dbdicker

Hey Dave! Where'd the dancing banana go?? I sure loved that guy!

congrats. Continue to ignore all you read here. You'll live longer and happier 1. throttlemeister heavy model 2. Guzzi brand tankbag 3. forget saddle bags, buy the Ventura T-bag system 4. MPH risers or the Williamsville. Now, when you have all 4 of those installed (as I do ) just go ride forever.

reasonable review, I thought. I agree with Al, the Ohlins didn't deserve the bashing it took, although without rear linkage, the bike will feel less compliant than what these guys are used to...........no matter what the suspension components. I added sintered pads too, I felt the same way as the tester. Firmed the front up correctly for me. good $35 upgrade He seemed to get it, though. all the quirks aside, it's just an engaging ride. Which is why we buy 'em and ride 'em. Objectively, according to real numbers, it's hard making a case for our bikes as modern machines. Everybody else's numbers are just better.

I don't know what to call it, but I also get a 'lightening' of the front end at around 90mph. It feels like a very slight headshake, but not so much that it's worth calling it that. I got the suspension dialed in by a 'genius' and I got the Ohlins steering damper, so I don't know if those are the fixes. Tell ya what, my beemer don't do this................ More "character", I guess. We really oughta own up to some of these guzzi quirks. There's a reason these bikes get consistently pissed on by the motopress. We love 'em, it's true, but we also have a tendency to selectively ignore some of their shortcomings.

Right on, KB. bad info is rife on the 'net. I only stepped in because this one really affects both YOU and ME in a very personal way, and we have a responsibility to be correct on this forum I think........

Ok, let me be clear here: Since I've got one of the clutches in question, I've scoured my sources for information. they include this forum, with it's wealth of other interested parties (other owners of Scura's and RM's). For obvious reasons, we have more stake in getting the information right than other owners of various other MG's or those considering buying a Scura or early model RM and are happy to listen to whatever rumors are around. Here's what I know/what's been told to me: 1) the clutch on the Scura/RM IS different from the recalled clutches on the Cali models, despite the fact that they are both single plate. This is confirmed by Guzzi dealers, who work on them every day. 2) There have been 4 confirmed failures of clutches, 3 in Europe and one in Australia. None of them were Rossos, I believe they were all Scuras. All 4 had certain characteristics before failure and all 4, if not being abused, were being certainly USED to the limit for extended periods of time. (high speed, wide open throttle, high rpm). NOT that a clutch should fail because of this, but it certainly brings into question the reliability of the unit, considering the way that MOST of us ride. 3) All 4 clutches showed measurable symptoms before failing including really evil, unmistakable noises. 4) Most of the Scura/RM clutches are now in there 3+ year of service, most with excess of 10,000+ miles on them without any noticable degradement, including mine. Knowing this we can conclude: If you live in Europe and have a tendency to whack the throttle wide open in 5th gear a lot and hold it there at 120mph+ while touring on the Autobahn for a large portion of your riding, you might want to consider another bike. If, however, you ride anything like a normal human being ...........this clutch's possible failure should never be an issue. At the very least, if you read this forum and are aware of the symptoms, you are guaranteed ample time to remedy a failing clutch. This isn't just what I think. It's the opinion of Dave Richardson of MotoInternational, probably the most experienced Guzzi dealer in the US (author of Guzziology). I've got a heavy stake in this. One of the failed clutches blew up at high speed, locking the rear wheel. I'd rather not experience this, thank you very much. I doubt I have the talent to get out as cleanly as he did, with no injury. If I thought I was in legitimate danger of that, I wouldn't just swap the clutch......I'd dump the bike. So when a new guy shows up claiming that "they all break, or all will break", I just gotta take that with a grain of salt. It's just not backed up by the facts, and he's got nothing to lose by spreading rumors of universal failure. Dan

Whoa, hold on there. We've done a lot of research here on the board and I've discussed this clutch issue with 2 very long-term, respected Guzzi dealers with decades of experience. All have confirmed what Al has been saying. I don't want to flame a new contributor here, but he should be a lot more sure of his information before he spreads it around. I think he's got the facts dead wrong. If he's got it right, a lot of guys have been lying to me and a lot of other guys here on the forum. I prefer to belive that only one guy's got it wrong. At least for now.

Atta boy....what kind of sissies are we breeding here anyway?? Actually, I own an RT sofa and a Scura, and have toured both. The BMW is only marginally more comfy. Go ride.

DAVE!! Love the dancin' banana

I may have a decent perspective, since I own a BMW RT as my second bike: As a mechanical device, the Guzzi has gotten an unfounded, terrible rap for being unreliable. On the contrary, I've found the guzzi to be much more solid than most other bikes I've owned. It really is an industrial motor that's been around in some incarnation for 4 decades. They've got the basics sorted. Most of them need some bedding in care, but once done, you just add gas, change the oil whenever the hell you want and ride the hell out of it........after all, it's a Guzzi! As a ride , it's totally addictive. High RPM horsepower seems to be the holy grail for sportbikes these days, but I've yet to see the rider able to corral that HP on the street. In many ways, the Guzzi gives the street rider precisely what he needs; relatively low rpm/high HP and quality torque............and that sound. Sweepers? thy antidote is named "V11" Especially if you're looking at an Ohlins-equipped model. Once you spin one of these motors, it's hard to ride anything else. Tour with your wife? Forget it. You mentioned some tiny mileages (50-75 miles per day) , so you could do that on a moped 2-up. But you'll hear all sorts of stuff about making the LeMans 2-up friendly with a custom seat et al. Don't believe it. The Guzzi is a one man vehicle and I'd like to see the pillion who'd agree to real 'touring' (let's say 300-500 miles a day for a few weeks or so), without being a really giving spouse. Don't subject your wife to it. DO SUBJECT YOURSELF TO IT . In defense, I don't think the ST4 will be much friendlier. I found that bike too crouched and too hot in the summer. Personally, I enjoy bikes where you can see the motor. I bought my RT only because I wanted to extend my riding season; there's plenty to be said for full lowers and heated grips when the temperature slides below 60 F. For a passenger, it can't be beat. But tell me that the next 2 weeks will be sunny and in the 70's, and I'll pick my Scura to tour alone everytime against the RT. It's just so much more fun. I've got the Rich Maund seat and MPH bar risers and have done many 300-500 mile days in a row with absolutely no pain and looking forward to each wonderful day of my tour. And I'm a big guy: 6'2" and 245 lbs. (gettin' older too, so comfort matters) I've found that the HB bags and most of the other aftermarket stuff just KILLS the look/line of the V11. Although giving tremendous carrying capacity, the rack and bags are just Fugly, IMO. I've opted for a Ventura system, which is a lot like the T-bag system. It also takes something away from the look, but not a lot, and you can use it 2-up as well, if you like. Generally when I tour, less is more with me. If I can fill both saddlebags of my BMW for example, I'm generally taking too much shit with me...............a karma killer I got plenty more opinions.........heh......... But that seems enough for now. Go ride one. Just about everyone that does tends to GET one. Dan

No. Other than that, yes. Can hang with the Jap bike for high mileage reliability, once sorted. And once you ride a Guzzi, you'll never own another Jap bike again.

there was a bloke on this forum, name dfriz I think, owned a Scura and replaced his fairing with something else (maybe Magni?) . He offered it to me when my Scura had a low speed get off but my fairing wasn't damaged. Try to track him down, he may still have it at a good price. Dan

You will love it, but I'm surprised at the trade (up?) You will have no problems, I predict.....just like the Duck.

phooey

I've got MPH risers, also the evoluzione footpeg relocators and Maund seat. good for 500mile easy days. I'm big....BIG 6'2" 245 lbs. Good luck, Dan

Opened up the guts of my MG to remove the shock. There was an unconnected (!) sensor wire just roaming around under the tank marked "carb". "olio" is simple enough italian for me, it must go to the oil sensor, but what is 'carb'? Could it be that my bike was never connected to the throttle sensor? Hoo boy, no wonder it's running lean. So, I should have connections for air temp, oil tem, rpm and throttle , right? Can anyone translate these wires from the italian written on them? thanks, Dan

That extra rubber on the center rear is used because the Metzeler's are designed for BMW's. the BMW's tend to 'square off' their rear tires and the extra rubber helps to counteract that. I just mounted a new set of Z6's on my RT and I agree, it's great rubber for a BMW. I would guess that they would make the V11 steer quite a bit slower than the tires most of us are used to on the MG (Pirelli, Avon, even Bridgestones.). I slagged the shit out of the Beemer yesterday, even though I would have rathered been on my Scura, it was warm enough. However, my Guzzi is apart and my rear shock on the way back to the rebuilder, who effed it up in the first place. Meanwhile, the RT stunned me with the new Metzelers, very confidence inspiring, allowing me to lean to respectible angles at good speeds with absolutely no drama. Super predictable and should wear well. Nice tire. Dan

Ok, mystery solved. It's not engine oil, it's shock oil......it blew the seal. I realized this when I got on the bike today and boinged over the first bump. Absolutely zero damping. Hmmm, that ain't right...........then it came to me.......sure enough, the shaft of the fancy ohlins shock was drenched. This shock was revalved and resprung last August by Pro Pilot. hmmmm......butchery suspected. Well, Jim says he'll take it back and rebuild it for free, of course. But now I'll need the 2 hours to get it off, the down time while he turns it around and the 2 hours to get it back on. This shouldn't happen. Oh well........it's good to have a second bike. Thanks for the input. Dan

Ok, I've gone through this once with you guys but......... I had an oil change done by a service guy (who's since gone). I would have done it myself but I was making a quick move and was touring the bike the next week and needed the time. Big mistake. Ever since then, I've had a small leak, perhaps it's been close to 1000 miles now. It's coming from somewhere in the back of the crankcase because I find it sprayed on the crossmember of the swingarm. It also drips onto the exhaust right at the area of the crossover (same area) and smokes. Even when the bike is stopped, I will find a small drop or two to have collected off the bottom bolt of the left porkchop. I believe it is collecting and dripping there obviously because the bike is canted to that side on the sidestand when parked. At first, I thought that the dummy mechanic had overfilled the crankcase and the excess oil was blowing out thru the airbox or thru whatever breather hose there is. I didn't worry about it and thought that removing some excess oil was more difficult than waiting for the dripping to slow. It has slowed, but it's still coming. And, although I think the dipstick on these V11's is impossible to fathom, I'm convinced that the oil level is now well below full, meaning that the issue is not excess oil in the crankcase. On the plus side, the bike is running beautifully and I've not seen the oil light come on, or need hard revving to make it go off. Anybody had similiar issues? Any really likely possibility come to mind? Something I can fix? Sound serious? Give me your best guesses, guys and try to tell this dummy, step by step, how to diagnose this one. Thanks, Dan

oooh, how can you pass up a $3000 savings just like that? It's right, right.....you should buy from your local dealer. But you didn't cause the disaster distribution of MGNA, did you? All those low mileage and demo bikes floating around because Guzzi can't keep their dealers in business and sells off their remaining stock en masse to mega dealers like Moto and OC Triumph at 50 cents on the dollar?? No -- you got a chance for an almost brand new bike at 30% off and you should take it. Dave at MotoInternational is probably one of the top 5 MG dealers in the country and a Guzziphile to boot. I set up a friend with a leftover 03 EV with him at a steal price and I recommend you save the money too. Hell, these bikes are basically bulletproof and Dave will make sure that your bike has all the updates available before he ships it to you. You're taking a (small) chance against your new bike needing major warranty work. I say go for it..........but I'm a cheapskate at heart.

One guy apparently still makes them: Hippo hands Doesn't have them for Guzzis, mostly makes them for BMW's, but he might be convinced to turn out a few pair.

I'm watching all 8 1/2 minutes of this insanity and my 14 year old son comes by, watches about 20 seconds and says: "that guy's on dope". Well put. Here's the other side: I was enrapt watching it. This guy's also incredibly talented, able to reach the potential of an unreachable motorcycle (the CBR1000) on the street, hitting the rev limiter, wheelieing BETWEEN cars at 170kph (105mph) and reaching well over 160mph on the straightaways. Fearless. The guy has a confidence in his riding and his machine that I can only dream about. I'm delighted I don't have that kind of skill or confidence and am not ever tempted to ride at even one quarter of this guy's limit, but, truth be told, I'm jealous too. Dan

i would agree with Al. The saddlebag solutions aren't very elegant. I bought a Ventura system; I have the brackets, mounting system, grab rail, sport rack and the tall rack, along with the big touring bag which is (I think) close to 60 liters all expanded (!) It's custom designed for the LeMans/V11 variants. I haven't installed it yet, it's still sitting in the box. Since buying the barndoor BMW, I've lately been rethinking my desire to tour my Scura, so I could be convinced to sell this whole setup for what I paid for it, which is piles less than retail.........I think around $300 for the whole kit. Give me a message off-list if it interests you. I thought it was the best solution, YMMV. Ventura Bags Dan

Ok, let's try this: Scanned it and made it smaller to accomodate the board. If you download them into any image viewer, you can zoom in on the text and it'll be readable. Enjoy, Dan

I do. Actually, perhaps that's what I'll do. I'll scan it and make it available by email. Maybe I could post in here, but it'll be a hellacious sized file. If I cut it down too much, it'll be unreadable. I'll see what I can do. Dan