GuzzBun

That's a real shame - that you think that! Snobbish? Perhaps 'snobbishness' is what is assumed when someone speaks but isn't spoken to in return. If that's the case, then perhaps the reason people didn't speak back was because they weren't 'fired' by what was said! I was 'fired' by your posting - and I'm speaking in return - ergo I'm not 'snobbish', and if I'm not 'snobbish' then I wouldn't be a member of a forum that was 'snobbish'. Therefore, by mathematical principles, this forum cannot be 'snobbish' - QED. BTW - I eat my breakfast in the nude (me, not my breakfast), I leave the bathroom door open when I go to the 'heads', I f*rt whenever I need to, wherever I need to, and I smoke, drink, gamble and ride like a twat - perleeese don't accuse me of being 'snobbish' Welcome to the wonderful world of 'slobbishness'

Nah - you just don't understand - Scuras are un-hijack-able - they go their own way, never the same way twice. The route for the day is the way the front wheel points. Attitude, presence, individuality - the three legs of Scura-dom. You can't make one, you can't buy one, you can't hijack one. Look, listen and weep

Thanks Alex - yes - the Corsa is very brisk on acceleration - have to keep my mouth closed or I inflate!!! It would be good to meet up - any ideas what events might be taking place in the next coupla months that would be worth travelling to - I'd have to ride the Scura unless I limited myself to daytime riding! Shame we can't just hop on a ferry to the USA - wide open spaces and lots of fun.

Cheers Skeeve - a very appropriate phrase, and one which I shall enjoy repeating - thanks fella

Now she's OK, but she spent several weeks in the dealers (throughout the summer!!!) waiting for replacement heads, barrels and cylinders. The original ones were badly machined and leaked from the head gasket - thank goodness it was under warranty! But now she's just superb. Not a comfortable ride at low speeds or in traffic - jerky and grumbly - guess the low flywheel weight and very high compression combine to cause that. But the seat and ride position is surprisingly comfortable - did 170 miles on fast roads without the slightest discomfort. Compared with the Scura (which has the Guzzi race chip and cans fitted), the Corsa is noticeably faster on acceleration - difficult to give a percentage comparison, but it's very, very noticeable Handling is superb - postitive, swift steering and steady as a rock on bends - seems to know it's own line and requires minimum help from me! The Scura is similarly solid, although softer on the rear suspension than the Corsa. Which is the better? Not possible to compare - I love them both and would ride them both at the same time if I could. The Scura has a slight edge in that she can take soft luggage, and I don't have to get home before lights are required. But for all-out ball-rattling beast riding, Corsa wins without a doubt. I've bought a van which will hold both the Corsa and the Scura, and leave room for me to sleep alongside them, so the intention is to take both bikes to a few track days during the Spring and Summer, and possibly attend a few shows. Also getting the van fitted with essential tools on fold-away racks, so fettling can be carried ot whilst 'on tour'. Just been dumped by the girlfriend, and feeling low - would have gone for a good long ride today, but the snow put me off a bit - I know, I'm a wuss, but I've had my ration of spills over the past 3 years, and bones get more brittle as the years pass. Nothing else for it but to find that corkscrew...

Done on upper left arm - then crashed on it 4 weeks later (riding a Honda!) and rather spoiled it

Rather late response, but hey, I've been busy riding! My Scura and MGS side by side - morphing from Scura to MGS would be hideously expensive - probably cheaper to buy one of each and enjoy the savings!

I've got my Scura for fun - I got my MGS01 for a different sort of fun - I got my Breva 1100 for yet another sort of fun. There isn't a single bike that would match my every mood, and I'm expecting to develop new moods as long as Guzzi develops new bikes.

I've got a Corsa registered, insured and street legal in UK - daytime use only - email me off line if you want details - pictures available at http://www.guzzitech.com/MGGriso/Registry-RS-MGS01.html Robin

My mistake - thought you had done only 10000 in 5 years! As others have said, seals don't often go, but that doesn't mean they DON'T fail. You might just be the unlucky one, as I was with my MGS01 (leaked oil from both head gaskets from day one! Regardless, I'd be sorry to think you binned the V11 for the sake of an oil leak - sure it can be rectified, and IMHO the V11 is a terrific bike when it's set up properly. I wouldn't trade my Scura (with factory race chip) for a second pension - 22000 miles in 3 years, and still going like a steam train (but without the smoke and hot ashes ) Good luck with the bike! Regards, Robin

In fairness to oil seals, they do require to be kept 'oiled'. If you've only done 10k miles in 5 years, chances are that the bike has stood around for some time without running, so the seals will very likely have shrunk, hardened and become 'non-seals'! If you don't use a bike very often, it should still be started, run for a while and allowed to get up to running temperature. The best antidote is to take the bike out for an hour or so at least once a month, then clean it and dry it off. The problem with seals isn't confined to Guzzis - if you buy and Buell and don't use it, you'll get the same problems. Perhaps not what you needed to hear, but hey, a bike's for life, not just for Christmas! Robin

There is a warranty with the MGS01 - two years - full labour and parts. But the service schedule is prohibitive unless you have sponsorship, and of course failure to observe the service schedule will void the warranty! For the average owner (like me) I'm sure it will be cheaper to bin the warranty, adopt a more realisitic service schedule and pay for the parts and labour as required. My previous riding history suggests that I'm more likely to damage the fabric of the bike through bad riding than I am to suffer major mechanical failure - and no warranty will cover that - but insurance might! Bottom line is that I bought the bike because I wanted it, and I didn't expect it would have a warranty, so I'm not losing anything really. But I am gaining a lot of fun when I ride him, and that's what really matters! Robin

Guzzi have agreed to replace the pistons, cylinders and cylinder heads under warranty. Intend to get the new ones checked for flatness before fitting them. Like the idea of the sheet of copper in lieu of gaskets, and will bear it in mind if all else fails. Thoughts on the warranty: The MGS was built for the track, so the service schedule is very stringent - e.g. replace pistons every 1000 kms, replace the cylinders every 3000kms. I won't be racing my MGS, but will be riding it on the road (fairly fast, but certainly not race riding!!!) and will track it at least once to see what it feels like. Given the cost of following the warranty service schedule, I'm minded to apply a service schedule similar to the V11 Sport, and accept that the warranty will be voided and that any repairs/replacements will be down to me. Do I regret buying a money pit? NO! One ride to a bike meet, and the interest that he causes is worth the expense. I've only got one life, and I intend to ride it out!!!

Hey - now that's worth more consideration - and put an hydraulic lifter on the swingarm to take a plough - the fastest tractor in town Robin

I had a porous head on a previous Cali - similar stuff worked very well, but the MGS problem isn't porous casting - the mating faces are like a relief map of the pyrenees rather than flat surfaces - like trying to stop water from running between two sheets of sandpaper! Hmm... now there's an idea - could I make gaskets out of 500 grade sandpaper? Robin

Cheers Alex - how many fingers do you need to be able to drink???!!! Would like to meet up in Germany - email me off-forum to discuss further (robin.sharman # ntlworld.com) Robin ////edited the post to make the emailadrress unreadable for spambots. Paul////

Yes - came as a bit of a shock when I read that in the manual - guess they're covering their rump as the bike was intended to be track ridden and raced. Must say I'm seriously considering forgetting the warranty, and going to a standard service regime - especially as I don't intend to race him. And if my cylinders and heads are an example of 'better build quality' I can only say that I'm glad I didn't get a set of 'poor build quality' !!! Robin

Sorry to abuse the V11 forum with non-V11 topic, but don't know where else to ask. Think I posted earlier about the oil leaks from my MGS01 cylinder heads, but to refresh your memories - since I picked her up from new she had been weeping oil from both head gaskets. Took her to Twiggers and he got replacement gaskets fitted, but to no avail - the new gaskets still leaked. Mark took the heads and barrels to a local engineer who blued the faces and checked them on a machined flat plate - result - both cylinders and both heads are not perfectly flat, in fact both heads have cavities (albeit very small) almost up to the very edge of the facings. Waiting now to hear what Guzzi have to say. Must confess to not really wanting replacements (even under warranty) as I've little faith that they would be any better. Mark said that they would probably only need the lightest of skims to achieve perfectly flat surfaces, and that's the solution I'd prefer. Has any other MGS owner had similar experiences, or was I the only lucky bu**er to get a set of 'Friday' heads and cylinders? What really bugs me is that such a thing could happen on a brand new bike, and one which cost more than a brand new Agusta! Before anyone suggests that I'm moaning, I'm not. I'm just frustrated to have the bike of my dreams sitting in a workshop when he should be contributing to the global warming problem. Picking up the Breva 1100 on Saturday - she's going out come rain or shine!!! Aim to have the first 600 done before Monday so that she can be serviced in time for a trip to Germany next month. Robin

Thanks for all your help guys - I read all the articles on replacing the V11 gear selector spring, and decided to let the professionals do the job. On Monday morning I rang Mark at Twiggers and explained the problem. He said “Bring her over and we’ll sort it out” I rode the 15 miles to Loughborough with no problems - all gears working fine - typical. Mark opened the gearbox and found that the spring was intact - but that a circlip retaining one of the selector cogs had fallen off, allowing the selector cogs to become intermittenly disengaged. The circlip was lying in the botom of the box, and no other damage was found. The spring pivot was measured and found to be 16mm, so he filed it down and fitted a new spring anyway. When refitting the circlip he noticed that it was the wrong size and very loose, so replaced it with the correct one. Now the Scura is working fine! Points to note: 1. Could the freed selector cog had moved off its shaft and jammed into the gears? If so, I could have had a nasty rear end lock-up? 2. Do dealers come any better than Mark at Twiggers? He took my bike in at short notice and repaired it - and noticed the problem with the circlip - all just two days before he was due to go away on holiday. 3. The circlip was last disturbed 7000 miles ago when the spring broke last time - it would seem that the so-called professional mechanic used the wrong circlip to secure the selector cog. All’s well that ends well - and I have my best babe available to blast the weekend away. Thanks again. Robin

Today the gearbox hairspring went again - the third failure in 21000 miles - each has lasted approximately the same mileage too - around 7000. Usual symptoms - unable to change up to third or beyond. I thought after the last failure that a modified/better spring had been inserted - obviously not!! Is replacing the spring a job that I can do myself? I'm quite adept at mechanical repairs (done UJs and other similar dismantling tasks on a Cali) Will it require any special tools? I have the V11 workshop manual. Blasted thing!!!

Ouch - bet that hurt more than the tumble

Or if you could manage a really agricultural method... try putting the machine on the sidestand, release all other items so that the wheel is ready for removal, then get your assistant (you do have an assistant, don't you?) to lean the machine even further on the side stand, so that the rear of the bike is lifted, until you can wiggle the rear wheel out - crude, but cheap and effective!

Reminds me of the incident when one of our cruisers loosed a 3 inch shell whilst alongside in Portsmouth - it made a lot of mess in the workshops, and a lot more mess in the Gunners' Mess!!!

...perhaps I should have added that all Guzzists should be committed - we are, after all, a breed apart!!!