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Nice, Dave! I hope that' not the only picture . . . Will the GTS be getting your loving treatment?

Wow, what David Gilmore says at about 8:00 in this interview speaks to me. Something about the other interviews in this series inform my approach to, not just music, but motorcycling and other ventures. Cheers: David Gilmore!

Different batteries shown. While the Odyssey will probably tolerate a constant 14.7 charge, that EXIDE? I would be watching for signs of overpressure, vapor hazing. Acidic battery puke is an ugly thing

This is true, yet they publish the charging range as 14.2-14.7. Once the battery reaches a 100% state of charge, the voltage can be tapered to 13.5-13.8. While correct external chargers will do that, our V11 regulators are fixed voltage (should be 14.2, IIRC).

I see a long list of interesting Guzzis , there, Dave! No singles, though. The Stornello came and went?

There's an "oxymoron" right there!

Heh, well, so I thought. Maybe the old thumper will become my sons' nostalgia. All my "nostalgia" goes back to 60s to early 70s "muscle cars." Dear God, their brakes and suspension were awful. My brother (briefly owned) an Austin-Healey 3000/MkIII that set the motorhead hooks in me forever. Back in those days, I thought the motorcycle guys were complete nutters and crazies. (Hey, now I "resemble" that remark! ) Living in Bavaria as wee lad, I grew up thinking the BMW opposed-twin would be the ultimate. Then, one evening while in college, a friend started up his white, pin-striped loop-frame Guzzi; maybe an Ambassador, IDK. My other nutter-crazy motorcycle buddy was there - he could ride a wheelie on his Kawi triple clear to the ferrkin' moon, but it was a loud-crazed-violent affair. In the apartment complex parking lot, the fellow lofted the Ambo like a dance with an Angel. It was so elegant and effortless! There is the matter of taking the bait, but I swallowed the hook.

Is it still nostalgia if your first bike is on the lift with the motor at a mate's for a rebuild? Or is this just glassy-eyed?

No, I'm a dedicated PC545 devotee. My theory, that I practice, is 1) since the PC545 takes significant amperage to charge, and 2) the V11 has some weaknesses in its charging system (regulator diodes, vulnerable 30 amp fuse, stator wires), I propose it is Best Practice to keep the Odyssey PC545 fully and correctly conditioned with approved external chargers/method to minimize strain on the charging system. I would not leave on my Sport with the battery under 12.65 volts without conditioning it. Some find it too much of a hassle, but I prefer to avoid the otherwise inevitable major hassle of the roadside variety.

Uh, jus' sayin' . . .

This really is a good reminder to inspect that 30 amp fuse regularly. They are known to melt, char, or even burn off a blade without "blowing" the fuse itself. The consensus has been the fuse connections are an electrical "choke point" for the charge amperage and prone to excessive heat. I struggled with this for so long before I converted to an aircraft grade circuit breaker. This makes it a *snap* to disconnect for charging sessions. I am also operating under the theory that keeping the PC545 "conditioned," and the regulator grounded to the engine, gives the V11 charging system less need to push 20-25 amps back to the battery. Expecting our V11 charging system to bring a hefty PC545 back up from 12.5 volts (50%!) may be expecting too much; and adds up to a formula for charging system failures, IMO.

Simple enough, then! Back in with fuse and do the voltage check that Lucky Phil posted at about 2500 rpm looking for 13.8-14.2 volts. FWIW, I always disconnect my regulator from the battery when charging. As I recall, EME (where I get my regulators) emphasizes this procedure.

If it weren't for the 1,800 replies and 144,000 (!) views in these last five-or-so years on this topic, I would have said this Scud-guy was talking to himself. . .

Best I can figure, the pretty, little blue single is a Stornello . . .

I only now realize the swingarm retention tab is visible in that last image forward of the caliper bracket pivot bolt through the swingarm.

A ring terminal left off either the positive or negative side could negate the charging. Also, inspect the green 30 amp charging/regulator fuse in the fuse block. Observe if the headlamp, stop lamp, horn, and tach are all working normally. A faulty Relay#2 (or #1 on the early Sports) can impede charging. When the relay(s) are the fault, the warning light also fails, IIRC. Next most common charging issue might be a failed yellow wire soldered connection coming off the stator under the alternator cover (hard to see!). Mine did this twice

Okay, this shows both retention tabs on the early RedFrame subframe. They are pretty hard to see with everything assembled. Easy to see with the wheel off . . . Also seen is how the brake line drops down from the right side.

I looked, before, for an image of this routing. This is as close as I ever got. The left retention tab is visible on the top of the rear subframe cross member just below the Carcano-green LuckyPhil/Chuck-made shift extender. There is a matching right side tab (a little further outboard), and another on the inboard side of the the left swingarm arm.

It is in one the celebration threads, but is so very beautiful, absolutely worthy of its own thread! The three bikes, and their riders, are a fascinating representation of the breadth and appeal of Moto Guzzi. The T3, a Galletto, and what is that blue 160 that the pretty lady in leathers is riding?

This is what our Rube Goldberg V11 sidestand is for: to make the shifter seem positively simple and sensible. I suppose, in all fairness, rearset footpegs have always necessitated creative shift mechanisms . . .

Pretty sure I learned this set-up from Andy (along with a boat load of other stuff . . .). Okay, I remember now that the bolts screw up through the threaded nuts welded to the underside of the subframe. I was still nervous about them loosening and topped them with flange nuts. The bolts are too short to fully engage the "locking" nuts, so I drenched them in blue LocTite. Like Andy, been there > a long time < . . . I just measured and this drops the front of the battery basket 0.360"/ ~9mm (almost 3/8"!) because of the thickness of the basket metal plus the thickness of the subframe plate and the thickness of the welded nuts underneath) . . .

A couple things made me nervous about making that change. One was shock clearance (it's tight down there!) . . . The other was the nuts loosening and the bolts dropping out, then the battery and basket dropping onto the shock sending me halfway to a bad day. Pretty sure I either used NyLoc nuts or LocTite or both.

I remember relieving a ridge on my original seat pan because it was cutting the battery strap. I bought a second hand seat later and the PO had cut out the entire battery area to the exposed foam (makes the seat pan pretty flimsy). My solution to the seat pressing the battery was to attach the battery basket to the bottom of the subframe at the front, gaining maybe 3mm to 5mm.

Tom's Le Mans in the act (sweeeeeeet, buddy!):

Just an addendum for others also fettling their shifter, the lock nuts on the Heim/rose joints on the connecting shaft have been known to loosen, as well as the pinch bolt on the arm on the gearbox shaft. Adjust the rod length so the arms are parallel and check that the lever downstroke does not foul the frame sidechop in any gear (no just first).