al_roethlisberger

OK, well as I mentioned in a couple other threads, I went to pick up my bike today at Moto Italiano after about 4 months being off the road. You may remember that this trip to the shop was a combination of things. First and foremost, the bike wasn't running. It hardly started, then kicked and bucked and coughed back out of the right throttle body. I also had an oil leak in the rear, and there were a number of body panel pieces that had been warranteed. And finally, as this thread suggests, I had my heads off to Mike Rich for porting and dual-plugging. ...so I figured I'd drop the bike off "over the Winter" to get all this done at one time. Well, here's the status: 1) All the body panels that showed up were replaced without trouble. This was the right front fairing, right red side-plate, and some other nits that I had been picking 2) The oil leak was the rear shaft seal, also done under warrantee. Hopefully it will hold. 3) The heads came back with no drama. Stage II porting, quarter point in compression increase, and dual-plugs installed, but not "operational" yet. I still have to get new coils, and a new ignition map for that. 4) Install Leo Vince Ti Exhausts. BTW, after fiddling, we've got them to go on perfectly straight. They look fine. We didn't have to trim the metal bushing after we bent the Stucci x-over correctly. It came from the Stucci folks a bit.... "off" They look and sound great BTW 5) Not running..... still not running So here's the deal. While it was in the shop, and after they got the bike back together, Moto Italiano couldn't get the bike to run. After much back-and-forth between Guzzi and the shop, they finally just swapped out an ECU from another bike and they got it to run. Prior to that, it wouldn't idle and would cough and blow the right TB boots off. However when I picked it up today, it seemed fine. But once I rode it a couple miles on the freeway and got it all warmed up, as soon as I let off the throttle it would die. This is the typical issue many of us have had where after running the bike at high RPM, and then coming to a stop... the bike would stumble and die. I have had this problem with the bike from day one, however it was now very pronounced. Then as I limped the bike home, as if I ever let the bike go below 2k, it would die... it started coughing at around 3k, and eventually blew the right TB off. Hooray.. ...back to the shop. So, the guys were of course more than excited to see me ride back up ...and I understand. This has been frustrating for them as well. Anyway, they tinkered a bit with the air bypass, etc... and got it run and idle a bit higher. After some test-rides around the block, they thought they had the problem licked. However, as soon as I did my longer ride test, same problem albeit not at prounounced. I ran it a couple miles down the freeway at about 65mph, took an offramp, came to a redlight.... dead. I fired it right back up, and had to nurse the throttle to keep it running, which again led to stumbling and coughing. So back to the shop... At this point it's now 3pm, and I've been there 3+ hours, and they are at a loss. To their credit, the guys at Moto Italiano have been very helpful and have been trying to get this running. But it's being very tempermental. So, Jason(the owner of the shop) comes out and talks to me a bit. He says he's really sorry and embarassed that this it happening with this bike. He says they've sold 5 or 6 of these LeMans and only my bike and the demo they've got has exhibited this same recurring problem that he knows of. He then offered to immediately send a letter to Guzzi to see if they can't take some special effort to resolve this ASAP as I've been very patient and have been trying to get this fixed for nearly a year. He's going to ask them if they can't just authorize replacing the whole fueling/injection/sensor system, as this piece-meal changing of parts just isn't working. It hasn't worked for their demo '02 LeMans either. So, after waiting several months, I had to leave the bike at the shop again. It just wasn't reliable They are going to let me know what they hear next week, and see what the next steps are. I told Jason that this was very frustrating for me, as I'd like to take the bike on some long trips this Summer, but right now I don't have any confidence in it. Hopefully Guzzi has some insight into what may be causing the bike to run so poorly. Starting Tuesday, they are zeroing out all the sensors and resetting the TPS, etc... all over again. Poor guys, I know they are pulling their hair out over this one al

...what, you mean this thread? V11 Forum LED/Flushmount Signal Thread ... that never went anywhere

....good one Mike

Well, here's one for the oddity books... One of the warrantee issues I had my bike in the shop to be looked into, was an odd squeak coming from the rear suspension. The only way to get the bike to squeak was to go over a sharp bump, such as over a small curb into a parking lot, or to bounce on the seat very sharply, quickly, and hard enough to compress the suspension significantly. After much inspection, frustration, and lubrication of every possible joint around the rear swingarm, suspension, etc... the sound seemed to be coming from the rear shock itself. Well, after a call to Lindeman Engineering, they suggested trying to adjust the rebound setting on the nitrogen cannister.... just on a lark. Well, that was it.. we adjusted it "4 clicks" harder or softer and the squeak went away. So apparently something in the shock valving was "whistling" under hard compression. Very odd. So if you end up with this weird squeak from the rear end, before tearing everything apart, try adjusting your rear shock first. That might be it. What will be interesting to see is if it gets better over time and I can put it back to the original setting. Maybe it just needed to be moved around a bit. Who knows. al

Well, while the Moto Italiano guys were trying to find the "mystery squeak" in my bike's rear-end, John came by and dropped off his Scura. Ya'll might remember that he was the fella that had the loose/worn torque-arm bushings, and wondered if this was anything anyone else had seen. And MAN were they gone, front and back! You could grab the whole bevel-box and just move the whole assembly around. Anyway, it seems that the bushing in the rear had started to "click" some time back, but he didn't know what the noise was. In hindsight he now realizes the bushing must have been going, then continued to wear at a faster and faster rate, eventually also causing the failure of the front a few thousand miles later. I don't know for sure, but it seemed likely that they were going to take care of this under warranty from what I heard... at least I hope so HI JOHN ...nice meeting you! So if you hear a clickety click back around your torque-arm, keep an eye on it. al

Hey Mike, Well I saw "all of the above" while I was up there, as well as ANOTHER Rosso parked out front of Moto Italiano with Staintunes. I don't know if ya'll remember our thread from last year trying to find a LeMans with Staintunes to see how it looked, well I finally saw one. It looks fine BTW. They are a bit shorter than stock, and the chrome is "different" but I can't say it looks bad. As usual with Staintunes, the quality is top notch, and that comes through. I forgot digital camera, so unfortunately I didn't get a picture. I was up at Moto Italiano to pick my bike up. And I don't know if it was teros1's Rosso in the back, but they were finishing up the Rosso with Guzzi Ti cans when I was there. This is the same bike I had chatted with them about last week where they had indeed said that the stock crossover seemed to only work with them, and with the Stucci they tried, the fit was waaaay off. In my opinion I am sure one could have bent the Stucci to fit but it would have been an ordeal to get correct. This Rosso also had the airbox removed and had K&N pods on the throttle-bodies. It looked like a very nice combination. Very "racey". But here's my observation, and this is of course purely from my perspective... The Ti Guzzi cans are a quality set of exhausts, and since they are so high and tucked into the rear, the new hangars are now "even" instead of the right hand side being kicked-out a CM or two. But with these new cans, it would be nigh impossible to fit standard luggage. One might be able to fabricate a bracket that held the bags out further over the cans, but the standard bags we are all familiar with wouldn't be useable. Also, the Ti Guzzi cans are very "upswept" when viewed from the side. Very sporty yes, but... and of course again this is all a matter a personal taste, I think I prefer the more "straight back" look of the OEM cans and the aftermarket exhausts. Certainly from the rear, the Ti Guzzi cans look very neat and tidy tucked up close to the tail, but from the side, it almost looks like those "duck shooters" we were joking about in another thread ...ok, not that bad, but they are a rather extreme angle. So if you are thinking about getting these cans, those are two things to keep in mind. They won't work with any of the current bag solutions out there, and they are what they are... sporty, and quite "upswept". So you might might want to see some first-hand, or get some good side photos so you can see if you like the styling they offer. Never the less, and whatever your preference, they are very very nice, and sound great. If I didn't want bags, and didn't prefer the stock "straight back" look a bit better, I would be kicking myself for getting the Leo's Oh, and as mentioned above, they aren't as "gold toned" as some of the photos suggest. They are typical Ti silver, just like Mistrals, or Leo's. But I've found now that I've seen multiple exhausts on these bikes over the last year that just about any the finishes, chrome, aluminum, Titanium, or CF all looks good. We are pretty lucky that the variety of finishes on these bikes allows for a good mix and match. One last observation on the Rosso getting the K&Ns and Ti Guzzi exhausts.... I noticed that the K&Ns were attached directly to the throttle-bodies instead of utilizing the "runner" that goes into the airbox. The largest K&Ns that would fit were used, so this runner couldn't be utilized. My question is that I had always heard that one shouldn't hang the K&N filters directly of the TBs as it causes tuning problems?? However, Moto Italiano seems to think it was running fine, so I guess the owner of this bike will let us know I looked good though, that's for sure So this is three Rosso's that I know of that Moto Italiano has sold. I guess we'll see quite a few of them around. Seems like it's a good seller for MG al

It's hard to say exactly what happens Paul, as like most things of this type, it's hard to reproduce in a controlled environment. That's why it has been so frustrating for most people that have experienced it. Of course, even if a fix like a heat-shield is effective, it's hard to ever know if it really works... as one will just have to wait around for a whole season of riding to see if it never happens again Not to make it sound like I don't want to describe the problem and it's symptoms ....but I have a long description in the FAQ section for both the similar but unrelated "tank suck" and "vapor lock" problems that might answer a few of your questions. al

... with the "vapor lock" one can clearly hear the pump trying to pump "vapor".... al

I completely agree, and asked them if they offered any modified versions in this vein. They said they didn't. Maybe if a couple or more of us called them and asked about a version as you describe, they may be a bit more inclined. I agree, just a tad back over the fork-tubes would be perfect. Maybe a "group buy"? al

..in fact I believe this was a genuine "dealer bulletin/recall" issue. I think the dealer will replace these with the steel ones free of charge if you press the issue. Give it a try. All current bikes since '01 have steel brackets. al

....hrmmm, dunno. But mine was just replaced as well during this last visit. Hopefully it won't go again. Is this a recurring problem for anyone else, or is Scott's experience unique? If not, as he inquires, is there a magic issue to avoid operationally(such as oil overfilling) or point-out to the dealer when replacing the part? al

I've been thinking about this a bit further. 15mm, is 1 & 1/2cm(I know, no ) Anyway, while still not a huge amount, that's more than I was thinking at first. I don't have a schematic of the rake, trail, wheelbase, etc of the V11 LeMans, but trying to imagine the amount of change, I would say you are probably likely to notice this change. Paul, Carl, Lex, etc... may want to chime in on this as they seem to have some more data on the actual dimensions of the bike. But although I believe it still won't matter much, I bet you will notice the quicker handling. Some might caution that it will make it less stable at speed, more prone to wobble, etc... but I doubt this small change in geometry will make it any less stable that the '00/01 V11 Sport, and I haven't really heard any complaints from those owners in that extent. Bottom line, let us know how you perceive, if at all, any change in handling, good or bad. I'll be very curious as I'm sure others will be performing similar modifications over time for bars, or just out of curiosity to quicken the steering. al

...well, it's going to take degree or three out of your front rake, making turn-in a bit faster. Basically you will be negating to some extent the "more lazy" handling of the 2002+ bikes as compared to the '00/01 Sports. You'll get a bit faster handling, but that should be it... if you notice it at all. You may not. al

...Earth calling Jason Did you ever locate your "missing head" and get it to Mike Rich? It's just about Summer and we need to get this dual-plug thing going! BTW, I dropped by the shop Saturday and my bike is basically all together and ready to go. They're still waiting on a replacement bracket from Leo Vince which had arrived bent, but that should be here Tuesday or Wednesday. And if everything looks good on Tues/Wed after the final check, I guess I will be able to finally go get the bike ...I'm not sure I remember how to ride Then, it's to the drawing boards on how to get the dual-plugging going. Coils, I think that's mostly settled, then get the FI mapped... the second part of which may prove to be no small task al

Not to defend MG Italia or MGNA, but I think quite a few of us are simply victims of the "early adopter" blues... both in Quality Control, and valuation. I pretty much violated my rule of "never buying the first year anything" by getting the 2002 LeMans, and well... here we are But I don't regret it. I'm just working through the issues as they come along, and once everything is remedied(either by myself or through MG) the bike will be as good as any of the prior or following V11 Sport varieties IMHO. And since I don't plan to sell the bike any time soon, the fact that you can get a new LeMans for thousands less only irks me a little... ok, well more than a little But to put it in perspective in my own mind, I had to do a bunch of work on my old FJ to get it just how I wanted it as well, and for me that's part of the fun. However, MG should definitely address the issues with the "first year" LeMans, but then again anything based on the original Sport should have been well sorted out... and I think most of those issues had. It's just the new stuff like the "fuzzy black" engine paint, and a few others that have thrown us for a loop. In fact, the issues specific to the 2002 models represent a relatively short list, but the problem is that MG isn't taking the "high road" and making things right, and that's disappointing. Bottom line, I am still very interested to hear what MG will officially and finally do about the paint issue, and if the new 2003 black paint will prove more durable. If it doesn't, I think I would pursue a labor and paint credit of some sort to have repainting the cases outsourced to an outfit such as Rich Maund suggests. For those working this warrantee issue, please keep us in the loop! And I agree, if MG doesn't come through, we should organize some sort of pressure on MG to make good. al

Hey I've already got about 10 posts going over there. There seems to be a dearth of MG info, and a little bit of mis-info. So I'm setting them straight I doubt I'll spend much time over there, but checking in from time to time might prove interesting as there are quite a few folks from Northern CA posting. al 700

..well, nice folks, but humorously I guess they don't have too many Guzzi riders on their board currently. So after requesting a Guzzi section, I was politely told that I was now only one of two Guzzi owners on the board, so it might be a lonely section Anyway, I mentioned that he might be correct... that is untill a few of the 100's of Guzzi riders from this forum pop in there and make their presence known Sport Touring Forum Guzzi Thread So feel free to drop in there and contribute to my thread if you are interested. Let's show them that contrary to popular belief, there are quite a few Guzzi riders on V11 Sports and LeMans that tour quite often al

For those interested, the following forum is dedicated to "Sport Touring" It has little "Guzzi content" but for those of us interested in long treks, maybe that can change Lots of good info: Sport Touring Net Forum They have a specific Bike Manufacturer section, and I've requested a Guzzi section. So we'll see, but if they add it, I can reference our forum from there al

ahh, yes forgot it was Euro

Interesting, so I see you've got Paul's new tail in place, unpainted for now though eh? How's the fit?

That's correct, you need the FIM Ultimap software, or something similar if others come out. ...or a PCIII, but that won't adjust timing. al

...ahhh hah! I think we now know where you got your LED kit for your custom tail So hey, check out that dual tail-light kit about half-way down the page, item 285500089. With the exchange rate, I could probably get one of those for about $30 and it might be an interesting tail-light experiment. I wonder how well it is made though... hrmmm al

... IMHO, the only fix for the problems you describe is a shop that can remap the stock ECU on a Dyno and gas analyzer, or alternately insert a PCIII in-line and get a custom map made for it at a Certified Dyno-Center. Either way, a custom map for your bike is the best solution. In a perfect world, I would prefer to get the ECU setup perfectly as opposed to piggy-backing with the PCIII , as I like the KISS principle. But that option isn't available to everyone. The advantage of the PCIII is that a local Dyno-Center is probably easier to find than someone that can remap the 15M well, and you can mix and match maps yourself easily on a PCIII as opposed to the ECU which most "shade-tree" mechanics can't modify. You may also be able to find a premade map that works well with your setup, that gets it "close enough" as well. Todd Egan at Guzzitech.com is very willing to share his maps with you, even if you didn't buy a PCIII from him. He's got several for the most common combinations of exhaust and intake modifications. You could easily sell your ECU and stock pipes on eBay and pay for the PCIII, and probably put a good dent in the Dyno/Remap $$ time as well BTW, I like the new pipes, but I couldn't sacrifice the passenger pegs(the kit loses them doesn't it?) and raising the height negates my touring options too much. al

...I suspect we simply have some acronym mismatching The MG Ti system comes with a completely new ECU, and requisite map. It's the same 15M we all have, but it's been remapped for the new pipes. That's all... But I have to admit, this is a very strange "package" IMHO. I don't know of any other manufacturer that does this, as the original ECU can be remapped, and most dealers can do so... at least to support just a new set of cans. I would have thought that MG would have simply provided a map with the cans, and maybe some sort of credit for shop-time at an authorized dealer. In the carb world, the OEM performance exhausts would usually supply jets and needles, i.e. a "map", not the whole carb It's very odd, and overkill, to send a whole new computer. Well, good news for you guys that bought the system I guess! You've got a new ECU for a steal I think at the cheapest these guys are about $1000USD list. Look at it this way, you either bought some very expensive pipes, and got a free ECU, or bought a cheap ECU and got some free pipes Either way, you've got a spare ECU(your original) you can now sell that makes the new kit essentially free! Hey, maybe we've found a loophole?? If you blow your ECU, go buy this pipe set, remap the ECU to your needs, sell the pipes(if you don't like them) and now you've got an ECU for about $500USD Or like I mentioned above, buy the whole kit, then sell your old ECU, and you've probably got no more than $200-300 in the new kit. I wonder how long, if ever, MG will realize this? ..again, very odd. al On that note, it sounds like we'll have some "spare" original ECUs sitting around some people's garages. If you want to sell any of them cheap, let us know. As some of our bikes approach the end of their warranties, it might be nice to have a spare ECU in the garage, especially for those of us that tinker.

....true enough on the forks, but a whole new bike will undoubtedly be several thousand $$ more than what one could get for their 1-2 year old, plus I like my bike and have put a lot into it So I don't see trading the bike in as an option, unless one really wanted an '03 specifically. Regarding the tank issue, it seems from some cursory reports that people may actually be getting a tad more useable capacity from the new tank, and it may solve the "vapor lock" issue. If so, this would be a real plus in my book. If one could get into one of these complete tanks for say, $400-600, then sell their original for around $200.... it would b e good deal IMHO. However, that's making a lot of assumptions at this point I've looked at a couple of the aluminum tank vendors, and none are currently marketing a V11 tank, and all of the tanks seem a bit fragile... and costly. Not to mention that it will do nothing for the "vapor lock" issue, which is my primary interest in the new tanks. We'll certainly see over the next year whether the new tank and fuel-pump arrangement makes any difference. Until then, I'm just thinking ahead... just in case al