polebridge

Hey. I had a really annoying problem with an oil leak at the rear of the engine/gearbox also. Don't know if yours is the same but mine was the steel braided oil line that runs from the frame down the rear of the engine and feeds into the lower oil sump. What happened is it was making slight contact with a sharp edge on the the left side of the shifter housing. Over time it actually made a small cut into the line. I thought at first that it was coming from the engine or the gearbox. It took me a long time to figure it out. I finally wound up ordering a new line which had to come from Italy. Took a month to get it but it fixed the problem. My bike is a 2004 Coppa Italia for reference. Hope this helps.

I must say that the exchanges between those two was some of the most entertaining reading on the internet! You could probably write a book with that material.

Wow. I guess I was out of touch for a while. I did not know. I must say that I am very disappointed to hear this. Say what you will about Ratchethack but I really enjoyed the banter. More than that though, I also think that his technical knowledge and advise was very very good. He really helped me out on a couple of occasions (of course this could be said of many of the folks on this board. It IS the best for sure). I must say though, that his 'banter' was never pointed at me. Perhaps if it was I would feel very differently. It would have been better for all of us I guess if he had just heeded the warnings. Too bad. I will miss him!

Just curious if anyone knows what happened to member Ratchethack? He was such a prolific poster and now I don't even see him listed as a member. Did he just have enough of us? Is he OK? Just wondering.

Yup. That's it. Looks like you got better clearance than I have. I am going to go back and see if I can improve a bit. I am thinking that part of the problem is that I am removing my lower sump every time I change oil (so that I can put the hose clamp onto the filter). I was speaking with someone from Harper's Moto Guzzi (I like these guys) and he said that I need not worry about filters spinning off and that any that have are very, very isolated cases. He recommends that I just go ahead and remove the access plug on the sump to get to the filter rather then removing the entire sump and forget about hose clamps. I think I will take this advice. Of course I will need to remove the sump for the next change to get the hose clamp off but that's it. No more hose clamp for me. I also asked him what oil they recommend for the V11 Sport and he said that they just use Mobil 1. I did not ask him what type (don't know why I didn't) but I went ahead and ordered the Full Synthetic 20w50 V-Twin Motorcycle stuff: http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_V-Twin_20W-50.aspx He also recommends just keeping with the standard UFI filter so I ordered a few of those also (I am currently using Purolator). By the way. The zip tie thing looks like a good idea. I think I will steel that one from you! Mike

No, not there. If you follow the oil line out of the back of the sump it passes very close to the lower left edge of the transmission case before turning upwards to pass along the left side of the starter motor. In my case, it was actually making contact with the edge of the trans case. There is a plate on the left side of the transmission case that the shift lever passes though. The edge of this plate is a bit sharp I guess. Anyway the leak occurred right where the line made contact with the trans case. I guess over time it wore through enough to cause the leak. I have since looked at another V11 and seen that its oil line was JUST clear the case with no contact. When I installed my new line I made certain that it did not make contact at this point. I would strongly suggest that all V11 owners just take a look at this spot to make sure the oil line has some clearance here. If I get a chance I will try and post a pic. I have no idea how do that but I can try. Mike

FIXED!!! The new oil line came in yesterday. Got it installed. No more leaks. Thanks for all the advice everyone! I CAN RIDE AGAIN!! Mike

I drop my bike and put a nasty scratch in the left valve cover. Turns out it was pretty tough to find a replacement (it's a brownish color cover) so I just went to the Home Depot and found a close matching color of Rustoleum spray paint in a can. Worked great!

OK!! I FINALLY found it! Just don't seem to have as much time on my hands as I used to. Maybe that's a good thing these days?! Thanks everyone for all the helpful suggestions and I have a word to the wise. It turns out that the steel braided oil line that comes out of the rear of the lower sump has developed a leak. It was hard to find because of the location. On my bike (and I suggest that everyone with a V11 Sport check this) the oil line was making contact with the edge of the engine case that houses the transmission. This is why it was difficult for me to find. The leak in the line is EXACTLY where it is contacting the edge of the case. It seems that over time that case was worn through the line. Now. I don't know if I have done something wrong to cause this. I typically remove this line from the sump whenever I change oil so that I can completely remove and drain the sump. I also replaced a broken pawl spring so I have had the cover off of the case. Who knows? I am just suggesting that V11 Sport owners should take a quick look and see if their oil line is clearing the transmission case in this area. If not you might want to try and route it in such a way that it does. Don't know if that is possible or not but when I get the new line I intend to see if I can attach it in such a way as to clear the transmission case completely. I order the new line already from Harpers. According to them there are none in the country so it must come from Italy. Who knows when I will see it? Harpers says that it should be within three weeks. Last year I lost a lot of riding time to the broken pawl spring. Now this! I may soon be selling one Coppa Italia. I love the bike but I want to be riding. It is a shame that an otherwise great (and fun) bike has these slight design flaws. Let's see, I have a Roper plate installed to prevent the nasty oil pressure drop. I have an oil pressure gauge installed just to be sure. Changing the oil requires dropping the entire sump because I choose to place a hose clamp around the oil filter to prevent it from backing off. I keep a spare pawl spring zip tied to the frame under the seat. Now I will have to keep an eye on the routing of the oil line....Yikes! It's getting to the point where I feel apprehensive about riding the bike at all! Especially when I hear stories of rear ends that have locked up. How are Griso owners doing? Same kind of nagging issues or are they pretty solid? Maybe there is an 8V in my future. Who knows? I will tell you this. If not for this board and all of the great advice, technical help, and plain old wisdom of the members I would definitely be selling this bike and never buying another Moto Guzzi. With the current lack of dealer support (the dealer I bought the bike from dropped the brand and told me that they will no longer service them) this board is an indispensable source of help. Don't get me wrong, I love this bike. My heart says keep it but my head is saying 'have we gone mad?'. Thanks again everyone.

Finally got to take another look and I think I am in a lot worse trouble than I thought. I recently had to replace a broken 'pawl' spring (I think that is what it is called). To do this I had to remove the side plate that holds all the shifting components from the engine. It now looks like engine oil is leaking from where this plate mates to the rest of the transmission cases. Problem is that it is engine oil that is leaking, not transmission oil. Have I somehow blown an engine seal? I am guessing that there should be no engine oil getting into the trany. I am growing very tired of all these nagging problems and just do not have time to deal with them. It looks like a two hour ride to the nearest Guzzi dealer and who knows how much to fix this problem. If the engine needs to be torn down I am done with Guzzi's. I want to ride, not deal with all of these headaches. Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks, Mike

Thanks. I think I have ruled out a leak there. I think the leak is a bit further up the oil line based on my 'paper towel' test. I may just give this idea a try anyway though. I was actually considering some plumbers tape but wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not. Since it worked for you I guess it is but again, my leak is above the collar I think. Not where the end of the oil line (the male end) meets the lower sump but where the sold steel line (with the elbow bend) mates to the flexible steel braided oil line (just above where the line enters the sump). Thanks, Mike

Thank for the suggestions. I FINALLY got around to taking a closer look at this thing. Here is what I did and what I think at this point. First, I cleaned up as much of the oil mess as I could (pipes, swingarm, shaft, engine cases). I then took some paper towel and tied it around the oil line. At the bottom of the oil line, right where it feeds into the rear of the lower sump, is a collar and a small, solid, line with an elbow bend. This solid line connects from the collar to the part of the oil line that is flexible and steel braided. I tied the paper towel right around the point where the solid line couples with the flexible steel braided line just above the collar on the lower sump. Took it for a quick ride. When I got back I noticed that there is no more oil on the pipes, swingarm, etc. Also found no oil above the paper towel on the oil line. However, the paper towel itself has soaked with oil and oil was dripping down the solid part of the line onto the collar. So...I am assuming that what I really need here is a new oil line. Does this sound reasonable? I was also wondering if anyone else has had an oil line fail in this manner? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone, Mike

Ok, I got the o-rings from MPH cycle and replaced the missing one. Darn thing is still leaking, although not as bad. Looks like I may have to truck it to the dealer for a look. I will ride it a few more times just in case the o-rings need to 'swell' a bit but if it still leaks I don't know what else to do at this point. In the meantime I am missing out on the nice weather we are having here in New Jersey. What a PITA! Mike

Thanks, I'll check it out. Hope it does not take all summer to get them! Mike

I just changed my oil for the start of the season. I removed the lower pan completely including disconnecting the oil line at the back. Took it for a ride to work. First thing I notice was that the rear tire took quite a slide coming off a turn under power. Then when I got to work I noticed a smell (the bike not my job). Looking things over I notice a slow drip coming off of the lower portion of the rear oil line (the one you need to remove to take off the lower sump pan). Checked tightness and it was OK. I checked the oil level and it was still acceptable to I took the bike home (carefully). I watched as my oil PSI dropped from 60 to 50. Once home I did some more checking with the bike off and also with it running. Could not see a leak but there was oil on the rear tire, exhaust, and swingarm. I cleaned it up a bit and took the bike for a quick spin. When I stopped there was more oil dripping and a lot of smoke coming off of the pipes. Today, I removed the oil line again to examine it. Here is what I found. At the tip there appears to be two small grooves. The groove that is furthest from the tip has a small green o-ring in it but the one near the tip does not. I am wondering it that is the problem. Maybe I somehow lost one of the two o-rings? Don't know. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Also, if it is a missing o-ring, anyone have any idea where I can get a replacement? Maybe I will need to buy a whole new oil line. Thanks, Mike

Thanks Andy for the feedback. Turns out the guy went ahead and bought the bike so a new rider has just entered into our fold. That can only be a good thing I think. I have strongly encouraged him to join this forum so, hopefully, we will be hearing from him soon (at least to say hi anyway). Thanks to all for responding. I think it helped the guy with his decision.

Well spoken!

I met this guy the other day who has recently become a big fan of Moto Guzzis and the V11 in particular. He found one for sale on EBAY and has asked me what I think. The item number is 200398976717. It is a maroon color and is located in Scituate, MA. Second owner, 7K and $4500.00. Anyone know this machine? If so, any problems/issues. Seems kind of cheap for such low mileage. Especially considering it has FBF pipes and a Power Commander. Thanks.

That looks like a very clever idea. I might have considered it had I seen it before installing my new spring. So...looks like you drilled through and fixed a small post. Was it easy? What did you use for the post and how did you secure it?

Thanks, I rode the bike to work this morning (about 30 miles). Ran great, shifted great. No problem. A little cold this time of year in New Jersey but a beautiful ride nonetheless.

Well, after fixing that darn shift spring I put some oil into the trans and took it for a short ride (about 3 miles I guess). Seemed to shift OK so I parked it. After reading some threads on this board I figured I would go ahead and change the transmission and differential oil using Redline Heavy Shockproof. I ordered two quarts on the web. Before it arrived I realized that I had accidentally put motor oil into the transmission case. java script:add_smilie(":doh:","smid_22") Da.... Don't know if I will suffer any consequences for that goof later on down the road. Anyway, the Redline arrived and I replaced the transmission and differential oil with that and took it for a ride today. Seems to be shifting as good as new so...I will keep my fingers crossed. Anyone got any idea on the potential consequences (if any)? Thanks.

Sorry to say but there was no warning. I strongly suggest that you order a spare spring (they are cheap) just to be on the safe side. Also, if you really want to be prepared, check out the FAQ section regarding this and cut down a proper size allen wrench as described. This way you can be prepared to make a fix right away should you encounter problems. Good luck with yours.

Thank you one and all!!! :) Just rode it for the first time since the spring broke and got all six gears no problem! Not sure what I did wrong the first time. The only thing I could detect was that one of the retaining clips had come out of it's groove allowing the upper gear to move just a little. I got four new clips, took it all apart and installed the new clips. Got it back in and now the good times can roll again. PITA but I am glad to be riding my Coppa again. Thanks again to this forum. It is an indispensable resource for anyone riding a Moto Guzzi. I wonder if any other brand has a forum this good? I seriously doubt it!

OK docc, so I am not the only one. Got up this morning an hour early for work on the bike before heading out to the job. Wow what a little practice can do. I was able to get the shift assembly off of the bike in just 20 minutes this time. Here is what I checked. All five pins in place. Manually moved the shift linkage through the gears. I was able to get to fifth ok but am having trouble getting it into sixth gear (this is just playing with the shift assembly not the gear box). Don't know why I can't get sixth. I will look at it more closely later. I just know that if I put it back on I will only be able to shift from 1 to 2 and back. I checked to see if the linkage was hitting the frame and it looks clear to me. Is there something that I need to do in the gear box? with the forks or something. When I put the assembly in place the neutral light comes on and I can freely spin the rear wheel to I assume that the gear box is in neutral. Makes me wonder exactly what happened to the broken end of that shifter spring? Any ideas anyone? Thanks

STRIKE ONE!!!! I got it all back together, put some oil in the trans started it up. 1st to neutral, no problem. Second, no problem. Back to first, no problem. Can't get third and up though. Any ideas what went wrong? Thanks for any help you can offer. This is starting to get on my nerves now. Riding season is coming to a close here in the Northeast and it's looking like I will be sidelined.