Scud

I rented a BMW 310 GS in Weisbaden, Germany this morning and had a 350km adventure to the 800 year old Fleckenstein Castle in France. Everything from autobahn to two-track dirt roads... and some fabulous, scenic backroads. Good fun, although a guy on a 1200GS (at a coffee stop) pointed out that the 310 is made in India and intended for female riders. I resisted the urge to point out that my 310GS had quite a bit of mud on it and his 1200GS was spotless.

Well, it looks like California roads are out of reach for this trip, but there is some stunning scenery and fabulous roads along your route. I'm a fan of big mountains, which, IMO don't start till you get into the Western States. If it were me, I'd hit Yellowstone Park, then meander North and cross the Canadian Rockies, making sure to stop in Banff. I haven't been there myself, but it's a "bucket list" place for me. As for the Eastern States, if you have any interest in American Baseball, you could stop at Cooperstown, NY (Site of invention of the game and the Hall of Fame). The roads in the area are good fun and it sure beats fighting the slab in the NorthEast. From there, if you are interested at in American History, you could find some little country roads through to Gettysburg, PA and tour the US Civil War battlefield.. on your way to West Virginia, which is not to be missed. (This West Virginia endorsement means a lot coming from West-Coast Mountain road snob). Then I would go to Chuck's house and try to sleep in his garage and score a ride in a hand-built airplane. The Triumph sounds like fun. You are obligated to post photos of your trip now.

I ended up shaving bits here and there. Also trimmed the rubber grommets on the front end of the seat cowl plastic. It's all sad but true. The tanks swell unless you have the foresight to coat them.

Perhaps something was dulling Crosby's senses 40 years ago? I've seen him twice. Truly a living legend.

I used VHT Nu-Cast Aluminum on the rear case of the transmission and the output shaft collar. The balance of transmission and engine are original color. It's quite close, but seems to be a bit brighter and have a little more sparkle.

Sometimes I think prices like that are only to inflate the estimated costs of repairs paid by insurance companies. Maybe in 20 years, when V11s are as collectible as early V7s and the 1000S, maybe (but still unlikely) a restorer would pay a price like that for a new-old-stock set. As for now, I also have an original pair that I removed from my Scura. I agree with Chuck on the approximate $100 value for a used pair, although the asking prices for silver ones are a bit higher than that on eBay right now. https://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTO-GUZZI-V11-SPORT-LAFRANCONI-EXHAUST-SILENCERS-SET-1999-2005-LATER-MODEL/173220445003?epid=16014955460&hash=item2854be3b4b:g:3bYAAOSwXOVahICz&vxp=mtr

Ok, so two different rear drives leaked in the same way? If that's true, then what parts were not changed? Does the axle have a scratch or worn spot on it from the 30 or so tire changes you've done?

I think there are four variations on the pre-selector: Earliest: cut-through gears with teeth on about 270 degrees Next: solid gears with teeth on 360 degrees (I think these, in 2002 are most likely to have the oversized boss on the actuating arm (where the "Merican" spring coil fits) Then: Adjustable pin added for actuating arm (in place of the roll-pin that Phil mentioned above) Final: "Banana" plate added to top of gears (as picture above). I think these are only on 2004 and some 2003 models. With all those changes, it's obvious that Moto Guzzi engineers were trying to fix something. Hopefully, we have found that "something" in the form of our new spring.

I was all eager to grab a nice Scura photo on today's ride... but no-start and the 30A fuse shows signs of overheating. So I took the Ducati. Away on work for next few weekends. No more joy-rides for little while.

The Greenie has sold. New owner is a serious rider and I think will be along to join the forum soon. His first Moto Guzzi... headed home to join a pair of Aprilias.

I ran a Garmin 60CX on my LeMans without hitting the fairing - used a long arm and aimed it inboard toward the steering stem.

Having stripped two of those blocks by hand, I'd say $100 is a well worth it. But is that with the engine in or out of the bike? I think it would be difficult to get it stripped and painted in the bike... and I'll say +1 to Dave and Marty's comments above.

Leroy - you can get a RAM ball that screws in where a mirror stalk would normally go. That makes a super-clean installation with no additional clamp around the bars. Just pop out that rubber plug, I think it's an M10 thread (but that's from memory so you should check first).

From the article: "The result is a slick café racer that keeps the Scura’s best parts, and trades up its worst parts." I assume by the best parts, they mean the suspension, frame and drivetrain... and by it's worst parts, I assume they didn't know about: bad engine and driveline paint, the faulty flywheel.. etc. Oh well, there is some quality workmanship, and it is "truly limited" now. I do like seeing the spine frame since all the airbox and surrounding bits have been removed. For my time/money, I would have kept the Scura original and found something else to hack up.

HAHA - the Jones videos are so funny. But the guys at Jones spring were very decent. They just couldn't seem to get our little order exactly in spec. Install note - please pay careful attention to how the pre-selector works off the bike, with the new spring, before you install it. I didn't file the edges off the bits I had to trim down (details in previous pages). @ Stumble - I like the idea of linking to the other part. We gotta keep Chuck busy in his retirement or he will get bored.

She runs! And with another V11... was it a rally?

Cool that you were able to get a steel flywheel for single-plate clutch. Let darkness reign.

Like the old saying goes... 90% of electrical problems are carburetion. Maybe you could test running the engine with oil temperature sensor disconnected. See if it behaves differently when it thinks it's cold all the time. At least rule that out. My Greenie had a problem with sputtering (not total shut-down) after giving it some gas. It started and idled easily. Turned out that the inlet to the fuel pump was partially blocked. It allowed enough fuel to pass for low RPM running, but not enough for faster.

Commute on the BMWs. Save the Tenni for the fun rides. Then you will get to appreciate the character every time you ride the Tenni.

Need pics of racing.

Sounds like a great adventure, though I am concerned about your health if that's what you are really eating... It's a good write-up and I'm looking forward to the photos.

Wow, Ian... You've had some great, dirty motorcycles. Well done. The KTM 990 is such good motor, although nobody needs a 100hp dirt bike, although, that's exactly what makes it so great.

Ha - that looks like a fun project. A little treasure-hunting for fenders, side panels, airbox etc. The green and white is a real looker.

Zip tie will keep the boot in place. Maybe that plugged end is how the PO terminated the vacuum line after removing the emissions canister.

Yuck. That's gonna take some abrasives, not just spray and lube. The main wire to the battery has a rubber boot on my bike (at starter as in your picture), maybe you should put on boot on that cable while you're at it - helps to keep the Vaseline/DC-4 (or whatever you use) in play. What's the plugged hose?