Tom M

I'm probably thinking the same thing as stormsedge. If you have an open top airbox the heat shielding on the bottom of the fuel tank could be loose and getting sucked down on top of the airbox blocking airflow to the engine. Another possibility is a mouse nest in the airbox. If that's not it might be time for the valve adjust/TB sync/tps check/new spark plugs tuneup.

Congratulations on your new-to-you Guzzi Gerry and welcome to the forum. Of course we'll need a when it arrives...

I don't see how a USA based startup can make it in todays motorcycle market but I hope they prove me wrong. If they can't get off the ground on their own I'd love to see them work out a deal with Polaris/Victory. This bike could fill the large gap in the P/V showrooms between the cruisers, snowmobiles, and ATVs.

I agree with Gene in that you need to do more testing to see what's leaking in the low cylinder. It might just be a head gasket or a chunk of carbon propping a valve open. I had my valves and guides replaced last year by a local machine shop. I bought the replacement valves from Ferracci off of ebay for $20 each. I think they're still available. My top end rebuild thread is here in case you're interested: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15401&st=0&p=166464&hl=ferracci&fromsearch=1entry166464

The throttle plates greatly impede airflow. When I first used my compression tester on my old Honda I got similar readings to you. Then I read the directions and tried it with the throttle WFO and saw 175-180 psi on all four cylinders. I checked my LeMans a few years ago and the numbers were lower but consistent between cylinders. Give it a try and let us know what you get. Edit: Here's a good article that mentions compression testing but advocates doing a leakdown test and tells you how to make a leakdown tester. I have a leakdown tester and did the test on my Guzzi a few months ago. Once I figured out how to keep the 100psi form turning the engine over I saw 4% leakage in both cylinders. http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=190 The author Mike Nixon is a pro. http://home.earthlink.net/~wrenchtwister/credentials.html

Is this "would you?" part II? If it is then yes, I would, IF I was convinced that parts would be available for the next decade. I wouldn't want to be the Cannondale dirt bike owner. Here's the Manufacturer's website: http://www.motusmotorcycles.com/ More pics and info on TheKneeslider.com Apparently they will be showing the bike at Daytona this weekend.

Are you testing with the throttle wide open? If not that's the problem.

I would. With the Ohlins package please.

I always remove my fairing when pulling the rocker covers. It takes maybe 10 minutes. Here's what to do: - unplug turn signals - remove mirrors - remove 2 screws above rocker covers - remove 2 lowest side scoop screws - remove 2 screws in front of turn signals - straddle the front wheel and grab the bottom of the fairing, spread the sides slightly and back away

My , If you're happy with the way the bike runs now and you just want to crank up the idle by 100rpm or so go ahead and adjust it at the left throttle body and don't worry about the air screws, tps, idle trim, TB balance, etc. If you don't like the result you can put it back to where it was and then get into the whole FI setup if you want.

I haven't had this problem with my LeMans but everybody is different. Cutting down the stock screen could work, or you could add an MRA windscreen or laminar lip to move the wind coming off the screen higher. Taller or lower handlebars can move your head up or down to get it out of the turbulence too.

Are the intake and exhaust stock? Does the exhaust pop at all when you roll of the throttle while riding? Was the mechanic that you used familiar with FI Guzzis? I ask because Guzzi mechanic will probably have a device that plugs into the ECU that allows him to see if the FI is set up correctly, although most here make do with a volt/ohm meter.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought those Guzzi "demotivators" were funny. I just made my own at http://diy.despair.com/ . I hope the Ducati owning photographer doesn't mind me using his pic Now that you know where to go to create your own demotivators, lets see what you got...

That's an excellent idea Chuck. When I was prying the crimp up I saw the bezel flexing and thought that making a "nest" for it would make it easier but I didn't have the right hole saw available. Since you cut the hole .005 larger I'm guessing you have some machine tools available? I'm jealous. Did you come up with a better tool than a ground & bent screwdriver for prying up the crimp on the bezel?

I recently removed my gauges from the gauge panel while trying to fix a speedometer problem. I decided that now was a good time to try and get the speedo bezel off and repaint the needle since it had faded completely to white after 8 years and 32k miles. I couldn't read the speedo at all at night which is no fun when you're being followed by a police cruiser. Unfortunately I didn't think of documenting this process until I was almost done with the tach so I don't have a real good set of pictures. There's no easy way to get into the Veglia gauges because the chrome plated brass bezel is crimped on to the one piece gauge housings. Others on the forum have said that it's not too difficult to uncrimp the bezel with a a few home made tools but I couldn't find any description or pictures of said tools so I improvised. I ground and bent the tip of an old flatblade screwdriver into sort of a pointed spoon shape to lift the crimped edge of the bezel, then used a screwdriver and a modified pair of needle nosed pliers to straighten the crimp enough to allow bezel removal. I cut the end off of another old screwdriver and ground it flat to use as a punch when recrimping the bezel. I'm pretty happy with the results since you can't see any marks on the gauges once they are reinstalled in the panel and both needles are now legible at night. I don't have a pic of the beginning of the uncrimping process but this one shows how I used the needle nose pliers. I cut one jaw down and wrapped a little tape around the other so it wouldn't scratch the chrome. Here's the tach after I painted the needle. You can see my modified screwdriver and pliers along with the bezel parts. I clamped the gauge to the bench to compress the rubber gasket a bit then worked my around the bezel with the punch slowly folding the bezel back over. Recrimping is finished with no marks on the visible part of the bezel. Done. Too bad I didn't take a "before" shot to show how faded the needles were. I'm sure there are better ways to go about this but I hope this helps someone else who wants to try and repair their Veglia's instead of buying new ones. If anybody else has done this and has a better method please post it up.

Good suggestion, but I don't think that applies: iirc, the cruiser models are single-UJ designs, so there's nothing to "line up" in this case...

Check to see if the marks on the two halfs of the driveshaft line up. I don't know if having the ujoints out of alignment would cause the exact problem that you're having but it's worth a look.

Thanks for this Roy. That beemer article might be what I used as a guide when I tried to fix this last year. I'll give it a shot again

I am using the GEI relays but hadn't considered the relay to be a problem since the starter gear is engaging the flywheel. Am I wrong there? When I took the solenoid apart last year it was in good shape. I cleaned it up and added a slight bit of grease on the walls of the tube to prevent rust. It seems to me that it's working fine before & after I went in there. I cleaned, greased and tightened all electrical connections on the starter when I reinstalled it and the symptoms didn't change. I only popped a fuse once by holding down the starter button when the engine wouldn't turn over. After that never held the button down beyond 4 seconds when it was refusing to turn over for fear of popping another fuse. A few years ago I had a 30 year old garden tractor starter rebuilt for $75 when I couldn't find a new replacement which cost about $120. The rebuilt starter worked OK but not great for about a year then died again. I bought a new one and it worked MUCH better than the old one ever did. Based on that experience I'm more inclined to spend a little extra money for a new unit over a rebuild. OBND, did you go with the Valeo or EnDuralast unit from EME?

With a pair of heavy duty zircon encrusted tweezers? V11 LeMans.com the weird starts here

If they're going to call it a LeMans it should have a fairing. Maybe something along these lines?

I seem to have a bit of a dead spot in my starter. Over the last year or so about 1 in 10 times that I try to start the bike I will hear the starter gear engage but the engine won't turn over. At this point I know that if I hold the button down for more than 3 or 4 seconds without the engine turning over it will cook the fuse so I let up then hit it again for a couple seconds. After two or three more tries the engine will suddenly turn over and fire up. Last winter I followed the forum's advice and opened up the solenoid and made sure it was clean and the slug was moving freely so I'm pretty sure that the problem isn't there. I replaced the battery this past Spring and the starting problem remained so I really think the issue is with the starter. Is there anything I can do with it other than buy a replacement? If I do have to replace it does anyone have any experience with the non-Valeo starters that are available from EME or on ebay?

When my pawl springs broke the broken piece has always fallen to the bottom of the trans case. The spring is well away from the gears and I've never see a report here of anyone getting transmission damage from a pawl spring break. Here's a pic of where my Cannon Racecraft spring broke. IIRC the little tang that's closest to the coil is what broke off on my original MG spring.

Some of the guys in this thread are running carbs. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=14614&hl=carbs&st=0 That said, I'm with Felix42o on this. Don't toss your FI until you have everything set up correctly.