jtucker

Ratchet, do you know if the stock springs are progressive or not? Ducati Monsters are notoriously undersprung as well... somewhere around .69 kg/mm, but they are progressive, which while not perfect, is supposed to help accomodate a wider range of rider weights (I think). According to the calculators I've seen, proper spring rate for me @ ~200lbs (on the Monster) is somewhere in the ballpark of .90 to .95 kg/mm. I'm going to assume that the extra weight of the V11S (somewhere around 100 lbs) would require even stiffer springs on that bike, but I'm not sure.

I always thought it would be good for smuggling weed, but the heat could be a problem. May lead to a Cheech & Chong moment if you get pulled over by the law...

Hmmm... I wonder if a blob of JB Weld on the end of the reset shaft would work?

Although I'm generally a fan of Ducatis (love my M900), I would never buy one of their bikes if I was intending to take regular long-distance trips. If you really rack up the milage, Ducati major service intervals will come rather frequently, and the majority of Ducati dealers I've dealt with always fail to lube the appropriate areas as they bend your a$$ over the service counter. I've begun doing all the major service (short of engine rebuild) myself, which is a whole 'nuther flavor of a$$ pain. Does Ducati make touring bikes? Sure. You can also use a really big hammer to pound a square peg into a round hole, but I wouldn't do it. Just my

Well, here's a collection of various "touring" bikes available at the moment: Guzzi Norge BMW K1200 GT BMW R1200 ST Yamaha FJR1300 Ducati ST3 Honda ST1300 Triumph Sprint ST Every manufacturer has their own definition of what a "sport tourer" is, as does each of us, I'm sure. Out of this list, the only bikes I would even consider purchasing would be the Triumph Sprint ST, the BMW R12, or the Guzzi Norge. Now, given the fact that I prefer any dedicated long-distance bikes to be shafties, that pretty much leaves me with the R12 and the Norge.

Heavy? Guzzi list it as having a 246 kg (542 lb) dry weight. BMW's site lists their K1200 GT as 622 lbs, with fuel. Relatively speaking, I don't think that's too heavy. As much as I like BMWs, I think the Norge is *far* more interesting to look at than the K12 (maybe not the R12, though ;-) As for the Goldwing... well, that's just a whole 'nuther beast altogether... not even worth comparing. Sort of like comparing an Audi Allroad to a Winnebago. Anyway, it seems to me that Guzzi fans have been waiting for a proper sports touring bike from them for many years, and now they have it... and it looks quite fine when compared to other bikes in that niche. Would I trade my V11S for it? Nope. I would love to add it to the stable, though...

I'm a big fan of that bike. I wish I had the cash for one. I know... maybe I'll trade in the MINI for it. Carrying capacity is about the same. I wonder how the Norge handles in the snow...

Yeah... setting up a wireless network at home, but not properly securing it can be a bad thing. A while back, I recall reading a news article about a guy that was arrested in Cananda. He was pulled over for erratic driving, and when the cops stopped him, they found he was naked from the waist down... and had a computer. Turns out, he was randomly driving around looking for unsecure wireless networks (or, "war driving") and when he found one, he would start downloading child porn. So, if someone is using your unsecured network to download this sort of material, they can track over the network all the way to your house, but *not* to the person who was parked on the side of the road in front of your house. I would hate to get that knock on my door and have to try and explain it... Sometimes the security aggrivates my wife - like when she was sent a replacement laptop from work and couldn't use it to get on the internet until I "turned the right knobs" to allow it. She thinks I'm paranoid, but I've worked for large network providers for a number of years, and I've actually had to work with Customs agents that had subpoenas to track down perverts like the Canadian... I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Ahh... thanks, I haven't seen the DAS Mototec bars before. I just looked them up, and they look pretty nice. Not so sure about the 400 Euro tag though... glad I don't need them! It looks like Woodcraft and Pro-Flo may have bars that will fit the V11 as well, but these bars have no rise at all... so they will be quite low once mounted. They may work, though... we'll see. Contrary to what it looks like on this board, not everyone wants ape-hangers on their V11!

If you're talking about the same bag I have, all you need to do is loop the strap under the back of the tank, and then buckle it to the bag. No need to unbolt the tank...

Hi everyone - I'm trying to help a friend find a set of lower clip-ons for a V11 Sport. Does anyone have any experience with a suitable solution? I've got a lower set on my bike, but they came with the Magni kit... not sure if the bars would be available seperately or not... Thanks!

As my cornering skills on the V11S improved and I got faster, I began to notice some pretty scary sensations when corning. I guess it was "push" or "understeer" that I was detecting... just sort of felt like the front tire was losing traction and going wide in the turn. Scary. So much so that I pretty much decided I was going to get rid of the bike if I couldn't sort it out. So, I read Todd Egan's write-up on tweaking the V11S suspension (which can be found here) and subsequently had an email chat with Todd. This convinced me to give it a try. Note that his tips not only suggest damping adjustments, but also raising the forks up in the triple-clamps a bit. The difference was night and day. It was like a completely different bike! In fact, the week after I made the change, I was on an unfamiliar road and found myself going into a downhill switch-back "way too hot". I lremember leaning on the bars and yelling "OH SHIIIITTTTT!!!" as I went through the turn. Remakably, I made it through with no problems (other than a pucker mark on the seat). I'm convinced that if I would have taken the turn a week earlier with the stock suspension settings, I would have crashed - no doubt. So, if you haven't seen it yet, check out his article. It sure helped me!

Does anyone know if the deep sump shown on Raceco's site is the same as the Moto Spezial one sold by MG cycles? Here's the Raceco one: http://www.raceco.com/engine.html#Anchor-49575 Hard to tell from the photo, but they look pretty similar to me. Thanks!

I'm a fan of the Aerostich "triple digit" rain gloves. You can wear them over any glove you like, and they pack small. EDIT: forgot link: http://tinyurl.com/ooffj

If this thread gets any more off course, Amelia Earhart might start posting here too. Sounds like we all just need a little more

Nice! I've had all sorts of delays, but I'm hoping to get my V11S back on the road this summer. Next step for me is to send the heads off to Mike Rich for his magic. Also planning to go with his Ti pushrods and hi-comp pistons. So far, I've got carillo rods, Raceco aluminum timing gears, the 620x10 cam. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do about the ECU... I'm considering either Cliff's My15M, or taking the bike to Doug Lofgren to do a FIM reflash of the stock ECU. I've thought about a PC (I have one on the Monster) but that won't let me adjust the timing. No real HP goals (triple digits would be nice, but I'm not counting on it). I'm just hoping to get about as much out of it as I can, but still keep it suitable for daily street riding.

Didn't want to hijack the previous thread any more... Pierre, the RR3 should be interesting... what else do you have lined up to go along with it? I'm assuming this is for the Sporti? __Jason

The only reason they stopped making them is because nobody is asking for them. What they indicated to me is that if they got a request for a batch, they would make them. Just have to keep that in mind... if a few folks decide they'd like to get one, a group buy might make them materialize. I would suggest calling MG cycle first just to make sure they don't have any. I know Mike Rich doesn't, and it seems those are the 2 main stops that were distributing them.

BTW, a few weeks back, I bought a 620x10 cam from MG Cycle. I think it was their last one, and perhaps the last on the planet. When I was searching for the cam, I called Megacycle directly, and all they had in the x10 were like 3 or 4 rough billets. If someone were to place an order for the lot, they would finish making them, but as it stands now, they have no plans to make any more 620x10s. I'm pretty sure when I called MG, they told me that they only had 1 left. And according to Mike Rich, the 620x9 is hotter than stock. I think you were right about it having higher lift. John Tavolacci (I can't remember if John is on this board or not?) has the x9 in his Rosso, and for those who haven't seen this yet, there is a write-up and dyno chart here : http://www.guzzitech.com/JTsRosso-PtII-John_T.html

Titanium interests me because it won't rust like carbon steel, but it is stronger than stainless steel. The fact that it weighs something like half as much is just an added bonus. Ti is good for strength-critical applications where stainless normally isn't recommended - like brake caliper bolts. BTW, a friend of mine recently pointed me to this site: http://www.poggipolini.it/ Go there an download their catalog PDF... it's like fastener porn!

This topic has me intrigued as well. I also spent some time online looking for info on these tires, and there is virtually none to be found. All I can surmise is that these tires have been around for a while now, but they only seem to be available for LEOs. Which begs the question.... why? If they were the best thing since sliced bread, why wouldn't they make them available to the general public? There must be more to this. Some of the info I found indicates that the main purpose of these tires is to simply stay on the rim in the event of a blowout, allowing you to safely come to a stop ASAP. Other things I've seen indicate that they may be good for 100 miles at 50 MPH after a flat. These seem to contradict one another a bit. I've also seen mention that because of the secure fit, special rims may be needed. I don't know how true that is. My biggest concern is the handling characteristics. Are they really suitable for sport bikes? More info would be nice, but as I mentioned before, I find it odd that these haven't been introduced to the general public, especially considering how popular runflats have become on cars.

And my suspicion is that they will feel quite shit when inflated as well... I'd love to hear some first-hand experience.

I've never heard of run-flats on a motorcycle, but I have used them on my MINI. I don't know if the technology is the same or not, but on the car they are heavy and provide a very harsh ride (read: I hate them). I would be skeptical of them on a bike. I can understand cops wanting to use them, as durability and puncture-resistance are probably key factors. My bike is less of a "work horse" and more for pleasure, so any tires I put on it would have to suit my purpose. Of course, if you say you can get them for free... I'd go for it, and let us all know how they perform. Worse case scenario is that you pull them off a week later and put some traditional rubber back on the bike. __Jason

What about titanium? http://www.yoyodyneti.com/category.aspx?categoryID=2692

Ugh... terrible story! Did the cop laugh when he tried to blame it on you? BTW, I'm also curious how your Rossopuro sliders worked out, and what (if any) head damage you sustained. Are the sliders replaceable? Glad to hear that you personally made it through OK!