Guzzirider

I'm taking mine on 15th June to HTM in Aachen which is probably not a long way from you- 150km? I suspect they will be fine as they specialise in Guzzis but I will let you know how I get on. Regards Guy P.S. Raining in Belgium?? Surely not!!

Numbers mean nothing be they high or low- if you are happy with the way it goes that is the important thing! Guy

The story of most of my relationships!!

Oh shit I've been found out.....

Just looked at a couple of V11 dyno charts on Guzzitech and they do cross at the 5252 mark. I won't worry about it- the bike feels nice to ride and that is the important thing but it is an interesting observation! cheers Guy P.S. Could it be anything to do with the fact that Hobbsport use ECE power rather than SAE?

Hi Bill I rode around that part of Europe in June 2 years ago and in terms of weather I would say be prepared for absolutely anything. We experienced very hot sunshine, torrential rain, thunderstorms and snow- sometimes all in the same day. It was much warmer around Lake Como than it was up on the mountain passes as you would expect but it still rained, often in the afternoon. We rode through the aftermath of a heavy snowfall on the Stelvio Pass and also sleet over the Timmelshoch pass. even then, it did not get as cold as winter but it was just a bit chilly. It was lovely and warm in the Dolmites though and I am sure you will find the places further south very hot. I tend to wear breathable summer textiles but pack warm underclothes and waterproofs in case the weather turns. I can definitely recommend the Stelvio pass- maybe best on a weekday when there is less traffic and cyclists and there are some nice passes near Lana which is not far from Merano. I have a book called Motorcycle Journeys In The Alps And Corsica by an American guy called John Hermann which features many good routes- I love the passes and tend to avoid the big tunnels. Have fun- I will be down there at the same time so we may bump into each other! Regards Guy

The tuning shop I use Hobbsport has the reputation of being the best at cylinder head flowing in this locality. He did the same to their Guzzi racer along with bigger valves and it made some decent power. Please don't ask me to explain the physics behind it- I am better at riding them rather than explaining them!! I assume its all about making the heads as efficient as possible. Ciao Guy

Hi Antonio Mal (from this forum) helped me fit them- it was a weekend job really- I did the easy stuff like tanking off the tank, scraping off old bits of gasket and carbon, making the tea and he did all the difficult bits. I have not yet got the new valves fitted- they have arrived from Italy but I won't get these fitted until the winter as I don't want the bike off the road this summer. My local tuning shop will flow the heads and fit the new valves. If you are at Boxmeer you are welcome to take mine for a spin to see for yourself whether the piston swap is worth it before spending the cash. If you do decide to order, speak to Alessandro at FBF in Italy- he will give you a very big discount if you ask him very nicely- my valves cost 33.60 euros each including tax whereas the list price was 60 euros plus tax. Guy

When I went drag racing last year on my Guzzi (I found a nice dress and wig to wear!- I am a lady don't you know- I wear ladies things and drink ladies drinks) I wished I could do the times of the V Rods that were there! Saying that, I think they are a wee bit ugly- I prefer the good old slow air cooled tanks. Guy

Very nice Kermit would approve I am sure! Guy

I suspect they did not come up with nearly 100bhp at the rear wheel- at the time of the Moto Retro article they were launching some new products for tuning Guzzis so I would imagine were making claims that would sell lots of products. I will of course keep you posted. Bike will be on HTMs dyno in a couple of weeks while I get the ignition remapped- will be interesting to compare differences. Regards Guy

Hot Lap Challenge It has taken me 6 goes to get under 2 mins- and the best guys are doing it in 1 min 24 secs! What is your time? Guy

I am assuming your bike is too early to have a front X over? I dynoed mine on the same machine last year as my friends V11. We were running absolutely identical specs (both with front X overs) except I had the Stucchi and he retained the standard X over. Our bikes made spookily identical power and torque curves so it may be that for the bikes with a front X over, the Stucchi makes no difference at all. It does look better though! Guy

Nice one mate!

Hi there! Current mods: Mistral pipes Stucchi X Over Power Commander 111 USB Lidless airbox K and N filter FBF pistons Firstly, don't worry about the figures. When you are looking at dyno charts the important thing is to look at the before and after difference. I know there are people who get their standard V11s dynoed elsewhere to show 88BHP at the back wheel but I doubt they are more powerful than my modded engine- the only way to compare is to put them on the same dyno at the same time. I have yet to meet another V11 that can pull away from mine on the straight and I am a heavy bloke! Secondly, am I happy? Well I am delighted- there is more power than before throughout most of the rev range and a huge dollop of more torque all the way from low revs. Even with my limited knowledge of engines I would very much doubt that even with the valve mods and head flowing I intend to have carried out it will make masses of more power- maybe a little more top end? I have never got carried away with the FBF power claims- all I want to do is make my motor the best in can be within reason. To put this into perspective, the cost of the pistons plus gaskets was less than my Stucchi X over which has probably made little or no difference. Whereas the pistons have made a big difference to power and torque throughout most of the rev range so in my eyes money well spent if you are really looking for more from your motor. If you are happy already then obviously its not worth spending the cash. Like I said above, it's not the mod for bar room bragging about peak BHP, more about making your bike better. I don't think anyone has previously posted before and after comparisons of the FBF pistons before so I am glad I did- hopefully its opened up our eyes to what they are really all about. Guy

Wow some scary teeth there! I thought it was us Brits who were meant to have bad teeth! Was David Hasselhoff singing at the event? Guy

Glad to hear you made it back OK Martin but it sounds like you had an interesting trip home! Guy

I used one on my old 1100i Sport Corsa- it did the job. Guy

Yes I enjoyed that too, despite the gravel and the sheep! I thought your Quat D system looked and sounded very nice- different too, unlike any other Guzzi exhaust note I have ever heard. Guy

I can recommend 2 hotels in nice areas, both a bit to the south of Glasgow: Ken Bridge hotel Annandale Arms Nice roads around each one. I stayed in the Annandale last Thursday night and it was quite pleasant. You could plan a nice cross country route from there if you wanted to avoid all the boring main roads. Guy

I filled up with some very dodgy low octane fuel a few weeks back when I had no choice in the Keilder Forest and the bike pinked like a bastard then, although I reckon it still would have done on standard pistons. Before today I would say very slightly more pinking than standard with the new pistons, but this has been mainly been dialled out now, perhaps by more fuel being chucked in at certain points? To ride, the bike feels a fair bit quicker and seems quite rapid in the mid range. Driveability has been improved if anything. I guess I should leave it alone now but wonder if I can make it even better by getting the ignition curve altered? I will be in Germany next month and have made enquiries with HTM to see what the deal is with getting them to do this. I just can't leave it alone! Guy

I have now done about 2000 miles since the installation of my FBF pistons last month. I took my bike to Hobbsport Racing in Keighley today to get a new custom map for the power commander. Hobbsport's dyno is renowned for giving lower readings on paper than other local tuning shops but they are very popular with racers because of the difference they make when tuning. The pink lines are from the previous dyno run in Jan 2005 with standard pistons. The black lines are from todays run. Both horsepower and torque are improved for the majority of the rev range. Peak HP is actually very slightly down over standard, although peak torque is higher. On the road, the bike feels a fair bit quicker which I think is down to the extra torque which is just where you want it. In summary, this is not the sort of mod for those seeking peak HP numbers to brag about down the pub. It is worth doing this conversion if you want more poke just where you need it most of the time. For the reord the numbers are: Peak power: 77.8 BHP at the rear wheel Peak torque: 74.2 foot pounds at the rear wheel Top speed: 140.6 MPH @ 8175 revs Guy P.S. Valves arrived this morning but leaving that job until the winter.

Yes I have seen that on the internet and wondered what is was like. Guzzi Cafe

As you are looking towards the front of the bike as if you are sitting on it, the hose should be connected on the left hand side. Can't answer the rest of your questions I am afraid! Guy

I'd say it would be very expensive and a lot of hassle. In theory I guess you could bolt on the front end from a V Rod which uses Brembo brakes. Probably easier and cheaper to do what I have done and fit a Harrison mini 6 pot caliper. Only takes 30 mins to fit and bleed then you have half decent brakes. Harrison Guy