callison

When I put the bike back together for the second transmission install, I stopped short of installing the exhaust cross-over and tried out the "correct" stand. Well, it works. Sorta. With the exhaust off, it does fit, but it has both wheels solidly in contact with the pavement. This could be due to the different frame (1996) and WP stuff I have on the bike, but probably not. This sort of negates the utility of a centerstand unless all you want to do is park straight up when on level pavement. Not much use for changing a tire and questionable stability if parked in a dipped area. With no instructions, assembly is a guess. AFTER I removed it, I noticed that two of the spacers were slightly different. I don't know whether that offset would have cured the interference fit with the exhaust cross-over or not, I had already re-installed the exhaust system. Since I have a stock exhaust system, I don't know if a Stucci or another cross-over would fare better. \ I didn't take any photos. Sorry.

I think suing for stupidity is pretty much an American thing. I think the city should sue the parents for creating a public nuisance - their kid.

It's powered by fuela and she's powered by moolah! Too little money and it will all DeRez - just like in "Tron".

Honestly, considering the quality of MG castings (poor), I would use JB Weld or buy a new sump spacer.

The earlier Sport stands do not have a spot for the sidestand switch. Depending upon the manufacture date, they may be subject to fracture failure. That said, I think I have an old one out in my garage you can have. I'd take the stand itself to a blacksmith or a welders shop and have them heat it and straighten it out (because it's a cheap and near term solution). Farm implement repair shops are a good location for blacksmith queries. Contact Pete Morcombe at Reboot Guzzi Spares for spare parts.

First test ride after the second transmission install. Oil everywhere! Mutter, mutter, mutter... Looks to be the timing case cover at the top. Not too bad if that's the case, but I'm getting very tired of cleaning off oil under the tank and all over the engine.

My guess is 139, depending upon the accuracy of the rev limiter and the diameter of the rear tire. Somewhere I read the V11 Sport is rated for 139 and the Sport 1100i for 143. If they had identical transmission/rear end ratios, I would attribute that to the larger diameter tire the Sport 1100i uses. Let us know how it turns out.

Well, I found the cross-over (in the shed, under the tank...) and the bike is back together (again) and running. Weather permitting, a test ride is next. As for the missing ground wire... well, this bike had been down to the frame and completely disassembled for nearly a year before being put back together. The ground wire for the regulator got folded up and hidden with a bunch of other wires up under the steering head. Maybe it was a good thing (NOT) that the transmission had to be removed again, as that gave me a chance/need to remove stuff at the front of the bike that just so happened to reveal the errant ground wire. The same trasnmission removal process gave me a chance to try out the correct center stand. It almost worked too! Unfortunately, it was an interference fit with the stock crossover so I removed it. First observation was that it (the centerstand) was too short. On the stand, both wheels were in firm contact with the garage floor. Not a useful configuration under most conditions and definitely not desired when parked some areas where the stand would fail to support properly. So near and yet so far... Now if I could just find a source for the wiring connector to the instrument panel, I could resume the quest to mount an early Dayona fairing on the beast.

Forty one bucks... That rings a bell. When my local Buell dealer sold me my (used) V11 Sport, they did the 600 mile service and forgot to tighten the screws on the alternator cover. Less than a hundred miles later, I had no cover. Over a hundred bucks to replace both. That shop split the cost with me for the replacement parts. I guess the cover is around $60. And yeah, they're just taped on. Be sure to put the slight bend in the new part to match the curve of the alternator cover so it will adhere better.

When you figure out how to out run radio, let me know.

You owe Guzzirider big time. These little jewels are something like $25 through MGNA.

650 Kawasaki W-2?

Almost got the FrankenSport back together today. Can't find the exhaust crossover. Something that large, and it eludes me. Oh well. I did find one VERY interesting thing. My ECU fuse blows because the ground is missing. Yep. There is a ground wire as part of the wiring harness for the ECU and I didn't have it hooked up. So now it's where it belongs, the ECU fuse should never blow again and I'll never know - damnit - unitl I find that stupid crossover. Mutter, mutter, mutter...

Spanish built Guzzi?

I spent two weeks as duty driver for the HMCS Restigouche when she visited Pearl Harbor in the early '70's. Canadians are polite, interesting people. So polite in fact, they wouldn't tell me what "Semi" stood for when they called me one for being an American.

Marusho?

Well, the shaft is on the left. Perhaps it's an MG built for export to the southern hemisphere.

At risk: The WM16 (Sport 1100i/Daytona RS/Centauro) ECU has a zener voltage regulator on the 12V input to the box (known). This zener shorts to ground when overvoltaged (known) and - apparently - saves the ECU from further damage (probable, with a fair quantity of the boxes repaired by replacing the zener. Dealer diagnosis would simply say it's dead and a full replacement in order (also known - and hideously expensive). Not at risk (probably): The WM15 (V11 Sports et all) apparently "crowbars" when overvoltaged and blows the protective fuse (my observation, but not confirmed - yet). A much better approach.

Oddly enough, the former Moto Guzzi dealer in Sacramento, California (Performance Cycles) has a single, brand new, left side V11 Sport headlight bracket. Found out too late. Sorry.

Well, I'll throw in my 2 cents worth - which is exactly what it's worth since it's based on observation and not hard fact/science. First, the less hard data: The WM16 (Sport 1100i/Daytona RS/Centauro) ECU has a zener voltage regulator on the 12V input to the box (known). This zener shorts to ground when overvoltaged (known) and - apparently - saves the ECU from further damage (probable, with a fair quantity of the boxes repaired by replacing the zener. Dealer diagnosis would simply say it's dead and a full replacement in order (also known - and hideously expensive). The WM15 (V11 Sports et all) apparently "crowbars" when overvoltaged and blows the protective fuse (my observation, but not confirmed - yet). A much better approach. With those two observations out of the way, let's consider the transil diode protective mechanism. In the presence of an overvoltage, it conducts to ground - and blows the fuse, thereby protecting the ECU. I don't know whether the transil diode "recovers" from this action or has to replaced. Never looked into it. Maybe the WM15 uses an transil diode internally or maybe some other semiconductor device that operates in a similar fashion. In either case, the fuse blows and not the electronics downstream. So why is it that the WM16 bikes seem to have a need for this protection? The transil diode has also been installed on older bikes that have the P8. Was it necessary for the P8's? I don't know. I do not recall ever reading about a P8 that had a problem, but if I owned a Guzzi and I heard about a series of ECU failures (WM16's), it might seem a logical choice to protect my P8. Nothing wrong with that. It's a good choice. So... we're back to the WM16 as installed on the early spine frames. I suspect the problem never occurred on a Centauro because the voltage regulator is mounted directly to the frame somewhere (never looked - does this mean I have to buy a Centauro? ). The Daytona RS and Sport 1100i's are different. On THOSE bikes, the voltage regulator is mounted on the fairing sub-frame and the ground return (and reference) is based on the uninhibited continuity of the electrical path to ground THROUGH the mounting bolts for the fairing sub-frame. NOT a good choice. Initially, there is no problem, but as time passes, corrosion builds up on the bolts, or the bolts become loose due to mechanical action - and the desired good ground path - becomes one of resistance and changes the dynamics of the electrical system. When the path becomes resistive enough, the reference the regulator needs to the actual frame is changed with a resultant over-voltage to the system (ECU) with the result that the WM16 "eats" its zener and/or the tach burns out etc. Small wonder Guzzi EFI bike owners scurried towards any plausible solution to the problem - the transil diode. Not a thing wrong with that as a safety mechanism and I applaud the engineering approach applied by the originator of the solution. It really is a good one. But... it doesn't address the fundamental problem, which is the voltage regulator ground path for those specific models of Guzzi's. All it really takes to ensure the proper operation of the regulator is that it be referenced properly to the engine block/chassis with a suitably large gauge independent ground lead between the case of the regulator and the engine block. This will do wonders for making everything behave. Since the ground wiring in the instrument harness on these bikes is also under-gauge and a bit flaky, it does wonders for the instrument panel to add a small gauge ground wire to the back of the tach and speedometer and route that down to the newly added heavy gauge ground on the regulator. NOTE: This really only applies to the Sport 1100's and Daytona RS's. I'm less certain that it would apply to the earlier carb Sport 1100's, but it may. It certainly does not apply to any other Guzzi that I'm aware of. I've been harping this solution since 1999. That give's you an idea of how long it's been persisting and why it pops up at seemingly interminable intervals. As the bikes accrue miles or weathering, the ground path deteriorates and the system goes bad. I had a LOT of miles on my bike in the first 18 months I had it, and so did a few others. We just experienced the failure earlier because of it and that's all. As the other bikes in the fold get up in years/miles, they're experiencing the failures too. And so, on to a specific WM15 on a V11 Sport. Mine. This is covered elsewhere on this forum on a rather extensive thread, but the short story is: my fuse blows when the engine is revved rapidly. Otherwise, it behaves quite normally. The ONLY thing that has changed for the wiring on this bike from before the accident and after, is that the frame has been powder coated. No other changes. And powder coat - doesn't make for a good ground point. And a bad ground reference - means an overvoltage that the protective device on the WM15 (if it is like the transil diode) reacts to by blowing the fuse. I'll know better on this when I get my transmission back - again - and get the bike back together. I guess to be thorough, I'd have to put it back together without "improving" the ground and seeing if the fuse still blows under the proper condition (I am not enthusiastic about an "experiment" that could cost me nearly a thousand dollars though) and if the fuse still blew, then apply the improved ground (ground lead plus removal of some powder coat at the regulator mounting plate) and see if the fuse still blows under the same applied conditions. While this is probably the most correct scientific method, I'd rather avoid it and go for the probable corrective action first as that would be the most cost effective in view of the possible damage to the ECU if all that I have stated were incorrect. In specific relation to my bike, the failure mode is probably as stated, but not necessarily so - insufficient hard evidence. Time will tell - no matter what approach is taken, one would just be more informative than the other.

Upgrading the wiring is probably the most cost effective approach and certainly the first one that should be tried. I don't have any particular qualms about the stock V11 Sport headlight - probably because it is so good compared to the headlight on my Sport 1100i (horrible pattern) or my California (light dims considerably whent the brake is applied). Just changing the electrical connector on my Sport 1100i improved the light output measurably. Upgrading the wiring is something I obviously should do - but haven't. But I'm certain that the wiring should always be the first step taken prior to investigating wholesale changes in the lights themselves.

It was an MGNA meeting, so the numbers are likely referring to U.S. sales. Average profits? Well, MG tends to overprice the product badly at release and when they sell poorly, drastically cut the prices to sell off inventory which gives the dealers fits. Kind of hard to see where there is an average in that kind of selling methodology.

That might be difficult. I think Ivan Beggio still owns the land underneath the buildings.

This is going to be an explosive thread - no doubt. So here's a few of my experiences on a very few of the items mentioned. I used to go to my local Suzuki dealer for tire changes. They didn't carry my brand of tire, but could order it. For that, $10 + tire and it was mounted and balanced - provided I brought in the wheel and they didn't have to fiddle with the Guzzi. Fair enough. If I brought in my own tire - $20 to mount and balance. That, to me, is the sign of a dealer that has things in perspective. They're encouraging you to use their facility to order tires, but they are not heavily penalizing you if you don't and they certainly are not turning away your business in either case. To disassemble the fork tubes on my 1971 Ambassador, I need an oddball tool. One dealer will rent the tool, another will loan it free and the dealer that's semi-local to me, insists that the tubes be brought in and a full shop hour charged for loosening the two nuts and another hour charged for tightening them when they go back together after painting. Guess who is not going to get my business? Sometimes you can borrow a special tool, especially if it's a unique and low usage tool, because the everyday shop activities don't require that it be there every minute of the day - and sometimes you can't. Period. I wouldn't presume to take a dealer to task about lending tools though, their livelihood depends upon being able to do maintenance as well as sell parts, bikes etc. It's probably not so much that they would lose a few minutes labor here and there, once and again, but that if they adopted a policy of lending tools, they'd suffer from not having the tools available when they should be - plus the added liability of damaged/lost/stolen tools that they would have to replace before they continue to do their own business. Understandably, if they were real snotty about it when being asked about borrowing a tool, I would probably eschew their shop in favor of one with a better attitude, but I can understand their position and have no personal problem with that.

I'm sure it's just me, but I can't help it, I think the HID light setups on bikes are just about the ugliest things that could ever be put on a bike. The HID's remind of the stupid robot in "Saturn 3". A horrible robot - a worse movie.