Greg Field

What tires should I be running? It has the stock-type Pilot Sports, or whatever they are.

Yeah, I'm worried about how it will hold up. Someone's gotta be the guinea pig, though, so I guess it'll be me.

I do them up until there is zero perceptible lateral play in the swingarm. I watch as much as feel, since if there is a good edge you can see play that you cannot feel, and then I turn the stub axles a little more until it feels right. By feels right I mean the motion of the swingarm, not torque on the stub axles. I've done it hundreds of times on fifty or more Guzzis, and this system seems to eliminate play and also not load bearings too much. My Eldo bearings, for example have nearly 100,000 miles on them and are tight and happy.

Again, about 60 deg. F. today. Unhurried 12-mile roll down the highway netted 82-deg. C oil temp. This is nothing to worry about, but with all due respect it is not over-cooled, either. I'll take it out for a flog this weekend, and see what she reads.

I've got a thermometer dipstick on Billy ('cause I'm a total geek and like to monitor such things). After just a short ride in town (about 8 miles) on a day that was no more than 60 degrees F., the oil temp was 92 degrees C. It'll be interesting to see how hot it gets when the air temps are 90 degrees and I'm flogging it.

Billy Bob's my first spine-frame, and I've been amazed how "wiggly" the rear end felt. Yesterday, I spent some time tightening things and checking everything over in the rear end to see if I could spot a problem. Fortunately, I found a problem--loose swingarm bearings--and tightening them took away much of the wiggliness. When I get that rebuilt Ohlins shock in a few weeks, I'll go though it even more thoroughly while it's apart, and see if further improvements are possible.

Not all CF is created equal. The CF on the Aprilia Mille Rs, for example, does not stand up to UV exposure. We have a couple at the shop that are so white-powdery looking from sitting in the sun that they're virtually unsellable. The Guzzi CF stuff seems to hold up better. Aftermarket stuff is an unknown. I'm gonna try a carbon altenator cover 'cause the silver one always looks crappy 'cause it rains so much here. The checkerbpard pattern of the carbon helps mask the fact that on my bikes it is always dirty.

I've interviewed Vaughn Beals (the visionary CEO who saved H-D in the early '80s) for a few books I've written, and he fondly remembers riding Guzzis when the MoFoCo would buy competitors' bikes and wring them out. He liked the SP best. He said they even considered buying the company.

Many of the same idiots who complain about loud Harleys then buy one when they hit midlife crisis and proceed to make theirs even louder than the one that used to piss them off when they were "family men." It doesn't have to make sense. It simply is what people do, barring draconian laws to prevent it. Just accept it and go on with your lives.

Oh, Canadians: Pray fervently that your new importer is completely independent of Piaggio USA. It's bad enough dealing with one layer of these people. If your dealers have to try to eke out a living by working through two layer of them, there is no hope. As for the Griso 850, it is just a de-stroked 1100, so why would you want it (except for insurance savings)? It'll have all the weight of the 1100, but less power. If it was based on a punched-out 750 motor, it would be a different story.

CHris: THanks. It's good to hear I'm not the only one with the problem. Soon, I'm gonna tear apart the rear end to see if I can find anything loose or worn. I've been riding the Eldo lately, to test my new tubeless conversion for Borrani wheels, and I swear its rear end feels more planted than does Billy Bob's.

UFI number is 2328700. It is the same as for all the other 1100 Guzzis.

Randy: When you blast through the 99 tunnel at 70 or so, through that squirmy"planed" pavement, does it feel like the rear end of the bike is wiggling independently from the front? Mine sure does. Maybe a difference in tires? Ray, the guy who had your bike before you, did a lot of experimenting with tires to find what worked best, as he spent a lot of time chasing his buddy's R1 in the mountains. Finally, he gave up and bought an R1.

It's a complete kit. We have one left but will be getting more next week. That's not my bike either. It's the prototype set that was mounted to Randy's LeMans, before he bought it. The production kit is bit more sculpted. They cost $300, and all parts are available separately, should you ever break something.

The pegs haven't touched down yet. We tried to design them to move the pegs as much as possible without having them be the first thing to touch down. I have the shifter peddle adjusted quite far down, and even so, it didn't touch down. That was my first time having Billy on a twisty road outside the city. I set a pretty good pace and was all alone in front of the pack after the second curve, so it seems to do OK. I didn't push it at all, though, because the rear suspension is quite horrible on my Billy. Maybe it's adjustments, but I've tried a lot of combinations without noticable success. It'll soon have a rebuilt and re-valved Ohlins from a Scura. I'm really hoping that helps. Or, I'm hoping that while installing the new shock I find something else that could be causing the "wiggly" feeling feeding back from the rear end.

DeBen: I think there's an RM tank just hanging in the service area at Moto International. If it's something you're interested in, I can pull it down and assess the condition for you. TT: Also, I've got a Guzzi carbon fairing I might be willing to part with. To put it on a Cafe Sport requires some parts, though. I have one on my Billy Bob and another on the shelf in the "gay raj" (long story of Aprilia/Piaggio/Guzzi incompetence), so I can tell you what parts you need. For that matter, the Havens have done it, too, so they can give you the list. As for nice stuff to do to your bike, the thing I think made the biggest difference on my bike was more comfortable foot controls. The Motobits ones make a huge difference in comfort, shifting, and tunable braking.

Also, if anyone wants the Centauro controls, I have three sets of everything, minus the brake levers. It looks to me that a good man with a hacksaw or bandsaw and drill press could make a usable brake lever in an hour or so. This is what I was gonna do (I'm very skilled with a hacksaw, as I'm a builder of flintlock longrifles) for Billy Bob, until the Motobits came along.

Hey, thanks, everyone. I know I coulda prob'ly spent an evening and searched all that out, but I am just swamped with work right now. I hope I can return the favor someday!

Coomon wisdom is that the Ohlins shock on the Scura didn't work as well as the one used on later Coppas, etc. I have a leaky warranty-takeoff shock from a Scura that I'm having rebuilt. I'd like to have them revalve it and re-spring it as necessary to work well for me, at 230 lbs. Can anyone share experience on what the model number was for the later shock, or any re-springing or re-valving hints? Thanks

Randy: Rich's custom upholstery has made several taller seats for others in the Seattle area. Or, next time you are at Moto, sit on my Billy Bob and see if the Motobits foot controls would ease the pain.

If you want the good stuff, get the Motobits foot controls. They are about halfway between the positions of the Centauro and Sport controls, fully adjustable, and carved from billet. Much mo' bettah . . .

Some would argue that the valves are too big already . . .

Here's some perspective from a relatively new V11 owner, though I have ridden many in the past: The more you sort the suspension, the more you notice the limitations of the frame. To me, it feels very lacking in tortional strength, especially the later ones with the larger rear tire—despite the added struts and stuff on the later frames. Remember what this frame is, after all: a field-expedient design built from a sketch on a napkin by a guy who's not a trained engineer, meant to make an old Guzzi competitive in racing for one more year in the late 1980s. This is not meant as a slam against designer or frame (I know Dr. John and have and love one of these bikes). It simply is reality. So, you can get the suspension perfect, and you'll still have all kinds of wiggling going on when leaned over and going over bumps. There's a reason that the fastest Guzzi riders I know stick with Tonti frames . . . or even loop frames

Yes, that was naughty, and mean, and not really true. I apologize.

Oh, Pete, I love that you can still make me laugh. Initiative. On the V11 LeMans site??? bwahahahahahahaha . . . (yes, you can all excommunicate me now . . .)