docc

I do feel exonerated to have replaced my damper after it began to leak and I drained all the oil out. I certainly didn't like the way it "felt" (whatever that is) without the damping and too many experienced riders gasped and cast aspersions when I mentioned my Grand Solution of taking the oil out to prevent the leaking. Seemed brilliant at the time. I am waiting for the final fitment to report on my new, improved replacement for the leaky Bitubo. Rock Steady, docc

I didn't see the demagnetizing note in the manual. In fact, I didn't see the disassembly sequence at all. So, the stator did come off easily. (My harness has been previously, er, groomed.) I repaired the open with a solid solder job, but upon reinstallation the alternator only throws 2.0 vAC. Demagnetized, or toast?

One of the yellow wires has broken off the stator. Can I just remove the stator by loosening the collar without removing the rotor held onto the crank end? Aren't there some springs and brushes in there, or no?

Yes, same anti-seize paste, BUT: I was using this on spark plug threads and found the heat set it up into a hard, locking compound. NOT what I wanted for my plugs! So, I have stopped using it for plug threads.

I don't think anyone has mentioned that the rubber boots for the intake can pop loose from the head. Pull back on the throttle bodies to see if they are each fastened securely to the intake tract. (By "thermal line" I think Dlaing was meaning thermal liner or thermal lining.)

I keep hearing that using dielectric grease around any sort on contacts (switches, relays) promotes the formation of silicon dioxide. Not good to have a layer of glass on your contacts. I used to use it on everything , but discussions here and elsewhere have led me to rely on copper paste. Others like the silver.

Rotating nipples belong on the "Hooters Thread." My regulator don't rotate neither, but it still doesn't mean the regulator's gone up. So far, no one has a bad fuel pressure regulator.

Yes, those are the two relays that are most taxed. Yet, the FI relay runs power to the fuel pump and does stay quite hot. The OMRONs are still keeping my Sport quite happy . . . Besides that, of course, are the fuse issues . . .

I keep finding that the most consistent way to avoid the 3000 RPM burps is to ride at 4200 . . .

Perhaps blocked airflow. Check the air filter and be sure the intake is not blocked. Some airboxes have been modified by opening the lid and the protective film on the underside of the tank can drop down blocking flow.

Had a laugh at this! Not t hat I' m eve n a bit *snockered* or even *buzzed.*

I thought the V11 should run "too rich" to cool the valves and heads. Better than too lean!

WD-40 is known to conjure up *demons* (at least on this forum!). Seriously, cleaning all the contacts with good contact cleaner, lubing them with copper or silver anti-seize paste is good luvin' for your Sport. Check my Personal Message to you as I have a 2000 Sport an hour south of Nashville. Meet you halfway?

Agreed. Just for clarification, I suppose I'm coming from a pretty novice background, as three of my Honda streetbikes required no fettling whatsoever. I did find that to cafe a 1975 Gold Wing would require significant attention, dollars and time to setup the suspension for sport riding. The other spine frames I've ridden (1100 Sport, V11 Cafe Sport) both impressed me as long, stable and slower turning. I would think anyone throwing a leg over the Red Frame would feel the difference right away. My observation regarding the Red Frame's 'difference' in feel is especially true of its setup as delivered, and as tested, back in 2000 These bikes are way undersprung. While the sag can be set on the rear Sachs, it was a nightmare to get to. The bikes were delivered with far too much sag, especially in the rear. The forks could be preloaded with spacers, but it ruined their rebound capability. I suspect the vast majority of riders probably never set their sag or even try. I firmly believe a problem (as delivered) of equivalent magnitude was the Pirelli Dragon Corsa tires. They were soft, tire pressure on the low side, somewhat angular profile, and the rear was too wide for the rim. The combined softness of the suspension and tires, along with the awkward size match, I believe, made for the 90-100 mph weave. I discovered this typically while passing semis on the Interstate. Any use of the steering damper exacerbated this weave. I've never experienced any high amplitude 'wobble' on the Sport; only the weave. Simply attending to tire fitment and setting the proper sags is not really all that difficult. Yet, the first 10,000 miles I put on the Sport, there was very little information available. This forum did not yet exist and the guys on Wildguzzi were less than charitable. So, it took quite some time and effort to sort. True, I did crash on a setup of too much fork spacer on too soft springs with too much tire pressure on too hard tires (rider error added for flavor and effect). Compared to setting up a race bike for different tracks and conditions, I know the Sport is not that complicated. But, compared to other typical streetbikes, I have found it challenging to get right. Now that I've got the right springs and preload up front with lighter oils and an understanding of centiStokes, the properly preloaded and damped Ohlins on back, Pirelli Stradas 120F/160R running 34/40 psi, 5mm drop on the triple clamps, the Stucchi flyscreen (which cleans the air over the front at speed), and a better sense of keeping rider wight biased on the front, the Sport does seem to ride quite well. Of course, there was the complication that my rebound fork internals were misassembled from the factory causing a 1/4 inch movement every time the fork compresseed or extended and the center Heim for the steering damper tried to fall out once. And, I can't be sure how much adding the frame center brace has contributed to a more stable wheelbase. Then there was the laser alignment of the swingarm. And the adjustability of the clip-on and levers which alter weight bias. I certainly like the fact that Red Frames are not like the other Guzzis; maybe even that they do take an extra edge and some considerable knowledge and fettling to ride aggressively. To say that the Red Frames are unstable, dangerous or even "twitchy" is certainly a stretch. I do believe new owners Aprilia (in 2002) sought to address the complaints of the press in making changes to the chassis and measures to reduce the felt vibration in the handgrips, especially the left. I don't think they heard anything I had to say at the time and, thus, don't believe "customer feedback" drove any of their decisions. While I think the changes were good, and the '03/'04 bikes were probably the 'best' of the breed, I'm glad I have an early Red Frame with it's mystique and (perhaps) checkered past. She is a magnificent ride on a misty cool morning along the creeks and over the ridgetops.

That would explain why cleaning it didn't help and I ended up replacing it!

And, again, the early Red Frames didn't wobble, but they might weave mightily at speed. I don't know that there's been another Guzzi quite as demanding to set up and ride as the 1999-2001 Red Frame V11 Sport. Just my 67,000 miles worth . . .

Stupid me . . . I sure thought I saw solvent penetrating the bottom gaps in the TPS when I had it out. Now that it's back in, and the bike's running well, I don't think I'll be taking it out for a photo session.

renato, What's the exact digital voltage of the battery? And then after the lights are on for three minutes?

Hey, mine wasn't "twitchy" when stock, per se. But, it would weave awfully at 90 mph passing trucks and buck and wallow on rough corners. Getting off the original Pirelli Dragon Corsas was a big improvement. Like getting your 'heavy' woman off those 5 inch stilettos! Then: the fork springs, the rear Ohlins, tire choices, the sag, the damping. . . it's all better now, but not before I screwed it all up and crashed in a surprise corner. Too much preload, too hard of a tire compound, too much tire pressure, too much entry speed: BLATT! Are the Red Frames inherently unstable? Oh yeah (more than the later gusseted Blackies). Like an early Honda 900RR? Yeah, right. Like the V11 is a 'crotch rocket.' Is your swingarm perfectly centered? Don't count on it!

That one looks a lot more like the original Bitubo than the Hyperpro does. How does 4,050 Kc translate to the US dollar? (The Hyperpro is currently $349)

Guzzi replaced my entire Throttle body/ injector/ TPS rack under warranty for this 'drip.' At the same time , my dealer told me, "If you turn the key on or just start the bike briefly (like to listen to the burble), it will pressurize the fuel system and tend to drip." At the time I thought that was bull, but it's true. Brief pressurizing will promote the drip. Otherwise, be sure you've done a good TPS setting and throttle body synch, and wipe off the drip periodically. It's like my son says of the F18: "If it ain't leakin', somethings wrong . . ."

Scary thing, dredging up old threads! At around 67,000 miles my Bitubo has spit up its oil. With a properly set-up suspension (springs, sag, Ohlins rear, and such) I decided to just take the oil out. It still actually 'damps' when cranked way up, but at the least settings, there is no resistance and low speed parking turns are completely unrestricted. I'm really not sure if that's a good thing . . . Yet, I hear there have been plenty of early Red Frames stripped of their dampers entirely. Anyone lived to tell about it?

Stu, You're sure that's the bevel drive? I thought that silliness was about the gearbox. Simplest thing is to drain out of the lowest possible point. And (otherwise), wasn't there some spoof going around suggesting the English language was too complicated and "w" and "wh" should be changed to "v" while "oo" could be substituted with "u" and so on? It vas gut ven all done. Surely, one of you saved this? I'm going upstairs now. I've been practicing the phrase: "Ma manutenzione . . . mi valvole . . . ooh, si - mi albero! Belissimo! " (wish me luck, I think she's on to the ruse . . . )

The first German line is from the shop manual and the second from the owner's manual. I suppose the verbiage between the two manual varies just enough to make the words look puzzling as if these were in fact slightly different languages. I've kept most of the Sport's maintenance records in Italian these nine years. Not that I speak Italian, but the translation has always been on the facing page in the Owner's Manual. It has been fun, although it was pointed out that any subsequent owner may not be so amused! Plus, my wife seems decidedly aroused by spoken Italian. I hope she doesn't find out I've been whispering sweet valve adjustments to her!

I have an owner's manual with four languages and a shop manual in three. The Owner's Manual is in Italian, English, French and (I believe) German. The Shop Manual is in English and two other languages similar to both German and French. Could you please help identify some common phrases? With regard to the spark plugs: "KERZEN Das Motorrad ist mit NGK BPR6ES Kerzen ausgestattet, der Abstand zwischen den Elektroden betragt 0,7 mm. " (Swiss?) "BOUGIES De moto is uitgerust mit bougis NGK BPR 6 ES met een afstand tussen de elektroden van 0,7 mm." (Belgian or perhaps Dutch?) "Zundkerzen Zur Reingung und Kontrolle des Elektroden abstands sind die Zundkerzen periodisch zu eintfernen." (German?) I am sorry that my keyboard will not stroke the proper umlaut "u" in "zundkerzen" or the "a" in "betragt." Thank you for your kind help, docc