felix42o

That breather hose goes pretty far forward up towards the front of the frame...did you check the condition of the hose up there? Seems unlikely, but you never know...

Or instead of customizing a Cali vintage, find an Aluminum...same thing already done up with drag bars and the like. I think there was another one, too- the Stone, maybe?

My thought is just that I'm envious you have to decide which V11 to fit your Ohlins suspension to. Otherwise, the Marz forks seem fine to me once set up properly, and I hear the Ohlins are a little harder on fork seals. I'm sure others will chime in on this.

I stopped by GP Cycles today in San Diego to check out their current offerings, and ended up taking a V7 out for a short test ride. What a cool little bike! The fueling was spot-on, power was adequate (despite the low horsepower ratings) and delivered nicely across the RPM range, and the handling was nice and stable. The riding position is as comfortable as a standard bike should be, and much less rackish than the Ducati's Sport Classic series, despite the low bars. Suspension seemed a little soft on spring rate, but the damping wasn't too far off and the chassis didn't seem to mind the rougher sections of road I traveled over. Combined with a relative low weight carried nice and low in the frame, the handling was good, if not a little slow from all the rake in the front end. Aftermarket pipes with a little more bark would be nice, but the engine wasn't overly quiet and you could certainly hear enough of that v-twin sound over the road and wind noise. Fit and finish was much higher than I expected as well, and was far from cheap looking. The mirrors even stayed where I put them while providing a clear, vibe-free picture behind me. Overall, I really liked the thing right off the bat, and am seriously considering selling the Cali Aluminum and my DR650 dually to make room for one in the garage. Any takers?

Well, that wasn't a cut on Rotax or Buell at all. It was a new motor, even though the best may have been involved in it's development. Notice I said "somewhat". When the first 1125's came out the fuel mapping wasn't sorted, it used a lot of fuel and the bike was too new have any reliability background. And then the jackasses at Harley pulled the plug on Buell. So my thought is just that I was happy with the track record and performance of the air-cooled bikes and leaned that direction as a result. In the end, I cancelled the order for the XB12 and got engaged instead, so I may never get a chance to form a first hand opinion of either one. (More evedence of flawed judgment, I know)

You know, I bought my Cali Aluminum under the thought process that I needed a cruiser type bike. And after adding a fly screen and a good set of rear shocks, it's pretty damn good. But I really think the cruiser/comfort thing is overrated. My Tenni is just as comfortable on the road without tiring my back, and the wind blast gets tiring on the Cali after awhile. So now the Cali gets used for two-up riding and grocery/hardware store runs 'cause of the extra storage.

He was definitely a colorful addition to the forum who I'd liked to have met. Condolances to his friends and family.

Sorry guys...the first ride (all three and a half minute's worth) is confidential. The second ride will be fair game for forum review. Thinking Eastern Sierra range, up through Bishop, CA and into Reno. Then maybe west through Gold Country and up around northern California. Bars and campgrounds will most likely decide the rest...

Finally headed home after having been away from my Tenni (okay, and my girlfriend, too) for the last eight months. In less than 3 weeks, I will finally get back on the road again. Needless to say, I'm a bit anxious to get back to my baby. And my girlfriend (should she read this).

Man, I know the feeling- I move for work every 3-4 years. But what can you do, right? Good luck with the new place.

Thanks. Like I said, I won't be able to do anything until I get home at the end of March, but I'm looking forward to getting started. I'll update the thread as things progress.

I sort of planned on gutting that speedo gearbox and just making a cap for the output. I'll make a nice mount for the unit w/ my aerostich-sourced mini temp gauge and clock on either side. Should turn out nice.

Here's the sensor...threads are M10x1. I can't tell from the photos the exact size, but it looks like a standard fluid temp sensor to me.

Another good one...

One of my favorites:

Well, after 3 years of an intermittant tach and faded needles, I went and blew a whole lot of cash on one of these motogadget speedos. Anyone used one? It looks to be pretty top-shelf. Of course, compared to stock, how bad could it be? Open for suggestions on mounting the oil-temp probe...my thought was in the sump somewhere. I'm damn near halfway around the world away from my V11 at the moment, still working in Bahrain, and won't get to it for another couple of months so it's mostly retail therapy at this point

I saw 131 on my GPS, but it was a long, flat road in the middle of the Nevada desert, and took a while. The fuel cut-off kicks in right there (or did for me) so I'm not sure how much more you vould get out of it.

I actually had one idiot make a comment about the faux leather on my Tenni's seat at a cafe once. Some people have too much time and not enough work.

True enough, but the resale on a Guzzi has always been pretty dismal as well. So, now I have to decide between the air-cooled XB12 and the new 1125. As much as I like the idea of all that power, I do like the familiarity of the air-cooled mill over the new, somewhat untested rotax motor. The looks of either don't bother me much after seeing them in person.

Hmmm... I just stopped by the overseas harley dealer here in Bahrain and they have one '09 1125R in white for $7500USD. Anyone looking to buy an '03 Cali Aluminum? Maybe a DR650? Obviously I can't sell the Tenni but I think at the price I need to make room for this Buell.

Don't forget shlop-tarred, plowed, four sheets to the wind, and the Tom Waits favorite, 'on the corner of fifth and vermouth'. Better to have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotamy.

Just crossed the international date line while steaming towards Atsugi, Japan. We skipped Wednesday altogether and gained another hour again last night. Now what time is it?

Has anyone seen the Griso SE in person? The paint looks close, if not the same, as the Tenni...wonder if there is a current (and available) paint code? Wish they would sell it stateside; I would love to have a matching Griso

I had similar symptoms a few years back, and it ended up that the rotor portion (attached to the crank) of the alternator was somehow out of round and was contacting the stator. Very strange. Having said that, I am the only one that I know of that has had such an issue, so you're probably fine. Worth taking a look though. Otherwise, check the usual suspects of battery connections, tight grounds, and the connectors on the yellow wires going from the alternator to the regulator/rectifier.

If I can find a good reason, I'll dip into my stash of Midletons whiskey. For the day to day, Miller High Life and a little Jack (just to knock the trail dust off ) works fine in a pinch.