callison

Yeah, I can go with you there. The best performance increase I ever got was when my friendly endocrinologist told me to lose weight and change my diet or suffer the ravages of type II diabetes. So I lost 30 lbs and have another 20 or so to go. Oddly enough, the bike now performs better. I could probably chart acceleration vs body weight curves in an attempt to put the Sport into the same category as a piece of nippon hardware, but I suspect that point where that ratio crosses would have me weighing zero. I mean, there's such a thing as being called an air head, but to aspire to it is something else again.

That agrees pretty closely with the testing done at: http://www.manleycycle.com/Tech/more_mg.htm

Not trying to be snide, but have you tried starting in first gear rather than second? I mean, these things are geared pretty low as it is for first. To make it even lower is going to mean shifting more often in the lower speed ranges and any oomph you gain in acceleration is going to be lost to the interval between power application while you shift. Seriously, I used to have a Fiat 2300S, a car geared unbelievably high for a 2.3 liter 4 speed vehicle. First gear was good to 45 mph, so while I didn't exactly scream off of the starting line, I wasted less time shifting and generally wound up leading much hotter cars up to about 80 mph. Additionally, it is REALLY expensive to change gear ratios on a Moto Guzzi. It can be done, but you're probably looking at $800 or more to change the rear end pinion set if you're changing the overall gearing. Optional gear sets aren't even available for the 6 speed transmission as far as know but it's about $2700 to convert a 5 speed to a 6 speed to get new gear rations. Not cheap. You would do better to have your heads ported of something of that nature or put in a hotter cam. There's a lot of room for improvement in the sport cam profile as it is designed to save valve wear, not make big power.

They look good. I wonder what they cost?

http://www.daes-mototec.de/ At the far right, choose "elektrikbauteile" from the pop-down menu. Where it says "AMP-Steckverbinder 6-polig, 2-polig und 1-polig AMP-Superseal Steckverbindungen Wasserdichte Steckverbindungen 1-6 polig und 10 polig" choose "mehr". I've seen these as an entire kit too for a bit over a hundred dollars, I just can't remember where.

It's a poor camera shot. From the side they are very reminescent of the Benelli four cylinder grand prix bike of the '60's. Swept up a bit higher though. These are hand formed aluminum and to the best of my knowledge, only one set was made and they went to Chicago. Personally, I prefer the Conti's of an older 750 Ducati or Dunstall type pipes. But then I'm an old codger and I still remember lusting after a Norton Production Racer in my dim youth. Latin for "Guzzi's Rock!" maybe? To each his own I guess.

If you've ever changed the fuel filter, you'll really appreciate that is on top of the spine. On my Sport 1100i it's under the spine and takes about and hour. On my California it's between frame members and it takes about three hours to change it. On my V11 Sport, it will probably take about 15 minutes.

If I'm building an adapter cable, the connector will come with pins. I might have to locate a crimper (because the kind I suspect is required is very expensive and I don't want to buy one for an experiment), but locating the connector is still the initial issue (the second issue is finding enough colors of wire, Radio Shack doesn't carry diddly). I don't believe I would ever choose these these twist on splices (nifty as they are) because I would solder before going to a very bulky set of mechanical connections.

The Centronics connector is a non issue. The WM unit is the problem. I looked at the male plug that the PCIII uses to plug into it, and the only markings are "T & B" and "2105". A search of the Thomas & Betts web site reveals only industrial electrical products and no electronic connectors. That was my 3 minute assessment. I'll put more time into it later. For now, I'll just say that I'm pretty certain that this "T & B" does not stand for Thomas & Betts.

I was going to and went so far as to remove the swingarm for access. That's when I saw that getting to it wasn't really a big deal. Easy if the rear wheel is off, a bit harder when it's on, it's just difficult to see.

Dave, there are no functional differences between the PCIII's for Sport 1100i's and V11 Sports. The programs are likely to be a tad different because the engine characteristics are a tad different. The connectors used on the Sport 1100i ECU are out of production though, so there is no way an after market manufacturer can build a product based on it. So, the Power Commander people elected to use wiring that attached at the injector because those connectors are plentiful. If fact, they used better ones the Moto Guzzi did. The only awkward part was the splice connector used on the TPS. But they did achieve the goal of producing an add on that did not require modification of the original wiring harness. I'm one hundred percent certain that if I went out in my garage and changed the connector on my Sport 1100i to that of the V11 Sport, that I could simply plug in the ECU from the V11 Sport and ride off. Not optimally perhaps, but pretty damn close. To be the same, I could yank the barrels off of the V11 Sport along with the pistons and heads and it would be the same, but I'd have adapt the harness to the new oil temp sensor or use the Sport 1100i left valve cover. That's how close these two beasts are in that department. From 1999 through part of the 2001 model V11 Sport production runs, the front part of the frame was still carrying the brackets used on the Sport 1100i/Daytona RS series for the frame mounted fairing. The V11 Sport is a beautiful evolution of the predecessor spine frames, but not an entirely new bike. The engine is even still 1.4 centimeters to the right of centerline as it was on the spine frames. That was necessary for tire clearance on the earlier spine frames, unneccessary on the 6 speed but left unchanged. I think Paul could point out in real detail just how close the lineage of these things are since he's put the 6 speed and swingarm on his Daytona from a V11 Sport. Cliff, if I can find a connector and get the proper air pressure sensor to add to the My16M board, I'll make the cable to try it out. I just haven't been doing too much along those lines because it embarrasses me to walk out into the garage and see the Sport 1100i out there with no heads. If I had been a bit less lax about torqueing the heads on a regular schedule, I probably would not have had to send them out for re-work. Mea Culpa. On the other hand, I'll be getting an upgraded part and now the Bugswatter won't feel so anemic compared to the V11 Sport.

It has a map, but the timing curve would need to be retarded about 8 degrees for the dual plugs. Wiring is not really such a big issue, but it's very understandable that you might be reluctant to be the first V11 Sport "victim". That said, I have harbored the notion of obtaining the proper connector and building another cable so I can try it out on my V11 Sport. I was just willing to let you be the first is all... In any event, I will eventually be going down the same path with my Sport 1100i and I'm pretty certain that any map derived for a dual plugged Sport 1100i would function pretty close to the same on a dual plugged V11 Sport. If I could get a V11 Sport exhaust system for my Sport 1100i, it would be the same. The only differences between the two engines is the location of the oil temperature sensor. Actually, this is a bit of a white lie. The combustion chambers on the V11 Sport are a bit different (more developed) and the compression is higher. After the two different types of heads have been ported though, those differences would become a moot point.

Hey Al. My heads only got to Mike Rich this week, so I won't be seeing them for a verrryyyy long time. If you want to borrow my Cliff Jeffries computer you're welcome to try it. At least it is fully configurable for timing and everything. You need a PC to do it though and I haven't picked on up yet. You'd also have to do some clip leading to hook it up. The plus side is that your ECU won't be involved so it can't be damaged in any way.

Better than being called Mini-Me.

I see no reason why it should not be capable of supporting the weight. I have lifted my Sporti by the pan on occasion, but have been very careful to do so by the very front and rear of it. Generally though, I use a crappy Lockhart-Phillips swingarm stand in back (and what a piece of lightweight crap it is too) and a Pit Bull triple tree stand in front.

Aha, I stumbled across a source in the USA for the cross over. With a price even! And they are 42.5mm which is too small for the Sport models. http://www.mgcycle.com/specials.html

The same lift runs about $90 at CostCo. You have to be careful with the Sport oil pans. They're only considered strong enough to support the weight of the bike at the very front and rear of the pan. The middle where the oil filter cover is quite thin and I've been told that to lift there is to invite a broken pan.

Having broken several clutch and/or brake levers on spine frame Guzzi's I can tell you that yes, they're expensive. Unreasonably so. Try motostrano.com sells a variety of clutch levers as do several other dealers. If you just broke the lens, I have spares. Because I already did the same thing and switched to the Buell lenses.

Damn, you're right. I forgot to square it. Which explains why I'm a lowly tech instead of an ingrownear, I mean, engineer.

There's nothing like a cheapo set of digital calipers... especially for noodle head mechanics like me. Okay, I ran out to the garage and measured the header pipes of my California and the V11 Sport. 42.5 and 45mm. A little math indicates that the cross sectional area of the California headers is 96% that of the V11 Sport. I'm not conversant in engine dynamics, but since the exhaust is not a steady state flow, the reduction in cross sectional area would probably not be real noticeable compared to the low and mid-range gain. You'd lose some bass in the pipes though, the resonant frequency would be higher. Hmm... I wonder if that would move the 2500 rpm burble or do away with it. Since I have a California that would benefit from the crossover and a Sport 1100i/V11 Sport I could order one and try it on both. Looks like I need some more overtime. Hey, wait a minute! When I bought the California, it had been a minor damage from being dropped at 25mph. The right header has a big ding in it. If I can convice my wife that the ding is impacting gas mileage and then convince her that the Agositini part is cheaper than the replacement MG header (almost a certainty) then maybe, just maybe...

All exterior dimensions of the two valve engines are pretty much identical for the big blocks. If the California series after-market cross-over fits them, it will fit a V11 Sport - PROVIDING... the pipe diameters are compatible. Agostini has this after market item at http://www.agostiniduilio.com/acce_spec_gb.htm.

The Tekno bags are incredibly easy to use (not quite so easy to mount, but you only do that once) if a bit small. Really good bags though. Since you mention on the MGNOC list that you're not an agressive rider, you are unlikely to notice much of the handling improvements attributed to progressive frame upgrades from 1999 to now, but the 2003 and later models are almost certainly a large improvement over their predecessors. 2000-2001 models can be had for cheap, but you might do best to consider the 2003 models. If you really have to lower the bike, you can modify the seat but may find that solution contrary to 300+ mile trips. Or not. YMMV. The high bucks approach is to buy Ohlins ride height adjustable suspension. I don't know whether anyone has done that specific approach on a Guzzi though. Just mentioning it because the option exists. Later models already have the upgraded relays, some internal upgrades on the transmission and better engine paint. I would avoid any model Guzzi with the wrinkled black engine paint unless you're willing to put up with some substandard sealing and/or paint peeling that is associated with this particular engine treatment. Again, YMMV. My daughter is 5'3" (and on her beginners permit) and I wouldn't dream of letting her pilot the V11 Sport as it is simply too tall (and for her, way too powerful and heavy) to be ridden safely. I would be entirely comfortable to put her on a Breva though, it is aimed pretty much squarely at her class of rider. The Breva might be a bit (or a bunch) underpowered for you at around 50BHP, but you might want to consider looking at one of those when they become available as it is already a shorter bike.

I can't imagine that there is any physical reason why a PCIII would be USA only. It must be because they don't have the patents covered internationally/no tune-up centers outside of USA/no retailers outside USA/not qualified techs outside USA etc. etc. etc. Some international copyright laws may get in the way as well. Just think of who owns the Norton name and in what country and you can get an idea of just how confused things can get.

The Corsa with Ohlins only come in the checkered red scheme. Anything black is an ordinary LeMans. Maybe next year there'll be a color change.

I seem to recall that the header pipe diameter has changed again for 2003. Or I could be wrong. There is an after market crossover (Stein-Dinse?) but I would guess that it more than a few millimeters smaller in diameter than the current headers and the mismatch would not make it a worthwhile alternative.