Scud

Well, lots of foodies here. But the question on my mind is: "pretty mama, what you gonna do in those shoes?"

PJ - you can just post that same photo into the other brochure thread yourself. I bought a Scura brochure a while back. Here's one for sale on ebay that you might like to own: http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTO-GUZZI-V11-SPORT-SCURA-MOTORCYCLE-BROCHURE-MOTO-GUZZI-V11-SPORT-SCURA-/382068792512?hash=item58f5131cc0:g:D34AAOSwdGFY4R26&vxp=mtr

Thanks. I hope that topic doesn't help. That turned into a total engine rebuild. But the noise in his video and subsequent descriptions are similar to what I hear. The sound definitely keeps pace with the RPMs. I started this engine before I removed it from the wrecked bike. But one of the headers was both badly bent and punctured so it sounded horrible. I might not have picked up on a more subtle noise at that time. There was no metal in the oil when I originally drained it - so I assumed I had a good, complete engine. And did I mention it idles really well... and I really want to ride it... What to do next? I could put an external oil pressure gauge on so I have more info than just light on/light off. If pressure is too low, I can shut it down. If pressure is good, I could let it warm up to operating temperature and see what happens. Any risk in that?

Was that RAM kit for 6-speed, including the input hub, or did you have to use a modified 5-speed kit? I'm asking because the 6-speed kits are no longer available from RAM (unless something changed recently that I am not aware of). My Scura has a new RAM clutch and I agree with your assessment, although you describe a greater degree of difference than I notice between it an my LeMans with the standard clutch. But I agree that the clutch pull effort is way lighter. The RAM uses sort of a flat spring, but the standard uses 10 coil springs.

Chamberlin started a thread a while ago with lots of ads. It's in the Fileshare section. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18360

I checked the valves and they were tighter than I wanted them but within acceptable ranges. I loosened them slightly to .008" Intake and .010" Exhaust. Still have a knocking sound - much louder and more metallic than other engines. There was some clean oil in each head, but it was only a little - the inside of the valve covers were still clean and dry. I only ran it for a few seconds in the garage - and I did not ride it. I started wondering if I put the pistons in backwards, but I am certain that the side of the piston with the indent is aligned to the intake valve. It idles very smoothly, just a bad metallic knocking.

Like that ad says: "...the Scura's matte black and carbon fiber are, simply put, works of art." Some people will never understand art. Knew that about the production, but had never noticed it in advertising before.

That's an unusual ad, because the Scura is a 2002 model and the Rosso Corsa is a 2003.

Very pretty, but what are we gonna eat?

You mean the porkchops? Stilettos sounds more "attractive." I looked at those too. At first I thought they were from a Sport (like a 1996 or so), because of the big hole. But on closer look I think they are the original cast part with the hole cut out and the balance of the casting also smoothed. Probably shaved another 6 ounces there... I like the red on your sliver sport Docc. I wouldn't change it. I wouldn't even put black ones on my Scura.

Ouch. Glad to hear you had on the appropriate gear to minimize injury. Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

I see fly and ride largely as entertainment. A long trip on slab will wear a flat spot down the middle of the tires, which is no fun. Over the years, most of my bikes have come home in the back of my truck. But as counterpoint, my one motorcycle fly and ride ending up being super cost-effective. I found my K75s for $1,600 near Oakland, CA. Flew up at customer's expense, bought the bike, worked in San Jose next day. Rode to Sacramento for overnight and meeting next morning, then rode to Lodi for afternoon meeting and another overnight (a bit further South and closer to home). Then a lovely pass over the southern Sierra Nevadas as a "reward" for all that slab riding. All my expenses were covered by clients and I netted about $400 in mileage reimbursement, which was less expensive than comparable flights and rental cars for my customers - and brought the net cost of the bike down for me - and brought the fun-factor of the trip way up - and burned off the rest of the aging tires so I could put on some fresh rubber. The timing on all that was fortuitous, and I'm not sure I could "engineer" something like that again. ...and round-trip bike shipping to an over-crowded event? Don't get me started...

I'm "sure" I set the valves correctly too, but I've been "sure" about lots of stuff that turned out to be wrong. I'll check the valve adjustments again. The motor had sat for about 2 years. Maybe a lifter was a little sticky when I did the adjustment and running it a bit has loosened it up... stay tuned. And to keep life interesting, the smoke alarms went off in my house at about 5:30 this morning. Of course, I imagined a burning garage... but it looks like maybe I just need to replace all the 9V batteries in the smoke detectors.

Shipping a bike for $400 really is a bargain. I did a fly and ride once for a bike (San Francisco) and once for a truck (Idaho). In both cases I was able to combine it with business travel so it saved time and money - and added some adventure to the trip.

Two whole weeks with no wrenching... what's a guy to do? Update on the fuel pump. I got a new one, the same aftermarket unit that MG Cycle sells. But nothing happened... took it off and connected it directly to a battery... and just a click, no pumping. So after seeing two pumps leak, I had a faulty new one. Remembering what Marty said about seals being restored after soaking, I tried the old pumps on the battery. viola... they work and they don't leak anymore. So... I put the less-used of the two pumps in. But that makes me a little nervous. I don't like the idea of something that previously leaked gas. No disrespect to Marty... but I'd feel better with a second opinion, and I don't mind getting another pump if that's the right thing to do. So, after all that fuel-pump fussing she fired right up and the oil light went out almost immediately. First breath she's taken in several years. But... she's a bit noisy. Here's a video. Does anybody recognize this sound? http://vid1128.photobucket.com/albums/m492/timscudder/Champagne%20LeMans/IMG_6149.mp4

I had the crumpled frame from my parts bike in my hands, but didn't weigh it (and it's too late, because it's already gone to the recycle yard). I estimate about 30 pounds of steel. Then there are three (front, lower, and tail) steel sub-frame assemblies, which are quite heavy. And is the custom swingarm titanium too? The steel swingarms are heavy. How else to lighten it? no headlight, no turn signals, no mirrors, no tools, no airbox or filter, minimal wiring (carbs, not fuel injected), probably a lithium battery, no padding on the seat, no pillion seat or pegs... the weight of the missing stuff adds up pretty fast.

+1 more... and I see the side stand is down. Hopefully this means it was hit while parked and you were not on it at the time. Let us know when you can.

Wow - thanks for posting the link to the article too. The biggest weight savings are probably due to the titanium spine frame, the exhaust, and the wheels. Can you imaging making a chain drive Ducati 1098 rear wheel fit the stock Guzzi final drive?

I bought the one from GuzziTech a while back and installed it in the LeMans, which has a smaller, plastic bucket. It was easy to plug in, but difficult fit inside that small bucket. It would fit easily in the larger, metal bucket. The light is still doing great and shows no signs of overheating so far.

Finally snuck in a couple short rides this weekend (been away a lot recently). Yesterday while riding the Scura, I spotted a black Moto Guzzi California. And today, while on the red LeMans, I spotted a red Griso. Two color-coordinated Guzzi crossings in two consecutive days. What are the odds?

Are you going to connect the speedo to an always-on power supply? I didn't do that that and my GPS Speedo has to acquire the signal every time the bike turns on. With the constant power, it remembers the last location. It won't read the speed, or allow the trip meter to be reset until it locks a signal. So I if I ever get in there again I will want to connect to constant power.

Oops... so I see from re-reading the last page. So now I am wondering if the pistons are working evenly. If one piston comes out faster than the other then one pad will push the rotor into the other pad - which will bend the disc over time. Maybe a deep clean, rebuild, or replacement of the caliper is in order. Single piston calipers are laterally self-adjusting (they ride on greased pins), but two (and four) piston calipers are fixed in place - they rely on equal operation of the pistons.

Stew - if the rear rotor is warped, I think the best solution is a new rotor. But if a new rotor is not in this month's budget, and you can see that a couple washers will bring things into closer alignment, I can't see the harm in that - especially if you don't use the rear brake much.

Clutch rattles like a Scura... crinkle paint bubbles and peels like a Scura... has an engraved *SXXX* production number (S375 in my case) on the top triple clamp like a Scura... I'm not sure that we can rely on Moto Guzzi to keep impeccable records... and then for those records to be accurately assimilated into Piaggio. But my greenie and LeMans both showed up correctly.

I just went to the Piaggio "recall" page and entered the VIN of my Greenie. The description indicates that it is green. http://static.piaggio.com/recall/form-piaggio_en.html