Scud

I bought one from Harpers last month.

Overall, an interesting pair of designs. The lines are bit too sharp and angular for my personal tastes. I like the monoposto look, but assume any production vehicle would have a passenger seat and pegs, which would cause some design changes. So is this kind of the return of the spine frame? Form the looks of it, it would seem that the red subframe could be a separate part. And there must be a some sort of sub-frame at the front of the engine, which is not red in this design.

I removed the stock rubber snorkels. I'm tempted to bell the inlets like Docc did. What are Phil A's teardrops?

That reservoir bracket is "adjustable." If you bend the tabs, you should be able to position it lower and closer to the starter cover.

...and the wheels bearings finally arrived. All Balls bearings were way less expensive than any other option, so worth the wait to have a roller again. Isn't it amazing how much extra garage space you need when the wheels, tank, exhaust, and bodywork are off? All brake lines replaced, and all calipers rebuilt. Rear master also rebuilt - the spring was noticeably compressed and weaker than the replacement part. New Galfer rear rotor, new carbon front fender. Brakes still feel mushy, so there must be some more bubbles hiding in there. I like how the Arashi rotor carriers match the Brembo calipers. The Brembo carriers are a different shade of gold. Now she's back on the lift new to finish her spa treatment. I'm digging the glossy black wheels - good fit for the Nero Corsa. I think open pipes are cool... maybe I'll get a denim vest with a huge patch that reads "Loud pipes save lives"

^This, plus a membership in a roadside assistance program such as AAA, plus keeping up on your maintenance covers the majority of rides. But for those odd occasions, I still carry the factory tool kit, and a small supplemental kit with tire repair, some fuses and spare relays, a bit of cash... and I no longer carry a shift spring. I've been using Ride-On tire sealant/balancer on my Stelvio. Thinking about using that on all the bikes and ditching the tire repair supplies (but keeping the little pump).

I was just looking for a taller screen for my Stelvio and found this for the V11: https://bikescreen.com/products/moto-guzzi-v-11-sport-2001-2005

Motorcycles don't attract women, they screen out the unworthy ones.

Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology.

Moto Guzzi had long been on the periphery for me. Something I knew a little about, but never really thought about owning one. So one day I was thinking about getting something a little more sporty and street oriented (I had a KTM 950 Adventure and a Husqvarna TE510 at the time). This happened to coincide with the launch of the first retro-styled Ducati Scramblers. I popped into GP Motorcycles to have a look at there was this Scura with only a couple hundred miles on it. The clouds parted. A ray of golden California sun illuminated the Ohlins forks, angels starting singing and I started signing. I got bit hard... and a few V11s have passed through the garage. This site is actually a big part of why I enjoy the V11s so much. Of course I still love the bike itself, but I also value this community. Back in the 1990s, I was going way too fast on my Yamaha FJ1100. I bought a BMW R100CS to slow myself down. If I could have a "redo" I would have gotten into Moto Guzzis at that time instead of BMWs. I've talked to a few older riders who say "I wish I had gotten into Guzzis earlier."

Is it safe to assume you've already soaked it with WD-40 or PB Blaster? You also have a fast idle lever on the handlebar. That cable goes to another idle stop on the RH side of the bike. You can adjust your idle speed there. Both idle stops serve the same function.

Personally, I wouldn't bother trying to keep the wrinkle finish on the final drive. It's far enough away from the engine and transmission that it will look fine with a different finish. Better to get as close to the swingarm as possible. On my Scura, the swingarm is powdercoated flat black (as are almost every other black bracket lever, footpeg, etc.). The engine, tranny, final drive and reaction rod are all painted with VHT Satin Black (over VHT Engine Case primer). For some reason, the final drive took the finish differently than the other cases, which is why I thought maybe Semi-Gloss would be good for the final drive. Overall, the Satin Black paint looks similar to the flat black powder - except on the final drive where the spray paint yielded an even flatter finish.

Are you going to strip out all the gears, bearings and seals from that? I have simply stripped off the old paint and used engine case spray paint (rattle-can) for a couple final drives. They came out nicely. FWIW - I used VHT brand satin black. A semi-gloss might look even better. The driveshaft collars are an easy powder-coat. Bubbles... for Champagne... I like it.

here is a clean low-mile GB500 on Craigslist: https://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/mcy/d/phoenix-1990-honda-gb500-tourist-trophy/7443300180.html

Just FYI - The black (long) framed bikes' subframes have three arms that the red (short) frame bikes do not. Two down low and going forward to the engine block, and the third, which is probably more important to prevent rotating. The third support goes diagonally from lower right of transmission up to the actual frame where the side plate mounts. And back the original problem... it looks like adding the small brace to this particular greenie is going to be difficult due to the missing frame tab. However, I've wondered if you could hack the front arms off a black subframe and modify it to fit with only the supplemental diagonal brace. The circle flange on the black frame has a recess for the cross-brace, so this part wouldn't fit as-is on a red frame. I think you would need to have the upper left mounting tabs machined down to account for lack of the recess in the red frame, then maybe add material to be sure the mounting point is strong enough. Alternatively, I wonder if a cross brace could be welded to a red sub-frame. Then you'd just need longer bolts for the frame plates. If you're gonna weld, it makes sense to put in a stronger brace on a part that can be easily removed and reinstalled.

New steering bearings are in. That's my second time doing them - it's really quite fun with the freezing of the steering stem, heating up the bearing, dropping it in place and then seeing it pressure fit. But it's a one-shot deal. If it doesn't go all the way down, you're probably hosed. And seating the races in the frame is fun. Had the lower triple clamp powder coated, along with the fairing frame, dash panel, and various brackets and baubles. Really happy with the powder-coat gloss-black bar-end weights. They were peeling a bit and now they look better than new. Test fit the Speedhuts for entertainment value. And question time... the Ohlins damper bracket is rubbing on the plastic air dam. I don't recall that being the case on my previous LeMans. Do they all do that? I checked the parts diagrams and can't find anything I did wrong. It doesn't seem to affect the operation, since the bracket only moves a little in relation to the plastic part. But if I missed something, I'd like to correct it. And another question... this one is just curiosity, not a problem to solve. Earlier in this thread I asked about removing the center of the rear wheel. I assumed it would come out since there is a huge spring clip that appears to be holding it in place. I had to spend some time with the Dremel removing powder so the spring clip would seat properly. But I found myself wondering why that spring clip is there at all. Can somebody explain the rationale behind this spring clip?

Might also get drill shavings in your engine oil since the oil breather goes through the frame.

Wheels and bar-end weights in gloss black... and two boxes of goodies in flat black...

Interesting - I wonder if somebody just got the mold or made a new one. I was disoriented at first because the house is upside down in the pictures. (oil drain hole is one top). If I had a cracked tranny, I'd be willing to give that a try.

Nice GS. Interested to see how the chops come out. My powder coater called today and asked me to swing by and approve their masking. I found a few small threaded bits they had overlooked. Can't wait to see the wheels in gloss black.

Wait a minute. What do you mean local pronunciations? Tehachapi is in California and Tonopah is in Nevada. And it would a nice ride between them.

Sorry to Laurent about your transmission, but thanks for posting it so we can all get a free lesson in mechanical engineering. In retrospect, it seems Moto Guzzi solved this problem by stiffening up the subframe and adding the arms to the block. But it could have been solved with a change to the mold for the transmission case, and changes to the final machining of the contact surfaces. Interesting. And lest we forget, this was Moto Guzzi's first 6-speed, and it was the best transmission they had ever built at the time.

Seems there are two issues: 1) leaking, and 2) structural integrity. I've not heard of a gearbox actually breaking in use. I've only heard of cracks and related leaks. So if the concern is just the leak for now (is it even leaking?), you could probably use JB Weld or QuickSteel to cover the crack and stop the leak. Then later, if you want it welded, the welder can remove that stuff.

Assuming you decide to keep the bike, absolutely get one of those transmission braces. I agree on having the case repaired. It would be a good time to renew all the seals, and check the other internals for wear. Also a good time to inspect the clutch and replace anything that is close to its wear limit. But given the 87,000 kms it might be cheaper in the long run to find a spare, low-mile transmission. Since the search might take a while, you could just ride it sparingly this summer and queue up the project for next winter. If you do find a suitable spare, your cracked one still has value as it can be repaired and rebuilt.

Oddly, they seem to aim the reader at the later V11 models, but feature a greenie with an aftermarket fairing. There are a few other desirable (to me) models on the list. I look at the old Honda VFRs sometimes, as well as the slab-side Ducati 900SS. I damn near bought an older imported Africa Twin once, the originals were never sold in the US. I've never really tried to make a profit on motorcycles - just try to enjoy them and maybe break even when I sell the ones I've improved. For Moto Guzzi, I think the Sport and LeMans badges will start to generate more of a premium and the newer models' (late 1980s to early 2000's) values will get pulled up by people who are priced out of the 1970s-early 80s models. For example, my 1989 LeMans 1000 was a fraction of the cost of an early 850 LeMans. If it goes up in value, great. But if it goes down or stays the same, that's fine too, I can still ride it. I suppose if anyone on this forum has an investment-grade portfolio of V11s it would be Twin AH. @Twin AH maybe we could get some pics of that collection of pristine and unmolested examples? You know, the results of all those "wanted" topics you've posted?