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The problem I see with the box out of Germany is that it's another one from the same, failure prone, run isn't it? That would seem like playing Russian roulette with two of the chambers loaded rather than one! You surely don't want to be back at square one in a few months if the second box shits itself! As to the factory assembling the gearboxes so they'll be better than one built by a skilled mechanic? Are you mad? The factory uses the cheapest labour possible and assembly is rote learnt without a lot of knowledge or understanding. There is a lot of 'Monkey see, monkey do' on an assembly room floor believe me! The other problem will be finding a second hand box. I was looking a few weeks ago for a fellow mechanic in Victoria and V11 gearboxes seem to be like rocking horse shit! Finding one that is fresh and unproblematic could well be a real issue. If it were mine I'd be stripping it and inspecting for further damage before making the final decision. As long as the pinions are ok and the shafts are straight I'd be rebuilding it. It's not a big job.

Makes sense to me ... Seriously, Kathi and I might take a more back-roads route than that quick Google Maps avoid-highways shot, but it's hard to get there from here by any bad roads that don't start with an "I." Consider an overnight here before launching on the longer leg. Bill

I am coming up on about a year of ownership now on the Norden 901 (about 4k miles total) and think its a fantastic machine (touring and otherwise). Of course I've made many changes to suit me, but out of the box Husky did a great job. Lots complain about the suspension, and I would agree it's a bit soft out of the box, but in my experience every bike benefits from tuning the suspension for individual needs/styles. The parallel twin is no Italian V, however, at 470ish lbs wet and 105 HP this bike is still plenty of fun in the twisities and great for blasting forest roads. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more specifics on the Husky experience so far. Cheers.

No doubt on the epic ride from Chester Springs to Tellico Plains! There is a lot of the Blue Ridge Parkway between here and there, amongst lots of other fantastic roads along the way. I'll actually be down there in early Spring for an ADV rally on my Norden, but a September cruise down on the Goose isn't out of the question. I can't think of a more worthy scoot than a V11 to run the Cherohola Skyway...

Regrettably -- but necessarily -- the Norge is history. Sold it last April to a young couple who love it and have added miles of smiles to its already82K. As I have said elsewhere (and maybe even here somewhere) about that, anyone can ride a motorcycle 100+ mph, but coming to a stop sign at the top of a hill on broken pavement, two-up -- without even considering the metric tons of Kathi's stuff in our panniers and trunk (Her Grace allows me the tank bag ) -- is more of a challenge than, at 75+, I am willing to take with said precious passenger. With four more Guzzis in the stable, and the EV, even at 107K miles, a reliable, safe, and pleasant pilot and pillion mount, it's not as if I am inconsolable about my plight. So, next SSR, either we'll take the EV or Kathi will drive one of our Fits as a sag wagon. FWIW, while hardly a fixed route -- and I have run this axis of advance to points south numerous times, I often think the most fun way to get to Princeton, at least, is to get to SR 42 to Newport, US 460 to Narrows, SR 61 to Rocky Gap, then up US 52 & (very briefly, thankfully) I-77 to Princeton. As TR was fond of saying, "Deeelightful." Bill [P.S. Edited to apologize for continuing the thread drift! Best wishes on that new-to-you Guzzi. It's one of my favorites.]

I would also agree with Joe about replacing the entire unit with an unmolested used/salvaged unit. The factory assembles those gearboxes one after another, they have the most know how. It’s risky to spend so much money, in my opinion, and have an excellent mechanic, who has never torn one down, do the job. Even with the best of intentions and skills it will still be somewhat risky. YOU can swap that gearbox yourself or have a shop do it. The “breakers” might have a nice low mileage unit for 6 or 7 hundred. Check Pinwall or the like. I’ve been “in your shoes” unfortunately as I’m the friend Joe was speaking of that had a gearbox explode, later an engine failure too. Not that hard to fix. You'll get it going 👍

Thank you all for the comments and recommendations! I was able to meet with the fine folks at Motoplex in West Chester, PA (15 mins from home) today and they have agreed to perform the gearbox swap for me. Both the GM and Service Manager are top notch motorcycle guys and I am looking forward to working with them to get my Italian beauty restored to her former glory. Will plan to visit some of the shops you guys recommended once the weather breaks and I have all 6 gears available

Might be better to find a used trans? and swap it out. By the time you track down a shop that can do the work and has the time, then get it there, pay them for all the parts and labor and then hope they do it right....just sayin.

If you’re really interested, you should contact Bruno(Brian) directly, he is a really nice guy and will respond to any inquiry within a couple of days. http://www.ghezzi-brian.com/en/contact/

Moto Guzzi V11 Sport Tank Chin Pad | eBay

Do you know how it is being shipped? Just so's you know, DHL is likely to be affected by strikes at the moment.

Ah that's right Bill, I do recall you mentioning the Norge was no longer in the Grappa. I had Norge on the brain as there was a beauty of a white one on the showroom floor yesterday I was admiring. Don't worry we can find a suitable place on the EV to affix the support stickers... On a bright note to end the weekend: I was able to purchase that complete gearbox off eBay this afternoon! Now just need to wait for it to arrive from Germany and hope it shows up in good shape... Making progress here though and now a few steps closer to having my V11 ready for Spring. Appreciate all the input/feedback/advice from the community here and hope to meet up with some of you in person this coming season. Cheers.

No. To cross-check, I just loaded this manual down to my laptop: https://guzzitek.org/gb/ma_us_uk/1100/V11_1999-2003_Atelier(Compil-GB-D-NL).pdf No costs, no membership, just "save to ..." using the function for that in the browser. There is a place for donations on the site, but using the site is free. I should donate actually. The amount of times I've used that site myself or linked to it, I "morally" owe the guy about 10.,000 bucks.

Watch eBay. They come up . . . What is up with yours?

🐠☑️

Thanks Bill! Appreciate the offer and may take you up on that. Can we affix some "V11 Support Vehicle" stickers to the Norge? Maybe matching "support" polos for you and Kathi to make it official... We could make a very engaging 2 day run out of getting there for sure...

See below link to original post from 2009 about the recalls (referenced here very recently as well in regards to the "hose" failures which I have experienced):

Pete, I was the prior owner of Kalev11 bike. It was a recall era bike bought new. The late motorcycle mechanic Mike Wells took the gearbox apart and installed the recall parts, under recall warranty. Best motorcycle mechanic (Ducati, Triumph, Honda, Moto Guzzi, etc.) I will probably ever know, period. The kicker is the gearbox many years later still exploded. So what does that mean? It means all this recall panic is important but still not a insurance policy that the unit could still fail. In some regards, we all need to let it go, they are all 20+ year old Italian made machines prone to some failures. As for swapping out the motor or transmission, some how both went bad on Kalev11’s V11 Sport, he swapped one at a time as the failures were not simultaneous. Both swapped in his garage, the bike runs great. What does that mean? It means for not much money he swapped a 04 EV motor, reused bits from the original, mostly for original aesthetics, and got on the road fairly cheap. I think he bought it from Pinwall, with verified mileage. If you have the skillset to rebuild everything, then go for it, otherwise swap parts is option B. The whole point is to keep these cool Italian bikes “on the road” by any means necessary.

Yes there definitely was a fail prone run into 2002, but my VIN is not included (after the ranges referenced in the service bulletin posted in another thread on this site). Plan is to obtain the 2003 MY box out of Germany which should be past the questionable manufacturing period (fingers crossed) and have that freshened where needed and installed. Then I can send the current one out for a rebuild, and have it on hand should the need arise in the future.

Many thanks for posting correct page

there is a failure prone run?? (other than that early recall business) CSP's is a 2002 yes?

Chester Springs to the Lodge at Tellico would be an absolute epic ride. SSR 2023

The gearbox Joe had pictured looks like the way to go ! You get in there and things could get out of hand quick .When you do get it going , fill w/new fluid , ride it 100 mi. and drain / refill. Examine the fluid to see what it looks like .

Have you considered replacing the whole unit? Install complete without taking it apart and all the special tools issues. Have a buddy w a V11 Sport, with both a salvaged transmission and motor, bike runs fine.

Here is what I was greeted with when removing the gear selector assembly....