Bbennett

Practical winter riding advice for V11 owners: "place gloved hands firmly on top of the handy and very warm valve covers at every stoplight/opportunity in an attempt to get feeling back into fingers"

2008 for my V11: new tires, Piazzo levers, HyperPro rear shock and progressive front springs, new front brake pads, LED voltage indicator, consolidated relays, new voltage regulator and custom addition of leather pouch behind left rear passenger pegs for "always there" tire repair kit. The bike is totally sorted at the moment, knock on wood! Bob

Sounds like a weak battery. The V11 will not necessarily charge if just running around town at low RPM or idling alot. Try bump starting the bike in 2nd gear if convenient, this will let you start the motor without having the battery power to turn the starter that turns the motor.... But really, just put the thing on a trickle charger and try tomorrow. Bob

I call thread Hijack. Less talk, more pictures. Bonus points awarded for something remotely related to to Italy or even Moto Guzzi.

Guzzirider - Please keep us posted on this interesting project. Those brackets do look nice BTW.

Where else but here could I interact with some Scot with a V11? This is what the Internet is really for. Thank you Jaap. If you agree please contribute!

First things first, your voltage on the battery is way below what it takes to start this bike. I think you need something like 11.5V. And one false start will draw many volts. Put the bike on a trickle charge and you will likely be fine. Make sure the kickstand is up! And the kill swtch is noty active.....(sorry to mention). I think your REAL issue is why did the batter get so low. This is why someone mentioned the Oddyssey battery - it will hold a charge better than the stock lump. But the problem could be deeper - let's not go there now. First things first! By the way, there is nothing wrong with bump starting your bike....I did it for months at one point (long story). Bob edit: I originally said "jump" starting but meant "bump" starting is OK

Good god man, please change the front tire! And prob the rear one whilst you are at it. Tires are the most important part of the machine Bob

I have the Pazzo's on both the clutch and front brake on my 2001 V11. They probably do not work any better than stock (though I do like the adjustment for my bulky winter gloves in the winter season) they do look cool. I have found they are objects of commonality with other high end sports bike riders and conversation of this nature is good. I will tell you, they are mainly of aesthetic value, and I recommend them highly. Bob

I take this as very bad news. The people who work there - surely some will decline to relocate to the new factory line and that is an issue with a storied brand like MG. I think they missed an opportunity to move newer models to the new line and continue to have some R&D and limited high end (hand made) model production in Mandello to retain people and not de-value the brand. The property would have only gotten more valuable in time at Mandello anyways. I admit that I have never visited the Mandello facility and base my opinion only on what I have read. Bob

This is a good thread. Bottom line for me: I have never been stranded on my 2001 V11 Oddly, I have more niggly problems just riding around town. When I get on the open road, the bike is rock solid reliable - although I am ready for a "stretch" by the time the gas tank is (semi empty. Sometimes I come back from a ride and a few days later wonder "what if she had broken down" but too much thinking is bad for soul. Bob

Honda 50 w/ step thru frame. The sheer #'s guarantee it actually wins in all categories since adjectives like "coolest" and "blood thrilling" are subjective and certainly have been applied to this bike more than any other. Put 5 people on one of these and ride down a muddy back road in Indonesia - oh heck - make it at night. Norton 750 and maybe even a Kaw 500 are other ones that come to mind. Bob

Pls show us a picture if you get around to it - thanks for the report Bob

Thanks for your response, glad you seemed to have resolved your issue. I really do not think it is relay issue, I just replaced all of them and the problem was unaffected Edit: originally I left the word "not" out of above reply As fate would have it, my last 2 rides have not shown the charging issue at all....but I know it is lurking! Bob

The Guzzi gremlin hit me again after 2 K of no probs and I now have a re-occurence of the not charging problem. Weird thing is, it seems to only happen in hot weather when I am idling too much at stoplights. I see the tach go crazy and then I know the battery is not charging and the bike has to be push started. JackBoots - did the new voltage regulator cure your heat-related charging issues? Thx Bob Edit (Nov 2008): I replaced my regulator and my charging problems are finally gone. Thanks for everyone's help.

I had same problems for a while - bike would not charge consistently but ran fine after push start . I got very good at push starting, I can do it in like 10 feet on level ground now. I tried many fixes. And... thanks to another thread on this fine forum I finally checked the two yellow wires from alternator to the regulator and they needed to be cleaned up and re-attached. Since then - no problem. It sounds like you have checked this but since my symptoms were so similar to yours I thought I would mention it. Good luck Bob

OK. I will take one if you can add me to the list ! Thanks, looks good Bob

Which model of Penske would work on an 01 V11 Sport? e.g. PS-8970 Piggy Back PS-8987 Piggy Back PS-8983 Piggy Back Thanks Bob

Check your main battery connections too - they might be loose and lose contact at high RPM

Acceptable? Heck yes. That's like bringing a an Italian fashion model to a party and saying "Ok if we come in?" Anyway, very nice bike there.

Thank you for this advice

For waht its worth, I was experiencing the very same thing in very hot weather and I noted I had very little fuel in the tank. When I filled her up, the sputter at low RPM problem seemed to go away - making me wonder if I either had bad fuel or somehow the heat from the engine at low speeds/RPM was causing issues. We will see if the bike is really better if the temperature gets hot again today.

Thanks for any advice on this: *added: 2001 V11 sport red frame - 20K miles* Recent history: 1. Rough spot at 2600rpm noted. This is probably not relevant but I note it for completeness as this bike has never had a rough spot there. 2. Removed wiring leads (used for winter jacket) from battery (newish Oddyssey..no history of problems). Bike starts fine. 2. Bike just clicks when I try to start it. Bump start. 3. I check battery terminals (they are tight) and connections (seem OK) - but I "arc" to the capacitor in the process. 4. Put battery on trickle charge. 5. Next day. the bike starts perfectly. Bike fails to start at next start = 8 miles away. I bump start. Bike starts normally the rest of the day on 200 mile trip running at high speed. As I re=enter town and RPM's fall, the bike runs poorly at low RPM and the rough spot is very pronounced now. 6. Bike starts the next day. Hot weather. Low speed driving. Bike is hot and running very very(!) roughly at low RPM or under any load. Feels like I am running out of fuel. Bike fails to start twice. 2 bump starts. Tach dies. Bike is running very rough and then dies. I discover the light fuse is burnt out (4th fuse from rear). I switch the two front relays around and replace fuse with correct 20 amp. Bump start. Light and tach now operating normally. Bike is running very very rough. Battery is low, signals barely work. 9. I get back to my garage. Bike will not turn over after being turned off. I put it on trickle charge until it gets to 11.93 volts. 10. Maybe it is out of fuel (fuel light did not come on) or fuel is bad. I get to gas station and fill up with 92 Octane. Bike barely starts. But the roughness at low RPM and under load is gone. The rough spot at 2800 RPM remains. I get home. Bike will not turn over, only the rapid clicking sound. Voltage from a 3 mile trip has dropped to 11.73. volts. What might be wrong? Thanks, Bob

My opinion: California tries a little too hard. I believe the word is "strident". Unfortunately I think this is an American characteristic but California is past its prime by 25 years and revealing itself to be the desert that it always has been. There are some exceptional places there but it is not the best of America.

Confirmed in Seattle. Vetter fairings, guys with aviator glasses and what appear to be golfing gloves. They sit up on their bikes, very erect. Squarish inline motors, very wide, probably Honda or Yamaha -I cannot bear to look. I am not sure these bikes have real brakes.