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I've successfully repaired quite a lot of motorcycle plastics over the years with nothing more than a small soldering iron and some plastic filler of the appropriate type. The Ducati stuff from a few years ago wasn't possible to weld so I "Veed" out the crack on the inside and used "Scotchweld" ( these days I might use JB weld) in the Veed out section followed by fine copper flyscreen cut to size across the crack and another layer of Scotchweld to embed the screen which worked just fine after the appropriate filling and sanding of the outside face. Some plastics don't weld BUT they do respond to a "braze" repair with the appropriate filler plastic. So you can use filler plastic to bond to the base plastic in a method the equivalent to brazing where it doesn't melt to the base material but still bonds well same as brazing. If you look in my Daytona build thread I explain how it's done on the airbox in some detail from memory. I think the original airbox is made from HDPE which isn't weldable but I managed to do the braze repair with LDPE from memory. That's part of the reason I post stuff for "records" when I forget the details. A pro plastic welder I showed the job to told me it was impossible to weld and said he couldn't help me. He was totally dismissive when I told him about this style of repair after I had done mine but a bit embarrassed when I showed him the results of my brazed method (which I didn't invent just researched). I felt like telling him he might need to find another line of work or at least update his training but managed to "hold back". Very out of character for me.

I finally have the luggage rack on the bike! It took a while to arrive, and even worse, it was a bit crooked and didn't want to fit! Thankfully we were able to bend it back and now it's on there perfectly straight. Unfortunately I also noticed a new scratch on the right side of the fairing today... The bike already has plenty of them, but this one is white and extra noticeable, so I'll have to sort that out.. But now that I can easily carry some luggage, I'm already planning a trip to Luxembourg with my brother later this month!

Don't forget the recovery insurance also covers ending up in a ditch on the side of the road. The "Harley ability to negotiate corners" insurance

Arr, the ol' Pirate's bane. Plastics have been lamented since they first arrived. Every type of plastic has it's own very specific requirements for bonding. Some bond to nothing, not even themselves. ABS plastic is problematic but not impossible. I worked at a heavy equipment shop, and to repair punctured fuel tanks (who puts a fuel tank under the loader where branches can stab it, anyway? *volvo*) we purchased a hot-air plastic welder. It worked fabulously on Polyethylene, and after some testing and practice just as well on ABS. It's critical that you discover the method to test and verify plastic type or you'll find not everything is actually made of what it's commonly called. I don't know the specific on V11 plastic, but I do have a couple pieces that could use some help. The idea with the air torch is that it's hot enough to melt the plastic while controlling exactly how soft it gets, and without risk of changing the chemistry of the plastic with flame or overheating. Mostly you simply choose the correct type of plastic welding stick and heat the base and stick together, melting the failure together. In practice, it's a delicate balance and while not hard to make a solid repair it is much harder to make a *pretty* repair. Preparation helps just as it does with metal welding, creating space in the crack to increase surface area without affecting the finish on the visible side. Using a small battery powered drill to spin the filler stick also makes things much more solid, but takes an even more practiced hand. iirc the welder kit cost something like $700 in 2005, but I'm sure inexpensive chinese kits can be had within a budget now. Hm...

I have towing per-vehicle on my Progressive policies, for cars and bikes. Altogether ~45/yr I have AAA as an add-on to a friend, something like ~$15/yr? I also have Hagerty towing for my '68 Charger. They recently changed from 'any household vehicle' to only listed covered vehicles. Nevertheless. Seems like a lot, but I got wrecked towing the bikes on a trailer and only mixing and matching got everything home without cost. Progressive towed the truck, AAA paid to tow the trailer. Worth it.

Heh, "cattle dogs" . . . The "Hagerty " Insurance I linked is not "Harley" (as in Harley-Davidson), but a respected classic and collectible vehicle insurer. I have been a member of the Hagerty Drivers Club for many years and it includes a good roadside assistance coverage (100 mile tow etc). I confirmed today that my motorcycles are covered. They balked at the Honda, but immediately declared the Moto Guzzi "collectible!"

When I developed the map for my Daytona engined bike one of the hardest parts was the cold start schedule. Because the Daytona heads are much larger and a bigger heat sink among other things the engine temp break points needed to be modified to make sure the engine temp trim didn't taper off too quickly. The start enrichment and start trim also needed a fair bit of work as well. It starts and runs well now from cold but there is a definite routine that needs to be followed or it will get sulky and protest. High idle lever to full ON with zero throttle input. Crank the engine and it will fire up within about 2 or 3 revolutions The engine then goes to around 1800rpm and you need to leave it there for around 10 seconds and then you can gradually back off the high idle lever to around 1/4 during the next minute or so. After that you can use the throttle and ride the bike. After a few klms you can close the fast idle lever. The original V11 was a bit less fussy but not by a whole lot, same with my Ducati twins of the last 20 years or so. All big V twins are a bit fussy about starting esp if they have big cams like the Ducatis. The other issue with Guzzi engines is fuel puddling in the intake manifolds when they are cold. Thats what causes the odd repetitive cough they can get while idling cold sometimes.

heres my v7 sport from 1973. its been molested over the years and probably only v7 sport on it is the gearbox/engine and frame. still a lovely rig to ride. racing gearbox 1 up 4 down.

heres the tonti that got me my first v11 a few years ago, after building my alu 1100cc tonti bike i had alot of bits and bobs over.. , built this bike from spares and an sp2 frame. someone offered me a his v11 lemans as trade and i took it and never been happier.

Most insurance companies offer some sort of roadside assistance coverage. Years ago, I learned the AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) included roadside assistance with their membership (currently #49US per year). They also send a nice magazine with motorcycle stories, history, and news. My first riding buddy, and dear friend Mr. Bruce Heath R.I.P., was a lifelong member as he felt they are a significant ally for motorcyclists' rights in the USA. The roadside assistance benefit was especially compelling as it included all owned motorcycles and all passenger vehicles including those of children away at college. The AMA has come through for me, and my son away at school, several times over the many years of my membership. Recently, I learned that the additional passenger vehicles are only covered under an additional cost plan and the motorcycles must be registered with the AMA to be covered. This change occurred March 2024. So, if you are , or know anyone, who is an AMA member counting on roadside assistance, be certain to contact the AMA and register your bikes! https://americanmotorcyclist.com/

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.

Volvo earthmover fuel tanks are HDPE. It is very easy to weld repair, given the right equipment and filler; I cut pieces from ruined tanks as filler and patches.

I have AAA Premium. 100m tow, with one 200m tow per year. Covers all my vehicles and my two daughter's at different addresses. Bikes, trucks and cars. Plus trip disruption insurance. I'd have to read the fine print on that one.

My personal experience having owned 7 Harleys is that all 3 of my pre 1980 bikes were quite unreliable. Spewing gas, or oil, or parts intermittently. Once my battery cable was severed by vibration. I was young and took it in stride. All 4 of my post 1990 bikes were quite reliable, as in zero problems. Wish I could say the same for my Guzzi. Getting better results with constant management but owning it these days, feeble and pissy as I am, it requires roadside assistance insurance. Thanks for the update Docc.

Sorry docc, misread. Phil

I expect the Harley insurance will be very cost effective due to shear scale of the business. Not sure about wait times though, cuing up behind all those Harley riders waiting to be carted back home. Here in Aus every Harley club ride has a following retrieval van/ute. Thats why they call them them "Cattle dogs" here. After a bit of a run in the country they just love a ride home in the ute. Phil

AMA members: Also note that your bikes have to be re-registered at every renewal to remain covered. I am currently looking at alternatives including Hagerty Insurance. https://www.hagerty.com/

Sweeeeet! I'm glad I asked!

Each post has the heart-shaped "like" button. The forum, itself, has a "like" button at the top of the page in the red header . . .

It has one, the heart shaped icon in the bottom right of a post. Like, as well as four other options are there. Welcome to the forum.

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!

Ferruccio: "That will be pretty good. Let's get on with it " . . .

this thing is gorgeous. if only....

The Greenie Conundrum: too beautiful to ride, too fun not too.

Terrifying. I've done The Mackinac bridge going to the UP on a Triumph Bonnie and a similar bridge over the Hudson on a GS and checked my shorts after each. Trucks, crossswinds, etc. Definitely picture worthy.

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

R100CS = A perfect airhead FJ1100= not for me R9T= No Griso = righteous K75S= ok ( I assume that is what is in the picture) K100RS= I had one , LOVED it & will never understand why I sold it. A (personalized) BMW cafe racer = NO. BMW has to be stock.

I've always wanted to love BMW motorcycles, being 1/4 German and having lived in Bavaria as a youth. I recall taking a bright yellow BMW 1100 Sport for a test ride while mySport was hors de combat for a warranty thing. First lesson in German engineering solutions was the "servo" braking popular at the time. I knew about it, but was really shocked rolling the thing out of the dealer's shop down a slope on the concrete apron. The hand lever did so absolutely NOTHING to slow the bike I melted my boot soles using them as brake pads on the concrete. Fine, I thought. I knew about that; just didn't expect it to be that ridiculous. After all, hardly anyone (!) rolls their bike around, unstarted, using the front brakes for control . . . Once underway, I kept (stupidly) flaring a knee out to look down at the "Big Twin" cradled below. Just wanted to get a visual confirmation it was actually there. There was zero motor feel. Not just compared to my(lusty)Sport. I've had Hondas, too. Somewhere in my distant consciousness, I heard a gathering of Bavarian engineers toasting with their steins of Märzen bier, "Vee have saved Doktor Hennz from zee annoyance of zee motor !" Thinking better of my distracted foolishness, I focused on the path of travel. With no "twisties" to engage, lane changing became the test of handling. It seemed just changing lanes required a Morse Code message from the helm to the Steering Control Room where the request was translated to German and transmitted to those same Bavarian engineers who celebrated yet further, "Vee have saved Doktor Hennz from the annoyance of feeling the road feedback and deplorable handling characteristics of such substandard motorcycles as the RedFrame V11 Sport." (Cue more stein clanking and proud celebration. ) I was soooo happy to get back on mySport . . . .

Ah, something I'm better at than someone else! After about 30 years of heading off to "somewhere" for a job as a freelance sound engineer, I can pack a suitcase for two weeks to cater for all foreseeable weather conditions, and catering for work clothes for set-up and tear-down and something "respectable" for the show, in about 15 minutes. As long as no-one distracts me in the process. One time my girlfriend asked me a question about something trivial (she thought it was important at the time...) in a critical phase of the process, and I went off to Berlin for 8 days without having packed any socks. The problem with having lots of luggage space is that one starts thinking "oh, I could take that too". Inevitably, the available luggage space eventually becomes "enough -n", where "n" is probaly not really critical, but you really, really want to take that item with you too.