al_roethlisberger

I did 155mph(indicated, probably closer to 140) on my FJ1200 some years back, on Hwy 50(The Lonliest Road on Earth) across Nevada.... but don't think I'll ever do that again. We also covered 80 miles in 40 minutes, down a mountain, across the valley, and back up the mountain. You do the math on "average" speed It was a "special" time in my life, where I was going through some personal issues, and I was doing lots of things that probably weren't advisable Looking back, it was insanely unsafe and stupid. If anything had happened, blown tire, debris in the road, a VEHICLE in the road, a random animal darting, or just some ill-timed wind.... Al would be dead right now. Simple. Stupid ...not to mention who else I could have injured in the process. So, yeah, I rarely get up around even 100 these days, and can't remember the last time I was over 80mph honestly. I enjoy slower and more technical riding than straight line speed anymore. Sometimes I like to just tool around and take in the sights. It doesn't really take much skill to twist the go-fast handle and hold on From what I've heard, due to gearing, in ideal conditions our stock V11 will normally do about 140ish max..... which may not be the 180ish of some of the fastest superbikes, but is pretty damned fast if you think about it al

Yes "lane sharing" in California is technically "not illegal"(subtle difference). Do a search here, or on any bike forum for "lane splitting" and you'll find lots and lots of discussion on the topic, and its vague legality in California. Basically, since the CHP can do it, so can I... but it is very loosely defined, so one had better do it "responsibly", otherwise the CHP will "bust your ass" But although opinions differ, "lane splitting" and "filtering"(slightly different), are a real "life saver" in my opinion, and really makes the case for motorcycling in areas with lots of congestion. Both Washington State and Texas recently had State legislation to legalize splitting there, but from what I recall both failed. Back on the topic of "loud pipes", my opinion here is split. On the one hand, I am happy that the "Loud Pipes Saves Lives" is tied to America and Apple Pie HD lemmings(note: not all HD owner are such, I know) ... such that I'm less likely to get grief with my aftermarket pipes since no God Fearing American is going to limit "Biker Freedom" But on the other hand, so many HD owners are "pushing the envelope" with OBNOXIOUSLY loud pipes for nothing else than to "impress", that I'm worried about a backlash. *sigh* al

For the 03(mostly) and the 04 bikes, we have not seen the shift return spring to be a problem. I think that since Moto Guzzi builds their bikes from big parts bins, every so often one of the older side-plate/shift-pawl mechanisms with the oversized spring boss may make it into a newer bike, but I've only heard of maybe one 03(true 03, not 03 V11 Naked 02 spec) and no 04 bikes exhibiting this problem. So I wouldn't worry about it. No. There may be some minor ones, but none that I can think of off-hand. The clutch is hydraulic, so not "clutch cable" problems per se. Now, the speedo cables have been problematic on all models for some owners, but this typically is due to poor cable routing from the factory. If one has repeated speedo cable issues, usually re-routing the cable such that it is stress free and has gentle bends, fixes the issue. With regards to comparing this bike to an ST4, that's a hard comparison. The ST4 has basically Ducati's 4V superbike engine in it, and that's quite a different beast than the 2V lump in the Guzzi. I think a closer comparison, but still advantage to Ducati, would be the ST2. The ST4 will probably outhandle?? and certainly "outperform" the Guzzi, but the Guzzi is plenty of bike for the street, and doesn't fall too short of the Ducati in many respects. The MG's main quality beyond "competent" performance, is its soul. You'll either love it or hate it. It is definitely a different character, and that is generally what is most endearing to most owners. So again, a direct comparison to a BMW, Ducati, etc... is hard. But a test ride will probably answer all those questions for you. You'll know Hope that answers your questions. Good luck! al

... see the Ballabio question thread in this forum, a few lines down for similar questions. Also see this thread: http://www.sport-touring.net/cgi-bin/msgbo...ST;f=28;t=31169 Not that the 00-02 bikes are "bad" in any sense, but I will say that any 03+ bike seems to be quite well sorted, and the QA and fit/finish from the factory seems to be a bit better than the earlier years. So I'd say that any Rosso/Nero Corsa is going to be an excellent bike straight out of the crate. al

... haha, no kidding. I've done that. One feels mighty stupid at that point, and typically just walks away to get a drink and calm down

heh heh now ....we share the same dealer, so MINE IS FIRST!! Yeah, saw your bike there Joe. Sorry to hear it too so long for the trans recall. What was the delay? Parts?? It seems like I see more of my NorCal friends' bikes than the guys themselves these days But, I'd just check the bulb for the high-beam, as those sockets and bulbs are keeee-rap. As far as the neutral light, I'd say just ride it some more, and don't park in neutral. I bet it loosens back up. Mine consistently stuck if I left the bike parked in neutral, but as soon as I started religiously parking it in gear(any gear), it almost never stuck again. al

Thanks for all the feedback so far guys. Keep 'em coming, and I'll just print out this whole thread and hand to the dealer. BTW, this is a 2002 model, so there is no electric petcock anymore. Also, the comment: ....is a specific question/observation the dealer/MGNA had as to why this was not happening. No one seems to have an internal schematic of the M15 ECU to see what pin input/output makes pin 19 behave as designed. So once they trace to pin 19, they don't know where else to start looking at the harness and other pins to see where the fault or lack of input signal is keeping the ECU from making the right connection. Anyone know what other pins, and their operation, should be in conjunction to get pin 19 to act accordingly? al

Although supposedly "widespread", the truth is that only a few folks have observed the problem on the forum(myself being one), so maybe it was just a batch But I wouldn't worry about it. Just check them out when you do a valve adjust, and if they do start to get out of spec, replace them with some good quality aftermarket pieces and never worry about it again al

yeah... yeah.... Well, I've had a lot on my plate lately, and honestly, at this point... getting the bike back is really low on the priority list. We are to move cross country(literally) in 3-4 months, and we've been going nuts selling stuff, fixing up the house, starting to pack, etc.... not to mention the new(ish) job ramping up. Anyway, I really didn't 'engaged' with this problem until the dealer called me the other day asking about some of my wiring, and I went up there to point out what did what. My opinion of the whole mess was that I rode it in without any problems, so they should be able to stick the engine back in, then I ride it off into the sunset. I'm a little upset that I'm going to have to potentially put in some of my time to get it working They are good guys, and seem to be trying to rectify the problem, but I'm concerned about their ability to do so at this point. Anyway, we'll see. I'll try to get more info Tuesday. Carl, which connector is "57"? al

relays .... but seriously, make sure all your relays are seated, and your neutral light, clutch, and side-stand switch are all operating. al

I'll have to verify the "pin 19" issue, as this is just from memory. I'll know more Tuesday when they are back in the shop and I can ask some more questions, and verify. Thanks for all the thoughts so far. al

All the relays have been swapped from what I've been told. Carl, thanks for the tip. Do you know which connector this is(physically on the bike, i.e. location)? It would help if I could just tell them which one to look for. Thanks al

...that would do it too At least OEM wheels aren't expensive. I'm sure you can find a used one around for cheap. al

Is the swingarm bent? If everything else is to spec, but the wheel is crooked, it sounds like you might have a bent/twisted swingarm, or it wasn't welded and rheamed out to spec in the jig. Maybe you(and the previous owner) just got a bum swingarm from the factory?? If so, this would be an easy fix. al

All good ideas The coils are dual-output, but OEM, and hook into that harness with the stock connectors. The plugs do fire, and since coils are pretty simple things, we're pretty sure that they'd either work or not. They may look into hooking up some stock coils though just for grins and giggles. We'll have to check if the spark is weak or not. I don't know. But the bike will run in the "shorted" mode. BTW, I also heard that grounding or exciting the lead will get the same result. The battery does not drain. We'll double check the ECU ground wire, but it looked fine, and I can confirm that it was hooked up. Thanks al

OK, well, unfortunately I don't have much for technical details at this point, but if this continues will get more specific info after next Tuesday. But here's the deal. The dealer rebuilt my engine for the case replacement, and now after reassembly no amount of fiddling will get it to spark, except if they artificially ground one of the leads out of one of the relays(this is where I need more detailed info). I believe they said this lead goes to the pin 19 on the ECU, but don't recall offhand. I rode the bike in to the shop in December, and it ran fine then, so we all(myself and shop) agree that it has to be something they did, or have forgotten to reconnect. Everything else on the bike powers up fine, lights work, fuel pump pressurizes, starter turns over.... e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g except no spark. Again, if they ground this lead, the bike will run though, but it shouldn't be directly grounded normally. They've gone through the harness a few times, checked and rechecked every connection, swapped ECUs, checked all the relay sockets, swapped relays... you name it. They have changed cam sensors with a new one, and have been on the phone with "Brad" at MGNA, who is supposedly their guru about these sorts of things. I think the guys have even been in touch with Carl Allison, or at least pulled his schematics, on the issue. So..... any thoughts off-hand? They are open to suggestions at this point. Electrical gremlins are always the worst, but this is really getting frustrating for everyone involved as they've been working on it for about 3 weeks now... this one problem. Other than this, the bike has been ready to go. Thoughts ..... even crazy "out of the box" suggestions are welcome at this point. What would keep the bike from sparking, that would have been related to pulling the engine? Thanks al

We'll miss you around these parts Carl... when are you actually moving? Us? ....we'll be heading out in the July/Aug timeframe for NC it looks like. Goodbye CA .... ..... mixed feelings. al

Good lord.... so many things one could comment upon, I just don't know where to start http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...7&category=6713

This is the error I always get when linked to your pics:

.... and I will once again say that I am sooooo glad that this bike does nothing for me, as I don't need the temptation It's very liberating

I think they spelled it incorrectly, and should be nimonic. Anyway, it's just a different alloy, with Nickle I believe, that is highly heat resistant. al ... an excerpt from a valve manufacturer:

..... I don't know what you are talking about, I don't see a tank anywhere in that photo

Transparent Tank Protectors: http://www.thetankslapper.com/ ..... I worked with them a couple years back to develop a better fitting version for the V11 tanks. So in theory, their newer kit is better than the older smaller version. al

....you never park it anywhere?? Seriously, all the Scotts dampers I've heard of being stolen out here were when the owner was at school, eating, shopping, etc... just for an hour or so, and came back to find no damper. Not arguing, just clarifying. It apparently takes about 1 minute to remove one of these things if you know what you are doing al

I don't think he meant the big puffy "chin pad" on the 00-02 bikes, but the "buckle guard" pad... al