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29c today, NOT normal up here. IPA time, for sure. Cheers Tom Sent fra min SM-A505FN via Tapatalk

So, there's this thang called Occam's Razor which is sometimes inaccurately paraphrased as "the simplest explanation is usually the best one." Without further ado, is that in this particular chapter of Dead V11, fotoguzzi wins the Occam's Razor award for nominating the kill switch as the culprit. I would also like to nominate myself for eejit of the year award for not checking the kill switch until suggested. I would like to apologise for wasting everybody's time, particularly that of Weegie (Bloody Hell, but those Magni's must be special machines!) for wearing his puir wee fingers to the nubs for typing his essay-like response. And of course, docc, for his input into either my 2nd or 3rd post that he has responded to. My thanks to all, along with that apology. If you need me, I'll be over in the corner, self-flagellating for my stupidity for not checking the kill switch... Ffs!!!

Your in the right place then..I think everyone has been nominated at one time or another !

I hope you got the oil screen sorted. It should only go in one way. The hole in the screen frame for the bolt is off center, so if you have the plastic frame fully seated in the recess, there is only one position where you can install the bolt. Then it will line up perfectly with the oil-sucker-upper tube (which probably has a real name). If the frame of that screen is not properly set into the recess, then stuff could get around the frame and the screen won't be able to block everything it is supposed to.

Is it possible that the circlip (Item 13) (you call it a Seeger Ring) has come off, allowing the cam wheel to move inboard? [docc edit July 30, 2021: added red emphasis to @MartyNZ's correct answer. Thanks, Marty! ] Or the nut holding item 20 post is not tight? That would allow both wheels to move inboard. (But only a tiny bit)

Try Boonstraparts; it is a Netherlands specialist. You can dial your specific V11 in the filtering system. https://www.boonstraparts.com/en/part/sp-connect-moto-bundle-universal-phone-holder-l/000001146913 Take it with a grain of salt though. I mean, I was looking for a paddock stand for my Le Mans 2004. So I filtered V11 Le Mans 2004, and selected Paddock stand. I contacted their customer service to verify if they knew for certain it would fit my bike. And the answer was honest. They did not know. Which kind of defeat the purpose of the filters in the first place. They speak English and they are customer oriented. Since you are the only one who knows what kind of GPS or Phone size you want, I suggest you check them out. I purchased clipons bar end weight from them, and they arrived in a few days. And they do not charge you the VAT if you live outside of Europe. I mention this, because often sellers of new parts in Europe charge you the local taxes even when it is for export. They should not, but they do. For used parts, there aren't any VAT in Europe. The VAT is only paid once, when it is new.

Just Guzzis in a dress

Yes docc there's an issue there. The gears should sit flush. Like this. I magnified this image on my computer and they are def flush as I remembered them to be. Ciao

I think I've mentioned this before but what makes a surprising difference to fuel range is cold start cycles. So you may fill your tank and then do 4 short, say 10 mile round trips to work for instance, look at you trip and think, yep still got 120 miles of fuel.....nope, no where near it. It's a way greater effect than a single 40 mile urban commute. Obviously suburban riding hurts the economy but it's the cold start cycles that have the biggest effect. If you add the start enrichment map and the engine temp trim map figures together the overall fuel metering can be well over double the delivery at running temp fuel mapping. Ciao

That's a beauty.. Ciao

The other two springs (both Moto Guzzi parts) superimposed showed the compression of 90,000 miles:

OK... we're posting Scura pics? I'll play. As for the Stones... wow, just wow that they are touring. I don't know if I am more surprised that Keith Richards or Ozzy Osborne are still with us... but they both gave us some great music. Speaking of music... maybe this would be a good time to put some aftermarket pipes on that Texas Scura?

I've got a Harbor Freight motorcycle tire changer, all set up with the Mojo Blocks and mounted on a pallet. I've done a bunch of tire changes on it, but recently upgraded to a No-Mar changer with a hitch mount for my truck. Free to whoever can come get it in Carlsbad, CA.

Did you wind the switch in to fix a leak? Try turning the neutral switch out 1/6 turn intervals until it works normally, then fit a seal washer of that thickness. The switch turns on the green light when the plunger extends into a depression in the face of the lower cam wheel.

The V85TT looks to be a great bike, but if want to hold that lovely Ballabio, you can probably find a lightly used Stelvio for quite a bit less than a new V85. If I had to guess about future values (vs current ones) I would bet that the special edition bikes and the Green sports will command the highest future values. From my perspective that seems to be happening already. I see "wanted" adds for special editions and greenies, but nothing else. Some years / models have known flaws that work agains the price. Such as the aluminum flywheel on Scura, Tenni, and Rosso Mandell - and the terrible 2002 engine paint. Good luck with your sale... or your addition, depending on what you decide to do.

I’m looking at the moment and it’s very variable - some folks asking 8-9k for the limited models and some rusty neglected bikes still at 3k. I think the market in general is in a bit of a reconfiguration now post-lockdown, with supplies of new bikes starting to ease, and also as we’ve passed the mid-point of ‘the season’ - such as it is in the UK - some of the heat always goes out of the market.

Yes I saw your bike Paradiso, I’ve bought restored and sold 15 V11s over the last 10 years and they are never easy to sell, never many for sale in the uk but not many buyers either

@Paradiso your assessment of the Guzzi market is exact. To me, the Guzzi have drawn interest from connoisseurs, more than those people who suddenly decide to purchase a retro looking motorcycle. Even when I was a young lad, riding about from race track to the other in Europe, Guzzis were rare. Those who had them were "different". They are not considered "hype" motorcycles by the vast majority of riders. Besides, they lack a bit of the exposure of the major brands. They are no longer in the racing group, not even in SBK. So when you quote you own a Moto Guzzi, you get a polite nod, and sometimes a few circumstantial questions, nothing more. The V11 is not vintage enough to be sought after by the "non serious" purchasers. This may change. @Steve S you may consider not replacing your Ballabio, but adding a V85TT to it?

In the UK V11 prices seem to be in a trough. You might have seen my V11 Tenni on EBay last week. Started at £3500. Had lots if watchers, but not one person came to view. If you look at sold items, a couple have realised £3000. Have you sold a few V11s over the years? I suppose Guzzi have always been a bit of a niche interest. It strikes me as crazy that someone would prefer to sink 4-6k into a worn out 80s Suzuki GT380 or 500. Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

Thanks for that. Yah, I slid a punch through the hole and rapped it with a wee ball pein hammer. Felt right solid, no play at all. Thanks for the replies! Once back apart, I'll suss the issue and post.

A suggestion to try before you remove the side plate: push a screwdriver into the switch hole onto the cam plate. If you can feel the springiness of the banana plate bending, then it could mean the circlip is off.

Oh bummer... out she comes. It's good you had the picture that shows the issue. I think I've done at least 5 of these buggers. You really have to be careful about each retaining clip - that it is 100% seated. If the clip twists a bit and one end doesn't go in the groove, the whole clip will work its way out during operation. This is such a PITA part to get out, that it's worth making the preselector go through the full range of shifts several times before installation. At least this is easier on a red-frame bike than a black-frame.

Well riding style and conditions have an effect of course but the cold start cycles are something I think people aren't necessarily aware of. The amount of fuel that gets thrown at the engine getting it up to temp esp in cold weather has a big impact on the range. I got caught out 20 years ago on my Aprilia RSV1000 when it ran dry about 20klm before usual and it was lucky to get 270klm out of a full tank of country riding so was marginal on fuel range as it was. I'd filled it up after the previous ride but then did 4 or 5 cold start cycles with little mileage and it caught me out on the next weekend ride. Always best to fill up at the start of the ride with a warm engine on the edge of the city for maximum range. The difference is very noticeable. Ciao

To me, the teeth of the lower cam wheel (that activates the neutral switch) look slightly "proud" of the upper cam wheel, especially on the forward aspect (right side in this view) where the neutral switch resides . . Enough to defeat the switch? Sumpin' ain't right . . .

Haha... when I looked at that picture, I thought, how the hell did I ride it like that? But I did ride 400 miles to Phoenix with it. It's better when the expansion zipper is closed and the bag is shorter, but I could still see the gauges with it like that. And as for GPS... I think they are becoming less relevant. I recently got a Cardo unit for my helmet and I can get spoken directions, which relies on internet access. I like it so far, and I can answer phone calls on it too. Tank bags are great for holding gps, paper maps etc. And as for safety and distraction... you can keep stuff on your dash that you only choose to look at when you're stopped.

I tried to make sure the clips were seated in their grooves and spun them with a punch tip to verify. Still, my plate has the "banana plate" that gets a second clip. (The other 13s in the upper right inset.) The banana plate screw, 36, was really hard to remove and retighten, requiring heat. I wonder if that process backed out #20 lifting the assembly away from the switch plunger . . . [edit: #20 looks nutted on the outside of the plate. Hard to imagine I loosened that.] [edit2: that nut feels tight. No leaking around it.]

That is revealing. So, it's not actually my maniacal, jack-rabbit riding style?

Top: 64,000 mile factory pawl spring; Middle: new factory spring; Bottom: ChuckScud Superspring:

I have a couple posts to report after doing (most) of the Lucky Phil Shift Improvement. First, though, a big thanks to @Lucky Phil for sharing the technique and posting such great detail! My box shifted okay before, but definitely improved. My shift lever had been sticking down periodically, so I replaced the springs (along with the Chuck/Scud Superspring). Unfortunately, the sticking persisted after the new springs. And the plate did not seal upon reassembly, so I had to go back in. This time I changed the leaky shifter shaft seal and installed the McMaster-Carr roller bearing posted by @Craig back in 2016. Today, 205 miles, no leaks! And the new roller made my shift feel decidedly smoother and more precise. And no lever sticking! My original bearing was really peckered up as you can see in the image. It was grooved like this in several places around the surface: Yet > sigh < , my neutral switch is stuck on and I really don't want to go back in there. (I sealed that cover REALLY WELL this time.)

+1 on the Clutch Lock-out switch, or its wiring/nefarious bullet connectors having been affected by the tip-over . . .

Discalimer I don't own a V11 so can only go by the wiring diagram When you hit the starter does it turn? That would rule out the side stand switch, the kill switch and the clutch switch. It appears from the wiring diagram that the clutch needs to be pulled in before the starter will operate, which is a little odd If everything fine there ensure voltage on fuses 1 & 2, both sides, these feed the ECU and Injection Relays. Without either of them working the bike is going nowhere. It might also be worthwhile checking fuse 8 as it operates the electric petcock Pull all the relays inspect then reinsert, just to make sure none are damaged or have become dislodged in the tip over. Then swap over the Injection and ECU relay with another 2 on the bike, or better still spares if you have them. I think the V11 is an In Tank pump, if all of that proves fruitless, I'd pull the pump and filter assembly from the tank, as something may have got dislodged in the fall and check it. With the pump assembly still removed but electrically connected I'd turn on the ignition, but just for a second to so to ascertain the pump turns. Don't run the pump for more than a second or so out the tank as it could damage it. Real V11 owners will be along soon with real understanding of the model, my own knowledge is somewhat limited (I own models somewhat akin but not identical), and confirm or deny my steps

Kill switch?

Fourth stop, Stop #46: world largest Dime in a box, Dime Box, Texas. In the suffocating heat, a quick back and forth to a little village named Dime Box, where you can find the world's largest Dime... or so it says. The town feels really lonely... thank god, they had Moto Guzzi feed! It was 1:12 when I reached it. The last part of the road from Burton was a lot of fun.

Great choice in Guzzis. 👍

Love my road 5’s. Ran them on previous bikes, and hadn’t really thought of them as ideal for the V11 but they came already freshly installed on Red when i bought her. The slightly stiffer suspension on Goldie (grade of oil used up front) and the bridgestones vs red with the michelin 5’s makes for a difference that is obvious every time when swapping between otherwise identical bikes. “Better/worse” would be in the opinion of each rider, but for me the slightly softer suspended, Michelin clad Red Lemans is much preferred. Grim - I’d venture a guess on your relay situation that perhaps the weather was just right after you changed the relays and got the “turbine like” running. There are certainly days when a well tuned v11 will purr more perfectly than in other temp/weather conditions.

It will be fairly soon that I need tires. Will have to watch the Road 5. The 170 vs. 180 rear has some substance to it. Undecided at this point, but the Road 3s do not seem an ideal match with the long frame geometry.

Put on a set of Michelin Road 5 tires yesterday. Only 100 miles on them so far, moderate riding, but they feel great. Lively and stable, more so than the Shinko Verge tires that were on before. The Shinkos were on the bike when I got it about three years ago, looked pretty fresh, and they are not bad, certainly pretty good mileage with them. I found a piece of metal, like an oblong nail head, stuck into the rear Shinko, and while it was not leaking air (it turned out that what ever the metal was it did not go all the way through the tire), I figured that was a good sign to do what I’ve been wanting to do for a while and try a higher grade of performance tire. I was also interested in the Metzler Sportec M9 RR, but I couldn’t find the front tire. I have been intertested in the Road 5’s for a while, and am pretty happy. The front is a 120/70 and the rear is a 160/60. The bike had a 170/60 rear on before, and the 160/60 profile no doubt is part of the lively feel. The bike feels lighter! I guess I am changing the overall geometry, too, but I’m not sure exactly how. And fwiw, these tires are made in Spain. I will post periodic updates on how these tires perform for the V11. I also installed a new Odyssey PC545 battery (Hiya, docc!) and a new voltage regulator/rectifier from ElectroSport here in Southern California (made in China, but whatcha gonna do!). The old battery had a wobbly looking case from getting overheated, the bike was eating the 30A battery fuses like they were Lays potato chips, and my battery light would come on around 5k rpm. Now she’s running all of that cool as a cucumber, but I think the headligh bulb is toast. That will be next, this weekend, I just need to get home before dark until then! I love this bike! Cheers!

Found and fitted this screen, not sure. I'm going a bit further and wanted something to keep the wind off on the motorway. It's a Fabbri 3021, meant for a Honda Hornet. I had to try the mounts in every orientation before getting something close to fitting. There's a bit of a gap at the top of the light, but I guess it's by design, as the bolt is going to be half way up the headlamp on most bikes with a round light, so the hight would have been no different on the intended Honda.

V11 representation covered at Cedar Vale, KS....