p6x

Another classic, rare in today's landscape, but never forgotten...

Going back to the British GP at Silverstone this weekend, the Friday practice did not disappoint, with a few surprises. It's only Friday, I know. Nothing to get our panties twisted in a wad. But I like the top of the roster. I am hopeful that tomorrow, we will see even more surprises... On a side note, the KTM seem to have a hard time, and the promising Brad Binder is becoming anonymous.

We will never cease to be irritated about this situation. I recently had a long discussion with someone who support that Marc Marquez was only doing his race, not try to help Jorge Lorenzo, fighting VR46 for the position and nothing else. Even if VR46 felt it was inappropriate to put so much effort in slowing him down, there was nothing unruly until the time when VR46 got his boot into it. Was the crash intentional too? I think Valentino should have never made that antagonistic kick. His only chance was to fight on the track. He paid dearly for losing his cold. As for us, this will remain a subject of contention. But we need to let it go.

Let's not forget, that he allegedly turned down a significant dollar amount from Honda, when he broke his contract to move to Gresini... he was already on a multimillions contract, and the rumor has it that Honda offered him a substantial increase for him to remain. He wants to go out being recorded for his achievements on track, so he will beat Rossi by going 11 world titles. Without his accident and the obvious decline of the RCV, he probably would have been able to challenge Agostini's 15. He allegedly said that he was dreaming of having both Marquez in the Ducati factory team. Given the performance of Alex, and the apparent decline of Bagnaia, it is not completely out of the question that 2027 could see the Marquez brothers teamed up again in the official Ducati team.

His test drive on the M1 did not really amount to anything worth reporting. Indeed, they did not make his lap times public. Admittedly, the M1 was no longer the motorcycle to beat when he tried it. Toprak R. seems to have the same ability that Marc has: riding around the limitation of his bike. But he is already past his prime, and starting from scratch, even in a revamped field in 2027 will not work in his favor.

MM93 is on a crusade to great VR46's legacy. He probably understands that he will never surpass him in terms of sheer popularity, notoriety, and most importantly, charisma; but the records will show that he won more on track. That's what Marc wants! It is a real pity to have those two once in a millennium people not talking to each other. Both of them have marked the sport, and will continue to be remembered. It is no secret that Marc wants to topple Valentino's achievements. I am certain he will do 10 this year, and 11 the next. It is strange that it seems that his brother is the only one currently capable to challenge him.

I refueled in Alto, just after visiting the Mounds. The two gas stations there were in really poor state, with most pumps inoperative. I have not yet used applications to find about gas stations. I like to refill as the opportunity arises.

There is one original for sale on eBay, from Japan. condition is said to be "like new"; 120 USD https://www.ebay.com/itm/316790019970?_trksid=p4375194.c101949.m162918

Mute the video! images are all you need... I own property in Buenos Aires. I got there in 2003. I thought it was a fantastic country, with plenty of motoring opportunities. But I did not have much experience of the nooks and crannies in South America. I thought about setting up a motorcycle touring company, similar to what is available in the US to tour Route 66. A turnkey deal; tourists would land at the Buenos Aires airport, spend a few days in the city to recover from the flight, pick the bikes, and off to the North, or the South. Luggage would be carried by a vehicle, and the riders would not have to worry about anything. However, I quickly found out that setting up shop in Argentina was not as easy as I thought it would. Importing motorcycles from abroad was expensive, but mainly none of the insurances I knew would operate in Argentina for a tour operating under Argentinian jurisdiction. You know, somebody gets hurt and needs to be evacuated... Maintaining foreign made motorcycles would also present a challenge. Most of the Argentine motorcycle market was 125 and 250cc, Chinese motorcycles assembled in AR and rebranded with a local name. Financing would also be an issue, especially for a non Argentine. Today, plenty of companies provide the guided or unguided tours. You just need to search the Internet. I have toured Argentina from top to bottom, mostly with my Peugeot 206. It really is worth your while. It can be expensive, but as they say, life is short. So if you can, you will not regret it. Here's an Argentinean motorcycle tour operator; the Internet has a lot of Europe and US based companies. They also rent the bikes if you are interested. They rent Royal Enfield Himalayan. Maybe I should test that company the next time I go there. https://argentinamotorental.com.ar/en/argentina-moto-rental-alquiler-de-motos-y-tours-a-medida/

how about this one? rings any bell? this is the year I got my motorcycle driver's license; I was 16 years old.

Indeed... I don't know why, but when you say "The Clash" this is the first song that comes to mind....

Do you remember this one?

KTM will be able to front the money required on May 23rd to pay its creditors. No surprise that the bulk of the money comes from India, Bajaj Auto. The future of KTM in MotoGP remains uncertain, while they insist they are working on the 850cc version of the bike for 2027.

No change in terms of smoothness or performance, but I never really brutalize the Le Mans. I always keep in the back of my mind that we are riding motorcycles which have at least 20 years of age. I used the Techron fuel cleaner from Chevron before my Sunday ride. I did notice a change. When I release the throttle, there aren't any more pops. Those pops only appeared after the new map was installed. The Quota exhibits the same pops on throttle release following the remap. It was not doing that when I drove it from Peoria AZ to H'town. Placebo effect? I wish they got rid of that 10% Ethanol requirement that no longer makes sense.

I rode for the Motorcycle Tour of Texas yesterday. 447 miles loop in South East of Texas. I refueled twice the V11, and both times, no Premium fuel available. Only regular gas at pumps that are clearly showing their age. This is something I have started to notice in the more rural parts of Texas. The small towns with populations inferior to 1000 individuals. Many closed down gas stations; the surviving one being completely run down. As soon as you leave the most traveled paths, using the back roads, gas stations look decrepit and for many, only two choices, Diesel or Regular. TopTier fuel is not even in play. In these areas, they don't have premium fuel because the cars used there don't require it. As before, there wasn't any noticeable difference burning 87 Octane gas in my Le Mans.

Yes; Done by MPH, including a custom map for the exhaust system. This got rid of the 3000 rpm hiccup, and got my fuel consumption in line with the rest.

@audiomick Is this tutorial good enough for my V11? mute the video....

My V11 Le Mans 2004, allegedly 38k miles pings under hard throttle opening. My V11 Quota, 38k miles too, does not. In previous discussions about octane quantity in US Gas, and using 87 octanes instead of 93 octanes (RON+MON)/2, I thought my engine pinging came from low octanes or poor mapping. After a tune-up, and new map for my Stayintune mufflers, the pinging is still there. I don't know what is the real mileage of my Le Mans, since I purchased it with 8,800 miles on an odometer that was no longer working. Today, I have 30,000 more miles on it. I suspect I have a lot of carbon deposit on my valves. I started looking around for fuel additives and literature about the so-called Top Tier fuel label that you find in the USA. I found this study about fuel by AAA: https://www.aaa.com/AAA/common/AAR/files/Fuel-Quality-Full-Report.pdf My question to you experts, is, should I take down the top end of my Le Mans and clean the valves, or should I use a fuel additive which should long term improve the situation. Are any of you using a fuel additive? Are any of you using Top Tier gas in your motorcycle? I use Costco Kirkland signature gasoline, which is in the list of TopTier gas. Should I open the top ends and remove the carbon, or should I trust an additive, and if yes, do you have any recommendation? I realize that opening the engine is the most effective solution. Just getting opinions and input.

Unfortunately, Europe has become a very different place from that of my infancy memory. During the 60's, France needed man power to get the manufacturing going, and there wasn't enough available to go around. Bringing people with many differences, including social level, educational level, introduced inequality. Furthermore, I have lived in places where your apparent difference automatically makes you a target. It feels weird to me that it now happens in Paris, where there have been multiple attempts to kidnap cryptocurrencies management individuals or their family in broad daylight, the last one only a few days ago... this could never happen here! the kidnappers would not survive the attempt.... I appreciate that here, in Texas, I am not confronted with the same problems which I had to affront in other places. I am not saying that everything is perfect here, far from it, but I appreciate that I can park my bikes anywhere, and not worry about finding them again after.

I don't think I have ever heard about someone's motorcycle tank being siphoned. Now, in the late 60's, when I started my two wheels adventure with a moped, I did hear some revenge stories of sugar cubes being dropped in gas tanks. But I would agree to rather safe than sorry. This goes into the same order of idea, to install D-ring locks on motorcycles, so you would not need to carry it around with you. I got my helmet stolen once, for not using that lock. But that was then, the 70's and France. Here in Texas, since I started riding in 2021, my helmet stays on my bikes, the ignition key in the ignition. So far, so good... maybe time will prove me wrong, but I like to not always think that I am surrounded by a hostile environment. Insofar, I have nothing but good stories to remember. Including people stopping because I am on the side of the road, thinking I needed help.

The oil cost is peanuts compared to replacing the ring gear and the pinion. I found a used one on eBay, for 200 USD. But it looks rough, and the seller says he was unable to tell me the mileage. I am saving the drained oil. The shavings are not much different from those I have gotten before on other oil changes.

Since my last post, we have had some clarifications. I watched the various post race vlog from the French, Italian, Spanish and English specialized channels. They all agree. The rumor is confirmed. Martin wants out of Aprilia. It is allegedly a decision based on money. Acosta and Martin have the same manager. Acosta refused a proposal from Honda, because Acosta wants a competitive machine, and Honda is not. He is possibly moving with the VR46 team for next year's GP26. Next in line for Honda would be Jorge Martin. According to what is known, if true, Martin may not be getting much of a stipend because he is not actually racing. Nobody knows for sure, but in any case, he is not making as much money as if he was participating in the races. He is not getting much in return for the world champion tittle that he brought in to Aprila with him. There are photos of him at Le Mans, in civil, where he participated in meetings with Dorna and IRTA. It is said that he did not encounter anyone in his team. According to the media, Aprilia has declined answering any questions related to that issue, which is kind of an an answer in itself.

What is the thinking behind needing to lock the gas cap on a vehicle? None of my cars have it; Is this to prevent cheeky fellows to baptize your fuel? in the old days, you could siphon gas from the tank, but they installed a filter that prevent reaching the tank with a hose. Why then?

After reading a lot of literature about that same subject on the web, I have decided to repeat the fill with fresh oil, short run, and check. See if the amount of burrs changes one way or the other.

I got mine under the same circumstances. The seller had purchased a lot, however the Quota was the single motorcycle. The rest was cars. I wish I could find out where that dashboard clock came from. My Quota has a hole at that exact same spot, having the time is really helpful. The analogical clock I tried on my Le Mans did not work very long....