Scud

That's the kind of advice that can make the difference between riding home and needing a ride home. Thanks.

The good doctor has correctly diagnosed my affliction - but if there's a cure, please withhold it. This is partly an escape for me while my wife and three daughters are binge-watching the series "Gossip Girl." The show is so bad that I have to leave the house, so off to the garage I go... It's been a long time since I had a bike that I really loved the look of, AND could ride all day. I never really loved my BMW RT (although it was a very competent bike) and I put the KTM Adventure into too many rocks, trees, and other piles of debris to care how it looked. The last bike I loved to look at was my Ducati Sport 1000 but it was painful to ride. The Guzzi hits the just-right "Goldilocks zone" for me. Honestly, the "darking" of the underseat area does feel a little silly. But I nearly stabbed myself on the tool tray bolt (which was WAY to long) so it had to be replaced, then all the through-bolts from the parts I was actually trying to darken (passenger peg brackets, fender, etc.), and I had the battery tray off to get the CF fender installed correctly and what do you know... down the slippery slope, facilitated by the fact that I have easy access to a wall full of inexpensive black bolts. It's sort of a game to see how many matching black fasteners they will have. Thanks for playing. This is way more fun than "Gossip Girl."

For the rider view/handle bar area - the replacement parts are: Rizoma fluid tanks and brackets Napoleon mirrors Other darkening: Removed white "instructions" from hand switches and fast-idle control Blacked-out ignition switch Added RAM ball mount for GPS Replaced bolts: pinch bolt, fairing bracket to triple clamp (2), frame shroud (2) Painted bolts: dash (6), tank pad (4), oil line nut. Here are before and after photos:

As for making the bike Scura-er: I didn't have a clear plan when I started - just let it emerge as I went and lived with the bike a bit. I've got close to 1900 miles on it now - over 10 times the mileage when I got it. Based on the journey so far, here's what makes sense to me. There are 7 different zones: Underseat/rear wheel-well View when riding Front view Back view Right view Left view ...and the hairy-chest (behind the front wheel) As of today, I'm calling "done" on the first two. Zones 3-7 will have to wait for a trip to my local powder coater - which, in turn awaits my decision about which pieces will make the trip. Passenger pegs, kickstand, and alternator cover are obvious candidates - but I think they'll have a lot of company. The major change to the underseat area is the replacement of the stock fender with the carbon fiber unit, which I posted earlier. The rest is not so interesting, but I've been trying to cure the bike of a bad case of silver-screw-scurvy. In this area, I painted (flat black) the bolts that attach the grey tail piece and replaced about 20 other silver spots with black zinc: Battery tray U-clips and bolts Tool tray bolt, nut, & washers Passenger peg bracket bolts License plate bolts and nuts mud guard mounting bolts and nuts fender mount bolts and washers (the kit came with silver)

Seems there a lot of cross-compatible parts that, when known, can save Guzzi owners a lot of money and hassle. Google's Swedish translator says hoosk-van-na instead of husk-a-var-na when she reads Husqvarna. I have given up trying to get my other dirt-biker friends to at least stop putting the extra A-syllable between the Q and the V ...now to transition back to our regularly scheduled program... the Google Translate Italian pronunciation of Scura is pleasant. Today I got the tank back on: Installed K&N air filter (I see there has been quite a lot of debate on this issue, and I decided to go the K&N route) Removed the air intake snorkels Removed the balance of the emissions hoses and capped the manifold vacuum fittings Re-routed, protected, or otherwise adjusted hoses, wires, and the fuel filter (which was rubbing on the tank) Darkened various small bits, including the fuel pressure regulator and hose clamp As for other 12-year-old, new-bike issues: Under-tank heat-shield was peeling away at the edges - re-glued it. I noticed some cracks in the hose that returns oil from the frame - no leak yet, but I will replace it next time. Cracks are starting in the rubber that connects the throttle bodies to the airbox and the heads. I'll order those four parts in advance of the next service. The paint on the block between the cylinders doesn't look quite as good as the rest. It appears that she is not going to spare me the pain and embarrassment of the dreaded bubbling paint syndrome. I hope she doesn't hurt me too soon... just give me 10,000 miles before going all bubbly and nasty. Is that too much to ask?

I put the bigger washers on. The supplied nuts were self-locking already. Also noticed that the bracket was rubbing on the shock mount - so I bent it a little to give it clearance.

Thanks. I used the leftover emissions hose for the right side tank vent and ran it behind the starter so it drains next to hose for the left side drain. It's good to know that one is a vent, while the other is a drain. Different functions, so no T to join them. As for the manifold vents, I installed rubber vacuum caps and clamps. I got nervous when it ran really roughly at first - but then I realized it was because of air in the gas line. Runs fine now.

Thanks for the answers to #1 and the "bonus question" - both regarding the tank. I still have a T connecting two intake manifolds and leading back to where the emissions canister used to be - the plugged line in second picture. I am still looking for answers to 2-4. My intuition says to plug the fittings with vacuum caps. Are the fittings in the third picture needed for tuning or some other purpose - or should I just install solid plugs?

I've got the tank off for the first time and am trying to figure out how much hose to dispose. I dropped the emissions canister a few hundred miles ago and it's running fine. In fact, now that I think of it, I have not had a single hiccup since disconnecting it and plugging the vacuum line. It was hiccuping occasionally at idle - even stalled a couple times. (I increased the idle speed a bit at the same time). The line from the left side of the tank disconnected easily and appears to be routed as described (although I did not remove the starter cover to verify the existence of the one-way valve). Clearly, this one stays as-is and gets reconnected. The hose (stamped with "Made in USA" and something about emissions on it) from the the right side of the tank has the permanent clamps (can't be undone and re-used). After routing through a small plastic thing (which I assume is a valve and part of the California emissions system) this line simply drained by the exhaust (because I cut it from the emissions canister and did not plug it). The vacuum line I plugged from the emissions canister goes to a T-connecter, the other lines from which then attach to fittings on the intake manifolds at the heads (between heads and throttle bodies). My questions: 1) Can I simply run a drain line from the right side connecter? - or is it best to leave it open, or connect with with a T-connecter to the line that come from the left side? 2) Is there a reason (other than to make the emissions system work) that the two manifolds should be connected by a vacuum line? 3) If the answer to 2 is "no", can I remove the whole T-line and put vacuum caps on the two fittings? 4) If 3 is "yes", is there another reason to have these fittings? If no, then should I just install some metal plugs so I never have to think about them again? Bonus (aka off-topic) question: What adhesive should I use to re-attached the parts of the heat shield that are peeling away?

Thanks. I just put a higher-resolution file in the gallery. Anybody else have a picture of the place that lets you know you're coming up on great road? The spot that says "let the fun begin." Ideally with your bike in it...

Here's another attempt. My bike is a 2002. This links one of several bases that I thought might be compatible - for a 2002-2006 MV: http://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/Detail.bok?no=23429 This shows the caps, which fit all bases: http://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/Detail.bok?no=18577 I tried to contact the Driven Racing directly - but they are closed until early January.

Oh - looks like we posted at the same time. I didn't see that you had decided to pass on it.

For comparison, my Scura (which I bought last month) was listed at a dealer for $6,995. It had only 185 miles (not 13,000 like the one you're looking at). No warranty - it was on consignment. I paid the sticker price, but the dealer over-valued my trade-in and helped me with a few other discounts. To me, it was worth potentially paying extra for the rarity, and showroom-new condition. (Actually it felt like a steal compared to buying a new 2014 bike). For the Cafe Sport, in comparison to the Scura: you can avoid the future costs of a new flywheel, re-springing the Ohlins, and repainting the engine. Apparently, all those future costs to me are offset by the little plate with the number 375 on the triple-clamp. The bikes are obviously and significantly different. Rossa is red. Cafe Sport is 50 shades of grey.

Very generous of you. Maybe you could also find some matching black forks to sweeten the deal for me? Seriously - Ohlins parts can be whatever color they want. BTW - I recently learned from a Swedish friend how to pronounce Ohlins: sort of like "Ehr-leans." Put that in a sentence with "Moto-Gootsie" and the average citizen has no idea what you're talking about. All part of the fun... My goal is not to black out everything, it's more to knock down the visual clutter and focus attention on the parts I find interesting (like that silver thing by the triple clamp). I've been chipping away at replacing the silver bolts with black (zinc) bolts. Just did the lower frame mounts, transmission and driveshaft housings, and the starter bolts. Amazingly, I've been able to find exact replacements for almost everything at my local True Value Hardware store. The effect is starting to work - more pics later. I'm seeking advice on a fuel door replacement on the linked thread. I found a luscious black billet one that has a gold trim ring... to match the Ohlins bits. But I can't figure out which one will fit the V11.

I want to replace my fuel door and base with a non-locking screw-top cap. I found a nice black billet aluminum one by Driven, but neither the retailer nor the manufacturer can say which one will fit. Seems to me that Guzzi must have bought these from the same supplier as lots of other manufacturers - this can't be a custom, Guzzi-only part. Here's a link to the part I want, which shows all sorts of likely candidates from MV, Ducati, Triumph, etc. Bases and caps are sold separately, this link only shows the bases. http://stores.sportbiketrackgear.com/Categories.bok The black base and black cap with gold trim would go nicely with the Ohlins on the Scura. Does anybody know what other bikes the fuel filler housing cross-references to?

This is one of my favorite signs. I visited it today shortly after sunrise. It's on Route 74 in Riverside County, California - leaving Hemet on the way to Idyllwild and Palm Desert. Is there a special sign, scene, or other landmark that says to you: "This is where the fun starts."?

Here's how the GPS attaches to the RAM mount. Nice to have a map, clock, turn-by-turn directions when needed - and info regarding the ride - like 191 miles this morning. Finally got around to the transmission and drive oil changes last night. The only remaining original fluid is in the forks. Meanwhile the silver screws and bolts are disappearing - replaced with black ones when possible and painted when not. In this photo, you can see black pinch bolt, frame shroud bolt, and tank pad bolts.

Maybe Santa will bring you a key to his shop. I especially like the seat and am looking forward to seeing it on the bike - but not as much as you are.

Removing the battery and tray is the way to go. I had the nuts inside the fender originally and figured that was a bad idea. Swapping it was a breeze with the battery and tray out of the way. In this picture, you can also see how the fender is not mounted squarely to the bracket - because it aligns to the non-square swingarm. The fender itself would be a breeze to take off and on now - but I'm not sure why I would need to. It just seems to float over the rear wheel and I'm sure I can get the wheel out without removing it. Installing the bracket is what made this a big job. Re payment methods to Bruno at Ghezzi-Brian: I agree. I suggested he at least get a paypal account. I talked my bank into waiving the wire transfer fee - but that could be a big extra cost for some, a hassle for others, which results in no sale for Bruno.

How about a picture with the seat on the bike?

I installed the rear fender and put some more info about it in a new thread. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18833

Here's the finished project:

The Ghezzi-Brian fender didn't come with instructions, so I thought I'd document what I learned in case it could help someone else. First I put the bike on a swingarm stand, blocked the front wheel, and supported it from above with tie-down straps so I could unweight the suspension. This would have worked better with two ratchet tie-downs, but I only had one. The holes were not pre-drilled. The fender is asymetrical, but so is the swingarm. I used a square and a wide board to help me get it lined up and mark the locations for the holes. The block of wood in the fender weighted it so things would stay in alignment. I drilled pilot holes from the bottom, then the final size holes from the top. I inserted a block of wood between the bottom of the shock and the swingarm before trying to remove the shock bolt. This gave me leverage to move the shock and get the bolt out easily. A little waterproof grease on reassembly, along with the wood as a lever, made it easy to get back in. I had to ream the holes in the mounting bracket to get the shock bolt to fit. The mounting hardware is tiny (2.5mm allen wrench and 7mm socket needed). It was difficult to work both sides. If I had to do it again, I'd pay a kid with tiny hands to do it. Or remove the battery and tray to get at the fender bolts from above. If you leave the shock bolt loose, you can flap the fender up and down to get access to the screws and nuts - then position it right where you want it before tightening the nut on the shock bolt.

Fitted the Ghezzi-Brian carbon fiber rear inner fender. It was quite a bit more work than the belly pan, and I am pleased with the result. Went for a quick 30 mile night ride - and the fender stayed on. All is well.