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Since I am now spending a little time with Quota enthusiasts, one of the member is apparently going to have a bunch of motorcycles for sale at a later time. As you can see in the pic below, there are some Quota, Cagiva Elephant, and a Ducati model I must admit I have never seen before...

Found it; http://roadstercycle.com/Shindengen Mosfet Regulator about.htm This is a drop-in replacement of the stock one?

@docc It was not the battery! I received the new Odyssey battery; they have retired the model name PC545 (MJ). The additional thermal protection is achieved by having the battery encased in that metal jacket. I conducted some comparative tests on both batteries, and they were similar. I installed the new battery, and the starting was not straight at the push of the button. Not sure how to describe it. May have been something to do with the Solenoid. But I have not been able to reproduce it. I have made multiple starts, and it cranks properly each time.

0770-2019; 0520 The installation date was never marked. I purchased the bike in December 2020; I got it in April 2021.

I attempted resuscitation technique on my PC545; In my line of work, we used batteries to power instruments to be run in wells. While Lithium came to the knowledge of the public rather recently, my company was directly sponsoring SAFT into finding better batteries for our applications. Lithium appeared in the early 80's, and we quickly learned the danger and limitation of it. One of the known issue of Lithium batteries is named "passivation". It happens during storage before use. Prior to use the battery, you need to depassivate it, which is basically applying a load for a given period of time followed by a rest. Repeat until full capacity is restored. I did manage to improve my PC545 a little, but I have not been able to get back to what it used to be. This is why I have decided not to take the risk, and I will install a new battery. When I got the no crank situation, it brought back some bad memories. Not again!

I just went by the spec sheet of the PC545L and PC545MJ; one has a lower temperature rating than the other. 113 degF versus 176 degF. This is why I went MJ; last year, during some of my rides temperatures were up in the 120 degF. The battery performance is exactly the same for both, only the casing changes. I ordered the MJ.

I just had a no crank situation with the Le Mans last Sunday. This happened after riding to College Station from La Grange. I just had made a stop at Kyke Field for the Texas Tour, and I refueled shortly after. When attempting to restart the engine, the dashboard lights intensity went down, but the starter did not turn. I attempted a push start in fourth, did not start the bike, but managed to revive the starter. I was lucky. Back home, I checked the battery under load, and only got 9.6 Volts. Charged the battery, and get to 10.8 Volts under load. Seemed obvious something was wrong with the battery. An Odyssey PC545; I have now gone through all the posts I found related to batteries for the V11. I also went to Cyclegear to check what battery they had in stock; First and foremost, I found out that the Odyssey PC545 I was using was not best rated for the hot temperatures we have in Texas; https://www.odysseybattery.com/products/ods-agm15l-battery-pc545/ The better choice, would be the PC545MJ with a better operating range span, up to 176 degF (80 degC); the conventional PC545 top operating range is 113 degF (45 degC); https://www.odysseybattery.com/products/ods-agm15lmj-battery-pc545mj/ There is a significant price difference between the two: US$ 148, versus US$ 172. I also found out that for most of the sites offering a battery selector, the V11 is missing. Last I looked at Lithium batteries; several have warnings about the charge from your motorcycle, that should be between a specific bracket. For example, the Duraboost reads that voltage coming from the bike should be between 14.0 and 14.9 volts. After riding through all the posts, I learned the V11 charging current is all but stable and predictable. What I could do, is a battery cross-reference table, with all the brands and models, that are useable on our V11s. For example @MartyNZ was/is happily using a Shorai LFX21L6-BS12; I looked it up on the Shorai site, and it is in back order. Back in the 70's, most of the bikes from Japan came equipped with Yuasa batteries; If you look up Yuasa' site, you will find the proposed battery for the V11 is the YTX15L, and is no longer manufactured. I am going to go with the Odyssey PC545MJ. My PC545 dims: L: 173mm; W: 83mm; H 129mm

Awright... I don't have an 02 sensor on my Le Mans, do I?

To take into account the "StayInTune" exhaust system; https://staintune.com.au/ I am not able to say what ECU is installed in my Le Mans, since the label has been ripped off.

@docc Pecco has no opinion. That being said, only two pilots have won three times the world championship in a row; the first to have accomplished that performance was Valentino Rossi; the second was Marc Marquez... I have no doubt that Bagnaia would most likely be pleased to win a third championship, on a Ducati. The previous guys did it for Japanese brands. I do not know how verbatim are the comments reproduced in my previous post. I can't help but notice that Marc Marquez does not directly refer to the name of Francesco. When he states: "the favorite is the Champion" he may as well speak about himself; after all, he is also considered a Champion, isn't he?

According to the MotoGP pilots, who will win this season's championship? Jorge Martin: “Pecco is the favourite. He won the last two seasons so I feel like he will be the man to beat.” Fabio Quartararo: “Pecco.” Marco Bezzecchi: “Pecco.” Miguel Oliveira: “Pecco. He’s showed very good speed, very good pace.” Joan Mir: “Pecco.” Fabio di Giannantonio: “Pecco.” Jack Miller: “Pecco. He’s carrying that #1 for two years in a row. Silly to put your money sort of anywhere else.” Maverick Vinales: “Pecco. “ Johann Zarco: “Pecco. He’s showing even more speed than previous years.” Raul Fernandez: “Me! No, Pecco because already he has two consecutive world championships.” Brad Binder: “The champ looks pretty damn fast.” Marc Marquez: “The favourite is the champion. He’s in good form, pushing a lot and riding well so he’s the favourite one.” Pedro Acosta: “The world champion at the moment.” Alex Marquez: “Pecco and Martin.” Aleix Espargaro: “He’s looked strong since the beginning [of testing] so he’s going to be the man to beat.”

Ditto... About Ducati, they have openly negated their interest to have Marc in the factory team, stating they have their own talent breeding ground. If Marc begins to fight for victory at each race, I will see their attitude change. At the end of the day, business is business. Sure, as they put forward, they have Pecco, a twice championship winner. But Marquez has the notoriety and fame that Pecco does not. Certainly, it is not ideal for the show for Ducati to hoard all the best riders. 2024 will be a major year for pilots' shuffle. Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin, Fabio Quartararo, Jack Miller, may be losing or changing package. Alex Espargaro has been toying with the idea to retire.

True, there were some other factors; but I do remember a show that I watched while I was in Italy. The host was Rafella Carra; while she was working for Spain's TVE; during one of her TV broadcast, she had invited all the young Spanish motorcycling talent, including Marc Marquez. When interviewed, he said his idol of all times was Valentino Rossi. Of course, she had invited him, and Valentino and Marc embraced. I looked up YouTube, but could not find it. Anyway, from looking up to him, Marc Marquez went on to hold a grudge. The 2015 season clinched it. I don't think we will ever know what went through his mind. There was some kind of resentment, absolutely. I believe Marc and Valentino spoke about it in private. I also think that Marc offered a truce to Valentino, but it was declined. Valentino said that he is no longer angry about 2015, but I am certain he still is. After all, this was a career changing moment. I am eager to see what Marc Marquez will do on the Gresini Ducati GP23. The one year contract makes sense. Next year will be the big shuffle, so he wants to have his hand's free. I read that he was hopeful to get more Ducati assistance in case he would do well. The Qatar GP starts the 8th of March. If I was Marc Marquez, I would want to start with a bang! such as winning the first sprint or GP race of the season on a different machine. Just as VR46 did, when he left Honda for Yamaha.

I just read that the Formula 1 rights owner, "Liberty Media", is looking at purchasing MotoGP rights from Dorna. Carmelo Ezpeleta has confirmed it. I stopped watching F1 after the races were won during pit stops, with very little overtaking on the racetracks. If I have to believe the reports, F1 is actually very successful. As Ezpeleta said, the introduction of the sprint races brought back the audience to MotoGP. I don't know if having F1 and MotoGP owned by the same company would be good or bad.

I don't think so.... I want to keep my mind clear...

He is not an isolated case... As I was doing some stops for the Texas Tour yesterday, I bumped into two couples, both motorcycles with trailers the length of the bikes.... at the flag's remittance, there were also several trailers behind motorcycles. I had never seen that before. Common here in the USA, or so it seems: https://www.rvingknowhow.com/motorcycle-camper-trailer/

In the 70's, owning and driving a BMW was our dream. The word on them was, solid as a rock, compared to the rest of our French made cars. As I could not afford a BMW, I purchased an NSU 1000C... Today's BMWs have compromised too, and talking to MPH Cycles doctors, they have a few engineering flaws that could be perceived as shortcuts to make more profit. Did you hear they attempted to implement a subscription scheme for heated seats on their four wheeled models? (they abandoned it after the outcry). I also read the newer K1600 does not propose either Google or Apple car integration; so you are force to use Bluetooth...

I don't believe he will go back to Honda, beyond the promise that he may. That page has been turned, and doing back and forth is probably not the best path forward. Once he masters his current ride, he will most likely want to capitalize on it, rather than starting again from scratch with a bike which is now growing apart from him. I may be proven wrong, but it seems logical to me that now that he has committed to Ducati, he should persevere. Even if Ducati keep saying that Marc Marquez is a bonus, but not an option as they have their "own" riders, and they don't really need him. I was following on Phillp Island WSBK, and Iannone did pretty well for someone who was inactive for a long time. Bautista and Rea, not so well... I am seeing some analogy between Rea and Marquez. Once you have won multiple times, it may be too much of a challenge to motivate yourself to do it again. But in the case of Marc, I think it is obvious that he has the motivation to at least equal VR46 in the number of the championships won. I always thought that he did what he did in 2015 to prevent VR46 to get one more, furthering away the goal post.

It always makes me wonder what Jimi could have come up with if he had lived on. Mostly regarded for his guitarist prowess, mostly known for his Star Spangled Banner interpretation at Woodstock 69, he was also an incredible songwriter. Few guitar players have gone without covering his songs; take all the most known ones, they all have.

Nothing like a Nothing else matters with a Symphony Orchestra to back you up!

Red!

From the latest interviews with Fabio and Yamaha team manager, the long time recurring issue of rear grip prevents Fabio from getting a good time with the soft tire. According to his latest declaration, he only managed a few tens' improvement between a used medium tire and a new soft. While he is relatively comfortable with the race pace, he says that starting from the back of the grid automatically excludes him from competing for the top positions. As for Marc Marquez, I am not worried at all about him being competitive. He may not race for the podium initially, but he will get there. Also, because Enea Bastianini's continuation inside the Ducati factory team is not guaranteed, unlike that of Bagnaia who's going to be signed in early this season. It is no secret that Jorge Martin wants that spot, but I am wondering if Marc Marquez could also be a candidate. After all, we know the money is not what drives him. He wants that ninth and possibly tenth championship. Another possibility is Fabio Quartararo, who clearly said he was not going to wait for Yamaha to sort their M1 longer than the first quarter. Hopefully, Ducati is not going to poach every best rider of the MotoGP.

When the Honda CBX 1000 came out, quickly followed by the Kawazaki Z1300, I immediately wanted either one. Only I got a job overseas, and my motorcycle dream ended before it even started. BMW seems to be the only manufacturer offering a six in line. Obviously, a tourer to compete with the Goldwing. The six cylinder singer: listen to the music! The first part of the video is about the machining of the six in line that equips the K1600;

As I was recently looking for rubbers to go on the foot pegs of my Quota, I came across this from Revzilla; they are shown as out of stock; I am sure you could possibly place an order. https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/mfw-vario-passenger-footpeg-mounts-moto-guzzi-v11?sku_id=1000652

The Qatar two days testing ended yesterday; What have we learned? The Ducati are still the top machinery to beat. Even if Jorge Martin said he experienced rear shattering. Marc Marquez hid his real potential, or so think some of the specialized media. He tested the limits of his GP23 by going down yesterday. The KTM are not far behind the Ducati, and Pedro Acosta appears to be as good as what was expected from him. His chief mechanic said he has already mastered all the button pushes that are required to make the most of the ride height system. The Aprilia look to be fast when needed, but is it just for the one lap? Honda and Yamaha are still far from the top. It will be interesting to see how quickly they recover, if they recover this year.