Greg Field

After lots of seeking, I finally scored a V11 LeMans fairing from RacerX to turn my Billy Bob into a LeMans Coppa Italia. I hope VASean is currently too soused to get bummed that I'm rolling on this project, too. Now I need to find a painter who can do a dead-nuts color match on the three colors in the Coppa Italia paint scheme and can lay out and apply the proper pattern and then make it look OEM. Enzo has recommended some guy named Wong. Other friends have recommended still other painters, but no two have mentioned the same guy. It's gonna be tough deciding to whom I should trust this project. Do any of you have a recommendation to a Seattle-area painter?

Ben: I think I know where there's a used rear section of a green front fender. Email me at parts@motointernational.com, and I'll send your email to the guy who has it. He also has other green bits, if you're interested in them. FWIW, I do not think those particular shades of green and red look good together, though I love them individually.

I won't speculate except that Guzzi motors're tough. It has the same oil curcuit as all the Cali Guzzis. Even after all that, all it might need is rod shells.

If the crank were whacking the front of the filter, it would tend to tighten it. If it were whacking the rear of the filter, it would tend to loosen it. That is not the problem. There's plenty of roached motors on which crank and filter never met.

If it was causing airplanes to crash, someone would do the work to figure out why it occassionally happens, but it's just Guzzis, so we're left to speculate. I ain't gonna mention what it is, to prevent starting another riot, but there's a simple device that some use as a mechaincal stop to prevent them loosening. Look back at previous threads on the subject if you are interested.

Damn. If you're lucky, you can get by with replcing the rod shells, which will run about $60. I wish you good luck. Tear it all the way down and make sure the mains and crank are OK.

Congrats, Jon! I am envious. I want a Griso but don't want to sell the Billy Bob to fund it, so it looks like it'll be another year.

It's just a shame that Guzzi did not wire up the low-fuel light so that is is on when the key is turned on but the engine is not running, so you could be sure the sender and light were actually working. If it is not working, you'll never know until you run out of fuel.

Nice work on the controls. If in the end you do not build more copies, there is another option fro those wanting controls moved forward and down. That is the Motobits foot controls. That's what I use.

They're $50 per pair, with all the adapters and hardware.

I have one that saw about a week's use. It may be missing a bolt or two.

Leaving in 2.5 hours if anyone's up for a rainy ride . . .

I concur fully with what Gary is discussing above. Not all molded parts are perfect. Small flaws could certainly be the reason for localized bubbling. And fuel additives could certainly be penetrating through flaws. After reading of this thread, I've now heard of this syndrome on four V11s from different reas of the country. In the shop one day, we were discussing whether plastic tanks would last for the long haul. I'm doubtful, but one of our mecanics, who's German, said, "You have not athing to worry about! The Tooofv (TUV) has approved them, so they will be perfect." I'm not doubting the TUV, but I am pretty sure the gas sold in Seattle differs in formulation from that sold in Germany, and that's the source of my worry. I plan on keeping the Billy Bob for the long haul, so I've given thought to what sort of liner I could apply to protect the plastic, but not taken it any further.

Odyssey PC-545. Sorry, but I have no idea where to get one in the UK.

If any of you want to join up for a nice ride to Enumclaw for this event or just want directions, let me know. A group meets at my house for strong coffee beforehand and rides down. It's slated to be raining and about 40 degrees F. when we leave, so be prepared or suffer . . .

Just another fan of the M4s here. They look great and sound great. We've sold a bunch of them and everyone has been pleased.

Rocker's numbers may even be high. The dealership I work at, Moto Intl. sold I think 96 Guzzis for 2005. We were told the total in the US that year of sales was about 500. We sold 110 last year. Not all stayed in the Seattle area, but most did. Guzzis are everywhere here.

FuelCooler: I work at a Guzzi dealership. If you PM me with your VIN info, I can have our service manager check to see if the recall work was done.

One has to wonder why one would need so much preload on a spring of the correct weight? Seems to indicate the spring weight is ill-matched to the rider's weight.

Sure, I'm in.

I've got a tubeless spoke wheel off of a 1998 EV that is surplus to my needs . . .

Dan: There're some threads here by an Aussie boffin (no offense meant) named Phil A. who advocates belling out the intake snorkels and drilling two holes in the lid. He claims that with this set-up and the paper filter, it flows more air and makes more power than with the lidless airbox and K&N. I modified my airbox thusly. I didn't do any dyno testing to verify the power claims, but I can say that the noise penalty is very, very slight, which is a good result. You don't hear the intakes at all until you whack open the throttle, whereupon you hear the standard intake moan, only slightly deeper in tone and slightly louder. Power seems at least as good as it was. And you get to keep the paper filter.

The latest bags take the 60mm Guzzi logos. If you live in a rainy area, consider making a slot instead of a notch underneath. This leaves a smaller port for water to be sprayed up and under the seat. Or, you could just seal the notch with duct tape or something.

Keep 'em wet. Seems like every set of K&Ns I see on a V11 are dry and gray. When wet and pink, they strain down to gnat size. When dry, they're just butterfly strainers.

Good move, boys. pete is even better live than on the internet. For today, wish him happy birthday, as he's a half century old, now. You need to dink more, Pete, so you look your age!