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What a great thread!! It is so important to recognize the visceral nature and emotional impact of the bikes. I was immediately attracted to the V7 Sport, but did not own a Guzzi until 1977, when I purchased a T-3. I rode that for a year and then traded it on a 1978 Lemans 850. That may have been the best motorcycle I have ever ridden, but sadly I crashed in 1979 and then took a wrong turn toward BMW ownership. 5 bikes and 20 years later I returned to my true love when I purchased a V11 Sport in 2000. I put 60,000 blissful miles on that bike until a women yacking on her cell phone ran a stop sign and totaled her out. I spent the next 10 years searching for a replacement and luckily last year I found her in Missouri. I am once again experiencing motorcycle bliss and I intend to ride this incredible machine into the sunset!!

The leathers are stunning and interesting, but rarely useful . . .

I repossessed my Le Mans yesterday, and the Michelin Road 5s were a complete shocker to me.... As I was going to turn left on Park Ten boulevard, I thought I had a technical issue as the bike just dropped into the turn with the usual input. I stopped and had a visual check, everything seemed fine. Doing a succession of left and rights to warm and scrub the tires on the I-10 feeder, I quickly realized the new tires were the culprits for that new handling. It felt like I was on a different motorcycle. I no longer needed to firmly curb the bike into curves, it read my mind, and I just had to feather it, no matter how sharp the turn radius. Mesmerizing and exhilarating! I can't wait to go back to the 3 Twisted Sisters and Brothers to check it out. The Michelin tires which were on the bike when I got it were of a different type (Pilot race 2). The front tire allegedly new according to the dealer who sold the bike to me. I am just taken aback by the complete feel change, while everything else remained the same. Which reinforces my belief that changing tires often is essential. Now I am not going to advocate Michelin just yet; I will need to verify how other brands and types fare. This is a time when I'd wish I could have multiple Le Mans equipped with different tires, just so one can really fine tune the choice. I am really impressed by those new tires though.

It was a cold Saturday in San Diego last week, but nonetheless a welcome reward after a week of work conference. Although no Guzzis were available, a nice Triumph Bonneville was at Cycle Visions, and provided a decent set of wheels on a rather cool day around the area. A few pics...sadly, had to leave for home the day after and the weather had improved dramatically. I wanted to make it all the way to Julian and Lake Henshaw, but "wintry conditions" and freezing temps prevented me from getting all the way there...still plenty of other twisties to play on around Ramona (found the old Julian Highway and Highland road and rode past several of the wineries along the way...thanks for the tips earlier!) A few stops along the way from San Diego, thru Poway, Ramona, Solana Beach (always have to go by the Belly Up), Del Mar, La Jolla and a favorite stop at my old alma mater UCSD where I spent countless hours studying many years ago. Hopefully posting Triumph pics on a Guzzi forum will not be considered terribly against the rules!

Didn't say it was a bad deal, in fact it looks like a good deal. Just saying that it would be wise to crack check it before use so you have the opportunity to fix it before getting it together and installed if it is cracked. A crack test should be on the list of things to do if you ever have the gearbox out of the bike these days I think. Ciao

Something good about leather, and wondering a bit after,, spending some time in Houston, how would my Rukka Amaros behave there? It’s on the chilly side up here, you need to bring the inside warm part along after sunset. Yes I know cold, no fun riding watching out for your teeth shaking out of control. Cheers Tom.

Lovely Triumph. No issues with posting that. Yet, whatever-the-hell-this-is has you on the Watch List . . .

p6x, NO, I'm getting cold when riding. Windchillfactor is for real, and so are temps, and the Rukka Amaros is SO airy My friends woud call me calm when riding, usually on the quick side. I ride alone alot,, hmm wonder why. Cheers Tom.

My 1989 Mille GT.I bought it on a whim as a spare for visiting friends, who never appeared.Fresh tune-up, top end disassembled and inspected-rings, seats and guides in great shape.New spring cam chain tensionerNew points & condensersNew OdysseyCarbs completely cleaned and reconditioned, synced properlyAll fluids serviced with premium synthetic, including forksCharging system works greatIntegrated brakes work great, new EBC or Brembo pads (don't recall)Instrument cluster replaced with NOS, not disintegratedMistral mufflers, stock alsoSpoke wheels, have a set of Red LM III wheels & Michelins to go with if the price is rightCustom touring seatNeeds a proper detailing, not as pretty as it could be. Looks like every other 5 owner 'Guzzi with 3 different keys.Rides great, needs nothing. I just don't use it and need the garage space.Stuart, Florida. I can facilitate shipping, or you can ride it home.Best offer, won't bother with eBay. I know I won't get close to my cost, but please don't insult me. Ask for more pictures if you like.

When I was thinking of me as the next best racing pilot of the 70's, I always ended to plant one of the foot peg into the asphalt, terminating my run by a slide on my leathers. At the time the foot pegs of my Suzuki did not fold. This earned me a lot of respect when I was proudly and defiantly walking among my pears sporting leathers with signs of abrasion everywhere. Wow they thought! that guy is not afraid to fall.... So yes, leathers are useful for fame, as they are your business card. Back then, you fall because you go fast!!!

I got the Le Mans back yesterday, and the suggested solution preconized by the community (Doc/MartyNZ/Kiwi-Roy, sorry if I missed anybody) has been implemented. I will report back later and document the modification to those that may want to implement the fix. I am leaving for Alaska, (not on the V11 unfortunately). I will catch you on my way back.

Okay, you're off the hook. Looked like a chocolate-covered butterflied-balonie sandwich. I had to skip lunch until I could get my photographic memory erased.

Oh crap...I'm on the black list again! Well...I had stopped at a nice French bakery close to the coast, and asked for a Napoleon (mille feuille), unfortunately they had none, so I had to "settle" for a scrumptious eclair de chocolat! The suffering was unimaginable! The postcard is of the famous Sun God from a French artist Niki de Saint Phalle, and was donated to UCSD when I was a student there back in the early 80's. We had many Sun God Festivals (aka drinking and dancing and music during those days!) https://stuartcollection.ucsd.edu/artist/de-saint-phalle.html

Strongly considering. Darren and perhaps his wife, Deb, are even more likely. Depends on weather, lodging and additional riding opportunities. We lost our fellow Guzzi rider Mike Prentice last year (RIP) who was our host in '19. Mike

you might get much of your investment back by selling the extra shift linkage cover ... ?

Hey Phil, it's always a gamble buying second hand but I think I don't have anything to loose buying this gearbox for 250$. If the housing and the inside gremlins are good I am golden....if the inside is crap but the housing is good I am silver plated, I'll use my gearbox internals.....and in the worst case scenario I am getting a bad gearbox with a crack too small for the naked eye to see (much better than my crack). That will allow me to empty it, have it welded up while I still drive my leaking glued together gearbox and at the end of the season I can swap things over and most probably have a bag full of spare parts Does this make sense or am I going bonkers? P.s I most certainly will dye check the gearbox.

Personally I'd invest in a Dye check kit and learn how to use it. My gearbox that I stripped and reassembles was cracked but not visible to the naked eye and showing no signs of leakage. I dye checked it found the hairline crack and weld repaired and re enforced the area and stress relieved the other mount areas that are stress raisers. My original gearbox isn't showing any signs of cracking or leaking either but you can be sure I'll be dye checking it in the future to be sure and then removing the stress raisers before any further use. Ciao

What's not to like, and Davis since 1928. Found a bag with coffe beans in my mothers house, soon 99 , phone # 42 to the store. When was a 2 digit #' normal around ?. = Old beans. Front Luigi part left. Cheers Tom. Sent fra min SM-A525F via Tapatalk

YAHOOO, bought the gearbox, no cracks and is supposed to be a low miles working gearbox:) Thanks to all of you , L.

looks amazing… and more dangerous than my table saw 😐

You can count the tracks in the USA on one hand where you can get that bike past 3rd gear.

Same, of course, elsewhere in the US south. My leathers are twenty years old and look embarrassingly new.

I'd say that it is really difficult to wear leathers in Texas. At least not for a long period of time. A one piece suit probably implies wearing swimming trunks underneath...

Makes me want to recommend Z-Custom Leathers , again, in California, USA, that built mine. (No, these aren't mine. And that ain't me . . .)

There goes space exploration, unless Musk figures out how to make an electric rocket. Chris.

Matter of personal taste. My Geenie has Mistral cans, tail tidy with LED’s, and a belly pan. Subtly custom look compared to my completely stock silver sport.

I bought my V11 LM Rosso Corsa in spring 2003 as I was getting bored with my then motorcycle (a too perfect BMW K1200RS) and wanted something totally different. When I saw the Rosso Corsa, I immediately fell in love with its (or should I say "her"?) looks. During the following months, I test rode a number of very diffferent bikes (BMW R1100S and R; Aprilia Falco and Futura; etc). When I rode the V11, however, she immediately gave me a big smile, which lasted the entire day until I had to hand her back to the dealer and return home withe the BMW. The V11 is a truly living machine with its imperfections (aka "character") that makes every ride an emotional experience. Also, on my Guzzi, I have the impression to go fast even when I am only doing 80 Km/Hr, which is a key advantage in Belgian traffic conditions marked by speed cameras and increasingly repressive controls. Still, when midlife crisis hit, I added a Tuono V4 1100 RF to the stable, as my Nordschleife toy. Even with such tough competition, the V11 is still my favorite.

I found a nice suit, but I doubt it is made of noble leather. Besides, I am not certain the lace will not wear out prematurely...

The exposure might be a bit under on this tho

I've only allowed two passengers on my Guzzi; one, my step-mother on her 80th birthday (a cool ol' gal who has passed on, and the other one of the few loves of my life and she's gone on to the joy of married life to someone else. I don't blame her; I've still not "grown up"!...

Yes l enjoy M GP big, and are a HUGE 93 fan, What a bike handler, to me. IPA, yes please, Cheers Tom.