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It is definitely a blessing to have a a shop with a reputable "Guzzi whisperer". I'm not so sure I'd rely on the V11 as day to day transport and luggage options are also a bit constrained. To each their own though! I still have a 4-wheeled box complete with windshield wipers and a heater, and a BMW r1150r as a daily summer mule. But the V11 stirs the soul differently. I've got the semi rare and slightly goofy stock tank bag and some Ortlieb panniers and have toured, but it is kinda like bungee-ing a milk crate onto a Lamborghini......

Seems pretty clear. Care to continue refuting?

Its unfortunate that our dollar here makes a lot of those euro machines pretty pricey............. and then of course you add in transportation/taxes/duties and other BS and it kinda takes the fun out of it. But thx for that......... it was no bother at all. Thx for keeping an eye out for me. Ciao

Interesting garage-fellows, a SMART and a V11....

Yes running leaded fuel will render the cat useless. Retune? for general day to day running probably not although don't be surprised if it's harder to start and a bit flat spotty warming up in cool weather. Avgas is less volatile than pump gas so in cooler conditions with a cold engine it doesn't carburate as well. I understand your reasons for using it but it's not an ideal solution for a road bike. Ciao

I remember going to the 2000 USGP, those 18k rpm V10 sounded like vacuum cleaners. Just like they did on TV. Nothing you'd ever hear sounded like the '90's CART Indycars. They revved to about 16k, V8 turbos with metal valve springs (unlike F1), those cars would really give a shiver down your spine. I think they own the closed course record of a 245 lap at Fontana. Those cars were monsters. So far as headers vs cast manifolds. My tech hates headers for cracking, breaking and leaking. Tells me to never change out stock exhaust manifolds for performance for your daily driver. Only for hobby cars.

No Guzzi ecu from this era has any form of self learning except for models with an idle stepper motor and that's pretty basic looking for the correct idle speed after the batterys been disconnected or the stepper has been replaced. A GM ac delco PCM from 15 years ago?, another matter entirely. learning capability's with Long and short term trims etc. Ciao

I told a gent here about the lamba upgrade last year . He bought and installed it. Isn't it, wasn't it a run in procedure,, idling for some minutes, running under 3000rpm ++ He didn't do that, so no huge difference. Don't think it states something about running in on the lamba package, how important is that ? . WDIK, just sharing experienses. Cheers Tom.

If you like incredible engine sounds, here's one among the best! the Matra 650 12 cylinders. Rumor has it that is particular sound came because the exhaust pipes were cast and not welded which is the standard way today. Thus, the pipes vibrates like a horn instruments and make this incredible sound. Jump to 2'; this car was auctioned by ArtCurial and the presentation is irrelevant.

My issue is: can you trust the workshop to do the work as carefully as you would expect it to be? I am always referencing to the past, mainly because this is where my experience lays for the most part. In the 1970's, when you brought your motorcycle to the shop, you could speak to the guy that would actually work on it. Not to a "Service Manager". There were no "signature required". The guy would treat your bike as he would his. At pickup time you get a run down of what was accomplished, eventual troubles and suggestions. Not a rubber stamped check list. With MPH Guzzi here in Houston, I would say that we are privileged. The shop has a proven history in Guzzi bikes, and the current mechanic that works on your bike is accessible. After I got the Le Mans last year, this was my first stop for a full assessment. The bike was healthy excepted for the odometer disease common to the V11s, so far, so good. My V11 is afflicted with the common hiccups reported in the technical pages here: I have purchased all the necessary equipment to verify the setup. I have a cranking problem, which I have not yet resolved, but I am confident I have identified the problem. My main concern is space. I do not have any space to work on the bike other than doing menial tasks. My plan was to sell my car and purchase a SMART for two; even I ran all my errands with the Le Mans, there are times when I need to be able to have a bit more cargo space. Due to the chip shortage, the used car prices have gone unacceptable; It does not make sense to purchase a car that used to cost 6K for 15k or more today. I will wait, or if push comes to shove, I will go MPH.

I'm not sure that is our mantra here, but I'm not sure that it isn't . . .

Seems these are the climates that give us some of the greatest bike (and car) restorations on the planet. Probably some of the best oatmeal stout and blackberry wine, as well . . . I don't mean to be speaking for our Norwegian brothers, here . . . @hammershaug should be along to cheer us up, before long, yah?

I sat on the black frame burgundy that I now own at a motorcycle show in Indianapolis, and was enchanted enough to stay in touch with the small "dealer" in a small town north of mine. I made monetary rationalizations and negotiations and bought it. The feedback from riding was unlike anything else I'd ridden and since it isn't the easiest machine to ride, it keeps one's attention more active in my opinion. Mountain roads in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, etc. sealed the affection. Then the dreaded electrical gremlins came, and it sat languishing for several years in the garage. A crash ( obviously on a different bike) left me grounded and slightly spooked for a couple years. When I got the desire to return to riding back, no mechanic would touch it without a suitcase full of unmarked bills and Methuselah's scheduling. Somewhere I heard the phrase "If it's going to get f***ed up you might as well do it instead of paying for someone else to. " Around that same time I remembered this forum and was encouraged. The first startup after relay exchanges and the "decent tune up " brought tears to my eyes, and I thank you all...

Its presently -3 C and it will probably go down to -15 tonight, it's supposed to top out around 0 all week. February is more of the same with no real relief until the middle of March. What can I say it's home! I don't think anyone really chooses Detroit, I was born here and the people were nice so I stayed. It gives me a chance to search the globe for V11 parts. Thank you guys again for taking time to get me pointed in the right direction. Much appreciated. Happy New Year

Bought the bike new at Lexington Motorsports and rode it the first 12.5K miles then sold it to Kale who lives in Nicholasville, KY where it has resided ever since. The bike came with the carbon front fender and fly screen. I added the chin spoiler, side carbon, along with Fast By Ferracci pipes and eventually the FBF high compression piston kit. Since then, Kale added the Mivv exhausts. The motor had a bolt loose in the oil pick up and spun a bearing, leaving the bike idle for over 6 years. In the last couple of weeks Kale bought a low mileage EV motor painted and installed it. The bike is back on the road now running more reliable than ever, this pic on Saturday around Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, was on his "sea trials" shaking out the bikes lasts glitches. Which were a new voltage regulator and some of the wiring to the turn signals. As she stands right now, the bike is good to go.

Not everyone would watch (and listen!) to 27 minutes of car noises. Admittedly, I have a decent sound system to play these sonorous tracks through. I got hooked in the first six minutes thinking, "Nothing here wants to idle or run at less than 5,000 rpm!" (Just like mySport . . .) Then, they turned them all loose!

I've never found a situation where a peaky or top end weighted power band was of any utility or fun. It was at best just a consequence of obtaining the required power. As ICE technology became refined the ability to get decent torque over a wider rpm range and maintain the top end power improved engines became more useful. Even at the elite level of road racing these days it's all about making the torque delivery to the rear tyre controllable whether mechanically or electronically. A V11 engine isn't in fact a very flexible engine to start with as its spread of torque and power is quite narrow. From 3500-4750 rpm the torque curve falls flat on its face and its all done by 5500 rpm. Compared to an old GSXR1100 and although its 12 Ft/lbs less peak torque its smooth and straight climb from 2500 to 9000 rpm. So a lumpy 3000 rpm curve compared to a straight smooth 6500 rpm torque spread. Which ones more flexible? In other words the std V11 engine is already a narrow torque band engine compared to its UJM contemporary. Its a sharp but brief torque hit with holes in it. Combine that with a heavy flywheel and people seem to think its got a wide spread of torque and is "flexible", it's not. Anything you do to a V11 engine that doesn't help fill in the std midrange hole is just silly stuff in my view. Ciao

Why would I ‘Forget’ your bike isn’t stock and how does that alter the way that a closed loop system works.? As I said the stock maps are generally rich. At the top end, (High rpm, wide throttle opening .) they are generally sloppy rich, mainly because the designers know that just about the first thing Harry Hometune is going to do is stick pod filters and stupid noisy pipes on it and as a consequence they fling a lot of fuel at it to stop them melting pistons. They just wear rings out instead! I reiterate, if your engine has steps in its power delivery it is tuned and mapped sub-optimally. The causes for that may or may not be map related. They might be the result of poorly thought out modifications to any part of the motor from inlet tract to exhaust length and dimensions. Tuning an engine, any engine, requires looking at it holistically and having a grasp of physics and fluid dynamics. It’s not simply a matter of applying a set of general principles dreamt up in a different age or different technologies. A motor is an air pump but the factors governing its ability to pump most efficiently vary.

So it's got a shit map! Which German? Not that clown who's claiming to get 130+hp out of a flat tappet 1400? Sorry, if I can be bothered I'll go through why this is wrong, again, but there again I'm so over it I don't think I can be arsed. If you want to ride a truly 'Biggus Dickus' V11? Go and ride Chuck's Scura. First thing I did when I bought it was piss off the pod filters and reinstall the stock air box and a standard filter. Yes, it has a PC on it but at the time and with the 15M that was the 'Go To' at that time and it was obviously set up by someone who knew what they were doing and wasn't a snake oil salesman or spiv. That bike is BLOODY AWESOME and it's delivery is extraordinary from nothing to Blurp, Blurp, Blurp! Blasting across West Texas at 'Faster than F*ck' speeds was effortless, riding it in the CA Canyons was a 'Stick it in third and gun it'. The only difference between the 15M and the RC is Lambda input. Other than that it's the same ECU. If you leave the lambda on then the system will always try and trim the fuel to achieve the emissions target. Where does it do this? At operating temperature, (Above 60 degrees C.) and on a constant throttle below about 4,000-4,500 rpm! Screw about with your right wrist and it goes open loop. Above those crank speeds and below that temperature? Open loop! If it feels like it has a 'Step' in its 'Power' at 5,000 and 6,000 and you like that? That's fine. But don't for a moment convince yourself that it's running optimally. It's not. I need to go to bed.