docc

~nemo, don't let me pretend to be an expert here. The great thing about this forum is we all learn from one another. Let me try to summarize some that I've learned from reading the more knowledgable: Both compression and rebound can be damped. In general, compliance is better maintained by increasing rebound damping ( or decreasing compression damping). The adjustments only affect 'low speed' (slow acting) damping. The high speed damping is fixed within the units. Lighter oil eases the overdamping. Guzzis, like many stock set ups, are softly sprung then the fixed, high speed valving is overdamped to compensate (in both compression and rebound). This gives aplush ride until the bike is pushed hard when compliance (traction) degrades and the suspension is prone to bottoming (especially the rear). The Guzzi has a lot of weight on the rear. There are lots of remedies for this to keep from washing out the front end while cornering hard , especially on a rough road: Increased rear preload, raising forks in the clamps, softer font tire, heavier front springs, moderate front tire pressure. The V11 Sport is such a great bike to make changes and ride always moving it closer to how you want it to feel. "Be back in a couple hours, Honey. Gotta check the suspension on the Guzzi"

Apparently only the 2000 an 2001 had the nervous geometry. I find the damper helpful as the tire wears and cups. With a new front tire I go back to the zero setting on the damper. With a new tire and no damping the bike feels 150 pounds lighter!

I ran into this same mystery on 'what shock.' I always thought mine was wp. One day I was lying next to the bike on the floor and, looking up, I could see the 'Sachs-Boge' ( hey, who said,' sux-big?' ) on the bottom of the remote rservoir. Nemo, have a look there. We're all still on a search for any V11 with a WP. Lex has always made a good strong argument for the correct (heavier) springs and easing the high speed damping of the stock units. No question this would help compliance. I used to think 'compliance' meant 'soft.' But I understand now (after a traction failure) that compliance keeps the rubber on the road. Much better than that "insecure feeling" of leather on the road.

I love that! A Guzzi trait if ever I've heard one. From reading Kevin Cameron,Sportbike Performance Handbook, I gather that a well engineered back pressure ( the crossover will provide that ) sends shock waves back up the header and when reflected in the combustion chamber during valve overlap, contributes to evacuating the chamberr generating additional vacuum for increased cylinder filling. ( whew, now I'm dizzy!) Of course this only effective at those particular rpm ranges which are affected dramatically by exhaust changes. Moving the back pressure impulse a few just a centimeter or so can shift the 'power band' . Hence the big differences from different crossovers. I would expect ( wildly guess) that a straight through 2 into 2 exhaust would favor the top end howl but rob the mid range. Hopefully I've made my contribution to our collective quizzical pensiveness.

Hey, I would still like to see that 'better fitting' cf hugger. Since I kinda skwarshed mine.

KB, The turn was a right hander. I didn't feel anything touch before the tires washed out. I would certainly now trade my long lived tires for the grip. Also I am on the 4.5 inch rim with 160/60 tire size. You may be running the 5.5 with a 180(?). I've just picked up "Twist of the Wrist" and notice our Swedish friend recommended "Twist of the Wrist II ". I'll pick it up next. Back to school for me. Reflecting back on Mack's original query (paraphrased heavily), I agree, this is a heavy old bike. Really great for some distance ( it is no Paneuropean), fabulous on the long sweepers, and always attracts the attention of interesting people where ever it goes. As a sport ride it requires a lot of detailed set up and even extensive upgrades ( see the thread Hollow Front Axle which , with 61 posts and counting, is about fitting Ohlins forks. Curious that questions of adding a Guzzi to the stable brings on discussions of riding style, even philosphy. " I am a Cafe Racer myself . . . - and it is one of my finest addictions." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature

I thought that bracing went from the lower subframe to the engine case. Is the swingarm really any different?

KB, There's a thread at 24/7 V11 last posted on sept 7 : Good tires but *whack* not great tires In short, I was surprised by a corner which tightened up and went off-camber. The oncoming lane was full of BMW coupe so I was determined to change lines abruptly, which the sport did. For an instant before it broke loose and slid into the Bimmer. The fault was all mine. Now, every corner I enter I'm eagerly looking for the exit before I commit. But there were some contributors from the road and the bike: The turn was marked wrong with no indication it is a dangerous 10 mph hairpin. The pavement surface, decreasing radius and camber conspired against me.(The moral: read the road, not the sign). The Michelin Pilot Road tire is too hard for my taste ( since I don't like the taste of asphalt). I've been running too much air pressure. And the overdamped forks don't keep the tire to the road as well as they could. I'm hoping some tire and suspension changes will give me maybe a 5 or 6% edge against the Asphalt Conspiracy. I've got a lotta work to do on my technique to take care of the rest.

Can anyone confirm that the part number is the same for the swingarm on all the year models?

Gotta put in my vote for the sticky front. With 2000 miles on my pilot Roads the front shows almost no wear. Good, I thought, until the front tucked changing lines in a right hander. Don't get me wrong. I blew the corner. But with 28,000 miles on this bike I've flicked it over hard on other tires before. Sticky front = good idea!

OK, OK! You can't get away with much around you guys! After putting the round Guzzi carbon cans on I never touched anything down on the right (until the day I flicked it over too hard and touched everything down on the right). And getting the preload set up helped with touching the stand down on the left. I started cornering by hanging off more. This allows the bike less lean angle for the same speed in the same turn. Nothing extreme, just pointing the inside knee out, weighting the peg and sliding over on the seat enough to press the tank with the outside thigh ( apparently a "Pridmore" technique)... Less lean, more control, less scrape. Still practicing and wish it was second nature as it would have saved my screwed up cornering low-side. Also, compared lots of rides used for 'sport-touring' the V11 does have good ground clearnce ( OK, probably not 'exceptional') . Yet, there's no comparison to the more dedicated sport bikes. Of course if you're riding that hot you can take the side stand off and just have your crew put it on the paddock stand when you come in.

I suppose there may be no end to the niggly problems we continually fettle on our Guzzis. And we often compare this to what we percieve would be the experience with a BMW or a Honda. While my Sport is down from the crash I looked around. You know, the usual suspects. BMW, Ducati, Triumph. Even rode a BMW R1100S (how can they make a big twin seem buzzy and neutral?). So far, nothing has measured up to the styling and allure of the Sport. For my crutch bike I picked up a '93 VFR. Very nice motorcycle. Does every thing pretty well. I definately like it better then the Beemer I rode ( at 1/5 the cost!). But where's the brio? Why don't I find myself , late at night, sitting in the garage, sipping scotch, staring at the VFR? Instead, I'll pick up a bracket or a side cover from the sport and admire its lines. Looking deeply into the disassembled chassis I recall the crisp days connected to the ride, rewarded by the Sport's gutsy intensity and raw beauty. Sure, there's a price to pay. And not everyone can afford the time and frustration to develop and share solutions. But if there were only 'very nice' motorcycles that do 'every thing pretty well' just think what we would be missing. Thanks to everyone for the care and passon to post and reply as we all support one another in the experience. This board has made the biggest difference for me and my Sport.

Charles, The clip-ons are probably all the way up already. You can rotate them back to allow a more upright postion. To rotate them back you must remove the little locator bolts under each clip-on. Be sure to retorque the pinch bolts properly.

I would agree most of us wouldn't notice the hp difference with softened cams for hydraulic lifters. What would concern me more is the change at idle. I love to hear, even watch, my Sport idle. You can tell there's a party going on! All that clatter and jumping ,thumping like a spirited horse prancing about, tugging the reins anticipating the wind. Let the big dog lope!

Good comments, all. My V11 Sport is my "sport-tourer." But I don't do my sporting and touring at the same time. I rely on the reasonable position, good airflow management and highway stability to get me quickly to the twisty stuff without wearing me out. Then find the exceptional ground clearance, intuitive handling, fantastic brakes and responsive motor rewards my sporting experience. I'm guessing the LeMans is more comfy on the tour side and no less capable for light sporting.

The V11 Sport ws returning 37-38 mpg until I tweaked the TPS this last time and goy it down to 36-37. That's a combination of all roads but mostly rural curves, very little traffic. I like to crank through the gears up and down. Music! I have a 750VFR for a critch bike while the Guzzi is in 'restoration' and it's getting 36-38. Could the roads and riding style be the biggest influence on our mileage? I'd think so. Stuck at lights, idling, your fuel consumption will drop precipitously.

These rear brakes do seem problematic. First, they are hung under the swingarm in the worst of the weather. Very likely the outer 'flat' o-ring goops in its groove hindering piston retraction. A regular cleaning is in order. Second, (this is noted in another thread) the hanging lever exerts constant pressure up on the master cylinder. The Sport1100's don't seem to do this, but why? Finally, the master cylinder is mounted above the exhaust and may be heat sinking causing fluid expansion and applying braking force after the bike is heated up. This was noted by one of the magazines on an Aprilia Tuono with similar brake mounting. Time to design a heat shield?

Some guys have all the luck!!

That seems like a very tempting price. Do they charge extra to fit the correct valving and spring for the rider's weight or is it 'one size fits all?' Also, I couldn't find forks for the V11 on that site. Which Ohlins forks are the right ones for the V11 sport?

The shield fell off my original headlamp. Peering through the lens one day I spotted it resting in the bottom of the housing. When the replacement lamp came under warranty I found the beam pattern MUCH improved, fuller and better aimed. I was surprised, really, how much dufference the little shield made. I ran a hi-watt H4 on my H***a for several years but it cooked the connector. Had other troubles with hi-watt H4 bulbs on autos. I shy away from them now. Electrical problems aren't so bad if you can figure out how to get the smoke back in the wires.

That looks like a great ride! And 'close' by US standards. Of course those 'little' mountains might slow your average speed a bit. Weren't the crossovers introduced in '03 presumably for better midrange? The pipes on my 2000 are separate. So separate right now, in fact, that they are lying in different parts of the garage.

Bill, Headed to the Ozarks with a group of sreious sport-tourers I ride with every year. Last year the Sport coulcn't make it as it was 3 months in the sh pfor a cracked gearbox case. This year i've crashed it and just beginning to source replacements. I am between you and Kentucky. Maybe you you stop in on the way home and say a few words over the propped up sport?

Gentlemen, Is there a fender eliminator compatible with a set of high pipes? I'll go back to 'dlaing's' thread on available exhaust, but . offhand , is there a good looking set of high mount pipes available? Let me echo the hospitalty of this board toward all who will post useful experience here. We are rather in the minority, folks. Only by sticking together, sharing and supporting one another will we be able to enjoy these machines to their full potential. Thanks to each and all of you you for your generous participation.

Is there a famous hill climb or other motorcycle event held there? Also, Jaap, I am curious. How far is it for you to ride to Mandello? My friends and I will soon take a sport-tour to a neighboring state. In three days we will travel perhaps one thousand miles (1600km). My average ride is about 100 miles (160 Km if my conversion is correct).

OK. I admit. I'm I bit in the dark on the "Ballabio' thing. At first i read it was a guy. A champion hill climber. Then I read it was an event. And even a place. So what (who) (where) is b-LOB-io?