al_roethlisberger

I have heard, but not *confirmed* that because of the physical arrangement of the cylinders and TBs on an engine like the Ducati, the injectors end up on the same side of the TB as the "opening" side of the butterflies. It appears that MG simply either: 1) Didn't think the engineering through on this issue, and have mirror image TB butterfly assemblies for both sides, with reverse linkage, etc... or 2) Had to engineer as best they could given a budget, and used off-the-shelf TBs And to reiterate, who knows if in practice this really makes any real difference in performance. I have no idea, but just at a glance it seems that at part throttle, it would introduce some degree of inefficiency for the left cylinder. But maybe it doesn't. Only detailed testing( = time and $$) would tell. But I'd love to know, and if there is improvement, it would be really cool to have a "kit" to flip the butterfly on the left But I think that's putting the "cart before the horse" at this point of course al

Well, I have heard that they had the bike running on Saturday, but no details on what was discovered. I *did* hear that they thought a low battery might have contributed to the "connect the fuel pump and it won't spark" issue, just as many of you had asked about, but I have no real details yet. What I do know is that there is a nice new scratch through the paint in my tank though, along with lots of other little sworls/scratches in the clear-coat.... although they said they would make it all better, but sheesh... It just gets less and less thrilling as the days go by. Then, by the time I get the bike back, I'll have to turn right around and get it ready for shipment to NC, so won't even get to ride it. ...and my plan was to drop it off over Winter to avoid this issue. Then talking to Marcial when he came by the house Saturday to borrow my shop jack, he says he took his bike to Monroes for the case swap, and it literally took 10 days. Nuts al

I don't know if anyone has ever noticed, but if you take a gander at the TB intake butterflies, the left side opens away from the injector, and a mid/part throttle is actually deflecting air away from the injector Many of you may have noticed this effect while trying to balance the TBs where at part throttle things become uneven when the left side is getting a less efficient airflow/atomization .... but at full throttle both butterflies would be wide open.... at least that is a theory I doubt this has much impact, or maybe it is the cause of our mid-range dip ...who knows. This is just speculation at this point, and it would take a good bit of re-engineering to even attempt to change the direction the left butterfly opens, to test and even verify any potential benefit. But I think it is interesting food for thought al

I'm really interested to hear how this turns out Joe, drop me a PM later on what the dealer has attempted to do for you. al

I have yet to ever be able to get a good reading on my TPS. Fortunately it has always seemed to be close enough apparently I've tried putting the needles/probes in the connectors, etc... to no avail. I've thought about making an inline connector with leads, but it hasn't been a priority. al

With regard to weight differences, regardless of whether one has the black or silver aluminum sleeved OEM exhaust cans, or even the "Carbon Fiber" units that came on some of the premium models, are still identical under their aluminum or CF "sleeve". They are made from stainless steel, and are quite heavy. That being said, every aftermarket exhaust can is going to vary in compartive weight, but I can say that comparing the stock cans to my Leo Vince cans is like comparing a lead weight to air... the difference was that dramatic. al

I think Paul covered it, but just in case: 1) a - You can certainly fit the Scura or 03 Rosso Corsa forks. These have the smaller, solid, screw-in axle. You would have to source these forks from Guzzi, or find them used, or some other way "gray market". Ohlins does not sell them direct. b - Yes, in theory you should be able to simply swap the new Scura/RC forks into any 02 or earlier wheel with no spacer, bearing, or axle modification. However, it is still possible that the specs could be a bit different for any of those components from a 'standard' 00-02 wheel to one equipped with the ~02 Ohlins forks, but I don't think they are. c - I think that is safe to say. I don't think that the newer Ohlins from late 03+ with the hollow axle are any different, although some say the spring/damping rate seems better with the newer forks 2) a - I have no idea, Paul says yes b - Again, you cannot get the actual Guzzi Ohlins, except from Guzzi, and unless you get them used or otherwise somehow "not direct from Guzzi" ... they will be very expensive. I am sure anything directly from Ohlins would be cheaper. c - Ducati parts are cheap and readily available(often in stock) as compared to many Guzzi parts. I had my Duc axle in a week. Who knows how long I would have had to wait for that part from Guzzi d - I can't say. Mike Stewart made mine. And just to reiterate, you will have to buy the Guzzi CF fender to fit any of the Ohlins forks, the original plastic fender on the Marz equipped bikes will not fit. You may find some other brand/make that may also fit, but I can only comment and endorse that the CF Guzzi front fender is a perfect fit. Hope that helps. al

I can always tell restaurants(and it usually IS of the Chinese type) that use a bunch of MSG. I leave there, and within about 20 minutes have a POUNDING HEADACHE al

The neutral switch on these is notoriously flakey, from everything to the connector(behind the shift linkage) being loose to the switch itself just being difficult. It's just one of those things. It's a simple, but seemingly cheap switch. I found that parking the bike in Neutral made it worse, and as soon as I started parking the bike in gear(any gear) the light behaved more reliably. If you disconnect and short the sidestand switch safety, you can get around this, but there's a tradeoff of convenience/safety there But as you ride and consequently shift the bike more, the switch should loosen up and behave. It does for most folks. al

Wow, those went fast. They literally had 5 sets, with only one set spoken for, a day ago. al

...well, you ARE the moderator for this and the 24/7 forums, so I think that would be an excellent idea in 24/7, a single thread people can post/reply to to get that answer. Lots of similar boards have the "what bike should I start with" thread stickied for this very reason =P We should have one, or maybe a FAQ(my job) for the major year model differences also. al

What are our gear ratios, isn't 6th overdriven, or high enough(for fuel efficiency) that one can really optimally go faster in 5th? I have no idea on this one

....yet you didn't tell anyone the good news? See this thread: MG Ti Exhaust Are Available Again al

... well, I went by Moto Italiano to check on my electrical saga, and noticed that they had the ECU from one of the Titanium "Race" kits on my bike for testing. So I joked with the owner that, "hey, how did you end up with a spare ECU from one of those kits?"... and he said, "it's not spare, we have 5 new sets that just arrived!" Long story short, they've had these 5 kits on order for over a year, and they too were told not to hold their breath that any more would be coming. But just the other day they got a Coppa Italia in with a set, and then got the call that their backordered sets were being delivered. Now, does this mean that the Ti kits are back in production? I have no idea, but can say that some dealers may be getting some more in, so check with your dealer for availability. I think that right now, Moto Italiano in San Jose has 4 kits available. al

....glad to hear some good news in this vein al

I like the two on the left ....aaaaaanyway, NO THE V11 SPORT MODELS DO NOT HAVE HYDRAULIC LIFTERS. I know you have few choices of dealers in Aus/NZ, but good lord, if you can run away from this dealer... do so poste haste AND, even if the Ballabio DID have the hydraulic lifters, that would be the one reason NOT to buy the bike, as MG is having no end of trouble with the 2003-04 hydraulic lifter equipped cruisers eating their cams. They are all being recalled/retrofitted, and that is a huge drama and disappointment itself(the process to get it done). ugh

Check out my tome of a response on page 3 to the thread below: http://wildguzzi.com/discussion/viewtopic.php?t=2373 What are your thoughts? Me, on a 2002 V11 LeMans... looked like leprosy. But here's my take on the whole batch of problems, focusing on the issues specifically such as bad paint, failing clutches, disintegrating cams, etc... is missing the forest for the trees. The problem is much more fundamental. All manufacturers have issues like these, even the "Big 4" Japanese makes. But the difference is in how the parent company/importer handles the issue. Here is where MG's biggest problem lies. MGNA(and maybe MG itself, but I can't comment there) has no customer focus, even for their dealers, which are in effect MGNA's "captive audience" at this point. To make customers happy, a manufacturer has two avenues: 1 - Make a perfect(or close) product 2 - Provide excellent customer service/support In fact, a manufacturer *should* try to excel in both areas, but in reality if a manufacturer does an excellent job in either, the other area can slide a bit, and the customer perception can still be maintained. But MG(or maybe just MGNA) has failed to excel in either. Now, I will give MGNA credit for initially stepping up to the plate on some issues, like the warantee case replacement(bad paint) issue, but then their follow-through is where they fail and "drop the ball". And this is almost worse than never addressing the problem in the first place, as now customer expectations have been set, but go unfulfilled. Now, we all understand that these issues costs money, both on the "front end"(impacts sales) and "back end"(warantee costs) but what I find unbelievable is that even if the enterprise was purely driven by fiscal concerns, it seems like basic business 101 that having a customer focus is the surest way to not just avoid these "upfront" and "backend" costs, but build a loyal and growing customer base. For example, even with the current mechanical/QA challenges, can you imagine the impact of positive PR if MG(MGNA) had gone out of their way to take care of the owners of these bikes? New customers would be flocking to MG's new products as the word spread, instead of now being hesitant to even consider MG. And a "customer focus" is not just the perspective of MG(MGNA) to the ultimate customer, but also to the dealers. From what I understand, North American Dealers do not currently have anything like a strong "dealers association", and as such MGNA often fails to have checks/balances to incent them to actually give 100% for the dealers. I know MGNA is a small operation, but then again there are what... about 130 dealers, if that? With those small numbers, in my opinion MGNA should have a personal relationship with each dealer, and have a handle on the top 5 "Critical Issues" from any given dealer/customer. The dealers can and should be the buffer/liason between the customer and MGNA, and MGNA the liason between the dealer and MG itself. Although occasionally there may be exceptions, and be a "skip level". However, if there is a real customer focus at all levels, this should be the exception. I think however that most dealers are doing their part, but the breakdown is how MGNA supports them, or doesn't. Again, a lack of customer focus. So, here's what I think needs to happen.... some of it being reiteration. 1) MGNA needs to adopt a customer focused strategy. And to be clear, this is not mutually exclusive of making a profit, or giving away the shop. A well executed strategy in this area is both profitable, and makes everyone happy. In the cliche of business-speak, it's a "win win" 2) The North American dealers need to organize. They need to form a strong dealer association, such that they have leverage with MGNA to incent MGNA to deliver to the customer and dealer expectations. MGNA hold dealers to specific standards of performance, and the dealers have to comply(and probably should) as they are a captive audience. But similarly, the dealers need a mechanism to hold MGNA accountable. It's not that I believe MGNA is necessarily "bad" or "out to get" the dealers, but it is human nature, and often the nature of business to do as little as is required, unless forced to do otherwise. I personally can't do anything about #1, and only MG/MGNA can hopefully learn to improve here. I personally can't do anything about #2 either, as I am not a dealer and don't have a complete perspective into their relationships with MGNA, but I'd be willing to assist if I could. A single dealer here or there dropping the brand, or pressing MGNA, currently has little effect. But an association addressing the "top 10" issues with MGNA, with appropriate sanctions if necessary, would make a difference. But there has to be a critical mass of participation for it to work. That being said, I think MG has plenty of opportunities to excell if they just approach the North American market by sticking with the basics. Defects/Accidents happen, but keep your customers happy, and your business will thrive. Are you listening MGNA? You really ought to be, because now that Piaggion has moved in, I've heard that they aren't giving many of the old-timers at MGNA the "time of day".... and that bodes ill for many there. I hope the current staff at MGNA can hang around, but that the focus and priorities can evolve. If not, MGNA as we know it may have it days numbered, for good or ill. I believe most everyone would rather just see the issues fixed versus it coming to a house cleaning, or MG losing even more market here in North America. I don't mean to be doom&gloom, but this is my honest opinion and assessment based on the limited info I have, and to clarify, it is indeed somewhat limited. So keep that in mind. Cheers al P.S. In regards to getting parts, and the delays... it just depends. I think that some of the parts that are cruiser based, and/or interchangeable with older models(i.e. more "generic") probably are easier to source. However, I've had delays of up to a year for body parts for my V11 LeMans, and waited nearly that long for a replacement engine case. *shrug* But to my points above, if MGNA(MG) had approached the solution in a more organized fashion, mass warantee work like the engine replacment or the hydraulic lifter recall could have been made to run as smooth as glass. They just dropped the ball. Now who are "they"... I don't know if it is MG or MGNA, but I think that if MGNA had really made it a priority to make issues like my two example run without a hitch, they probably could have. It just wasn't a priority to do so, apparently. I come to this conclusion as this is not just one case of a single part being on backorder forever, it seems systematic. Who knows though, maybe MGNA has tried to preorder all these parts to get them staged, etc(you know, like many other manufacturers do), but MG just wouldn't deliver the parts. I honestly can't say, but I am doubtful. ....and this one: http://wildguzzi.com/discussion/viewtopic.php?t=2376

...ah well, I thought I found something that was "good news" al

The SP clutch in the 5sp cruisers is totally different than that used on the 6sp V11 Sport models. But yes, the SP clutch on the cruisers was definitely "bad", no arguments there. The SP clutch on the V11 Sport models is "suspect", but MG has not uniformly condemned those, nor have the owners. Everyone is keeping an eye on them though. Check out the recent clutch thread(search for RAM I think) that ran to some riduculous length.... it covers the SP V11 Sport clutches quite extensively, and the theories about their durability, source, etc... al

I have to say though... if someone made a reliable STEEL set of timing gears for the V11, I'd be the first on the block to slap some in(as long as they weren't $400 or something )!! Why? ...no good reason, other than I LOVE the whine of my friend's '98 VFR with gear driven cams Really, that's the only reason I'm quite sure the chain we have is totally sufficient in the 'performance' category al

I just wish that front zerk was easy to get to.... even with the various "how to" threads on the topic, I never was able to get to the thing without pulling the rear end apart al

I wouldn't worry too much about the clutch, yes some fail(only a handfull have).... and maybe all single plate units eventually will... who knows ...but it is not as if every RM, Tenni, and Scura out there have their SP clutches disintegrate in the first 20k miles. I think it is something to be aware of if you are buying one of these three models, but not necessarily a reason not to buy one, or fear riding it. Typically you can tell if the clutch is heading south by unusual noises, vibration, and/or unexpected performance characteristics. As for riding the bike long distance, the RM has a slightly more aggressive riding position than the LeMans, although not by much, and I've put 12+ hours(with some breaks) in the seat, and it was only marginally less comfortable than my old FJ1200... which is a "good thing" It is true that riding the RM will probably be less comfortable than your GS, etc... but it really depends on someone's tastes, and I know many many people that tour on V11 Sports all the time, and put on major miles, even with the stock clip-ons Heck, go to Sport-Touring.Net, and check out one of the moderators KSANN(he's on here too). He rides an early Sport, and almost never rides his Aprilia in comparison. I think he's put something like 15k miles on it over the last year. Here's a recent thread, with a similar question as yours: http://www.sport-touring.net/cgi-bin/msgbo...0;entry577474 .... and on the topic of comparing the RM with a Tuono. Well, they are just different bikes. The Tuono will consistently outperform the RM in almost every 'technical' aspect, but many still find the Guzzi more 'inspiring' to ride. We have several people here that have owned, or currently do own, Aprilias like the Tuono, Mille, or Falco... and often find themselves neglecting to ride the Aprilia in favor of the Guzzi, simply because the Guzzi has plenty of 'performance' for the real-world, and is more 'fun' to ride. But that of course is subjective Good luck! al

Todd, I've PM'd you my FAX. I don't want to post it publically to avoid someone war-dialing the thing after some crawler harvests it Thanks for the offer. al

The connector is indeed idiot proof on the 2003+ in-tank pumps as well, in fact, probably more idiot proof than the eyelets that bolt to the external pumps