al_roethlisberger

...or you could just take the whole sidestand off, and lean the bike against the nearest tree or fence-post like dirt-bikers do But seriously, I don't think that the "wire loopy" kickstand thing is the culprit, as it's too flimsy. I could be wrong, but I'd be surprised. It's more likely that you are hitting the rear edge of the "foot" of the stand, or something similarly stout. Can you see the scrapes on the stand/mount to tell where you actually touched? ...and BTW, I am still amazed you guys get these bikes over far enough to drag the stand. I bow to your skilzzzzzzz

....yeah, just as I mentioned in the thread where I requested a photo of the "out front" location on Tenni's... isn't it funny how the factory can vary so much on these bikes? But in the end, also as I mentioned, I think MG just decided to move the pump "out front" on all late '02 bikes before the in-tank pump was ready to go for the '03 models, because they were having all these overheating problems with the previous location with the pump between the cylinders. In regard to your fuel supply line "resting on the head"... in my humble opinion, you should take the tank off, and reroute that line such that it is as far away as you can reasonably make it. There are a multitude of places to lace it up to the wiring harnesses, etc. to get it away from the heat... so it amazes me that MG didn't do a better job keeping it clear of heat-sources. When I look at the whole solution, it amazes me that MG didn't think it through any better.... amazes me.... al

hrmmm, understood, but then again the stock location for the pump for everyone else except Tennis is right under the spine, within inches of the *hot* left cylinder... a MUCH net positive heat location. And as you notice from the Tenni photo, the pump is also wrapped in about 1/2 inch of rubber. So I don't think the pump radiates any heat "out" in the stock configuration, at least not significantly. What does cool the pump though is the flow of fuel through it. So I don't(hoping anyway) that my new location and wrapping the pump in heat reflective(90% efficiency BTW ) shielding will overly insulate it. I guess we'll see though. I've run it about 100 miles so far with no issues. However, I am sure that having the pump "out front" on the Tenni like the old Centauro, does aid in cooling, and I think this is why it was moved out front on some V11's until the "in tank" pump was introduced in 2003... since we were having the overheating issues with the stock location under the spine. Bottom line, I'm pretty sure the pump is cooled by the flow of fuel, and the source fuel should now be a *lot* cooler with my supply line about 2 inches further from the left head, and wrapped in the same shielding. Here's more info on the problem, and the inspiration for my design: Vapor Lock FAQ al

...naw, a bug-strike might chip one, and then.... Yeah, I was actually thinking about ripping this all out and making a small fuel-cell to fit where the air-box was on top of the spine. ...isn't that how it always goes? You get a project pretty much finished, and then .... POW... a new idea strikes! Anyway, I thought about it and after staring at the space, realized I'm talking about maybe a quart of fuel. Sure that's 10 extra miles, but I don't think it would be worth the expense and hassle. So I'll be redoing the current installation a bit, as I mentioned raising the fuel-pump to provide a bit more clearance for the supply line and making the new fittings for the "balance tube" part of the project. al

Yeah, my '02 just started this "no start" weirdness. And interestingly(and most telling) when it ehibits this behavior, a quick turn of the handlbars to the left, and it starts right up. I think in my case it's pretty obvious that I fouled up the connectors just a bit while I was messing around under the tank doing my fuel-pump project. I'll take the tank off tomorrow and make it right. It's inconvenient, but so far not a "stranding" failure... as since I'm pretty sure I know what is wrong, it really doesn't bother me too much. ...it's those issues that I can't track down the root cause that keep me up at night al

When you describe "brake squeal"... is this happening while riding, or just pushing the bike around?? I ask because we have discussed the "brake groan" from the rear when rolling the bike backwards. Mine used to do it when I first got it, then went away(after tapping the rear brake) but has started doing it pretty consistently lately. For now I was chalking it up to not being ridden enough over the last 4-5 months... sitting in the shop. Are we talking about the same thing? al

Yep Jason, I'lll be taking lots of little rides these next weeks. It ran really well yesterday actually, only hiccuping twice... but then again it was a string of short rides, and the weather was very very mild and cool. It seems more sensitive to this behavior once really hot. Todd, thanks for the updated map, and I plan to get it installed today if I end up going for a ride... which is the plan I'll let you know if I notice any difference. thx al

...hrmm, good point, although that's not exactly what I was asking of them. I was asking for "across the board" better mileage, as well as power, and if that meant sacrificing a couple peak HP, I was OK with that. They actually said that was an excellent plan, as many customers come in not really knowing what their goal is. Since I plan to take this bike on long duration trips here and there, gas mileage maximization through areas just such as the Mojave would be a good idea. I almost ran out in Zion a couple years back, and that wasn't going to look like a lot of fun But yes, I see your point. Once I have this idle issue more-or-less sorted out, and have some more miles racked-up... I'll probably go back and get yet another map made. Plus one of these days, once I get the dual-plug thing going... that'll be a new map too So I'm sure I'll see some changes over time. Heck Todd just sent me a modified version of the map I just got ...so I'll be trying that out tomorrow! al

...and it just gets worse and worse at Cobin: Further lawsuits filed against Corbin Motors ...well Rich, I guess your business may be picking up if prosecutors link the motor and seat businesses over there at Corbin al

Was riding around with my GF today, and had a good time, but after a while she complained a bit that at certain RPMs the rear pegs were transmitting the vibes quite efficiently right through her boots, and into her legs She commented, "...your other bike didn't do that?" Of course, the other bike was an I-4, and had padded rubber passenger pegs That being said, I wonder if there are any pegs from other bikes, or MG/Aprilia that could be easily swapped out when going for a longish ride with the GF? The stockers are simply held on with a snap-ring it appears. Any ideas? thx al

Here's a photo of my final undertail fender extender. The measurements are the same as reported earlier, except that I extended the length a bit... how much I forget, but I think it's an inch or so... and then just hand-trimmed it to clear the shock and swingarm. Again, it uses the three stock bolt locations, so no special fabrication on the bike itself is required. I think it adds a good bit more protection to the battery and cable area from both debris and water, especially since I've removed my rear hugger. BTW, just as an aside, I noticed that while reinserting and loctite-ing the hugger bolts into the swingarm, that the threaded inserts often were loose enough to turn in the swingarm itself making tightening the bolts a bit tricky. al

A full-bike shot... the finale'

And for future shoppers of Ti Leo cans, this is what they look like:

And, now from the rear... finally "even"

Here is the right side with the bushing cut in half and reduced from the standard 45mm to 27mm:

Left side with standard and unmodified sized bushing from Leo Vince:

Ok, old thread... but I've finally got something constructive to add to it As you may remember, I went ahead and purchased the Ti Oval Leo Vince exhausts, and they turned out quite nice. However, as noted earlier in the thread, because the 2002+ bikes have the uneven stock exhaust hangars, exhaust systems that do not take this into account... like the Leo's, tend to look very uneven when viewed from the rear. So, after some experimentation with wooden blocks, fabrication, etc... here's what I found. In the case of the Leo Vince's, the stock exhaust mount bushing is 45mm. I cut the right side bushing down to 27mm(although an "even" 25mm would probably be safe as well) and now the rear is within a quarter of an inch even, which is bascially visually unnoticeable. So for those with these or similar pipes, you can safely bring the right can inward quite a bit without fear of hitting the swingarm during the suspension's compression. Following are some photos. al

BTW, just a quick note.... and to Rich Maund's question as well... you may remember that when I gave the bike to Hare to map, I asked for a balance between efficiency and power, leaning toward the economy/efficiency end of the scale. So, the final map was a bit leaner than my top dyno run, which had a bit more HP. Todd Eagan at Guzzitech plotted this run over a stock '00 V11 Sport. Al's top Dyno Run, but with a richer map This mapping, that we didn't stick with, gave me 84.17HP, and 62.76ft-lbs. So there's more to be gained for sure, it just depends on the trade-offs one is willing to make. So, since my "goal" is an eventual 90 rear-wheel HP, I'm nearly there really Just about 6hp short, under ideal conditions of course al

OK, well I more-or-less finished the "phase I" version of this modification, but like all things, I've realized a little better way of doing it. So next week I'll be taking it apart again and tweaking the height of the fuel-pump(raising it a bit to let the intake hose clear the shock mount) and starting to build-in the "tee" and hookups for the balance tube from the right side of the tank. I've got another petcock on the way, and as soon as I nail-down the size/thread of the regulator and dream-up a way to remotely mount it, it should be an easy install. We'll see though But as it stands now, although not perfect, it works just fine. Bottom line, does it solve/stop the "vapor lock" issue?? I have no idea, and probably never will... unless the bike "vapor locks" again. But alas, that is the nature of these intermittent and hard to reproduce problems. If it never happens again, I guess I can hope to think I've reduced the probability, but who knows yet. Here is a current photo, although this photo shows the supply line without the heat-sheilding installed. al

... it's funny you mention that, as my GF and I were saying the same thing during the first run. We were standing outside the garage, about 50 feet directly behind the thing, and when it really started to "wail"... we both looked at each other rather curiously... then slowly scooted off to the side hoping that no shrapnel would be flying our way. ...and yes, it was LOUD.... man I said, "boy, I feel sorry for their neighbors!" As another aside, I joked with Denise that, "..hey, maybe it will fly off the dyno... wouldn't that be funny?! " But seriously, I love the bike, and that would "suck"... but on the other hand, it's insured, and that would be "one heck of a show" ... as long as no one got hurt of course I often laugh to myself in the same vein when the mechanics have my truck waaaaay up on a lift... I'm like, "ohhh baby, fall off, daddy needs a new paint job" al

Thanks Matthieu, The fella at Hare tried the same, although I'll have to double-check to see where he modified the values. I think I'm going to get the valves adjusted to the Raceco specs first and see what happens, then if it's still acting up take it back down to Hare and/or do as you have done. ...keeping my fingers crossed that the valve adjustment will help a good bit, as this is the only real problem I've got with the bike. al

No problem, I'll email mine to Jaap to post in the files section. I've also sent it to Todd Eagan at Guzzitech al

Hrmm, I guess I'm going to have to get the valves set to Raceco specs.... that seems to be the last variable to address the idle stumble. Mike, you wanna come over and walk me through the prodedure BTW, how many miles do you have on your LeMans Callithrix? Mine is still very low since it sat in the shop for 5 months... at ~3000. I just called a tech at Moto International, and although he confirmed that the idle stumble is endemic to all low-mileage V11 Sport/LeMans(and said Guzzi really should do something about it) he also said that the problem mysteriously seems to disappear at 6-8k miles for just about everyone. This is the same advice my dealer here has given, so I guess I just have to go "rack up some miles". It's funny though, this idle problem only started after the first service... *sigh* Oh, and yes in regard to the power output... I'm sure it is something of a battle of diminishing returns for many of these modifications, but also keep in mind that some of them(such as the pods) were for my own pure vanity . I suspect a couple things though... 1) The engine is still tight. I bet if I dyno this thing once it loosens up at 10k or so, there'll be some more power(everything else being equal). 2) It's still not running optimally. It just isn't. With that understood, I might be able to get a tiny bit more out of it. 3) ..dual-plugging?? ....a difference?? We'll see. Still a hurdle on the timing advance issue. ...and finally, if one ignores the "coughing" and stumbling at idle... the bike definitely runs and pulls better now. And it SOUNDS much better That intake "suck" and exhaust boom are quite eeeeeempressive Well, off to "rack some miles up"... hopefully with no drama from the idle issue, other than some inconvenience. OH, and I also had Mike Stewarts "no start" issue twice yesterday. Odd that it's never happened before, so I bet I've got a loose connector under the tank since I moved everything around so much over the last week tinkering. I think this is minor.. just need to clean and reconnect the various connectors on the harness I bet. al

It's hard for me to tell how well the Stucci, etc... diminished the infamous 4-5k RPM torque "dip"... as I never took the opportunity to dyno the bike completely stock, although I wish I had. That being said, the "butt dyno" after installing the pods, x-over, and exhaust... even before the custom map... exhibited a pretty obvious improvement. But as a comparson, John's "suped up" Rosso with the additional benefits of a new cam, valve-springs, and balancing... still exhibits the same dip in the ~4-5k RPM range, although his output is increased across the board as well. Hot Rod Rosso Thread So I can only assume that barring some new discovery by some tuner, the 4-5k dip is somewhat endemic to this engine design and it's fueling system. It looks like it can be diminished and smoothed out, but will always be somewhat present. I don't know why though. al

...much smoother