Bbennett

What is the fuel capacity of new polished aluminum tank please? Bob

A bit disappointing, I would observe that Aprilia is beating the pants off Guzzi in terms of innovation - at both the high end (RSV$) and low end of the market (new 125cc). I have heard that Piaggio has positioned Guzzi to compete with BMW (pls correct me if I am mistaken) and BMW is also, uh, light years ahead in terms of innovation. The Scrambler does not offend me but it is just splitting the V7 brand into another sliver - and will not be nearly enough to lift Guzzi out of the "basement" as one of us put it. The California is a kind of bike I really know nothing about. The motorcycle industry today seems to be poised on the brink of another leap in technology (ABS, electric propulsion, sophisticated fuel injection mappings, and even anti-collision technologies and many more). European manufacturers are once again leading the way in most of these. I would really like to see Guzzi assume more of a leadership role.

Just adding my voice: I am interested in an after market metal tank for V11 Sport too

Good review. I think the bike fits a niche. Seems like a nice bike for hopping on and running an errand, probably with a detour to have a little fun. Great bike to learn on. Good 3rd or 4th bike. I kind of want one, but I still wish it had a bit more power, even 60hp. Every bike is a compromise, and dammit my V11 is probably my all time favorite overall. The new V7 sport looks pretty good too, but I cannot get past that weird number plate. I dunno if it is coming to the USA, there is an open posting on that topic elsewhere on the Forum.

5k RPM is the sweet spot on my V11 Sport

My original posting was wrong - it is a *Norge* front wheel. Sorry about that. I now have several hundred miles on the new tires and really like them alot. Cheers, Bob

My objective with the 150 tire was quicker turn in. That is accomplished but since I have not ridden on a long distance trip yet, I do not know the implications (possibly negative?) on other aspects of the handling. You know that little S turn maneuver some people do to "warm up" their tires before a turn? Well this bike feels like it can do almost double the # of turns in the same distance - it is dramatic. I grew up with dirt bikes and own an Aprilia RXV 450 so I am used to narrow rear tires. I think I paid only $325 for the forks. Yes the cowling does fit over the new seat but it is a tight fit and the cowling currently leaves a small dent in the leather after it is removed. I also have to admit that the cowling slightly intersects the seam - but this is obscured by the strap. I use the strap for carrying helmet cover, hat etc. The new front wheel is not appreciably lighter than the old one unfortunately.

Not a big deal but my final mods for the winter (here in the USA) were done this week; 1. New gel saddle from Rich's (black stitching and black leather). It feels a bit better and is easier to move around on. I hope the big difference is on long rides. 2. I went to a 150 size tire in the rear - am amazed at the increased agility compared to 170. I believe this tire has a more constant profile as it feels "the same" at all lean angles and also tips in very easily. Here are two shots with the seat cowling removed. Note: The front end was done earlier this winter - I have Aprilia RSV front forks now. Not the result of a crash or anything - my old shocks were tired and I just wanted an affordable set of shocks with adjustable compression and damping on each shock. I was going to paint the front fender but heck I am just leaving it for now as the color is not a bad match for the frame. The front wheel is from a Norge. That is all.

I like

Re: To Do list I need to modify this new front fender to get better splash protection Front shocks and fender from Aprilia RSV

Just to cap off this thread as well as I can....it was not the relays. I finally took the bike into Moto Int. and they informed me I was "out of fuel". Very embarassing. All I could muster was a "but the light never came on" response and mutter something about my purposefully keeping a minimal amount of fuel in tank while taking the tank on and off 3X per day. Anyway, they could find no problem with bike when fuel was added. The only difference is that it is about 20 degrees F cooler now. and they fully charged the battery. So I am not 100% sure what the issue was. I certainly had plenty of fuel for the majority of my tests. Thanks for all of the great suggestions in the thread - off to RIDE Bob

The bike gets worse and worse each day. Now it will only idle. Any application of the throttle kills the engine. I am not skilled enough to mess with the TPS. What is the tank thermal line pls? I will move some relays around - I think they are fine but ya never know. Bob

That's a good suggestion (the reflective tape is peeling off big time uder the tank) but I have cylindrical K&N air filters. I like the suggestion in that I have checked everything in the fuel system at this point - 1 item at a time. No joy. My thoughts now wander to air intake and god help me - electrical. I guess I could remove the PC-III to see what would happen - it has been on there for 5 yrs. **Edit: tried that - no impact** The problem is progressive. I can no longer get the bike up more than a 10 degree hill and am effectively garage bound. Except for my Aprilia. But that is a monster to ride, espec in this heat. Bob P.S. The little nipple at the bottom of the fuel regulator (yellow thing is pointing at it) is not supposed to have a line on it is it? And I assume that fact that the bottom the fuel regulator with said nipple rotates a little is not relevant...

So I bypassed the fuel filter for a test - symptoms remain. The filter is not at fault. Tried a new fuel regulator - did not solve problem. Really thought that might do it! Tried a new fuel pump - did not solve problem. Pump sounds normal. Hmmmm. No fuel suck. Examined line for links - there are none. Changed fuel. Cleaned filter on petcock. Map is known to be good (checked it). Wow - am not sure what to try next? Might the throttle position sensor be at work here? The symptoms are: bike starts immediately and runs just fine until you go up a hill or apply throttle rapidly at speed - then it starts coughing all to heck. Sometimes is impossible to get bike back to normal operation w/o turning it off. Usually it will start up and run normally after the ignition/pump recycles. if I ride around at low throttle - could go all day til I hit a hill. On a flat road I can eventually get up to quite good speed. ??

OK, that is the same petcock I have (original poster here). So I removed the manual petcock and found quite a bit of gunk - presumably from bad petrol. I noticed the manual petcock did not seem to open all the way - and then compared it to other manual petcocks Greg had lying around. All appeared to not open all the way - so I assume this is "as designed". I reinstalled the manual petcock after cleaning the filter, removing the bad gas that had rust particles --and the problem was still there. I soldered the old electric petcock back together and re-installed it. The problem remains. Cavitation on freeway when throttle is applied quickly. Also happens on uphill situations. So that leaves 3 possibilities: 1. The main fuel filter is clogged. I have never replaced it. I believe this is the culprit. 2. The fuel pump is failing and can't keep up in high fuel flow situations. I do not think a pump would work fine at low load and then fail at high loads. 3. A kinked fuel line. I do not see a kink the fuel line. My next step is to replace the elec petcock with the manual one (since the manual one is proved to not be the problem). And wait for a new fuel filter. Bob

Thanks for all of the excellent replies. There is no suck issue on my red frame V11 and the fuel pump sounds normal. It feels like I am pumping fuel from a reservoir (e.g. the full fuel line) when I twist the throttle but the input to the reservoir (e.g petcock) cannot "refill" it at a fast enough rate. I will check filters and then revert back to old elec petcock as needed. I thought the manual petcock would be better in that it is "simpler"! I will report back, thanks again.

Df2: If you are hooking your airbox back up, be sure to re-attach to the tiny little temp sensor that it held on by two bolts to the airbox itself. It is possible that the previous owner removed said sensor and it is already "hooked up" and the sensor is simply sitting on the end of the sensor line happily. I am just telling you there was a sensor to attach to on the airbox as delivered. Bob

Here is a mystery. I installed a manual petcock and shielded by fuel lines with firesleeve on a 2002 V11 Sport. I have had no history of problems, just wanted to get rid of the elec petcock. I can accelerate briefly at full throttle in town and on a short freeway onramp. BUT, if I apply too much throttle on the highway, I get severe cavitation after approx 3 seconds - feels like fuel starvation to me. 1-2 seconds of throttle twist is OK. I reviewed the threads on Vapor lock - and I do not see or hear any evidence of it on my bike. What is feels like (after 100 miles of very gingerly holding the throttle barely open and GRADUALLY applying throttle to get up to speed) is that the new petcock is not letting enough fuel thru. I am positive it is on full open. There is also a slight high pitched whistle now at idle. Fuel pump spinup sounds normal. ANy ideas on how I can get back to twisting the throttle again at will on the open highway? Thanks, Bob

I added a real-time charging status indicator to my 2001 V11 just to see when the thing is charging (it is one LED and shows three different states in 3 different colors). Let me tell you it is an eye opener. My V11 (at least) is constantly running on the ragged edge of maintaining a charge. I really do not get a solid "green" (charging well) unless I am over 4K RPM's. Sometimes when I run around town on the bike, I never get it up to that RPM and ride is a net negative as far as charging. Turn on an accessory (heated vest is my only one) and the loading impact is *immediate* and will cause you to get an on/off switch for the accessory right away. Let me put is this way: the turn indicators affect my charging status below 4K RPM. My battery is an Oddyssey etc. Bob

I am planning to be on this ride Bob (Seattle)

Honda Trail 90 - one the best steeds ever. It is on my top 10 list for sheer practicality and endurance. A true dirt bike is one that can be lifted over any obstacle!

Totally agree. The "deals' you get on the Internet are often really just benefitting UPS or FEDEX. It is not hard to give business to my dealer; MotoInt in Seattle, God bless 'em. Bob

Matthew- When the bike is set up properly the "dip" that we talk about with this engine is more of a stutter or a momentary hesitation. It sounds like you are experiencing more than that. My "dip" happens at more like 3100 RPM but it is very slight. Pls make sure you are running with high Octane fuel of course. It might be useful to have another V11 rider in the Bay area come have a look or ride your bike around when the engine is warm - just a thought. Bob

Go for the simplest possible solution: bad battery connection that somehow resonates like a violin bow at 4K RPM and causes momentary loss of contact. Or the most unlikely solution: a horribly bad map at 4K (very unlikely). At any rate, you are NOT imagining this problem. Stay tuned, someone here will have useful advice. In the meantime, please check your battery's terminal connections. I also wonder if the spark plug wires (I forget the official term) might be bad on one side. Bob