Scud

The magic extender increases the leverage, and decreases the amount of foot travel required to initiate a shift. That's part of why it feels more crisp. It doesn't materially change the angles.

I have unkempt's champagne LeMans now. It's "in waiting" - till I'm caught up with other projects. Whattsa matter? No floor space in the living room for the Sport? Maybe suggest to your buddy that the early K bikes are worth considering. My 1992 K75s is a far better ride than my 1981 R100 was. The K bikes came out in the mid '80s. Ks are very affordable now, while some of the airheads are getting expensive.

Well, sometimes things are so obvious, once somebody with some experience 'splains it properly.

I've struggled with some of that vagueness in the manual myself. The one-page torque spec sheet in the manual gives standard torques for different size bolts. I use those when in doubt. Sometimes I "cheat" and look up torques for similar things in my Clymer BMW K-bike manual.

For a shift linkage, which has to apply forces in both directions, I think 90 degrees at rest is the target. When the linkage moves forward, for a downshift, the front angle (at transmission input) decreases and the rear angle (at the arm on the foot lever) decreases. It's opposite for an upshift. But the 90 degrees is an ideal - and as already mentioned, there are other factors to consider, such as not hitting cases, frame, and porkchops. The first time I tried adjusting the length of one of these, I was really surprised to find that it could not be lengthened or shortened while installed. LH and RH threads would have made adjustment easier/faster.

But if you disconnect one end, you can adjust the total length and reassemble. From what I understand, the shift linkage works best when it at 90 degrees to the levers. If you take the lever off the transmission input shaft and move it a tooth or two, you will change the angles. When I got my LeMans, the PO had lower pegs and had made moved the trans lever a few teeth (and made lots of linkage adjustments. It shifted well - but I've since put it all back to stock.

Two Tims on this thread... and it looks pretty good next to a Scura. But my garage is pretty crowded right now. So many great bikes for less than $5,000 out there...

You need a stronger bubble.

Following up on my earlier puzzle about the timing chain... I got it back in today, along with the upgraded timing chain tensioner... and there is a bit of a trick to it. First, the new tensioner has to be compressed by something skinny enough to allow the chain to slide by. Standard C-clamps did not work. I took all the rubber tips off a spring-clamp and it was smooth and easy. Then, all three gears and the chain have to go on at the same time. And this can be done with only two hands: Get the gears and chain all properly organized so the marks will line up. It would help if you were able keep them together after removal - but did I do that? No. When you get the cam and crank gears to start over their respective pin and slot, then you have to line up the key and slot on the oil pump. This can be done by turning the oil pump shaft with a screwdriver. If your oil pump gear has the slot close to the top the little key will not fall out. Snug it up... 150nM (110lb/ft) on the cam nut. No torque specs provided for the nuts on the lower two gears. And WOW - the chain is WAY tighter than with the stock tensioner. Special tools: a super-deep 32mm socket, and if the motor is out, you need a starter gear locking tool. BTW, the bolts that go through the stock tensioner are longer than the other bolts around the main bearing housing - so I needed one new, shorter bolt. Edit: read on to next page for even easier way to install the new tensioner.

Maybe park the V11 in the middle. Keeps things in chronological order, so you can appreciate the transitions...

WOW. She looks fabulous - factory-fresh even.

Not a V11, but a very nice custom CARC by a builder who (like Docc) paid tribute to Carcano. http://www.pipeburn.com/home/2016/09/22/moto-guzzi-mgr-1200-radical-guzzi.html# The above story says that the factory supported this effort. It's even on the Moto Guzzi corporate page. http://www.motoguzzi.com/en_EN/news/MGR-1200-wins-Essenza-public-design-competition/ Is it possible that we will see something along these lines to compete with R9T BMWs and Triumph Thruxtons? (If so, it probably won't have CARC rear-end.)

I found the fender on eBay. Details here: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19514&p=215632 Jester and I had some PM conversation as he was also interested. The fender is for the Ohlins forks, and it would not be a direct fit to the Marzocchis - the zooks take 3 screws per side and they are in different places than the 2 per side of this one. Meanwhile, Santa's elf was busy stripping the engine case.

Ya think? Somebody mentioned the ratcheting crimpers a while back; I think it was Lucky Phil. Here they are, along with some related stuff that makes me a Goots-e-lectrician: The ratcheting crimpers black/yellow handle were my recent purchase, along with a box of assorted crimp-on terminals and a box assorted size/color heat-shrink. You didn't ask, but also I pulled out my favorite wire stripper. This is an "automatic" or "self-adjusting" wire stripper. It clamps the wire, cuts the insulation, then pulls the insulation off in a clever series of movements from only only squeeze of the (red) handles. And for comparison, the old tools, which have moved to the back of the drawer... possibly never to be used again.

To satisfy my curiosity, I installed the battery (with it's freshly powdercoated tray ) Resistance from battery negative terminal to: Stock regulator ground wire: 0. This is expected, because the wire goes directly to the battery. Bare spot on spine frame: 0. New grounding point on frame (fuel-pump through-bolt): 0. This is without even having the engine installed. It uses the connection between the spine frame and the transmission. For comparison, a bare bolt on the upper triple clamp had resistance: 15 ohms, IIRC. There will be a lot more connection points when the engine is in. So this confirms my hypothesis that the frame and aluminum cases are just one big lump from an electrical perspective. However, I noticed an easy way to add a ground the rest of the way to the battery. I had previously run a battery charging cable behind the headlight for easy access and to power accessories. So I cut the negative wire, added two crimp-on terminals and stuck them on the fuel-pump through-bolt. This provides an extra measure of safety in case the primary ground works loose. I used DC-4 again (not vaseline) so I missed the opportunity to threaten my neighbor when he visited. This also gave me an excuse to play with my new ratcheting crimpers. OMG, they are so much better than the stamped steel ones. A real pleasure to use. Moto Guzzi is making another electrician... they've been doing that for almost 100 years now.

It's a 7.3 Turbo-Diesel with automatic transmission and 4.11 gears. It's not going to win any drag races, but it pulls strong. I found one with about 135,000 miles in Idaho that had a Gear Vendors unit installed. That's a gear-splitter/double-overdrive. It drops about 500 RPM at 80 MPH, which is a good fuel saver - it gets maybe 18 MPH on open highway (would be better if I went slower). I would have preferred a manual transmission, but it's not just me and "some people" refuse to drive a manual transmission. I think the Cummins motors are probably the best, but the duramax are good too. The old 7.3 will run on the high-sulphur diesel that is still sold in Mexico -and the 1997 is the last year of smog-exempt in California. Those were factors for me - not sure if they are relevant for you. It's slow, loud, and stinky - and I like it. I put a Mexican blanket in the back seat for "ambience." I'm surprised at how many comments the old-body-style Ford inspires, while the newer-style trucks get ignored.

How funny - we got pictures of our trucks in the same place, and same hills in the background. To avoid the Ford/Chevy/Dodge debate, perhaps we could agree that everyone should have a 4WD truck? The Porsche Looks like a fun toy - I have good memories of a trip to Mexico in one of those (belonged to a friend). I gave up on car-toys a while back, but I get to use the same amount of space for motorcycles, so I am much happier.

If my daughter is accepted to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo I'll be visiting frequently. She hopes to start there next August.

More play time Rebuilt forks, new fluid in damper, fresh Pirelli Angel ST, groovy new front fender, lots of little stuff like cleaning and lubricating the wire harness, playing with ground wires, new speedo cable and angle drive (the previous cable had snapped and left a piece inside the drive gear). Still haven't painted the engine... but getting there. Hopefully I can get it going again before the New Year.

Maybe... but does that Alfa BAT have a cool red frame and green alternator cover?

Tire thread... I spotted some tires in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York City last Saturday. They were sitting under this E-Type Jaguar. IMO, one of the most beautiful production cars ever. I think I see my V11's tail back there.... Also on display: Several original Vincent Van Gogh's, including Starry Night, Andy Warhol's works including the original Campbell's Soups and pastel Marilyn Monroe Almost a roomful of original Pablo Picasso's, including many pre-cubesent works, which showed that he could paint and draw realistically when he chose to Loads of other interesting stuff... and nice way to spend a snowy day in the "Big Apple."

LOL scuds spears... just send evey thing ya have, no wait that cb 350 send that... Too funny - old photo though. The CB350 was a clean 10,000 mile example and is now in the possession of a collector. I tried making that my commuter for a while, but the poor girl just couldn't get out of her own way sometimes (and I felt unsafe in fast-moving traffic). When she left, she made room for my K75s, which is an excellent commuter.

I got rid of the front crossover pipe and had the holes on the headers welded. I didn't notice any difference in performance. Later, I replaced them with a set from a 2002 V11 (no crossover). If you can't find or make the gaskets, and you want my welded set, they're yours for the cost of shipping.

Thanks Roy. I'll proceed as intended. As for Vaseline - remind away. However, MartyNZ convinced me of the value of the Dow Corning DC-4 compound. I think it has all the benefits of Vaseline, but withstands higher temperatures. Docc. By split, I was referring to using two wires, not the way the current flows. BTW, I think your "redundant" ground has probably become the primary from a current-flow perspective. Shorter wire = less resistance. Thicker wire = less resistance. Malapropism alert: "short and thick does the trick." And just so I am clear that I understand the purpose of this supplemental ground... as I understand it, the extra ground improves the charging and offers some protection against excess heat in the wire loom due to the fact that the original ground was too "long and thin." ...but there is still a problem if the battery ground works loose.

As it sits now, the bike will have two regulator grounds in parallel. 1) The original, smaller copper ( I estimate at 16 gauge) wire that goes from the regulator back to however it connects to ground through the loom. and 2) the new, thicker (12 gauge) and shorter copper wire that will attach to the same point at the regulator, but goes directly to the frame. By my simplistic way of thinking about electricity, the majority of current will follow the path of least resistance. I assume the new, thicker wire to the frame will carry most of the current now - thus preventing my loom from getting overheated. Aren't the engine, transmission, and frame basically one big lump from an electricity perspective? I mean, they have several metal-to-metal connection points. Is it better to split that second ground as Docc has done? To go from regulator to aluminum engine case, then from case to frame?