Skeeve

From what I've heard, the carbon-carbon brakes used in GP racing last decade were particularly hazardous, because the coefficient of friction had such an alarming hysteresis as the components warmed up, going from roughly the same frictive quality as steel on steel to that of rubber on glass in an instant, leading to more than one occurence of supposedly knowledgable racers locking up the front wheel & washing it out in the process of trying to warm up the brakes to operating temps, doing flipover stoppies, etc. In a clutch? This might actually work well, since rather than the clutch grip getting weaker as it's abused [heated by internal friction], it would actually get better, while still having lots of slip when cold for the ultimate smooth drag-strip launches. Hmm.... Too bad Guzzis ain't drag bikes! As far at the material goes, the way graphite works as a lubricant is like the dry outer layers of an onion; there is relatively little adhesion/attraction between the layers of skin, but each layer of skin is quite cohesive; cutting thru an onion requires a sharp knife & some no little force, vs. the ease with which you can "fluff" away the outer layers individually. Ride on!

Not much? A 35mph differential is the same that the NTSB uses on cars crashing into barriers. Have you ever watched crash test dummy videos? Those cages are totalled after an accident at that speed! Absolutely you'd expect the frame to be FU'd after such an accident! If you think that's "minimal," my brother used to work for a motorcycle frame-straightening shop back in the '80s ["motorcycle menders" iirc.] He said that the big problem with Gold Wings is that the headstock would take a tweak in parking lot tipovers! [it's a big heavy bike, and they're loosey goosey when ridden hard, so I can totally believe him; in fact, I *have* to, since I own a crashed GL1200 that has a permanent list to the left, even tho' the only damage was supposedly "cosmetic." Such is life...] Well sh\t-howdy YES you'd expect the frame to be tweaked if the motor mounts broke: the engine is a stressed-member in a spiney! But thanks for the reminder that the spine frames are always going to be susceptible to such, um, unfortunate frailties as this. BTW, was that a short frame or long? The long-frame Sport derivatives [post-2001?] are of course going to be even more prone to tweakage from bumps & such, because as the length of the member goes up, the stiffness goes down [get yer minds outta the gutter!... Failing that, post your replies over in the Silly Banter section! ] Wondering aloud here... what kind of space exists w/ parts near the frame, would it be feasible to take a section of 2" dia pipe [or whatever dia. matches the square section Guzzi member], cut it down the center lengthwise, and weld that section along the bottom of the spine for increased structural rigidity? The cross section would then be more like |_| instead of |_| U Ride on,

What, are you channeling Danforth Quayle?!? Regardless of whether you say "Po-TAY-to" or "Po-TAH-to," it's still spelled "P'taytuh" oops! - sorry, "potato..." The only thing interesting about the 1200 Sport is the fact that the factory go fast(er) parts will be made available for it, which means lots of Breva & Griso owners may be able to kit up their bikes [all parts same-same] and perhaps a trickle-down effect of dual-plug heads making their way to V11s via eBay. (hypothesis) Other than that, it's a black Breva, w/o so much as even USD forks to justify a price differential. Not exciting. C'mon Piaggio, you can do better than this!

Everyone needs a worldbeater now & then! The "killer app" profile means that those other concerns of yours would be dealt with because everyone would want to share in that product success. Do you think Apple would be selling at almost $80/shr vs. $15/shr they were at 5 years ago if it wasn't for creating the 'killer app' of the new millenimumiummum, aka "the iPod?" Now, Guzzi isn't likely to invent a motorcycle that everyone just has to have, but if they came out w/ a worldbeater now that spanked the competition the way the original LeMons did 30 years ago, you'd better believe that Piaggio would see to it that problems of part supply would evaporate, at least for that (unfotunately hypothetical) model. Closest thing they've got to that right now is the Griso, but it's a long way from being on everone's short list of bike to buy...

Yes, but it was a close call: if the option for "Daytona" had said "Daytona RS" I might have actually had to flip a coin! The MGS-01 is just enough sexier to edge out the 1100 Sport (in yellow) as the sexiest bike ever , but tis a near thing! Throw the Daytona RS into the mix, & it could go either way...

Well, in the case of the stock pre-muffler, it's there for emissions. NOISE emissions! By allowing both headers to feed into both mufflers, the shared volume is less restrictive than a straight 1-1 connexion, so you end up with mo' betta' performance for the same sound level. In the case of the Stucchi, it's performance, for even tho' it does the same sharing of exhaust between the stock mufflers, its design is such that you get more performance out of the same job... So the precise answer is "both," I guess...

Dear Fineas[6]: [1] - Congrats! [2] - It's good to have handy friends like this! Sounds like you'll save some reasonable wt. over the stock Termi exhausts, & probably get to hear your Guzzi's singing voice a bit better... [3] - Sounds (unfortunately) familiar... at least the "cash" part! [4] - Stock injection is Alfa-N system, meaning everything runs off the map with the assumption that there've been no changes to the as-delivered (tested) setup. So if you make the changes you're talking about, a PCIII is in order. [5] - The stock x-over has a sound deadening element in it, but it's so capacious that it doesn't really add much in the way of restriction. However, there are improvements to the shape of the midrange power-band to be had from upgrading to the Stucchi x-over. [6] - Gratuitous literary reference. Hope this helps!

Ahhh, dear Bette Balhaus! Too bad she got married & gave up the figure modeling, she was a real day-brightener!

Ya know, it would sure be nice if those who've gone down the path of heavier fork springs would measure the dang things first so V11LM could build up a database of the various offerings with OAL, # of coils, wire gauge, etc. so that those of us who're too dang cheap to drop the money on new springs can do the calcs to figure out how much to cut off the stockers...

Not qualified to post [don't follow it] but what's important to my friends on LABiker[1] is only whether or not Rossi wins or not! What I can guarantee beyond question is that it will not be a rider on a Moto Guzzi... Ride on! [1] Some members of that listserve have wagered all the sushi they can eat that V. Rossi will take the championship w/ other members that say he will not. This wager was made roughly mid-season when Signore Rossi was far behind in points and things looked dire for his chances at winning, before Little Nicky had a clear shot, as I recall. So I'm mostly interested in the race results from the 3rd-party position of someone who's enjoying spectating the trash-talk between these two camps, without having seen so much as a 5 sec. clip of any part of the 2006 MotoGP season!

O.K., I need to respond to this, since it bears on something I posted: I wasn't stating that there are known clutch failures in a bunch of different models, just that the only Guzzis w/ aluminum clutches are the Tennis, Scuras, & RMs. This is a factual statement. There have been multiple [not many, but in Guzzi limited production numbers, any is a significant #!] Scuras w/ the catastrophic clutch failures reported. That's not spreading bad rumours, it's a statement of fact. Making an intentionally lightened part that is repetitively subjected to LARGE centrifugal forces out of aluminum means you must have a reduced expectation for service life vs. the same part made of steel OR make certain you've got the engineering & production right. What about titanium? Same thing, I think, except nobody is going to pay for it, Guzzis are already ex$pen$ive enough for the level of technology they deliver!.. At any rate, not rumour-mongering, just stating facts that the potential owner needs to be aware of when deciding on a bike... Want a lighter clutch? I'd happily try one of Greg Field's stack of steel single-plate clutches [which should have a perfectly adequate service life when hydraulicly actuated, from reports by those w/ more expertise & closer to the problem than I] for the standard double-plate for lightness & rattle-elimination, and suspect that the owners of the bikes equipped with the aluminum clutch would appreciate the driveline smoothness of a heavier clutch [altho' whether they'd like it enough to give up the faster-revving of the lighter clutch is a different matter!] As for Aprilia, their big mistake was trying to play in MotoGP & pouring money they didn't have down that financial black hole instead of consolidating their gains by getting Guzzi profitable and focussing on WSB, where they would have been able to compete effectively. Aprilia did very well by Guzzi, and things could have been very different from what they are. Has Piaggio shown significantly better management so far than did Aprilia in it's first 2 years in charge of Moto Guzzi? Ride on,

But there's loads of aluminium stuff out there and it lasts for years and decades: in motorbikes, cars, boats, planes, buildings... safety-critical tools & equipment... etc... Plus, you could say the same of any material. No. Steel has a computable "never fail" rate. Aluminum [& titanium? - can't recall just now...] parts can only be overbuilt to the point where you can reasonably expect them not to fail within the expected service life for that unit. But it's like MTBF for computer equipment: some will last years longer, others will fail uh, now? This is part of the reason there are hundreds of jet airliners[1] parked out on the Mojave, & why the aluminum chassis on those armored cars the banks use all the time are replaced every 3-5 years. It's just the nature of the material. The "loads of aluminum stuff out there that lasts for years and decades" was either over-engineered to allow for the long service live [& hence, heavier than an equivalent steel part might need to be to perform the same duty for ever] or isn't subjected to a significant repetitive stress [like, lawn furniture.] Kinda blew my mind when I found out about this, but it does help to explain why car manufacturers have been slow to go to all-aluminum vehicles. Why not the same reluctance from motorcycle manufacturers? Don't forget, most bikes are viewed as expendable toys, not serious daily use vehicles [by the manufacturers, not necessarily by their owners!] and so the "weight vs. longevity" equation is skewed in the opposite direction from that of a cage... Ride on! [1] Years ago [early 50s?], one of the first series of all-aluminum airliners [Lockheed Constellation?] started not making their ETAs. Vanished w/o a trace. Nobody could figure out what was going on, it had a real damping effect on the burgeoning international travel biz ["Europe on $5 a day" Marshall plan era] until they finally found some pieces on the ocean floor or in a forest somewhere & did the accident investigation. The planes weren't crashing, they were coming to pieces at 30,000' when the aluminum catastrophically failed at random intervals. Took'em awhile to figure that one out; Lockheed had just built them to tighter parameters, and it turns out, when an aluminum plane isn't overbuilt like a Gooneybird, they fail. Now, they have better understanding & regular NDT to discover incipient cracks, etc. Sux to be the test chicken tho'...

Typically, a recall is a recall: time limits don't necessarily apply. However, that's a recall, as opposed to a company-sponsored "voluntary recall," which means the govt. never got involved, & the company is under no legal obligation beyond the terms they set forth themselves [ie, the smart companies do voluntary or silent recalls before the govt. ever gets involved, as the costs in the long run are much lower...] IIRC, the bubbly case-paint issue, since it doesn't represent any kind of hazardous condition to the owner/rider, is a voluntary recall & conditions will therefore vary from importer to importer, etc. 2nd-hand bikes may or may not be eligible, at the importer's discrection. [in short, I wish you luck! It's worth a try, but chances are that the previous owner took the "plan B" option of Guzzi soft goods & the "recall" has therefore already been performed...] WRT "grenading clutches:" - the single-plate RAM aluminum clutches have been known to let go: these were only on specific models, iirc, the Tennis, Scuras & Rosso Mandellos. There is a completely unrelated issue w/ the single-plate (iron) clutches used in some of the Cali?/Stone?/Metal? cruisers, which experienced rapid wear due to the fact that the clutches are very sensitive to correct adjustment & inadequate care being taken to allow for the initial stretch in the cables on these models [a non-issue on the hydraulicly-actuated V11 spineys. Again, one of Guzzi's imponderable corporate decisions... ] Anyway, back to the RAM-style grenading clutches: the aftermarket RAM single-plate clutches apparently do not have any issues, just the ones that RAM oem'd for Guzzi according to Guzzi's specs [which either did not specify a radius at a critical stress-riser, or spec'd an inadequate aluminum alloy/heat treat, or a combination of these], but with all things aluminum, it's just a matter of time before the duty cycle exceeds the unknowable repetitive stress-failure point. If you have one of these models, start saving now for the replacement, & get it sooner rather than later. Hey, Pete, Todd or any other Guzzi mech: how many of the cruiser [iron] single-plates have you swapped out, & has anyone started collecting these to have them rebuilt for swapping into the aluminum-clutch spineys? Might be a good ounce-of-prevention idea... ;-) Remember, IANAL, YMMV, & without a doubt, get a 2nd opinion from somebody who is more clueful than I!

Sensors? What're you driving, a car? Guzzi got no steenkin' sensors! Alfa-N injection, my friend, Alfa-N! Of course, the new Brevonas & Grisos, etc. have semi-closed-loop injection, so a MAF sensor is next, for truly closed-loop injection, but for now, the only sensors I'm aware of on a Guzzi are for air pressure & temps; after that, it's just a question of the map for throttle opening vs. rpm. Why do you think there's so much talk on this thread on ways to adjust the map? BTW, the "negative pressure" in the carb is built-in; blame it on some bugger named Bernoulli (poor b@stard never sleeps, what with keeping my other bikes running, jumbo jets in the air, etc. etc. etc.) Ride on,

Heavier bar ends help, but you can get more results, cheaper by heading down to your friendly neighborhood gun shop & buying a bag of lead shot [used for reloading shot shells] & then filling up the bars w/ the lead. Yes, it makes the bike weigh more, but it absorbs vibration [being little soft balls rattling around inside the bars.] The stock handlebar ends can hold'em in place. Don't eat or smoke while loading them into the bars, & wash your hands after.

Supposedly. It seems that many of the suede seats wound up "lost in the warehouse" & sold separately, for those who didn't know that they were supposed to get it with the bike, or vice versa wrt the vinyl seat, depending upon the dealer.

Well, excuuuuuuse Meeee! [/steve Martin] If I knew ya better, I'd have just sed "Mike," but that warn't the way I was raised. While I did not concur with your post, I felt you were due some minimum of respect (in my reply) for daring to make it in a civil, non-sarcastic manner. Sue me. The High-Speed Internal-Combustion Engine by Sir Harry Ricardo Motorcycle Tuning Two-Stroke Motorcycle Tuning Four-Stroke both by John Robinson Sorry, no page numbers, but I just recently read these books & others [this past summer] when on a binge of reading/research so I could better defend myself/follow along the various threads here on V11LM & elsewhere... Well, say it however you like, the fact that 2-smokes can have/do have/need to have bigger squish bands than strokers doesn't change the fact that the basis for the computation thereof is based on area not radius or diameter of the bore... The key thing being that even a paltry 10% of the bore area being a properly executed squish band can make a monumental difference in overall performance wrt to things like resistance to ping/detonation, etc. (iirc! ) I cannot recommend Sir Harry's book enough; I'd have it on my personal bookshelf today were it not for the fact that the 35quid plus shipping to USA is going to translate to close to $80, money which quite frankly I don't have at the moment, with a live-in gf who's been functionally unemployed for the past 1.5 years. Talk about your financial drains! I'm hoping that if I'm very, very good, that the Hogfather will leave a copy for me come next Hogswatchnight... Ride on!

Yep, there're more pictures of it out on the net. Funny, it only ever seems to show up at bike shows held on grass, judging from the pics of it I've seen! I wonder why that is? IIRC, it's another of Jesse Jameseseses's'sss creations, ie: more excreta from his garage monster, er Monster Garage. Now, if he'd just have a run at recreating the Megola with that engine, in a high wheel (penny-farthing bicycle) style...

MGS-01, w/ the Daytona RS/1100Spot in yellow livery being a close second. Toss the 74 Ducati 750 Cafe Sport** on there to round out the podium. ** - a bike so classic, Ducati had to recreate it to save the company now that Monsters are common as dirt!

So, just out of curiosity [since I'm nowhere near my Bike & can't recall having even looked at the threads on the dipstick before...] - how long is the threaded section on the dipstick? Eg: if you were to just rest the dipstick on top of the hole, as is done for just about every other vehicle on the face of the earth, how much different would the "full" line be from where the actual "fill to" mark should be, measuring off the bottom of the sheet? [Of course, this entire question is rhetorical, since I'll inevitably be measuring all this for myself when I finally get my hands on one of the trays and have the Bike apart to install it, etc. etc., but just salve my curiousity, somebody, won't you? ]

Anyone here bidding on this? I'm tempted [yeah, I'm a sick puppy, got a real leather fetish! ] to offer on it, but it's listed as U.K. only, so I'd have to relay via one of the v11lm members, of which I'm certain there are .5 dozen who'd be willing to handle the chores for me [V11LM members are the best!], but I wouldn't want to be raising the price for someone here if they're trying to get this for theirself! There's about 16 hours left on the auction, so there should be plenty of time for whomever is bidding on it to read this & get back to me if they're an V11LM'er before I have to bid... & who knows? Maybe by that time the price will go over the amount I'd be willing to pay? Ride on,

The passenger is only wearing a hat-hat, not a bash-hat... Or maybe the cop just wants a closer view!

'Nix: Mr. Wilson misquoted; the statistic isn't 30% of the bore diameter, it's area that's the critical measure. Ergo, a slight band way out there at the periphery has an area all out of proportion to it's width, due to the transcendental f/x of the magic number pi... 2-smokes can run squish bands up to 50% of the area or even more, but that's due to their primary compression generally being rather low. [Not going into the shamanistic rituals associated therewith; 2-smokes aren't even engines so much as they are pipe organs! ] The other thing to remember is that on a 2v engine like the Guzzi, it's better to put all the squish in at the sides, aka, run a bathtub chamber like the Evo & later H-Ds are using; that way, you've got the use of the full width of the bore for valve area, w/ adequate squish & turbulence. Why do you think I've been going on about that in all the tech threads here on V11LM for the past couple years or so? Anyway, back to the bickering...