Lucky Phil

You know docc I've been having a conversation on another forum about such matters and the folly of the " as an owner I shouldn't have to get involved in any way shape or form with any of the technical matters concerning my bike" It's the manufacturers responsibility to take care of that and warranty. Well good luck with that I say. You may be very lucky but when it hits the fan at some point you'll pay the price of not at least having some reasonable familiarity with your bike or car in the technical sense. People actually think in the car and motorcycle world that skilled competent dealership mechanics are everywhere and it's just a matter of a quick phone call and a visit and your problems will be rectified. What I like about the people here is everyone takes it as a fact of ownership that you need to be technically aware of your machine. When I was young paying someone to work on your machinery wasn't really an option, who could afford that, so you developed skills and knowledge. Like pre ICE days when you relied on a horse to earn your living or for transport, most people couldn't afford a Vet so they learned how to care and husband the animal. Times it seems have sent people down a blind alley in some respects. Ciao

Can you believe they fitted a downdraft Weber carb to this thing with foot long intake runners! God I thought the airbox removal/carb conversion mob we loonies but this has taken it to a new level. Ducati fitted a downdraft Weber to a few models back in the 80's and they never worked worth a damn on a motorcycle and they just gave up trying. Ciao

Worn throttle body bushes don't help accurate setting of the TPS. See my thread on re bushing the throttle bodies. I also tie wrap throttle blade fully closed ( firmly but not too hard) when I set the TPS Ciao

No, Italian. Ciao

It will only change again when you tighten the mount screws down fully Ciao

Yep Ciao

Well plenty of people dont bother changing them without an issue. It's not only about the seal but also the way the whole system mounts up. As you can imagine a slight change in the amount and angle of the crush on the gasket makes a distinct difference 3 feet away at the end of the header pipe. So when you fit up the whole system the crush gasket is designed to help accommodate the tolerances. So it will almost certainly crush maybe .5mm more on one side than the other which is what its designed to do. That .5mm can be 5 or 6 mm at the other end of the pipe. On an old system thats been fitted for years and settled in you can get away with reuse because it just slots back into it position usually but if you fit a new cross over or cans then you need new crush seals. It's not a bad idea to change them even with an old system if you have it off esp after 10 years or so. Ciao

Yes docc its a crush gasket and they always stick in the head because as they crush the expand radially and jam in the port. Together with the carbon build up it's often almost impossible to see them in there. Scratch around with a small pick or screwdriver and you'll find it then lever it out. Ciao

Once upon a time Pete before Political correctness and the "I'm offended by everything" world arrived something like this would never have seen the light of day because your mates down the pub would have told you what a total tosser you were even before you managed to order the materials to build it. It would therefor have remained a nasty unrealised figment of someone's lack of creative style where it deserves to be. Now at some coffee shop, the builder would be regaled by a bunch of Soy Latte sipping, Stoker cap wearing, designer stubble, woke shemen telling them how awesome and "super fantastic" it was going to be. Ciao

I just vomited in my mouth:) It does however serve a useful purpose, that being to any budding motorcycle designer/customizers. Here's the LOW bar:) Ciao

I'm a bit lost here docc but you could put a V11 engine in a Centauro along with the seat frame and bodywork and come up with a 5 speed V11 Sport. Forks, instruments and bevel box would be a little different as well but it would kinda look like a V11 Sport. Ciao

I remember the 70's riders deaths as well and true the organisers had a hand in it but they rolled over to the F1 crowd and did whatever they bludgeoned them into doing. The organisers never really considered the riders safety BUT they knew as did the F1 drivers that Armco was going to make an already bad situation for riders even more deadly but went ahead anyway. Ciao

20mm longer, fwd of the front frame engine mount. Ciao

Yea Pete I'm hearing ya. The wife and I plan a rural move in the next few years. Priority is finding somewhere unspoiled, with it's own character that's not going to get invaded and destroyed. Well at least for the time I'm likely to be around. Going to be hard. You should have to pass a test to move to a country town these days I recon, keep the Riff raff out. Ciao

Moneys changing everything. My friend moved to a small rural "boutique" town about 20 years ago, a 6 hour drive from Sydney. Lovely town, eclectic mix of locals, it's own specific economy, tolerant welcoming warm people and great weather. I used to go there for a break on their farm from my stressful city job. Kept me sane more than once. Then it got popular with the big city folk that sold up and moved up there. Problem is when they arrive and settle in they eventually take over the local council and destroy the original charm of the place by modernising it and turning it into a suburb of the city they've recently left. A small intimate old world architecture country town now with a planned 3 story modern building with a supermarket on the ground floor right in the middle of it. Go figure. You move to a place because of the charm, elegance and lifestyle, then set about destroying it. Cashed up Bogans. Ciao

Yea understand docc but at some point you need to fight these people tooth and nail or they'll shutdown everything. I've been witness to 2 race tracks shut down due to "local" complaints. Tracks originally built well outside of the metro area but then over the years invaded by regional developers. Same story, build a track and then have people build houses next to it and get it shut down. Everyone that enters a race track to ride or drive it signs a waiver even on a track day. The reason the TT survives is purely down to local support, same for the Irish road racing. Dangerous as hell but the racers know the risks. Even riding on the road comes in for attack periodically from the "sensible people" and we have to fight them off. Ciao

Naturally I am saddened by the death of anyone especially if they are competing in anything. I'm more than aware of what it's like waiting anxiously for a friend to come around again at the TT with my fingers crossed. However, if we are going to ban everything that's dangerous or apply a risk matrix to everything in life then life will be a colourless, dour affair. i wonder if in reality the "car crowd" are somehow behind this? As in wanting more track time for themselves and larger car numbers and have looked for any excuse to push the bike guys out via pressure on the organisers. The "car crowd" have been responsable for the deaths of many bike racers over the years starting back in the 60's with pressure on the race organisers to line European tracks with Armco. Fine for F1 drivers at the time but deadly to the bike racers of the day. Not that the F1 drivers association cared about that. Ciao

Welcome to the nanny world. Ciao

I took the V10 for a ride the other day after all my riding lately being 2 up on the Royal Enfield 650 which has quite a nice easy shifting gearbox. The ride on the Guzzi reminded me how good the Guzzi 6 speeder was shifting. Feels nice and tight and precise as opposed to the RE which is direct and has a mechanical feel but looser. I still think the RAM lightweight clutch is a giant leap forward with regards to Guzzi 6 speed gearbox operation. Ciao

Yea cruisers just aren't my thing. Nor are hyper sports bikes anymore. I mean I love them from a technical, looks and performance angle but they are totally pointless on the roads these day. Still glad they make them but for me pointless now. Getting older I guess. Ciao

Honestly docc I wouldn't know one cruiser model from the next as I've never taken an interest. When I read Dave Richardsons book I had to keep looking on the internet to get an image of all the various V11 cruiser things he kept referring to. Older stuff up to our bikes I can visualise and know something of but the V11 non sports series are just a black hole to me. Same as small blocks, all horrible it's just a matter of which is more horrible than the other. Ciao

Yes docc, I thought of that angle and hence the " All the V11 Sport/Lemans series" in my first post. Why does it need to be so hard:) Why did they call all those cruiser things V11 as well, they already had a damn name. Ciao

Thanks, my aim was to produce something that looked "factory" Ciao

It has to be simple docc cause I don't do complicated anymore:) Ciao

The simplest answer to this question is the 6 speed didn't exist until the 1999 V11 Sport. Everything before that was either a 4 or 5 speed for a Guzzi twin. All the V11 Sport/Lemans series had a 6 speed Ciao