docc

You strike this with a brass mallet or a machinist's hammer? Sounds like it's worth waiting til I can get one of these and also a fresh propane bottle. Thanks for all the feedback!

May I suggest: The mass of G determines A for any given spring rate and preload, rather than R? Certainly there is a point where too much preload has been added to compensate for a soft spring. I found this to limit rebound compliance and believe it contributed to my crash. Better rebound compliance may not have saved me from the stupidity and lack of skill that caused the crash, but I could sure have used a little more help from the suspension. That there can be too much or too little preload suggests that there would be an ideal that optimizes both the compression and rebound action of the spring.

Still seems like the first few mm will compress identically to the last few mm ( just as in increasing preload) as long as the spring rate in linear ( non-progressive). And in the algebraic vernacular, if 'bike only' is B and 'bike and rider' is BR, then BR-B=R (rider), no? Honestly, this is semantics and no doubt the difference between laden and unladen sag is as important as the sag measures themselves. I think the 18mm+/- measure is a good figure and agree that the Sport behaves better (subjectively) with more unladen sag front than rear, yet with a smaller 'difference' ( or whatever we're calling the difference) up front. Still no thoughts on optimal preload? Traxxion specifies adding 15mm for the fork springs, but wouldn't that depend on the free length of the spring and its full travel?

Seems to me the only difference between 'laden and 'unladen' sag is the rider (well, and any other load). So the 'difference' or the 'guideline' and the 'rider sag' are all the same, no? Semantics perhaps. Terminolgy can be an obstacle to communication but also an avenue to further one's understanding. To be sure what Ohlins calls 'ride height' is what we're calling the laden sag and our reference to ride height more pertains to the height of the front or rear above the tarmac which will affect the front-rear weight bias and center of gravity. Also. it occurs to me that a spring must have some optimal preload. Traxxion Dynamics has something on this in their fork spring instructions. It seems like it ought to be a percentage of the available spring compression. I was able to get good sag measures by preloading my stock Marz spring an extra 9mm, but the fork topped out easily and limited rebound travel. Finally, I'm thinking adding preload could affect spring rate only if the spring is progressive by pressing the spring into its higher rated region. Straight rate springs wouldn't change regardless of the preload.

Yeah, it's the lower, smaller one. Something must have been lost in the translation . . .

Vernon, I suppose it would be easy enough to pull a spring and get some dimensions. It's really quite easy if you have a shop stand and floor jack. There are some spring measurements in this post and thread mostly for the Marz 40 and later Ohlins 43. The Ohlins spring for the 43mm Guzzi fork is 1.475" outside diameter and 9 5/8" free length. Not sure how that will compare to the Marz 43mm springs. I would not consider the 40mm and 43mm springs interchangable.

V, That's about the best I found. I was lucky to find some 'take-offs' from a guy who had hot-rodded his Spot1100. You could rob the stockers from the Coppa and put some extra trick waves on it.

When I married my wife she called her Strada "Fiat Nam."

This is not a ball head. Looks like it has a good fit and certainly fresh sharp edges. I had attempted the heat but probably didn't keep it on long enough or hot enough. So, going back in, you think Red Loctite again or blue is OK?

I would consider bending over around you guys a dicey proposition. One of the problems considering bike weight is the unsprung variable. While the V11 is arguably heavy for a sport bike, its heavy reardrive is unsprung. Running a stiffer rear spring for that weight may be misguided since all that weight is not acted on by the spring outside of rebound.

Whew! I'm dizzy. Some of you know I just installed an Ohlins with #514 spring and TD fork springs 1.0 kg/mm.; I'm 185# in gear. sag: unladen /laden/difference - rear, 8/29/21 (18+3); front, 23/37/14 (18-4). From the ratchet guidelines it appears the rear is too soft and the front too stiff. Yet, still within the +/- 5mm. Also, I found the sag to increase on the front with a couple more gallons of fuel and I do have my forks raised 9mm as I like the weight shifted forward. Just a case study, work in progress . . . + =

Josh set me up with the replacement screws and warned me that taking the old ones out wouldn't be pretty. Looks like the MAPP gas gets 14% hotter (5700F vs 5000F) so I gues it will just take applying the heat longer, maybe 2 minutes instead of a minute and a half.

I only messed with one bolt long enough to see it wasn't going well. I did have visions of screw extractors. I'm not familiar with 'mapp.' Is that propane or is propane not hot enough?

I had heard the brake discs are put on well. And with good reason; you wouldn't want them falling off. Seems like there is probably red Loctite involved. With fresh rotors in hand I tried to loosen the old discs. Even got a fresh SK 5mm drive with good sharp edges. Which only sliced into the fastener that much easier. Added some (propane) heat. Put the wheel back on before I screwed it up entirely. Now what?

With the Guzzi (Mistral) carbon cans and K&N in the stock airbox I didn't have to change anything with the ECU. jrt, you richened the mixture by . . . changing TPS settings?

I just installed the inner side stand spring on my Sport along with the rubber sleeve between the two. Nose2wind had noticed mine was missing. I didn't want to take the chance that the pogo stick might come down at a bad time. I suppose it would be good to have a look at your stands to see if others might be missing the inner spring. Probably only occurs on bikes built after lunch on Friday.

I thought the Rosso Mandello Calve covers ( was that from 2002?) were different from the later red ones. Maybe some one with a RM can pony up here.

Ratch, Looks like your stand has a couple mods. What are those 'tips' over the pork-chop gougers? Have you rebent the curve in the lever then repainted?

Scura pun?

And all this time I thought 'Bumf*ck' was in Egypt. Wouldn't the Scuras all also have the blistering driveline paint?

WS, If you're looking for some fork measurements (the front forks are by marzocchi), here are some numbers based on the early 40mm forks ( I don't know if the later forks were any different on the inside): Fork Woes thread

The suspension is amazing. Last week my wife decided to do a little 2-up riding with me . Cranked up the preload and was really impressed with the Sport's composure ( and her's, too). Haven't had the chance to install the brakes yet. I'm still looking for Nose2wind's Sport to make an honest bike out of my Guzzi. It wasn't a month since they were in the garage together and now this:

My last liter bike weighed 650 pounds (295 kg). Now that was a heavy MF! I have a lighter bike at 359 pounds dry (163 kg), but enjoy the Guzzi much more in real riding past trucks and in gusty weather. Just enough ballast not to be fighting the elements. Not a Tiny Dancer though.

I can say the 1091-29 spring on my Ohlins pegged my sag just about right for my 185 ponds in gear (29mm laden). Maybe a little too stiff for some. So, Josh, you're respringing the Spot1100? Seems like that early White Power stuff is mighty good, but we've never talked sag numbers . . .

Clean the starter, check connections.