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the summer of our discount tent

Be aware as well that some Cali 2’s, and strangely it only seemed to be Cali 2’s, had a weird misalignment of the input shaft of the gearbox and the crank which meant that the friction plates wore very fast in the clutch. The cause was apparently the stud fitment or the dowels on the studs, it’s a L-O-N-G time ago now and I can’t remember the details. This meant the shafts were not concentric so when separated they sort of oscillated around and wore away to nothing is a very short period of time. Not related to this issue I don’t think but worth being aware of. Certainly while you’re in there you would be barmy not to install a deep spline clutch. Whatever you do don’t use Surflex friction plates.

Thanks for all the input, the Tonti is back on the lift, so the crabbing will begin in the next few days. My neighbor rode my XL today, his first ride in 43 years. I think it will have a new home soon (just down the street). Just to start a check list; New 4mm deep spine clutch kit Rear main seal 5spd seal kit HD Showa rear air shocks (already purchased, just need to mod the brake bracket). The bike only has about 20k miles, so I don't think things are really worn out.

This forum needs a "like" button.

That's an interesting bit of WTF. It's good policy and mandatory on many auto/truck manual units to indicate the bellhousing for concentricity, using offset dowels to correct. iirc the '51 Waukesha monster I rebuilt had a max runout of .003" allowed. Pity it would be so hard to verify in MG.

No , the portion in front of the seat cowl !

FYI . on these early tractors , they had a percolation style cooling system and did not use a water pump. The coolant would get hot and boil upward and into the radiator flowing down the interior of the radiator and back into the engine block to start the procedure all over again.

It’s a BMW. It’s as ugly as a hat full of farty arseholes and makes a noise like a parson farting in the bath. The End. Next…………..

Hi fellow V11 riders, I’m diving into a custom fabrication project for my Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans—specifically around engine side covers and fairing repair using acrylic or ABS plastics. Thought I’d open a discussion here to share what I’ve tried and learn from others working on similar mods. Project Background: Right side engine cover has a cracked section from a tip-over. Left fairing intake trim had a missing insert. I plan to fabricate replacement parts using either ABS or 2 mm acrylic, shaped to match OEM contours. Current Setup: CAD sketches based on molds and photos. Prototype parts cut on a CNC router or laser based on the material. Sanding and smoothing by hand before finishing. Questions I’m working through: Material suitability: Is ABS sheet stronger and more heat-resistant around the engine versus acrylic? CNC vs heat forming: Best practice for cutting complex curves—do people prefer pre-shaping acrylic via heat bend or go straight to CNC routing? Mounting method: How are you bonding your fabricated parts? I plan to use high-temp epoxy or solvent welding, but curious about vibration and durability on engine vibration zones. Paint prep: For panels near heat or vibration—how do you prep fabricated plastic to match OEM finish and hold up in the elements? Would love to hear input from anyone who’s fabricated or repaired V11 parts—or has experience with custom motorcycle plastics more broadly. If you're using a blend of fabrication methods or have photos of past repairs, I’d be excited to see! Looking forward to your ideas.

If you’re going into the gearbox it’s really worth shimming the selector drum properly.

Well, It's what I just gave myself for my 70th! Needs new tires and battery too... LOL. ** I have not even wrapped my head around turning 60 yet! WTF?

I understand, I don't know my way around this forum very well so didn't know the proper place to put up my query. I'll try to do better next time.

Ah, the Red Green wars. Those were the days.

The Starter solenoid draws a lot of current 40 - 50 Amps so it will blow a 15 Amp fuse after a few seconds. Actually on most Guzzi's the solenoid current is limited by bad joints dirty contacts and wimpy wires.

[moderator note]: I "split" the related posts on the brake master cylinder here from the general topic "What did you do to your V11 today ?" for better archiving. Yet, because they predate this topic origin, this topic now appears to have been started by @skibum69 rather than the original poster, @Revilo. Sorry for the change-up, folks. Just trying to keep things tidied-up and searchable.

A smiling Ballabio! Not just a pretty lady, but a business lady who over the last 20 years has ridden her BMW650GS up to 13 hours a day, from 34F to 105F days. For shorter rides she used her new Ducati 800 Scrambler!

I agree. I want to work *with* the tractor, not work *on* it. The older tractor will come along when it wants to. After the urgent needs of a new property are addressed and general maintenance smooooooths out a bit. Old guys and old tractors. I never imagined I'd ever come close to that, but here I am. This was like my Grand dads.

Is that an antitheft technique?

I used to play on one like this at Grampa's farm. He liked Internationals and thought Deeres were too expensive.

Tractors, eh?

English enginering at the best. Had a wodden 44 feet Norwegian fishing vessle with a straight 8 14litre Gardner LBX. Possible to start by hand, speed brace. 2 heads, both with decomp. All internal parts were #, possible to change any lube on the camshaft. What an engine. Sorry now pictures here. Cheers Tom.

In French, “Une Manivelle” . . . One came with my first car, a Renault 4L produced in the mid sixties; I can’t remember the exact year; Handed down to me by my grandfather, powered by a 750cc 4 bangers, three speed gearbox and a 6 volts electrical system that was often too weak to start the engine in frigid temperatures. I got pretty good at using the manivelle to get it started in the wintertime. you can spot the cutout for it in the front bumper of that ‘66 model.

Eight weeks out. Changed engine and gearbox oil, Decent Tune-up, and addressed some niggles. Pondering matters of tires . . . [edit/46 minutes later: "pondering" turned into a fresh set of Pirelli Angel GT on the way . . . ]

That's soft going from you Pete! Are you trying to say you kinda like it? 😆

I like BMWs and have had a few; mainly airheads, though I have a R1100GS at the moment. So many old airheads have been turned into cafe racers in the UK, and they are the opposite of quick shifting and quick accelerating. Great for cruising, short shifting and riding the torque, but, by nature, chronically unsuited to being cafe racers. BMW could make an attempt at reprising the styling of the R65LS. I've not long since fixed one up.

Oh, yes. There remains the matter of "The Most Beautiful Café Racer, Yet" . . .

Talk about rare. I'm the current "keeper" of the most rare V11S model of all, the Scura RC. (rubber chicken)