Leaderboard

My Dad's mate Lance used to have a big Chev Impala back when we were kids... This was quite something in 70's NZ I can tell you. Yeah,the boot (trunk to you guy's) was bloody huge! I remember throwing the racing go kart and everything needed to race all day in it and still there was heaps of room ! That and even just cruising around it'd chirp the tyres when the 3 speed auto changed gears.... Bloody impressive especially when you're more used to 52 Morrie Oxfords and 57 100E Prefects..... Ha ha the memories! I'm just about to call me ole mate in Perth for Xmas and as lifelong mates and gearheads will remind him of the ole days and Lance's Impala!His 57 100E is long gone and now has an XK8 Jag in the garage! Anyways folk's I'm gonna pour myself a glass o vino and have a laugh with me ole mate so to all of you in our wee V11 world...Merry Christmas and hope you all have a great festive season! Cheers Guzzler Ps I kinda think many of us here would be pretty good mates if we weren't spread round the globe eh. Still bloody good to know ya all in cyberland all the same!

Oh, man. First ride out since that last "bridge pic". Winter here. Merry Christmas, y'all!

Hi Eamonn Your query re MRM hi-comp pistons. Yes. Absolutely. I will answer from memory here… you can always check by going over old posts yourself I seem to recall years ago when I ordered my pistons there were a couple of weight versions - one being comparable to oem stock weight in replacement & the other being further lightened. The piston profile of the two were the same tho. The V11 combustion chamber differed from previous Guzzi big blocks by having a angled squish band designed into it. I won’t try & relay here the details of the benefits this gives but at the time I researched it extensively because I enjoy understanding the nitty gritty (my ocd kicks in) - but essentially it improves air/fuel mixture turbulence & homogenisation than flat squish band at the higher RPM’s which Guzzi was trying to improve upon for the V11 design. Remember also it was changing to fuel injection from carburettor too on the V11 models. This was all happening at the time of Aprilia taking ownership as well. I digress. However - there seems to have been either a cost cutting exercise going on or an ordering oversight boo-boo stuff up of sorts & the pistons design wasn’t changed to properly match with the angled squish band heads. So while the heads squish band surface was angled the piston squish band was flat resulting in an ineffective non-working squish action. This mismatch is the root of the V11 tendency to detonate under certain conditions . I digress again. Anyhow Mike Rich spotted the design nuances of the V11 head chamber squish angle & designed his pistons with the same matching angled squish to work properly with the V11 heads which the Guzzi factory had ultimately failed to ever rectify. Improved piston chamber turbulence dampens detonation occurring & allowed a slightly higher compression ratio to be achieved as well with Mike’s hi-comp design. Whew! Sorry that the basic backstory from memory took so long Eamonn. Anyhooo… at the time I think a member called helicopterJim had previously installed MRM pistons & his positive commentary on his experience probably influenced my own decision to go ahead with Mike’s pistons. I chose the standard weight MRM pistons as I didn’t want to be bothered with any extra hassle of balancing work costs. I noted Pete Roper rating Guzzi conrods as very strong, very good & so had no desire to additionally fork out for Carillo’s in that case. The piston’s had a noticeably positive impact on installation. A slightly sharper bark with a more ‘awake’ feel & pulls harder thru midrange & sustains it longer imo. The occasional detonation rattle reduced to almost never - maybe once in a year of riding I’d notice a little rattle rattle for a second or so… that’s it even in hot 100F days. And that was before a better Bosch O2 sensor which improved the ECU control. My bike has the 15RC ECU so it continually trims the fuel when changes are made so it has capacity to recalibrate itself to it’s desired Lambda ratio in time. I seem to recall American V11 owners who installed Mike’s pistons without retuning their ECU’s & their bike’s coped fine with improvement but maybe others can confirm this recollection. In short - go ahead & install the pistons. They are an improvement. Oh, I just remembered - they are forged & a little clickety clackety mechanically louder for a couple of minutes until the combustion heat expands them just ever so slightly & that mechanical clatter completely disappears. Hope that helps

My next Guzzi will be VERY different from my Le Mans; in my flawed philosophy, I like diversity, diverse, different, variegation... currently considering "something else". Stelvio 1200 or Quota in red would be ideal, but it could be anything really. I keep looking in the usual places, Facebook Marketplace, Craig's list, Cycle Trader, and outside the USA too. I don't mind riding long hours solo. It is therapeutic. I may rush the travel to privilege the stay, providing I get the free window. I observed a lot of riders who get to the events with their bikes in a trailer. Likewise, I discussed it with a bloke who had done that at the Lonestar Rally, and he said that he did not want to put too much mileage on it, and that his motorcycle was not comfortable for long distance. He said he rode during the rally, from his hotel to the events; it was close enough. I don't see myself doing that, though. The event is only an excuse to ride there? no? when I first started motorcycling, I used to take my bike and ride with no clear destination in mind. I would just follow the road, wherever it would lead, just for the thrill of simply going on two wheels with no hard stop planned! At the time, there weren't any Tesla to poop the party....

Whoa! This exact thing happened to me about 1970 while cruising the local Friday night traffic loop with a bald rear tire. 1966 Yamaha YM-1 305cc. Partially dismantled the bike on-site and hauled it home in the trunk of my buddy's '64 Chev Impala. Yes, trunks were that big and bikes that small back then. Still have the bike. The wrench? 5/16-3/8 open end. It must be somewhere in the garage.

And same to all fellow V11 addicts....

If time is that limited I wouldn’t recommend it for just one day. Alternatively perhaps You could fly into Seattle/Vancouver, pick Up the Coppa Italia for sale and enjoy a leisurely ride down to John Day and then book it home. I have to say that doing it express route style is just a wasted opportunity to enjoy some of the best riding in the country thru Montana, Idaho and Wyoming and Colorado…rushing thru it is like wolfing down a delicious fresh pastry and coffee in one bite…even if the socializing part is no longer your cup of tea so to speak, do enjoy the ride…it’s a shame not to savor it.

I ran into this recall. I m not sure if you were informed already, so just to be sure: https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate-alerts/screen/webReport/alertDetail/10011252?lang=en Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart 3 and then certain production badges have an issue with tread separation.

I suppose for me it's simply adoration. Even my 'junk' bikes have had a place inside. No way could I leave a prized bike in the elements, even covered. I've built an addition to my shop/garage that's large enough for 4 and is well insulated and no exterior openings. I use an oil radiant heater in that space in winter which is very economical and keeps the temp from going below 45f. This prevents the destructive condensation that Indiana weather and humidity tend to inflict on metal surfaces. I have in the past brought a motorcycle into the house for winter. Parked in the dining room. A heated garage or outbuilding is as necessary to my life as a living space in a home. My profession required it, and all my tinkerings and hobbies revolve around having a shop of some kind. So there will always be a place indoors for toys.

Another one from "my time" in Melbourne. I worked as the house technician in a pub called "the Tote" for about two years in the late 80's. This band was big in Melbourne at the time. Watch the video, and you'll know why. The singer was Chris Wilson, unfortunately passed away in 2019. The blond woman on Guitar is Barb Waters. Brilliant performers. The rest of the band as well.

The bass looks Fender Precision, but "Custom Shop". Too many special features to be even Professional or Performer series . . .

and this

Nothing to do with the previous posts, but I'm on a roll.

You too.

Two christmas songs: I posted this on the german forum. I reckon it is one of the best christmas songs ever: and somebody else countered with this. I didn't know of it, but I have to admit it is also pretty good.

I want that Gibson. (and that little orange amp....)

At first, I thought, "What a nice cover of an impossibly iconic song/group. I like this guy more and more." Then, I was, like: "Wait, where is the bass and why won't they let the drummer have any sticks . . ." When about 2:37 hits, they just make it their own!

Yes............. most definitely. A group of us went to the last one years ago and had a great time. Will be rolling in there this year for a few days Fri/Sat. Looking forward to hanging with you all. Ciao

Wishing people a Merry Christmas

Yeah, we've PM'd a few times over the year or so. I am asking $7500 which is more in range of the Mandello/Ohlin equipped bikes. I bought this bike 2 years ago from a "collector" in Wisconsin, had it shipped to VA. Had 2400ish miles. I've run about 3k more then stopped riding. Detailed, put fresh tires on, covered and put away for a bit. Didn't want to keep running up miles, esp. since I have a red '03 to take care of the V11 fix. It's essentially flawless with a couple of very minor exceptions. Engine paint (LOL) is like factory and I treat it as such to protect. No scrubbing, no blasting, no chemicals. Only change I did make upon ownership was swap in the proper Omron relays (Thanks docc!) Does have the original MG factory rear rack. Runs like a well oiled sewing machine. Just waiting for a serious buyer who wants to deal a bit. What kind of quality bike can you buy nowadays for 7K? Not much for sure.

Wasn’t that the plan all along?

I'm running an original Roper plate. It was 'almost' a non issue for me. I used a rat tail file in the hole on the top side ever so slightly and it cleared nicely. Others have had different experiences. Gasket material obviously plays a role. For myself, it could have been slightly thicker and still worked.

All good info to have,... now,.... thanks! Seems as though the material MUST be 2 mm stainless then..... oh boy.. Back to everyone in a few days after I talk to the waterjet guys.

Still unmolested and still for sale

Here is the link to SIXS 2024 catalog: https://drive.google.com/file/d/148g3yPzht0TV5LXk2TuFlniuyhAwka-e/view?usp=sharing I support their stuff unconditionally, as written above, I rode all my Texas tour wearing their garments. You will have to download the catalog, as it is too large to be displayed from "mydrive". The catalog is in both English and Italian. There is a guide to pick what you need depending on what you want to do with it. Last but not least, I would recommend to order two sizes above what you think would fit you if you were purchasing in the USA for US sizes. I normally pick medium, so I chose Large and it was too small. This time, I am going to go 2XL. If you order before the end of the year, you will get 2023 pricing. I paid about 80 Euros for delivery last time.

Not sure where this goes on the forum, wow…