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This V11 lives in the northern part of the Netherlands , there’s a lot of Dutch spinies on the forum 💪🏻

I've officially ridden my first 1000 kilometers on the Lemans now!

In the interest of science, I recruited a friend to go on a short, but twisty, ride with me this afternoon for the purpose of conducting a rigorous scientific experiment. The null hypothesis was: "OP Griso owner should not buy a Moto Guzzi V11 Sport or LeMans." Methodology Our study included suburban traffic, stoplight filtering, 40mph lane splitting, extraordinarily tight and narrow roads cut into steep hillsides, high-speed sweepers with uninterrupted visibility, and steep ascents and descents. We did not test any freeway or long straight sections, because that would have been immoral and would have violated the personal integrity of the test riders. Test riders switched steeds partway through the circuit, but did not liberate any oranges from the orchard. Findings: We were unable to disprove the null hypothesis, and therefore recommend that the OP should buy a V11, preferably one outfitted with Ohlins (or other suitable upgrade) suspension and the factory Titanium Kit Racing exhaust. Statistical significance was determined via the application of Scud's constant: intuition squared = objective reality. V11 LeMans = Sport Bike Griso = Sporty Power Cruiser Additional Findings: Riding the V11 caused rapid growth of chest hair, while no measurable effect on chest hair was noted during Griso riding. However, some light tingling in the wrist was noted on the LeMans, which was remedied by switching to the more relaxed riding position on the Griso. The LeMans exhibited a flagrant disregard for speed warning signs at the entrance of curves, while the Griso was arrogantly dismissive in similar situations. Furthermore, the acquisition of a V11 is projected to improve, rather than risk, marital satisfaction due to a logical syllogism. If buy V11, then ride more by oneself. If absence, then heart grows stronger. Therefore, If buy V11, then heart grows stronger. It follows that investing in motorcycles is the same as investing in a primary relationship. Disclaimers: The Nero Corsa is mechanically stock except for the Kit Racing exhaust. She has not been given a "decent tune up", and therefore suffers markedly in comparison to her Scura stablemate. The Griso is significantly upgraded. She has Matris forks, Wilbers shock, titanium exhaust, Marchesini wheels, Beetle map, upgraded Brembo master and rotors, Corbin seat, and every other bit and bauble that caught the PO's (Kindoy2) discerning, yet wandering and somewhat impulsive, eye. Additional Findings: This research study finds that if @KINDOY2 offers a motorcycle for sale that he has personally modified, it should be purchased immediately for the asking price. Finally, OP does not equal PO. This demonstrates that the commutative property of mathematics is not applicable to initialisms. In fact, in this case, OP = FOV11. Original Poster is a Future Owner of a V11.

It's been up for 3 hours and no one has posted this yet? Slackers. Dave even gives a shout out to the forum! I'd love to find some of that Olins suspension and put it on the Greenie. In my spare time of course. I can't even find time to adjust the valves.

Not to far from Rotterdam, on the bank of the river Lek (that reaches the Northsea in Rotterdam), in the little town of Tienhoven we have an International Guzzi Rally the 3rd weekend of June. I help organizing it and all of you are most welcome. Registration is not required, always enough space to pitch your tent. Relaxed atmosphere, Friday BBQ, live music on Friday and Saturday night. Small band to help us through the Saturday afternoon. Food en drinks availble. Small ride out on Saturday, booth sale/used parts an all. We always lack a good portion of spine frames.

Compliments, @wavey_davey1, on the informative discourse in the video. Quite a relief to hear so much detail about the V11 (and other Guzzi models) well presented. I would like to thank both @Pressureangle and @p6x posting this video separately to be certain we did not miss it. Thanks, guys! That @swooshdave beat everyone to the punch should be no surprise. The operative term is "swoosh !"

This goose is a prime example of why I’m so very glad I’m not in the trade any more. Yes, the tune and the change in exhaust didn’t cause a casting to fail. How could they? But, at the same time he proves himself to know absolutely nothing about engines, tuning, or modern engine management systems and then is upset when the manufacturer of the machine denies warranty! Did he not consider such a possibility before embarking on any changes? Does he believe that he should be able to do anything, unsuitable or otherwise, to his machine and if it all falls in a screaming heap somebody else should pick up the pieces? What a bloody Galah! And the pouty, spoilt little boy reaction after it’s fixed! “I don’t like it any more. I’m going to get another toy, I don’t even want to ride it again! Wah! Wah!” F*ck these people! They are one of the main reasons we can’t have nice things! Look, if I’d sold it and it snapped a casting like that it would obviously be a casting fault. I can’t see how it could be anything else. I would have explained it was just bad luck, (It’s not like they can x-ray every casting for faults!) and slapped a warranty claim in for the rocker carrier, gaskets and anything else needed, perhaps a pushrod? There would have been no need for Piaggio to know about any changes because they would be irrelevant to a failure like this. If I was a dealer and had another model on the floor I probably would have cannibalised the entire rocker assembly off it and got old mate back on the road in an afternoon. Swapping the rocker gear off a smallblock is scarcely brain surgery, you could do it in 3/4’s of an hour max. You don’t even have to take the bloody petrol tank off FFS! Perhaps the reason it all became such a drama was because he’s a pathetic, snivelling, self important ignoramus and cut up rough at the shop? I dunno? It all seemed like a full-on whine-a-thon to me….. But what would I know……..

Lots of maintenance over the winter (wheels off list, tank off list, swingarm bearing re-grease, new breather hose, fork oil, brake fluid, electrics cleanup etc.) The only drama was losing the BB that actuates the front brake switch and both U-joints loose, all sorted and ready for test ride when the old Odyssey battery gave up the ghost. Fortunately the nearby NAPA had a new PC545 on the shelf for $147. Ready to ride just in time for the recent nice weather, 200 mi loop to the coast without a hicccup. Thanks to all the info from the fine folks on this forum!

Interesting topic and love the idea. About twenty years ago, I organised two V11 meetings: 2004 in Varsseveld (hometown) and 2007 in Sibbe (South Limburg NL). Great fun! And lots of international guests from allover Europe. I've kept in touch with a few of the attendees; beginning of June I'm meeting some Brits that attended in 2007. I've been playing with the idea of a 25year Anniversary rally in 2027. But, at the moment I'm still way to busy with my small business, being a city councillor and my lovely girlfriend (randomly ordered), so this year is not going to happen. BTW, that hotel is about 500 meters from my home! Docc, sorry to correct you but Leipzig > Varsseveld is about 550 kms.

With the challenges of bringing our Chief Whip to a South'n SpineRaid in Tennessee, USA (we've tried! ), I shamelessly propose we take the party to him. Varsseveld is "relatively" centrally located in The Netherlands and yet striking distance for much of our European brothers, and those in the UK. (Listen to me, talking a big game from across the pond . . . ). Quoting MojoFuzzi in the Post a Picture thread, "there’s a lot of Dutch spinies on the forum 💪🏻. " (To name just a few) . . . @Tinus89 . . . @MojoFuzzi . . . @Jaide . . . @motortouring . . . @Admin Jaap . . . @Paul Minnaert . . . @sport1100 . . . David Konings . . . @Dadparent . . . @Walterg . . . Best wishes, gentlemen! I noticed this cozy place that looks just right for a SpineRaid . . . https://www.hoteldeploeg.nl/

Because it's modern engineering. Very few engines these days use gaskets because sealants do a better job. Metal to metal with sealants means no gasket compression over time, no gasket failures and less parts to assemble and manufacturers save money. The Guzzi engine is a transition engine between gasket and no gasket engines. Ducati twins haven't used crankcase half gaskets for over 30 years. Removing the gearbox cover is no problem as there is a built in leverage point to pry it off. It's an engineering evolution. BTW the original Guzzi BB rocker cover gasket is a PITA and fails regularly. Use a later metal core gasket. Same for the front cover gasket.

I assumed there would be a post about it. Now I get to have @wavey_davey1 be mad at me for posting the LDG video before he did.

My V11 was my first ever owned bike. I looked at 3, rode on one. After 5 min of test driving, the shop owner looked confused and a bit disappointed. Don't you need more time? I said: no, what I need is a cup of coffee to discuss your asking price over. 10 years ago, still my best bike (own 3 and have owned 2 more, rode 10+).

Had my v11 about 5 years, never missed a beat, now I want another one 12 X bigger. Also have a disreputable 850T3. Full size. Live Sydney Australia. Active in the NSW Guzzi owners club.

WHAT caused you to do something as absurd as to create a forum for something as laden w/foibles as this ? I do know w/o this , I would not own my V11s and I certainly not appreciate them or have a relationship w/a task force of other addicts .

Glad you did the road test and all those calcs...too much figuring for me though. I took the easy way out. I judged the book by its cover.

Today I picked up the Nero Corsa from Moto Forza, a local shop that I highly value (having bought 3 bikes there, and many parts). It had been sitting idle for too long with failure to start issues. The mechanic found that I was only getting 5 volts through to the starter, so he wired in an extra relay. Now it actually starts. Gonna go for a short rip this afternoon and give her a proper flogging over the weekend. My Scura has been having the same problem, so I dropped that off when I picked up the Nero. Just in time for spring riding.

Because there aren't many bikes as beautiful. Pretty simple for me.

This V11 Le Mans is a beautiful birthday present for your wife. It is a very matury ellegant ballerina with an astonishing first impression, it ages like a flower in her prime. All of it resembles your beautiful wife. How else could you honor her.

And that, sir, is the correct answer.

You need a V11 because you don't have one

I've been known to dabble...

Almost true...the 2V 1200 Norge engine is significantly better than the 2V 1100 in the V11 series. However...having said that, owning and enjoying a 2002 V11 Scura, a 2008 2V Norge and a 2015 4V Griso...all I can say is: N+1 is the correct # of motorcycles you should have, with N being the current number! By all means delve into the V11 series...worst case scenario, you could sell it, but I doubt that would happen. The V11 series of bikes are extremely intuitive to ride, love the twisties and are very easy to work on, with the exception of some oddly placed zerk fittings...but to be fair, all of the Guzzi bikes have something unique about them. I have yet to find a reason to sell any one after having acquired another one.

I was thinking more "dancer in a party dress " . . .

My comment about them not crashing well wasn’t so much a criticism as a simple statement of fact. They don’t! Thing is they aren’t designed to be crashed so in terms of their performance and ability as a motorbike it’s an irrelevance. If I was a few years younger I’d be seriously looking for a V11 now but I’m old and unhealthy and don’t have much money for fripperies and toys any more since I retired and with my current stable of bikes I certainly can’t justify another one! The biggest issue with the Spineframe series to me is that they were designed and built at a time when the factory was very cash strapped and therefore some of the design features, (The outrigger bearing in the bevelbox casing is a good example.) are a bit ‘Poverty Pack’ and poorly thought out. Other parts though like the four shaft gearbox are a delight! I wish that had been carried over into the CARC series as a good one is a real joy to use! Look, they are what they are. The only way to know if you want to buy one is to ride one. So what are you waiting for?

The amusement park is overgrown, the gates are padlocked and the whole area is patrolled by Rottweilers

The V11 will give you a more sporty and crisp-handling bike that is still comfortable for distance. And it will give you the chance to hang out here with the cool kids. The V11 represents an entirely different era of Moto Guzzi. You have a modern trellis-framed V85 and a CARC bike (the Griso). You obviously need a spine frame (the V11). BTW, you will probably need to add a Tonti-framed bike soon. And you can keep going back one generation at a time with your ensuing purchases... a loop frame would be next.

I'm not man enough to lift my Griso when I drop it moving it into my garage. Had to get my mate's 16 year old son to help lift it. And you've obviously not met my wife...

If you're worried about being consigned to the dog house by your wife then you're not MAN enough for a V11 Le Mans or Sport Phil

Well, those questions addressed to your spouse are all good and valid points to win an argument with . After winning the debate , you might find the Amusement Park closed or very limited hours of operation . Better think of a different strategy !

The ohlins seals are single lipped to reduce stiction, but means they are short lived (especially when the dust seals have disintegrated!). Anyway, a standard mod is to replace them with generic Japanese seals of the same dimensions (without looking it up, mine are for a GSXR1000 from 2000 ish?) but these have double lips which greatly extends their life at the cost of a tiny bit more stiction. In any case the ride over bumps is waaay better than my original greenie with Marzocchis, and better than I was expecting to be honest, after being spoilt with my Ducati Sport Classic. As standard these were apparently awful but the previous owner fitted Ohlins shocks and very good fully adjustable Showa forks off a Monster S4R. The Coppa can't compete in ultimate terms due to weight, but suspension compliance isn't far off. Sorry for long reply to short question!😁

Haha I might have known you guys would beat me to it!! To be honest I was flying out to Iceland with the family (where I am now)straight after reviewing the video before publication so was all a bit manic. The bike is going great after a few, ahem, interesting shakedown runs (E.g. the rear master cylinder seized the rear brake on slowing down on a fast dual carriageway resulting in me being marooned half way on to the hard shoulder)! Also, and not unexpected, one fork seal popped on a longer run and covered a disc with fork oil. So forks all rebuilt with new Suzuki seals etc. Anyway it's rapidly confirming I made the right choice. The video seems to be going down well and reminding people what lovely bikes they are, hope you enjoyed it? Cheers, Dave

Two of my favorite two stroke experiences were racing a TZ250, which was a lot like the above mentioned TZ350, and a KTM 440 EXC dirtbike. The TZ250 was the classic two stroke, no power, followed by some power as you rev. Then, around 8,000 rpm it started to make noticeable power. At 10,000 rpm it kicked in and went, pulling hard up to around 13,000 rpm where it was done as quickly as it started. That bike was serious fun on a track. My other favorite two stroke was the exact opposite. The KTM 440 was a monster that didn't have to rev to make power. It was almost friendly at idle, but at some point just above idle it turned into a beast. It quickly went from making some power to making massive power. It was a dirtbike, so it didn't have a tach. But it didn't need one. The power was always there. It was a case of too much power being too much fun. I was not really faster on it then I was on my DR350, but my smile when riding it was way bigger. It would plaster a smile on my face the way it yanked me out of corners. It was like the way spaceships hit warp speed or light speed in sci-fi movies. Expansion chambers can make two strokes deliver amazing power. They don't automatically make for a peaky motor, they don't always means power up top. They can make power wherever they are designed to. Thinking of them as acoustic resonance is a good way to look at them. Depending on how they are designed they can make power down low, in the middle, or up top.

Chambers? Cycle World did a podcast a few months ago, picking the jam-packed brain of Kevin Cameron.

While Fortnine did a great job of explaining the fundamentals, the specifics and nuances are very complex. Headpipe diameter and length are the primary indicator of RPM range, but inlet and outlet cone length, end diameters, length between- all affect peak power, power spread, whether there's a smooth transition into and out of the powerband or a razor-thin line between 'on the pipe' and 'off'. When I raced flat track, every 2-stroke racer who had the skill to tell the difference and the means to acquire them had 3-4 different pipes to choose from depending on track length and condition. It's almost like it's rocket science or something.

I just returned from about 25 miles. All seems well, voltage going up and down dependent on rpm, just as it should. The V11 power never grows old. After riding my other bikes(V7, GL500, ZG1000) the last couple of months while this was being worked on, this V11 seems like a beast, so much more fun to twist the throttle. I breached the ton a few times today!

As far as I know, it only affects the specific models mentioned here: Your greenie should have the double-plate clutch, which doesn't cause any problems at all.

Consumer culture. READ the warranty. Ride it the year, THEN mod it. Piaggio would be nuts to warranty bikes that such wankers have twaddled with. It's part of growing up, junior....

Well it's working, but maybe only a band-aid, not actually corrected. @Tomchri I ran a direct wire from the RR to the battery, took it for a ride and it now has higher voltage at higher rpm, as it should. Thank you. (The RR I bought came with a long power wire just for this reason, but wanting to keep it OEM, I had originally chose not to use it.) The problem now is this all started when my 30a fuse started to melt at the base (not blowing). I replaced it with a CB, but that hasn't helped other than allowing me to push the button rather than replacing a melted fuse. As it is now I'm concerned that there is still a short in that main harness. A friend tells me the additional wire will help add resistance and may in effect make up for the fault. To truly repair this, I believe I'll need to remove the tank and replace this power line. For now, I'll see how this fares.

500km on a V11 feels like 200km right? @Admin Jaap this year may be too soon, but I would happily help you organize something for next year? Would be great to get some faces to the names of the forum I roam around on for 10 years next year!

Gene I agree 100%

Scud, your self-sacrifice and altruism never ceases to amaze me.

Moto Guzzi, making engineers from motorcyclists since 1921. Still love the slow lumbering beasts though. Had a Yamaha XS750 triple, it was what everyone wanted - shaft drive, electric start, three disc brakes, faster than any brit bike. But.....wound it up, easily clicked through the gears, 130mph.....but no sense of feedback, "Is that it?" I thought. Took it on rallies, it just drove there with no drama, no roadside repairs or tales of derring do, may as well have taken the car. Six months later sold it for a new '78 850 Guzzi T3. Loads of fun, engine torque rolling you from side to side as you blip the throttle in the car park. Get it wound up and feel the back end lift as the swinging arm is pushed down. But of course soon learn not to shut off in a corner as then the rear lifts which makes for interesting handling. None of that old character on a Le Man's Sport of course, lighter flywheel and the floating rear bevel box smooth out such hooligan things.

They don't use air, but fat from your love handles to inflate it.

I knew that was coming. I should've said like the two hybrids in my garage.

That's this bike. The photo of the front tire, first photo in the thread, turns up in the video about 20 minutes in. @wavey_davey1 great to see the bike on the road, and on the correct side of the road into the bargain.

Y’know it wasn’t that long ago when most fuel stations in the uk had a tyre pumper compressor inflator pumper. They were free initially, then were 20p, then 50p, then a quid. Then they were always busted, and now they’re all dodo likes. ☹️ I recently saw an esso, or shell or whatever evil corp, advertising that correct air pressures in ones tyres will increase efficiency, help the environment (!) and swell your prick magnificently. 😬

Who asked recently 'Who is Keven Cameron?' @Lucky Phil or @pete roper ? One of the Southerners I think. This is probably the best way to know, and an hour is hardly enough to begin to know the depth of his knowledge.

This is exactly why they video is educating; because those expansion chambers should be designed to fit a very specific type of engine, targeting a narrow rpm band. I purchased mine from the manufacturer of my engine, and it was supposedly tuned to that engine type. However, nothing was specified on what rpm range it was designed to work best. All the guys from my moto club installed those chambers on their bikes, and it now occurs to me, the only certainty was the unbearable noise produced. As to the increased power, no idea....

This is correct, crankcase ventilation/oil vapor travel up from the back of the engine through the nefarious double-bend rubber hose under the frame to the bottom of the frame spine behind the headstock. The frame cavity acts as a separator with the gaseous fraction following the path @gstallons describes (a hose visible from the fitting on top of the frame spine, behind the headstock/ in front of the tank) to the airbox, and the liquid fraction draining down through the frame cavity to the return line and back into the sump. Ideally, adequate running temperatures will evaporate the water before it drains back into the sump. Less than ideal would be short operating times, very wet environs, and long storage periods. Also, oil selection plays a part. Pure synthetics (true ester base oils) have close to zero evaporation loss from heat and aid the efficiency of a complex, closed loop, crankcase ventilation system like ours.