Scud

Looks like a good showing. Love those old theaters - saw a concert in one in LA recently. Are the films available to see anywhere online?

Oh yeah, it's gonna see dirt and rocks for sure. I'll probably do all the break-in miles on the street though.

Took the Ducati ST3 for a 1,000 mile farewell tour up some minor roads to the San Francisco area... and dropped it off at GP Motorcycles in exchange for this helluva deal on a brand new (but 2 year old) Stelvio. The V85TT was so tempting... but the end-of-the-run Stelvios seem to have all the issues sorted. Plus an 8.5 gallon tank (could have used that on the speed-run home on 101 from San Luis Obispo to San Diego). And the NTX has so many nice features or accessories that you would normally have to pay extra for: Suspension adjustable for pre-load, rebound, and damping, front and rear - had the dealer set sag for me on delivery. Crash bars Luggage Fog lights Bash plate Hand guards (those would've been nice for the last 100 miles to SF in the rain last Sunday)

I never have tried one of those for stands. Do you have the factory stand already? If so, you can get a platform jack for less - and it's way smaller and more versatile. To remove the front wheel, I use the factory stand, then lift under the engine with the platform jack. Super easy and stable.

Sorry to hear about the Norton. It always hurts most when the damage is self-inflicted, huh? FWIW, an oil pressure gauge alerted me to a problem on my prior red LeMans that I would otherwise been ignorant of. I put it on because I thought it would be cool to have, along with a voltmeter. Didn't expect any useful information... just liked the idea of have some more gauges. But it surprised me with a low reading (not low enough to cause the low pressure light to come on though). Investigation eventually revealed two missing tabs on the sump gasket - installed that way by previous owner or mechanic. Anyways... back to your bike and best wishes with it.

That line enters the casting at level below where your oil lever should be - especially when on the sidestand. Therefore, what drips out of there is the same as what comes out the drain plug.

^ truth. And the vent line on my Dana 50 TTB differential needs replacing... trying to get us back on topic...

Diesel smells good... even better than used gear oil.

Step one: remove frame Step two: fill with diesel fuel, shake, then drain Step three: reinstall frame Seriously, you probably could flush it in place with some heavy duty degreaser. Maybe send some flexible wire brushes in there... followed by a small hose connected to a wet-dry-vac. Don't use the wet-dry-vac if you flush it with gasoline.

That's about what my Husky 701 Enduro cost... and also the current asking price for a new 2017 Stelvio. My local dealer has a couple unsold Stelvios, which seem like a good value compared to the anticipated "full sticker price" that the first few V85s will probably command.

Sounds like you've done this job, G. I will replace the vent line, which broke when I removed it. Spicer U-Joints, SKF bearings, and Moog for the steering components and pivot bushings. I'm using Lucas waterproof 4WD grease in the gun. And I'm going to use a fresh tube of the best sealant I can find - don't want to pull this pumpkin ever again. I had the 4 ball joints and 2 pivot bushings pressed in today at a shop. I'm pretty sure I can do the rest of the smaller components myself.

Hopefully nothing more than a clean-out and replace the axle seals, the gears look great. The old Dana 50 (Twin Beam) FWD has some peculiarities, one of which is that the axle shaft has a retaining clip inside the differential that must be removed to get the axle out... to replace the seal. It's easier to replace the U-joints with the axle out too. There's no access cover on the diff, it seals directly onto the big suspension arm in the background (you can see the grey sealant).

I got a 5 pound "silver slapper" slide hammer. It made short work of removing the front spindles from my truck. I wish I had that when I removed the V11 swingarm bearings. And here's a tip for slide-hammer use: If you've ever used one, you know they hurt - because your wrist and elbow and shoulder take the impact from gripping the heavy slider. Just twist a towel around the slider - super tight. Then you can swing it like a baseball bat or golf club. The slider moves way faster and it doesn't hurt. FWIW - it took a 12 pound sledge to dislodge the lower ball joint from the steering knuckle. Hooray for the "bigger hammer" method. And here is one of my all time favorite tools... the platform jack. I initially bought it to remove the engine from the V11, but I have found many more uses for it since. I think the Dana 50 front differential weighs more than the entire V11 engine. The old Ford is getting a new front rotors and calipers, steering gearbox, steering linkage, ball joints, springs, u-joints, I-beam pivot bushings, wheel bearings, and every other seal and bearing in the front driveline. I had to take the handle off the garage door to get it to close... at least she fits. Nothing looks very "polished" now, but I'm going to paint all the big rusty lumps before putting them back in. Seriously... remember the slide-hammer towel method if you ever have to remove the V11 swingarm bearings. It is magic.

That was my LeMans, which is gone to a new home now. I don't recall which size the oil and volt gauges were, but I would guess I used the smaller ones. For mounting, I simply used flexible metal strap from hardware store - formed into a bracket, then painted. I use a split rubber hose between the metal strap and the gauge cups.

I'm stoked with these little LEDs in the rear. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IV0PVA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 If you keep the stock incandescent bulbs up front you don't even need to buy a resistor to make the LEDs flash correctly. They are almost plug and play... but the plugs aren't the same, so you need to do a little wiring. You will need to remove the painted tail section to get at the wiring connections. From there, you can see what needs to be done to remove the signals.

Docc - I'm looking forward to the ride report. That is a seriously cool bike. While you're at it, take a look at the Ducati Scrambler series, especially theDesert Sled.

LMaynes - I just noticed the Husqvarna 701 Enduro in your signature. Me too.

Purloined - your path on the street bikes is similar to mine. Started with a 1970s Honda, then some boxer BMWs, other stuff... then Moto Guzzi. My profile list is current - except that there is also a sweet little Husqvarna TE310R in the garage. But my neighbor might want it... so we'll see how that goes. Good luck with the insurance issue.

Andy is right, you must remove input hub (the gear that mates to the clutch) before you can remove the gear stack. This means you either have to remove the engine or the transmission. I think you will find it easier to remove the transmission, since you will want to work on it on your bench, rather than trying to leave the case attached to the frame. I can't imagine how you would reassemble the tranny with the case in the frame. It is imperative that you get a good seal on all the mating surfaces - or you will taking it out again. I have the clutch hub removal tools and would gladly loan it - your only cost would be shipping. But there's a chance I could send the tools with someone to Sacramento in a few days and you could swing by their house and pick them up.

I've bought and sold a few V11s and would gladly write up a statement for your insurance company if you'd like. I agree that their initial value is too low. And I assume you are dealing with the other party's insurance. Can you get your insurance agent to be an advocate for you?

If anybody wants to bring this bike into California, I have a swingarm with the correct emissions stickers that are needed to register an out-of-state bike in CA.

Not really. They will probably be fine. I liked the stiffer clutch with the alternating springs. It's just a thing to think about while you're there - not really a problem in any way. I did find that one clutch I replaced due to slipping had a lot of wear left on the plates - and stiffer springs would have made those plates last longer.

I would replace the flywheel bolts every time. You can get the engine out without removing the front wheel, but it's kind of a tight fit. I have had good luck with the engine on a platform jack that I can slide on the garage floor. You might use new springs for the clutch. Alternate the stock springs with some stiffer springs. The guys at MG Cycle can tell you all about the springs - and supply you with new hardware for the flywheel while you're at it.

All the V11s are pretty rare bikes, but even among them there are the rarer special edition bikes. I've seen a few Coppa Italias for sale and they always ask a premium - even above the Rosso and Nero Corsas. But overall, the prices are quite low - as they are are for most bikes of the same vintage. You'd think that at least the proper V11 LeMans versions would get a little collector interest. I think the 2003/2004 LeMans were among the best of the breed. But they are just used bikes at this point. It might take a few more years for them to be collectible. I've noticed that the Ducati Sport Classics (similar years/styling as V11s) are coming down in price a bit after their somewhat unrealistic (IMHO) price run-up. But the Paul Smart special edition is still rather spendy.

I've decided to part out this project. I've had it for two years now and made a run at restoration (damn near got there too.) But I stole stuff for my Scura and other stuff for a Greenie... then I just started taking a hard look at what it would take to finish it and decided I don't have the time right now. For example, it really needs new brake rotors and the forks rebuilt... along with whatever is wrong with the engine that causes that knocking. Here's a link to the project thread - you can scroll through the see the parts. https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19680&hl=%2Bchampagne+%2Bwishes The rear wheel is already gone and a few small bits are already sold - minus all the stuff I raided for other projects - and a few wear items that I keep for future use. Lots of stuff is clearly used, but there's lots of new stuff and freshly powder-coated stuff. Send me a message with what you need, and we'll work out a deal.