Scud

So... looks like a low (or no) speed drop on the left and some normal wear. That thing on the tank looks like the paint came off and was poorly re-painted - maybe from removing a knee-pad. I think the trip-meter can be repaired for about $100. That still looks like a good value to me - but it would have been a "steal" without the little cosmetic issues. You've bought several bikes. Sometimes the buying decision is as much about the previous owner as the bike. If the PO is pointing out all the flaws, that's a good sign. All the V11 tanks are made of the same material and potentially vulnerable to swelling due to ethanol in fuel. Several people have sealed the tanks on the inside. I keep thinking I should do that on mine.

Thanks for the update. This means that anyone could install the RAM 5-speed unit in a V11 if they have the correct transmission input hub. Good to hear your bike is sorted.

The manual referenced a "special tool" to remove the pin - but I was able to push it out with my finger after removing the clips. I watched some videos about removing piston rings by hand - but when I tried it, it seemed like a bad idea. So I'll get a ring removal/installation tool. Clean pistons on the horizon... On the clips... they came out easily and seem in good condition. So it's "recommended" to replace, but what really happens? Those of you who've done this - do you re-use the clips?

All the problems with various models seem pretty infrequent. The most notorious is the exploding flywheel from the Scura - while low-probability, the damage is catastrophic. A cracked tranny case can be dealt with - as can electrical stuff. What electrical stuff are you worried about? 18K miles is barely broken in. Pretty darn low miles for a 16 year-old bike. If you had a modicum of sense, you would get a Honda ST1100. Sense is over-rated.

Well... the 2003 and 2004 bikes are probably the best sorted - but then you get the longer frame and the wider rear wheel along with it. From what I can see, the red-frame bikes are every bit as reliable. The Tenni is beautiful, but suffers from the same clutch/flywheel as the Scura - and the same bubbling engine paint as other 2002 models. It seems that the red-frame bikes are more prone to cracked transmission cases (like Low Ryter's recent problem) - and the later frames hold everything together a little more securely. If you want Ohlins and a fairing, you'll be looking for a Rosso Corsa or Nero Corsa. Up to you... but you said "help me find a green bike."

Go get the Greenie. If you want to spend a little more, you could upgrade the suspension and put a nice carbon-fiber fly-screen on it. Maybe a few farkles, like bar-end mirrors... silver rizoma fluid tanks... maybe a carbon fiber belly pan... or a smaller inner fender... How much more help do you want spending your money? I suppose you could put a new exhaust on... or an LED headlight... My Scura is all-day comfortable with the fly-screen. You don't really need the bigger fairing for long-distance.

I'm glad it was not closer to me... such a good deal. It won't last long. Best wishes. I hope she goes home to you in Portland.

Top end paint... Painting the heads and cylinders was not as bad as I feared. Not sure I got total coverage all the way back between the fins, but it was silver already, so it'll be fine. Now I could use a little more advice: I'm leaning toward removing the pistons, partly because I can see that, despite by best efforts, little bits of carbon have flaked off the piston and travelled down among the rings. Plus, I've never removed a piston before, so I am curious (and I will be better able to clean the crowns). Some questions: 1- Installing the stud (which came out with the cap-nut): I figure I'll tighten it with two nuts locked against each other - but should I use loc-tite - and what strength? 2 - Removing piston from connecting rod: I read the manual and I think I can do it, but on page M-46 it says "Remove the piston pin "C" using the special tool, commercially available." So... what is the special tool?

I sold it to another member. At the time, I was planning to put the other motor in without taking it apart. But now that it's apart and painted, this is the time to put another plate in. And you know what's funny? Your Indiana title did not list the engine number. California needs to record the engine number when they register it (which is only after I get it running). At that time, they will record the number of whatever engine is in the bike - and that spare engine came from my parts bike, which was crashed.... in Indiana...

I hope you cannot respond right now because you are at the airport. That would be an EPIC fly and ride. I would love to spend 3 days crisscrossing the mountains - or hugging the coast - between San Francisco and Portland.

My Scura and LeMans both have plates. I'm going to put one in the Champagne project. I'm keeping a little spreadsheet - and I just put your name on it. Will advise final price and give PayPal details when I have the plates. You need two upper sump gaskets (to sandwich the plate) and one lower sump gasket (although you might be able to re-use the lower gasket that's already on there). When I did the group buy before, I got all the gaskets from MG Cycle - if you call them, they will know exactly what you need. May as well buy a groovy black-face oil thermometer/dipstick at the same time. Why? Because it's cool. Potentially 6 of the 10 now spoken for - 8 if you count two in Europe, but I think those will ship direct from Pete.

Swoosh - run, don't walk, to Palo Alto and put $3,600 in this guy's hand as fast as you can. https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/mcy/6063812500.html

It might be better to pay Pete directly and have him ship from Australia. If I ship it to you, I need to charge you for shipping US to Europe, plus 1/10th of the shipping from AU to US for the 10 plates I'm going to get. But I can ship it to you if needed. I'll check back with you when I have plates in hand to see whether you still need one.

Got the block in. Now waiting for paint on the top-end and a Roper Plate for the bottom end. Based on Chuck's idea to pour kerosene in the combustion chamber to check for leaks, I used diesel fuel instead (cuz that's what I had). No leaks. But it did give me a nice opportunity to clean out the carbon deposits. And here's how the "cast aluminum" color of VHT Engine Paint looks next to original parts. It's a bit brighter than the original paint. Question - should I also clean the carbon deposits off the pistons? If so - should the rings be removed first - or is it OK to mask them?

mmmm... that's a much darker shade of green.

If the pin still fits snugly (doesn't wobble in the cover) and if it was shifting well, you could try re-installing it with some sealant, such as ThreeBond 1211 - or whatever you're going to use to seal the case when you reinstall it on the transmission. If the pin wobbles, maybe take it to a machine shop. They can smooth out both surfaces - and they can install a sleeve in either the case or the pin so that it can be pressed in again for a perfect fit. (maybe Docc could move these two transmission posts to the shift improvement thread?) [moderator edit: Next best thing, I'll link the Shift Improvement thread here]: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19547

I've decided to open a V11 dealership. I think I'm gonna make about $1.00 per hour. That or I will sell a bike for $5,000 and charge another $5,000 in "dealer prep and assembly" - like the dealers do on new bikes. Seriously - just one is for my use. I think three others are spoken for now, leaving six. I'll hold onto (no hoard) the rest and re-sell them as needed. Should save shipping from Australia. By the time I sell the last one I should have a bit left over for and a board donation.

The hollow front axle on my 2003 LeMans length is 273mm. I didn't measure the thread pitch, but for reference, the nut on the left side requires a 30mm socket or wrench (same size as the swingarm pivot pin nuts).

The Öhlins on my 2002 Scura have a solid axle that screws into the LH fork. I'm pretty sure this is the same axle as the 2002 Marzocchis. The Marzocchis on my 2003 LeMans have a hollow axle that passes through the fork and requires a nut. This would be longer than the solid axle, because the threads have to stick out to accept the nut.

Pics or it didn't happen.

ThreeBond is a brand name. I have two of their products, based on Pete Roper's recommendation. The products use 4-digit codes as product names. So my tube of ThreeBond 1211 is white, flows easily, takes several hours to cure. My tube of ThreeBond 1184 is grey and tacky and stringy, a little more challenging to apply, but cures quickly. I used it recently on my transmission pre-selector case - filled it with oil and rode it after 15 minutes. When I sealed all the cases on my Scura transmission, I used Permatex Right Stuff, which can be had in grey or black. I also have a tube of Permatex Gasket Dressing and Sealant, which is blue - and they say "compare to Hylomar Blue" on the package. I got that when I was trying to find some Hylomar gasket dressing. There is a dizzying array of sealant options. All the above I used recently seem to be improved over the red or black RTV silicones that I used a long time ago.

Thanks guys - I'm much encouraged. I sort of got in the flow with the paint stripper - but that was only because of the crinkle paint, which had to be totally removed. I'll probably paint one of the four parts Saturday and see how close the VHT Nu-Cast Aluminum paint is to the original paint.

Probably some truth to that. But I was hoping to hear something like this.... So Tom, do you recall if you stripped the old paint off, followed by prime and paint - or did you just rough 'em up and apply a fresh color coat? I was thinking about the rough-and-color approach.

Unfortunately not. Way too much on my mind, this sort of thing helps with that Weirdly, I understand that. When things get really complicated at work, I enjoy the mental retreat to the relatively simple turning of wrenches.

Thanks again. I ordered one of the "pictured" compressors so I would have the option of leaving the pistons on the rods. Ironically, I ordered it on Amazon - and my hotel in Seattle looked out directly on Amazon world headquarters. Too bad no time to visit Moto International - maybe next time. So... here's the paint on the heads, which was part of the motivation for removing them (to repaint). Has anybody repainted the heads? The fins are really deep and I don't think I will be able to get good paint coverage. It difficult to coat even the shallower fins on the engine block and timing cover. I like Knumbnutz's engine with that special blasting - but I assume that means removing the valves, which I'd really prefer not to do. It would be a moral failure to install a flaky-paint head between that candy-apple cover and a fresh, black, block. Any advice appreciated.