Mike Stewart

Well, it turned out to be a nice day afterall, things are warming up in California . I was working on the 1100S and decided to get the Rosso ready to ride tomorrow. Turned on the key and she cranked over slowly. OK, no problem, I will put a slow charge on the Battery. I pull up the seat and I notice that the ECU wiring connector is being pushed down by the seat (no, not my ass). Humm, I pull off the seat from my 2000 V11 Sport and find that the computer is turned 180 degrees the other direction. So, the seats are different between the different years but there is more clearence when the connector of the ECU is pointed toward the rear of the bike. You might want to check your bike to see where your ECU connector is pointing . Mike

Yes, they are different than the Brembo brakes on your Scura. Besides using 4 pads per caliper, the caliper set are about 1 pound lighter than the calipers on your Scura. The braking is more powerful too! Al, you will most likely have to get some brake lines made to complete the change over. Galfer would most likely be the easiest, just send them your lines and ask them to duplicate them but with the different ends needed at the calipers. The hose ends are crimped on and need to be in the correct plane (can't twist) with all the connections. Mike

Naah, You just have to be very, very smooth with the clutch Mike

Which connectors are we talking about? The ten pin connectors that are under the tank are Packard connectors. Working at a Chevy store we have a specialized terminal box that has the expensive set of Packard crimper and all the tools needed to remove the different terminals. All that is needed are very good eyes to release the terminals from the connector ends. There are probably at least a few hundred different types of terminals used in the auto industry and I have most of them at my fingertips If you are interested, I can get the GM part numbers to get a price on them. A picture would be nice so I know which connector type you are working on. Just as a note, years ago I use to like soldering all my connections. While this is the best way to make a connection (least resistance), I find that the wire is weakened to vibration/flex. Meaning, the solder is wicked up the wire and is made none flexible. A few bends and the wire will brake in half. Give it a try and you will agree. I only solder connections that are very sensitive to voltage drops now and I can not think of any on the Guzzi at the moment. Anyway, I did find one ten terminal connector end that matches up perfectly in our junk connector box . I also noticed a few Amp connectors as well. Mike

Don, I wish I had my Jackal/1100S together for the rally. I guess I will be there on my 03 Rosso and riding two up from the Bay Area. This bike with the Hepco luggage rocks with all the clothes the wife brings. See you there, Mike

A few things can cause the feeling you are having in the tight stuff. One is rider smoothness (which I have not mastered yet ) and another could be too low of a gear. I have also noticed that the tune of a bike makes a big difference in the smoothness of the engine with throttle control. Some bikes come on smooth while some hit with a big surge in power. Very hard to be smooth at throttle openings. What could cause this? I believe that when the bike is dynoed for power, not everything shows up on the graph. Meaning, what happens between off throttle and back on throttle. It seems to me that a richer fuel mixture tends to smooth out the harshness of throttle response, I could be wrong, what do you think? Mike

I am also looking for a smaller fuel filter for my 1100S project bike. I don't know why a bike would need a fuel filter larger than most automobiles The fuel filter change intervals on most Chvrolets is every 36,000 miles and on the Goose it is every 12,000 miles, go figure . And how much fuel flows through the filter to the eight cylinders in the Chevy verses the two cylinders on the Guzzi? Now my head really hurts. Mike

I have the HH pads on my 2000 V11 Sport, and while the fronts work very well with this material , I have found that it works too well in the rear . When riding fast, one must not apply too much pressure to the rear brake, if you do, things get exciting very fast ! I would like to go to a less agressive brake pad material in the rear. Anyone else have the same complaints on the HH pad ? Mike

If the brake switch is at fault, a cheaper replacement would be a switch from just about any Ducati. You will have to splice the two wires into the harness but it will be way cheaper and faster than ordering one from Guzzi. Once again, watch out for that little steel ball. Mike

Andy, I hope you have better luck than I did with the Penski shock. I had to ship the shock back to Penske two times to get the problems cured. Hopefully by now they know what the Guzzi likes for shock length, spring rate and compression. I am quite happy with the shock, it just took a whole lot of time and work to get it tuned right. Measure the length of your old shock and make sure you can adjust the Penski shock the same. I think you can safely go 10mm. longer on the 2002 bike. My 2000 V11Sport did not like a longer shock (nervous steering). Also go out and ride the bike to see if the spring preload is correct. The spring rate was so high on my bike that the bike went way wide on rough roads. It would also try to shoot me over the bars on large dips in the road. I tried evey adjustment and finally called Penski and they agreed that the spring rate and dampening was too high. Mike

Todd, I just Pre-registered for me and my wife. We will be riding two up on this one. Hope to see others from the Northern California area. Thanks, Mike

Oh yeah, On the front brake switch thing, If I remember correctly there is a small little ball (which usually falls out and rolls somewhere which is impossible to get to) which sits against the brake lever and pushes against the switch to close the contact. If someone removed the brake lever, the little ball may of fell out and this could be why your switch does not work. There is also a little adjustability of the brake switch by loosening up the tiny, tiny screws and moving the switch. You should hear a faint click by the switch when the brake lever is pulled in. Mike

Enough to get that great 90 weight smell at ever stop sign. Mike

The speedo cable is the first place to attack, one problem area is where the cable rubs against the headlamp housing. This puts alot of side pressure on the cable as it snakes its way up to the speedo head. When my speedo was jumping like crazzy , I replaced the cable and the needle still jumped. The speedo was then replaced and it cured the problem. You may be able to have the speedo repaired but expect to pay $160.00 for starters. I have had good luck finding speedo's and tachs on ebay. I usually stay at Harris Ranch when I go down south, not too far from Lemoor. I think I will be staying there one night when I go down to the Guzzi rally at the end of this month. Hope to see you there. Good luck, Mike

You mean the leak from the recessed hole where there is a pin? My bike has been leaking there for years and the dealer never fixed the problem. I will have it repaired when the bike goes in for the recall. I think someone had epoxyed or used silicone around the area to stop the leak, but I would rather just have the sidecover replaced. Mike

When Motorex Oil came out a few years ago, the write up it had was very very good. I have used it in my Aprilia and my wife's Ducati Monster and have had no complaints. In the Guzzi's I still use Mobil 1, can't beat the price! Mike

The uneven blackening is normal for a Guzzi. I have seen it on my bikes from day one (kinda like the black soot on the exhaust muffler outlet). It is my belief that the uneveness could be caused by the fuel injector location or perhaps the poor combustion design of the Guzzi (flame path). The color of the plugs look fine, just a light tan color. Mike

The main reasons for me going to the deep V sump were, get rid of the oil cooler and failing brackets (before new steel version came out), loose some weight, center oil pickup a big plus, easy oil filter replacement and lastly looks. I would not worry about increasing the oil sump size. I have run my bikes hard in very hot conditions and never had any problem with tempertures. I have also ridden my Jackal two up fully loaded on Route 66 through the bowels of Amboy to Twentynine Palms in the temperture range of 110 to 113 degrees. The Jackal has no oil cooler and a smaller sump. So, yeah, a sump spacer and windage tray would fit the bill for what you are looking for, but the center oil pickup is one big plus on the deep V sump. I don't know if the oil cooler can be plumbed into the deep V sump. Some drilling welding and machining would be needed. The stock setup uses a themostat which only opens at a set temperture (which I don't know). This way the cooler is bypassed when the temps are low. This would be very hard to install with the deep V sump. I am not sure the sump spacer will work on the V11S setup. Maybe someone on the site knows for sure. Hope this helps you out, Mike

It has been over three years since I installed the deep V sump on my 2000 V11 Sport, but if my memory serves me correctly there are only a few items needed in installing the sump. The sump I have does not have the site glass. I am not sure if the newer ones do or not. As far as I know, there are no dealers in the U.S. that carries the sump. MG Cycles does have them but they get them through Stein-Dainse? so the price is higher since it has to go through two distributors. I think Raceco in the UK had them for cheaper but then you have to pay the shipping etc. The sump comes with longer bolts needed for the sump and it comes with a length of hose and banjo fittings that attach to the frame oil catch (drainback hose to sump). The oil pickup is casted into the lowest part of the deep V sump. You will need the proper oil filter (stock guzzi filter) and a sump gasket. The sump gasket you will need fits between the upper stock oil pan and engine block. Yes, the stock V11 oil pan is two piece. Also, there is a weird tube and oil cooler thermostat that is removed with the upper oil sump, the stock oil filter center needs to be removed and installed on the new sump. The oil bypass valve also needs to be removed and install as well. This valve is super tight (lock tighted inplace) and I ended up cracking the housing to the thermostat housing upon removal. Just a warning. With the deep V sump, the amount of oil the sump holds is about the same as the stock V11 sump. If the sump were going on an older model than, yes, the sump has a larger capacity. I had to make up the mount to help support the sidestand. The itty bitty 6mm bolt really does hold the sidestand in place. I never got around to painting it, so it looks kind of sh&()^$ty. Mike

I have been running the Moto Spezial V sump for 20,000 worry free miles on my 2000 V11 Sport. Never had the oil light come on with hard braking or acceleration. The center oil pickup is great. Raceco states that the sump will cool the engine enough for a 120 hp. engine. The main problem when installing the oil sump on the Spine framed bike is that a support piece needs to be fabricate to help support the side stand. I ran my side stand with out the extra brace and over a few months the cast iron side stand mount started to bend. Mike

David, Could you take a picture of the torsion bar that has the slop and post it? I think many of use would like to know about this. Thanks, Mike

I have been thinking of making a light weight cover with a elastic band that could be stored in the tail section or even in your pocket. This would just be large enough to cover the gauges. It could be made out of a very light weight material like some of the bike covers. Mike

I think Carl has opened up his gauges to repaint the needle. The main problem with doing it yourself is that they may not be water tight after the repair. I have picked up new speedo and tachs off of ebay. You could try a speedo repair shop but they are not cheap. Every time they open up a speedo or tach, they replace the bezel in order to seal the unit. They are about 1/3 to 1/2 the price of a new unit. Changing to the new black faced gauges would be costly (at least through Guzzi). I have read that the speedo uses a different cable so that would even raise the cost a little more. Even the odometer knob is different between the white and black faced speedo. Good luck, Mike

Jason, There are really two things that can cause the speedo needle to jump. The 1st is the speedo cable (usually binds up where the cable is stressed at the headlamp housing) and the second is the speedo itself. First my speedo went out from the angle drive at the transmisson (end cover popped off and spit a piece out), many months without a speedo then the shop finally took one off their demo. Then the jumping needle sydrome started happening soon afterwards. I replaced the speedo cable and it did not change the problem. The speedo was replaced and now no needle jumping. You could remove the inner speedo cable and lube it like the good old days. Just be careful when threading the speedo cable housing to the speedo. The speedo housing is plastic and it is very easy to crossthread. Mike

Hello all, Anyone interested in a Stucchi crossover or Staintune exhaust? This is posted on Craigslist in the Bay Area California http://www.craigslist.org/sby/mcy/58470440.html This is not my stuff, but it looks like a good deal for someone. I already have a stucchi and Mistrals. Good luck, Mike