al_roethlisberger

Great idea to use the Guzzi bars ...that looks really classy, especially with the MG logo on the clamp. But I wonder if it is far enough back, etc... to work with the fairing on a LeMans?? I guess someone would have to do some measuring. I feel fortunate that I'm happy with my OEM clip-ons! Saves me some time and money to not want to modify at least that one part!! So, BTW, what does LSL mean by a "superbike kit"?? al

Well, it seems to me that you have two obvious alternatives: 1) Stop taking long rides or 2) Cut your pinky off ...sorry, I'm just in a silly mood today! al

Indeed ...I had contacted them as well, so maybe they'll add the link. I also dropped Mr. Wedge, who admins the MGNOC site, an email to see if he'd like to visit this forum. Hopefully he'll take me up on the offer al

....yeah yeah, according to my nifty Formotion thermometer, it was well over 90F in the sun the other day on my ride Wearing black helmet, jacket, gloves, boots.... I was a tad hot But there's one side benefit. As soon as I stop, unload all that gear and sit down... almost any other place feels *air-conditioned*!! al

...and I wonder if poor Mr Wedge was disappointed in seeing the new '03 all-red and all-black LeMans after all that work repainting the bike? We need to find this fella though and make sure he knows about this forum! al

... interesting modifications to last year's(our) LeMans: http://www.mgnoc.com/Articles/allredv11lemans.htm John, check out those bars. al

Looks like you have an extra "http://" in the MG-Cycle link there John But yep, I've seen the Verlicchi bars before, but not in person. Seems like it is a good option, especially if the Two Bros are so darned pricey. But wow, they do look adjustable and very high-tech! I guess that's why Regarding the fit with the Throttlemeister and the Verlicchi's... gosh, I have no idea though. I guess you have a few obvious options. Ask MG-Cycle if they know if the bars are threaded, and if so, what size/model they correspond to. Call Throttlemeister and see if they've ever worked with them. Or just wait to receive the bars and do some investigation and trial/error yourself.... or some combination of all of the above You'll have to definitely post an installation review for anyone interested in this solution if you go ahead with it though! It's your duty al

I've read that some weeping is more-or-less normal out of the back of the tranny shaft into the clutch area, and you would see this where you describe. I think it's common during break-in, and if you've switched to synthetics, which some say isn't such a good idea.... opinions, opinions My recollection is that if it's just a "weep", then it's no big deal... but if it is *leaking*.. then you'll have clutch problems(remember, it's a dry clutch) and it just "isn't good" al

Will do Jim. In threory it should be as good if not better than stock. The stock bar ends aren't that heavy, *but* they do have a steel rod covered with rubber that inserts the length of the clip-on. So in effect, you have a solid bar when the bar-end is installed. However, the most effective "damper" will be the greatest mass as seen from the "pivot point" or source of the vibration, which in this case is where the clip-on mounts to the triple-clamp. This damper can simply be a huge mass with zero distance, or a smaller mass at some x distance and potentially have an equivalent effect. But if you put the huge mass at the x distance, the damping effect is even greater. sooooo, the Throttlemeister is significantly more massive than the stock bar-ends. And while the OEM units have the insert, it is relatively light as well and is closer to the bar-clamp. I ordered the "heavy" Throttlemeister which is 2oz heavier, and .4 inch longer than the already heavy normal unit. So with all that said.... it is likely that the new Throttlemeister, being heavier, and futher away from the clamp than the OEM solution.... should work even better to dampen vibrations. ....maybe But yes, we'll see... and I will let you know. My bike isn't bad about vibes anyway BTW... but yep, I'll let you know how the OEM and Throttlemeister end compare. al

...mine makes the exact same noise when rolling it backwards. I just assumed it was the pads rubbing the disc "backwards" and just.. well... making noise Anyway, not a very technical answer, but then again it's midnight here, and I was just going to bed.... am tiiiired. But seriously. If the disc were warped, you should feel a pulse through the brake. Admittedly, it would be harder to feel that through your boot than the front brake lever, but you should feel something. Mine has made this noise from day one, and then it goes away for a while. Let us know what the dealer says, but so far mine hasn't been a problem other than the sound every so often when I roll it backwards. al

Well I received the reservoirs today, and man-o-man are they nice. They are all aluminum with a classy little plastic sight-window, and somewhere in-between the size of the clutch and front-brake reservoir. They come with a chromed-steel mounting bar, that is flat so you can bend it to whatever shape for motorcycle-X application. I've got mine all bent and ready to go and I'll post photos later in my Yahoo briefcase. But because I just hate to work with bleeding brakes/clutches, I'm going to wait until next Thursday to let the dealer actually install them when the bike goes in for it's first scheduled service. I'll update more later, but these seem to be really quality pieces. ...and I'm glad I got the silver ones. They match the LeMans perfectly... much better looking than the plastic reservoirs al

Great to hear that MGNA finally responded to you at least!! .......now if you can just get your spring! Who knows when my fortunately only cosmetic warrantee pieces will arrive But regarding your enricher(choke) cable, I haven't had any trouble with mine. It works like a charm. The only issue I had was that the cable was touching the right cylinder, and I tied it back into the harnesses to get it away. The jacket had started to melt a little, but I caught it in time. al

I'll let you know ...yeah and BTW I've already investigated the Vista-cruise throttle locks... at least with my heated-grips, there's no way those would work, and I tried two different models. Even with the stock grips, one would have to do some custom work to get the Vista-cruise units installed, and I didn't want to go through that for a $20 part. al

...nope, no complaints or specific observations either way regarding the steering. You? Anyone? I've never ridden one of the 2000 Sports, so I don't know how different/stable the new bikes feel in comparison. And I haven't touched my damper setttings. But it seems fine like it is... so far I certainly haven't had any wobble issues at speed yet, or tank-slappers... thank goodness! So I'll probably leave well-enough alone in regard to the damper settings until something makes me do otherwise. al

......if they work http://www.throttlemeister.com/tm.html Throttlemeister officially doesn't make a unit for the LeMans/Sport, although they do have a photo of one of their "heavy" units on a Rosso. According to their engineers, what with all the models changing, and Aprilia in the mix now, they have had a hard time coming up with a unit that fits consistently, and there has been low demand in general from Guzzi owners. aaaaanyway..... after talking to my dealer and the guys at Throttlemeister, we think that that standard Aprilia Falco/Futura model will fit the LeMans bar, although one will of course lose the weight "rod" integrated with the OEM bar-end. But to compensate, I ordered the "heavy" model. And although the longer unit may end up looking a little... well.... dorky ... I think I'll get used to it, and it's only .4 inches longer anyway. But the additional weight may be a real benefit to fight vibes on a long stretch of road, and that's more important to me. Anyway, we'll see and I'll let everyone know what works or not. This will be Throttlemeister's first try at an '02 LeMans, and they said that they would work with me to make it work... if possible. I should have it by early next week... so I'll update then. al

BTW, since there have been some lack-luster reviews of the rear OEM Ohlins shock on the Scura (justified or not ) ... here is Ohlins direct replacement for anyone interested: Brand Model Year Moto-Guzzi V11 2002 Öhlins shock absorber Part No. Type Position Comment MG 127 46HRCS Rear " • Type 46PRC with hose mounted reservoir, easy to fit where it is easy to reach. • Fully adjustable single shock absorber. • Improved cooling gives more consistent damping and longer damper life. • Features compression, rebound and hydraulic pre-load adjuster. Seems quite nice, especially the remote pre-load. They also make a steering damper in case your Bitubo unit ever fails, and the Ohlins unit is only about UDS$250-300, not tooooo bad. Unfortunately the Ohlins rear shock is quite pricey. I was quoted USD$850... *whew* al

Does anyone know if the front-fork Ohlin's are 40mm(or not) and would require a different set of triple-clamps for an '02 LeMans/Sport... or could you just bolt them on? thx al

Sounds like you know more than I do then Hank Whose gears did you use? al

..........nobody? Just trying to keep this post in the spotlight al

Hank, if you haven't already I would check around at some of the other lists like http://pub.alxnet.com/forum?id=1021777 and http://www.guzzi.com.au/forum/guzzi/ and discuss. I too have considered gears. From what I've seen there are some pretty opinionated positions regarding gears and types(alloy, straight-cut, etc...) and their efficacy. There are a couple fells on the Moto Guzzi Correspondence List that are supposed to post some long-term findings, and maybe you might ask what their status is. But there were some folks complaining about some maintenance and wear issues, especially in regard to finding actual aluminum shavings in the oil/cover after a short while. The gears are also substantially more noisy than the chain, although personally I think gears sound neat But the advantage is spot-on valve/cam adjustment. Other than that, it's just neato factor really.... at least from what I've read. I also hear that the best alloy set to get is from Agostini. al

Well, after several conversations on two other boards and one mailing-list, it appears that the consensus is: 1 - the ineffieciencies of "Ram Air" won't buy anything. In fact, in some cases it may be a detriment if the air-flow isn't exactly correct around the fairing, by creating vortices that impede air-flow into the snorkels. Also, it was generally concluded(and not just by conjecture) that at 100mph+, one might expect only a 1% increase in HP under ideal circumstances. If ideally designed, one might expect a modest increase at very high velocities, but not at normal riding speeds. 2 - there may be a slight benefit in routing the ducts to grab cooler air, but that is debatable as well. The consensus was that if one is interested in increasing air-flow, go with the individual pod solution or do like some Ducati owners and find a way to secure the air-filter without the air-box lid(or perforate the lid). So, for now I'll just shelve this idea, put in the background, and work on it as I learn more over time. But I think, at least in respect to the cool-air function, it may have some merit. We'll see. al

*laugh* on both accounts! Naw, I sit in front of a computer all day at work here in Silicon Valley. So it's no big deal for me to check every hour or two for new posts and respond. Then when I get home in the evening I generally check email and such again... hence a few more posts. But in effect, I suppose I do write more posts than riding! But that's just a symptom of work But yeah, those mirrors... I remember that some of the FZ-1(Fazer1000) guys were talking about putting that whole kit on the bike, clip-ons, mirrors, etc... I didn't say anything because it's a matter of personal taste, but I thought that all that stuff would be a bit "much" for the styling on the Yamaha, and others as well. The mirrors just look too "cruiser custom" for me. But that's just my opinion, and what's that worth anyway? al

Ya'll might find this interesting: > [Original Message] > From: Jack Price > To: > Cc: > Date: 07/01/2002 5:29:31 PM > Subject: (MGCL) PC III and Stucchi Crossover > > Just FYI - > > I just got my PC III installed and switched back to the stock crossover as > was recommended by a guy who had just done some dyno runs on a V11 Sport. > Compared to the stock ECU with the Stucchi crossover, the bike actually ran > worse, as the hole in the powerband between 4-5k rpm seemed even worse than > before, and the pinging was the worst ever. I have had this pinging issue > since the bike was new in August. I understand that this is different > behavior than making the same changes on a V11 Sport. > > But... > > This morning I put the Stucchi crossover back on with the PC III, and the > difference was startling. I had to lower the idle setting a little because > it immediately idled about 300 rpm higher. There was a very noticable > increse in response at low to mid rpm's, and THE PINGING IS GONE!! I even > tried the worst case scenario this morning on the way to work to make it > ping (over half throttle uphill in 6th at about 4500 rpm) and it just would > not. The associated power loss in the ping band was replaced with a big > surge of power I had never experienced on this bike since new. > > This is with Mistral cans, Stucchi crossover, and the base map. > > I cannot wait to get a full re-map done by one of those DynoJet guys with a > dyno. > > Ride well. Ride safe. > -Jack Price > Glendale, CA > 02 V11 Le Mans

...goodness, I just got a UPS update via email that I'll have the reservoirs tomorrow! Wow, now that's fast service. I ordered them this afternoon, be here tomorrow... I'm impressed. Now we'll see how I am going to have to modify their perches since we have that darned fairing thing to work around al

Yep, well I'll be giving it some thought. One fella posted on another list that the Ram-air on the old Sports was completely ineffective due to the air actually being pushed out over the intakes by the nose of the bike..... actually creating a vacuum. ...yikes, that wouldn't be too good. But I'll keep my brain-wheels turning and see what I come up with. I'll need to get some sort of method devised to measure air-flow at the location I'm considering.... al