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Hi Andrew: I'm taller than the other "little guys" here at 6'6" (198 cm) Good choice, IMO the LeMans is a great option for a tall guy (or gal!). My '04 LeMans is stock in ergonomic configuration, so IMO you'll "fit" just fine even before the aforementioned mods. FWIW, the engine and exhaust is where I spent my money on "tweaks"... The biggest problem for me is "legroom" given my 38" (96 cm) inseam legs. I have to take a break every few hours to stretch said legs. In fairness, I do the same thing on my BMW GS Adventure despite the fact that it is a much more "roomy" ride. Good Luck!

Read this on the MD site the other day. Wow! Fuel cell and battery: http://www.motorcycledaily.com/23october07_suzuki_tokyo.htm

+1 as above Timbo. I have an '05 1150 GSA and an '03 V11. Sure they're similar in the sense that they're both twins but the similarity ends there... One thing that I might toss in is the difference in rider ergo's. I'm tall ( let's see 6.6- that would be for you metric guys about... 198 cm ) and the upright ("begging dog") riding postion of the GSA sure beats the pants off my V11 posture after 3 or 4 hours of riding. I love my V11 but I have to be willing to put up with all the little quirks and mechanical failures she loves to challenge me with from time to time. The beemer boxer is rock solid and bullet-proof out of the box (at least the past 4 I've owned have been). If I'm off for an extended ride or a situation where back up may not be readily available, I always pull the BMW out of my stable. Just my So, here's another vote for: have both!

Not bad- I got 142 miles before my then new '03 LeMans ran out of gas and left me standing roadside admiring the starkly desolate (and unfortunately very unpopulated) high desert scenery which is my stomping grounds. No cell phone service... Fortunately a good samaritan rancher came along in his ranch truck an hour or so later and "donates" a gallon of gas to me. Saved me a good 4 hours of pushing said ride home! Besides I was able to answer his "Say, who makes Moto Guzzi?" question when he noticed this label on my bike. Turns out the wiring to my low fuel light was never connected at the factory. Anyway, the good news is I now know exactly how far my bike will go on a tank of gasoline!

As mentioned by others above, I also use Motul Gear 300 in the transmission. At last change I tried Motul's Motylgear 75w-90 fully synth (100% ester). Hmmm, the V11 did seem to shift a little smoother with this (as advertised by Motul). Engine? Plain 'ol BMW brand dino oil. Mainly because I buy it by the case for my BMW bikes, thus it's always on hand- I'm also a fan of Redline Shockproof but I find the Heavy (Pepto Bismol lookin' stuff), well, too heavy. For example, it makes my GS Adventure feel like I'm driving with the parking brake on, particularly if the temp is below 40 F outside. Lightweight Shockproof (blueberry milkshake lookin' stuff) makes my beemer's tranny very happy however. Maybe I'll try the lightweight shockproof in the LeMans tranny next time...

More of the same from the MD site: http://www.motorcycledaily.com/15november0...07motoguzzi.htm Just one quick question guys: Who is doing their exhaust pipe design?...

Beauty in the eye of the beholder and all that... Cosmetics aside, what really caught my eye was the stated 381 pounds ! That would be some power-to-weight ratio-

Saw this on the Motorcyle Daily site today. Very pretty! http://www.motorcycledaily.com/08november06_ducati1098.htm

Yes, clearly a matter of "getting what you pay for". Remember, Gear 300 uses a 100% ester formulation not the usual PAO base stock encountered in most synthetic oils. Hence Gear 300 will set you back a few dollars more given its composition (with its intended racing application...) OTOH, my V11 has never found a false neutral and shifts like a Hyabusa since I've been running the Motul. I think if you Google around a bit, you should be able to find it for 13ish dollars a quart with free shippping-

I've been running Motul Gear 300 (transmission but not final drive) for about a year now. IMO nice stuff! I personally like it a little better than Redline. http://www.motul.com.sg/product_line_up/gear_box/gear01.html

I thought 6'3" or 6'4 was average height... I have all you "little" guys beat at 6'6" As posted by my commrades here, the V11 LM (stock ergo's) is fine for me as well- at least for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours of riding. Then it's time to get off, stretch, take pictures, stop for lunch or whatever. FWIW, I've found the same "time limits" on my BMW LT and GSA, both of which have more "stretched out" and upright riding positions than the LM. OK, I'll admit- it helps to be physically fit and somewhat limber...

Having ridden primarily bikes of the german persuasion prior to my LeMans I'll toss in a "quirk" that I experience on a frequent basis. Visualize with me on this one: I'm waiting at a signal light and in the lane to my left a couple pulls up along side me in their car/truck/SUV. Out of the corner of my eye I see said lady elbow her husband/boyfriend/SO and as I watch through their window glass, I can see her mouth the words as she points to my tank logo and asks "What's a Moto Guzzi?"...

One must keep in mind that the LeMans transmission was designed back when dinosaurs ruled the earth. They probably hadn’t even invented synthetic oil yet… Either way, your bike should be equally happy with your Severe Duty Amsoil or the Redline. Since you've already bought the S. Duty, why not run it and try the Shockproof next time for comparison? FWIW, many BMW riders like myself also swear by Heavy Shockproof for their beemer trannies. I tried it in my GS but I noticed a feeling of drag when the weather was cool to cold- almost like driving your car with the parking brake on. Never seemed to improve even when the engine warmed up. I’m not loosing it as others have complained of this as well… I switched to Lightweight Shockproof in the GS and Viola’ problem solved. Anyone notice this "drag" feeling in their Guzzi's with the Redline Heavy?

I have a PCIII (using Todd's map) on an '03 V11, FBF open air box, Stucchi, FBF cans... Admittedly only about 2 k miles on the clock but... my fuel light comes in the 110 to 120 mile range. I guess I could be evaporating gas out of the open air box thus dropping my mileage! It could also be that this bike is so fun to ride with the throttle W $% O...

Short answer: Yep. Fine. Nope. Good. Long answer: Depends on what you're intending to do with it. I'm currently riding an 1150 GSA. If you want a true adventure tourer, BMW is the bike (IMO). The Tiger is a very capable dual sport bike at a savings of several hundred $ vs. the BMW. I had no problems with the Tiger but went to the GSA as it fit me better (taller) and was more dirt worthy (I spend a fair bit of time on high desert forest service roads). Reliability, parts availability, service costs etc. etc. on the Triumph would be very similar to BMW- e.g. somewhat better than MG (although my LD has had no problems getting Guzzi parts for me). Tiger changes for '06 look to make it more freeway friendly. My 'Strom was also a DL1000 like you're considering. I used it for a commuter bike and it was a great little jack-of-all-trades machine. Fun to ride, nimble and snappy little motor. Bullet proof bike really- ride it and ignore it. Perfect for a jaunt down to the corner market for a gallon of milk (get the side & top cases) Not really in the same league for off road/dual sport riding as the beemer or Tiger though (again IMO). It's also lighter than the BMW so it gets blown around at freeway speed a bit more. The DL is also less expensive yet than the other bikes. Parts are cheap and there's a Suzuki (and Honda and Yamaha) dealer pretty much on every street corner... Now to the most subjective part: The reason I sold the 'Strom, as funny as it sounds, is that it just didn't do anything for me. It had no personality, no "soul" if you will. (You have to be a Guzzi rider to know what I'm talking about). When I see a Guzzi, any Guzzi, it whispers to me and I go weak in the knees. So even though the Suzuki was mechanically perfect, I didn't keep it more than about a year. Perhaps more than you wanted to know but my !

Make it easy on yourself. Buy the Lockhart Phillips tool here: http://www.lockhartphillipsusa.com/rs/showProduct.cgi and type in 130-5071 (the part number) in the search box. Official name is Paulimoto Oil Cover Wrench for Moto Guzzi. Snaps right on to your 3/8" drive ratchet. Looks nice in the anodized red. It'll match your "pork chops"! -Mike

Thanks all for the replies. Yes, per earlier relay posts on this site I had e-mailed Dan but didn't receive a response. So I wasn't sure if he had faded into non-existence. Hence my query regarding current relay sources. I'll try shooting Dan another e-mail as it sounds as if he is alive and well in the relay business. Regards- Mike

Hi Guys: One of the ponies in my stable is an '03 LeMans and I seem to be the latest victim of the dreaded relay failure. LD (who is very good) was going to order OEM parts, but I told him I'd just order them myself as I recall having read a post here on this subject a while back. The sentiment seemed to be that there were superior alternatives to Guzzi's relay offerings. I was thinking about replacing all of the relays while I'm at it (5 of them as I recall from skimming the schematic but I might not be remembering this correctly...) and was wondering if you think this is worthwhile? Also any current recommendations on relay sources? TIA- Mike

[quote But now we're splitting hairs, aren't we? Yep, but it's what makes this all so fun! If you get the chance, try "blueberry" (lightweight) sometime- it's an interesting difference in feel (crisp) and the extra protection provided by heavy for a transmission that was designed back when dinosaurs ruled the earth might be overkill? -Mike

I also am a fan of Redline but admit that I have tended to experiment with multiple synthetics in all my bikes. Run this or that for several months, then switch it out and try another flavor. In addition to the Redline I've run such full-synths as Spectro, Motul, Royal Purple, Amsoil and Mobil 1. Currently am using the Motul Gear 300 Racing synth 75W-90 in the V11 and like it. Like the others above when I've querried Redline over which oil to use in my bike(s) the response is always the same- Heavy Shockproof- regardess if I'm asking about a Guzzi, Yamaha or a BMW. FWIW, I didn't really like the Heavy (strawberry milkshake) in my BMW GS Adventure. Compared to the other oils I played with, the Heavy felt as if I were running my bike with the "parking brake on". Tried switching out to Redline Lightweight Shockproof (blueberry milkshake) and this worked like a charm, at least in my Beemer. Now there are guys I ride with who swear by Heavy in their BMW's (or whatever). Just wondering if anyone else has noted this "drag" feeling in their Guzzi (like I did in my GS) compared to other full synthetics you've run ??? Maybe I'm just oversensitive ! -Mike

I've seen the Moto-Man URL tossed around for seemingly years now on various sites, both motorcycle and snowmobile. I guess the concept that I have come away with and used on the last half-dozen or so bikes I have broken in is simply this: don't baby the engine, work it and seat those rings early on. OTOH, I'm not suggesting one abuses their new engine by running it at sustained red line out of the box either. Here's a little more fodder for the mill taken from one of the BMW sites I hang out on: http://bmwsporttouring.com/faq/breakin.htm Sure it's meant for BMW's with their hard as nails Nikasil cylinders but the prinicple that counts is -lots of of gradually progressive accel's and decel's with a new engine- To which I would add -heat cycle that new engine of yours- Just -Mike

Hmmm, am I the only one who this proto looks like a BMW RT? -Mike

I took this tip from the Wild Goose Chase site. It's quick, easy and has worked well for me... "Another dipstick tip from Joe Cook: The dipstick on my Cal 1100i was nearly impossible to read. The remedy was to paint one of the groves with white fingernail polish. I've been about 12,000 miles and it hasn't came off." Ride Safe- Mike

Hi guys: I received my broken English "here's your warranty number" letter from MG a few days ago. The letterhead listed Aprilia, Laverda and Moto Guzzi. This brought on a moment of nostalgia for me as my first street bike was a '72 Laverda 750 (which I bought "new" in '74). Is Laverda still alive and well and is Piaggio the parent company for Laverda also? (Sounds like Aprilia will be moving under the BMW banner though) I still daydream about that Laverda, something about your first love I guess.... Ride safe- Mike