Scud

Haha, I thought about smoothing out the cast line when I got my triple clamps powder coated. Ended up not doing it - makes me feel better hearing you say it was waste of time. But you saved a couple grams of weight...

Belly Up gets some amazing big-name shows, as well as a lot of local talent and fun tribute bands. And we are gonna have to chat about those Chicago days... I love the Chicago Blues scene. Have you seen the movie Cadillac Records? It's about Chess records and does a pretty good job with the story - early emphasis on Muddy Waters. Beyonce plays Etta James... and wow.

BUDDY GUY I took my daughter to see him last night at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. All the "old folks" who were there early went to the tables with seats. So we walked right up to the stage and had an memorable "front-row" experience. Buddy even took my daughter's hand and had her strum his guitar in the middle of a song. He is a phenomenal showman and story teller. If you don't know Buddy Guy and his influence, check out his wikipedia page. At age 86, he is a literal living legend. So many potential songs to choose from... but here is one. The keyboard player and second guitar player in this video are still with him and played the gig last night.

1) if you mean the pivot pins as in your picture above, I don't think there is a torque value. I just spin them in with a hex-wrench until the swingarm is equally spaced between the plates and there is no lateral play. Then the large (30mm I think) chrome nuts lock the pins in place. 2) I think damn near none. I've seen this mounting bolt bent slightly on some bikes. Hold it against a straight-edge to test.

@FreyZI the drive looks good. You should probably remove the crinkle paint where the oil drain plug washer seats. It looks like you only protected the threads with a spare bolt. Did the paint require curing in the oven to get the correct texture? And on the swingarm pivots - this comes as quite a surprise. I have swapped swingarms and frame plates between various bikes without ever encountering this issue. If the pivot pins have different threads and different diameter smooth surfaces, that means different frame plates have different size holes, and different swingarm bearings would also be required. Like, Phil, I'd appreciate a bit more detail on this. Exactly what is the source of each part and what are the differences? Up to now, I have assumed that frame plates, pivot pins, swingarms, and swingarm bearings were interchangeable within the entire V11 production run.

The swingarm bearings are SKF. FYI - I got All-Balls wheel and steering bearings. Those were under $20 each.

I just bought a pair of swingarm bearings for my Nero. For some reason, these double-thick bearings were hard to find. Most sites show "not available" and I saw some priced at about $150 each. Finally ordered (and received) them from Harpers. Less than $100 for the pair. I felt like that was a bit high, but it was the lowest price I could find.

ac·ro·nym | ˈakrəˌnim | noun | an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word (e.g. ASCII, NASA, LASER, FUBAR, SNAFU, ANZAC). in·i·tial·ism | iˈniSHəˌlizəm | noun | an abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately (e.g., CPU, FBI, CIA, VIP, DIY, VB). GSB . . . "Green Super Beast"?

"exploding flywheel" - credit probably due to some poor soul owner of a Scura "bubbling engine paint" - any owner of a 2002 model. "spine frame" - I wonder who was first to use that? Or was it an official Moto Guzzi term? Lucky Phil Shift Extender Unbreakable shift spring

Raising the tank gave you a ton of room - you even moved the horns. Wow. I notice no hose between frame vent and airbox. Have you omitted that - or was that just mid-project?

Makes sense. Have you also heard that the European bikes came without any vent lines? In my experience, the ones that came on my bikes were loose and fell off anyway. But I think this is a better-safe-than-sorry thing. I think I might refit those lines - but clamp them to the vents and just run them so they will slip out easily with the tank.

Gauges are in place... but wiring to be done... Today, I fussed with the stock gauge cup and used household lamp fixture parts to position the little bushings where they would otherwise be on the ITI gauges. Superglue for brass cap-nut on the gauge. 80mm O-rings on each side of the gauges so they won't rattle. Last time I did this on a 2003 LeMans, I also installed a voltmeter and oil pressure gauge. Even though it was cool to have four matching gauges, they were kind of spendy and it was a real mess to wire it up. This time, I am hoping to get everything to fit inside the stock gauge cups (including the little cube inverter that powers the lights. Only two extra wires should come out alongside the stock harness - the constant power for GPS memory and the GPS input signal.

One drains liquid from the top of the tank outside the fuel door (for fuel spills and rain water). The other lets air back in the tank after fuel is spent. I wouldn't connect them. In fact, European members have said their bikes came without any hoses at all. I have simply removed both vent lines and left the little fittings bare.

I finally found a license plate frame that I like. It's a whole sheet of silicone on the back. Super tight fit, drain holes in the bottom. No rattling and no sharp edge. Probably need to get a few more...

How is that different than here?

Personally, I'd opt for a later 4-V per cylinder model. Same motor as my 2017 Stelvio, and it is a fabulous motor. Prices on the newer ones are still reasonable - especially when you factor in 10 years difference in age. From what I can tell, Guzzis at the end of a production run are generally better in many small respects than the early ones. And all those small things add up to make an overall much better motorcycle and ownership experience. If you're serious, you might take a gander at WildGuzzi.com as well.

^those posts were several years ago. I've been using imgzeit.com lately.

There are quite a few small, independent wineries in the area that are worth a visit. It's not Napa Valley quality... but it's also not crowded and overpriced. I like the little family run ones.

Here's a little preview of one of my favorite roads... I sent you a message with exactly what road this is.

I have several magnetic dishes that I got from Harbor Freight. I try to throw all the fasteners for a section into one dish - and another dish for another section.

Those teardrop holes do seem logical - and a I have a spare airbox lid that I can modify, and keep the stocker in case I don't like it. But it sure seems that the effort of expanding the inlets is a waste of time if you add the holes on the top. Some funny stuff, and some well reasoned stuff in that thread. One funny (to me) comment was - "...30mm snorkels won't supply 50mm throttle bodies. That is a no-brainer." And it seems brains were, in fact, not used for that statement. If you reason it out, a piston only draws air on one of four strokes. A 30mm intake is open 100% of the time, while a 50mm throttle body is drawing air only 25% of the time... so the math works. The purpose of the large airbox is to have sufficient volume of air already past the filter, and the bikes still run just fine with the snorkels smaller than the throttle bodies. Will I do the teardrops? Marginal increase is peak power? meh; I don't ride that hard. Smooth out a flat spot, OK. But do they make a cooler induction noise with the snorkels removed and the teardrops? If yes, then I am all-in.

I'm local and have no experience with a local rental service. But I have used Riders-Share and had a good experience when renting other people's bikes. Now I prefer it over a dedicated rental shop. I also rent my Yamaha TW200 on Riders-Share. Not too many bookings yet, but at least it gets ridden while my daughters are away at college.

^ That was my recent experience. The rubber gasket seals between the warning lamp cover and the plastic gauge cup. In. my case, the stock gauge cup was deformed, like it melted. The gasket went AWOL, and somebody had sealed the space with silicone. Here is a link to the part. https://www.harpermoto.com/gasket-03762370.html Note that the parts diagram show a part that looks different than this, but the picture at the link is what I need for my 2004 Nero Corsa with ITI Gauges. I assume it is the same for the Ballabio. I am actually trying to connect with Curtis at Harpers to buy one today, along with some other bits that aren't showing up correctly on their website.

Ordered and received promptly. Along with almost everything else I ordered. They have a lot of NOS stuff in stock, but obviously not everything. You may also need a rubber gasket that goes between the gauge cup and the dash lamps. Part 03762370