There is the whole "non-event", and "this ain't the rally you thought you were getting a T-shirt for" thing . . . "It's just an idea" To wit: This is not a rally, event, or function of V11LeMans.com. It is an idea about riding, or meeting interested people. It is an idea only. There is no plan, no registration, no stickers, T-shirts, merchandise, door prizes, meals, poker runs, routes, organization, or support. Just discussion and sharing. There is no affiliation or responsibility, expressed or implied, with or by V11Lemans.com, its owner(s), Administrators, moderators, members, pets, pocket mice, or any other entity. If being at The US Appalachian Divide in September feels like a good idea to you, look forward to sharing ideas. The idea of ideas has been around for a while. I do love George Bernard Shaw's take: "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples, then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."

I have a couple of boxes of nitrile o-rings, but no matter what, I still have to go out to the local seal shop for a specific size that I don't have. I stopped being so picky about buying OEM o-rings after a visit to Moto International in Seattle USA. I asked for seals on the fuel injectors. The parts guy grabbed an old injector from their workshop, then pulled the right size seals from an assortment box. Then I realized that Moto Guzzi would use standard sizes where possible to keep the costs down. As for FKM, yes it can be better (but more expensive) in some applications, but since I see nitrile lasting 20 years, a new nitrile seal should last another 20 years.

O'ring have played a big part in my professional career. We should call them by their real name: tore joints. I remember the space shuttle catastrophe. Cold make o'rings brittle. I would go Nitrile 70 or 80 if really pushed. I was surprised to see the price from Parker. I was expecting something in cents, not 2+ dollars. We could make a table with the size of the mostly used Guzzi o'rings. The oil filter cover one can justify a purchase of 6. I would never reuse an o'ring. I systematically replace them. Not worth the saving. Even if the o'ring looks ok, the temperature changes affect the molecular integrity. I had a leak at that very oil filter cover on my Le Mans.

@Scud The size is normalized. Parker is an o'ring supplier from which we got all our o'rings. There are different Nitriles strength. Viton is more resilient to temperature. Here's a link to the Parker website which will ultimately help you finding whatever o'ring you need: http://solutions.parker.com/ORingSelector

Don't stop now! It just snowed a fourth time here in January. We're counting on you guys to keep our fires kindled! Pay you back in June . . .

My V11 Sport is the 2003 model sold as a 2004. It has the 43mm Marzocchi forks & is the KT model. So from your discussion I understand that, for my bike, the head angle is 25*, the offset is 40 mm. Now written in my notes, from where I don’t know, I have a trail of 103mm. Should that be 96mm ? Having the Griso & the V11, I’m trying to educate myself about these details, as the two bikes steer differently & trying to understand the mathematics behind the riding feel. Especially as I change the forks & potentially the geometry.

I'm tired of buying one O-ring at a time and the associated hassle of finding the correct one. So I am hoping to stock up and save... and more importantly have them on hand when needed. As I understand it, Nitrile is most commonly used, but it degrades quickly, which is why many of have replaced the timing sensor o-ring on multiple occasions, and why we constantly lose the little bugger that serves as a brake pedal bumper. And Viton is a brand name, while FKM is the generic name for material used in Viton O-rings. And apparently FKM lasts longer in chemicals and sunlight. This is what I think I know, so please feel free to correct me. I'm looking at this set of 386 O-rings in 30 Metric sizes. Amazon link here. Does this seem like it would cover the majority of O-ring needs for our V11s? Any other recommended sets or sources that would be better?

Flat black powder coating generously applied to pork chops and many other bits. Candy apple red plates and covers on Champagne. Close up of those same candy-red plates that I migrated to the Nero Corsa.

sorry. As you can see it's slotted a fair way to relieve the stress. Best image I have.

My Greenies pork chops, powder coated around a year agp

FWIW, the cracks in the finish "may" have been caused by the pork chop taking a hit. If it were mine, I'd NDT it. Hard to tell from a picture, of course.

@80CX100 Here's a table that can be used; for your application the fluid should be CO2 Gas; Viton is your best choice. You have to keep in mind that "cycling" ages your o'ring. Not that Kalrez is not good for low temperatures. I am not factoring pressure and differential pressure either.

What is the maximum temperature the exhaust cross over experiences? The most resistant compound to temperature is Kalrez.

I try to flush all the hydraulics (brakes and clutch) annually, which means sometimes they go up to two years between flushes. This is often overlooked, so it's one of the first things I do when I get a pre-owned vehicle. With the wheel on, flushing the fluid is a time-sucking annoyance and very difficult for one person unless you have long arms. You can also install a speed-bleeder there. But it will still be a PITA to get the hose on the bleeder and another PITA to get a tool on it. FWIW, I like the Motul 5.1 fluid for its high boiling point - not that I always need it, but I can use the brakes all I want on long descents without worrying about fade.

Any thread that includes a reference to Malbec and motorcycles is worthy of a gold star! Quite creative way to setup an indoor workshop!

Meanwhile, one thing that bothered me was that the tank grip was put on askew. Not so noticeable in this pic, but fairly obvious from some angles. Pad came off, but discoloration appears permanent. Guess I'll be looking for a slightly larger pad. Will start a new thread on pork chops.

So here's my calculation docc. A std 1100ie Sport 26deg/45mm offset combination has approx trail of 96mm. If someone has the guaranteed actual figure let me know. Working on the same assumptions for fork length and front tyre OD a std V11 Sport with a 25deg/40mm offset triple also has 96mm trail. Now if you use a set of 1100ie Sport triples with 45mm offset on the V11 Sport so you get a 25deg/45mm offset combo you end up with 90mm of trail. A significant difference towards the "sharper steering" end of the spectrum. My 1198 has 30mm offset aftermarket triple clamps down from the std 36mm offset so it steers better on the track and doesn't push the front on corner exit on the throttle. That 6mm on the Ducati makes a lot of difference to the steering so 5mm offset and 6mm trail on the Guzzi V11 is a significant change to the steering and stability. I think this is probably whats happened back on the early bikes. We'll know for certain when I pull the triples on my bike after I get the replacement forks sorted and I can measure the supposed "cant" on my bikes original triples. If you had a std V11 Sport 25/40 set up and canted the triples 1/2 deg you'd go from 96mm to 103mm trail. If you instead opened the head angle to 25.5 you'd go from 96mm to 99mm trail. If you had 1100ie 45mm triples on a V11 sport and you "canted" the triples 1/2 degree you'd end up with 97.5mm trail from 90mm. Seems to me the most likely scenario is they started with 1100ie Sport triples at 45mm offset and then due to customer/journalist feedback increased the trail from 90mm to 96mm by virtue of 40mm offset triple clamps to bring the figures back to the same as a std 1100ie Sport. Ciao

I'm in. And I have a new password!

"Ground Hog Day" here means the dead of winter and high hopes to ride again. Many thanks to our South'n-Hemi brothers to keep us encouraged!

Tank, sidecovers, airbox ? But not necessarily the swingarm. (Although, it might be a good time to perform all of the swingarm/drivehaft/ U-joint/ clutch bleed maintenance?)

Hold on here, 250F is 121C and some BB engines can see 140 deg C bulk oil temp under some conditions and 100 deg C is common. Nitrile is good to around 100 deg C which is ok for an easy to replace oring like this or on the filter where it's going to be replaced regularly but just about everywhere on an engine a Nitrile oring is at it's limit. This is why Guzzi have been slowly phasing them out for FKM seals which Ducati did years ago as well. Ciao

There is hope . . .

This is exactly what I wanted to avoid - buying a box of assorted for convenience, and not being able to actually use them.

Let's work with an example; When you change the oil filter on a V11, lets take the oil filter access cover oring. I have that oring on hand, so I can measure it with my vernier caliper; The o'ring cross-section is 3.5mm; which correspond to 3.53mm from the table. Measuring the ID is a bit more difficult, but it is around 95mm; the closest I get is 94.84mm from the table. It corresponds to Parker size 2-240. On a funny note, if I was still in my company, I could use a B-17308 o'ring; which is the reference my company gave to that o'ring size, for our application. Most likely a Viton o'ring because our tools are submitted to high pressures. Nitrile would deform and leak. Let's go to the Parker site; for this o'ring size; I select Nitrile and 70 durometer; the cheapest. Since this o'ring is just sealing one direction and temperature is below 250F, I would not need Viton. I have ran oil field tools in oil wells for 35 years, and changing o'rings after each run. That oring costs 3.64 USD at MG-Cycle currently. So the biggest job, is to find the size of the o'rings you want to stock. Use the Parker sizing tool which is easier than my tables. We had those tables back then, because we did not always have maintenance manuals, so we had to find o'rings using cross references and/or sizes.

Viton and FKM orings have there place, so are excellent in gasoline and withstand high temps up to 200 dec C fine however they have inferior cold weather performance compared to Nitrile. Nitrile are fine for most things not engine related. Be also aware that components designed for nitrile orings can't always accept FKM due to slight sizing differences between the 2. A small dimensional difference on the oring groove makes can make the difference between fitting and not useable. The manual fuel tap issue is a case in point, there was no FKM size that would translate to the standard fuel tap piston nitrile oring grooves and the grooves needed to be modified a little to take the FKM seals. Ciao

Yep, the "hairline" cracks on the intake rubbers are commonly superficial. Until they are not . . . (Still hoping my months-old Harper backorder will, one day, come through . . . )

May as well continue adding to this thread. May it not be my last contribution :-). Mangakino area, middle of the North Island. Stopped at the Waipapa Dam beside the Waikato river. Was a 500km day 10th December this year.

Crap............. that would have been good to attend. Still caged up here in Russia. Ciao

Wow!

Well, I thought it was going to be good but it was more than good. It was gooder! I have never seen so many V11 Sports in one place. I think I counted six. Here's a taste. There will be a video released in the next week with more goodness. I don't recall what he was asking for the silver bike. The LeMans was $4k. More pictures in the next post.

Temp 24c today Huskisson Jervis Bay. Pt Perpendicular in the background. This is part of my local loop. Nice day for it. Sent from my SM-A530F using Tapatalk