Cyborg

Does the garage have an engine hoist? After a ride that far, I’d need assistance getting off the bike. I was thinking more along the lines of..... ride 10 minutes from my house to the ferry, another 5 minutes when the ferry arrives at the island.... followed by intermittent rides to drag supplies back to the cabin. The 50 km speed limit on the island and a good steering damper would keep wobbles down to a minimum. anyway... thanks for the invite, it sounds like fun.

They certainly look like they are done right. Can’t say there is a car there that appeals to me. I like the look of Steibs, but they would probably look a bit odd on a V11 Sport. Not exactly cheap either. Wonder what those earls type front ends cost? Maybe I should just look for an old Dnepr..... although a short ride on one gave me nightmares. Talk about agricultural!

Again... I don’t really disagree.... well maybe a little, but logic is unlikely to deter me. After all, I’m the guy who put a Vincent engine in a Honda GL500 Interstate. In other words, I have no shame, so a V11 powered hack isn’t beyond the realm of possibility. Besides..... as you so aptly put it, think of all the beer you could haul.

Yes.... agreed, but I have the V11 already and it has sufficient grunt to haul a car around. Although I have a lathe, mill, MIG and TIg.... as much as it pains me to buy stuff, I would cough up the funds to buy the mounting hardware, just to avoid any drama and save time. There are a couple of knowledgeable (nutters)locals to help set it up. Assuming I actually get around to doing anything about it.... most of the bikes use would be on a small island where the posed speed limit is 50kmh. Not a glamorous ending for a V11, but at least I wouldn’t have to worry about picking it up... just focus on avoiding hedges.

Too fancy for me... I would prefer something that looks a little more agricultural or maybe one that wouldn’t look out of place in a Mad Max movie. The mounting hardware is available.....

By the way..... the idle was higher after installing the pump. Cable has slack and throttle bodies seem to be returning. Doesn’t make sense unless the old pump was barely pushing enough fuel to lift the pressure relief valve. Not sure about the front end on that Rosso Mandello. I just want a sidehack and don’t even want to mess with the stock front end if possible.

So would installing a sidecar be considered sacrilegious?

Thanks for the replies. I ordered the one from Harper’s. Priced in the middle and they claim it’s quiet. Now if I could find a way to remove a 100 lbs off the bike and lower the COG. The V11 seems to have gained weight over the last year.

Been a while since I’ve stopped in and also been a while since I started the V11. Yesterday, it started without too much fuss after sitting for a year. Once the stale gas worked its way through and the fresh stuff started reaching the injectors, it started to settle down. However... smoke/vapour started curling up from under the tank. Long story short, it looks as though the fuel pump has s#@* the bed. Fuel was gushing out from between the plastic end of the pump and the metal housing, so the orings inside there are done. So the reason for the post.... any suggestions for a replacement pump? OEM or aftermarket? Where to buy one? Any tips, suggestions, what to watch out for etc. would be much appreciated.

I used to work as a M/C tech for a living .... between that and the mountain of projects lined up in my garage makes me want to avoid this for a while, so don't hold your breath docc... I will happy to take photos and post the results when I get to it though. As for cleaning and lubing the linkage, I wholeheartedly agree it should be done.... however, I'll wager you a cheeseburger or two that the linkage is fine. I live in Canada"s answer to California aka God's Country.....I'm too much of a pussy to ride in the rain.... and too lazy to wash the damn thing, so no corrosion anywhere. It does get clean oil and ethanol free fuel though.

Thanks for the replies gentlemen. I will check the pivot bolt, but pretty sure I is ok. Even the slightest movement of the shifter and it will return to centre, so nothing is hanging up. I'll go through the "Shift Improvement", but hope I can delay that until the dead of winter. It still strikes me as odd that the spring pressure is so different between the up and down movement of the shift lever. That spring in the photo looks like it would provide equal pressure either way. If the spring was broken... seems to me it would be "no pressure" If the spring was dislodged somehow, you'd think it would affect spring pressure for both up and down movement Y/N? Is the pressure supposed to be more or less equal either way?

So... downshifting if traffic, the shift lever decided to stay down and I thought I was going to have to limp home in 2nd (or maybe it was 3rd). When it stuck in the down position, it didn't want to move when I pulled up with my foot. Anyway after a short time the lever returned to its normal position and currently all is well. It has always behaved... any extra neutrals were born from lazy shifting. The bike only has 20,000 km. With the bike stationary, if I push down on the lever by hand, the return spring feels quite strong and no indication of a problem. When I lift up on the lever, the spring pressure is only about half as much. Not sure if that is some sort of sign? Given the lever had stuck in the down position and the spring (while pushing down) seems strong, I'm thinking its something else. External linkage looks fine, moves freely and no signs of hanging up anywhere. I see there are lots of threads on the subject, but just wanted to see if anyone wanted to hazard a guess as to what it might be.

Do these tanks ever develop cracks around that area? I haven't pulled the tank off yet and don't think its anything other than the tap o-ring, but thought I would ask.

Thanks. The parts manual I have, doesn't show it and after looking through it, I'm assuming its for the wrong year. It only shows the tank with the internal pump and I have an external one. Guess I better find the correct manual.

Hello all. Been a while since I posted.... Came home from a fishing expedition, went into the garage and was greeted by the smell of gas. The two allen screws that hold the fuel solenoid valve onto the tank are wet. Checked them and they are both snug. It may have something to do with the lack of clearance between the fuel solenoid and the intake boot. It seems as though a washer that goes under the rear tank mount was left out at some point in the past, allowing the solenoid to rub against the boot. The solenoid itself doesn't seem to be leaking, it looks like it coming from where it attaches to the tank. Anyway, I know the answer is to drain the tank, remove it, and figure out why its leaking..... but, I thought I would see if anyone has had a similar situation. Anything to look out for? My parts book doesn't show (or I can't find) the solenoid and I'm wondering if it's a gasket or an O-ring that seals the solenoid to the tank.

Not the one with the red handle, but the black one on the far left of the second photo. Good point, but honestly it never entered my mind to inquire about warranty. It's been a long time since I've dealt with Snap-On, but found that they were tougher to deal with on warranty than they used to be. I was surprised at how the deadblow broke up. Lots of sharp chunks flying around. Good reason to listen to the little voice in my head that says you should really be wearing safety glasses when you do this..... but honestly wouldn't normally put them on when using a deadblow.

I'd be tempted to toss that dead blow in the second photo if it is getting on in age. Looks just like mine before the head of it disintegrated into little bits. I bought it from the Snap-On guy back in the dark ages though.

Mine is ok in that regard, the pump cycles every time, but thanks for posting. If you aren't getting the pump cycling, first thing I would try is the relay... keeping in mind I'm still a MG newbie.

Thank you gentlemen.

Did a bit of a search, but didn't find anything quite the same. The last while the 2001 Sport has had an intermittent problem with the starter button. Push the button and nothing happens. It would start eventually by pushing the button a couple of times, but today that didn't work. I was just about to give up and then figured out if I move the bars back and forth while holding the button it will fire up. So... I know there is a broken wire or a lose connector/contact. Can't be that hard to find, but haven't looked yet. Feeling lazy today, so I though I would ask if anyone has come across a similar situation. Everything is fine otherwise (except the fuel warning light). Once it starts it's all good. Relays are new. Thanks

Matter of opinion I suppose. I don't usually put anything on the tap if I'm just chasing threads unless there are bits that might get into somewhere they shouldn't... then I coat it with grease so the crap sticks to the tap. I'm doing some old cases at the moment (not MG) and noticed one bolt hole that looked like it had a section of broken bolt at the bottom. I went to drill out the centre for an extractor and the bit went through it like butter. Turns out is was just crud that had been really packed in there under the bolt. This thing has been apart a few times, so that may account for most of what was in there. It was enough that the bolt bottomed out before it was tight against the cover. I grabbed a bolt and drilled a hole through it... Screwed the bolt one by one into all of the holes and gently ran a drill down the centre of the bolt to loosen up any crud. You could do it without the hollow bolt, but it protects the threads and guides it straight. Afterwards I flipped the case over and tapped it on the bench and was surprised how much crud came out. I followed up with a bottoming tap.

After returning from a ride, I noticed a little puff of smoke coming off the exhaust cross over when I parked the bike on the side stand. There seems to be a small amount of oil seeping from what I assume is the "special shaft" (as describe in the shop manual) or spindle for the LH wheel inside the cover. I don't have a parts book to determine what if anything seals that shaft in the pre-selector cover. Is there an o-ring that goes on the shaft or is it just supposed to be a snug fit (with sealant) in the cover? It's not something that warrants taking it apart until the monsoon season is here to stay, but may as well track down the parts that I will need.... along with a parts manual. The shaft that I am referring to can be seen just a little N.N.E. of the neutral switch. Any guidance would be appreciated.

I'm new to MG, so not sure, but what is your battery voltage when cranking? At what point does that computer start to protest?

Haven't ever used one, but just wondering where you are planning to buy it if you go that route? Looked for his web site, but can only find VW stuff.