Scud

The Vitpilen 401 and 701 look like a lot fun. My local dealer can't wait to get them in stock. I'm gonna have to test ride them both just for the helluvit. I'll watching for a demo day. Very exciting to see Husqvarna with a true street bike. I can say with certainty that the 701 motor is fabulous.

I rode about 200 miles, mostly street, on my 701 Enduro this morning. There's snow at about 5,000 feet here. I wanted to go up Palomar Mountain on a dirt road from the North (hoping to get a little snow ride), but the gate was closed about 1/3 of the way up, so I turned around. I explored a few offshoots, looking for a way around it, but the roads ended. So I went to the desert instead. Today was my test of the steering stabilizer that I installed last night. I'm glad to say that it works great on rocks and sand. It also steered my right into Mom's Pie Shop in Wynola where I enjoyed this hot Chicken Pot Pie. This pie shop is about 10 miles from Lake Henshaw, site of the (annual?) San Diego gathering. I was also testing my Giant Loop Great Basin saddlebag on the 701 in anticipation of some future offroad touring. I loaded it with tools and various other heavy items. And still had room for two frozen pies. Chicken, and Apple Crumb. Still frozen solid when I got home. A great day, even though I missed going over the mountain on the dirt road. Next up for the Husky: install the "dongle" that permanently disables the rear ABS, then think about using Tubliss system and what tires to go with it. (cross-posted to WildGuzzi)

Docc re-posted a pair of my photos. The one with the yellow protractor was from the first batch, which we rejected. The one with the Dremel was from the second batch, which I trimmed. 36 pages of fun....

Sorry Jim. I measured a bunch of springs, but not all of them. All the spring I measured were above 15 degrees, but less than 30. They gave me a pretty large +/- for their manufacturing variance on that angle. I am not impressed with the manufacturing and would use a different company in future. I know it was a very small job, but gosh... it's called Jones Spring Company. All they do is make springs. I believe we are going to be OK though. The spring as specified, does not reach its full safe travel. Compare this to the original spring, which was going well beyond its safe travel. I don't recall the exact numbers, but I know we had some safety margin on that angle before reaching the maximum. The numbers are back there in this conversation somewhere. We also have over 1,000,000 cycles on a test spring. Hey Chuck - did you keep that poor, abused spring? What is the angle on that arm after all those shifts? Has it fatigued and reshaped at all?

If you decided to re-seal it yourself, here is a link to a thread about how to do that: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20021 Whether you repair or replace, it would be good to add the supplemental transmission brace / bracket from top of tranny to frame.

As Docc says, the wrong tank could create some work. For ease of installation, you might narrow your search to a tank with the pad - because that will require an external fuel filter and pump (which you have on your "leftover 2002"). If you change to a tank with internal filter and pump there will be a fair bit of electrical and plumbing work. You'll have to buy the special connectors for the fuel lines - and a different electrical connector for the tank. All do-able, but I think a bit of a hassle unless you really want an internal fuel pump.

Hmmmm Green tank on a black frame and black engine. Maybe instead of different tank you could find a Green tail section (mounting is slightly different, but workable, I think).

It's not overkill for a gaggle of guzzis on a spine raid...

Haha... the Staburags ain't goin' anywhere. I wonder if it could also be used on the V11 transmission input hub? That's one of the recommended spots on the BMW bricks.

Love it. Three red Italian valve covers. For those not up-to-speed on the Husqvarnas, that 310 is from the Red-Head years, the last Italian-designed Huskys (from the MV era).

I'm glad you mentioned that. It reminds me of a common failure point on the BMW K-bikes. Their alternators are bolt-in units, like car alternators. But they are not belt-driven like cars. Instead they are driven by a splined gear with rubber inserts, which they affectionately call "Monkey-Nuts". When the splines break, there's no more battery charging. I am definitely going to open up and service my cush drive at the next tire change.

Welcome GT - That's a fun story. We'd love to see pics when you can. And it is a very good idea to park a Moto Guzzi V11 next to a Husqvarna.

MartyNZ alerted me to this thread about the cush drive and has drilled out the rubber pucks. He can probably say more about it, but here is a link to the thread: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11820 I'm going to do this at the next tire change. The wheels look great by the way. Looks like the tires are already on, but next time, you might think about using angled valve stems for easier access.

Stick has one for sale in Mass-a-chew-chits, It's listed on Wild Guzzi. http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=94844.0

The Staburags is a grey paste that you have to brush on. It's incredibly sticky. I've never used the Wurth product, but from Chuck's photos it looks totally different than the Staburags. I've been using the Bel Ray Waterproof in that area, but sparingly. Like Phil explained the only grease that matters is what's between the splines, or what covers an area to prevent corrosion. Copius application just makes a mess that attracts dirt. Or worse... flings onto the wheel... or even migrates onto the tire tread.

Yeah... I think we could swap stables for a month and both be happy.

Hey Gio - I opted to let my K75s go recently. It was a good machine, super-comfortable, and a surprisingly good performer (if you keep the revs up). Good luck with the sale - that's a nicely set up bike.

The V85 isn't going to be available for while. In the meantime, I bet a Moto Guzzi Stelvio could replace the Tenere and Griso, leaving you with the V11 Sport for half-day fun rides, the Beta for serious dirt duty, And how about that Husqvarna Terra? She fits between the Beta and the Tenere or Stelvio.

I'm gonna ride this every day till it sells.

I got the Staburags stuff for my BMW splines and have used it on the driveshaft couplings on the Moto Guzzis too. It's so sticky that it comes with a little brush for application. For inside the drive hub, I've been using Bel-Ray waterproof - same stuff as I use on the axles and pretty much everywhere else that needs a dab of grease.

Status report: 77 springs sold, which is enough for me to recover the money I spent up front. Still have about 80 left and will post an ad over on WildGuzzi soon.

Welcome amstaf... Good luck with the sell vs keep decision. I guess we'll get to see a bit more the bike either way. I think the 1200 Sport is an attractive bike (but only in Black). They don't come up for sale too often, but when they do the prices seem reasonable. The 1200 Sport would seem to fit nicely between the Griso and the V11 Sport - in several aspects, such as handling, styling, riding position, etc.

Yeah, the Ducati ST3 has assumed the commute duties, which were previously mostly done by the BMW K75s. Commutes are much more fun.

It's a very tall bike. Husqvarna lists the seat height at 950 mm (37.4 inches). But remember, that's on a soft suspension that compresses a lot with the rider. At 6" 0" and 32 inch inseam, I can touch both feet, but usually lean to one side (the uphill side) and put only one foot down. For comparison, the seat on my TE 450 is even higher at 38.6 inches. The only way to know for sure is to try it on. The 701 is basically a KTM 690, except for the fact that is good-looking, and is more street-friendly due to some suspension and engine differences. But maybe you could find a used 690 that someone has lowered a bit. The Suzuki DR650 is lower, and there are some engine and suspension upgrades available. I seriously considered the "bush pig", but I didn't want to get into another project. And look at these interesting numbers... Husky 701: 320 pounds, 72 HP, 54 lb-ft. DR650: 324 pounds, 43 HP, 40 lb-ft. The Husky's fuel injection is perfect - and required no fiddling when I replaced the stock muffler with a Wings slip-on (saving 6 pounds). It has normal, 6,000 mile service intervals (vs 1,500 miles intervals on my TE 450) and uses standard, disposable paper air filters (no messing with foam filters and oil and solvents). I believe all of this is also true for the KTM, in fact, the Husky uses KTM oil filters (no surprise). Can you get a Street Legal Beta 300 in the UK? We can't get license plates on new 2-strokes in California.