dbdicker
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Posts posted by dbdicker
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Jim,
The proper fix is to replace the pawl arm as well as the spring. Don't bother just putting in a new spring, even the 'heavier' one that was custom made that you've already ordered. It will inevitably break in the same place.
When looking up the part for a new pawl arm, DO NOT use the part no. for the 02 Lemans or V11. Instead, look up the part number for an 04 Ballabio, which will insure the correct boss size. If you need it, I'll look it up for you. It's a $90 part, but worth it for your own confidence, the springs have been known to break at most inopportune times, although some guys claim they can do a replacement on the road with a set of hex keys and a stout pair of pliers.......Good luck to that!
I replaced the pawl arm using the 'updated' part number here on the list and did not measure the boss before replacing the arm. I'm now sure that the updated arm in my transmission has the same WRONG boss size as the original I removed.
I've since gotten the correct arm, and am waiting for a reason to open up the trans to replace it correctly. Either the next spring will break, or i'll be doing a fuller service that will make it worthwhile. You'll get it right the first time 
Dan
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Methinks Guzzi has a winner here. New ride report here:
Griso review from Motorcycle.com
Subscription only, but if you really want to read it I'll make it available I guess. Also 2 videos of the griso being ridden fairly hard. It looks like it really can corner, too.
Proper bike, by all accounts. I'll certainly give it a try when it gets here. It looks great.
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truly impressive. How old are you two? I need some of what you're drinkin'
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Quite???
It's heavy. Unless you're built like, & have latent riding skills same as those honed thru years of experience by, Martin 'Adonis' Barrett I think a lighter, more manageable & less quirky bike would be easier to learn on. Having said that the power characteristics of a Guzzi motor are great for a first timer. What about the Guzzi Breva (750 or 1100) - more manageable, or the first model Suzuki sv650 was a good looking V twin.
KB
NO,NO, Sofia...not a Ballabio.I've owned one for just over a year & done 12000km on it.
I love the look, I love the engine, I love the riding position & the comfort.
There is, however, one almighty negative to this bike... it's handling...especially on any road that's not billiard table smooth...it's like trying to hang on to a greasy pig on an ice rink.
I've tried the full range of suspension settings, tyre pressures, tyres,damper settings & fork height....it's now a lot better than "factory" but still a handful.
This bike would be terribly unforgiving of an inexperienced rider who overcooked a corner or got the line wrong on a bend on ripply tarmac.
Get something lighter & nimbler before it all ends in tears.
Miles Long...
fully expecting to be flamed by the faithful, but I type with my hand on my heart on this one...
KB is dead on. I would've recommended the same 2 bikes. (actually, I might also suggest a low cc Ducati monster, either 620 or 800, if you're addicted to Italian iron). And Miles is quite right too.......it's an interesting handler, and not for the novice. You must have the experience of riding many miles to know what tires and shocks and chassis can do, because the V11 will contribute very little confidence itself.
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Sounds like a good spot for the first Guzzi rally I've been to in decades.
I'll try to make it too..........Look for the Scura with ventura rack
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I'm with ya on the new BMW. Despite all the raving of the new boxer, gosh, that thing is uglier than sin.
Ah the romance of the old Convert rider. I wish I had it. You miss my point, Pete -- I think you guys are the BEST thing about Guzzi and it's tradition. You measure miles in tens of thousands per season and have endless great stories about repairing a top end in the middle of nowhere with nothing more than baling wire, a spanner and the spare valve to an old yamaha. If they can convert one of YOU guys to the new stuff, they've got a real chance to create a new base of Guzzi fans. I'm waiting for a Breva to land here too so I can try it. My local dealer says October.........maybe.
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The thing is that the looks of the wretched thing *are* actually growing on me, and although the motor is still, (IMHO.) the same repellent old lump we know and love there *is* enough that is newish and different about it to make me genuinely interested.
Yer heads gettin' soft.
What good is a bike that'll run all day with modern brakes, steering, drivetrain? Nah, Get some shite with 16 in. wheels, brakes that don't stop and fairing bits that leave a trail of where ya been...............
Lord, If I can't depend on the nutty old Guzzi farts, I think I'm lost
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Great choice on Bike of the Month. I drooled
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I'm not sure. I've been through 15 bikes in my short (
) riding career and find myself constantly willing to swap what's in the garage. (I'm pretty loyal compared to my friend, however, 35 bikes and counting!).I guess I get restless for something new all the time. Don't think I'd trade what I got for anything else in the Guzzi lineup. Next bike I hope will simply handle better right out of the box than any Guzzi they're offering right now.........only MG gets so many of the other pieces so RIGHT, I'm sure I'll be back to an MG in the future if I do get rid of it. (this is my 3rd Guzzi anyway).
I'll prolly keep this one for a long time, if only because I've invested so much time and money working all the bugs out and making it as perfect for me as I could. I'll never recoup even a goodly portion of that effort, so might as well keep it and run it into the ground..............(an impossible task on a sorted Guzzi..........call me at 120,000 miles, eh?
)The most expensive of the 'upgrade' work I've done makes my Scura seem more like the Cafe Sport (sorted Ohlins, bar risers), but the flat black Scura with white instruments looks a lot better to me than the newer one, and the new Scura R is just plain fugly.
Just sold my BMW RT-P last week, showing how little loyalty I have. That bike was in the garage for less than a season !
Need to replace it with something, tho.....maybe I made room for a Cali variant?? Like they say in the MLB Baseball commercials, I love this game Dan
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Or you can be like Ralph Nader and start the ball rolling for a recall and possibly save someone's life!
I would do it, but I care more about Guzzi surviving than somebody dying, plus I am lazy...is that not pathetic....or maybe it is because there is just not enough evidence.
Self-interest Vs. Apathy vs. one's conscience
The entire thread of Western Civilization hangs thereon.
I like this quote.........it's..........quotable. Absolutely no offense intended. I've got a sick mind, I guess, and that really cracked me up.
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Welcome --
I cut my guzzi teeth on a T3 -- Those bikes are like crack cocaine. Once you own one, you can't seem to get away from Guzzis for life. They get in your blood somehow.
Nice looking new Billy bobo.
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Uh.................Wow.............
This, AFTER a good ride? Geez, I'd hate to see you after a bad week of work
Ride longer, ride harder..........worry less about dopes, don't you think?
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I don't think you can beat the 1150RS as an all round practical bike,nice comfy seats ( my wife will not go out on the Guzzi as a pillion just to unpleasant ) every time you come to a stop its like having a sack of potatoes fall on your back! The BM has heated grips,ajustable handle bars, a clock,centre stand,gear indicator,oil temp gauge,built in pannier mounts,rack,fuel gauge,low fuel light,adjustable screen,single sided swing arm (piece of cake to remove rear wheel) Keep the BM for all the practical stuff and get the Guzzi for that special occasion, like that early Sunday morning blast! Greetings from Sunny Sandbach not far from you in the rain capital of England. After the above I think I'll get me coat !
Owning both the Guzzi and a BMW, i'd have to pretty much agree with this.
But DO yourself a favor if you're even considering a Guzzi. Make the test ride as LONG as possible. Even after almost 2 years and 8k miles, I still find myself needing time to 'settle' into the saddle of the V11 while riding. My BMW, on the other hand, always feels instantly comfortable. The V11 isn't dodgy -- just so different a feel from most other bikes that you need a pile of time to get comfortable on it. It's a bike that feels better the more you ride it.
It WILL make you fall in love --- I've never seen it fail ---- provided you give it enough saddle time.
Good luck.
Dan
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only addition I can make is a negative one........the throttlemeister doesn't seem to be much help. It obviously can't adjust for even tiny changes in road slope. You'd be surprised how many time throttle adjustments you make without even thinking about it. Go with a throttle rocker...........they're easy and they work.
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lower the pegs. I'm also 6'2" and the motoevoluzione kit worked perfectly for me. I didn't know they weren't selling it anymore!??! Bar risers, although they don't increase leg room will feel as if they do.
I tried raising the height of the seat via Rich Maund but found that I felt too far 'over' the bike and uncomfortable. Rich put the seat back to original height for me.
If clearance is an issue with the evoluzione kit attached, you're one HELL of a road rider!!!! (and a bit scary to boot)
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I knew Pete Roper would pipe up into this thread!
A true old Guzzi fart.
(PS Motul is stupid priced, but it's what my local guy carries and I'm doing a change a year --- not an expense to worry over. I buy the filters in bulk tho!)
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Motul synthetic, I let it go for 6K between changes like the manual says. I imagine Dino would be at least as good but not for as long...........Prolly don't matter much, most of the big mileage guzzi guys i know used any old stuff as long as they changed it frequently.
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Yeah, like any of those girls RIDE.
Sure, stick any naked woman on the seat of a bike; what's that got to do with the sport, other than prove that bikers *may* be hornier than ordinary men?
The thread was about women BIKERS, not models on BIKES.
BTW, orangeokie, I think you'll not regret your choice, although it was kind of made for you. Now, BUY the damn thing and go riding.
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Even the one with the small rodent up her ass is a lot better than the skirt I usually see around here, pooting around on small cruisers, mostly........And they all weigh a HELLUVA lot more than Katja Ponsgen...........more like 3 Ponsgens and her family cat included........ MOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Nobody ever took up the sport in order to meet women who enjoyed riding..........
BLECH!
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I remember seeing this and reading about it on here. It is a photo that will tend to "itch" in the back of one's mind. All of the Scura owners on here who kept saying that the noise from their clutches kept getting lounder and louder as the miles increased, makes you wonder.
Nevertheless, the physical (outward) beauty of that Scura is intoxicating, regardless of some peeling paint or SP clutch concerns. The difference in price is $5,500 between the new Coppa Italia. That difference tends to take the "fun" out of ownership, if you know what I mean. The psychological impact of spending money is relative to the amount of discresionary funds in one's bank account. <_ there is a thrill to owning brand new bike but also the of feeling like one got really good deal on nice used bike. with scura i could probably afford buy those trick cf tail pieces extra five large would save. src="%7B___base_url___%7D/uploads/emoticons/default_anigrin.gif" alt=":grin:">
Hmmm, pretty interesting differential between the new bike and the Scura. Lesseee, the new coppa goes for $15K list; I'm assuming you can pick it up for 13? That would put the Scura in at $7.5K, which is still just a little bit pricey I think. These bikes went very cheap as leftovers in 03 and 04, and have similarily weak resale. I agree, I think my Scura is a LOT prettier than either the Coppa or the plain jane Cafe sport.
See what's been done to the Scura. Does it have peeling paint? Have they sorted the suspension at all? Any gearbox work done? Also, mods can make the savings even more tasty. I've got a custom seat, touring rack, bmw-style accessory plug, bar risers, peg lowers, a tank bag, gel grips, fiamm horns and aftermarket mirrors on mine --- obviously, even a few of those added extras will make the used bike look a whole lot prettier to you ----
Looks like you're leaning on saving a few bucks here. I'm with ya -- it's a big reason why I bought a leftover Scura. Just be advised. This bike is ANYTHING but plug and play.
PS there ain't NO WOMEN like that that ride bikes..............last 2 I saw looked like they were from the farm..........and they were the livestock.
Dan
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Those are precisely the mirrors I've been using. Excellent and recommended. I actually added an extension on the base for more height and even better coverage.
2002 LeMans shifter Pawl Spring
in Technical Topics
Posted
I'm with KB on this. Guzzi is still a small manufacturer of exotic bikes, without the quality control anyone could possibly expect from the likes of a Honda or Suzuki. If you've ever owned a MG or a triumph sportscar, you know what I'm talking about.
You just have to expect a different level of commitment from an Guzzi than if you went out and bought a Yamaha. Anything less is just unreasonable and silly.
that said, they're pretty well sorted out of the box as is. The issues with them are (mostly) simple fixes and board such as this one make them easier still. If you're not afflicted by the waxpaper valve guides or exploding gearboxes ( and most experiences are that most are not), the other known issues are small in comparison.
Even if you spent 3 times as much on your bike, you can't really expect more. Shall I tell you the insane number of issues with Rolls-Royces? You wouldn't believe...........