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So I brought home my old Italian made mini bike to the house last weekend.

Not as bad as you think docc. I owned a Ducati ST2 for a few years that I'd bought off a friend and he's always complained about it's vague steering and asked me to take it for a ride and see what I thought. I suspected it was an unevenly worn front tyre. Anyway I ended up buying it from him and used it to commute to work for a bit and it started to display varying front brake lever free play. Come to a stop at the lights after a straight road and a previous straight stop and the lever was fine. After a few bends and use the brake and lots of lever free play. Had me a bit confused until I pulled the front wheel to replace the tyre and noticed with the callipers off the wheel had about 1-2mm of lateral movement at the rim when you tried to twist the wheel. The bearings were badly worn but not falling apart. 1-2mm at the rim is probably only .2 or.3mm in the bearing which means it's totally gone of course but not spitting balls out or anything. Anyway new front tyre and wheel bearings the steering's perfect and the lever free play back to normal. I'd say 90% of the steering issues and 100% of the brake problem was wheel bearings. Badly shot rear wheel bearings on a V11 Sport = clattery off beat vibration/feeling through either foot peg on a floating throttle. Ciao

The effects certainly were, but with the wheel gripped between my shins the play thru the ‘bars was almost imperceptable. I was rather pleased with the fix- £18 for 2 bearings vs £200 for a new disc!

When I was at the dealership looking at Husqvarna's I was amazed at the cool electric bikes they had. Being they were also a dealer for KTM and Gas Gas they had a few really cool electric dirt bikes. I would absolutely love to have one. I do love internal combustion, but electric power isn't without advantages. The instant torque they have is addictive. And the convenience is a huge advantage to me nowadays, I just don't have enough free time. If I live long enough to retire I have plenty of internal combustion projects lined up waiting for time. Having something that is turn key / push button simple is not always a bad thing. At Supercross races they race a kids race on KTMs. All the kids are on the same spec KTM bike. It used to be little two strokes, but now the KTMs are electric. The kids still seem to enjoy it. And it is just as much fun to watch.

Wow. That would be some pretty bad wheel bearings. Way back when I hopped on the wife's V11 for a ride and it scared me. The rear wheel bearings had failed and there was considerable play in the rear wheel, making it ride like it had rear wheel steering. I said to the wife "what the hell, why didn't you say something". But it had happened slow enough over time that she had just adapted to it and thought it was normal. Amazing what some people can adapt to. Sometimes it takes a fresh take on something.

No not really, but since I had a pump and some filters among my spare parts, I changed them both plus the mesh filter. I also renewed the hoses and clamps. Since it was impossible to get the unit back in place inside the tank (probably due to slightly diffent shape of the new filter), I decided to put the fuelfilter on the outside below the tank. It seems to work fine. Also getting the unit back into the tank was now much easier.

I fell in love with the Guzzi's sound first, at the Vintage Days at Mid-Ohio. A guy with a 70s Ambassador was riding with a guy riding a Vincent Black Shadow and they shared a parking place with me at one of the hotels. They looked as relaxed as me having covered similar distances as me with my GS1100. The Guzzi guy was talking about the V11 as they were newer then. I thought to myself; someday....

I saw this concept summed up nicely by one our treasured members: "It's wiser to plan for the ride than plan for maintenance." - @Pressureangle April 2022

Okay, I see now that your marked relay is the added "Roy Relay" to the standard five. I am surprised that you have not replaced all of your trash relays with the stellar OMRON G8HE that you are fortunate to have in hand. My advice, after seeing so many compromised and disabled V11, is to run the most reliable relay and keep the lesser relays as spares (mostly for your buddies who didn't get the memo ) . . .

Variable brake lever freeplay is also a symptom of bad wheel bearings. The wheel moving around pushes the pads back into the callipers during cornering. Ciao

My dad has a 2018, nice bike with plenty of mid range grunt. Good seat w handle bars, nice street bike with very smooth UJM inline 4. This pic was w my old Katana, K-5 motor w 150hp, I miss that bike. BTW Doc you can buy luggage for the Z900 from Shad.

Yep, happened to mySport back in 2014. Ba wheel bearing made the brake pedal weird:

Strewth! Popped in for a curious squiz Well… if we’re posting up eclectic tastes that yet somehow strangely fascinates - I’ll join in on the fun & add my weird odd job lot & …see myself out

I did post that quote out of context, yet felt the wisdom still applies. "Later year" V11 that have the dubious start wiring through the Ignition Switch began in 2002.

I would not able to sleep knowing that mySport had the worst-known relays (Tyco) poked into her sockets. If you insist on running known substandard relays, familiarize yourself with the myriad manifestations of relay failure modes. But why?

There is no reason why not have one. That is the point. However, only a few chosen ones understood the call to get one. We still don't know how many V11 (all models) were ever manufactured, so we don't know how many understood the importance of getting one. I know, it is a futile argument. But Guzzi were never a popular choice; rather some kind of connoisseur decision. Even in Italy, there still are apart in their own niche. Myself I wanted a Le Mans since the 850 came out. I was based in Italy from 1981 until 1991. I bought a Harley instead.

Extra bonus- i thought the pulsing on the brakes was warped discs. Nope, was bollixed wheels bearings

Update: Now i’ve put fresh wheel bearings in, the suspension feels very good. There’s no preload or compression adjustment on these maxtons and, weirdly, the extremes of the rebound clicks give either a ‘concrete’ or ‘zebedee’ setting that leaves me confused as to who would need them, and for what purpose… but in the middle there’s a few clicks of nice, compliant suspension.

Great voice..and not difficult to watch with the sound off either!

Lucky to have a thoughtful father like you! Thanks dad!!!!!

Thanks docc! and might I add, excellent place to eat on those chilly Spine Raid mornings!

Haha! SSR to the rescue!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/EvXEtUDqjRRvMaAH6 Tellico Grains Bakery 2021. Brought back my childhood memories.

Yes, now you are awakening some very old memories!

I had my dad walk out to his barn today and take a few pics of the old Italian made Indian 50cc two stroke. Maybe from Italjet or Franco Morini? This bike hasn't ran since around 1990-ish.

We need to surreptitiously slip into some tech company and get them to cobble together the Moto Guzzi V11 Hydrogen fuel cell conversion kit, but, of course still keep relays and fuses for the nostalgia....

Pretty sure that Mattel V-RROOM! was my first "motorcycle(ish) experience." I'm thinking it ran on a couple D-cells . . . Maybe four "C" cells. . .

Depending on budget and performance: On the high end of both I would get a Triumph Thruxton R In mid range, I'd lean toward a Royal Enfield, but not sure which model. On the super low-end, the Honda Super Cub is available again in the US. I think a Super Cub would be fun, you meet the nicest people on a Honda (or a V11 forum).

Marty, thanks for the offer . Picked up 2 cheap 40Amp, just to have a spare. Now I have some time to find the yellow Type 23 40Amp, though seems hard. Back into the brewery. Cheers Tom

In your picture the seal is next to the fork tube .

I am not certain I agree with the statement. I love to not plan for rides; I used to jump on my bike and go without any specific destination. However I have always planned my maintenance.

Well, I carry Omron with me. And you know the motto: if it ain't broken...

christ… i just got a flashback of me pushing her up a scaffold board into the back of my van…

Awe…..I was waiting for the ICE purist to show up. ✔️ Look I love gasoline as much as you, but reality check it’s probably not forever.

Doesn't this represent child abuse of some sort? I mean an EV first bike, are you trying to turn him off motorcycling or something? What next, a Fender Stratocaster with rubber strings to protect your hearing. What's the world coming to. Ciao