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Hi folks. Adding a custom seat upgrade example in 2024. I bought my 2001 Greenie, and it came with a custom seat, but the leather was very dried out, and importantly, I thought the seat was at the wrong angle. As I rode the bike I was constantly being pushed up against the tank (insert your jokes here). I'll just go with - it wasn't comfortable. I live in Portland, Oregon, and looked up the maker of the seat. Turns out, 22 years after building the first one, he's still in business making custom motorcycle seats, now located in Kingston, Washington, USA, just outside of Seattle. Rich's Custom Motorcycle Seats https://www.richscustomseats.com He said he'd be able to re-do the seat. Either I could take photos and measurements and ship the seat to him and he would do his best to modify per my request, or I could come to his shop with my bike for a custom fitting. The shop is about a 3-hour van drive from my house, so I loaded it (the cold/rainy season has begun here) and took it to him. He had me sit on the bike and discuss, then pulled off the leather cover and modified the foam contours. I sat on it again and took it for a short ride, then another minor contour change, and a new gel pad, another tweak and...what a GREAT transformation. I was then given a wide variety of choices regarding leather, vinyl, color, stitching and so on. And while tempted by red flames or a waving Italian flag, I went with very simple and classic. Green bike and red frame are, IMO, already speaking loudly enough . I chose a black pebble-texture leather for the seating area (which I was told hides creases and wear over time), and black smooth leather for the pillion and lower sides of the seat, with double stitching. The contour they typically recommend (though they'll do anything you want) is a bit of a cupped shape with a gel pad under that. I went the cupped direction since the V11 is more of a back roads cruiser. I'll take my r6 to the track. From arrival at their shop to departure took a total of 5 hours. Which is pretty incredible considering they sculpted a custom foam shape, made a custom leather pattern, stitched and adhered it, and I took a test ride mid-way in the process. One person worked on seat disassembly and assembly, and another did the stitching. I hung out in the shop, chatted, and tossed the ball for the shop dog. Really, the experience and result couldn't have been better. They guarantee the work for a year, saying I could come back for adjustments or repairs if I wish. Their main business is, I think, cruiser seats for Harleys and the like. And they say the busy season is April-September, so plan on waiting a little longer those months. That said, they do offer the in-person fitting, same day service, all year round. Cost wasn't cheap, around $700, but the personal attention, truly custom result, high quality materials, made in USA workmanship, and so on...to me, it was a fair price in 2024 $$. Here are a couple photos. You'll see I went conservative/classic. The feel of the seat is really high quality - when felt with my hand, and with my backside. I think it'll look and ride nice for years with just occasional leather treatment.

If you want a comfy seat the larger the contact area the better. I mean you have to consider what's appealing to the eye. If you look at Chris's seat it has a nice pocket that extends out to the very edge of the seat. His seat looks like it would cradle him well. That's one reason I like bikes with a mild tuck position the back of the thighs bears some of the load as well. My Russell seat is full leather I don't really baby it. Twice a year I use mink oil on it and looks brand new. I do cover it when traveling and I'm done for the night. Cover is about size of the OEM tool roll. I've left it uncovered a few times in the rain. If it's conditioned well the seat is pretty water repellent.

Between the cable attachment and the adjustable contact cam, the high idle mechanism on the bottom of the right throttle body has a lot of adjustability . . .

If you are going to do home maintenance (and who doesn't) the first thing you need to do is down load the parts and shop manuals, they are free and the answer to your questions are there. As for removing the tank. In a perfect world no but in the Guzzi v11 Sport world probably. Phil

It's on the right side, very visible under the injector. No need to remove the tank. Cheers Tom.

Wow @Kiwi_Roy —the diagram saved me a lot of headache. My V11 wouldn’t start. I have a few bikes, all are older than this one. I had not ridden the V11 for a couple of months. It wouldn’t start. I suspected a fuse and this diagram was a big help. But embarrassingly enough I noticed “clutch switch” and problem was solved! User error!

So docc by my calculations the GB500 @170kg DRY and 39hp has a power to weight of 4.3kg/hp The RE @230kg DRY and 47hp has a power to weight of 4.89kg/hp BUT the RE 650 makes a lot more torque than the GB500. 41nm @ 5500 rpm V 52nm @5650rpm. The RE would feel a way faster ride and you can shed 12kg off the RE with a $750usd full exhaust system and make more power still. Plus the 650 twin is silky smooth and has less vibes than the V11. Phil

A couple of years back, before I bought the V11 Le Mans and the Breva 750, I was tossing up about my motorcycle situation, and whether it made sense to keep the Kawasaki 1000 GTR. One of the things I did was a back to back comparison of the GTR with the V35 Imola over the same stretch of country road. I came to the conclusion that, while it was nice to have the possibility of using the 98 hp that the GTR had, I wasn't actually using more than the 30-odd (on a good day) hp that the Imola has. Ok, the Imola weighs a bit over half of what the GTR weighs, and that is to be taken into account. Even so, the little 350 Guzzi motor is really a lot of fun. 3 times the horsepower is also fun, but you don't need it to have fun. Having said that, I wouldn't have an Enfield. Don't like parallel twins. Never did, never will.

You can still see the Rubbermaid logo. That's awesome! Also CAD actually stands for Cardboard Aided Design...

I was lucky and the documentation for the recall was included when I bought the bike. Mine was done at the original dealer, Moto International.

That's great! I think there's a similar shop in Oregon, I'd have to look at my notes. (I don't actually have notes but it sounds better when I say that).

I saw a Guardia d'Onore model in the Encinitas showroom back in July. Quite a good looking bike indeed. Doesn't seem as "wide" visually as a Stelvio with the rear bags, very purposeful. I'd be tempted to try one out, but I'm out of room in the garage...4 bikes and I can't even contemplate getting rid of any of them. Yours is setup quite nicely!

I have a (apparently, by age and application) a FBF crossover. It cracked in the center and was nicely repaired. I drilled it for an O2 bung in the center, thinking to get both cylinders, only do discover that it is no crossover at all merely two mashed flat pipes welded together. What a POS.

And the lac the Roselend approaching from Beaufort(what she did) and continuing to the Cormet de Roselend is part of the route des Grandes Alpes. Magnificent rides. When sitting good in the saddle you can make it all the way to Nice in a long day. (Or that is what we did when we were younger). In 2021 it took more time when coming back from Mandello >> Col du Tende(gravel) >> Val du Vesubie and further north on same route in the other direction until Briancon. Really lovely part to ride. Bit dusty on the Col du Tende.