droydx

Welcome Rob, It's looking like we'll be having a very nice spring in CC, already been on a handful of rides around the Vineyards around here. Keep us posted with your experiences, it's always fun to hear Guzzi discoveries! You'll find a lot of very helpful folks here in V11.com. Andy

Yes, you can reach him at: http://www.guzzitech.com/ I have been battling the x-over blues too. I have a Stucchi X-over, and 1 cracked head pipe and so many exhaust leaks. Aaron's stainless steel shims have helped and after 2 complete assembly/disassembly with aluminum beer can shims and Henrys roofers paste I have finally sealed up that sucker. When I get some more cash, I'll be buying Todd's head pipes and ditching the X-over altogether. It's a pain when you remove the alternator cover, and a leak prone design. Dx

No not really at all! I'm the 'nuck that bought your MG bag and I know what you mean about it's limitations. It's a pain to install and remove, and the underlying attachment is fuggly. I did make a synthetic sheepskin sub pad that has kept the paint good on my Rosso....so that is one option. Any dirt or grit that encounters the stock pad will make it into sandpaper!! Andy

Not sure what to say, but I have a Stucchi x over on my LeMans and it is not as bad as that one. Mine doesn't have the O2 sensor bung, and the welds are much smoother. NTL, I would rate the quality as middle of the road. The Stainless is lesser quality, rough stuff, and the fit was a bugger to match everything up. It does what it is supposed to do though. No flat spot in mid range and lighter than stock. I have heard that the bends and welds vary and that you could lay out 6 of them and they would all be slightly different. Now that is hand made, old world craftsmanship at its finest!! Andy

The bag zips onto a padded foam base, that has a hole for your fuel access. The foam base has 2 nylon straps in the front with quick locks to capture part of your frame. I have a hard time routing mine with a LeMans fairing....you might not have that problem. The rear mount requires you to remove the rear fuel tank bolt and use that to hold it. I just put a nyon cord through the hole in the mounting pad and tied it in place under my seat. It's not to hard to install at all. I found a synthetic sheepskin pad that I cut in the shape of the foam pad and I put that in place under the unit to protect my paint job. The foam is OK, but it will trap road dirt along the nylon edge and scratch through your clear coat with miles and vibration. They are well made and look great with the red MG logo.....go for it! Andy

OK, so they XBR9-12 Buell turnsignals. Thanks. Now I just need to find a source that sells the lens' on the internet. Anyone have a source? My local Harley shops won't touch a Buell, and the closest Dealer is about 50 miles away. Andy

Can anyone confirm or deny that the turnsignal lenses for an 2003 VII and a 2003 Mille are the same units? I have a friend who has some clear Aprillia Mille lenes and would like to add these to my Rosso Corsa, if they are the same units. I recall that the VII units are the same as a couple other bikes.....just can't remember which bikes they are. Thanks! Andy

I have an 03 Rosso and it has been a very dependable machine. The only piece to break while under warranty is the left side exhaust header, a common fault due to a bad batch of pipes which crack along a stress riser from the bending process. Otherwise, the Guzzi has traveled about 6000 miles, not much, but it's a sunny day driver for me. Most of the earlier V11 issues were ironed out by 03-04 so there's not a lot to worry about. My changes are mostly cosmetic and comfort related. I lowered the foot pegs with a relocater kit (just longer bolts and studs), added heavier bar ends with cruise control, played with an extended windscreen and changed out the grips to a softer style. I also added CRG adjustable controls which are very nice. Cosmetics included a Stucchi carbon hugger rear fender to match the front, shortened up the rear fender to license plate hight, and balck anodized Rosso Purro head guards. My bike was in horrible tune when I got it, and had the tank vent valve installed backwards, creating the dreaded "tank suck" and lean running until I figured it out. I do my own maintenance, and like to be able to do it...that is why I bought this beautiful dinosaur! I did the "standard" performance mods: careful world spec valve adjust, Stucchi X over, Mistral Ti Oval cans, FBF Lidless air filter and Power commander to adjust fuel mixture. I run Pirelli Diablo Corsa tires and like the combination of wear, grip and handling. The bike runs well, pulls strong from 4 -7 K and is a blast to drive on long sweeper type turns. Be sure to make sure your fluids are changed per Guzzi, including the fork oil...oh and the manual is incorrect with the Ohlins front fork information: the location of the compression and rebound adjusters is reversed, look at the Ohlins file pdf that is on the V11 for correct info. Have fun with it, they should hold their value fairly well, Andy

TB and tune are important starting points. Also: Make sure you don't have any exhaust leaks at any of the junction points, fron x-over, head pipe to rear x-over or even at the x-over to exhaust cans. A slight air leak can make for a lean/rich condition at certain RPMS...pop. You can sometimes see some soot, or even feel the exhaust pulsing out if you have a leak. Finding the leaks is easy, curing them is tougher. Andy

This is a great idea! I'm definitely down for a set. I've cracked the left side header, and even with the stainless shim replacement set, am always messing around with leaks from the front X=over. I'm ready for a set NOW! Andy

It's Joe Marciando on the Joe Petrali Streamliner circa 1938. Joe was a Hillclimber in Santa Barbara, CA. USA and rode a 1919 Harley in the 30's events. Here's Joe's ride....sweet!

Todd, I would be interested, especially if your dyno testing shows that there is not much of an improvement with the x-over. I'd prefer a system without it. I have already replaced one side (split along a manufacturing crease), and constantly mess around with the x-over to try to seal exhaust leaks, even after going with the solid shims. Go for it and count me in. Andy DiMizio

That's cool....it's all good. It always amazes me how small this planet can really be nowadays. Damn internet! Thanks for supporting the Guzzisti!

Well hello Louisiana, My wife and I flew down to New Orleans in April of 2004 to purchase my '03 Rosso Corsa from the Materene's of Vespa New Orleans. If I understand correctly, that shop was wiped out by Katrina, and they have relocated to mid town and Baton Rouge? If they are the shop owners, please say hello from Andrew and Terry DiMizio from Santa Barbara. My LeMans is running beautifully, and we still remember the hospitality and good times we had during the deal.

I installed one of the kits that Evolulzione :http://www.evoluzione.net/ produced. I think that they are NLA...too few Guzzi guiders to make a buck on. bummer I wasn't sure it would be an improvement, and I waited about a year to install it. All I can say is that it really made a big comfort improvement. A couple inches really help. I am 6'1" and have a 34" inseam. I can ride my Rosso Corsa pretty much all day now, and before I was limited to about 300 miles max before my legs cramped up. The extended reach to the controls isn't a problem with my size 11 boots. Go for it!

I've brazed up pin holes and cracks in tanks on several occasions. If the tank is cruddy, you can add "Creme" tank liner, a latex goo that seals smallcracks and rust patches....dont do this unless you need to, because it's a real mess.

Yes! The same exact thing happened to me. I bought my 03 Rosso Corsa in Louisiana and had it shipped to California. When I took it to the DMV we could not find the emission control sticker. I had to call Guzzi NA and they said it was on the right swingarm, kinda hidden under the stock exhaust can. I looked and Thank God, there it was : "Vehicle Emissions Control Information Engine Family Identification 3MGXC1.06KTC Displacement 1064cc" There follows a bunch of tune up specs ant then the grand finale, "This vehicle conforms to US EPA Regulations applicable to 2003 model year new motorcycles and is certified to 1.4 g/KM engine family exhaust emission standard in California" Iwas able to take it back to my DMV and show the inspector...all was good. Well thank god for me....but from what I understand is that every Guzzi imported into the US had this sticker, there is no California version. So, your bike had the sticker at one time, and because it's kinda ugly, it was probably removed. Options include, running the bike up to 7500 miles, and avoiding Johhny Law, or navigating the emissions sticker black market....now, maybe there is some kind person who could carefully heat up a label on his or her 2004 bike, and flow it on to you......or maybe you could beg the shadows at Guzz NA for another sticker, or.....maybe you could print up a sticker.........well, I'm getting stupid here, sorry 'bout that. Good luck, keep positive! The Bike is worth it, I love mine Andy

The same thing happened on the left side pipe on my 03 Rosso, luckily replaced under warranty. I think the mandrel that they bent the lefties on had a burr or something and left a stressed area on a lot of the pipes....many cracked lefts, few rights. ?

I bought my 2003 Rosso Corsa in New Orleans, Louisiana and shipped it back to California. To my knowledge, all the MG's imported by MGNA into the US meet the 50 State compliance. When I went to register the bike at my DMV it was a big deal to have all the stickers and labels in place. Make sure that the V11 you buy still has the label on the swing arm near the rear drive that says: "This vehicle is certified to meet all applicable emission standards as defined by the EPA....." and specifically states that it meets "California Standards". This was my ticket to getting the bike registered in California. The sticker has white lettering on black and is kinda ugly, a lot of people peel it off when they buy the bike. It was so important to me, that I've left it in place. Don't buy an out of state bike without this label!!!! BTW, I love this bike!! Good luck in your search, they're out there! GO ITALIA Copa del Mundo GO Andy

I was a little hesitant to $$ up the money for the Corsa version of Pirelli Diablos...well I'm sorry I waited so long. These tires are a great/fantastic match for the handling of my Rosso Corsa. I'm very happy with the feedback that these tires give along with a lot more supple ride than the stocker Bridgestones that came on my ride. I don't think that longevity will be that big of a factor for me, I'm not a huge touring guy, but I do enjoy 400+ miles per day rides a couple times of the year. Most of my riding is withing 100 miles of my home base in Santa Barbara, CA, and there are quite a few fun roads to enjoy the handling and torque that the Guzzi affords. Maybe Mr. Stewart can chime in, but I think he is getting fairly good mileage on his MG....our bikes are not exactly tire shredders! Highly recommended: Pirelli Diablo Corsa!

You can start with the maps on PC.com: http://www.powercommander.com/suppguzmaps.shtml Andy

The valve was installed backwards on my Rosso Corsa. It works much better when installed correctly!!

Wow, After reading this thread I ordered a set of black head protectors from RossoPuro on Friday. It was about 7:00 in the evening here in Santa Barbara California in the good old U.S.A. The head protectors came to me on my doorstep at about 12:00 today....Monday!! That is fantastic shipping, by any means. The black looks great on the red of my Rosso Corsa too. Nice machine work and anodizing. Highly recommended and I'll definitely order again! Thanks guys at Firestarter Garage

Cool, I just plunked down for some black head guards for my Rosso Corsa! Thanks for the info. Andy

Carl, Wow, Youi've really done a nice job with your V11. I haven't seen it for a while. BTW, not only does Carl have one nice MotoGuzzi, but he is one heck of a good guy, himself. Great to see that Good Guys do win once in a while! Congrats from Santa Barbara! Andy