Mike Stewart

Hello, I need a set of Mike Rich pistons for my Ghezzi Brian and after talking to him today, he told me that he needs to order the pistons in batches. He does not want to have 12 sets on the shelf, so he told me if I could find a few people interested, then he would place in an order to have them made up. The pistons with rings are $495.00 So anyone else looking to upgrade their bikes as well? Let me know and lets get the ball rolling. Thanks, Mike

I too had this issue on my 2003 Rosso in the first few weeks off the show room floor, pulled the tank and bypassed the clutch switch, starts everytime since. Mike

Skeeve, That is alot of lash for a worn cam and lifters, sure the pushrod isnt bent? I have seen some worn cams on Guzzi's but usually the lobes wear and the lifters pit but that wouldnt cause more lash. I do have some pushrods if you need them. Also, I wonder if going with Megcycle Cams would be any better materal wise? Mike

Cams and lifters revisited. I have seen a 2004 V11 Sport and now a 2000 Jackal cam shaft where the lobes are not smooth. As Greg Bender has seen on the hydrolic units where the right exhaust lobe shows signs of wear, I have also noticed this on the non hydro units. The wear on the cam lobe turns the smooth contour to a more of a peak (meaning, you finger will notice it). Also, the lifters will have some small pits. I did the check to see if the lifters went flat by placing a bit of oil on its face and putting another lifter face to it (face to face) if the lifters stick together (means that they are flat or convex), an old lifter check. If the lifters wont stick together, then they are good (only if they are not pitted). By the way, the Jackal engine only had 12,000 miles on it, I wonder if the cam hardness is just under par and would going with a aftermarket cam be any better? I will be pulling down my old V11 Sport engine with about 25,000 miles on it and wonder if the cam will have the same type of wear that I have experenced in other motors. Anyone else notice this too? Thanks, Mike

Very Nice Kiwi Roy, May I add one more thought to you, I have been taught to drag test all terminals in question. Meaning, taking a male terminal (in this case the same width and thickness of one of the relay terminals) and testing each female terminal in the relay base. This way, there is no need to remove each terminal, just the one/s that are loose fitting. I guess you could make a test terminal from an old relay by soldering on an inch or two of solid wire. Checking the fuse terminals with the drag test is also reccomended. I have seen techicians go nuts tracing wiring problems on automobiles! Mike

Check the light relay, it is one of the mini relays that have always been problematic on these bikes. I looked at the wiring diagram in the owners manual and the horn also is powered up through this relay. Not sure about your tach issue though. Do a search on relays and you should find where to buy one that has a higher amp rating. Mike

Alan, I don't think you have to worry about hi temperture riding with the Guzzi. The sport versions all have a engine oil cooler with thermostat which should be suficient in keeping the oil temp where is should be. If you get stuck in traffic when the temperture is 90 plus, let the heat between your legs be the judge of when the bike is getting hot. I know many of my bikes will start running sluggish when stuck in traffic, either find a way to get some air flow (different route) or find a place to take a break. I had the brilliant idea to take Route 66 one time in California to 29 Palms. At 10 am. the temperture was 113 degrees. Two up, fully loaded and in full leathers. Now I know why there are only ghost towns left on that part of Route 66. It was sooo hot, I thought the tires were going to melt I seem to always go back to full leathers whether it is wet or hot. Even in the triple digits if you are moving full leathers aren't bad. I sweat pretty good and I have had the chills in 120 degrees while riding at 80 mph (on the boarder of Mexico and California). Drink plenty of water and always carry a bottle or two of drinking water with you. If you know you are going to be riding in the heat, plan ahead and leave early when traveling, I like to start my day by leaving before sun rise to get a jump on the heat. Have fun, Mike

The Ohlins I believe came on the 2002 and newer bikes, you will have the same problem with having about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of fork sticking out of the top of the triple clamp. You will also have to go with a different front fender with the Ohlins forks. I do believe the brake calipers mounting spacing is different between your Sporti (40mm) and newer bikes (65mm). If you have to change calipers, don't forget that the caliper brake lines will also have to be changed due to the different design. One last thing, the Ohlins forks also came with two different axles, the solid type should be a easy change over, if you get one with the hollow axle, you will need to change your front wheel bearings and spacer. Nothing is straight forward when it comes to Guzzies MIke

Dynotec in Germany list an engine with 95mm jugs and with cam and headwork the output is 111PS at 7900 rpm with 105nm of torque. The german horse power is really close to the hp readings in the US. I do believe this to be measured at the flywheel. Figure at least 8-10 hp less at the rear wheel. http://www.dynotec.de/index.html First click on the english flag, then when the page comes up, scroll half way down this page and click on the link next to the hammered piston for the different cams and engines hp outputs. Mike

Carl, Here are some stock forks on ebay in Europe: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gabel-Marzocchi-Moto...1QQcmdZViewItem It is much easier to get a stock fork to replace it with compaired to taking a fork from a different brand and machining spacers so they fit the triple clamps and then shimming the calipers so they have the correct clearence for the rotors. I went the Aprilia RSVR route and after much work the fork was just a tad too short. Yep, I went with the Ohlins after all that Mike

I had a pair of the CRG mirrors and machined the bar ends for that custom look too. I rode with these mirrors for about a month and could never get used to them. Yes, they are the best looking mirror on the guzzi but the CRG mirrors are too convex which made it hard for me to tell how far back vehicles were behind me (everything looks small in them when in realility they could be very close). You also could not tell the difference between a patrol car from any other car or truck on the road. After a few eye openers, I went back to the Napolean mirrors. Not as trick in looks but work excellent in traffic. Just my thoughts, Mike

Carl, The only Ohlins that I know will work are only the ones that were made for the Guzzi's. The Guzzi uses 54mm diameter clamps and the Ducati super bikes use 53mm. The superbike forks are also WAY too short for the Guzzi as well as the spring rate. Another problem with fitting forks from a different bike is when it comes to mounting the wheel and brake calipers. The Guzzi fork spacing is different than the Duc's which makes the rotors not line up with the calipers. Don't ask me how I know What bike are you wanting to put the Ohlins on? Perhaps contact reboot spares and perhaps RacerX about other alternatives. Mike

Couple of questions.... Does the engagement point of the clutch also change when it gets hot? Does adjusting the adjustable clutch lever to the number 1 or 2 setting help? I have had air in my clutch before and it was worst when hot, the most noticeable problem was an early clutch engagement which was very close to the bars. I bled the clutch by gravity (at a camp site) and never had a problem since. I live not far from you if you need any help. Mike

Ratchet is correct on the outside diameter of the header pipes being 1 3/4 inch., the header pipes also have a very thick wall so your inside diameter will be quite less than off the shelf 1 3/4" exhaust tubing. I have been doing some research on exhaust theories and I am amazed on the science behind it. Some say keep the header pipe ID the same as the exhaust port in the cylinder head. Others like to go larger on the header pipe to keep the speed of the exhaust gasses high. Two inch might be on the big side, but I would be interested in seeing a dyno shootout of the different diameter header pipes. I vote for Joe doing the shootout Another thought, will a 2 inch header pipe fit between the exhaust studs? Mike

I think we have a few things going on here, let me clear up some thoughts. The Guzzi's sold in the USA had tighter valve specs than those sold in the rest of the world. This was for noise pollution (loud valves save lives ). The USA valve lash spec was .05mm intake and .10mm exhaust. I know, how could any bike run with this lash? The problem we were having in the USA with running the tight specs was stalling when hot. I came across the fix by accident when I had read what Raceco suggested for the valve lash spec on the big block Guzzi. I tried the looser valve lash spec on my 2000 V11 Sport. The first thing I noticed after the valve lash adjustment was the idle speed was quite high (300+ rpm). I then noticed that I could idle down the motor to a smooth 1000 rpm. And yes the stall issue was cured. Was this from the valves running too hot or decreasing the duration of the cam by using looser specs, I am not sure. I then took the bike in for it's first service a few weeks later, the valves were readjusted to the USA spec and the bike stalled on me two times on the way home So David, if you are running the Euro valve lash spec. .10mm intake, .15mm exhaust, you idle speed may not change. I now use a valve lash between the Euro spec and Raceco's spec. on my bikes. Mike

When I first purchased my 03 Rosso Corsa and went for a ride, my thoughts were this thing turns like a tank was the longer wheelbase that much different, my 2000 Sport was much better. Within the first week, I took off the Bridgestone 020's and slapped on a pair of Pirelli Diablo Corsa's, boy what a difference it made . Now this bike rocks, very stable and very flickable (lean, lean, lean). The roundness of the tire plays a big roll on how the bike will fall into the turns. Mike

Hey David, I went through and adjusted the tps to the 150mv with the throttle bodies disconnected and the the idle screw backed out. Please remember this was back in 2001 when there was not much information out on this fuel injection system. Once the throttle bodies were syncronized and idle set, the tps voltage on my bike was very low (I believe it was around 300mv). If I had set the tps voltage up to 520mv, I would have a really high idle speed. Now there are some variables that caused the tps. voltage to be lower (once the idle was set). The early bikes had a stall problem with the valves set to factory specs when hot, I used the Raceco valve lash specs. which gave the cam less overlap thus raising the idle speed 300+ rpm. With this valve lash, the bike also could idle down lower (which to me sounded better anyway, lope, lope, lope). So turning the idle speed down 300 rpm from the valve lash and then lowering the idle speed down to a rock solid 1000 rpm where it sounded so lovely, my tps voltage was lower. This was not a bad thing, I just had to have the right map for the PCIII. This is the site to FIM which is what I used way back when for adjusting the tps. They have a great explaination of what the tps does and why to set the bypass screws all the way in. http://www.fuelinmoto.com.au/ Mike

Greg , Story 1, Lets go back in time a few years to when the V11 Sport first came out. There were a few driveability problems with the bike, mainly a big flat spot on acceleration and stalling (if my memory serves me right). Some bikes were real bad, others seemed to run fine. There was a big debate back then on how to adjust your tps, yes the same why you guys are talking about. I have done it that same way but still was not totally happy with the way the bike ran. I ended up buying the Powercommander and while no maps worked well for my bike, I played with adding and subtracting fuel through the whole rpm range till the bike ran beautiful (even had to subtract fuel at idle). The reason I believe the bike needed a different map was because of my low tps voltage I had compared with the bikes the maps were made for. While I corrected the way my bike ran with the PCIII, many adjusted their tps voltage up to .5 volts with great improvement. Story II, I purchased a 03 Rosso Corsa, the bike ran beautiful off the show room floor. A few weeks later I installed Mistrals slip-ons and now the bike ran terrible, spit and spuddered in the lower rpm range. Checked the tps voltage .466 volts and left it there. I installed the PCIII with a map from Todd Egan and the bike ran great again. The map I installed was way different than the map I had in my 2000 Sport. I do believe that besides the tps voltage difference that there is a stock map difference between the early 2000 Sport ECU and the 03 ECU's. My early bike would also ping at 3000 rpm on hot days which the PCIII helped but did not cure, the 03 bike never pinged , perhaps another map change in the ECU So what I am trying to say is, the early bikes seem to be quite different than the 2003 and newer bikes. I am not saying to play with your tps, if your bike runs good, leave it alone. It is great to hear from Greg and the experences he has come across in his shop , I have heard many driveability complaints of the Ti ECU and he has cleared up many questions/myths in my mind Mike

Hey Joe, (what you doing with that gun in your hand) The mini rally that you speak of is just like what a larger rally is like, just more people and many, many bikes to drool over Don't forget the Grappa There will also be a bike show for the old and new Guzzi's, customs, non Guzzi. Rides thoughout the day, many groups going diferent places, just watch out for the Southern Cali boys, they ride faasst! Guzzi folks are different than any other motorcycle group I have seen. Most of them are gear heads and can be anywhere from lawyers, doctors, ex Harley and Beemer owners. You had better watch out though, after one rally, you will be back for more. While many Guzzi riders will camp out, I usually prefer to motel it (heard too many stories of snoring Guzzi campers ). I have never seen any vendors at a rally, but you will never know if you don't go. ahh, leave the car at home, time to ride Mike

Hi Todd, Yep, it's been over two years since I made it to any Guzzi Rallys. Amazing how time flys when your body is healing. I have ridden some since my get off and am pretty sure I will be at the 08 Nationals (still making plans). Mike

Jihem, What valve lash are you using? Going to a larger valve lash (Raceco Specs.) will make your idle speed more stable. A larger valve lash decreases the duration of the cam. Worth a try! Mike

A Guzzi Rally holds it's arms open to any motorcycle brand, yes we are open minded! Mike

Just heard today that Hare Racing is closing it's doors. I was thinking about trying Modesto Ducati as I liked the way they treated me when purchasing a bike from them. Long ride but going anywhere in the Bay area seems like a journey now a days Mike

The factory Teknic bags work OK for short rides, but if you really want to do some serious miles go with the Hepco Becker rack and hard bags. You can use either the 30 or 40 liter bags which are water proof and lockable. I usually strapped on a duffle bag on the rear rack for extra storage. The H-B stuff is pretty pricey, but still cheaper than the BMW suit cases. Mike

[i thought the ping problem was only on the 2000-2001 bikes at 3000 rpm. My 2000 Sport only pinged when it was in the summer time in hot weather. Tried adding fuel with the PCIII but could not completely eliminate it. It only happened when the weather got hot and dry. Now my Ghezzi Brian with FBF high compression pistons with ping badly at 3000 rpm when the air is dry. A cool day, it never pings. I tried riching up the fuel mixture via the PCIII but it does nothing. I feel it is more in the ECU which gives it too much advance at 3000 rpm. Humm, my 03 Rosso has never pinged. Wonder if it has a different advance curve? Yep, I am going to switch the computers between the bikes to see if the problem goes away. Mike quote name=Greg Field' date='Jan 25 2008, 12:19 AM' post='136324] Octane booster's the cheap way. Try DurAlt to clean out the deposits that may contribute to the problem. I plan on messing with the quish on my V11 to try to get rid of pinging because this worked fabulously on my Eldo. I set the squish pretty tight, and whereas previously it would ping sometimes on premium, all the time on mid-grade and viciously on regular gas, I cannot now (or at least haven't been able to yet) force it to ping, even on regular.