Greg Field

I'll talk to a machinist to see what the cutting will cost. I probably won't know until Tuesday.

Pre-'04 RSVR fender with custom extension on my Turtle: If your local dealer can't get 'em, we at moto Intl. are an Aprilia dearler, too . . .

Doc: As Paul said, the side tubes bolt to the timong cover. There's a boss there for the lower front engine mount used on other Guzzis.

When my stock discs warped, I replaced 'em with Braking Wave rotors, like Guzzi now fits to the 1200 Sport and Aprilia fits to the SXV motard bike. I know some say the wave thing is just fashion. Maybe it is, but they do work extremely well and as a side benefit, that annoying "zing" sound I always got on the stock brakes went away. I'm guessing these won't warp, either. If they were prone to it, we'd've had to replace rotors on some hard-raced SXVs, and we haven't had to.

If I really baby it, my V11 can be limped along on regular. I live in a hilly town, though. It's tough to get by on regular. It pings on premium sometimes.

If you're happy with your brakes as is, certainly there is no reason to change pads. Nevertheless, there are differences in the coefficient of friction of various pads. On my dual-disc Eldo, for example, with Brembo pads, it takes a handful of squeeze to approach locking the brakes. With the HH pads, it takes two fingertips. The difference is not that dramatic on a bike with already-good brakes like a V11 Sport. But if you do not think they can be improved upon, ride a bike with top-shelf brakes sometime and see how there's definite room for improvement. Pads are a cheaper way to improve them than changing to radial master cylinders and radial 4-pad calipers.

OK, so far two options: 1) We could cut down the steel single-plate Cali clutch to be as light as a RAM and fit it with a good plate. This is what I would do because I do not totally trust aluminum to do the job on a flywheel. 2) The stock Rosso Mandello clutch assembly (a RAM, I think) is available from Guzzi. Costs $800, but they have it in stock in the US. I'm working on another angle, too . . .

Good for you, Todd! I always seem to warp discs before I wear 'em out.

From memory, the EBC're $30-ish per pair. If you have opportunity to ride enough to wear out your disks, rejoice, for you are a lucky man!

I may've found one. I'll contact you later today when I know for sure.

WS: None of the US V11s have the lamba sensor. It seems every piece of evidence agrees that if you want ultimate top-end, the Succhi is the best choice. This meshes exactly with what a one-day comparison by feel, and not dyno, showed me. I would love to have the xtra top end of the Stucchi. It would be a boon on some of my rides, but for the other 90 percent of the riding, I like the no-torque-hole performance the Mistral provides.

Sorry; I missed seeing this earlier. Yes, an oil-pressure gauge. I got it, the sender (with contact for the oil light), and gauge housing from egauges.com. Very easy to install and works great.

Remove the center screw on your stock weights and pull off the weights. Then, remove the big he-headed plug. From there it's easy.

Mine went up by a fraction. It used to be rare that I got as high as 37mpg. Now I get 37-40 consistently.

38mm forks? Must be aftermarket Marzocchis. Those're good to have. Sounds like a fun projet. Are you running the broad sump and oil cooler?

It should fit. Another idea is the headers with cossover from an '03 or '04 EV/Stone/Al/Ti. If you do not care what they look like, I may be able to find some scuffed takeoffs. As for efficacy of the crossover, I'm a believer, based on what people whom I trust have told me. That said, I trust Todd Eagan, and he says there is no benefit. Who knows? But I remain a believer, FWIW. I'm building a very similar bike. I'm going to use Lafranconi Competitione mufflers with their headers with crossover in 40mm, assuming they ever build more in 40mm size. What will you use for forks and wheels? What frame?

They've been out of racing since '57 and essentially bankrupt since the current V-twin was introduced. That's not much worthy of building on. I say chuck it all, and bring out something truly original that will either immediately sink the company again or raise it up to glory. The time for half measures was 30 years ago . . .

None of the US V11s have a lambda sensor. I believe none of the FBF crossovers in the US have the plug for a lambda sensor. Those in Europe may differ. In my opinion, having used all of the above, I would advise that you avoid the FBF crossover. It works great, but I have seen too many crack, including my own. If you want a high-rpm-power crossover, get the Stucchi. Yes, it is much more expensive, but it is also much more stoutly built. The late Stucchis all have a lambda port. The late Mistrals also have a lambda port. I use the Mistral because it appears to me to give better low- and mid-range performance. It also works with a centerstand. For my uses, that made the Mistral more attractive. Most others prefer the Stucchi. Eveidence suggests that the Stucchi makes 5 or so more peak hp than the Mistral, at the cost of a less flat torque curve from 2500-5500 rpm.

Well, hell. You're all right. No one needs a tire wider than a 4.00-18. My Eldo keeps up with V11 Sports just fine on these bicycle tires. Nothing but fashion upgrades ever since . . .

I'm probably not credible and am a known contrarian, so it should surprise no one that I prefer the larger tire and wheel. I believe RacerX will be using it on his V11 racer, too. This may not be because it handles better but because you get an increment of increased cornering clearance. I believe he uses the same on his street LeMans. The wider tire was not fitted "for no reason." You may not like th compromises it brings, but there is a benefit that some find worth having. FC: I think I have one of those block at work. I'll check on Tuesday. If I do, we can discuss options such as lending it to you or measuring it.

I'm a big fan of EBC HH pads. I even run them on my Super Eldorado. I've never noticed any extra disc wear, but I sure have noticed the increased braking power. We have them at Moto INtl. if your local dealer doesn't.

None of the US V11s have either the catalyst or the lambda sensor. Why? Prob'ly Guzzi did not want to pay for re-homologation?

My bike has the Tis, plus the Mistral crossover plus a modded airbox, and is running the stock ECU and a custom PCIII map made when it had Mistral cans. Yes, I could unplug the PCIII and try the other ECUs, but it won't tell us anything except that it works or doesn't for a bike configured like mine. Also, all US bikes are open loop. The Euro ones have the lambda sensor. If I can find the time, I'll try it, but it's also raining and chilly nearly everyday here, now, so it's difficult to properly test on the wet roads.

Skeeve: I have been told the ignition timing in the Ti ECU is different than in the stock ECU. I don't think a PCII can adjust timing. If the timing is different, the Ti ECU may have benefits . . .

I don't know. It can't hurt anything on the bike to try it. Plug it in and see what happens.