Tom M

MG cycle now has Mistral reverse cone meg's for the V11. You can add the supplied "db killers" if they're too loud. Maybe they could source a set for your Tonti? Here's another source for cheap reverse cones: http://www.mikesxs.net/products-44.html

The factory springs in my 2002 Marzocchi were a little over .8 kg/mm according to the measurements I took when I had my forks apart. That agreed with what Traxxion Dynamics said they measured on their donor bike. Apparently the earlier 'zokes had softer springs. I'm happy with the set of 1.05kg/mm springs that I bought from TD. FWIW here's my fork spring thread from a while back: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...xxion&st=15

I installed the Eastern Beaver kit a couple years ago and while I'm very happy with the result it wasn't quite plug & play. I had to splice in a separate wire to keep that silly little extra bulb in the headlight housing alive. Maybe I didn't get the right kit?

I'd be leery of putting a top box on the factory tail rack if that's what you have. My MG rack was rated for very little weight, something like 15 pounds or less. The Stucchi rack and maybe some others have an additional mounting point under the tail that allows them to carry more weight.

IMO that's not too bad for a V11. I'm running a PCIII with intake and exhaust mods too and I only get slightly better mileage than that. I know my air/fuel mixture is pretty good based on some dyno runs. Maybe your map is a little rich in some area, maybe not. If the bikes running good I wouldn't worry about it.

That's awesome Richard! Did you buy him a book on wheel lacing? That's not something that many adults, nevermind 11 year olds, can figure out on their own. Is he keeping his restoration projects until he gets his license or is he selling them off? It looks like he still has the 185 that he did last year.

You could do the same with a spray dye for auto interior parts that's available at most auto part stores. I've had very good results with it on a vinyl motorcycle seat & backrest, and a friend of mine used it on a watercraft seat 3 or 4 years ago and it hasn't worn off yet.

Here's a website with an interesting writeup on the new Ducati GP engine along with other good articles and some great photography. http://www.motomatters.com/

My first guess would have been a leaky intake but you eliminated that. Here's some stuff I'd look at if my bike was acting up. If you have the electric petcock is it working? How old is your fuel filter? Are the fuel and vent lines not pinched? Have you tried swapping any relays around? Are your battery and your charging system OK? Hope you get the problem soved quickly...

FWIW the MG workshop manual that I have says the upper fork diameter at the top clamp is 54mm. edit: on the 02 and earlier bikes. edit #2: Yup, my forks are 54mm at the top.

My '02 LeMans has 40mm Marzocchi forks (lower fork tube dia) but Guzzi switched larger forks in '03. That said, the diameter of the upper leg may be the same between both fork models so maybe they can use the same clipon. I can check my upper fork ID when I get home tonight if nobody else posts more definitive info, as in did the triple clamp or clipon part numbers change between 02 and 03/4?

I think it's good to see Guzzi bringing some fresh ideas to the show. Those are some pretty bold departures in design that are probably aimed at a younger group than most of us here. If those are oil coolers on the sides of the sport bike tank they remind me of CPU cooling fans. I like the exhaust and the flip up seat tank module but the ass hatchet on the back of the seat is silly. The rear shock location is novel but if it's unsprung weight it's not going to help the suspension work well.

I'm not digging that headlight surround but I bet that thing would be an absolute blast to ride! It looks like they crammed a Guzzi motor into a KTM. I can't believe they're done with it though. There's no way that air filter arrangement will work without a shroud and/or a rear fender. I wonder how long those big bore motors last between rebuilds?

Congrat's on the excellent deal Steve W If I didn't have two college-bound teens I would have been hunting for a deal like that on a black CR too. I imagine the Guzzi is going to feel awfully slow once you get used to that Buell. You've probably seen this already but here's a good read on breaking in a new engine: http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

Since this has turned into a crossover discussion here are my dyno runs with the stock crossover and an Fast-By-Ferracci crossover. All engine components, ECU, and PCIII map were the same for both runs, but they were done years apart on different dynos. Note the improvement in the torque curve with the FBF. Stock crossover: FBF crossover:

What you are seeing is pretty much what I encountered when I tried to follow the pinned instructions. There was no way I could get both the baseline and the idle TPS readings called for in the instructions here, and I'm definitely not the only person who's had this issue. My bike ran much better when I ignored the 150mV baseline setting and used the Micha method to set my TPS to 530mV at 1150rpm with both bleed screws backed off 1 full turn from closed. You could always try it both ways and please let us know which works better on your bike.

In my experience with only my bike setting the idle TPS to about 525-535mV was much more important than the 150mV baseline setting. When I started with the 150 baseline setting I couldn't get the idle setting anywhere near 530, and the bike was way too lean and ran lousy. I posted my problem here and Mr Bean responded with a different approach that the lead mechanic at Moto International uses to set the TPS. Once I used this method my bike ran great even though the baseline TPS is now at 250mV. You can read about it here if you want.

I believe the '04 ECU has a different base map than the '02 and earlier bikes so you might not get great results using a map created for an earlier bike.

Docc, I couldn't remember if the spacers were above or below the springs so I checked the parts book diagram (7/02 book page F8). It shows the spacers under the springs. I just looked at the workshop manual and it shows the spacers on top of the springs (03/01 manual F29). I don't remember which way my forks were assembled from the factory but I put the new spacers in the same way. Morris, I initially used 7.5 weight with my new 1.05 kg/mm springs but the forks were harsh even with the compression damping backed all the way out. I changed over to 5wt and I like the fork action much better. FYI I weigh about 230lbs.

Great ride report as always Mike.

If you were a motocross fan in the 70's and 80's I dare you to spend less than 10 minutes at this site. http://www.vintageworksbikes.com/VintageWorksBikes.html

You can adjust the preload on the 40mm Marz' forks by replacing the plastic spacers under the fork springs with longer or shorter pieces of PVC plumbing pipe.

Congratulations Dimitris!

I'm no pro but I'd suggest getting a PCIII from Todd at Guzzitech. Let him know you have the Ti cans and a Stucchi crossover and he'll supply a map that's appropriate for your bike. I think he's your best bet for a simple plug & play solution. You could modify your airbox for better breathing but you might not like the added noise and I'm not really sure it adds much power. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...=8924&st=15 http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...12100&st=75