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So I went around the block yesterday. Felt good, road damp. Blew the front seal out of the case. WTF... I only replaced it because the old one appeared to be original but it wasn't leaking... I'll toss this in the bin of 'Chinese Crap'. Anyway, I'd ordered a replacement seal for shelf that came today so we'll give it another shot. I haven't put the stix on it to balance the intakes yet, but I did start an experiment in tuning- since I had to reduce idle speed, I adjusted air screws, idle fuel and spark timing to minimize exhaust temps at ~1100rpm. Original values were 6.25* timing, 2860 injector. Timing proved perfect, I ended up leaning the injectors to 2760. Not big changes. I closed the air screws about 3/4 turn each, they are within a quarter turn of each other off their seats between 1/4-1/2 turns out. Exhaust pipe temp is 742* + or - 10* on the top of the pipe- interestingly, the top is +200* from the bottom at the head. I'll get the carb stix out soon and see where it landed. In other news, I was able to get the thing tuned to take big handfuls of throttle smoothly from idle, something I was never able to do before. It's so much crisper than before I wish I'd degreed the cam with the old chain and after the gears to see if it's advanced. The chain had about 35k miles on it. Here's your clip of the day. Idle blips

Sehr gut. Sehr klar. What I did was attach two VOM terminals to the non-terminated leads on the breakout harness. Just one less fiddly thing for my old fumble-fingers to do.

I keep writing >docc's notes< right and left, north and south, even across borders! Y'all come now, ya hear? It is going to be very interesting to compare various V11, their changes, owners' improvements, and outcomes. Not too late to roll in from Varsseveld @Admin Jaap . . .

Just a short note I'll update the thread later with some more detail hopefully. Perhaps this is known by many but it wasn't to me until I actually started to look at the data My HiCam runs hot, to up my pressure I've installed a Griso spring in the Relief valve as the original tends to partially open and rob the system of pressure. This is a big improvement but because the engine easily overheats in traffic and tends to run pretty hot in free air, around 105-110 (I still need to double check these figures), when in traffic it'll drop pressure at idle with temps around 120-130C and 5-10psi, which brings on the oil pressure warn and is a tad toasty anyway. The downside of the Griso spring is high starting pressure, 85psi idle and I need to wait until 60-65C where the pressure drops quite a bit, I think due to the cooler coming into play. This gives higher RPM, 3k and above, in the 80s. To counter this I thought go from my 15/50 oil to a 10/60, lower cold pressure and higher running pressure right? That isn't the case when you look at the data sheets, using a couple of Motul spec sheets for a 15/50 and a 10/60, the oil pressure at 40C with the 10/60 is higher by quite a bit at 160 CSt vs 115.7CSt for the 15/50. Using a far from accurate viscosity estimator based on Walther's equation (really only applicable for Newtonian fluids and mineral oils) I'm roughly estimating that the 10/60 will, more or less, give an equivalent pressure at 10-15C lower temp than the 15/50. So if my pressure X at temp Y running the 15/50 with the 10/60 the pressure X will now be at temp X-10. Pie in the sky right now as I know the equation isn't accurate, especially if it's extrapolated or even interpolated with large deviations from the actual measured data given by the spec sheet. So it will be interesting to try a 10/60 to see what the pressures actually are, if they are too high I can drop a shim out the PRV. From the running data and pressures I have already the cold pressures hopefully won't be a problem as looking at a 10C difference when the engine's cold, only moves the pressure around 2 psi or so, prior to the cooler chiming in. When it's hot though it makes a far larger difference as the pressure drops off a cliff using the 15/50 when temp gets between 110-120C. If the 10/60 would hold it to an equivalent engine temp of 100-110 then it might solve the problem. The effect the 10/60 will have on the engine cooling is a total unknown. One more thing is my currrent 15/50 at 40C is less viscous than a 10/50 due to the lower viscosity index. The point being don't assume because the Winter number is lower the oil will necessarily be thinner at cold temps that typically a bike is started at, I'm thinking 15C and above as a rule for us fair weather wimps, you really need to look at the viscosity numbers.

You can expect the warmest welcome!

What with the surprising results I got from simply cleaning my leaking fork seals, I added this to The Checklist . . . [edit June 2022: This lasted 5,000 miles/ 8.000 km before having to repeat. Surprisingly good outcome!]

Boy, how I would love to come over! But financially it's just not possible.

I remember how revealing it was at the very first South'n SpineRaid, 2004. Just four V11, but what comparisons and discoveries: 2000 V11 Sport, 2002 V11 LeMans, 2003 V11 red Ballabio, and 2004 black LeMans. What is most amazing? Three of those four V11 riders still come back to the SSR, two on the same V11 . . .

Oil oil oil Can't do with out it Oil oil oil It's misunderstood.. Back to you, Docc..

Some live in cold areas, some live in hot. Some open the throttle, some do not.

20W/50 @paulnaz, that said remember when it was made most of the more exotic multigrades were not not available and the more modern engines have a 10/60 as the recommended grade. There are also quite a few HiCam owners running the 10/60 as well to boost pressure at higher temps. The HiCams are strange, some people have engines that run cold and others toasty hot and nobody AFAIK has any idea why (I certainly don't) John

You mean '01 ? That's interesting. I'll pay closer attention next time I see one. (this coming ssr maybe?)

Consider powder coating. Will live for a very long time if properly prepared, and lots of blokes who can do a right decent job of it. I see one from an '04 Cafe Sport on eBay for $139 US - but it's stateside. Still, I might buy it, as it is the closest I'll ever come to having a Cafe Sport...

About like the XJ650/750/900 Yamahas with the straight cut primary gears.

Ok, up and running. I of course adjusted the valves, the exhausts were very tight cold, which explains why it had been a little snotty to start and warm up. My bad, it's probably been 7k miles since last adjustment. Valves aside, the thing started better than ever, it seems, and even 1/2 warm it idles at 1250rpm or so, up from ~1k-ish. Somebody elsewhere said that was their experience too, so there be a rebalancing coming soon. The gears are not as loud as some were hoping, they're pretty hard to discern above the valve clatter. Overall it hits me as far more happy and stable than with the chain (and tight valves). Here's your movie short. Joe's Gears

Moto Guzzi California 1100 – Adjusting Magneti Marelli IAW 15M / 15RC Injection Systems This video was the hardest one to create. "Zucchi" an experienced fellow Guzzi rider/mechanic from Germany supported me on this one.

I would like to make it next year, realistically speaking!

Moscow\Russia summer 2021

I saw @Kostarika gave a like to this image in @Baldini's "Show us your Tontis!" thread, and thought: Yeah! This what a Spine Raid is like . . . Can't wait!!

This is quite possibly my favorite modded V11.. And it's made to look like a MKI

I have added some videos to my playlist recently: ... and yes ... she is up for sale