al_roethlisberger

.....hrmm, last years display was quite nice and large(for MG), but yes, along with the other European bikes(and assorted oddballs) their display was in the Annex building, and smaller than the big 4 Japanese or HD frenzies.... but what do you expect MG was located "behind" Aprilia every year I have attended, so that's not really new, but don't think I'll be making this year.... so I can't compare this year's with previous. al

The MGS-01, Griso, and Breva 1100 show-ponies were up at Moto Italiano in San Mateo Friday night on their way to the San Mateo, MC show all weekend. So if interested, in theory, if you head up there... you can see all three in person this weekend. al

Just an FYI... another MGS-01 sighting...... One was up at Moto Italiano, in San Mateo, CA last night, on it's way to the San Mateo MC show. The Griso, MGS, and Breva1100 show-ponies are all up there this weekend. al

....rrrrroll back a couple pages(page 8 to be exact) .....and you'll see the thread start to talk about TLM in The Netherlands and their ECU remapping service. As of a year ago, they would remap your ECU's(actually just swap yours for one already done) ignition timing map, for 250 Euro. They say they have some fella that is a whiz at building a great ignition map for the V11, and he does the work for them. I sent mine to TLM and within a week or two I had a remapped unit back here in the USA. Pricey for sure, but no one else(at the time, and AFAIK, still true) here in the USA can, or is willing to perform this service other than some guys I spoke with up in Chicago, and they wanted similar money, and needed the bike on-hand al

heh, no actually Jason Tucker(who has been on haitus for quite some time ) started the thread back in late '02. I chimed in about 3 posts later ....and other than the "hollow axle" thread, has ended up being one of the longest, both in length and duration, our forum has seen al

....the thread that will never die Thanks for the technical summary 911st My timing is retarded about 28 degrees(if I recall from speaking with TLM), heads are ported, am installing Mike Rich 10:1 pistons(~10.5:1 in my case do to aforementioned head work), and will also have the Megacycle 620x9 cam installed next week. So hopefully this will all work together well as a final "package" al

Before "writing the tach off" as failed, check out the following thread: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3282&hl= ....it may simply be a loose ground inside the nacelle. al

Yes, rehoning should ALWAYS be done when dropping in new pistons/rings if one wants(and you do ) the new rings to seat properly. Otherwise one will get blow by and oil seeping into the cylinders. Old rings should also not be reused, although I believe I've heard some have with the FBF pistons For the small price of installing new rings, the benefit is worth it. IMHO, this is one of those areas where saving a few $$ doesn't pay off. Mike supplies new, special, rings with his pistons. Mike recommends a boron ball hone, mounted on a power drill. Just a quick couple passes will do the trick. His pistons come with complete, and quite technical, details for the installation including ring gap and positioning. Also Mike is always(well during East Coast business hours) available by phone for real-time tech support, something I think is very valuable. He recommends the standard break-in, but this in my case is more about the new cam than the rings per se. I've dropped Mike an email asking for a "marketing" overview of the pistons to help answer some questions that have been asked. I think that's a better idea than relying on my fuzzy memory .... I'd hate to accidentally misrepresent the product. al P.S. Have you installed the adjustable fuel pressure regulator I sent you?

Sorry to hear that you are having trouble sourcing the cable, but yes, the factory often closes in August for holiday, and we just heard the factory was put on furlough for the Winter due to low sales volume. Never the less, MGNA really should have tried(and maybe they did ) to stock up on the higher volume replacement parts like these. Just as a synopsis of dealers to try: MG Cycles (apparently out currently) - www.mgcycle.com/ MPH Cycles - www.mphcycles.com Harpers Moto Guzzi - www.harpermotoguzzi.com Joe Eish Eish Enterprises 330-738-3944 11041 Salineville, Ohio 43945 Dave Richardson (TLM affiliate in North America) Moto International 206-297-3822 7701 Aurora Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98103 motointl@aol.com Any one of these probably has the best chance of having the cable on-hand. Another alternative last ditch is to check with TLM in the Netherlands(Forum Sponsor, look up in the banner )... as they usually have quite a good parts supply, even hard to find stuff. And finally, try www.rebootguzzispares.com . They often have a ton of salvage Guzzi parts, both old and new, and are a great bunch to work with. Shipping from the UK is pricey, but I bet they have the part if you become desperate. Good luck al P.S. In case you haven't already, you may also want to do a search on threads for the speedo cable issue. If you simply replace your cable without determining "root cause", you may just have the cable break again soon after... as several owners have observed with dismay. Often it is a cable routing issue from what I understand.

These are "drop-in" pistons that require no rebalance. They are a handful of grams lighter than the stock units(although I forget the comparative differences), and can be further lightened(which from what I understand would get into a "rebalance necessary" territory). But as delivered, they do not require a rebalance. ...although like all things though, if one can spring for a rebalance(~$300 from what I hear), it's worth it as the factory often does a "bare minimum" amount of effort in this area from what I understand. Although I didn't end up getting the Carillo rods(just too much $$), I may still spring for the balancing when I have the engine apart. ...I am taking it in Thurs or Fri BTW WRT to HP increase, I dunno. Mike just got his dyno installed a little while ago, so other than feedback from customers, I don't know what sort of figures he can provide off-hand. But I don't expect anything Earth-shattering, just the heavy mid-range boost Mike predicts, and as reported by those that have installed the FBF variety. I hate to keep saying this, but if one gives him a call, Mike can give you the technical answers much better than I can try to recollect from our discussions 6 or more months ago If you'd rather email, his new email is: mrmsport1@aol.com al

Yep, coated with the same anti friction coating used on many of the high-perf pistons from the Big Four. It's extremely durable, and as seems obvious "reduces friction" quite a bit apparently. The pistons have some other advantages in weight, etc... but I forget off-hand. If you give Mike a call, he's always more than happy to give one the full lo-down

...yeah, that's right, I'm calling you out Dave See: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3869 Anyway, although he hasn't publicized it anywhere except the Classifieds section(probably knowing we'd give him a friendly "hard time" ) ... it seems that his temptations over the last year regarding a certain big-bore Yamaha have finally come to fruition So for those that don't know Dave Gross very well, he's one of the "old hands" around here, and if he does end up selling the bike.... we'll miss him for sure, much like when Rich Maund moved on. So, Dave, if you are reading this... let us know what happens with the bike, and best wishes We'll miss you here al

As noted above, but I'll reiterate... this sounds like the classic "clutch switch bullet connector" problem that most of us have seen at one time or another. The solution options(versus twisting the bars lock-to-lock every time ) are: 1) Pull the tank, look on the left side near the head-tube, and you'll see the only "bullet" connectors in the harness(why oh why did they use those crappy connectors? ) Pull them apart, clean, add dielectric grease, then firmly reconnect. Your problem should disappear, at least for a long while. 2) Cut the damned things off, and replace the connectors with something better. I replaced mine with some AMP Weathertite connectors. 3) Cut the damned things off, splice the wires together 4) Cut the damned things off, short the circuit(twist the wires together) so that the clutch safety switch is now irrelevant. ....those are your options =) Do a search for "clutch switch" or similar, and you'll find some photos of the switch itself, and a few other threads on the subject. Good luck! al

If you are going to spring for some $$ wheels, I'd personally go for PVM wheels. The OZ wheels do not incorporate a cush drive from what I understand, while the PVM units do. Other than OZ, March, or PVM, there aren't many good wheel alternatives for the V11 other than the stock Brembos, as many manufacturers like Dymag don't make them anymore. al

And although I don't have a stock piston with which to compare it, here is a shot of the FBF 11:1 piston, with the stock V11 piston on the right:

OK, here are the photos of the Mike Rich piston:

....haha, yep that's it! According to the tool, I have used ~10MB out of ~5MB allocated I guess that's the curse of being a very early adopter, and vigorous photo poster I'll drop a note to Jaap. I don't think I can go back and delete two years worth of photos, plus many of them are quite "useful". al

Is there something up with the "global image" quota right now? I can't seem to post images. al

Here are some photos of the Mike Rich "drop in" pistons I received the other day in advance of my engine case swap. I can't offer much technical detail other than they are lightweight, with an "improved squish", and about 10.5:1 true CR in my case(due to some previous work), but normally about 10:1 true. They also have an anti-friction coating on the skirts. If I recall, they were about $330 for the set. For more info, contact Mike Rich, at Mike Rich Motorsports: http://www.cookedgoose.org/sponsors/richmotorsports.htm al

Discounting long "highway drone" miles where average MPG is often approaching 40, my bike has consistently shown 120-130 miles of around town riding, whether "spirited or not", on the trip odometer when the low-fuel light burns full-on al

Here's the response I received some time ago when I tracked down the aluminum reservoirs: ...BTW, these guys were very responsive when I needed to have the little plastic sight windows replaced under warantee al

My opinion is "don't sweat the final HP/Torque figures" so much, instead using the dyno as a tool to fine-tune how well, and for what goals, you want the bike to perform. As the stats from one dyno to another can vary widely, it also makes sense to stick with one dyno for these purposes. Moving from one dyno to another, even the same make/model, can invalidate the comparitive value of the outcome, as the baseline will not be static and reliable. In the end though, you can probably get a generally accurate idea of HP/Torque after several runs, again, on the same dyno though. al

Yep, you need special prep work for plastics such as those used on our bodywork, otherwise the paint will not adhere and will likely flake/peel off. You may get lucky if you paint over the existing paint, or even if you strip it down to the plastic, but generally the paint will not stand up to any stress without proper primer. What you need to do is go down to your local automotive paint supply store, and explain what you are trying to do. They will provide you with a special spray-on primer(usually clear), that is essentially "glue". Once applied properly(and there are usually specific dual-application and "timing" instructions you must follow closely) you can shoot the base or color coat. You may be able to use the new "plastic" paints out there as the primer coat, but I haven't tried it in that application. One thing I have learned from those paints though, is that they are relatively transparent(will often show marks on the plastic under the paint), and don't often provide a very consistent finished product on some plastics. .... *but*, if you can afford it, I would recommend getting the body panels shot by a professional. The finish from any "rattle can" is going to be far less appealing and durable than a professional finish. It cost about $300 to paint my tank, if that's any helpful reference. But it looks like a factory job al

I don't think it matters so much, although your goal should be to keep it away from any moving or abrasive parts... or in general avoid contact with anything that might rub through over time. And you should try to route the line as far from heat as possible. I've had fuel lines running all over this bike, so it doesn't really matter as long as the criteria above are met. al

Sorry I wasn't able to make the ride today, but it looks like you had a great time This time of the year is the best for riding(and Spring) when the temps are very mild, and the roads clearing out. So let's get some more rides in before the temps and rain really start to fall in the next couple months al