al_roethlisberger

This isn't uncommon... although the causes can vary. In some cases, it is caused by tank-suck issues where the tank deforms, in others it is because the black rubber dohnuts that the tank sits upon get worn, squished, or breakoff... or as Mike points out, sometimes the steering stops get bent and the triples hit as the bars turn too far I would check all of these issues, and "more"... take the tank off, on, off, on... and twist the bars, wiggle the tank, etc... and see where it is hitting, and try to determine why. Keep in mind that although the tank should sit snugly up onto the rubber dohnuts, it is possible to slightly adjust the tank forward and rearward by moving the clip-nut that the tank mounting bolt screws into. That might make a difference as well. If the dohnuts are squished on one side BTW, you can rotate them to the larger diameter side to get more clearance as well. You could also just have a slightly out of spec tank, or tank mounting point. If so, you may just have to do things like I suggest above, or even "shim" where the tank sits on the dohnuts to get it to sit more rearward. ....some experimentation is probably in order. But, just to be clear, if your "rub" marks are more-or-less on the top of the nose, from being hit by the triples... then this is a tank placement issue, as covered by the comments above. However, if you have rub marks up under the nose of the tank, this is very symptomatic of "tank suck" issues we've seen before, where the tank was deformed at some point in its life, and the paint chipped and/or rubbed against the frame. It could be either or both of these issues, but only a thorough onsite inspection of the clues will yield the real cause. So just spend some time experimenting, and I bet you'll find the culprit... and fix it post-haste. al

Thanks for the update Fernando.... these risers are still "on my list" but at ~$400 they are at a lower priority than some other things right now ....would love to hear more of a "long term review" on the risers in terms of comfort, quality, durability, etc... when you get a chance. Basically, how are they holding up? BTW, you may want to try to delete your previous posts, and resend the photos. They didn't come through. Cheers al

... no, with an 01 bike, there is no way you have the 2003+ style tank as delivered OEM, as I don't think MG was even thinking of that tank design at that point The earlier and later tanks are much different than just length. The old tanks have the cutout/depression for the "tank pad" which the new bikes do not. Other dimensions are slightly different, and the underside is completely redesigned. If you look at the photos in the thread I link to above, you will see that these are vastly different tanks, even though they may not appear so at first blush. Again, I would be very surprised if a 2003+ tank would fit on the frame of a 00-01 "short framed" Sport. But I would love to see someone test this theory, and finally document it so that 00-01 owners would know ahead of time if it is even worth pursuing. As far as I can tell so far, the only year worth doing is 2002, as after that, the bikes all came with the new tank design, and prior, they probably will not fit. So that's a pretty small number of owners. But I am VERY glad I retrofitted mine, peace of mind, and simplicity of design. al

Thanks for posting the article ....although, perhaps unsurprisingly, the article was a little light on real data, beyond some fluff and hyperbole But that's OK, it's not as if the Robb Report is known for in-depth technical analysis, and that's not what the magazine is about anyway Any good press for MG is good news, so I guess I can't complain. BTW, they've got one of these on the floor down here in San Jose, at Moto Italiano. I think it's been sitting around for a while, moved from store to store. I personally find the "candy wrapper" paint scheme to be a bit too flashey for me ... but that's just a matter of personal taste of course As for being "rare", well I guess by definition, all of ours are "rare" given the very low volume of the bikes in North America at the very least. Since MG regularly badge/paint engineers the V11 Sport model all the time, if one wanted a Copa, you could just get a Cafe Sport or Ohlins equipped Ballabio painted up to match. I don't think there is any limited edition thing documented for these bikes otherwise... but who knows But yes, I don't think there are too many rolling around... al

You'd have to do some careful measuring, or just "take the leap" and buy a salvage 2003+ tank and see if it will fit(you can always resell it if it doesn't). The deal is that in 2002, MG lengthened the frame of V11 Sport models near the headtube by a noticeable margin. If you look at the nose of any 2001 and earlier bike's tank, and compare it to a 2002 bike, you can clearly see the wider gap between the tip of the tank, and the headtube. In 2003, with the new tank, which includes the in-tank pump/filter, MG apparently decided to "close that gap" and use that opportunity to slightly increase the size of the tank to retain the approximate same capacity as the old 00-01 tanks. Now, if you compare a 2002 tank(which is the same as an 00-01 tank) and frame relationship with a 2003 by looking at the gap from the nose to the headtube, it becomes obvious that the 2003+ tank is quite a bit longer. What does this mean? It is likely that a 2003+ tank will be too long to fit on an 00-01 framed bike, as the nose will hit the triples and/or head-tube, or just simply not go on at all. Now, I have not confirmed this, but it is something to look closely for if considering a 2003 tank retrofit on a 00-01 bike. Again, it is an easy test though... one of two options: 1) Find someone with an 03+ bike and briefly swap tanks 2) Find a used 03+ tank and just try it out. Again, you shouldn't be out the money, as someone will always buy it from you if it doesn't work. Just for general info for 00-01 owners interested in this modification, I'd love to see someone post a definitive result of this testing so we could document it. Mike Stewart could easily do so, as he has a "short framed" Sport, and 03 Rosso Corsa. My experience retrofitting a 2003 tank to a 2002 bike is detailed here: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...459&hl=retrofit al

Well, I dropped off my Diablos(standard, not Corsa or Strada) at the dealer today, and in theory the bike will be back together in a couple days. I think they'll work great based on the general feedback. They got the lifters they misplaced, and Mike Rich sent them replacement rings for the ones they cracked. So they should have everything they need. Keep your fingers crossed. ...of course, I already know that I'll have to spend an entire day going back over the bike myself before I feel 100% confident about the job, but that's just me al

heh... on that note, have you ever seen the guys that "rescue lost timber" sunken for 100 years or more? Some of these old growth logs, sunk to depths where they are preserved by lack of oxygen, are worth 100s of thousands of $$. I once saw an arial photo of some long forgotten timber "pond" and you could see thousands of huge trees resting on the bottom, like pickup-sticks, just waiting to be retrieved. ...neat

You'd have to check with TLM(site sponsor) who Paul sells these through. They are quite expensive, especially with the US/Euro rate so skewed right now. And then, if you don't get the CF version, you have to spend a couple hundred $$ to get it painted. al

Good lord Carl... you sound like our Honda Pilot... a wreck magnet As you may recall, our 2004 was totalled over the Christmas holiday when a kid in a Ford Expedition ran us off of I-10 at 70mph. Well, we have the new 2005 Pilot for about two months, and a teenager sideswipes it just last Friday... the whole length of the passenger side ...awesome Sorry to hear about your wreck. Hope you feel better. al

I know it represents a HUGE jump in expense verus something like simply replacing the lens assembly, but if I were really worked up about changing the looks of the rear light and tail/fender of the V11... at this point I think I'd just start saving pennies until I could affort Paul's tail, and be done with it Really, nothing touches his.... http://guzzi.daytona-it.com/ al

I concur.... nice enough, but not much of an improvement over the stock light. But if you want something different... why not al

.... ummm, please see the title of the thread It is in this months "Robb Report"... which is a "luxury" magazine here in the US, that has high-brow features on things like yachts, private islands, exotic autos, etc... high-gloss.... lots of ads for Rolex and the like

I could be wrong, but I think the current "equivalent" tire in the Metzeler ST range to the Strada is their Z6 As noted many times, since Pirelli and Metzeler are one and the same company, with tires being made side-by-side in the same factory, *in theory* the Metz should be quite similar. Here is a review of the new Z6 and some comments on how it compares to the older Z4. http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Article_Page...x?ArticleID=370 al

heh, I went by the local news-stand to browse the article briefly, but apparently the Robb Report this month is sealed in celophane for some reason Ah well Ane Yeah Yeah, I could break down and buy it I suppose, but I don't feel the need to do so on a magazine I'll not read the rest of. And I don't think the publishers of the Robb Report will hurt too much financially if I just "steal" a peak at one article since I never buy the magazine otherwise I'm rarely in the market for an island getaway or yacht al

hrmmm..... OK It doesn't look like it could hit the hugger under extreme suspension travel, although it is hard to tell from the photo and without testing. Question though: It appears that the fella that mounted the adjuster behind the helmet lock used a custom bracket?? Or did he just use longer bolts? It's hard to tell from the photo.

I can find very little as far as "real world reviews" regarding the Strada so far... as it is such a new tire. If mileage is a big concern for this trip, I would really recommend the Avon 45/46 ST tire. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Everyone that has them really says good things in regard to wear and performance, and that is often on much more powerful bikes. On our V11, these tires should last just about "forever" Maybe by this time next year, we'll have more feedback from riders using the Strada, but at this point... info is scarce ...and by then, if you've ridden the Avons this year, and try the Stradas next, you'll have a good perspective on which is better. So, yeah... in lieu of more info, for a high-mileage high-performance ST tire, I'd choose the Avon if I knew I was about to embark upon a really long trip and was concerned about wear from mileage. ....although, also see this thread from just a few days ago regarding the Diablo, Strada, and Avon: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4758 al

.... air temp or head temp sensor? al

Redline Shockproof Heavy... in mine Here's a search for every occurrance of "shockproof" in the forum http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...e=%2Bshockproof

I've heard good things about the Metzeler as well(owned by Pirelli), but simply based on feedback here and on the ST forum, the Pirelli and Avon seem to be favorites. ....BTW, I just went ahead and ordered the Diablos(not Corsas) and we'll see how it goes.... $219 delivered, a pair from swmototires.com al

Mike, just curious.... Are (m)any of those miles highway? Just curious how the center is holding up, and where the miles were accumulated. 3.5k on the softer Corsas(than the regular Diablo) sounds pretty impressive, and I wonder if that is because of the lower power of our bikes as compared with some of the "big boy" Sport Tourers out there I wonder how long the regular Diablos will compare to the mileage you are seeing with the softer Corsas... hrmm.... obviously better, but I wonder at what factor. al

..... am about to order some new tires, and wonder if we've got any long term mileage and handling comparisons between the Pirelli Diablo and the Avon ST AV 45/46. I am leaning toward the Pirelli simply because of the rave reviews here with regard to handling. Even though the expected mileage on the Diablo is less than the Avon, it has sounded like the Diablo on "lower powered bikes"(as opposed to a FJR, Hayabusa, etc) ... seems to last quite a while?? Experiences? And of course, Pirelli has their new Pirelli Strada ST tire as well, but I've *really* heard next to nothing about this tire since it is so new Does anyone have any observations to add? Some relevant threads: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...=954&hl=pirelli http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...ic=4015&hl=avon al

Now this is not Vapor Lock, but is tank-suck. You need to remove your tip-over valve under the tank. al

OK, well two things... 1) The symptoms do sound like classic Vapor Lock, however the temperature at which your condition occurred sounds a bit cool. Although, we have had a few folks at higher altitudes, or perhaps their fuel components were unluckily placed even closer to the engine, etc.... 2) Having a 2002(in North America) you should have an external pump/filter. I suppose it is possible that if you have a very late 2002(almost 2003) that you could possibly have the 2003 style tank, but I've never seen this from the factory. However, it's easy enough to tell. If you can see a silver petcock under the left side of the tank, and a silver fuel-return/pressure-regulator mounted under the right side.... and you have a "tank pad" on the top of the tank, you have the standard 00-2002 externally mounted fuel pump and filter. The 2003+ bikes that have the in-tank fuel system only have their twin plastic quick connects up under the module on the right side of the tank, and the tank itself has no "tank pad" on top, just a painted stripe. The 2003 tank is also longer. For some pictures and a little more info on the 2003+ tank, see this thread: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...ic=2459&hl=tank And go to about page 3 on the following thread for pics of the 2002 tank underside: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...=fuel-pump&st=0 (Disregard the extra black plumbing in the center of the tank for my custom fuel return, on the old tank)

BTW, on that note... just as a quick reminder, check out this thread: Please Update Your Location al

http://www.engrish.com/