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I know the feeling of covered in canvas. at least yer not blue

Gentleman is in NJ and very knowledgeable and still old school, will answer his phone personally. https://epmperf.com only deals with the finest in suspension brands.

Backstory; Starter front bearing locked up on my '97 1100 Sport-i. It appears to be the original starter, but may not be. I replaced it with the $100 'not-Valeo' unit from MG Cycle. It appears that the only difference between the two is the sticker- even the rivets holding the housing together are identical. It fit perfectly, spun fast, started instantly. Never has it started so quickly and easily before, and it's been cold for over a week. Huzzah. To dig just a bit deeper, I've had this bike for ~15,000 miles now. I've only used this new starter one time, but it's apparent that the old starter had been working hard for quite some time- even though the cranking speed never made me think that anything was going wrong. I've had a lithium battery and now Odyssey in it, and with the lithium it cranked and started easier, but the reserve crank on the lithium just wasn't good enough. With the Odyssey, I had to crank it 3-4 times to get it to fire. After the starter locked and the battery 'failed' I brought it home, checked the battery which I thought had shorted and verified that it was in fine shape. Here's the punchline- the locked starter took the fully charged Odyssey to ~5.6 volts while (attempting) to crank. The ECU if it's of standard construction won't operate below about 9.5 volts. So my wager is that this starter had been drawing too much amperage for quite a long time before it seized and gave up completely. I think I'm going to dig out my Amp gauge and measure both the new starter in situ, and the old starter on the bench for comparison; the purpose and question here is, 'is this slow, long-term failure common?'. Has anyone done an amp draw on theirs as a matter of interest in the past?

I ended up buying this battery tester. Does pretty much everything including a load CCA test to give an idea of the battery health. Not a great image, sorry. Ciao

Was the TPS set? Ciao

I have to thank the SpineRaider with the Rosso Mandello. What an awesome cat. He so promoted the TechSession, and took it all in. So glad to meet up with him again and admire his Rosso Mandello! After traversing the Cherohala, he said something so very encouraging to me. I've long thought my AeroStich aboard the V11 looks akin to a "high and heavy canvas covered load" (Johnny Cash). Adam said I look like a "Diesel Bulldog." Thanks for the encouragement, bud!

Must admit I am guessing on the above. Thanks.

Here's the "About us" page: http://www.house-tuning.de/en/pagina/editor/whoare/#table They are based in Italy, they apparently have specific maps for the Moto Guzzi V11; http://www.house-tuning.de/en/moto/model/3646-moto-guzzi-V11-Le-Mans-1100cc-E0-91cv/#table They offer various services, including an interface to read ECU, for cars. Anyone knows them? they seem to be based in Italy although the URL of their website and inquiry email ends in .de They sell 250 EUR the map for a V11. Would the file be usable with GuzziDiag? I have not looked at what format is required, but it may be easy to port the map to be uploaded via the Lonelec interface?

Hey! I resemble that remark!

I've got a similar Ancel unit and it seems to work well. Do check that the crocodile clips are firmly attached to the Odyssey battery terminals/bolts. Maybe it's a 'one off', but I was getting varied condition info. when I connected to the bolt heads. Maybe the threads of the terminals are 'generous', but the best contact is on the threads of the bolt, with the clips 'pulling' on the bolts. I was almost convinced that my pc545 was on the way out until I spotted this. Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

But Pete, like sex, the anticipation outweighs the event, exploded diagrams included!

I can't see any reason to stick with the dummy/jackshaft design to take drive from front of engine to rear for the cam drive. My guess is clutch at the back but I was thinking reduction geared to the crank with chain driven board from the clutch drive gear to the top end with either a conventional 'Long' chain around two cam sprockets or a 1 to 1 drive to an idler with 1 To 2 reduction to the cams via gear. Really, until we see some exploded diagrams or cutaway drawings it's all pretty pointless speculation.

I was, of course, a younger man, then. That dark beauty with all that red blood coursing through her Red Frame . . . nothing but a big motor with enough stuff bolted on to (hopefully) hang on to . . . the hook was set (quite obviously, as we now know). This new creation. We are so much more, erm , mature and circumspect now. Once more, exactly why they are not building this for us. And shouldn't. It is a fascinating effort in an amazing time. I cannot wait to see and hear one! Are demo rides too much to ask for?

That we are all guessing, and even dreaming a bit, may be part of the Italian way, yes? I recall the V11 Sport reveal at EICMA, 1997. What a surprise! No internet spoilers or advance, veiled images. No suggestive press releases. Just put it on the podium, let the "magazines" print tiny images and let the faithful lust and pine over it for two or three years . . .

Honda literally took a "straight ahead" engine package and simply turned it sideways. More easily seen if you take this as the left rear 3/4 view. Then, everything (except shaft and rad) are right where they'd be on, say, a VT700.

We're all guessing to some extent. Ciao

Yeah, we'll see what the "fat farm" gives us. Somehow, BMW shed some 70 pounds from their venerable GS at some point? A liter-class Moto Guzzi under 500 pounds (wet) with even 20 more horsepower than my V11? "Pinch me, Guido !"

I note that MG dropped the right hand shaft like a hot potato. So now it's a guess as to engine rotation and how many changes of direction in the trans and final drive. 100 years and all, the big "P" musta spent a few bucks on her: fat farm, makeover and what have you.

Not unit construction. Alternator at the front and clutch at the back towards the left of centreline along with the gearbox. See the gearbox bulk on the left rear side of engine.

Cam chain drive.

Deep etching is the process of eliminating unwanted portions of an image is usually done via a path and a mask but can be hacked with a magic wand or eraser in Photoshop. My educated guess is that since it takes skill to draw an accurate path, wanding or selecting was used and I will back that assertion up by the presence of jagged lines, artifacts present and basically no regard of what the image is and the result needed. Witness the radiator shroud robbing part of the engines side view. A professional would have cloned that area in with regard to showing the complete shape of the engine minus foreground articles covering subject detail. Mechanical edges should always be crisp and sharp, organic edges can suffer a degree of inaccuracy - but an engine block? No, the job is crap. Too much of an answer?

Yep. See my edit to my earlier post. Ciao

Really, can you link me that image? Of course the master may be at the back operating the clutch through the jackshaft like a V11 does through the gearbox mainshaft. EDIT.....Ok got it. So that's interesting. Maybe a re think is in order on the clutch. It looks like the clutch master is in line with the crankcase split line so in line with the crank and it's bolted to a large removeable cover so maybe a multi plate clutch behind the engine then. Ciao

So why is the clutch hydraulic slave cylinder still at the back of the gear box if the clutch pack is at the front? Looks like the cassette containing the plates is at the back.

Yep docc, say goodbye to crabbing the frame:) Well for the clutch at least. Ciao

I've always had an aversion to calling any mechanical conveyance by some cutsie personalised name. Abbreviations are fine but not some pseudo pet name. I'll save those for human beings. At the end of the day it's a machine. It can generate visceral reactions and emotions but it's still a piece of machinery and it doesn't give a flying @#!#$# about you. Ciao

My Scura is "Scura." The LeMans is "LeMans." The Stelvio is "Stelvio." The TW200 is "Tee-Dub". The Husqvarna 701 is called either the "Husky," the "701," or "you fat f***ing pig" if I drop it on trail and have to lift it up.

A driven shaft providing the motivation, obviously. Ciao

Finally, an update. It has been about 3 hours since I got to actually ride the V11, and I haven't come down yet. Oh my word, what a machine. She's a bit unrefined, but still...dignified and graceful. I confirmed before setting off all the lights, horn, brakes, etc. all were functional. No smoke on startup again, no terrifying and expensive noises within the sump telling me to replace bottom end bearings...just the normal V11 noises I'm told to expect. Again, hold the clutch in...rattle, rattle, rattle...Love it. There were a few idle surges while things warmed up for 5 mins or so before I set off. While riding, I confirmed the speedo and odo BOTH work...simultaneously...on the same V11...and the ODO reset knob is still present and works. One less thing, right? I arrived on a 900SS, a stark contrast to the V11. I don't have to address the elephant in the room, the style of the V11. She is sexy and elegant. Enough said. The ergos on the V11 are more standard than sport, in spite of the clip-ons. Lots of vibration through the grips at nearly all RPM (hands got numb after 20 mins. I have to address this), I got zero vibration through the stock footpegs, which is exactly opposite of what I was told to expect. Strange. The saddle was very wide but firm and comfy. I expected to be punished with the stock saddle, but I was pleasantly surprised! AF1 Racing in Austin, Tx. got me a NOS black seat cowl and all the fasteners and washers (still waiting to be shipped to me when the fasteners arrive). I am waiting on the cowl "moon" pad from a gent in Italy. No rush, as I won't ride her again until Spring of 2022. The gearbox was BUTTER! Click-click-click...effortless shifting, just effortless. I was beside myself in the refinement of the gearbox. Better than even my 900SS...blasphemy! No false neutrals, no matter how many times I tried---and I tried to upset the gearbox. But, firm, deliberate shifts are what worked best as many wise members of this forum informed me. I stopped, clicked up, never popped out of gear under any scenario. Just a sweet gearbox. Great work, Guzzi! I wasn't on bad roads, but the suspension felt firm and slightly bouncy over undulating pavement. About what I expected, but it wasn't bad. Steering was pretty average, or more, of the wide turning radius type. One thing I will need to get used to, is that super forward kickstand. Wow! I know it is for clearance issues, but it is going to take me a LONG time to get used to the kickstand location when I want to park the bike or set off at first. Guzzi does everything differently. The brakes were adequate. They just did the job, but a lot of lever input was required to get the machine stopped effectively. The tires were hardly used but old Dunlop SportMaxes, and I wasn't going to dump my baby and grind the side of a cylinder head pretending I was qualifying for the Isle of Mann TT, so I kept the leans to a casual tempo. Turn in was still excellent and composed. Tracing a line and cliping apexes was so smooth and effortless, belying the weight of this bigger lady. As many told me about the torque-effect of the shaft drive, and the V11 didn't disappoint. At a stop, a few blips of the throttle leaned the bike slightly to the right repeatedly giving me a chuckle. The stock cans as I understand are a bit muted, so thankfully the previous owner had great taste and donated a set of Mistral conical upswept cans for my listening pleasure. They are boomy, baritone, but perhaps 7/10ths the sound put out by my 900SS's carbon Termis. It's not fair for me to say which I prefer, they are just both their own personality. That said, the Mistrals are NOT quiet. They just boom along as the engine hums underneath you. They fit the more laid back/standard ergos and personality of the V11. What a machine! You hit the wall of torque at 2k and it just keeps pulling and pulling. You have to rev this engine to get the most out of it, but it spins up pretty fast. The engine is eager to deliver a smooth helping of carmel-like torque. She really is industrial in her own way. Rear weight bias is evident once underway...wow. Truly, more of the weight is on that back wheel, and you feel it when you go WOT, the front suspension lets up, and you feel the front end starting to rise two or more inches. It is a very different balance than I am used to. On the plus side, the weight feels so much lower than I would have thought! You just have these two giant aluminum cylinders sticking out in front of your knees in the airstream. I feel like I am riding a wingless WWI biplane. Ha ha!!! I stopped by a gas station after legally touching an indicated 80mph on the highway, impressed. I topped the plastic/nylon acerbis tank with sta-bil to at least minimize the damage of the ethanol while it is stored until I get her back in April '22...and I was sad to end the ride. I wanted to keep on going, and the big Guzzi certainly felt obliged to please me. FINAL THOUGHT: These machines are like flying a WWI wingless biplane. The V11 is still an underappreciated jewel in the motorcycle world, and I am fortunate to have gotten (a NICE one, lots of junker V11s out there!!!) before too many people discover them and make them cost new bike money. Physically small, yet feeling big and agricultural in some ways, nevertheless, this sultry Italian lady has class, curves, style and is full of brio. Bellissima! What a damned fine motorcycle. I only regret not getting one a LOT sooner! I finally got to officially drink the kool-aid and join the cult! Now, where are the cookies?

I've installed temperature gauge oil dipsticks from MG Cycle (German made) on both my '03 V11 Le Mans and my '07 Ducati Monster S4R 998 Testastretta (liquid cooled). The typical running oil temp range on the Ducati is 85 - 90°C (185 - 194°F), while the range for the Guzzi is 100 - 110°C (212 - 230°F), riding on an 80°F day on both open roads and in town with traffic lights. Is this much of a operating temp difference normal between liquid and air-cooled engines? Are air-cooled engines designed to safely run that much hotter than liquid cooled engines? The red zone on the gauge starts at 120°C, which I've never hit on the V11. But is constant running between 100 - 110°C normal and ok for our V11s? Any shared knowledge on this would be greatly appreciated.

Yep, I just highlighted it because people seem to worry if they dont achieve 100 deg oil temp then it wont evaporate off moisture at all. Long trips with moderate oil temps will get it done or shorter runs at 110. Ciao

Yeah, smoked all the way home. Ended up needing a new cylinder and piston/rings. Expensive lesson, so hope you can understand my sensitivity to this subject!😁

...but it seems all your examples are of water-cooled Ducatis. My '95 900SS/SP is air cooled, and when sitting still that rear cylinder gets zero cooling. It was not smoking before sitting in traffic that day. It's curious to me that the with '96 model year that added an oil temp gauge on the dash. Must have been a reason for that.

Don't be. Apart from anything else it should be remembered that the original big block motor was designed to sit idling in Milan traffic in high summer with a fat Carribinieri sitting on top of it! Just about the only relevant changes to the design are the adoption of fuel injection and, with the advent of the Squarefin motor, even greater fin area. A thermostatically controlled oil cooler is a benefit but more so the faster one is travelling. At slow speed or a standstill the difference it makes is marginal. Yes, modern engines run hotter but in all my years of working on them I've never seen problems caused by overheating as long as the lubrication system is working as it should. The Nuovo Hi-Cam motors as used on the CARC series bike do have an issue due to the sump spacer gasket blowing out on the lubrication side. This results in a loss of pressure which can cause damage but such a failure usually makes itself known by the camchains starting to rattle as the hydraulic tensioner plungers are starved of oil. It has caused big end failures but is fairly rare, (Although I replace the gasket as a matter of course during rollerisation of an 8V. There is a very much superior aftermarket gasket available that completely eradicates the problem.) just something to be aware of. It is NOT something I've ever known to affect any of the 2V motors. As for heat? My Griso in high summer will heat its oil to >135ºC in traffic. It's never caused me a problem. Conversely I worry more in winter as it's damn near impossible to get the oil above 75-80ºC due to the cooling circuit not being thermostatically controlled. Yes. Try to avoid getting stuck in traffic for hours in high summer but I wouldn't die in a ditch over it. The excessive heat is far more likely to cook the phase sensor than cause metallurgical or lubrication problems.

You know without knowing all the details here I doubt the traffic heat did your Ducati any real harm. I say this with confidence because in my race track experience I've never seen any engine that can cope with temperature abuse like a Ducati twin. I once saw an 851 superbike back in the day run completely out of coolant during a race and arrived in the pits with the cooling hose fittings (plastic in those days) melted off. Result? fit new coolant fittings and rectify the leak and back out for the next race with no issues. I've seen another rider with a bike I know well sit at the end of pit lane idling the race bike until it boiled and started dumping fluid on several occasions and away it went without problems and was fine when pulled down. The rider had to be re educated to NOT head out as soon as pit lane opened and cruise down to the end and sit there and wait for the green flag. He was a owner/rider but didn't work on the bike and had zero mechanical skills or knowledge but he had deep pockets which made education on mechanical sympathy difficult. I remember a delayed WSB race once in Italy when it was very hot and Troy Bayliss came back to his bike on pole position after going for a quick toilet break before the delayed start and gesticulating to his mechanic and pointing at the dash and the mechanic shrugging. Troy gave him the old Aussie "Arr @#!#$# it wave off" and the race got going and he won. I knew what he was gesticulating at........engine temp. It had overheated on the grid. Didn't matter though, still won. There'r heat tough Ducati twins. Mechanically a bit fragile in those days but temp tough. Ciao

I agree, I'm not really worried about the oil performance. What I am concerned about is a repeat of what happened to my first air-cooled bike - a '95 Ducati 900SS/SP. Many years ago on an 85° day I was leaving Port Jefferson shortly after the ferry arrived and was stuck behind 50 cars and a series of 4 or 5 stop lights. 10 minutes later when we finally got through the last light and got moving, my buddy pulls along side of me and starts pointing at the back of my bike. We pull over and he tells me I have blue smoke coming out of one of my exhausts. Long story short, turns out that the rear aluminum cylinder (the rear always runs hotter on Ducatis due to less ventilation) warped due to overheating. The bore became slightly ovalized which allowed oil to bypass at the two new long ends of the oval. The '95 and earlier 900SS did not have an oil gauge and the overheating warning light never came on. I have no idea what the oil temp got to that day. So, I'm more concerned about the heat causing warpage than the oil breaking down.

Yeah, liquid cooling tends to be more consistent. That said, I always want my oil temp to get above 212 degrees F so it boils off any water / condensation. 230 degrees F is no issue for decent quality oil. And an oil temp between 212 degrees F and 230 degrees F is what I want. You can install an oil cooler thermostatic valve that diverts oil from the oil cooler until it is up to temp. And you can combine that with a larger oil cooler to gain additional cooling capacity. That should allow more consistent oil temps with a slightly lower max temp while still getting above the 212 degree F target. But personally we don't ride in city traffic and don't have temp issues very often on our Guzzi's.

Its a combination of many things but its mainly the difference between air and liquid cooling. Liquid cooling is a far superior and more stable way to cool an IC engine and that translates to less engine temp variability and lower oil temps. An air cooled engine relies to a much greater degree on the oil to assist with the cooling. Liquid cooling also has a greater reserve capacity than air cooling which has none as it takes exponentially more energy to heat water the hotter it gets so the system copes with changing conditions better. It has elasticity to an extent. 100-110 is well within the capabilities of a modern oil esp a full group 4 synthetic which you should be using these days. Ciao

Can't answer the question, but I have a similar concern. When I take my Suzuki DR650 around town (air cooled single, essentially one-half of a V11, Japanese style), on return checking the oil cooler shows that it's barely warm. The same trip on my V11 and the oil cooler is damned hot, maybe not to boiling water, but too hot to touch beyond a fraction of a second. A major diff between the two scooters. Is one too hot, or one too cold, or are they both just right for their particular engineering aims?

Perfect for cooking off the moisture!