O2 V11

I've posted before on this one. My 2002 Naked uses all the gas in the tank so I wonder if there were any changes made post 2001? dlaing has run out of fuel twice and put in near enough to 19 litres both times. I have never run out of fuel, and have filled the tank with 21.67 litres. This time the slosh test failed there was nothing left, another 100 metres I would have been pushing. I'm double anal, if that's possible with fuel usage, so far in 7184 miles my average consumption is 38.99 mpg and 32.48 US mpg. In there is a high of 45.16 / 37.62 mpg and a low of 26.9 / 22.41 mpg. My high fuel usage relates directly to tyre wear and enjoyment factor. My last rear tyre a Continental Contiforce was knackered in a couple of miles short of 3,000. This is a but a small price to pay for the privilege of being able to ride such an outstandingly enjoyable motorcycle as we do. Rob

This "cracking" of the inlet sleeves must be prevalent. Mine arrived as such in July '04, with the bike being assembled in Feb '02 and having travelled only 6 miles. I am of the opinion if it isn't broken then there is no need to fix it. The sleeves appearance has not changed at all since then in 7,000 odd miles. Never has there been any indications of them actually leaking air. This leads me to believe mine is only cosmetic damage. Rob

Mine is doing the bubble thing now as well, with just over 7,000 miles on the clock. As we are in the throes of autumn now in our part of the world and looking towards those inevitable dark wet winter days. It will soon be time for me to attack my cases. I have heard what good things have been done by soda blasters. Similar to sand blasters but using a lower pressure and bicarbonate of soda as the medium. I'll let you know how it works out. Rob

I've been following this with interest. Before posting, I needed some clarification from Neville Hayes the owner of the actual WFI. He told me together with his late father Norman he purchased the bike and all the parts that went with it before Burt's death. I was told the engine in the USA, is an 8 valve engine Burt made from spares. I am not sure what size this engine is. Also remaining in the US is the original 1920 Scout frame along with the third streamliner shell made. As the record was set in 1967 it would be fair to say we share the World's Fastest Indian. The US is home for the record setting streamliner shell above and Invercargill is home for the much modified motorcycle itself. I have included some links to some interesting articles. Rob http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Entertai...opkinsStars.htm http://www.indianmotorbikes.com/features/munro/index.htm

Looks like you have the right one there Brian. Rob http://www.mgcycle.com/oil.html

orangeokie, here is a pic of mine. Rob

It may be a case of conjecture, premature conjecture at that. Time will tell. Rob

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the forum Tony. Out of curiosity what age are you and is this your first Guzzi? Rob

1956 Lodola? Rob

When I change my oil I measure in 3500ml including the oil filter fill. Now when I check the oil level, I do it before I start the bike. I unscrew the dipstick with the bike still on the sidestand and check the level against what it was after it's oilchange. The bike is always parked in the same spot so the only thing that can change is the oil level. My oil sits about 10mm above the high mark but checking the oil level the correct way, after having run it for a while and the bike vertical it is on the high mark. It doesn't matter to me what method is used, as long as it's done the same way, same place every time so the only variation if any, is the amount of oil in your sump. Rob

http://www.geocities.com/motoguzzi1064/Guz...alvesTorque.htm azccj, try the above link. Courtesy of Lex, this may help you get the job done. In order to tighten the stud under the plug, I cut down a 10mm allen key then used a socket on this. In regard to the moly additive for the bevel box I think Harper's Cycles sells this. Another option is to use Redline Shockproof heavyweight in the gearbox and bevel box. This comes very highly recommended and as a bonus you do not need to add the moly to the bevel box when using this oil. Rob

I'm with bshpilot on this one. When I trailered my new bike 65kms home this is where I tied mine down. I feel more tiedowns are not always best. I use two now, and the have found the front end doesn't have to be pulled down tight. As for the rear I stopped using tiedowns after the kid's old trail bike fell over on me. All I do now, is secure the bottom of the wheel to the deck to stop any sideways movement. No matter what you do, I know you will get it home in one piece. Congratulations on the purchase. Rob

Try Fiat Panda, Cinquecento or Seicento from '82 to nearly new. Rob

Fernando, I replaced my OE Bridgestones with Continentals, the basement ContiForce type. I downsized the rear to a 170/60 at the same time. I have found them to be a significant improvement over the original. I had too many scary moments of the rear end sliding on unseen pea gravel. A couple times I stopped immediately as it felt like my rear tyre had instantly deflated. I'm not saying the Continentals don't do it, but they offer me so much more confidence inspiring grip when cornering. Before I would deliberately run wide on a corner that I saw gravel on. Now I don't worry, if the rear does slide it's all over as soon as it started. Strangely the front end has never given me any moments at all. Rob

Big J, you can see what I use to do mine. I've done mine twice now. The first time was when the bike was new, I took the wheel off and greased everything I could, shocky bushes, torque rod ends, all those sorts of things and secondly when I changed the rear tyre. Looking at my tyre, I'll being doing it for a third time at about the 8,000 mile mark. With the wheel and bevel box removed, I lower the driveshaft as far as it can go then force the fitting onto the upwards facing nipple. The hose gets a fair bend to it but it works. If you could find a flexible hose with a shorter fitting anything less than my one at 6cm it would be a lot easier to work with. Rob

Jasper, the BMW part number for the lens you will need in Australia is 63 12 1 358 148. This is the part I replaced my lens with after my bike arrived from the USA. Hopefully, you won't need to buy a new one. Rob

"I ran mine last summer on 120/60-17 Pirelli dragon corsa, no trouble with the front. but watch out many tyres with the lower profile are made for lightweight bikes like 600cc sportbike or supermotard bikes. Our V11s needs a more stable tyre at high speeds." This is gthyni's response to a similar posting I made last year. From the Continental tyres website: In the ContiForce range, the difference between a 120/70 and 120/60 is, the 60 tyre has a load rating of 218kg compared the 70 tyre's 236 kg. The rim width recommendations are the same as is the air pressure. Another difference being a 24mm reduction in diameter for the 60 tyre. Given that the V11 has an accepted rearward weight bias I cannot see fitting a 120/60 front would cause any major problems. Can anyone state how much weight is on the front wheel, I broke my bathroom scales trying to find out... My own experience in downsizing the rear tyre, which led to making my bike a better handling one, makes me keen to experiment with the front tyre sizing as well. Rob

OldButNotDead, I fitted Continental ContiForce tyres. German designed, made in Korea, now a near bottom of the barrel selection. But for me, still a far better product than those originally fitted. The 170/60 is only 10mm narrower and able to be fitted to the 5.5 inch rim and also has slightly larger circumference than the 180/55. It was no problem for me to change sizes. If your riding style entails dragging pegs and mufflers then it might not be the correct option but it works very well for me. Rob

After a long hiatus from riding, I have taken a while to become comfortable with my V11 Naked's handling. My initial impressions were similar to OldButNotDead's, that these bikes needed a lot of input from the bars. I also felt that the bike was quite "top heavy". I would have to admit to some rather quite scary moments in the early period of ownership. After asking for advice from the forum at the time of rear tyre replacement, I decided to downsize from the standard 180/55 to a 170/60 rear. This, coupled with ditching the stock BT020's made a huge change for me. The bike turns in a lot quicker and my confidence has grown with the new rubber. I'll never, ever, ride on another Bridgestone motorcycle tyre. Now I have found a much more aggressive riding style for when I want to go a little faster than normal. Depending on how I feel, I hang off the bike a little or a lot. This gives me a higher cornering speed without so much lean angle. This works well for me and I feel confident doing it. I would also never change the stock clipons. They work just fine for me, my biggest day on the bike so far is 560 miles. No problems at all with upper body, just the bum. Rob

I use a Group 7, V241. Try this link, http://www.sherco-auto.com/oil_filters.htm Rob

Jasper, 3000 euro for the paperwork to get your Scura into Australia?? Someone must be kidding you. Have a look at our N.Z. regulations that apply to importing a motorcycle from Europe. If you were arriving here to live permanently, you would have to pay no taxes of any sort. To put your bike on the road here, all you would have to do, is change the headlight lens, then pay the inspection fees. This, including your headlight lens, would cost somewhere in the order of 360 euro which includes 12 months registration. Here are two links to look at. http://www.customs.govt.nz/travellers/Moto...arges+Apply.htm http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/publications/infos...sheet-1-67.html Rob

http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/factsheets/63.html This may help to understand what happened. The vehicle was impounded for 28 days, after which he could pay the fees and have the car returned. The so called "boy racer" and impoundment legislation is an attempt to keep wankers and their vehicles off our roads, making it safer for us. Another part of this is, if we are caught speeding in excess of 50kmh over the posted speed limit, you lose your licence immediately for three months. What this guy did, must have been quite a wheelie, not just a small skid off the line. At the same time what a tosser he was, in saying he thought this law was just for the kids and not for him. The only reason this made the news would have been the fact he was driving an upmarket Merc and not some piece of crap. Vehicle noise is becoming a major issue here in NZ, a huge number of young people have fitted out their cars with unacceptably loud big bore exhausts and "boom box" stereos. While they are not as loud as the straight pipe brigade, they are much, much more annoying. For city dwellers like myself, the sooner we get much tougher on the issue the better. Don't get me wrong on this one, I enjoy a nice exhaust note but not the noise that is put out by most of these cars. Rob

Jasper, I don't think it would be that bad to import your own vehicles into Australia. Mike Wilson said all his friends have done it. Get hold of him, he may be able to get details, the good, the bad and the ugly of it all. As long as your bike is stock at time of export I don't think they could make life that hard for you. Headlight lens is different but I wouldn't think there would be much else different to the Aust. new models. I might add, Australia is a nice place to visit but as they say here in NZ, there are just too many ..... Australians. Jasper, good luck with all your endeavours. Rob

Jaap, I should have been more specific. The sponsor's bar is still there but it is blank. In the past when I clicked on an entry to read all the sponsor's logos would appear. Nothing at all now. Rob

Are the sponsors all on an extended holiday? Will they be back? Rob