txrider

Thanks for setting me straight on this. So we have from the top block-gasket-plate-gasket-upper half of sump-gasket-lower half sump, right? I'm still in for one if Pete is up for fabrication. Always learning. I've been off playing with other toys so pardon me if this is a stupid question but what's the track record on these for V11's?

My only reservation about adding this plate is that as I envision it this will mean an arrangement of sandwiching the plate so one has sump-gasket-new plate-gasket-block to seal when changing filters or dropping the sump for cleanout. That isn't a big deal but it is a consideration. Pales of course to the possibility of starving engine for oil during hard acceleration. Put me down for one, please, Pete. I'd sure like one of the Havens to wade in on this to get their perspective.

My understanding is that grease is essentially oil suspended in a soap or other filler base and over time tends to separate from that soap. Grease guns, as long as the spring loaded plunger keeps the grease under pressure force the oil out of suspension over time. So most grease guns are going to leak unless the plunger is released to relieve pressure. Some greases are worse in this than others but absolutely one of the worst, although I still like/use it, is Amsoil's Racing Grease. Other factors affecting this "oil sweating" are age of the grease, type and storage temperature.

Something isn't right about your front axle install. My 2004 LM has the same front axle arrangement and the spacers are not loose. I couldn't see an axle nut in your picture, is there one installed on the outboard side of the axle securing it to the l/h fork? If the pinch bolts are tight the axle isn't going to come loose. The nut, as it's tightened, removes any clearance in the axle spacers which keeps them from spinning. The spinning isn't a problem but an indication something is not installed correctly.

Sometimes greases, particularly old, aged examples will show separation of the carrier/soap from oil contained and this will show as oily residue near the greased joint. Less expensive cheaper grades do this as they age and are affected by use environments. As I said that was a long shot guess due to the amount of oily residue but the location seemed to indicate something like that could be happening. Whatever it is let us know. Those oily spots can be tough to trace back to a source. Just ask the guys who are arguing about cause of oil residue in a troublesome alternator connector over at apriliaforum in the Futura section. It keeps reappearing but no one can quiet figure it out.

Gil, has the front end been removed and steering stem bearings repacked? Some greases weep oil as they age and leave oil residue. That location looks close to the lower stem bearing. It's a long shot but worth considering.

I saw the movie twice and enjoyed it both times. And I think the biggest part of my enjoyment stems from the fact here is an old guy, a confirmd motorcycle nut who in his later years succeeds in a life long goal with an old machine. That punches my buttons, being an old fart myself. Next, it seems fitting he was a New Zealander. Something about Kiwis and bikes that naturally goes together. Like the Aussies, they seem to have more than their share of mechanical ingenuity in bike craft. As testament to that probably the best dealership in the area is owned and run by an ex-pat New Zealander, Jeff Nash. Too bad he only works on Ducatis and laughs at my Guzzi LM.

Pretty much correct. Be sure to clean the mounting surfaces and the recess also. I used a plug in the sensor hole to keep stuff from getting into the engine.

Mine had a leak also and disassembly showed there to be an o-ring around the sensor body set into a recess in the engine block. The "gaskets" are actually shims to bring the end of the sensor to within, as I recall, 0.040" of the crank sender (for lack of a better word) and should not be changed unless you know you can maintain the correct airgap. I cleaned and reflattened those, ordered correct o-rings from McMaster Carr and used a little Hondabond sealer in the reinstall. Worked a charm. No further leaks. The problem appeared to be that MG used a hard cure sealer applied in a somewhat haphazard fashion around the o-ring and the shims in the initial installation. If you decide to do this rework be careful when you remove the sealer covered shims so as to deform them little as possible.

Agreed.

Mike, on my HandiLift I have the front wheel vise which I use to support the front of the bike and hook straps for the rear of the bike. This provides a stable setup even if you have some tugging to do on stubborn fasteners and works for routine maintence like oil changes. I made a porkchop stand using a 2 sections of 2 x 6 and use it when I have to remove the rear wheel while on the lift. Then I add a scissors jack and protective block under the front of the sump for front wheel removal/work. These used together enable one to remove front and rear wheels at the same time. Obviously the front wheel vise is useless when doing work on the front end. I saw the need for some lifting from above the bike instead of under when I had the swingarm off so I also made an overhead hoist using 1-1/4" pipe and a cheap ratchet hoist from Northern Tool. That works well when you want access to the underside of the bike without the clutter of an underbike jack as in cleaning or oil pan removal. I use that also to change positions/supports when working underneath. As for width of the lift mine is 24" wide and sometimes I'd like more width as in putting a bike on the centerstand. Perching on the 8" or so ledge while hoisting a bike up on it's stand is precarious. Plus I have a bad habit of laying tools on the lift table if I know I'm going to need them within reach and that's another time when width/space is an asset. Then some of the cleaning trays/catch pans I use are wide enough to almost use all the 24"width. My equipment/methods which work well for me.

Well, according to my wife these days the garage is a good thing... Gotta get some propane though as the temp this morning was in the teens and that's too dang cold to be in my favorite room of the house without heat. And on the bar bit I just move mine into the garage about 4 in the afternoon.

Thanks. Yeah, that FZ1 sorta sticks out doesn't it. OTOH, anytime I have an errand or a day ride to do it's always ready with no fuss. Sorta bland after riding the others... until you crack the throttle.

At the risk of stating the obvious- the Handilift requires a compressed air source- at least the model I have does. I was lucky enough to have bought one 10 years ago when they were in the $600-650 range. Still great value for money spent considering the heavy duty materials and construction.

Well, with too much time on my hands and a two car garage dedicated to bikes I've managed to gather these- 1. 2000 Triumph Sprint ST 2. 2001 Yamaha FZ1 3. 2002 Aprilia Futura 4. 2004 Guzzi LeMans The plan was to sell the FZ to buy the LeMans but somehow that hasn't happened. I, unfortunately, think my for-sale machines are worth more than everyone else does... As you can imagine the battery charger gets a workout. And considering I do all my own maintenance I do too.

The battery on my 2004 is beginning to fade a bit so I guess it's time. Thanks for the source info, dlaing, on the Odyssey PC545. That's the best price I've seen and I just ordered one. Note on chargers- I've been using a Battery Tender+ for several years but reread an old MCN comparison on chargers. As a result I bought an Accumate 6/12 which supplies a bit more float voltage than the BT+ and in use it showed slightly more charge to the LM original battery.

I just saw this which you might enjoy- http://www.imz-ural.com/downloads/movies.htm

Start with padded bicycle riding shorts ( lycra and/or cotten blend) and see how that works. Makes a big difference in seat comfort. Also, Rider Wearhouse has some heavy pants called "Arborwear Gusseted Canvas Pants" that fit more loosely than jeans and are really comfortable.

As a followup on this neophyte's first encounter with MG FI tuneup here's what I did and the results that ensued- 1. Used t-pins in the tps connector to get tps readings. 2. Got baseline readings (415mv). 3. Backed off throttle stop screws both sides and adjusted tps to 150 mv. 4. Adjusted r/h side throttle stop screw tp 465 mv. 5. Closed air bypass screws. 6. Cranked engine, and using a Carb-Stix adjusted l/h throttle stop screw to be even with r/h stop screw. 7. Backed out airbypass screws 1/4 turn at a time until 1000 rpm and equal columns of mercury. 8. Adjusted cross link bar so engaging bar with r/h tb produced no change in r/h throttle stop 465 mv reading. 9. Cranked engine, checked idle on both cylinders with carb stix- almost dead even. Checked at 3000 rpm dead even. Road test showed smoother running and a "happy" engine. And the thing pulls so nice and smooth at 5000 and above I find I am reluctant to ease off the throttle. Thanks again to Mike and Todd Haven at MPH, Mr. Bean and luhbo. You guys were all a great help. Now, about those forks...

No, no PCIII. Just the Ti ECU. I had some slight lean surging issues in hot weather riding but otherwise works fine as is with the Staintunes.

Luhbo, thanks for the information. This checks out with the faxed copy of the Titanio kit instructions MPH was kind enough to provide. So the numbers are TPS adjust value- 150 mv, idle stop screw, r/h side 465mv.

I gotcha and thanks for the response. As for the TPS setting adjustment I've seen fiddly but that wins the prize. I have an install sheet for the Titanio ECU on the way, I think. That should confirm the 150mv (or not). When I get that I'll post the numbers for those of you that have the Titanio ECU.

I'm setting the TPS on my 2004 and consider maybe the Titanio Racing ECU on it requires a different value than the 150mv called out for conventional oem ECUs. A reputable in-the-know dealer responded to my inquirey that the new ECUs call for 2.3 degrees setting on the TPS (I'm guessing determined with the MG diagnostics tool) and that they are uncertain what this is equivalent to in millivolts. Does anyone know what millivolt value is correct for the above ECU on a late model bike? Fortunately I took a baseline reading before I loosened the TPS hold downs but have no idea whether it was correct( 415mv with throttle body disconnected from linkage, fast idle, etc.). Edit- That 415mv reading is with the idle stop in as-found adjustment. Not a good TPS stand alone number.

My bike is a 2004 which I pointed out to Traxxion in my original inquirey concerning fork oil level guidelines. Hardy didn't distinguish beween model years nor indicate which model year forks they had worked on. My thinking at this point still is that $1000 is just too much to spend to get much better fork function. I'll settle for best I can get for a modest outlay of cash, that being the spring purchase. Much as I respect Max and his company Traxxion Dynamics, the major fork upgrade is just too costly.

I sent an inquirey to Traxxion Dynamics asking about general guidelines on determining correct fork oil level and here's the response I received- " John, Unfortunately, the Marzocchi forks on your V11 are some of the worse designed and functioning forks we have ever seen. The cartridge is crude at best. There is no real valving to speak of in the cartridge. The cartridge has all kinds holes drilled in weird locations, it’s a mess. So I would take the recommend oil level from the manufacture with a grain of salt. The oil level is for the most part there is keep the fork from bottoming out. So if the forks bottom you need to add more oil. Of course this is all relative to spring rate. For example on one V11 we used 120mm oil level but we also had 1.05kg springs in the forks. Your stock fork springs are some where in the neighborhood or .82kg so a little higher oil level may be required to keep the fork from bottoming. However, as you have discovered if the oil level is too high then the fork will become harsh. About the best thing I can suggest is to at minimum upgrade the springs. I simply do not think you will be able to come up with a decent compromise with the stock springs. Check your sag numbers and you will see that most of the fork travel is used up by the weight of the bike. Our spring kits for the V11 are $109.95. I will tell you that all the bikes we have worked on that the V11 would benefit the most from our AK-20 Kit. The stock valving is just so poor. If you want to try a set we will do a free install for you. If you can get a group of guys together for a group buy then I can get you a pretty good discount on the kits themselves. Let me know if you have any interest or if you have any other questions. Thanks!" This is from Mike Hardy, Sales Manager with Traxxion. Then as a follow up to my inquirey on quantity of buyers required and price break he responded- "John, No problem at all. As far as the group buy goes, the AK-20 Kits are $999.95 and include the Axxion Valved Cartridges, Springs matched for the riders weight, and two quarts of oil. If you can get 5 + riders committed then I can give you 10% off the AK-20 kits plus a free install. The benefits I’m not sure I can even put into words. The suspension would be light years ahead of anything out there. Bump absorption would be increased by ten hold. You would immediately notice the forks would not dive to the bottom of the stroke under breaking and no more harshness. We also offer a 100% money back guarantee. If you do not like the setup and agree that it completely transformed your bike then we will return your forks to stock and give you your money back. If you can get a group buy together then I will see if there is a little extra love we can show on your purchase. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks!" So, there's more possibilities to making the forks better although that price is still pretty high. I'm not quite sure I'll spend the bucks for for the A-20 kit but I will buy the springs. So, if anyone is interested contact Mike Hardy at Traxxion. I have no axe to grind on this other than to improve the way my own bike's suspension works and share what little info I come across during the process.