Scud

IMO the Nero Corsa is about as good as it gets (note Marty's offer to trade for a long time...). Personally, I like the fairing on the LeMans. But I also like the fork-mounted headlight/flyscreen on the Scura. I don't care for the frame-mounted headlight on naked bikes - or with a flyscreen as with the Ballabio and Cafe Sport. So if you do want to ditch the fairing, think about mounting the headlight to the forks, not the frame. I like those Red, White, and Green wheel tapes. May have to consider those for my LeMans instead of the red pinstripe tape I have now. And that exhaust... that has got to be LOUD. I know you were looking for Carbon Fiber bits in another thread. Powdercoating is another way to have a little fun with the look - and it's not very expensive. Anyway, here are some things I've done that you could consider: Carbon Fiber from Ghezzi-Brian: Rear Fender - anything that shows off the swingarm and more rear wheel is an improvement in my book. Belly Pan - I think these look fabulous, and have basically no purpose - but they round off the big square leading edge of the engine. Delizioso. If you get one of these, put some clear ding-tape on the leading edge of the belly pan. Powdercoat: Dash panel (instead of buying new CF part), alternator cover, rear brake master cylinder cover (I've always thought those stand out too much). You could also do foot levers, fairing bracket, or any other parts that need a refresh. Your powder-coater probably will have a minimum charge and it takes a few pieces to get above the minimum. Exhaust - you could search for a pair of pipes from an '02 or earlier that don't have the front crossover. I recently found a pair on e-Bay and put them on my '03 LeMans. Bars: Fluid reservoirs - Rizoma tanks and brackets for clutch and front brake. No functional improvement, but so much more attractive than the plastic cups. Levers - Take a look at the shorty Pazzo levers. Crisp, modern look, and great feel/adjustability. Have fun!

Thanks Pete. I got some Threebond 1211 and put it back together. Over $20 for a tube... must be some good stuff. I'll wait at least 24 hours for it to cure, then recheck torque, install the oil pan and fill it up. Out of curiosity, can you explain why the gear ratios make a difference between the Sport-i and the V11?

I've got myself an oil leak at the back of the plate. And I'm talking about a puddle under the bike after I run it, not just a little seepage. I installed the plate and gaskets on dry and clean surfaces, and tightened by hand (no torque wrench). This is exactly how I did it on my Scura and I've had no problems for many miles. After discovering the leak (first time out), I dropped the pan and re-torqued all the upper ring bolts to spec (10 Nm for 6mm bolts). Still got a puddle. I see some imperfections in the bottom surface of the block, but it did not leak before I put the plate in. I can see that some oil sits on top of the plate at the back of the block - same area as the leak and the imperfections. I happen to have some new gaskets on hand and am thinking about using them after coating with Permatex gasket dressing/sealant (which is blue stuff that has to dry for 10 minutes, like Hylomar.) Does this seem like the right thing to do? Any other advice?

I'm not sure about compatibility. Since you have both bikes, maybe you could take a close look to see if the oil sumps are the same - or check parts diagrams between the two bikes to see if all the components have the same part numbers. You need to make sure the internals are the same too - because the oil filter and other dangly bits need to dip through the plate into the pan. I know the plate is different for the 4V Daytona/Centauro engine - and that Pete Roper has a few more of those available. If the '97 sport is the same as the 4V, you can get one direct from him.

Maybe you should consider investing in a small platform jack. You can lift the front while the rear is on a stand - and many other uses. I just pulled the engine out with my platform jack (to replace the clutch).

Thanks guys.

That's an inspiration. Thanks for sharing it.

Your battery may be weak at 12.5 volts - but maybe can be brought back. Here is a detailed investigation of batteries and chargers. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18838

Ghezzi-Brian has some nice quality CF bits (prices are reasonable for new, quality parts). The belly pan is excellent and easy to install. The rear fender is very small, but high quality and very effective at keeping tire spray off the shock - it's more work to mount than the stock fender, and has a kind of weird curve in one spot. They also have a front fender for Ohlins forks - but I don't have experience with the front fender.

I think you might have set the valves to I=0.10mm and E=0.15mm (.004 and .006 in inches). From what I can tell, almost everyone finds that looser settings improve things and reduce hiccuping - especially in hotter climates. There are several threads on valve settings, and I've saved a few recommendations, as follows: Factory Spec: I=0.10mm and E=0.15mm (.004 and .006 in inches) World Spec: I=0.15mm and E=0.20mm (.006 and .008 in inches) Raceco Spec: I=0.20mm and E=0.25mm (.008 and .010 in inches) FWIW, I use the Raceco specs, because that's what my Scura was set to after my dealer did the break-in service and I like how it runs.

My 2003 LeMans doesn't require a special tool - just a big wrench and some hex drivers. What are you concerned about? Can you post a picture of whatever has you puzzled?

I have a few Roper Plates leftover from the group buy I coordinated recently. Here's the group buy thread for details: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19423 Price is the same as the group buy: US$130 including three gaskets, USPS shipping to USA, and USPS $50 insurance. If you want more insurance, I'll pass through the costs. If you want international shipping, I'll pass through the actual cost, less $10 (to account for shipping being included to USA.) Send a PM if interested.

Congratulations on the new bike. All the torque specs are in the shop manual. Try the fileshare section, which has a link to another site where you can download the manuals. Brake rotors will be on with lock-tite - do you really need to remove them?

Welcome hahnda. Sweet LeMans.

Only $40 - and you can do it all through your local AAA office if you are a member. Then $40 more per year on your renewal. I've been seeing a ton of the "legacy" black plates on cars down here - especially on black cars - but I've only seen a few other black plates on motorcycles. I liked the black plate on my Scura so much I had to get one for the LeMans.

Today I put on a new license plate.

I'm a big fan of our parks - and an annual pass holder. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the US National Park Service. On this trip, we also got into Kings Canyon National Park, which is adjacent to Sequoia NP. While Sequoia and Kings Canyon are best known for the Sequoia Groves, it's a large park system that also has Crystal Cave, which we visited, and huge granite domes and waterfalls, similar to Yosemite. Bryce Canyon is like being on another planet. "The mountains are calling, and I must go." - John Muir

Big Trees. Sequoia National Park in the Southwestern part of the Sierra Nevada range, in California, boasts that it is home to the largest living thing on earth: the General Sherman Tree. It's something like 3,000 years old and it is huge... really one of those "you have to see it to believe it" kind of things. Here's a group of "little" ones. I had to use the panorama function to take the picture - you simply cannot see the whole tree unless you are very far away from it. Here's one that fell across the road in the 1930s. The Civilian Conservation Corps decided to cut a tunnel through it. I think the trunk was about 14 feet in diameter (for comparison, the General Sherman tree is over 35 feet in diameter). And here's an average-sized Sequoia. The black cavity is a fire scar, which the tree is in the process of healing over. Research into Sequoias demonstrated that they needed fires to sprout and that mature trees went through a period of rapid growth for several years following a fire. While this was predominantly a family trip with lots of hiking and sitting under waterfalls, I did a few nice rides. Here's a tasty 6,000 foot drop, along with a picture of the road taken from the top of Moro Rock. This is looking East, over the foothills that lead to California's Central Valley. Many roads remain unridden...

I haven't reinstalled the exhaust yet. I've been waiting for a set of used, no front crossover, pipes from an '02 bike - which I got yesterday. That picture is a little deceiving. The rusty ring and the next, smaller, black ring, appear to be on the same plane - I cannot even feel a lip or raised edge between the rust and the black. Do you think I should let it soak in penetrating fluid for a few days - then try again? Or is it not worth bothering with, since two gaskets apparently don't make a difference?

That's just a bit less than what mine weighed, but I think I had the bolts on the scale with it. Are you going to put that in your Greenie soon?

Maybe a lot of bikes didn't get exhaust gaskets. I wonder if that could be a factor in some coughing/sneezing. I was reading about head re-torque after new gaskets - like many things, there are differences of opinion. But it seems that some of the issue has to do with how the gaskets are made. Some materials need re-torque, others don't. I'll probably call MG Cycle next week and ask about the gaskets I got from them. I need to get a copy of Guzziology. I did step 2, but not step 1. But I did torque, loosen, and then re-torque in 5 lb/ft increments starting at 15. I'm running the valves looser than the loosest factory settings already. Retorqueing takes a fair amount of time, since the rocker arms have to come off to access the head nuts, which in turn mandates a valve adjustment. Thanks for adding step 6. With my new clutch, Roper Plate, fresh gaskets, fluids, plugs... I hope the next wrench is nothing more than oil and tires. I'm hell-bent on riding the Sherman Pass over the Sierra Nevadas on the LeMans this summer.

Thanks guys - I got it all torqued down (31 foot-pounds or 42 newton-metres), new head and rocker cover gaskets, O-rings, washers. Valves at .008" Intake and .010" Exhaust. I'm pretty sure I caused the oil leak shortly after I got the bike. It wasn't leaking at the time, but I decided to re-torque the heads during a valve check - and that's when it started leaking. At that time, I must have de-stressed one of the O-rings (4 per side around studs - between head and rocker support) just enough to cause a leak. I swear, the hardest part is getting the throttle body boots back on. But I figured out something - if you start with the RH side it's much easier. That's because the RH cylinder is further forward. With the RH boot on, the angle of the LH boot is close to the intake port. If you put the LH on first, the angle is way off and it's damn near impossible to get the RH boot on. ...and another question... since I put in new head gaskets, do I need to re-torque the heads after a heat/cool cycle or a break-in period? I didn't see anything in the manual about it.

The gasket is about the same size at the face of the pipe that it's supposed to seal - it doesn't protrude. It's fairly soft - I think it's supposed to compress a lot to make a tight seal.

Czakky - did you then use gaskets when you re-assembled? Here's a close-up. New gasket hanging on the stud. Does anybody think there could be a gasket in the head? I feel like I've been trying to remove something that doesn't exist.

It may be difficult to get past the starter ring with a magnet. If I were you, I would operate under the assumption that your Scura has an aluminum flywheel and that it is deteriorating. From what I can gather, OEM Scura flywheels fall into one of these categories: Failed catastrophically. Replaced preemptively - and found cracks starting around mounting holes. I have not heard of any flywheel that was replaced without finding evidence of deterioration. Still in use; ticking time-bomb that makes owner apprehensive and not want to put too many miles on the bike. Here is my new RAM unit with steel flywheel, next to an aluminum flywheel and clutch assembly that did 180,000 miles in a BMW K75s. The clutches use the same basic technology. However the aluminum flywheel on the BMW is attached with 12 rivets in a bigger circle. (FWIW - there is no starter ring on the BMW, the starter engages elsewhere and the flywheel rotates in the opposite direction of the crankshaft.)