beauchemin

S&G Power in Victoria is an Aprilia dealer, and they will be carrying Guzzi as well. They are bringing in the Griso and Breva 1100 this summer.

Oh drat. Now I'm gonna want some of those gold-coloured forks... or maybe Traxxion cartridges?

This is a factual statement, however it is illegal to use the names "Laverda" and "Harley" in the same sentence, facts notwithstanding. Shame on you!

It's not oil level or quantity. I've disassembled the forks and removed the cartridges to drain the oil, and then used an oil-height guage when re-assembling. I've tightened in the following sequence: axle, lower triple, upper triple, axle pinch bolts. I've checked the fork alignment by removing the wheel and fender, and then using a piece of glass plate to see that the fork legs are in the same plane. Has anyone else measured their fork stiction? Maybe 10mm is normal for these forks. I measured again after a ride, and I got 7mm.

The stiction isn't a new condition. I've had about 10mm of stiction for quite a while. On Friday night I switched from 5 to 2.5 weight suspension fluid in the left fork leg to reduce my compression damping, and this is making the stiction more noticeable while riding over small bumps. My spacer is on the correct (left) side - not that I think it matters, since the right axle clamp is free to float to where it needs to be to get the correct distance between the fork legs at the axle.

I'm still having a fork stiction problem. Is it the dust covers or forks seals or both? Has anyone found a solution? Are there better seals and dust covers available? Note: I have the early Marzocchi forks with Comp on the left and Rebound on the right.

I'm looking for the right Tonti... must be patient... I like the K12R for the Hossack front suspension alone. How do you find the rear end on your K12S? To all respondants - thanks for your thoughts. I have no intention of selling my V11 - just looking for viewpoints to help me choose a truly modern companion for it.

Sorry about your bad luck. I'm curious - when a crank bearing fails - what is the first symptom? If you start messing around with increased compression, dual-plugging, or almost any other performance enhancing activity, you will surely need a PC or replacement ECU.

If it has a stiff frame, then I like the light blue one!

Hey Steve - you are mostly right, except that the Laverda 750 does use the engine as a stressed member (even though the frame is so BEEFY it probably doesn't have to). It is a fabulous 70s bike in all respects, except for the vibration. I called it my "portable earthquake". This is the reason why I'm looking for a V7 Sport - a combination of my favourite engine configuration and some solid handling.

The warnings have just been cancelled. The south sea islanders can relax!

The implication from your comments above is that you are diagnosing my mentality. I'm pretty sure that you didn't mean to offend. In similar fashion I don't mean to be impolite, but your views (however interesting) are irrelevant to the OBJECTIVE differences that I explicitly asked for in this thread. Look, I never even said that I intended to replace my V11 with an R1100S. Furthermore, I never said I was looking for "bigger-better-faster". I only pointed out that my V11 (to which I have made sensible suspension modifications) is not sastifying me in the bumpy-road handling department compared to my previous bike which was a 1975 Laverda. I'm not expecting a "magic carpet", but I would like a bike that can handle bumpy mountain roads because that is one of my favourite places to ride. Maybe there is something more that I can do to improve the suspension on my V11, but I doubt it. In a nutshell, I want handling and smoothness in addition to some degree of character. I think I am slowly talking myself into a second set of wheels!

I went with Wilbers - the same high quality.

I agree with you. But I think I've done what anyone can reasonably be expected to do, and I don't think there's a silver bullet. I have re-sprung the front for my weight, and changed to lighter weight fluid to get the correct damping. I've replaced the shock with one that has the correct spring and damping rates. Finally, I have set the sag and fiddled with the damping. What am I missing?

Go see it here: http://cgi.ebay.com/GPR-Schalldaempfer-EG-...1QQcmdZViewItem item # 8059400136

I have 3,600 miles on mine and I get 32 miles per US gallon -- which is around 40 miles per Imperial gallon. This is hard riding, I probably do better cruising at 100 km/h. Nogbad - which gallon are you referring to? Imperial, I expect.

I'm a serious buyer looking for a V7 Sport. Contact me here: guzzilla shaw.ca (change the to @). I would prefer to find one in western Canada or the Pacific Northwest, but I realize that I may need to travel.

What about them do you dislike?

I'm looking for the objective differences between these two bikes. I think that we all know that BMWs don't have Italian soul, or style - so let's not go there. In particular, I would like to know the differences in handling, shifting, legroom, maintenance, quality of fuel injection, fuel mileage, etc. I love most things about my V11 Sport, but the handling on real-world bumpy twisty roads is frustrating me. My '75 Laverda twin was more competent in the handling department on those kinds of roads.

Holy crap, I think I've found Tex's girlfriend...

Last year on advrider I read that there was an Aussie building a Tonti special similar to a BMW R80G/S. Does anyone know about this bike or the builder?

All these blue and ultrawhite bulbs are just marketing crap. A standard yellowish light will give you the best depth perception on the road at night. PIAA makes fantastic lights, but I think their bulbs are nothing special.

That Quota has the nicest rack that I've ever seen. Is it available for the V11 Sport?

I will second this thought. I installed one and I highly recommend it. It is very unobtrusive and seems to tuck in nicely. I get right down to the edges of my rear tire and the centerstand has never grounded. It is not as easy to use as most centerstands, however, when you need to remove a wheel - nothing else is easier. I bought mine from Moto International, but you can get it directly from Teo Lamers or anyone else who stock parts from them.

dmoon64 - you da man! Pete - you da sick man!