docc

The 8.8 designation is roughly equivalent to the SAE Grade 5 ("medium carbon steel, quenched and tempered"). I prefer to clean the threads, apply anti-seize and use a torque wrench for these caliper mounting bolts.

I'm anxious to hear how this TLM upgrade works out. The first link you made (motoInternational) is for the later black-face ITI. The angle drives were used with the early white-face Veglia.

I think those are all reasonable concerns regardless of the miles, with the exception of the valves. The prevailing opinion that valves and guides would be a big issue with the V11 seems not to have materialized.

What kind of "high mileage maintenance" are you concerned about?

There it is again - another Guzzi being loved on and a hammer within reach.

No. Agreed; a nefarious factory "solution" for complaints of "flat spots" and such. If you want your V11 to have a tractable power band, practice the complete tune-up, ride, repeat. Lovely!

I have heard maybe ten or twelve combinations of exhaust on V11 and they all sound great (I've never heard a Quat-D). Then it becomes more about the look you want. Glass packed canisters do "degrade" fairly quickly from the over-run of a big V-twin, so I don't guess my high mileage carbon fibre Mistral have much left in them. Aural patina?

How cool is that! Czakky's been covering a lot of bases!

+1: 4.5 inch rim: 160 profile tire. The change from the 170 helped tame *some* of the RedFrame squirm for me.

Hmmmm, RedFrame? What is the part number cast into the underside of the lower triple tree?

Sounds like a fresh gasket is gonna be your answer. These painted engines (they're all panted, but the black ones seem to have had more foibles) benefit from some very careful surface prep, Hylomar (as Czakky said), and a methodical star-pattern torque-in-steps. I would Lock-Tite the side stand elements and take time to groom and anchor all the wiring. Probably good to re-tighten every thing you can get to after a few heat cycles or 600 miles. It's the perfect time to inspect the two yellow wires leaving the stator and add a ground from the regulator case to the timing chest; and another ground from the timing chest to the spine frame. TCBTME (There Cannot Be Too Much Earth). If I were in there, I would certainly replace the chain tensioner, but my Sport is rather high miles. So, maybe it's ok that you can push it by hand (?)

That is the correct AGM replacement battery for the original Spark. It is dated August 2006, so I'm not sure I would expect much more life out of it. Having bled your front brake, take the time to work each and every piston in and out of the calipers while cleaning them. This simple maintenance task makes a real difference in braking performance and feel.

A good quality (like WIX 33310) fuel filter for the Isuzu Trooper (all years) fits in the stock bracket on top of the spine (early location when the pump was mounted above the left cylinder). The Isuzu filter in a shim smaller in diameter and less than an inch shorter than the Weber. And cheaper by far! The fuel line from the petcock forward is the most susceptible to heat soak and really benefits from some careful grooming and shielding.

You guys might hate a Sunday morning ride down the beaches and over the Skyway, but it just seems like something a couple boys from the hills ought to do! I suppose that would put us in downtown St. Pete for lunch instead of Frenchy's.

+1 on backing off the steering damper, 170 rear, and especially setting preloads. That last bit may require spring changes correct for your weight to get the right sag. Biasing the sag a little toward the front will plant the turns better. I also found that firming the air pressures slightly has helped (early Sports with Pirelli Dragon Corse were spec'd at 33/37 IIRC, and I keep 35/40 in my Angel GTs. Forks raised 5mm. YMMV!

That's the guy! Too cool you guys are getting together! Likely it will be just us, so let me know what works best for you two and we'll adapt the already slippery plan . . .

Making reservations this weekend and trying to shape up a (less sketchy) plan. Haven't heard back from the new member with the Clearwater location. I'll try and find his member info and give a call. It's pretty easy to map out a loop, but hard for me to judge traffic/time.

". . . wrenching butchery . . . " I'm not sure whether to recommend treatment or have you arrested . I have, honestly, been derelict in renaming the other thread "Eat, Shrimp, and Ride. / Two outta three ain't bad!"

Hey, mike! good to hear form you, but sorry the Ballabio is drippy, Look over the oil cooler lines very carefully on the right side. Cleaning everything, then applying a spray "foot powder" will often isolate the leak. In the event you must tear down the timing chest . . . we'll go from there!

That is a really clean silver Sport. The "collector" in me hopes he gets his asking price. (The only thing I spotted was the odd-colored rear brake carrier.)

Yes, I use that blue Lightweight in the gearbox. Somehow, I like seeing that blue color in the sight glass, and the box shifts well with it with no leaks. Lucas products are also fabulous. My gearbox woes, dripping and leaking and two or three years of misery getting it fixed, led me to abandon the Heavyweight in the bevel box (trasmissione posteriore). I really felt that I repeatedly overfilled the Heavyweight since so much of it clings inside and that contributed to higher pressures and leaks. My mistake as I kept refilling by volume; but even using the level plug could be unreliable when the lubricant is that amazingly thick. That said, I've used various lubricants over the years in this bike. With "normal" gear oils, I adhered to the 6,000 mile/ 10.000km service interval, but with the RedLine I've gone twice that.

gstallons sent me pics of this, I'll see if I can get them posted (never seen clips like this before).

SHeesh - I thought you guys were going to give me time off for good behavior . . . Unplugging the Head Temperature sensor looks like a bogus attempt by the PO to dodge the complete tuning necessary to get these bikes running well. Agreed, look inside the sump, especially at the status of the filter and the condition of the mesh screen.