al_roethlisberger

...oh don't worry, I'm "getting the cam" , and in my case it will almost certainly be the x9 because of the potential valve issues with the x10 on a stock head. I just wanted to compile all the feedback regarding both cams in one thread, since the question seems to come up a bit, but is often buried in other threads like the recent case replacement one... Thanks for the dyno sheet John! Any other "observations" to offer? Now, anyone with some x10 data al P.S. Isn't it amazing that the torque on these bikes never falls below 60ft-lbs(in your example) from 3-8kRPM(although it obviously does have a dip). And even at near idle we have about 40ft-lbs. I think that's pretty impressive

Hrmm, dunno... sounds interesting and easy, but like a lot of things, I bet it harder than it sounds to get a consistent finish, and there's a reason professionals do this more often Sounds like it would be cheap to just give it a try though, kinda like a science project ...after all, it's only about $100 if you don't already have a 12V charger/source. I'd love to try this one day and/or hear about someones' results. But here's something interesting... unless you are going to anodize some billet part on the bike(point to one for me if you find one ) ...most of our aluminum parts are cast, and won't take too well to being anodized. Because of the impurities, you'll end up with a splotchy black result. That's why parts like the valve covers, side plates, etc... are painted/coated from the factory instead of anodized. So, on that note, I just got my side plates and valve covers back from the powder coaters, and the "lollipop candy" finish is awesome(although it's a bit shinier than I would have preferred...)! The coaters had some real headaches with the valve covers though(now I know why MG paints these parts versus coating) because the porous castings "gassed out" a lot, and the guys at the shop had to keep sanding and recoating to get the bubbles to stop. Even after a couple passes, I've still got one or two little pin-prick bubbles that came through. But you wouldn't notice from a distance. I'll post some pics later... al

BTW, just got a call from Moto Italiano, and my work has been "pushed out" until later in Feb sometime it seems Apparently MGNA is doling out the parts as they get them. Oh, and apparently what with this recall, and trans and con-rod recall as well, Moto Italiano said they are looking at about 30 bikes that have to have their engines pulled this Winter/Spring Sheesh... that's a lot of work. al

Since the question has come up in various threads, and will be hard to find again buried there.... Can those experienced with the Megacycyle 620x9 and 620x10 cams offer their observations, both objective(data) and subjective(feel) on the results of installing either of these cams in their V11 Sport/LeMans? http://www.mgcycle.com/megacycledatasheet.htm I would really be interested in seeing any dyno runs posted that can show specific results from each cam, especially if the dyno run is illuminating the cam installation on it's own, versus in combination with other variable/mods. This would help identify the areas where each cam shines and offers the most positive, or any negative, impact. And of course, any other info, catch-22s, fuel consumption, considerations, and general oberservations would be much appreciated. al

Oh geez, well if you put it that way, that's a simple answer... it depends, and it depends ...sorry couldn't resist. Well, truthfully, and unfortunately... it does "depend", and it "depends" on a lot of things such as: 1) How susceptable your bike was to detonation before(because the combustion chambers can vary a bit) 2) What cam you choose, as they all have different sweet-spots depending on grind/specs 3) Tuning, other aftermarket mods, etc..... But, as far as dropping in the FBF pistons, here is what I know simply based upon some conversations with others and Mike Rich. - Although advertised at 11:1 compression, it's unlikely you'll really have anything close to that. MG rates the bikes currently at around 9:1 I believe, and that's optimistic given MG's wildly variable combustion chamber manufacturing tolerances. Mike Rich considers 10.5:1 about the max one would really want to run on the street, and considers 10:1 more reasonable. He guesses that the FBF pistons are really closer to 10 or 10.25:1 in practice?? I have no objective data on that though, and it would vary a bit by bike. But a slightly lower CR than 11:1 is a good thing if so - ....because, it'll probably be more real-world rideable, and less likely to detonate. In fact, I haven't heard of anyone who's used the FBF kit having any detonation problems. So that's also a good thing Although I've only heard from people so far during the cooler part of the year, I assume many of them have had the pistons since the Summer, so However, you do increase the chance of detonation by increasing the CR, so it may be something you'll have to deal with. You can ameliorate it to some degree by increasing octane(using premium gas), stepping down to a cooler plug, running a bit more rich, etc... If you're bike is pinging now under full throttle, yes... in general.... dropping in the FBF or similar higher CR pistons could and probably will make detonation more likely. BUT, as mentioned above, if your bike is pinging now, it may just be an issue of tuning the bike appropriately to quench the problem, and you may be able to run the higher CR pistons just fine. It's really going to depend on the bike and how many "hot spots" your combustion chamber has.... only a head guy like Mike can really tell and clean it up if so, if possible. After I got the PCIII tuned correctly, my valves set right, I haven't had hardly any pinging even under hard acceleration.... and I always run premium gas - In regard to the cam... now this really DOES "depend".... the 620x9 is still a mild cam, but should boost the low and midrange, where we all generally really ride in teh real-world. I don't know if it does much for the high end. Perhaps someone with this cam can chime-in. Well, hope that helps a bit. Most of my info is anecdotally gleaned from other's experiences here..... but maybe some others with experience first-hand can add their perspective. al

My dealer... Moto Italiano in San Mateo, CA is supposed to have me on the schedule for February. They are supposedly bringing their old tech "Sean" up from SoCal for the work, and he's supposed to be some whiz, and is well recommended. I have not had a confirmation on dates or anything though yet al

Well, keep in mind that if you have an '01, regardless of how long you've owned the bike, the battery is probably going on 3 years old.... so I don't know that it's failing a year after you've gotten the bike is a good indicator of the quality of the batteries in general I've had mine for 18 months with never a problem(knock on wood), and really haven't heard too many complaints about the current ones. I keep mine on the battery tender regularly as well, so perhaps that helps. Would love to hear what model of this dry cell you end up getting though... sounds interesting It would be good to compile a list of compatible aftermarket battery alternatives, and their advantages for a FAQ. al

1) Engine modifications of any significance(any we'd discuss in regard to the engine being apart) will void the warrantee on your engine technically. Depending on the dealer, they may choose to overlook the modifications and just not mention them to MGNA if anything were to happen, but technically...... technically ........ My warrantee is up in May, so that's only 4 months after my case replacement, so personally I'm not too worried about it. 2) Recommendations? Well the easiest engine modifications would be drop in pistons like Mike Rich's or FBF's(~$300), and a cam(~$350). I would recommend the the Megacycle 620x9 cam as that requires no head/valve modification. If you do anything else like new connecting rods or a wilder cam, you're looking at valve work and engine rebalancing. I think these two would give you the most bang for your buck, where other mods will start to offer diminishing returns. Good luck. I've got some minor blemishes on my transmission as well, but it is where the headers run close. Now that I have the headers Jet-Hot coated, the temperatures should be much less, and hopefully the paint won't deteriorate further. We'll see al

...yes MGNA seems to be "the" major problem, but once out of warrantee that's sorta a moot point But I do agree that we all wish the QA was a bit better, but also to Rich's point, excluding the rare major defects, once an owner sorts out the gremlins themselves during the first few months of tinkering, the bikes seem to generally be solid. I have no faith in most dealers to however find and exterminate said gremlins though. In fact, every time I take the bike to the dealer, I cringe about what new ding or other problem will arise. In fact, I just bought a whole package of Polaroid film to document the bike before sending it in for the engine case replacement. Anyway, it appears they've sacked a whole load of folks at MGNA including the head honcho, so perhaps we'll be lucky enough that they'll be replaced with people who care. Time will tell... al

I did notice that right after using the S100 that the satin black passenger peg brackets developed a "haze". I cleaned them up with some wax, but was a bit concerned. al

S100 has some stuff "formulated" just for bringing the "black back out" on painted engines and keeping it looking dark instead of gray.... I forget what it was called, but it was in a small aerosol can, and I picked some up and will try it out later. It's supposed to be heat resistant, stay "black", etc... dunno how well it works yet though al

Hrmm, maybe they sell a different Simple Green up in your neck-o-the-woods But that stuff undiluted is tough stuff that I wouldn't want to soak my hands in very long Glad to hear that the S100 worked wonders for you guys, but honestly sprayed directly on dirt(all work best not pre-soaked with water) the Simple Green seemed to dissolve all the road-grime and oil 'on contact' and cause the dirt to weep off just as well as the S100 did on my bike today If it was better, I'm not sure it was $5+ better per bottle(really about $10 better since it's half the quantity of my Simple Green) .... I'd have to think twice about spending that much again since one bottle is only good for 3 to 4 washes based on today's use. Anyway, not knocking S100 or it's proponents.... just my observations from a price/performance perspective. I've still got enough left for a couple more washings and will continue to give it a try though al

Ok, based upon all these glowing reviews, I went out and bought some of that hyper-expensive S100 stuff today, their detergent and wheel cleaning forumlas, and gave them a squirt.... Well, it certainly is good stuff at dissolving road crud, I'll give it that But at ~$7 for 2 tiny squirt bottle($15 investment), I don't know that it was commensurately better than good ole Simple Green(~$2 for jug), and my "Autozone" automotive detergent It's hard to say I could tell that much difference honestly. It does seem to work though Since I've got 'em I'll keep on using the stuff and see how it works over time. Maybe I'll warm up to it more after I use it a few more times al

.... I'm confused, why a mistake Jefff?? From what I can tell from your posts, you've been having nothing but a great time tinkering, modifying, and showing off your Sport. And I haven't heard you report any real problems, so ..... ...is this vicarious regret? Don't condemn your bike, experience, or even the whole marque just upon the problems others have reported. As owners on many lists/forums have mentioned before for years, including our own, and as Mike points out above.... for better or worse, it is far more common for people to complain than praise, and regardless of the make or model one can log into any forum and find a litany of problems. This is true of even the most vaunted of brands such as Honda, "the paragon of reliability." Goldwings overheating, VTX heads being recalled, new VFR seat subframes cracking.... or Yamaha, FJR overheating.... ad nauseum. While it's true that it's unfortunate to hear about problems, I'm happy to hear them reported so that I'm prepared. I would have never heard about half of the preventative steps, or even remedies, if others hadn't reported them here. Forewarned is forearmed.... Unless one is personally experiencing a "lemon," I wouldn't write off any brand or model if it is serving you well. If we did that, we wouldn't have confidence in hardly anything I think MG has come a long way, especially in the last 2 years. The fit and finish, and new R&D seems to be on the upswing al P.S. ...awesome to hear you've had great results with your bike John (Now go knock on some wood )

...that is odd for sure. Any chance you've had the tank off recently(or similar) and somehow the fuel-supply line has gotten even closer to the left cylinder? Any fuel map changes(leaner = hotter)? Changes similar to those mentioned above could contribute. Just curious... al

Wow Rich, you'll have to let us on your secret "on the bike anodization" technique. Just add a little dye to your process, polish, and voila! With all the accolades, I'll have to check out this S100 stuff one day. But for now Simple Green is cheap and works pretty darned well al

..... I think I recall offering you this advice back in your hugger removal thread where you said something about[paraphrasing] "...naw, I want to keep the stickers because it makes it look industrial" ...or something like that Anyway, yeah, if you just take a hair-dryer and heat the stickers up, and gingerly pull them away while continuing to heat.... they'll peel right off in one continuous piece. In fact, they'll peel off so cleanly, that you can re-stick them to a piece of paper and save them in your Guzzi maintenance folder for future reference if you want. ...trying to peel them off "cold" is an excercise in frustration, as they'll just come off in chips, and leave behind goo. A good follow up with some WD-40 on a rag will remove the remainder of any adhesive. Good luck al

Dunno about Gio, but my VL experience was immediately upon riding in high-altitude and high-temp(our Yosemite trip).... a couple months into ownership.... al

...exactly who does it make look like savages? The point is that it's so over the top, that it represents no real person, it's just silly One damned stupid movie al

Left side, the "tee" on the back of the pump allows for some flexibility in the future such as a fuel-cell, or if I need to tune the setup a bit:

Right side, note new external regulator and location:

Closer overhead:

Final version, less hoses, more fittings The "bridge" under the fuel-pump is made of two AN "tees" joined. Fuel is supplied by two OEM petcocks feeding two -6AN fittings, and a remote Weber(same manufacturer as OEM) remote pressure-regulator is connected to the now "H" shaped fuel manifold via -8AN fittings and hose to reduce fuel velocity as it exits the regulator. Ultimatley I would have preferred an equal flow "Y" connector from the regulator, as the current setup will still favor sending fuel to the right side a bit, but with head pressure from the tank, the decreased flow by using the -8 cross-section, and with "suction" from the pump, I'm hoping that my goals will still be reached. Gio's testing has shown great results lowering heat, and apparently quashing the "vapor lock" scenario after relocating and shielding the pump in this thread: Forum Vapor Lock Thread - see page 5 for Gio's results Regarding "balancing" the fuel level in the tank, I consider this a "bonus" benefit, and only a few tank fulls will tell the tale. I'll report as I learn more. View from above, shielding will also be installed on supply lines and fittings when complete:

Yep, disregard the mess in the photo above ...that was a mock-up, and I came up with a couple different arrangements after this. I think I've got my final setup ready, and I'll post a picture ASAP. This addresses two issues: 1) Relocated/Shielded fuel-pump, supply lines, and filter reduce or eliminate the "vapor lock" issues, verified by Gio in his vapor lock thread. 2) By creating a "balance tube" this allows balancing both sides of the tank to equilize fuel levels on both sides of the tank, and allow equal(or near equal) syphoning from both sides, where the OEM design isolates a significant amount of fuel on the right side and only allows syphoning from the left. Results from further testing to follow. al

...oh and cover your instruments with a cloth/bag so that they don't get a direct blast of water, and of course don't douse/blast any electrical connectors if you can avoid it. The next time you take the bike apart, if you put some good dielectric grease on the various connectors, you should have little issues with moisture degrading the connectors for a good long time. Do this once a year or so, and you'll be well served. al