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After a long winter and getting heads rebuilt I finally got my Norge to start! Not too impressive yet but we still have 3 feet of snow on the ground. Should be able to ride it next month.

China is fully capable of quality manufacturing. Period. They are also capable of making what ever the customer wants at the price the customer wants, too. High quality Chinese parts are as expensive as high quality made in USA parts, however. Commie Nick (RIP) worked at manufacturing AN hardware in China, for instance.

Sorry guys..

The base configurations are all identical (Micro-ISO). In that last image of the Picker Components PC782-1C-12S-R-X (left, rated 25/30) and the CIT Relay A11CSQ12VDC1.5R (right, rated 20/30) the size and construction of the two relays are visibly identical except for the Normally Closed contacts that look visibly more robust on the Picker Components (rated 25 amps N.C.) on the left:

Relative to the OMRON G8HE, the Picker Components and the CIT relays, L->R below, have identical construction with the resistor mounted beneath the horizontal coil. The OMRON's vertical coil and resistor mounting certainly look like they would shed heat away from the resistor more effectively: The Picker Component's 25 amp rated N.C. contacts do look visibly more robust than the CIT (L and R, below): I'll be running the 25A/30A Picker Component relay in the #1 SPDT position as this is the highest rated N.C. contact I have seen to date. (Early [1999-2001] V11 Sport lean heavily on this relatively weak N.C. contact.)

Don't get hung up on "China". Remember that, for instance, everything Apple sells is made in China. Sure, a lot of crap is produced there, but I have also seen some real crap with "made in Germany" written on it. And remember the reputation Japan had in the '70s. I'm pretty sure the expression "Jap crap" would have also in use been in the USA as it was in Australia. Nowadays "Japanese" is taken as an indicator of quality. China is getting more and more proficient at producing quality items. The crux of the matter is, who it is being produced for. If the client demands good quality, China can produce it. I even have a classical guitar, made in China for a German company and fine tuned in Germany, that is amazingly good for the price category. As far as relays go, I'm trying to wade through the specs at Hella and Bosch to see what they can offer. I'm pretty sure one or both of them should have a suitable relay. The only thing is whether the physical size will fit in where it has to go.

Take a look at the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas 2022. I used an app to record all my refuels versus trips. You can get an idea. I am born with the metric system, but here in the USA, it is imperial sorry. I always refuel at 150 miles. But I have pushed above 200 miles with still fuel to spare, but I restrain myself to 150 miles. I am going to do the same for the tour 2023.

I’m a service manager for a company in the elevator industry. Most electrical components like drives, pc boards, soft starts and lastly older design relays are made in China. Parts procurement during the COVID era has been abysmal as provinces have been shut down in the supply chain, aka a China. So everything is already made in China, even if it’s branded with a western company name. Lastly the prices have almost doubled from pre-covid era. Because of this, we get drives repaired, typically the repair shop has 70 in line on the floor to be repaired, so lead times are 21-23 days before they even look at it. Sorry about the rant, but Chinese parts are the source for electrical parts.

After riding a lot of long distances for the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas in 2022, and now 2023, I can vouch for the SIXS gear. Especially the "padded" boxer shorts! They really help to subdue what the but has to go through. They have two options. I have tried both and for long distances, it really helps. They are made of a very light material and they are comfortable once you get past the feeling that you have pooped yourself. Add at least two sizes if you order from them. Their undergarment for summer rides are better than anything I tried before. They are extremely light. What a pity they are not distributed in the USA.

Thanks docc. By the way, I had another look at the message from the bloke who gave me some info about relays. He wrote that he changes the relays in his Centauro about every 4 years.

The Siemens relays original to my 2000 V11 Sport measure (mm, oriented as installed in the bike): 14 L x 19 W x 21 H Compared to all of the cases of seven other relays (with very little variation): 14 L x 22 W x 25 H Original Siemens, left: A tale of many relays:

Giuseppe just omitted a couple of important components to his roster: Passion (ours), Charisma (Gooz). I have ridden many insipid motorcycles; like everyone else here. I like that my Guzzi is like myself: imperfect... or rather, perfectible... The assessment is correct that Guzzi drops the ball in Quality Assurance. But as we say in my language: un homme averti en vaut deux or forewarned is forearmed in English. Some of us enjoy the DIY. It can be costly, but at our age, we need to do something with our money. I have decided that I will most likely not go V100, not because I am afraid of quality control. I will stay with old air cooled Guzzi for as long as I can.

Here's their 2022 catalogue. They are not distributed outside of Europe. They propose some interesting solutions for extreme heat, this is why they caught my attention. I got in touch with them, and I am going to purchase some of their items conceived for extreme heat, such as what we are seing here in Texas, and not only in Texas. They also have some padded under garments in the form of boxer shorts, which they say alleviate the backside sores we all experience on long rides. The gear looks top notch to me, I am willing to pay a few dollars more and check if their gear works as well as they say it does.

I dropped off the Greenie for a new rear tire, brakes, et al., was told the torque rod bolt in the rear suspension was sheared and was holding on by a nub. I don't know if this is common, perhaps it's worth checking. I know I never looked at it. FYI

G'day mate Mine comes on at about 250 kays.... This is a 2001 V11 Sport and can only seem to squeeze about 17 litres in the tank. Not pushed it ( range wise ) with the low fuel light on since new map but think I got at least 20kays with it on before filling just after re-map. Cheers Guzzler

Long tank I guess. Internal fuel pump definitly. It's got the fragile red connectors coming out of the tank. @ p6x : thanks, I'll look at that.

It certainly does! I'm surprised at just how good the V11 looks in many different colours... Cheers

This looks even better right way up....! Cheers Guzzler

V11

KaleV11, who purchased @ Ace Hardware.

Sounds like "Italy."

Per AF1:

CIT looks to check out as a significant relay and switch manufacturer, although these CIT I have do not have a country of manufacture on them. Picker Components, I didn't find anything on. These say "China." At this point in the Micro-ISO search for a High Current relay (not the typical 20amp/10amp), it is down to evaluating the datasheet looking for things like continuous current ratings and silver alloy contacts. As well as availability and reasonable cost. I am reminded of the idea of choosing Panasonic because of their reputation, but their Micro-ISO relay is only rated 10/20. The design and materials of these CIT and Picker Components are so identical as to suggest they may be manufactured in the same place with different markings. Again, the 25 amp rated N.C. contact on the Picker does look more substantial (perhaps supporting the 25 amp rating). Sorry I do not have an oscilloscope or the other methods Ryland3210 used to evaluate the early OMRON and the GEI. @audiomick, thanks for the feedback on the Centauro rider's service interval. The longest I have run a particular relay is nine years (OMRON 10/20) and only changed then because we found the High Current G8HE.

No, I think that’s off a grey V11 Sport from 2003, I’ve seen others the same.

That green looks fantastic!

Nice gray 2003+ tank on eBay. I'm not sure which model this would have come from, but it looks like a really nice blue or even green-ish gray metal flake color. I bet it looks great out in the sunlight It may have some decal bubbling/lift on the right side though. It's hard to tell for sure from the photos. https://www.ebay.com/itm/204279285601

The bolt in "1st Series" is specified as M10x55, and in that configuration the parts diagram only shows the part # 14 "washer" under the bolt head. So this earlier bolt is 4mm shorter than the later bolt, perhaps to accommodate both washer and spacer? The bolt in "2nd Series" is specified as M10x59, and uses part # 14 "washer" under the bolt head, and part # 19 "spacer" under the nut. The difference in the two M10 nylock nuts is thread pitch, which for "1st Series" is 1.5 and for "2nd Series" is 1.25, so as mentioned earlier that means that the earlier "1st Series" bolt is 1.5 pitch and the "2nd Series" is 1.25 pitch. ...at least according to the parts manual I was consulting

Talking about the frame end? Definitely an issue. When was the last time any of us inspected that? A formula for disaster when neglected. Kudos to your technician finding that. It should be inspected, cleaned, and greased with waterproof grease at every rear tire change . . . https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/topic/22039-torque-reaction-rods/ The torque reaction rod bushings , and its pivots, are a line item in the Wheels Off Maintenance Checklist:

Just thinking, a "universal joint replacement" is a bong isn't it. Ciao

Not sure if this is going to work, but a screen shot pic of a V100 Mandello FB post, anyways a new V100 with motor issues stemming from a C-clip not installed correctly on a rocket arm shaft. Which is exactly what Giuseppe was trying to say…..