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If you did not know what to do, each year, you can run the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas; the tour runs from March 15th until November 15th of the current year. There are 50 stops to make distributed inside the state, and you are considered a tour finisher if you complete at least 25 of them. Here's the interactive map of the stops! Registration for 2021 closed on February 28th, opened to all bike brands. I intend to make as many stops as possible, so far I made 3, the third completed today. I started with the easy ones, those located around Houston. I will update the thread as I find it will incentivize me to do as many as I can. There are 50 stops total, and some events which allow you to meet other participants. there are 1250 participants to the 2021 tour; many of them from other states, not necessarily border either. I am flag 1001 which is a number that fits perfectly as it can be read in both directions. The bikes' brands are not shown, so I do not know how many Moto Guzzi there are, out of them, if there are any V11. Another reason for this thread, if any reading it are doing the tour this year. Anyway, here's my three stops so far. I will adding them as I go, to see if I can get as far as possible. This is my 1st stop: Brenham. This is the second stop: Navasota This is my third stop: Anchor blown 1 mile away Texas City. I rode it in the full of typical Texas weather, around 100 degF feel, and I am able to confirm the V11 does not like it hot!!!

Summary: Sudden and intermittent loss of throttle: electricity still on, but all combustion seemingly cutting out. 1. Did this months ago and I limped home, pausing to let it cool then going a short distance. It started to "Huff" when given gas... revving to 4k and then falling off then up and falling again. ruh... ruh.... ruh... ruh. I changed the relays and it then seemed completely fixed. (but it also got cooler and I was not riding far.. ) 2. I took it on its first extended ride and about 5 hours into the ride, as I came off the coast into the inland heat, it started to cut out again on the freeway. first just once, then progressively getting worse until I limped into Eureka. sounding and acting like it had months before. After that it would maybe start, maybe not, and only run for 1/4 mile.. or less. I fiddled with a ton of stuff- but nothing roadside would fix it. at least all my connectors got a good greasing. Ended up replacing the Phase sensor: A fairly generic sensor for the timing. NOTE: after I did this it seemingly ran fine- but I did not take it on a 200 mile ride to find out. Since I was working on it, I also replaced the fuel pump and petcock with a manual version. Subsequently I went on a ride and it had some bogging down issues at throttle- but turns out I was an idiot and did not tighten down the return fuel line. that done- all seems good! But not done the 5 hour test yet! that will be later in the summer or fall. thanks for all the help -

You could still pull this off, @p6x . . . you've done it before . . .

It feels like as long as the chain is in tension from the motor accelerating, she pulls awesomely. Stellar. Try to just roll along at some singular rpm and she hiccups like the St. Vitus Dance the Veglia speedometer used to do. While I would prefer to be accelerating all the time, it is not always possible. Or permissible. (Always planning my 200.000 kilometer service interval. I even noticed a little wet spot on the timing chest to get me more worked up . . . . . . OOOH! A LITTLE WET SPOT! BETTER GET SOME CARUSO GEARS! )

arya serious? Y'knaw, I wazn't.

The "riser" is from the early Sport. Those forks do not protrude above the top triple clamp like the later V11, and so mounted below. The three holes provide selection of position while still connecting the clip on to the triple clamp from below. Perhaps it was changed to accommodate the fork change? Perhaps to address complaints and reports of vibration. I'm not sure "why" translates into Italian, at least not at Moto Guzzi . . .

Yes. It's mine. They came with 2 seats; an impractical (If you live in the UK where it rains) brown suede one and a black vinyl one. It's a good bike. I've got 3 bikes and limited space. In truth it gets used less than the other 2. I prefer to potter in an upright posture along country lanes these days as the roads are crammed most of the time. I also spend more time cycling (mtb) than riding motorbikes. Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

Fort Stockton. Oh, the memories. The bathrooms in the Shell station are so bad I just use the dumpster out back. The receptionist at the LaQuinta was the sweetest girl you could imagine. She had two nice shiners. I keep my hand on my pistol.

Joe says his gears are made of EN24T steel. This British standard is similar to US standard AISI 4340. It's pretty good stuff that could be heat treated up to ultra high strength. "T" condition has good strength yet can still be machined. (tensile strength 850/1000 N/mm² / 123-145 KSI)

Yep, this one is from the Netherlands. Easy....

I can attest that it is easier to play guitar as I do that too; but I understand what you mean. I remember how we learned at school, by first doing simple stuff, such as cutting a parallelepiped block to quotes. First starting with raw material, and then taking one already started, and installing it properly. Of course, it takes time to make it just natural. There is a lot of arithmetic to absorb to. Especially if you wanted to cut your own gears, using a divider.

The V11 factory stand only lifts the rear. Awkwardly. Once on the factory stand, the front can be lifted with a platform jack under the sump. PLEASE be certain the platform is fully seated under the sump, not lifting from an edge or a corner. And PLEASE either tie your V11 down to the lift or to joists above ("chain fall"). With both wheels off the V11 on the factory stand and sump on the edge of a platform scissor jack, you are halfway to a bad day. Don't ask me how I know.

Well I have the ability to learn but it's like playing a guitar like an expert it takes many many hours before it's like an extension of your body. I used to set up the Mill to do work I wanted and anything remotely involved I would get him to do as I didn't want to wreck an expensive part due to a lack of skills. it never helped my confidence when I watched a master like him work the X/Y manual feeds together smoothly and with finesse. I knew then that I probably don't have enough years left to ever become that good and it be second nature. Ciao

oh! I thought you were... it is difficult to tell with written narratives, especially shorts. I was just trying to bring some perspective, and I was not trying to one up or anything like this.

The gears will actually give you a bigger wet spot.

More accurate and stable timing signal and valve timing, maybe? Dunno, but y'all-boys had me feeling my sloppy chain the whole time riding today . . . Guzzichondria strikes again.

Do you mean the shops you contacted refused to change the tire because it was a Ducati 939 SS? From what I understand, here in H'town, the shops would install and balance your tires, providing you bring the wheels to them. And even then, you still need to make an appointment. My question is; what happens in case of emergency? say you are on the road, far away from your home, say you need to replace a tire, or your bike stops... I have subscribed to AMA, and my insurance too provides transport to the nearest shop. But what happens if that shop does not accept your bike? What do you do?

email sent to Joe.

Thanks for the replies, I took out the battery and reinstalled in just the same way. Then when I turned it on the fuel pump groaned and came back to life and it runs great. Italian gremlins I think.

I woud check the 4 connectors under fuse 1 and 2. Cheers Tom.

Fuses One and Two (from the front), Relay #5 (in the back), and that a ring terminal did not get left off the battery on either side (+/-)…….

I don't own a V11, but looking at the wiring diagram and assuming all the usual stupid shit has been checked, it's not the sidestand or kill switch as the starter is locked out AFAIK. I'd start by swapping over the fuel pump relay and possibly the ECU relay with others to see if anything changes, I'd also listen to hear if I could hear the relays trying to pickup. Check for voltage on fuse 2 (feeds the injection relay) on both sides. Also check voltage at fuse 1 (feeds the ECU relay) If either of them are not picking or getting power then you got no spark and no fuel. Just a first guess, but others who know more will chime in I'm sure

Hah, thanks! Do you think they could be turned into 'risers' on a later sport? Nobody tried?

It looks to me that lifting the whole bike from under the sump is not really helpful, as it would possibly interfere with the oil filter access, should you want to service it? I got the answer from Abba, and it is rather laconically formulated: -"sorry, we don't do anything for Moto Guzzi!" If I understood all the entries here, the safest is to purchase a rear stand, a front stand, and if I want to work on the bike at height, I need to purchase one of those scissors platform?

Docc, the V11 looks better, sounds better and won't melt you in traffic. The V11 has great HB Jr bags that are more secure than the factory Ducati semi-rigid saddlebags and I've broken fastening bolts on the Duc (Givi) mounting rack. Otherwise the Duc is 100lbs lighter, 50% more power, more comfortable ergonomics, better seat, handles, feels and brakes on a dime, much more agile and stable on the road, gets better fuel mileage, easier but not perfect shifting, slightly better wind protection, seamless electronics, ABS and multiuse gauges. OTOH, no way I'd do a valve adjustment on the Duc and the rear cylinder/catalytic converter puts out heat when you're not moving. Changing the rear tire, adjusting chain, and changing oil is a snap with the right tools, so routine maintenance is easier but those tools aren't portable on the bike. The Duc is sweet riding but it doesn't have superbike power as it might look; 20 more horses would be nice provided there weren't wider tires and heavier or stiffer ride. The Duc engine is 11 degree testastretta, meaning that is mild tune with 11 degrees of valve timing overlap. The engine is torque-y, picks up at 3k, hits stride at 6k and peak power at 9k and levels thereafter, redlines at 10k. The bike is slightly over geared given the close ratio transmission, so shedding a tooth on the front sprocket wakes the bike up for the lower gears. Roll-on is strong with seldom a downshift needed on the highway. The mirrors are buzzy and not real wide, since they're also turnsignals, not any simple change out; I've had good success with some vibration material and made the mirrors serviceable if not great. The Duc has been stone reliable. Driven hard it can use a quart top off in about 3500-5k miles; that might be concerning since the oil change interval is 9k miles and checking the site glass (for me) is a two person job (or mount it on the rear stand). Finally, the Pirelli Rosso iii/iv tires can wear pretty fast, I've changed over to Dunlop Roadsmarts, same as the V11. I guess that's 19k miles in a nutshell.

Eventually found a nice NOS fairing made by Fabbri, so at least it's Italian. I'll post pics when I get it, if it's not embarrassing...

Our own @Paradiso !

REasonable Tenni in the UK: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224536844781?hash=item34477059ed%3Ag%3AjAUAAOSwNM9g8aSJ&LH_ItemCondition=4

No, it won't. Nowhere near, but.... if you are seeing significant scatter on the spark and can't justify the cost of a gear set there is now, apparently, a Valtek type blade tensioner available that fits the V11 donk. I can't remember exactly what the issue was with the earlier tensioner. Probably something to do with its mounting. The thing is though that a properly tensioned chain is probably as good as most people need. That isn't to suggest that Joe's gears aren't the 'Duck's Guts' and the gold standard. Quite simply they are! But they aren't the only option and it depends on how obsessed you are with chasing 'Mechanical Nirvana'.

I carry one under the seat in case I need an emergency top up. A downside is it unseats the valve in the wheel, so as you fit or remove it you lose a tiny bit of pressure. If you leave one on permanently, you add to potential pressure leak sources, and may upset wheel balance. Agree on angle valve stems, but Cash1000 had one leak after the thread stripped. Get good quality valve stems. I'm ambivalent on nitrogen. It is well established that eliminating water vapor and oxygen is helpful. Water vapor gives greater tire pressure changes with heat; important to avoid in racing. Oxygen causes oxidation: brittle rubber, rim rust, seal deterioration, and faster leak rate. The mandatory requirement for nitrogen in commercial aviation is valid in that industry where tires are 800% overloaded (intermittantly) in comparison to cars. This does not mean nitrogen is needed for cars or bikes. However consumer tests show a small but real reduction in pressure loss over several months for nitrogen inflated tires. This is good, but Dalton's law of partial pressures tells us that eventually other gasses will diffuse into a nitrogen inflated tire, so purging and re-inflating after several years could be needed. My conclusion is you could choose to use nitrogen if it is free, but checking tire pressure is more important.

I use Nitrogen in my airplane (Glasair III) as was having problems with tires weeping a small amount of pressure (new tires and tubes). The larger N2 molecules stopped the leaking completely. Fill with Nitrogen once to purge, then second time to pressure. Use it in most of my motorcycles including V11 Ballabio and Stelvio. It cured the 1 psi rear and .25 psi front leak per week on the Stelvio which has the o ring sealed spokes. ( had replaced the spoke nipple o rings and tires with new tubeless, but still slow weeping of pressure). Rather than chasing these very slow weeping cases, now I just use Nitrogen. I used to work for major airlines and we used Nitrogen in all tires and landing gear cylinders.

For the bikes I have not installed 90 degree stems I made one of these. Fits in your pocket or anywhere else. Dual foot air chuck end with a Schrader valve installed. Paul B

I have a factory stand but find this one easier to use, drilled the swingarm and bolted on bobbins

For major work, I think a block and tackle, chain hoist or ceiling crane to lift the motorcycle, then a heavy duty transmission jack beneath to lower the engine.

Well I have a decent sized metal lathe and various other stuff but I dont have a Mill. My closest friend who passes away recently had a full engineering workshop and more importantly the skills on the machines to go with them so I was spoiled for that really. I've just spent the last little while hand digging and jack hammering 18 tons of dirt and rock from under my house which adjoins my garage so when that's concreted and I can move the bikes in there along with storage stuff that takes up room at present and I'll buy myself a Mill and a workshop press and metal bandsaw. Learning how to properly use the mill will be my next mission after that. I've got crankcases and cylinders to bore out:) Ciao

I spent 42 years working in aviation inflating tyres on heavy jets as well as things like hydraulic reservoirs with Nitrogen. The benefits are a clean, consistent quality, dry source of inert pressure. That's about it really. Ciao

p6x, I do not think there is any benefit in nitrogen filled tyres. Never used it myself but if the opportunity arose I would not bother. On the other hand have installed angled valve stems front and rear. 90 at front and 135 at rear and yes both facing away from the side stand. Rob

If it costs nothing, it hurts nothing. It was dealership gravy in the RV industry, and I got rather disenchanted with the unethical propaganda they used to sell it. They charged something like $25/tire 15 years ago. If it's free and convenient, I'd use it myself. There is no downside.

Ciao, Based on the look of your V11 Sport, I purchased the signature clock and thermometer from Formotion. I thought about symmetry; besides, Texas is no longer what I thought it was. When I came here, I was expecting "hot and humid" all the time. This year, we have had a different Texas than the one you came to expect. And the Guzzi is definitively temperature sensitive. Yesterday, we had cooler temperatures, and I could run around the 3k mark without having any protest from the fuel injection. So I decided that I definitively needed time and temperature. I chose the black bezels, because my ITI instruments are black faced. And I opted for the bolt on option. One reason is that the temperature gauge can't be had with the adhesive mount, because it is vacuumed silicone oiled filled. Installing them so they don't look like warts will be the challenge. I have a few ideas. This is when I wish I had a lathe and a few other machines option. When I worked I my battle tank factory, I had access to all the machines and tools and supplies one could dream of. Anyway, I am looking forward to having time and temperature on my Le Mans. I forgot to mention, I like that Formotion proposes analog gauges. They fit the V11 Guzzi so much more in my opinion.

It seems that the braided steel covered, 12mm fuel line that goes from the petcock to the external fuel pump is not available from dealers. I was surprised at how difficult it was to have one made - and even went to a local speed shop - where I almost succeeded. But then the special clamps wouldn't work... long story... So here's what finally worked: 12mm fuel line. This stuff is hard to find in the US. 1/2-inch is the closest, at 12.7mm, and the stuff at the hot rod shop was 11.something... I found a 10-foot roll of true 12mm line on Amazon. 3/4 inch hot rod sleeve by Heatshield Products (to fit the 20mm outside diameter of the 12mm fuel line - this is rated up to some very high temperature that I hope my motorcycle will never see. 1 1/2 inch rubber heat shrink ends by Heatshield Products (they have a 3:1 shrink ratio). At first, these ends seemed like they were way too big, but they shrunk right down with the heat gun and made a nice, thick protective end. The rubber ends are much thicker, and I hope more durable, than the ends on the original hose. BTW, I used the big socket to roll the ends of the heat shrink flat where they wrap around the cut end of the sleeve. I had to buy 10 feet of the line and the sleeve. The heat shrink ends came in an 8-pack, which will do 4 lines. I installed one of these on my Greenie and have been riding it for a while now. The line on the Greenie had rotted on the inside, and rubber debris clogged the fuel pump inlet, causing unhappiness. I just made this line for my Scura. If I buy some more ends, I can make at least 8 more lines. I'd be willing to sell them for $27.00 including US shipping. That will cover my costs and net me two free fuel lines for my effort. Send me a PM if you want one.

I think the days of gears were over once accountants and not engineers started running businesses. Ciao

It didn't. I'd say the failed tensioner resulted in total loss of cam chain control which then caused the oil pump and drive gear failure. Ciao