GuzziMoto

I just ordered a Penske shock for the wifes V11 (the stocker cracked at the lower mount). I gotta say, the Penske is in the same price catagory as the Elka you are trying for and they have made a few already. No groups required. Just call them and tell them how much you weigh and how you ride. Michael Himmelsbach (the motorcycle guy there) is a nice straight up guy as well.

I find it much easier to service the forks after removing them from the bike. You will need to compress the spring to get at the nut where the damper rod attaches to the fork cap. This is easier with the forks seperate from the bike. I have a nail at the right height off the floor of my shed so that I can compress the spring and use the nail to hold it compressed while I undo the cap. Good luck.

I make no claims to being old. In fact, amongst this group I'm happy to say I am on the young side. Sorry to hear you are on the other end. That does not change the fact that octane ratings in the US have not changed in a long time. And, while lead was/is an effective octane booster, lead tended to leave deposits in your motor, so it wasn't perfect, although the deposits did help with reading plugs and pistons. There are ways to raise the octane rating and speed up the combustion rate at the same time. I would say that is a step forwards from the old days, but that could just be me. I know how you old geezers tend to hate new fangled technology.

This is what Todd response was when I inquired about getting a shock. "Hi Michael, All of the shocks are built in Holland, and shipped over. Typically it's @3-4 weeks. That too long? Todd" Sounds like he does not stock them but orders them as he sells them. Ohlins says (thru Stig at PPS) that they discontinued the rear shock for the V11. If that's true, that is bad news for sure.

The octane rating of standard pump fuels has been reg= 87, mid= 89, and premium=91-93 for as long as I can remember. The stuff they put in fuel has changed. Lead is out. But they have other, possibly better, things to put in gas to raise the octane. And as far as alcohol goes, it can cause issues in your fuel system related to water but in the combustion chamber it is mostly a good thing. There was a time right after they banned lead that fuel quality was down, but that has passed. Modern fuel is pretty good. And if you want high octane race fuel without lead you can buy it. But you don't need it for a Guzzi, even with high compression pistons.

I don't know about a 3D shock but Todd at GuzziTech already sells HyperPro shocks for V11's.

The C/F cover could be why it is being listed as having a 5 speed box. I have never seen a V11 with a 5 speed. Not saying it can't be done, but I believe it would tack some pretty serious fab work. Enough that it would probably be cheaper to but a new bike.

WHile it could be argued that the high compression pistons may cause detonation due to the raised compression ratio, it could also be argued that they may reduce detonation due to the increased squish area improving turbulence in the combustion chamber. I would not be suprised to find that the net result is a wash. What is it about todays fuels that you think is worse then fuels of old when it comes to detonation?

The rings have a top and bottom. I forget which is which, but you should be able to tell by comparing to the stock piston and rings. I want to say the rounded edge of the ring goes up.

1) I don't know about the G&B exhaust, but plenty run the Quat-D under bike exhaust. 2) Just my opinion, but I would replace the head pipes with non-crossover pipes. The front crossover is a compromise more about noise control and emissions then performance. In order to get the most benefit out of a Stucci or mistral unit you would want the front crossover gone. 3) I think the bungs on the stock pipes (smaller then an O2 sensor bung) are for CO testing, but I could be wrong. 4) Yes I've considered EGT monitoring. You can buy a nice unit that will measure temp in two cylinders at the same time for a couple hundred dollars. Exp aircraft supply houses are a good source. First read up on what EGT means. It is a useful tool, but it may have more use for racers then street riders.

That, to me, is the biggest stumbling block. At this point, the local shops I'ved checked at don't do test rides on the 1125. Ihope they will change that policy. Because while I've not test rode a single bike I've ever bought before buying it I would not buy a Buell again without test riding it.

I have not seen the sreet fighter version in person, but the sportbike version looks great in person (looks bad in photos). And red is probably a bad color for it (red usually is a bad color for any bike). I would buy one, in fact I want one. Since Guzzi won't make a street legal MGS01 I may end upwith a Buell(again).

I agree. I thought those scoops were ugly in photos, but when I saw it in person (on the sportbike version) I was impressed. In black, it looked great (scoops and all).

I'm pretty sure there should be a gasket there. Sometimes the gasket is smoushed into the head so hard that it doesn't look like it's there, but if you pick at it with a dental pick you may find it.

It used to hook up to the emissions canisters(as typically found on Cal bikes. All Guzzis are Cal bikes in the US).

A unit made for motorcycles should have a brighter screen display as well as being water proof(or near to it). It should also have controls that are easier to work with a gloved left hand. The unit my brother had before his Zumo had the controls on the right side and they were hard to work with gloves on.

Sounds like a stuck injector. They can stick open or stick shut. Yours may be stuck open. If you swap the injectors and the problem moves with the injector, that's it.

They have two street legal singles that they ride(rode?) and one race bike that they restored. The race bike came from Japan and needed a lot of things replaced and/or made. I am no Duacti single expert but they seemed to know enough. Iwas focused more on the Guzzi side. The wife side of the husband wife team that owns the shop learned to ride on one of the Ducati singles they have there, right side shifter and all. If your in the area at all they are worth the trip. They don't have all the things like gloves and other gear for sale that most shops would, but they are worth the trip.

I just dropped off the wifes V11 at this shop for some work. All I can say is WOW, what a shop. If you are a gear head at all, this is a place to visit. They have a lot of old Porsches as well as a few other makes of cars, plus some fantastic Ducati singles. They are interested in old Guzzis as well, so anybody with an older Guzzi should feel welcome. If you are in the Balt./ DC area, this shop is worth the short drive to visit. And at this time, they have some leftover Guzzis they want to move.

The tank vent may have a one way valve in it to only allow air in to the tank to replace the space the fuel, that is used up as the engine runs, occupied. Sometimes this vent is installed backwards. But in your case, if it is there, it may not be letting pressure escape as it builds up in the tanl(due to fuel evaporating and/or temp increasing). The pressure build up may force fuel out the other line. Not really sure why or how. All I know is on my Griso it did the same thing and removing the one way valve stopped it. If you have this valve in the vent line, try removing it.

Well put.

I think some people may need to relax a bit. I don't think anyone is suggesting that you should not rev your Guzzi over 3k rpms. But for cruising down the road at a steady state there is nothing wrong with spinning the motor at 2-3k rpm. To imply that you should always keep the motor above 4k or that it gets better fuel mileage between 4500 and 5k is a bit misleading to say the least. And all things are relative. A guzzi is a revver compared to a Harley but not compared to most other bikes. And power falls off on the 2 valve motors by 7k. The meat of the power is not at redline but in the midrange. Being able to walk from an R-1 in roll on acceleration without downshifting is fun.

Overdrive ratio means greater then 1 to 1 ratio. For every 1 revolution of the trans input shaft, the out put shaft would spin more then 1 revolution(i.e. 1.1 revolutions or something like that. Had never noticed 5th and 6th both being overdrives. But my wife and I constantly ride our Guzzis at or below 3k rpm in 6th gear. It is not abuse in the least. It doesn't lug until you get down to around 2k rpm and it depends on how much throttle you give it at low revs as to whether it lugs or not. One of the beautiful aspects of riding a Guzzi is how much torque it makes at 3k rpm. You don't need to row the box like you do on many bikes to go fast, just twist the throttle and grin. To each their own. Edit. I. just checked the manual for my wifes 2000 V11 and only 6th gear is an overdrive ratio. Woops, the manual has a typo. Ratchet is correct. What that has to do with riding the bike at 3k rpms I'm not sure. Since trans ratio is only half the story and Guzzis have prettty short final drive ratios. Being an overdrive box has more to do with reduced friction loss then what rpms the motor is happy at.

Can be done for sure. I think RacerX sells replacement head pipe that don't have the balance pipe and are higher quality then the stock Guzzi stuff. Fuel mapping may be slightly off but if you have a power commander that's easy enough to fix. May not be enough to worry about though. Could even be better.

I have a Garmin Zumo that I like a lot. It is made for bikes, so it is water resistent and easy to operate with gloves on. It also came with a car set up that pops right in to my truck. I believe only the 550 comes with the car set up, the 450 doesn't. Have only had the one and my brothers to compare. My brother just upgraded his to a Zumo as well. I guess he didn't like his youger brother "out teching" him.