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No I haven't posted here for years and years, but am looking at pics from 20 years ago (19 1/2yrs more accurate) of collecting Scura #497 in England. Now there are five Guzzis sitting about the place, collected up over the 20 yrs. You know how it is.

Time to show a picture of what my V11LM looked like

Believe it or not, but this is how it looks now... Only the frame, gearbox and drive-shaft are still original

Placing an order for myself and one other member for universal crosses. CR 15/22x50.2 Made in Italy. Since the Canadian supplier deals only in wholesale, a gentleman there will package and send through UPS or Canadian Post as a favor. It is not their everyday method of doing business, and if he was deluged with single orders my guess this deal would end. Units are around $35 US plus shipping... This is the only place I have found that has them in NA. They are available also in Romania...if you happen to be in the area.

That can't be in Holland. There's a hill...

Drat, I'm slipping up: should have called this post: 'What Time Is It? It's 20 years past 2003.' If you were there, you were there

Trip to Sconnie Botland

Geez, if "less is more", why is the German phrase so insanely long?!?

Hi Dave! Good to see you are still around! I have a picture somewhere of you trying to fix a leak on that Scura. If I remember correctly that was in Troon, where you took the ferry back to Belfast.

FWIW, I bought my LM in 2002 (red/grey), but when I received it in spring 2002, the new model LM with the smooth engine finish was already in the showroom

Docc: you gift wisdom about the most intricate details of these bikes. And it don't seem like you're breaking a sweat floating your salve to the surface, not that sweat matters. Long practicing surgeons must also come to know every detail of those in their care. I've appreciated your generous contributions in what goes on here. +Several Honda 500's have been offered on bring a trailer. One just posted last week. Good to see them out and about.

Because it's German... Seriously, though: "Less is more" can also be translated as "Weniger ist Mehr", und that is actually the literal translation, and is in common use as a saying exactly as it is in English. In the sense of the meaning of "In der Beschränkung zeigt sich der Meister" (literally "in the limitation shows himself the master") one might say in English "The skill of the master is evident in his understatement". As far as the apparently incomprehensively long words in German go generally, that is due to the grammatical rules of the language. Words are joined together to form the names of things, instead of using several seperate words. For instance: drill press = Standbohrmaschine, literally "standing drill mashine" = stand bohr maschine lathe = Drehbank, literally "turn bench" = dreh bank and so on. So those words that go on for ever are actually several words shoved together.

As the Germans say: "In der Beschränkung zeigt sich der Meister". For our english readers: "Less is more"

LOL, I was a little surprised seeing it: just slightly on the garish (and tempted to say youthful) side of the balance for Jaap – though you, quite rightly, weren't averse to an Italian striped helmet.

Yeah, that trip did for the bike. It blew over with full luggage weight and the shock cracked the timing chest. Much woe over the weakness, thinness of that point where the top bracket attaches. It took a long time to find a second-hand timing cover and, erm, please don't ask me if I've ever fitted it yet.

It could be wrong oil, but that wouldn't likely result in a missing gear. As mentioned, odds are the linkage just needs to be adjusted.

Flirting with maximum usable range reminds me to point out the "tip-slosh" method of splashing a bit of the fuel trapped on the right side of the tank over into the left with the fuel tap. This is a strenuous, roadside maneuver having sputtered out of fuel. Standing beside the left side of the bike, it is leaned as far left as strength will allow and then "dipped" abruptly to slosh fuel over to the left. Because the closed loop returns unused fuel to the right side fuel trap, I typically then ride like my hair is on fire toward the nearest fuel station

interesting thanks

hello docc thanks for your reply . i'll try the adjustement , then eventually fresh fluid . can you explain me what do you mean with " It is notable that the V11 shift mechanism benefits from "preloading" (introducing foot pressure to the shift lever) before releasing the clutch for the gear change. " ? foot pressure ?

I did a lot of homework to find these. I tracked the manufacturer to Italy, but I could never find anyone in Italy who will ship to the U.S.- it seems to be an Italian tradition not to. The important thing here is to know that there are other units out there that have the correct measure on the box- but they are beyond junk. The only other vehicle I've ever found this size on are some Russian manufactured 4x4 ATV. I ordered some from China and when they came they looked like they were hand-hammered from poor iron ore by an upland Pakistani with two hard stones. I never found *any* confident source for the genuine Concordia units other than the Montreal distributor- I'm sure they can be had in Europe, but I couldn't find any path to order them simply- thus the phone call to Montreal.

That was 250 Kays, which I take as 250 Kilometers. Or in American, 156 miles.

I am shocked to find out there are still people using their turn indicators; maybe only in Connecticut then? My experience is that it seems to be superfluous for most drivers, nowadays....

I also find that mine will glow ever so faintly to start then go off and fade in and out till it finally stays on... At 250 kays she starts winking at me and I start looking for a gas station! I go off the odometer and know when I'll need gas anyways so no big deal. Cheers Ps I ran out outa gas ONCE many moons ago! The GPZ 900 spluttered just as I got onto the Kew Bvd ( only a few kays from Girlfriends house ) .No dramas thinks I as I reach for the tap to switch to reserve,but then blood runs cold as I realise I'd been on reserve already for some time.... Girlfriend ( on the back ) not impressed as we're completely out of gas! I wouldn't leave the bike so no choice but to push.Now the Kew Bvd is up and down and the GPZ was about same weight as our V11's so this is an exercise I have never forgotten these some 36 or so years later!! ( I was a hell of a lot fitter and stronger in those days ) This wee escapade started about 9.30pm and ended when we got to her place about 2am and collapsed into bed. Just for some salt in the wound after getting gas the next day and re-filling, the bike wouldn't have a bar of starting.After some time I checked fuses and sure enough she'd blown one and fired into life after replacing it! Needless to say, I pay particular attention to how much fuel I have in the tank these days....!

When I was a kid (in the '70s) I was told that if you run the tractor out of diesel, you have to bleed the injectors to get the air out. I don't believe this is (even with tractors...) the case any more, but maybe that was the origon of the advice. Completely off topic, this, but it is almost related. My older brother did a round trip around Australia about 40 years ago. He told me of a road on the West Australian coast on which there was only one petrol station in the middle of an 800 km. stretch. By that I don't only mean there was no other petrol stations. There were no other buildings either, just countryside.

Here is a discussion of adjusting the shift lever to find your hidden 6th gear, @igor. There were no V11 fitted with a 5speed, beginning in 1999.

Yep, and then this can happen: https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/nasas-most-expensive-mistake-bb634fb36840

When I took my job in the oilfield, units for reporting varied with the operator depending on country of origin, but even for oil companies based where the metric system prevailed, there were differences in what units you had to use. This was a real nightmare. Pressure units in psi, kg/cm2, atmospheres, bars, kilo pascals. Standard systems variation: e.g. reporting according to inches of water or millimeters of mercury. But the most difficult for me were physical measurement and mass units and of course volumes. meter foot inch, fractions, short ton, metric ton. Before computers would automatically translate everything, all computations to be vetted by the customer had to be in his units of choice.

As mentioned earlier though, for a given rider and motorcycle, the only real way to know is to test with a small spare can of fuel, note when the light comes on, and run it out. Do this several times and one may get a good idea of the average for their bike and riding style. I remember doing this a few times with my FJ1200

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.

Yeah, I've got a set. I like them. I don't think they lighter or anything......but they make the bike IMO.