Lucky Phil

Audiomick will get this classic Fred Gassit. Not sure about everyone else. https://fredgassit.tripod.com/#1

Because it's modern engineering. Very few engines these days use gaskets because sealants do a better job. Metal to metal with sealants means no gasket compression over time, no gasket failures and less parts to assemble and manufacturers save money. The Guzzi engine is a transition engine between gasket and no gasket engines. Ducati twins haven't used crankcase half gaskets for over 30 years. Removing the gearbox cover is no problem as there is a built in leverage point to pry it off. It's an engineering evolution. BTW the original Guzzi BB rocker cover gasket is a PITA and fails regularly. Use a later metal core gasket. Same for the front cover gasket.

https://woodcraft-cfm.com/collections/shaft-brake-pedal-parts/products/08-7899a-eccentric-folding-toe-peg-assembly-silver

Like said it's been a reccent topic of conversation between the wife and myself and we have actually done a survey when driving recently. It came up because on the Supra forum people whinge incessantly about the wind buffet when driving the Supra around with the drivers window down. You can buy a simple stick on device to eliminate it but I don't need one because I never drive with the windows down so I kind of got interested in how many people do and it went from there. The sunroof and rag top thing I've had for 30 years or more though.

Well not really because they even drive around with the window down on days that don't require A/C and in very late model cars. If they were all driving old beaters I may take your point. Phil

Rag tops are a PITA as far as I'm concerned and once cars became airconditioned they became totally redundant like sunroofs. A convertible in this country means having some sort of sun protection when driving for a start and working your way through the trafficked suburbs to the nice driving roads is horrible experience in a rag top. Surrounded by massive SUV's and trucks and exhaust fumes etc. Who wants to be exposed to all that getting to the nice roads. Even our local rural roads these days are infested by big dirt trucks depositing half their load all over the scenery on the way to where they dump it. My Supra has no sunroof and A/C of course to provide a comfortable environment insulating me from the sun, outside noise, dirt and dust etc. I can't believe these days people drive around with the drivers window down. I was discussing it with my wife on a drive recently and we noted about 20% of drivers do it. Why I have no idea. To confirm my feelings I drove for a few klms with the drivers window down in a Sports car even and it was not a pleasant experience consisting of traffic and wind noise and a lack of A/C effectiveness. I still can't understand why 20% of people do it. I've also owned a few cars with sunroofs which never get used. Open a sunroof and all you get is wind noise and lack of A/C efficiency plus they reduce headroom significantly. I think sunroofs and convertibles are more about "other things" of the mind than a genuinely enjoyable driving experience. If I want a raw travelling experience and be totally immersed in the riding environment then I'll use the bike. Phil

You can buy the exact same stand specifically for the V11. I have one myself. I also have a race stand for suspending from the front or rear of the frame. Phil

Thats Motogp these days. WSBK is heading there tyre wise though. At the Phillip Island round this year about 3 weeks before the event Pirelli the tyre supplier announced that their tyres wouldn't make the full race distance and both main races would require a mandatory pit stop. This totally ruins the whole meeting turning it into 5 sprint races with confusing minimum pit time requirements and disadvantages riders that can conserve tyres and come on strong at the end of the race. Even the riders after a day of practice were saying they had zero issues with tyre wear. Money, technology and stupid officialdom and manufacturers fearing litigation no matter how remote rule racing these days.

The hairy bits won't have any influence on the feel of the tyres Mick. Phil

Vinales only performed because his front tyre pressure was illegal. Same as other riders in previous years and have gotten away with it "sometimes" due to the one time only get out of goal card for previous seasons. Thats how stupid MotoGP is getting. Start with slightly lower front tyre pressure and you can go from a mid packer to the rostrum and even win as Bastianini did in Malaysia 2023. Out of the blue win due to front tyre under pressure. When you see an out of the box performance don't go celebrating until the race pressures have been reviewed. KTM have got a hide whinging about the infringement as well as they gave themselves an unfair and major advantage but were caught out and Vinales penalised as he should have been. same as starting with a bike 10kg under the minimum weight or with a litre or 2 of extra fuel, big advantage. What we now have is F1 on 2 wheels unfortunately. It's all about the technology little to none of which translates into better road bikes. They went down the aero path instead of the electronics path. Aero is pointless on a road bike but electronic suspension and dynamic control is a major leap forward whose developments are slowed down due to being illegal in racing. Meanwhile money is poured into pointless aero which is what causes the overheating and front tyre wear problems. This is what happens when the "business model" considerations overrides the "racing" Phil

You're trying to set the clearances on the overlap. Turn it another 360 degrees. Phil

A major additional factor is Ethanol fuels. Ethanol is hydroscopic and any fuel dilution of the oil which happens with short ride/multi cold start cycle engines attracts additional water in the oil. People that run their engines on E85 have a major issue with this even with ultra short interval oil changes.

Cool climate and short trips with a high ratio of cold starts to miles ridden is your issue. Buy an oil dipstick temp gauge and monitor what your oil temps are during your normal riding regime. You may need to cover the oil cooler to get the oil temp up and burn off the water the oil accumulates in your riding situation. You do need to get this under control or it will wreck your engine eventually. In your climate i'd imagine anything less than a spirited 50klm ride and you'll be getting this issue. Phil

I also remember seeing somewhere fairly recently that Harleys primary money maker isn't the actual products but the finance arm of the company. They are basically making bikes to feed the finance business. Phil

Like the aftermath of a indulgence at an Indian restaurant? Phil