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Hey fellow V11 MG fans. That would be me that bought this Rosso Corsa recently. I've been looking for a Rosso for a long long time. It was so exciting to ride it home. It is a really special bike with absolutely no flaws except the bubbling decal on the left side. It did come with the red valve covers as well. As was guessed, the previous owner liked the look of the dark gray covers and swapped those onto it. Now I have a 2002 red/silver Lemans that will need sold. My 2002 has the full Hepco Becker luggage setup including tail trunk, power commander, Leo Vinci carbon fiber exhaust and runs awesome. I'll list it here when it gets a bit warmer. Dave

If you guys like to wear patches on your jackets, I got a V11 Le Mans in Red done; I needed only one, but 10 was the minimum order; If you want one of the 9, please PM me with your address. I give them away, postage domestic and international included. If you want to pay it forward, just make a silent contribution to this site.

I would like recommend "Bicinlindrica", a quarterly magazine published in both Italian and English, exclusively on Moto Guzzi. They have some left overs which they are selling for 10 Euros for three. You cannot pick which issue you want. They have another magazine dedicated to Ducati. A two years subscription is 40 Euros + 15 shipping.

Thanks, that's sort of what I remember ... I should try to find the source for that statement, and whether it's still their mantra. I guess that unless their position changes, the Oberdan renders will remain just renders. I see the sense in it, in that the Guzzi twin is probably not a competitive engine design for a modern racing application, and the image of the Guzzi crowd is Eldorado-ean in any case (and Ante-diluvian, but I am dating myself here ) but hey, us V11 guys are supposed to be the sporty ones, right? Rebels with a lost cause I guess...

I read somewhere that the deal post-acquisition was that Aprilia gets the sportbike segment and Guzzi the rest. Has that changed? I will never forget the V11 successor that might have been, the story of which seems to have been excised from the historical record, Pierre Terblanche‘s V12 LM concept. I know it was polarizing especially perhaps the headlight, but just look at that swingarm-shock combo and the underslung exhaust! Not to mention the passive radiators for the valve heads. I rode for about two hours yesterday in 6 centigrade and the valve covers were worryingly hot so that radiator not only improved the lines in my humble opinion, it is also quite necessary. At the time they came out with a bunch of models but never followed through ostensibly due to the aforementioned segmentation of the market by the Piaggio group. I could only find two videos on YT about the Terblanche V12 LM, will look for and add them to the thread later. I am excited about all the new model renders in this thread though, as I find the looks of the current line up including the V100 Mandello quite underwhelming.

January 2000 is an early build date, so the finned flanges are correct, as are the other parts you mention. Some early Sports suffered with faded Frame Side Plates. You also, very likely, have the early triple trees with the different offset . . .

There always one non aesthetic factor in the "love" for a specific motorcycle; and just as perfume (those of you who have been on races in the 70's know the smell of "huile de Ricin" or Castor oil in English), it was the sound of the engine. This is the reason, from as long as I can remember, we tried to swap our exhaust systems to enhance the sound. As I was a two stroke engine guy, I installed an expansion chamber on my Gitane Testi equipped with a 50cc Motori Minarelli. For good measure, I upgraded the dell'orto carburetor too. Later on, the Kawasaki triple hit the market, and the sound of a three cylinder is so melodious... none of the CB750 owners I knew kept the decibel killers in these four exhaust pipes. This is when 4 in 1 exhausts started to pop up. The sound of your motorcycle would define you. Then the Benelli sei, CBX 1000, and KZ1300 completely redefined the field. So, even today, many of us have installed after market exhaust systems on our beloved V11, or whatever Vx you roll with. Are we really that much more cool because of them?

Thanks for the warm welcome! I've been lurking on this site for years and finally decided I should start posting. When I saw the craigslist ad for this Rosso only 35 miles from home I knew I needed to jump on it really fast. I called the owner the day it was posted, went to his house the next morning and put down a deposit and didn't even think about trying to quibble over the price. He had multiple people calling him when I was looking at the bike so I knew I had to make a deal really quick. My 2002 Lemans runs and rides really well but this new one is just a little bit better in all categories. The ti exhaust sounds amazing, the tune is spot on, has a bit less vibration and lots of eye appeal around the dash especially with the rizoma reservoirs, black faced dials, and Ohlins forks. With having purchased a 2008 BMW R1200RT recently, the BMW will now be my long distance tourer, and the Rosso Corsa will be the "special rides" bike from now on. I'm going to start to investigate what it will take to bring the tank paint back to 100%. Is there a source for the decals MG used on the Rosso Corsa?

In Italy, when a lady goes out with a red mini-skirt, a red clutch handbag, she will wear red stilettos too.... not grey ones... I urge all who like grey to go to Italy pronto!!!!

Still not completely relegated to "lifestyle", I reckon, but that word (which I detest, in it's marketing sense...) is becoming more relevant in the "customer profile". Shouldn't surprise anyone, the motorcycle market just isn't that which it was 40 years ago. Not that I mean that in a negative, or in fact any kind of valuative way. It is just a fact. Another fact is, the entire automobile and motorcycle and vehicle market in general makes a large part of its profit through the sale of optional extras on new vehicles. With vehicles like semi-trailers, the extras can be justified with things like "cost of operation" and "safety" and "efficiency" (I am practically quoting presentations that I heard as a sound technician on a job here...). For extras on a motorcycle, there is not much more to be said than "and if you add this, you'll be really, really cool".

Piaggio made a statement some time ago about their market segmentation by brand. Paraphrased: [Aprilia is sport and racing, Moto Guzzi is travel, Vespa is lifestyle, and Piaggo is urban/commuting.] At the time, I was relieved Moto Guzzi was not relegated to "lifestyle."

Al, nice post. My thoughts close enough to exactly. How silly, indeed. And the blokes at the factory internal seminar at a German car factory I did the sound for around fifteen years ago were so proud of having developed the system. I could hardly believe they were serious, but they were ....

I like the Greenie

Here's the link to their website. The training lasts 8 hours, starts at 08:30 and ends at 16:30, on your own motorcycle. There is a discount given to those who come under the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas moniker: "Tours" for a minus 25 USD from the total to become 170 USD. I have registered; not so much for the course, since like all of you here, I am the best rider there is, but for the opportunity to meet other fellow motorcycle riders from the USA, possibly participating to the 2023 Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas starting March 1st (hint!). I am certain each state has its own slew of schools, which have no specific certification on their ability to train or teach you, other than saying they are "experienced". In any case, I use this as a reminder to all (if this was ever necessary) that riding a motorcycle or driving a car are the most dangerous activity we do in our lives. Staying on top of them by seeking continuous improvement can only be beneficial. Furthermore, doing it in your local environment is essential. The company I worked for imposed a review of our driving skills every six months with a professional, including what they call a "commentary drive", where you need to describe to the instructor, while you drive, everything you see and everything you do to anticipate or mitigate any possible incident. You should try to do it, it is good practice.

It's not heart shaped, but it's red...good enough for me!

No, generally not. But some (apparently far too many....) fall for the marketing bs and think they are, it seems. As far as the sound of an exhaust goes, yes, the Kawasaki triples sounded glorious. As did my Z900 (much better than a 750 Four... ), my mate's CBX, the couple of Z1300s that I have encountered, and so on. There are, however, two things with the exhaust sound: We tend to want a particular sound, I reckon, because we associate it with highly tuned motors. Simply hollowing out the baffles on a cheap exhaust never gets there, it generally just sounds like a loud fart. The snappiness of a race-tuned motor just isn't there. At some point in the future, I am quite convinced, young blokes will be fitting gadgets to their electric scooters to produce a "high-power whine" just like the race bikes the big boys ride, because that is what the (electric) race bikes they will have seen will have sounded like. Secondly, back in the day you could really get a good bit more power out of a bike by putting an efficient exhaust on it. Expansion chambers for the two strokes, a good four into one for the '70's Japanes four cylinders, and so on. These days you can't. Full stop. If you are lucky, a good after market exhaust wont cost you power. Generally, they are just louder. I really can't see the point.

Docc, I still want & would buy a Sport Version Guzzi, not meant to be a knee dragger but maybe with the optional Ohlins semi-active suspension

Welcome Dave! You'll find the forum here to be an invaluable resource and entertaining as well

I replied to you directly.

Some superveloce vibes in the second one! Though exhausts have now become very ugly except for the under-seat ones.

Agree with all said except I've never gotten the courage to go more than 160 miles on a tank. I've somewhat tamed mirror vibration with some vibration pads. I find the windshield ok, and the stock seat the best I've ever had on a bike. It's more comfortable than the Guzzi, better seating and little more relaxed. It's light and tossable but I can lock the throttle and take both hands off the bars and wave like Miss America. And that's rub, no cruise control. The only mods I've done to my bike is a throttle lock, Duc tankbag, 3/4 in bar risers, factory foldable levers ($20 on closeout, regular $360- <Guzzi Content>) and 14T front sprocket (it's a little over geared). Mine's a standard bike (no Ohlins), with bag package. It's the best bike I've ever owned, I have 26k miles. Frankly Al, I'd make a deal on this one, if you're interested in one. OTOH, it's due 16K desmo service. The labor isn't bad but shop got me for the belts and plugs, I got hosed on that. We've also got a forum on these bikes.

Guzzi Enthusiast 817 Hacienda Avenue Davis, CA 95616 Thank you!!! I will pay it forward.

My bike is January 2000 build date. I believe they are stock, probably carryover from the 1100 sports. I have seen some V11 Sport pictures in the period brochures/tests that have the finned ones as well. Also some from Europe. It surprised be when I realized they were different than my 2000 and by friends 2000 greenie. Maybe I will swap them for later ones, or keep them for conversation starters!

Two more from the article above: https://www.asphaltandrubber.com/bikes/moto-guzzi-v100-le-mans-concept-oberdan-bezzi/

https://oberdanbezzi.artstation.com/projects/b5VxAr

https://www.asphaltandrubber.com/bikes/moto-guzzi-v100-le-mans-concept-oberdan-bezzi/

@Skip's Sport Norge, even . . Family resemblance!

The V100 is really growing on me, especially the green "S" paint scheme that gives the appearance of a separate fairing. I think I like the pre-release/press "S" bike appearance better though with the gold wheels and black heat shields on the headers as seen in the attached image below. If I were to buy an "S" today with its black wheels I think I'd ask the dealer if I could pay to swap the gold wheels from a "non-S" onto the "S" But let's even assume I were in the market for a new motorcycle (I'm not); I generally conform to my rule of not buying the first year model of an automobile or motorcycle to avoid "teething pains", and there is a lot that is new... well everything And over the next year or three undoubtedly Moto Guzzi will update this model and others yet to be announced that will be based upon this engine. So I'm not likely to be at risk of being an early adopter, but I'll definitely be keeping my eye on the V100 and what may even come next

Quick update here: Apparently St Valentine is a fan of V11's because the postman dropped a gearbox in my garage today! Waiting to hear back on scheduling the swap, and hoping she'll be all done before the weather breaks here. Will update as things progress, but today was a positive change in the right direction.

Sure thing. I really wish I didn't have to sell it, but only have room for 3 bikes. Ducati did a very good job with the new Supersport generation - the S model performs and handles extremely well. I've taken it mostly on 3-day weekend trips, but I did do one 7-day 1600 mile long tour of Maryland, WV, Kentucky. It was a real pleasure in the mountain twisties of WV! But I would say that trip (for me in my late 50s) was the limit of what I would do on this bike. The bars are relatively high and close, so seating is semi-upright, so that's not a problem. Also, mine has the comfort seat, which is nice for longer trips. The stock windshield doesn't offer much protection, so I've tried 2 others and finally think the CalSci is pretty good (all 3 shields included). If I had to pick one niggle, it would be that the mirrors vibrate a bit. You don't feel it much in the grips, but even the Ducati mirror recall didn't fully fix the problem. It wouldn't be a deal breaker, but everything else is so well done, you sometimes notice it. One thing for sure, IMHO, it's by far the best looking sport touring bike on the road. Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

That's really an interesting assortment of vintage motorcycles, many of which I've never seen before But to answer as aspect of the question I think you are asking; I hope manufacturers do not feel the need to create fake engine noises for electric motorcycles of the future. While the sound of the engines is inspiring, it is enjoyable to me because it is reflecting the genuine nature of the machine, not because I personally love all aspects of a loud internal combustion engine all the time ...as I've gotten older, I'm actually becoming more and more attracted to quiet exhausts About 20 years ago I did something that is really not recommended for many reasons, where I killed the engine on my FJ1200 and coasted all the way down the mountain from Crater Lake in Oregon. As I recall I had been really enjoying taking-in the quiet of the mountain, which I then obliterated by starting the FJ with its loud aftermarket exhaust, and then wondered what it might sound like to turn off the engine. It was great. It was much like riding a big bicycle, with just the sound of the wind, tires, and chain... so serene I thought even then how cool it would be to have a silent motorcycle, to be even MORE a part of the outdoors, as motorcycling is often marketed to be. So I actually look forward to the unique sounds of electric motorcycles. And they won't be silent anyway. There will still be plenty of mechanical noises, just those that are genuine to that machine! And just like the amazing performance we are seeing now with the reintroduction of electric automobiles, I think we'll be astonished with the performance that electric motorcycles will eventually bring. But there will always, or at least for the forseeable future, be a place for the ICE motorcycles and their own unique mechanical symphony

Wait . . . what? It's >winter< here and >summer< there?

I'm told you can align clutch plate by LOOSELY assembling clutch on the motor, attaching gearbox (requires a bit of jiggling to get input hub into splines in plate) then removing gearbox & tightening down clutch fully. I didn't have any luck with this method so made this, which worked fine. As I recall, I measured across gearbox bellhousing face to make tool, then attached it to motor across crankcase bellhousing face & used an old clutch hub to centre plate in clutch.

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.

Also here: https://guzzitek.org/ It takes a good look to see how the site works, but the collection of workshop manuals and parts catalogues there is very, very impressive.

It's the rear bearing on the upper lay shaft. #23 in this drawing. Part# 92 20 12 25 (ball bearing 25x52x15)

As I understand it, at the front. I.e. where the torque arm bolts to the frame. From what I hear (read...), the worn bush makes itself apparent through a hard click-clack noise when the load on the torque arm changes (on-throttle to off-throttle and vice versa). I haven't personally had anything to do with this issue, so this is all hearsay, but from very reliable sources, and always the same information from various sources.

With any CARC bike there are a few things you should be aware of that will need addressing if they haven't been already, and they rarely have. Most critically on the 2V models are the swingarm bearings and shock linkage bearings which are rarely, if ever, greased properly ex-factory. By now, sixteen years on in the case of any 2V bike, the bearings will be a mass of rust unless the bike has only ever been ridden in the dry in somewhere like Arizona! While you're fixing that up is also the ideal time to dribble a tiny bit of Loctite 'Super wick-in' down onto the threads of the pinion nut in the bevelbox which will help prevent it loosening if the bearings loose their preload. The third and final thing which isn't vital but is wise is replacing the sump spacer gasket that goes between the spacer and the block with one of the thicker aftermarket gaskets as the factory ones have a habit of blowing out around the front delivery gallery diminishing oil pressure and causing big end damage. This is more prevalent on 8V's but can happen on 2V engines as well. The actual tuning of a W5AM Guzzi has been covered here before so I won't repeat it but it is vital that nobody messes with the throttlebodies unless they are fully conversant with how the system works. If you do a search for my vids on YouTube I've actually done an explanatory video on CARC bike throttlebodies which you may find useful. The TB's in the vid are a set of 50mm ones off an 8V but exactly the same principles apply to she smaller units used on the 2V bikes.

When the 1200 Sport came out I really wanted one of these. I was over my neck surgery and able to ride again BUT... At $20K + I just couldn't justify this as it was to be my toy basically and we were just finishing a big reno on the house at the time! So had to wait a bit till funds were available for my splurge. I'm so glad I had to wait and that a Green V11 Sport found her way to me. I haven't ridden a newer Guzzi* but I can tell you that the minute I fired up the V11 at the shop when I went to look at it ... I WAS SMITTEN Thirteen years later.... I STILL AM Cheers Guzzler * I have ridden an older Mk 5 though.

Just picked up a local '03 V11 (along with a '07 Norge) last week, and I believe I might actually have the very first 'true' 2003 model year sport naked made. Serial number ends in 111111. The bike supposedly only has 6500 miles, but who knows as the ITI gauges are toast. The bike has some sun weathering, but mechanically, it is a very good runner. I am in the process of 'resto-modding' it now. I'll get some pics uploaded tonight. Happy to be here! It's not a Coppa Italia, or Scura R, but I guess it may still be somewhat exclusive, being the very first bike with all the '03 Aprillia/Piaggio infused mods.

Jeez, but that was hard to find: A post by Greg Field regarding the change of triple clamps, but not just for the Rosso Mandello, but by serial number: "What is meaningful is a discussion of triple clamps. Early (to frame 113032) bikes used triple clamps with 1/2 degree steeper rake. It is these that show the greatest tendency to instability, though even the later ones sometimes do, too." With this clarification: "I'm pretty damn sure the steering angle on the frame was unchanged from beginning through the last pre-LeMans bike. All red-colored frames have the same part number. The part number was changed for the Rosso Mandello because it is coated black. The angle change was made in the triple clamps at the frame number listed earlier." And further clarification here, on post#164: " The later triple clamps include a 1/2-degree of cant compared to the steering axis. These gray "canted" triple clamps were used through the end of the red-frames. In general, if your red-frame's forks have an axle nut, they also have the early non-"canted" clamps and if your red-frame has an axle that screws directly into the fork leg, it has the "canted" clamps. There is some crossover between axle-fixing arrangements and clamps, though, and Guzzi offered a kit of the "canted" clamps for people who wanted to reduce twitchiness of their early bikes, so any combination of parts is possible. Rosso Mandellos had black "canted" triple clamps. Starting with the LeMans, Guzzi again fitted non-"canted" clamps, but they were painted black." And these part numbers under the upper triple clamp, again apparently not unique to the Rosso Mandello: "Does it read "01493100" or "01493130" (both early) or "501452" (most late)?"