luhbo

Thanks Paul, but I don't know the difference. Do you have a picture of the internals somewhere? But you mean they use genuine Guzzi parts under such harsh conditions? Hard to believe, isn't it? They had an engine cut open in the shop in front of the photo room, but I can't remember the pan. I was so fixed for the combustion chamber by some reasons that I completely forgot to have a look at the sump. Pity...

Greg, you say you've to install the sloppage sheet before and because you go on a long weekend trip. Compared to the photo below it must be something like the 24h of LeMans I suppose. Hubert

A nice picture here, but I don't know what sump he's using: And one question about this oil filter rubbish: Greg, you say you have seen loose oil filters. This may be true, but did they come loose after they've been properly installed in your shop? You should answer this question. Is it a user fault or a design flaw? Did they really come loose or is there a good chance that they never were correctly tightened? Hubert

I'm looking for a Quat-D Ex-Box, with Catalyser and ECE-license. For offers please PM me. Hubert

I saw a Guzzi hanging in the limiter in Mandello recently, showing a burn-out in the early morning hours. I could get used to watch such things I have to admit. Hubert

If you must repaint it, why don't you go for something like that: Cafè Corretto Hubert

Pete, I know all that and I personally do most appreciate all what you've posted here or elsewhere. It's again the same thing: My question was: "Is there any proof that any of the described damage would have been avoided if the bike was fitted with such a plate?" The V11 is not as bad as it may look if one reads in this forum. Some people, some guests do. Its definitely not true that one can't accelerate this bike without ruining its engine! And, pertaining on other posts, it doesn't eat tach snakes if you don't soak them in gear lubricant. Or, it does not throw you off because you have a not european body mass index. Reading the average posting sometimes makes me think those people own a different bike as what I and "my buddies" own. Maybe this can make clearer what I want to say: one of my favorite posters wrote in another forum that he had improved his front fork by cutting down the spanner tubes for about 2 (or was it even 4?) centimeters and, to make things perfect, after that let the legs look out for another 2cm. You read such, believe such, do it and then ground your bike so heavily at the next bend that you may probably see all this forum expert stuff in a different way. If you're unlucky you have some weeks time to think about your improvements, or better if you're lucky.

Man, what if my IE is traced? Could ruin my entire "He rides a Guzzi!" image.

What I'm missing in discussions like this is any correlation between all those "minor" faults like wrong dipstick markings, flashing oil-pressure lights and what ever more on one hand and the bigger faults like failed big ends, thrown off riders and so on. All of the mentioned minor things could have caused bigger and biggest catastrophies, the question must be: did they cause them? Pete for instance, your sheet is well engineered and surely will do what it should do. But is there any proof that any of the described damage would have been avoided if the bike was fitted with such a plate? Now, it's a very wellcome improvement, but is it really a necessesity? I doubt. I can say the same what Nogbad said. I use my 63,000 km worn KR nearly every day in summer for commuting, 130 km each day. No structural problems so far! I bought the bike used. I don't know what the previous owner did to it and how he treated it. Last weak I went to Mandello, about 600 miles one way. All I did as preparation was checking the tire pressure and whether I could see enough oil on the dipstick. Everything else had to work and so it did, of course. So far the following components have failed: - the original ECU, because it was handsoldered by the previous owner's shop. I did resolder the eeprom, it worked again, but I had switched over to Cliff's ECU in the meantime anyway. - the TPS, a quality product that's used on HD also. - Irregularities with the tach, as described somewhere else. - one set of wheel bearings because of soaking the entire bike every week to cleaning solvent and high pressure water. - the oil-pressure switch. It's been dead since 2 years. Now I had to replace it in Mandello because it became incontinent on the way down there. I could see the light flicker now, but what the feck, it doesn't - horn holder strips. - the electric gasoline switch, because I've always laid the tank on its wires. - the crankcase vent hose, broken at the front knee. - the starter engine trew 2 of its magnetos off. Actually it works mags reglued, as good as new. - intake rubbers, probably overtightened. They failed exactly at the clamps. I think that's all. First battery (Hawker), first OEM relais, first engine parts, no measurable oil consumption. To summ it up another story at last. A friend of me runs a businness selling scooters to the "pimply faced youthfull". The scooters are coming from Korea I think, are cheap and reliable. Every now and then those fellows pop up in front of his shop and complain about what crap he has sold to them. In the meantime he is so sure about what has happened that he doesn't even have to look at them to know what it was: "Didn't I tell you about this red light? It's the oil reserve light. When it came on you better had refilled the oil. Now don't complain, I make you an offer ...." It's great times nowadays, some parents pay for nearly everything actually. Because he takes his time for their blokes. But that's indeed another story.

I find mine being lazy everytime when the tire pressure is too low. I don't know the value in your units, for my short and easy Sport/2000 I found 2.5/2.9 bar to be appropriate, regardless what is written here or there. Your somewhat heavier LeMans may prefer even higher pressures. Try it out. Hubert The rear tyre is a 160 Z6, by the way.

Yes, I found it a bit surprising as well. From Lindau to Wuerzburg/Schweinfurt I was going really fast, about 180 all the time, in the middle of the night. Consumption was 7.3 l/100km or 13.7 km/l. I think that's not too bad either. Going at constant European speeds around 5.2 l/100 are enough for her. It's probably the old time color combo And our good ol' european squish zone :)

Mine usually gives up at 280 - 300 km. I then refill about 18 litres. I don't think that 23 or even 21 l are correct. The warning light comes up at 250 km. BTW, I've been down to Mandello last weekend. 90% Autobahn, always between 150 km/h - 190 km/h. For 1335 km the V11 2000/green took 86 litres, means 15.5 km/litre. Hubert

At least in Europe all models since 2003 (?) use a standard switching O2 probe to get the catalyzer working properly. The ECU takes respect of that. I can imagine that this is quite challenging for the poor PC. Hubert

I wouldn't do so. It's an italian bike, not made for salt spray testing. In Germany you can get Jap bikes for around 2000 Euros. Not that I'd want one, but ruining such a far east product instead of the V11 could bring you some green-white-red Karma points at least. I think you could need them, because condemning the Guzzi and not this desmo thingy probably already has cost you enough! Hubert

Ratchet, come on, are you kidding? There was never any pocket to be eliminated. He just changed the sketch and all was ok. Have you already been completely sucked into this virtual computer/forum/egoshooter world that you think by changing some lines on an austrian piece of paper any real world combustion chambers can be modified? Man, plop your fingers out of your plug holes and get out on the road. This will hopefully cure it! Hubert

Mineral means Petrol based. That's the name. Oil coming out of stones or minerals. Petrus - he's the rock the church is built on. That's why he's called Petrus. Hubert

And when I talk to the average people about my Guzzi they say "Ahh, Guzzi!" They don't know how it looks, but they know that it's the "Italian Bike". The bike in general, the good old times, the "I had a BMW then, had to let it on the Krim. Nice bike, really!" Once I stood between an Aprilia Mille and my V11 and Granny was asking how fast bikes go nowadays. 240, 250 km/h I told him, talking about the Mille. "But this Guzzi, sure it's something completely different, isn't it?" "Oh yes, it makes hardly 220". He couldn't believe it. When this funny thing goes 250 then a Guzzi must make 300! That's the picture they have. BTW, he couldn't spell Aprilia even seeing it written on the tank. Frenchbob said: "a quirk is simply an identifying peculiarity, usually tolerable, occasionally endearing and sometimes [Duc desmo engines] inspirational". So it seems that the real things don't need any identifying pecularities. Their pattern is burned into people's brains in its complete, entire complexity, allowing them to identify one without knowing any details of it. This could work also with BMW and Triumph, the last being already mentioned in the New Testament Ask this question the other way round: what is left over if you take away the desmodromic from a Ducati? --- Besides all this lunchtime blah, my personal favorit for beeing the Grand Quirk is the monstrous (for a motorcycle) flywheel which gives (or better gave) the Guzzi its bullet like bahn-burner qualities. That's what I really miss on my V11. At least the gearbox is still singing up and down the scale as usual. Hubert

That's it. It's just an effort to make a good point, regardless whether it's technically correct or not and regardless who pays for it. Anyway, shove it. And let us know when the squish band has bitten. Hubert

But having her indoors is really a great idea. I have some colleagues that are complete bicycle freaks. Totally weird. They have two rollers at home where they put the bicycle on on rainy days or in winter. Then they struggle their ass off on these, staring at the cellar wall while hearing castrated MP3 stuff. Next weak I'll ask one of them where I can get one of these for the winter, in order to keep the Guzzi, the battery, the oil and the neighbours all in good shape. Yeah, will be funny...

I see. If you allready have her indoors then I understand you perfectly. Just take your time. Hubert

Reading your posts makes me think I still don't have a proper translation for this word Quirk. Is it something like: technical overkill just to get some additional bling to the brand? Something like the already mentioned desmo-valves or the gear driven overhead camshaft on a 125ccm engine. Things like that that make a brand survive (sometimes at least) although they're realy obsolete and not worth a penny in terms of performance? Things that make owners think: "Hey, I'm riding a Ducati, under the tank the valves are desmo-driven! Wow!"? If it's so then this is a real good and big question. No easy answer here. Have you ever asked yours what she thinks her "Grand Quirk" is? What did she say?

No, Ratchet, what is shown on the sketch would mean that these chambers that he has sketched would isolate parts of the mixture and prevent any squish at all. It's not only an idea of him or an attempt to illustrate something hard to see, Motoguzznix establishes this as a fact and then derives from this a right to call the people at Moto Guzzi incompetent. I know that naming Guzzi in general lazy, silly, at least Italian, is common practice for some here and on other forums, but as you know, continuos repetition doesn't make things become true. I take it easy, Ratchet, but a public forum should not be an international Bullshit-Bingo happening. This sketch is so far off that it comes already from the other direction. Hubert

Ernst, When I compare the pictures above showing these three different pistons, especially the OEM/Guzzi one, and then compare this with this more then rough sketch that you are showing in your post, then I ask myself what your intention was. This sketch is so "rough" that I answer it's already lying! Lying means "2 : to create a false or misleading impression". What you have drawn is so far off of reality that I can not understand what makes you think you may doubt about the competence of the technical/quality staff at Guzzi or every other company that was involved in the development of this bike and engine. Hubert

Thanks, Nog. I looked the word up now. I should have done that before. Our German word "Spleen" probably comes near. If I think about Guzzi and other italian bikes like Laverda for instance then I think that the author of the mentioned article also was not really sure of what it means. But it's always difficult to find proper words for sentences beginning with "All italian women..." or "All Italian bikes.." or "All Yanks..." Hubert

After many years of addictiv Guzzi abuse I'd say it's its subtle inconspicuousness. On a Guzzi you'll never stand in the center of the crowd's attention, but probably most of them will ask themself later on: "And what was this bike in the background, the little one with the giant engine? Ah, this was a Guzzi, wow, it realy doesn't look like what it is, does it?" You enter this sports bike in the morning, and in the evening after 600km you go down of it, as if doing such things was your second nature. Probably not very much people who do so then will whine about any funny starting procedure. The more as this is so easily to repair... Hubert