Mike Stewart

Well Carl, you just saved me at least $200. bucks. I thought the bore size was pretty large. I think I will just go with Mike Rich's pistons this time around. Mike

Thanks Carl Mike

Folks, I have done a search on this topic and came up with tachs being replaced under warrantee. I bought a tach off ebay that was like new but does not work ($35. dollar investment to replace the faded out tack on my 00 V11). I called Palo Alto Speedo, and they gave me a repair price of $165.00, this seems pretty steep. Anyone else send a tach out for repair or repair one themselfs? Mike

Hi all, I found this 97mm. large bore/piston kit on ebay and wanted to know if it really would work on a newer V11? Humm, a 1212 motor! I thought 1100 cc. was the largest one could go without stroking the engine. Any ideas?, the Raceco site has closed down. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...&category=35618 Thanks, Mike

I have done over 500 miles in a day riding two up on my 00 V11Sport. The seat is not the limiting factor, it is the high footpeg location for the passenger. Even at the height of 5' 3", my wife's knees would lock up and make it hard for her to get off the bike after the two hour mark. The only other problem with touring two up on the Guzzi is the limited amount of stuff you can carry. Mike

The fuel filter shouldn't be a problem to change on the 03 bikes. The fuel lines come off very easy, no tools needed. Just push in the line and pull back the coupler and the line is off. No stinking hose clamps to deal with. I believe to replace the fuel filter, the fuel pump must be removed which is on the right side of the fuel tank. I don't know anyone that has removed it to find out yet. The 02 Lemans and O3 Lemans are pretty much the same bike with the main differences in the engine. I have not noticed any pinging on the 03 and I think the oil jets are for cooling of the piston/cylinder while providing more lubrication. The reason for no pinging is most likely a remap of the fuel injection/timing curve. The 03 runs very good in stock form, the fuel injection is just about right on the money. But once you change the exhaust, you will find that the bike now won't have any low end power and will hesitate and stumble. A PCIII is needed to get the air/fuel ratio right again, so save enough money to do the exhaust and PCIII at the same time. The 03 runs very different than the 02 and earlier bikes. The first thing you will notice is the extra torque the bike has at lower rpm's. It is a very easy bike to ride. Very smooth with just a hint of vibration through the bars. While the powerband is very smooth, I think the earlier bikes pull stronger in the upper rpm's This might be a false seat of the pants feeling since the bike has more low end power but the 00 Sport comes on real strong in the upper rpm's So the best thing to do is go out and ride one. Give Jason a call at MOTO ITALIANO and take a test ride on the demo! :!: Mike

Man, I can't make it tomorrow. After the hard rains yesterday, riding highway 35 at night might be a handfull (or was that pants full). Mike

How about something like this setup http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...&category=35621 I think they would look great on a green NAKED V11 Sport Does anyone know how makes these? Mike

Well folks, ever since I had purchased the Penski shock, I have had troubles. If you recall, the first time I tried to install the shock, it was too long and the driveshaft would rub the swingarm. After sending it back and having the length readjusted, I rode it for a few months and made every adjustment possible. Going from 7/8 inch. sag to 1 1/2 inch. sag made no difference with the compression backed all the way off. Tried backing all the compression and rebound off and starting from ground zero. No luck. I emailed Tim Godshall at Penski's main office about the problems I was facing and the only question he had was how much preload was on the spring. Well it turned out that the 550 lb. spring was to high and a 500 lb. spring & revalve would be done. A replacement of the shock body and shaft to gain shock stroke from 50mm. to 62 mm. was also done to match the old Sach unit. (this is the shortest shock body with longest shaft). Penski paid for the shipping back to their main headquarters and had the shock back in just a few days! Great support from the Penski Team! The results after the first ride are promising! The harshness over large bumps is gone and my teeth don't rattle over every bump. I will give you more feedback in a few miles! Mike

I had a set of Galfer wave rotors on my 00 V11 Sport and after 3000 miles they were toast. The brake pulsation was very bad and made coming to a smooth stop impossible. I sent them back to Galfer the first time and they measured the rotors and put in looser race buttons to take care of the problem. I reinstalled them and took a quick ride and the pulsation was still there. Called Galfer back up and after a short discussion on how to measure rotor thickness, he refunded all my money back. One thing I can say is that he backs up his product. Reinstalled the factory rotors and have no pulsation! Mike

Al, It must feel like a different bike with the fork and engine upgrade! Lets go out and ride, now if it was only a little warmer. Yes, it was a chilly 46 degrees F. today in sunny Northern California. Mike

The Brembo 4 pad calipers bolt right on but you will need different lines going to them. The Brembo gold calipers lines bolt up at a different angle. I had a pair of 4 pad calipers and had problems finding a company that would make new brake lines for me. I heard that they do preform well! Mike

I had the same results with the 010's,withf heavy cupping on the sides. The tire was only half worn in the center but I could feel the cupping when pushing the bike hard in turns. I like both the Metzeler Sportec M1 and my new love,the Pirelli Diablo Corsa's. They feel as compliant as the Sportecs but with better stick! Mike

Injectors are not like carburators. Cleaners will damage the windings on most injectors. This will cause the injectors to short out internally and cause all types of problems. This is most likely what happened to Carl's injectors when they were cleaned. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Mike

Humm, another way to remove weight from the bike! Mike

Al, You just need to look at the VIN number stamped on the steering head. The last eight digets are the ones you need. My 00 V11 Sport is YM112823 and is in the recall. Oh no, another 3 months in the shop! Is this for the connection rod bolts or for the transmission problem? Mike

So is your real name Ross from friends? Mike

Callithrix, I don't think there is a torque for that nut. The nut controls the head bearing preload. Too tight and there will be too much drag on the steering and early bearing failure, too loose and you will have bike handling problems. Most people raise the front of the bike and tighten the nut until the play is out of the steering head. You might as well loosen her up and check the bearing for grease, I have heard of them being installed with very little grease on them. Just use good old wheel bearing grease on them. Mike

Docc got the Crabs? Mike

And they are! They are not the best looking but look cool enough, I have seen worst! Mike

David, I have the Two Bros Bars on my 00 V11 Sport and I think they are better at killing vibes than the stock clip-ons. If you hunt around you can find great deals on them! Mike

My advice is to trust the cheap gauge. They do not need to be calibrated. I pick mechanic A, Or maybe mechanic D which is none of the above. I like the aluminum 90 degree Ducati stem my self, now how do I sneek it off of the wifes bike with out her knowing? Mike

David jumped ahead and is explaining the advanced way to check fork sag. Captain to check it as David said, just push down on the bike and let the forks come up with and with out your weight on the bike to get the rider and static sag. The measurements will be higher than the readings in the last post. Just average out the difference between the two methods and that is your sag. The rear sag should also include this to take in account for stiction of the shock and suspension drag. Just to confuse you more! Mike

Captain, There are two ways that I know for checking front fork sag. The way I do it is by placing a nylon tie around the fork leg right below the fork seal. Stand the bike up so it is balanced, the fork seal will push the nylon tie down the fork leg. Now put the bike back down on the side stand. Raise the front of the bike off the ground ( I use a jack under the engine while the bike is on the side stand, be careful!) Now measure from the fork seal to the nylon tie, this is your static sag. To get the rider fork sag, push the nylon tie back under the fork seal, now apply the front brake and sit on the bike being careful not to bounce down on the front forks. Put the bike back on the side stand and raise the front wheel off the ground and take your measurement, this is your sag with rider. The other way to measure fork sag is to raise the front of the bike off the ground. Measure from the fork seal to the lower part of the fork leg (measure just the chrome section of the fork leg. This is dimension A. Now stand the bike up and try to balance it and measure the chrome section of the fork showing again, this is dimension B. Subtract B from A and that is your static sag. Now measure the chrome fork leg with rider, this is dimension C. Subtract Dimension C from A and this is rider sag. Give it a try and if you have any problems, I will take a few pictures. Mike

Still a young pup! Mike