Mike Stewart

I hope to make it to the Ducati night this coming Monday. I will be going with some of my Duc friends. The Guzzi V11 Sport green should stand out pretty well with all the other bikes just being red and yellow. Any other Guzzi owners going? See ya there, Mike

Isn't water heavier than fuel and would be at the bottom of the tank all the time? Yes, if it was bad gas, have the filter replaced. The plugs should be OK, but pulling them and checking them would be a good idea. If you dump the gas from the tank into a can, you will see the water at the bottom of the can (if there was any). The water will look like a flaten out bubble/bubbles (remember oil and vinegar don't mix) at the bottom of the can. The scary thing about water is that it just tears up injectors. Good thing you were able to run a few tank fulls of good fuel through your system. Mike

Ian, It isn't that Guzzi could not get the stock map pefect on your $11,000 dollar bike. It has to do more with the exhaust emissions that the bike has to pass in order to be sold in the States. Most bikes on the market are running on the lean side to say the least to get their bikes to pass these strict emissions. That is why the European map is different than the ones in the States, they run a tad richer over there. If you look at the PCIII site, you will notice that they make one for just about everybike on the market. Why, so the consumer can adjust their machine to the perfect air fuel ratio. Mike

Dkgross, Check to see if the insulation under the fuel tank has come loose and fallen on the open air cleaner. I have heard of one case of this happening. Just a thought. Good luck, Mike

Come on guys, Earl is Earl, dino vers. syn. is about the same as long as it meets the criteria. I use Mobil 1 just so I do not have to change the oil as ofter (just like the car manufactures). 4000 low miles between oil changes and I am at bless! Can you say all temperture? Mike

Dan, I just rode through Lincoln Nebraska last week from Iowa City to California. The ride through the mid west was much nicer than the ride through california on Interstate 5. The mid west does have more bug splat and more deer casings on the side of the roads, but it is green and do have some turns and very slight elevation gains. Now the thunder storms are a different story! Mike

Jay, I just purchased a 2000 Jackal (same as your California Sport) and I must say that the PCIII transformed the bike! The cold blooded bike was transformed into just apply the fast idle lever and crank and over and it would start with out the crank, crank cough and spudder. The low throttle opening surge,surge, surge is completely gone, the roll on at highway speeds is very smooth and you do not have to down shift as with the stock mapping. The bike just feels better at all speeds and rpm ranges. Try it and you will be at bless (with the right mapping). Mike

I like the idea of having the controls indexed but getting the hole drilled in the correct spot the first time is difficult. I mean the difficult part is getting the right sweep of the bars positioned where you want them or thought you wanted them and then to find that yeah, you need to move the bars back toward the rider but then the switches look funky because the holes are drilled in the now wrong location. And as we all know, a hole in the bars will be the first place a crack will start and I do not even want to think about this while I am riding. :!: Jason, I could never figure out why all the aftermarket bar ends would not fit my aluminum bars. I always threw away the inserts and machined my own out of aluminum .002" larger than the bar opening. I then drilled out the insert and tapped for the 6 or 8mm. bolt. A drop of loctite on the inserts and a few taps with the sledgeomatic and now there is something to bolt the bar end to. Mike

No matter with which cans you go with, I would go with the PCIII first along with the cans. The crossover can be added at a later time unless you can afford to purchase all three at the same time. And yes, you will have to remap for each change. Anytime you change something in the intake or exhaust and even the engine, you will have to remap the fuel mixture for your bike. It make perfect sense to me that some do not feel very much gain with the Stucchi crossover with the stock exhaust. One reason for this is that the stock exhaust produces more back pressure in the exhaust system. The Stucchi crossover works by creating a perfect X (crossover) in the exhaust system. As exhaust gases from one cylinder pass the X part of the crossover, a suction is placed on the opposing cylinder. This scavenging effect is why it produces more power. A more restrictive exhaust and there will be less scavenging effect. Mike

The main advantage of the deep V sump is that the oil pickup is in the center of the pan. The theory of the oil pickup between the V of the sump is that on fast turns there will be no oil starvation (oil being forced outward). I would also think that this would also help on acceleration and when braking. My Rosso oil light came on once on a hard acceleration when it was about 1/2 quart low during break in. My sport with the oil sump, never had this problem. The second reason was to get rid of the broken oil cooler brackets. There was a time when these were hard to get. The third reason is ease of the filter change and just a different look of the sump. The spec. of the deep V oil sump states that the oil capacity of the engine is increased. This might be true with the non V11 series, but with a V11, the oil capacity stays the same. Mike

Just a word of caution, On the starter button/kill switch, make sure that the plactic tit is cut off all the way so that it is flush/ past flush with the contour. I had just a very slight rise on my wifes switch when I changed her bars and a few months later, her starter melted down because of the starter switch button had a bind when it got hot and stuck in the crank position. After the $500. dollar starter was replaced, I found the culprit and ground down the remainder of the tit past flush. No more problem. Also, if the switch does move when tight, a drop of silicone adhesive works wonders. Mike

I have one on my 00 V11Sport. It is very pricey, cost about $500. US dollars. Raceco also sells this sump for slightly cheaper. It is made in Germany and there are no distributors in the US. MG Cycles buys it from their parent company in Germany so that is one reason the part cost more from MG Cycle. It is a bolt on application to the engine BUT, you need to modify the side stand and include a stop into it since the bracket and rubber stop can no longer be used (no place to bolt). Also you will need to make (cut file and weld) a bracket to reinforce the side stand mount to the oil pan. There is a 6mm bolt on the side stand bracket that is eliminated (no place to mount) on the new sump. Without this 6mm. bolt, the sidestand bracket will bend (yes the cast piece will bend) and your bike will lean farther and farther over. I know from experence . Mike

David, What kind of warrantee work does your bike need? There is also a Guzzi dealer in Sacramento that might be able to help you out that is closer to you. Good luck, Mike

Man, I do not know how you go though those bushings. I have 30,000 miles on my 00 V11Sport and they show no signs of wear. But your idea with the heim joints seems like a perfect idea. Mike

I think the easiest way to make the bike lower is by having a seat made more narrow and lower to suit your needs. If you want to lower the bike with the suspension, I think you could raise the front forks in the triple clamps about 13mm. This will make the bike turn quicker and will make the bike lean less while on the side stand. Loosening up the rear shock preload will also help somewhat. Mike

I have been using a pair for 30,000 trouble free miles. They are pain to get off but have not cracked or fallen off yet. You need to get a good grade cap for automotive use. I had picked up a pair from the shop I work in. I do not know the size, but they are tight. Mike

The problem with the 03 bikes and newer is the 90 degree bend at the trans. I thought this was a good thing after having the 45 degree thing break on my 00 V11Sport. 9 months with out a speedo gets old and I do not know how many miles are on this beast now. My 03 Rosso has not had a problem with the speedo cable yet (6300 miles), I have read that if you lube the cable at the 90 degree bend with a synthetic engine oil, that the problem will be solved.. I have not tried this as of yet (not failure), but it is worth a try. Good luck, Mike

I have noticed that the Lemans valve noise sounds louder due to the fairing channeling the noise up toward the rider. When I had the 1000 mile service preformed at the dealer, besides setting the valve specs to Guzzi specs, they also adjusted one side backward, meaning the exhaust valve was adjusted to the intake spec, and vice versa. And yes, it did stall on me when ridden home. Readjusted the valves to Raceco specs. and everything was fine. Try the .006 intake and .008 exhaust to see how your bike preforms. If you don't have the stall issue when comming off the Highways after a blast at full throttle at that valve spec, stick with it. Mike

What do you mean old. I remember when those were new! Mike

Dudes, .010 is not enough cleareance to hammer the cam and or lifters. The tapping noise is the gap being closed up in the valve train and will not cause the valves to hammer the seats out any more than the stock specs. Raceco has been around a long time and they would not steer you wrong. I would rather have a looser valve adjustment than the tight specs. that Guzzi reccommends. I would be more worried that a valve could burn due to lack of clearence. Now by going to a larger lash, you are decreasing cam duration (this is why the bike idles better) which will allow the valve to be closed longer and aiding in a lower valve temp via heat transfering to the valve seat/cylinder head. Also, we adjust our valves cold and as the engine warms up, the lash becomes smaller by .002 to .003". Now if you had a ton of clearence like a collapsed lifter in a good old American Hot Rod, then yeah, you can beat your cam to death. The lifter will hit the cam half way up the ramp which is not a good thing. Many years ago when I had a Porsche 914 (I know VW in Europe), the cam grinder had a huge valve lash spec. (I think it was .012") which I thought was too much. His reason for the large valve lash was to gain low end torque or a more driveable engine. This is true on the V11 Sport too. Anyway, I have a happy 30,000 miles on my 00 V11Sport with the Raceco specs and have no cam/valve issues. Just looking at the other side, Mike

Docc, Really like the NAKED look! Keep us posted on your findings. Mike

Oh no, not another project. You haven't finished the first one yet! Mike

Docc, Could it be that the rear wheel is moved to the left on all V11 Sports to make clearence for the driveshaft? This would make sense but I do not know for sure. Perhaps Paul knows? Mike

You guys are going to think that I am crazy, but my Guzzi's ride better when riding two up. It has got to be from the short swingarm length. I would set the sag for you (25 to 30mm) and than add more preload when you ride two up. Or if you are like me, I just leave the bike set up for me and where ever the sag is when riding two up is where it lies. Mike

Bingo! This is what I felt when I purchased my 03 Rosso Corsa. The bike is so stable at speed, no head shake on hard throttle, no high speed wallow, just point and shoot. Just amazing what one inch does for wheelbase! Glad you liked it, Mike