piotrek

Huh... maybe it was the ground clearance that threw me off. I have the same challenge re: seat height. The FJ-09 is probably as high as I'd want the bike to be.

Quite an ordeal. Glad it kinda worked out. This is one of those scenarios that crosses my mind often these days as I venture out into remote areas on a 9 year old OE battery. Still sharp as heck... but I know the end is near. I am following this with interest... please update this thread with your findings and your purchase choice.

As much as I like the quirky (okay... sexy) look and premium finishes, I think the brand has a crutch... that v-twin engine. The fact that they relentlessly stick to this design regardless of application... I dunno. 🤔 I was super jealous of the shaft drive though... 🙂

Work in progress. I had to loosen the RH crash guard a bit to be able to remove the clutch cover. Bike on the side stand... did NOT have to drain the oil. I noticed no sign of thread locker on the main axle threads... will use blue during assembly. I dropped the oil pump sprocket bolt in the drink... so that was exciting. 😖 Clutch basket and clutch boss show some wear marks, but actual notching is very slight. Spring posts have some wear, but again... minor. I will take fine grit sand paper to mellow the edges a bit. Best news... clutch plates, friction plates and springs are all well within spec, at >50% life left. For reference, this is at 90K km of mostly adult riding. I am going to take the shine off the clutch plates with a scouring pad, and shuffle the whole lot a little. Clutch basket drive gear play in the video below. Cushions shrunk and hardened. M6x1.0 Helicoil inserts are in place. I am waiting for 90 degree countersink bit to come in to finish up. Was going to use a plain old 1/2" bit... but I will wait an extra day to get this done right.

Next week is a scratch... hopefully will get a green light for the week of October 16. Finally saw the Transalp in the flesh at Burlington Cycle yesterday. The bike was sandwiched too close to the others for me to sit on it... but it looked taller than I imagined it would be.

Stumbled upon this contraption while out and about yesterday. Have seen the bike mentioned on here before, and saw photos, but this was the first time seeing it in the flesh. Typically quirky Guzzi design... kinda cool and weird at the same time. Fit and finish looked/felt premium. Not the most appealing ST bike out there if you're looking for value, but certainly unique. Specs aren't bad... new engine, liquid cooled at last. The S model (pictured) has a semi-active Ohlins suspension front and rear. The bike felt a bit top heavy... seat felt very firm. Elegant looking machine... not inexpensive. Thought I'd drop a couple of photos on here... ...and a link to a review by Motorcyclist Magazine. https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/reviews/moto-guzzi-v100-mandello-s-review-2023/ One member on here (@TennesseeSmith) was awaiting delivery of his own V100... has some photos of it now in a link posted... here. Would be nice to hear riding and ownership impressions.

Thanks for the write-up. The low/steady speed clutch noise has gotten worse this season. Parts in hand... I am ready to do this, albeit just a bit differently (YT video). I will hopefully have enough time left in the season to be able to pass judgement on the outcome. Will update once done.

Well... I'm giving this thing a shot. Looks like an uncomplicated kit. Got spare nozzles as you suggested elsewhere. The shark fin I can do without... so the Patrol kit is what I bought. The oiler should come very handy on longer trips. I do look after my chain... but I find it a nuisance when touring. Gonna try the gizmo and see how we get on.

It was a fairly popular thing in our parts before Covid... definitely. Not so much anymore. I distinctly remember a Ducati event at GP Bikes in Whitby ON... fresh sandwiches, drinks, free swag... and rounds of 30min test rides on pretty much anything in the lineup... the year was 2015. Then I rode the FZ-09 at the Yamaha event the next year (no free anything), and bought the FJ... 😁

Have the tears even had a chance to dry?... new BFF already? 😁 I am surprised you gave up on the Tenere... thought this was your preferred winter bike. 🤔

Nice shot. Looking forward to riding up there in the next week or two... but of course the temps will be half that if I'm lucky. I am just hoping for clear skies at this point. 😐

45-46mpg... on any 91 octane (w/ethanol or otherwise, I don't really care). Measly ~40mpg when I am in the sticks and in cold temps, running "regular"... or "gas". Consumption did suffer after the bike was flashed... from ~50mpg running 91 octane.

Sorry to hear your bike was stolen, and hope it all works out with the insurance company. Nothing you can do now, and of course hindsight is 20/20... install (prominently) an inexpensive camera on the house if you're parking vehicles on the street or driveway. Just an extra layer of deterrence (+evidence) to help avoid this nonsense in the future.

Congrats on the new bike. The Transalp seems to offer a good balance between street and off-pavement. 👍

I hadn't removed them and it doesn't seem to be covered in the service manual. There are some owners on the FJR forum who've done this. Relay arm looks very similar. I just gently pack them each winter and have found no issues. The rollers stay put once the inner race is in there. Most of the original hard grease is still on there though.

A used first generation bike (2015-2017) found in good shape would be well worth it (at reasonable price) in my opinion, BUT... budget to fix the suspension, fueling, seat and screen. (if you do find them bad... not everyone does). There are legions of owners of expensive machines who still manage to complain... and it's often the same types of things that owners found deficient on the factory FJ.

Agree... done the upgrades, feels good to ride it, and I know it very well. Is it perfect?... nope, but it's very much perfect enough.

That was an option... but unfortunately I picked the slip'n'slide route 😬. Now I know.

Yup... looks like glorious weather for you. Have a safe return home. Roads were great, except Star Lake Rd to Orrville... some pretty close moments there in the mud. Probably a good road when dry. I am heading up to Sudbury in early October for work. I will be taking the bike up there... weather permitting. We shall try this again.

The latest iteration of the CP3 had a bump in displacement, to 889cc from 847cc. Hmm... crappy fueling, crappy suspension etc... ya know, all the "bad-boy" stuff. 😏

Gonna have to check out 3 Mills next time I am up there. I stayed at the Crestview Guest House. A bit of a gamble as you never know who you'll be sharing the place with... but it worked out okay for the night.

Booked off three days for a mid-week jaunt into central Ontario, visiting the Muskoka region, Temiskaming Shores to the north, a town of Chapleau to the north-west... and the Manitoulin Island. I have not yet been to Cobalt ON (near Lake Temiskaming), and decided to visit the area after watching a documentary on the mining town. The ride included some of the better riding roads in the province, ON-13, ON-518, ON-560 and ON-129. The first day of the trip took me through the lush green Muskoka and some great roads, including ON-13 (pictured), and ON-518. @Heavy and I had a meetup planned in Burks Falls, but we both decided it was best to pass, on account of the weather. It was raining and getting cold. Perhaps another time. It rained most of the way up to Temiskaming Shores, but eased up as I came to Cobalt ON. The town has an interesting history, being a silver (and cobalt) mining hub in the early 1900s. It became known as the "Silver City". As with many older resource-extraction towns, it has seen better days. There was some renewed surveying activity in the area in search of cobalt (now sought-after for use in batteries), but the slave-labour sourced cobalt out of Congo is still a much better deal apparently. Got the FJ to pose with an old Ingersoll-Rand mobile air compressor, which is part of an exhibit of old machinery in use at the mines. Also pictured below is a rock crusher and a pebble mill right behind it. The mining museum and the underground tours were closed for the season, and it started raining again, nixing my historical trail hiking plans. I will have to visit again. I stayed overnight in a lake-side motel in Haileybury, a town just down the road from Cobalt. A dry start the next day, albeit a bit on a cool side at 7C. It was time to move west to Chapleau ON, via another good road ON-560. It rained on and off most of the way. Thankfully I had my heated jacket and decent rain gear with me to still be able to enjoy the ride. I took extra fuel just in case. It was close... probably 15km left on reserve. I am now in the habit of taking extra capacity with me when heading up into that part of the province. The town of Chapleau traces its roots to the 18th century fur trade, and later logging. This day marked the first time in a looong time that I set foot in a church. I felt uneasy at first, but then there was wood oven-baked pizza, and cold beer. The Chapleau Hub features a Pub/restaurant in the basement of a closed-down church (building now cared for with community support). The place opened at 5pm... and I was there right on time. The pizza was outstanding. Gloriously blue skies the next morning, with a refreshing 2C. I immediately regretted not bringing my OBR Adv mitts 😬. Took a photo of a CP Rail locomotive 5433, the "Iron Horse", which used to service the region. It is parked on a site of remembrance for those who died working on the rail in the area. The FJ posed with another CP namesake... a 1970s CP Rail caboose. Ontario has its own road 129, which coincidentally is also a great motorcycling road, stretching some 200km between Chapleau and the Trans-Canada Hwy. It is scenic and curvy for the most part, with tight bends and mid-bend elevation changes along the lower quarter. I took a detour (554) toward Iron Bridge. The gravel road was in good enough shape for some squirmy fun. The day warmed up to a sunny 18C, and the ride through the Manitoulin Island was fantastic. I managed to rest up while on the Chi-Cheemaun ferry to Tobermory ON (a 2h crossing), and was ready to hit the road home once ashore. I enjoyed the night ride, much of it with little to no traffic. Love the artwork on the boat. ~ END ~

I am peeling away from 11 at 169 to play a bit. I will reconnect with 11 at 518 or 124. Both options will require that I get dirty as I hop north... so TBD based on how I feel/weather when I get to Orrville. I'd like to take Nipissing up to 124, but if it's in bad shape or weather turns nasty I will take 518 the rest of the way. If that happens, I should be at Burks Falls before noon on Tuesday. Temps are indeed tanking. 13C daytime high in Timmins on Wed 😐. Hand guards and taller screen are going on this weekend. I have heated grips and jacket... all good. Warming up the following week LOL... go figure.

I will be staying in motels.

Lake Temiskaming area (Cobalt, Haileybury, New Liskeard), then toward Timmins (via 566 or 560/144), west to Chapleau and 129 south. I will catch the Chi-Cheemaun ferry on way home. There may be some gravel... I will make it interesting.