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Upate to revitalizing this LeMans. I have the rear end back together. i was able to remove the retainers for the 2-row swing arm bearing, wash them out with brake cleaner, and then blow them clean with 120 psi, grease the balls bottom and top, reinstall retainers, reinstall seals. i am now at the place where the wheel alignment needs to be adjusted and set. Your shared expertise to set the alignment will be appreciated. Prior to dismantle, threads of RH pin protruded 7 tread; right 6 threads. Threading in the pins, turning RH pin in to expose 7 threads, the LH pin threaed in to 4 thrreads exposed, not the 6 treads exposed. Attached are pics of tihis stage completed.

The sound and the feel is equaled by no other. You made the right choice !!!

New Titaniums on. Shoud I put them back in the original box from Guzzi and? No, what the hell, be nice to hear her going, SOON. Frost at night and and icredible amount of dust. No more than ever, those Black and Decker cars have no idea about swalling dust. Cheers Tom. Sent fra min SM-S906B via Tapatalk

Amasing, some memorys never go away, GOOD. Cheers Tom.

Well done, @Steve Swan! Thanks for the updates! After much consternation, consideration, laser alignment, then measuring the offset on numerous V11 at a South'n SpineRaid, I decided to make my pins the same each side by turning them in to seat and relieving each by a nudge so as to have no lateral load on the bearings. YMMV.

I have upgraded my AAA service to include my bikes. My Sport had a bad regulator that left my battery dead 1.5 miles from home. I figured I would get a ride home from someone and hook up the trailer, but then said screw that. I gave them a call. They came and loaded the bike in with great care and backed it right up to my shop. I was impressed...they have a great system for bikes.

Indeed. I can remember one of the first moments that I started getting interested in Moto Guzzi. It happened here. https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/2382203#map=16/-37.72292/145.04858 I was walking from the sports fields back to the uni, about where the La Trobe Sports Stadium is, and saw and heard a Guzzi going along Kingsbury Drive towards Plenty Road. It was probably an early Le Mans, that was in about 1985, and quite possibly had the "competizione" Lafranconis on it. The sound...

@Steve Swan bear in mind that some people have a spoked in rear rim offset by as much as 5 mm, or more, to accomodate a wider rim. That seems to work without trouble, although I can't imagine that a really good rider might not notice it. What I'm getting at: putting the swing arm back in the way it was is a good plan, but on an old, second-hand bike there is no garauntee that the adjustment was really accurately correct. Put it back in, @docc 's suggestion works for me, and ride it and see how it handles. If you want to be sure, pull a bit of string past the back wheel such that it touches the back wheel front and back on both sides, but isn't bent out of true by that, and measure the distance from the string to the front wheel, both sides front and back. Take your time, and repeat the measurements a few times. That should tell you if your front and back wheels are aligned, and what you might have to do with the pins to get them aligned if they are not.

The exhaust sounds good. The dry clutch sound not so much. The transmission is a beauty so far. How solid the bike is on the road is impressive too. Even without the Ohlins. The Ohlins equipped bikes must be a fun ride. We had a bunch of snow and freezing rain where I live over the last week. I'm really looking forward to spring !!!

One of the most beautiful things I've ever heard was some sort of loop frame Guzzi with a hotrod engine and Conti mufflers. Reno, NV circa 1980.

These VIN systems all sound very precise and logical and a useful "standard" but the reality is they are not. There has never been a hard and fast international "standard" VIN system. I've been here before even for my Supra. The VIN on the Supra and all the other Au cars not just mine doesn't 100% correspond to any known VIN system. Bits and pieces align but a lot of the digits don't. If you do research on the VIN numbering system it's anything but an international "standard" over the last 40 years. From the shop manual for what thats worth. Phil

The first point is the Ti mufflers have large volume and the crossover style makes a difference. Contis were the original Ducati Supersport performance mufflers. They had a louvered inner straight pipe and no packing material. They would sound like a Ducati on your Guzzi but with a softer sound (less sharp crack) due to the softer cam timing of a BB Guzzi compared to the Desmo cams.

My daughter came up for a visit yesterday and as I was checking out her car...oil level, tire pressure, etc I saw she had a nail in one of her tires. I took the wheel off and threw it in the truck and headed over to Discount Tire for a free fix. About four miles from home there were two bikers pulled off in a bad spot. I parked nearby and asked what the problem was. He said he picked up a nail and couldn't ride because it was hitting the frame. I don't know how or why that tire picked this thing up but it was in the tire to the bend. I asked him what he was planning to do. He said he would take his wife's bike home and get the trailer. I told him to sit tight, I'll go home and get my stuff to fix it. Came back with my plug kit and Airmoto and got him good to go. They were an older couple on two well traveled '17 GSA's and were very appreciative. I felt good about getting them going again and I got on my way to get my tire fixed. Also I think he will be carrying the right tools when going for a ride. It's not like those bikes don't have any storage space. 8

@Tomchri what does that wheel belong to? Looks kind of interesting...

Have some comments around here somewhere about the Dynotech.de Greenie with the V strange handling. Entering a curb in the hills, glad l have plenty experience. Not interested in turning, be the boss, otherwise visit nature. Yesterday was the day, WHY. Back to original rear wheel size last fall, no riding. Raised the forks 18mm Yesterday, had to try something. Took some measures today. She is 10mm shorter than my other Greenie. Yes she has tripple tres 10mm closer to the steeringhead. This probably means, stable at high speed, but no fun in sharp curbs. Back to original trees for sure. But will try her, to experience the 18mm raise of the forks. My other Greenie, how brave do you feel today. Cheers Tom. Sent fra min SM-S906B via Tapatalk

Yes, so it seems. There is this thread here: and then I found this, which corroborates that pretty well https://www.mgcn.nl/database/modeloverzicht/13-v11/139-v11-modeloverzicht from there: What I have marked in green applies to mine. Also, long tank and fuel pump in the tank, both characteristic of the 2003 and onwards models, I gather.

Pretty much everything about that (beautiful) LeMans says "2003", except the fuzzy engine paint. And the VIN tenth character.

I carry kits in the cars, but I have gotten silly with too many bikes, and do not have a kit for each one. So I don't do a good job of swapping the kits between the bikes - and am therefore unlikely to have the kit when I need it. And as I write this, I realize how dumb/cheap I am. If I can afford multiple bikes, I can afford multiple repair kits. I really like the airmoto pump. Just went to Amazon and it is on sale (28% discount) today. Add to cart...

Which one of our members posted this fun Aussie bit . . . And don't get me started on @guzzler's short-cut thru Nayook to Noojie !

You won't. Someone will stop to help you. It is in the human nature. In all that madness that seem to surround us nowadays, you can still find good people aplenty!

This reminded me of the good old days, when I started riding. Whatever happened to you, you were NEVER alone. Other motorcyclists would ALWAYS stop to check on you if you were on the side of the road. This was some kind of frat devotion that you would carry forward yourself. Fortunately, here in Texas, it still happens. I have had people pulling up to check on me many times now. Not motorcyclists, but pickup trucks. The last experience was in Lafayette, a guy had a workshop in his truck, and helped to put the Quota back in running mode. Thank god for these road saviors...

I've got those Ti cans on my Coppa. They are called racing mufflers and seem to be the quietest pipes of all my bikes. Why is that? On my Ducatis I had Contis and they were truly a racing muffler with straight thru flow and limited baffles. What's the story with these? I always wondered what a Guzzi would sound like with Contis on it.

Agreed, with the previous concerns noted if they come off they should just be made new. There are many fasteners on this thing that show their age, and those I replace will probably be replaced with stainless steel as a matter of appearances but also remove any question about serviceability. And yes, I know the different grades of stainless steels and their applications.

Not as many as you. Phil

I bought the bike that started this thread. It was REALLY heavy to move around when I got it but adding a little air to the 6 psi tires fixed that up. Oil change got done right away. A new battery was installed with purchase. There are oil drips (not up to leaks yet) from the bottom pan and the front pan (I'm not sure what's behind it yet) gaskets. I started with cleaning the old oil off just to see what was there. I added a Puig universal wind screen for good wind protection. I'm part way through painting covers red to match the tank. New paint is red with silver sparkle underneath. By the time it's done I expect it will look great (to me any ways). There is no stuttering or anything suggesting air getting into the fuel delivery system. Noises are typical for a tractor ;-). The speedo works well. I haven't owned a bike with a Veglia since the '71 Ducati Desmo 450 single I had. The glitter silver was tempting for the Guzzi paint. I thought glitter purple would be too much. In the end I stayed with the deep red. I rode a Yami 600 last year which redlines at 14k. It was always spinning at high revs. The Goose doesn't need to rev at all but likes 5 grand better than 4. 90 miles an hour isn't work for this bike. Suspension is stiff but the bike settles down right away after bumps and feels glued to the road. Tires are from '21 but only have a couple hundred miles on them. They aren't sliding at the speeds I ride at. Plans this year include finishing paint more, checking valves, and changing most oils. A gasket or 2 might get replaced as well. Within 10 minutes I get to some of the nicest riding roads in my area. There is a 60 mile loop that has almost no straight road in it. Bush all around. Gravel on the road at times because of people that go off the pavement so isn't for knee draggers but always entertaining. A ride earlier in the year had deer making me slow down in 2 places. Keep the rubber side down. Grant.

Yet, you have an Aermacchi (and an 1100 Sport-i), already? A.L.F.A. syndrome . . . "Always Looking For Another" . . .

A Moto Guzzi will never be a good investment PERIOD . A Moto Guzzi will be an extension of you . a. A Moto Guzzi will make me a better lover : NO b. A Moto Guzzi will give me clout w/my friends: NO H/Ds do that. c. A Moto Guzzi will make me a better mechanic , DC electrician , wiring diagram reader , understand mechanical theory and troubleshooter: It had better. , or you have wasted your time. d. YOU will become a part of a group of people you can contact 7-24 with a problem and get an ANSWER . e. Can I ever get my money back on these money pits ? NO