docc

What's the deal?? I ordered some stuff from the dealer 6 weeks ago. I try not to call too often since he acts like he owes me money when I get him on the phone. Is anybody in the US getting any parts lately??

That's a nice plug you've got there! Looks like someone 'did it right.' It's goofy they left the valve in ! No doubt you've got your tank suck solved. It is hard to get under the tank but you've got the method now. Ride well, docc

The taps are located where the intake meets the head. Lots of riders just connect the two with a hose. Discussion on the Wildgoose board claims improved idle and part throttle by plugging the taps. This is from people who've tried it both ways. I ended up using the Allen head bolts the hard (stupid) way. First, I tried putting a rubber vacuum plug over the taps. First little hiccup and the things blew out! Major 'pop' sound followed by vacuum leak.

While there's always a little 'Scot' in me , I'm always up for a little 'scotch' in me as well! Especially after a good ride on the sport! Make mine a single malt, Carl! docc

So, like, where does the vent hose go now? You'll definately be better off without the valve and running the hose to atmosphere. (or, as we do in Tennessee,straight up Al Gore's p'toot) Also , I'd check to be certain how the intake taps have been handled. Some just run a hose between them. I think it's cleaner to remove the tap and replace with a short Allen head fastener on each intake.

The Mistral cannisters (cf) are 10 pounds lighter than the stock cans.How much lighter is the Stucchi crossover from the stock unit?

I bought the ' factory filter wrench' for some high price. When supplied it did not have the hex drive to remove the access plate to the filter. I have found the rear axle nut to be the correct size to remove the plate.

When I had my throttle bodies replaced (which didn't change the drip) the dealer refused to check the CO.He said the plugs would strip out the threads in the headers. Are they really hard to get out? Has anyone stripped the threads? (I'd love to get40mpg!!)

What's the manual say for gearbox oil change interval? Is it 6000 miles? Sounds like too long if shifting degrades before then. What do you think 3000 miles or at every engine oil change?

Rich, is that a 160/60 or 160/70?

If your bike shifts down easier than up it sounds like you need to adjust the pawl engagement.

Now there's a plague to be wary of.

Carl, Are you talking about the Tekno semi-soft saddlebags? If so, where does the Loktite go? (Hey! You mean stuff falls off these bikes?!)

It occurred to me you might want to bleed your clutch hydraulics as well. Looking for all the 'simple' maintenance and adjustment items for a simple solution. When my V11sport was shifting poorly the most common advice I received was, " romove boot, insert new more aggressive foot." Also, the idea that something inside the box was amiss (which does happen but let's hope. . . ). As it turned out, some careful fettling made a huge difference. Typical Guzzi , just wants to be fettled!

Rich, that looks so goog it hurts! now my silly silver wheels look so dull. I'll try to drink more and get over it. What did you cut your spring spacers from?

Buck, sorry to hear your trials with the leMans. I remember calling MGNA saying, "aren't you embarrassed this bike has been in the shop so long (3months), shouldn't you do something to show this is such an UNUSUAL situation? There was just silence on the phone. Now I find (from these forums) 3 months is pretty typical. It bites, really. I didn't know , when I got my new V11 sport, that I was getting a 'project bike.' Yet, after alll the fettling, tinkering and tampering this remains a challenging and interesting project. It is not unlike what I imagine Maserati ownership to be like. With those 3 BMW's you just have to decide how much energy it's worth to have such a splinter-fringe ride. Coming to the forums for encouragement, spinning your own tools and taking satisfaction in making the leMans right may be your solace in the process of having a relationship with your Guzzi. It's true, I own a Honda but I have a relationship with my coy, provocative Moto Guzzi.

I complained to my dealer of this problem saying, ' let's replace an o-ring or the right injector.' He says 'no, the fix is to replace the whole rack ' (both throttle bobies, injectors, linkage and TPS). The 'rack' won't come out without lifting the frame off the drive line. Once refitted the right throttle body still dripped. I have to give MGNA and the dealer credit for trying to please me, replacing the whole rack. As it turns out the drip is aggravated by brief on-off modes. (Like cranking up to listen to the exhaust music or for some reason turning the key on without starting). In normal operation very little leak is apparent. It is important not to pressurize the FI system without a normal ride.

Joe, how many miles on your sport? Could it be time to change the gear oil and adjust/grease the shift mechanism? Also, there is an adjustment by the shifter to center the pawl engagement. Rich had said that the return spring problems were an '02 phenomenon. Good luck, docc

Jim, I just swapped oil in my sport yesterday. With the oil warm I refilled 3 quarts. I'll recheck it once it's stirred again to be sure it's on the mark. look well ahead, docc

I've noticed several pictures of spine frames with a stand under the frame side plates. Are these conventional swingarm stands or.... Where can I find a good quality support for my V1s? Thanxx, docc

It's funny: on some of the other boards it's the dreaded 'oil thread' that keeps resurfacing. Here on the V11 site we just can't get enough of suspension. After reading all the threads I could find on this I made some changes to my 00 V11s. I had followed the advice of an 1100i rider and gradually moved all my damping sttings to max. Recently I found some good info at guzzitech.com written by Ed. I set fr & rr rebound 75% and fr & rr compression 50%. The bike is so much nicer to ride. Much more compliant on the imperfect roads I ride. Now, I'm 160# plus gear and the sport's forks sag 45mm from full extension. "Too much," everyone says. Bottom line seems to be the bikes are sprung soft and overdamped. I'm planning to change fork oil to 5wt and add a 10mm spacer, drop the triple clamp 10-15mm. Suspension tuning on the cheap. For your weight most riders would recommend a spring upgrade (still pretty inexpensive). What year is you sport, which rear shock does it have and have you put many miles on it? Good riding! docc

You're right about using the GPS. I'll have to enlist some help from the sport-tour guys . Beats averaging out those last three or four tickets. Those guys say their method of speed determination is rather accurate.

Still, do you think that 6% translates to the odometer as well?

Travelling I 65 the other day, leading a Lemans IV, I began counting seconds past mile markers(using my added dash clock with sweep second hand). For 4 or 5 trials , showing 80 on the speedo, I kept getting 48 or 49 second miles. That translates to 74.23 mph !! Is the speedo really that botched? My buddy said his LMIV was also showing 80. Next time on the slab I guess I'll crank up to 85 (a true 79?). Now my question for you , the gurus of Guzzi: If the speedo is off by 7%, is the odometer also off by 7%? If so I don't have 20,000 on the sport, only 18,600???

I fried the rear brake side bearing on my 2000 sport at low miles (around 12000). It was replaced by warranty (OK, I replaced it but MGNA provided the part). This was during a time I was trail braking heavily with the rear brake to keep the driveline from unlocking while cornering. BAD IDEA! This technique ate the rear brake and cooked out the rear bearing grease. Now I 'trail brake' with the front(per Pridmore) with better results and (hopefully) no more bearing failures. Look well ahead! docc