docc

99,186 . . . looking more and more like the Spine Raid will be the 100,000 mile voyage. Seems like such a big deal for us Yanks who used to have to bury our cars at a hundred k. New tail light took under an hour to install. Probably a fifteen minute job for a sane, undistracted person. New tail light appears "improved" (let's hope . . . I forgot how many *repairs* I had done to my original )

Looking to take the Sport on a little local weekend romp. Maybe 500 miles, so not like Gino looping to Italy through Croatia. And absolutely no prospect of a "Fiona" in the mix. Only 4,000 miles since the last tune, and she's running an absolute champ, so no worries there. Battery tested 12.7v which might sound great, but is actually about 85%, so started the discharge-charge cycle last last night using the dedicated AGM charger. The battery terminals had that light chalky look, so broke all the connections loose, sprayed with electronics cleaner, then applied a coat of Kiwi_Roy's Miracle Elixir (Vaseline) and heated it gently with a heat gen before tightening them all back down. I have extra connections since I moved most of the terminal ends to distribution blocks. Unseated and re-seated all of the fuses and relays. So, no turn signals or tail light. These are on entirely different circuits. Turn signals came back by cleaning and re-seating the flasher. But the tail light? All the other functions on that circuit are good (tag light, "city" light, instrument illumination), so I figure it's my flinky old tail light assembly. I've had to bend the contacts out mightily in the past to get contact (on other V11s, too), but couldn't get reliable contact to the bulb. So, time to install the NOS tail light I've had in the V11 Rescue Cabinet. The fixture itself comes off pretty easily, but the wiring is best accessed with the tail section removed. What good is ride if you don't take your bike apart the night before?

Most early Marzocchi have an axle that shoulders from the right, pushes through both forks, and nuts from the left with a pair of pinch bolts on both fork legs. But, there are V11 with the earlier (Sport 1100/ 1100 Sport) configuration, as shown, that are not Öhlins. I've never seen that on a 2002 LeMans, but perhaps they were changed? In that case, if the (left side) spacer was used from the Marzocchi on the (right side) of the earlier configuration, it would surely not be correct. In fact, I wonder if the forks are WP? And that a spacer from Sport 1100/ 1100 Sport would be the solution?

Marabese Design: [edit/ Dec 2018: this image, a Marabese design drawing, seems to have gone away. Too bad, I cannot seem to find it anywhere.]

Bring it to Show&Tell! Twelfth South'n Spine Raid

Oh! Oh, my! That!

Nice, g! Clear coating water transfer is critical to its durability.

Methinks a True-and-Proper MartyNZ LED Taillight upgrade is in order . . .

This is good question. Pete will know.

I never would have thought that circular prominence might be for the support spool, what with it being a bit off center. I had always assumed that housed a recess inside the pan for the oil pick up (?) Just a reminder, with the spool in place the bike should be chocked from rolling as the spool tips easily and the bike is on its nose.

Delightful, Gino! Thank you!!

sp838 ?

True for a "wet" cell, but the AGM are 100% at 12.84vDC. An AGM will be 80% at 12.65v and should be charged at that point . . .

Looks like if a guy has a mill and a lathe, he doesn't need a big hammer . . .

Not for long! +1 on the weak battery: 12.5 volts is 75% state of charge depending on the temperature. Try to use the reconditioning methods in the thread Scud linked and you may bring it back. The blown fuse makes the ignition switch suspect. They are prone to breaking wires internally, but are easy to service per Kiwi_Roy: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16615&hl=%2Bignition+%2Bswitch

I had this on my To-Do list, but seems I owe so many New Zealanders some quantity of beer that I would never be able to leave the country once there. (Thanks for the update, Roy. Hope your buddy is all mended.)

That has so many cool things going on! I like the way the same-side twin pipes balance the CARC. And little things like the headlamp visor. Nice, man!

Makes riding to work this morning seem a bit mundane. Thanks for showing us a good time, Scud!

Gio, Seems you've done an excellent job of getting her back together and ready to ride! Here's to your getting back in the saddle, mate!

Pete Roper's reference to "buying Mark's (V7) map:" http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18539&p=211311

Nice ride! Reminds me to make certain my tire plug kit and an air compressor are on board!

What was the approximate cost of professional lining/ date of service? thanks!

Some of us have epoxied them permanently with JB Weld or the likes.

That rear oil line is the return from the crankcase vent that makes its was through the spine frame's backbone. No surprise for it to ahve picked up some moisture over time. With the tank off, you can loose it at the upper end and give it a good flush out.

I've heard a lot about retorquing heads over the years, so I'll defer to the experts. Just make sure you use right head wrench and employ the the proper assistant . . . (link with discretion) http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19384&p=211501