al_roethlisberger

....no comment on the clutch issue, but regarding the defective fuzzy/textured paint on the 01 RM, 02 models, and 03 Sport Naked, this was generally covered as a warantee issue, not a recall. So, although I cannot speak for all markets, since all of these bikes will generally be out of warrantee by this point, it is unlikely that MG will swap them out. While one could possibly find a NOS model in a crate somewhere or on a showroom, I would still be quite surprised if the local importer or MG itself would support a case swap after this much time has passed. Further, since MG itself has sold off many of the V11 parts(all?), new fuzzy warrantee cases... which were already rare as hens teeth.... are probably near unobtanium now. And finally, my dealer went through 3 sets of warrantee cases that shipped cracked before getting one set that was only mildly dinged up due to totally negligent packing. Sooooo, with all that said, I would still check with your local dealer to see if your bike has had the "swag"(various MG gear) claimed by a previous owner in lieu of the case swap, and if not, if you may be eligible. But I do recall that one of the requirements was that your cases had to be showing significant finish failure as well before they could file. Bottom line, I think that with a bike more than a year out of warrantee now, and out of production, it would be a stretch that MG would do anything about the cases. I hate to be a downer, but I think this is the scenario. As for the clutch, as mentioned, unless you have a Scura, it is a non-issue... and even if you do have a Scura, it is probably still an unlikely one. Good luck! Al

I'd still like one, but need to know the total including shipping. Please drop me an actual email, as I only check into the forum these days once every couple weeks or so Cheers Al

I've got the Formotion clock and thermometer on their bracket that holds both. I've got it mounted in the far right "dashboard" mounting bolt. You can read and see more on that here: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...mp;hl=formotion I have a photo attached about half way down the thread. I've been pleased with them after they fixed some initial QA issues in the early days. They've even got some LED lighted ones now that would be tempting if I didn't already have the standard ones. Plus I rarely ride at night anymore. Al

I want one, so what's the total cost to ship to North Carolina USA? Al

I had a pretty nice garage back in San Jose, and the garage in the rental here in Cary, NC has been packed tight with all our boxes from the move for the last year. But... drum roll.... here is my new fantastic garage. - 2 "car" Carriage House, vintage 1929 - Dirt floor - No electricity - Termite eaten 1929 vintage sliding doors - Windows long since gone... just holes.... Awesome Well, at least it will be all "restored" within the coming month or two. I already have someone recreating the doors, building some windows, electricity is run out to it underground, and have the concrete floor poured. But it will still be on the small side compared to many shops, and never big enough for modern cars. So it will indeed be a workshop for projects, bikes, and the like

Hrmm, is that the same bike? The graphics, etc... are quite different. But, regardless... ouch

I would say we don't have to worry about it so much because our bikes aren't the fashion du jour, or even if recognized, most realize they aren't in high demand for parts or the machine itself..... BUT... we've had several owners on this forum have their bikes taken. However, I will say that in at least two cases, the Guzzis seemed to have been taken as a matter of incidental/convenience thefts, joy-ridden a while, then left once they realized it wasn't a Hayabusa But what is illustrated above happens all the time unfortunately. It's amazing how brazen and cold some of these folks can be. When I was still living in the SF Bay area in CA, I would read about one of these types of thefts almost once a month or more it seemed, and often from "locked" underground residental parking garages... Al

Heh, yeah yeah yeah.... Anyway, for those that asked, yes it has a custom map via a PCIIIusb, and a custom ECU ignition mapping by TLM for the dual-plugged heads. I'm thinking this is just a minor tweak to the map I'll need to make in this RPM range on the PCIII, or maybe the air-bypass screws?? Not sure where to start. And BTW, it's not just the POP that drives me nuts, its the slight lurch I get with each POP, so again... riding through a 35mph township isn't the most fun I'm going to put the K&Ns that were hanging directly off the TBs back and see if that makes any difference, as I don't really remember this doing this with them on before I put the velocity stacks from Sport Cycle Pacific for this ride I can't imagine they made any real difference though, but I guess it is worth a test. Al

...shouldn't be any harder to clean than a K&N I used to help my buddy clean his lawn-mower filters from his landscaping business, and they were these foam filters. It wasn't too hard.

Well, after the move to NC last Summer, believe it or not, I have *just* now gotten around to a lengthy ride on the bike when a friend rode over from Texas this weekend. I have lots of excuses why I haven't been riding this year(and I swear, some are GOOD ONES ), but let's just leave it at that So anyway, here are my observations and questions: First, as you may recall, last year the bike got its defective fuzzy cases swapped, and at the same time in went a Megacycle cam and MR pistons. The bike now runs like "stink" as Pete would say, and has never idled or generally run so well. So that's good news. It also starts right up every time, with no fiddling of any kind But after riding about 200 miles yesterday, I noticed that between 3-5k(mostly), on constant partial throttle(maybe 20%?) after a few seconds, the bike wanted to pop out of the exhaust. This popping was just like the pops/report you hear from the exhaust of many race bikes and the come off WOT into a curve or down a cork-screw. And it wasn't just audible, it often could be felt, almost like "miss", but I don't think it was missing per se. Now, this wasn't constant, and could be managed with some variance in throttle position. But it was quite annoying when going through towns where the speed limit was 35-45mph, and the bike just didn't seem happy once good and warmed up(about 90 degrees F). Now, the bike has always hated to run at that 3-4k RPM range, even before the mods, and as we all know, that is a little low on the RPM range anyway, so I do avoid it. But every so often, you just get stuck there for a bit, and don't want to wind the engine out to go 30 mph So, I'd like to get some ideas on why I am getting this popping/backfire thing on constant partial throttle in this RPM range. And BTW, it does it a bit over 5k RPM every so often, just not as much.... kinda rare actually. I have also attached a photo of my plugs following the ride, right and left respectively. I think they look a tad rich, but still well within "OK". See if those add any clues. I will say my exhausts seemed a bit dirtier following the ride, so maybe a bit rich? Other than this one issue, the bike ran like a champ. Thoughts? Al

Yep, the entire system will coat just fine. I've never heard of a failure(premature anyway) of the coating, and based on my dealings with Jet Hot, I'm sure they would make it right. BTW, although I personally recommend Jet Hot, you may want to check around locally to see if anyone coats in your area. It might be less expensive, and more convenient.... especially in picking out the color/finish you desire. Good luck

Did you ever figure out postage, or is that in one of the other 3 or so threads on this topic? I was going to drop you a Paypal, but didn't have the total. BTW, I am North Carolina in the US of A Al

They run fine with the pods, but although some may argue the point.... it has been shown by several tests that a lidless airbox produces more power, specifically by the Guzzitech crew. That being said, I aesthetically prefer(and have) a pod setup, and I doubt the difference is very great or that noticeable practically speaking between the pod or lidless performance. So pick your own poison, and you'll be fine I actually just put a set of these on: I've ordered some angled UNI filters that I think will actually work a little better, but we'll see. But they look great installed, and are a quality piece of work. Al

Lemme know what you find from this angle. I did this before going the Duplicolor route, and have a drawer full of red and "champagne" colored nail-polish, none of which was just right ....that stuff gets expensive when you buy "in bulk" Al

Yeah, I put in the MR pistons and a Megacycle cam, so everything is all confused As far as speculating on the MR design, as I've said before... Mike really doesn't mind talking at length about his ideas, theories, and products.... so I'd suggest giving him a call if you have any questions. He's a great guy, and is happy to tell you exactly what he thinks. I think he and Pete would get along great Al

My second favorite "late model" bike was the S3, particularly due to the headlight setup ...honestly, I love the front end of the S3, I really do I don't think it would look correct on the Guzzi though. Al

Quick question, that I probably missed in prior posts What is this current iteration made from, aluminum or stainless? Not that it matter much, but what does it weigh? I ask about the material mostly because if aluminum, I would worry about stress failure(should I worry about that?) I am certainly interested in this though, as I flashed my oil light once before under hard acceleration, and then when I had the engine cases replaced and other work done, we found one of my mains scored. Thanks! Al

After about 5 or 6 bottles of Duplicolor testing back in 2002 when the forum was new, I also came to the same conclusion Gil I thought I had put these in a FAQ, but may not have. But since the old forum archives are gone(I think), here is the list. I ranked them at the time from what I perceived as closest match starting at #1 1 - SF CC 383 Chrysler Light Champagne Metallic 2 - 77-01596 Toyota Cashmere Beige Metallic 3 - TX 291 Ford Harvest Gold Metallic 4 - SF CC 401 Chrysler Champagne Pearl The real trick was being sure to use a clearcoat and wet sand and polish as well. But none of these are an exact match, and really are only good for small knicks, and even then they often show up under close inspection. But, what I also found was that depending on WHERE you were touching up the bike, and ergo... how the light and shadows played on those surfaces, one of 2 or 3 of the close Duplicolor matches would work better. You just have to test. Be careful on the sanding though. The factory finish is very thin, and you'll end up into the primer very fast... which is a much bigger mess to fix. Of course, if you need really big fixes, any good auto painter can color match and paint the pieces. Or you can get all new color(s) if you like Good luck! Al

You can also go to a dual-plug head conversion, which Mike Rich also does a great job at, as well as TLM. Now that there are more choices out there for programming the ECU, and even TLM offers a reflashed unit with a different ignition curve just for dual-plugging, one can in theory take advantage of dual-plugging in a V11 engine and ECU. I still have detonation issues though when it is really hot and under hard throttle. Maybe it can be further tuned out, but I just frankly haven't tried as it is pretty mild, and they all seem to do it Al

Now I know a few of us moved away(myself and Carl), and some sold their bikes(Joe if I recall), but there used to be a fairly healthy V11 and general MG contingent in the NorCal area. But I haven't seen any ride reports or other gatherings in a long time. Any reported sightings?

I am happy to see anything new from MG, and it looks like a good bike that many in the Sport Touring community would love It's not my cup of tea... engine all covered up and all... but it seems like a nice bike. I've said it before and I'll say it again though, it looks just waaaaay like an FJR. Al

I agree, my bike has always taken a hit or two from the starter to get going, but once going it never needs any "blips" or WO throttle(via the grip or "choke" lever) to get it running smoothly The only time I had a problem like this, my valves were too tight. But then the problem really only surfaced once fully warmed up, not at idle. Al

That's a cool little bike. It would be great around town.

That's the STUPIDEST thing you can think of about these bikes? You're not trying very hard ...still loving the bikes, even with their faults.

Agreed, I have had nothing but a very positive experience buying a number of parts that are a direct(or very close) swap from a HD/Buell to the V11. In fact, most of the guys there were quite interested in the bike and what I was doing ...and yes, generally the parts were in stock, or I waited a whole week al