GuzziMoto

Martin had the speed in the sprint race, while Bagnia had a lack of rear grip. Then, come the main race on Sunday things seemed to be reversed. But the cause of the lack of grip may not be the same between those two things. It could be a matter of where the tire pressure was set, or other settings on the bike. It could also be a matter of the tire itself having already gone through a heat cycle without being used. Tires that are mounted and put in a tire warmer in expectation of being used but are not used go back into the pool of tires. They will be issued to someone else at a later race weekend. When you get a tire that has already been cycled through a heat cycle but not used you are not told. Michelin knows your tire has done a heat cycle already, but they don't tell you. These tires that have already been heated and later cooled tend to not offer the same grip, although Michelin insists there is no difference. Then there is also the lack of consistency between tires. That is something that will always exist. It was a thing with the previous tire supplier, although it does seem like a bigger variance exists with the Michelins. That said, Martins issue looked like he spun the tire at the start (that is not a tire issue, that is a rider issue). Spinning the tire put him behind the eight ball from the start. He ended up having to race people he did not expect to race, and he was visibly flustered as well. So he may have abused his rear tire, and over race distance it lost grip and at the end he was toast. How much of that was a duff tire and how much of that was a duff performance by Martin is hard to say. What was obvious was that Bagnia put in a stellar performance and did exactly what he should have done, from the incredible start to finishing a safe second. His only mistake was when he nearly ran into the back of DiGi. That would have been a disaster. He really dodged a bullet there, was almost the Bagnia of old.

Another aspect of Ethanol in gasoline is that while different pumps may dispense gasoline with Ethanol in it the percentage of Ethanol may vary considerably. In theory, it should contain no more then 10% Ethanol unless it is labeled E15, which can contain up to 15% Ethanol. But often gasoline contains less then the max Ethanol content. The less it contains, the better your fuel mileage tends to be. Funny enough, the other side to it is an engine can make more power burning gasoline with Ethanol in it if it is tuned to do so. Ethanol has less power for a given amount then gasoline does. But Ethanol contains oxygen, so more Ethanol can be burned then gasoline, offsetting the reduced power density. Fuel mileage will decline even further, but if you want power it is an easy way to make more. Sadly, most V11 engines don't adjust their fueling on their own (no O2 sensor), and they certainly don't adjust their fueling based on Ethanol content of the fuel. Flex fuel vehicles tend to do that, the tech is out there. But that is beyond Moto Guzzi and the V11. You could likely tune a V11 to run on higher Ethanol content fuel, but given the fuel tank has issues with E10 I am not sure it would be a good idea.

That was a great race by Bagnia. He did what he needed to do, no more / no less. He did not risk throwing it away trying for more then he needed. And those were some aggressive passes to re-pass Martin when he passed Bagnia. It was exactly what he needed to do. Sad to see such a bad day for the Apes. Odd to see Miller be first KTM, even before Binder went down. But most of all, glad to see Bastianini show his stuff. The Beast is back (I hope).

Ours is a 2009 FourTwo Brabus. I am not sure the Toyota is a better Smart FourTwo. It is a Toyota, and no doubt some will like that. But the Toyota is a front wheel drive shitbox, made by Toyota. The Smart is a rear engine rear wheel drive city car that is fun to drive. Our 2009 came with heated leather seats. In 2009. You could not buy a shitbox like that Toyota back then with heated leather seats. And we paid just over 20 grand for it. That was near the top of the line. I don't think that Toyota is even in the same class. If you can find a used one at a reasonable price a third gen one would be something I would consider. But used car prices are crazy, and you can't get a new one in this country anymore.

Simpler solution was to install a battery that didn't need help after the Shorai battery failed fairly early by my standards (lasted a couple years). But yeah, adding something that would put a load on the battery would probably have helped. Not sure a tail light would be enough load, a head light would be better, even just a switch that went straight from the battery to the stock head light would probably have done the trick, no extra parts to carry. But I should not need to do that. That is solving a problem that should not exist. And now it doesn't.

That is cute. It would not work for us, but if it works for you it seems interesting. We had a second gen Smart, the FourTwo (a Brabus version). It was great. Still have it but sadly it developed issues and I have not had time to fix it. My long term hope for it is to upgrade the engine and trans to something with more go. It takes up so little room it isn't a problem having it around until I have the time and money to fix it up. I think the third gen Smart, the USA only got the second gen and third gen, was the best one. But they didn't last, the company left here shortly after the third gen came out. Shame. One upgrade (at least to us) of the third gen was while it was about the same length it was wider. That gave you more room when two people were in it. But given your goal of making more room for bikes that might not be what you want. The third gen was also faster, with options for the transmission. The second gen transmission was probably one of the weak links, both in terms of performance (it took forever to shift) and reliability (the trans was the most common failure point for us, usually the actuator for the auto-clutch). Probably not the sort of thing you are looking for, but you might be interested in one of these. https://vanderhallusa.com/models-new-classic-2022/

And that might help if you can do that. But that wasn't an option on my Griso. As I recall, the headlight doesn't come on until the engine starts. Trust me, I tried a lot of things.

Fair point, but the effect is not that bad and is predictable. And with the transverse cylinder layout (longitudinal crank) there is a benefit in that respect. For a normal engine with the crank itself running transverse the higher you rev the engine the more gyroscopic force it develops. That makes it harder to steer. An example of that was my older brother and his Suzuki V Stroms. He had a 650 V Strom and a 1000 V Strom. He would complain the the 1000 V Strom was too hard to steer. I taught him not to rev it as high as he would rev the little 650 V Strom, it did not need to rev high to make power. And by not reving it any higher then you had to it made it much easier to steer. The Guzzi layout doesn't do that, the steering is what it is with almost no impact from how high you are reving the engine. It does turn slightly easier one way when getting on the gas and slightly easier the other way when getting off the gas. But that effect is very small and you really aren't likely to have it make a difference.

I think there are a number of decent companies out there making Lithium batteries. I would go with one that is easy to get and that the supplier for is reputable and likely to stand behind their product. For me that is currently Anti Gravity. But where you are would likely be a different option that is best. The basic technology of a Lithium battery is pretty well established. The typical motorcycle Lithium battery is not going to be state of the art cutting edge Lithium tech. You just want a well made Lithium battery that someone will stand behind should it have issues. My issue with the one in the Griso was that we often have cold nights leading up to nice riding weather during the day. When the bike is outside at night, for example parked in a hotel parking lot on a motorcycle trip, it gets cold enough that it would not start in the morning. Push starting a fully packed up Griso because the Lithium battery would not start it sucks. I learned to try to park on high ground to make starting easier should the battery fail to.

Trust me, if the Guzzi's transverse cylinders are hitting the pavement it is because you have already crashed. A V11 Sport certainly can't get anywhere close to that sort of lean angle, but it is other more mundane items that will start hitting the pavement first. On a V11 Sport the first thing my wife would drag in left hand corners, aside from the footpegs, was the sidestand. I don't think she ever touched anything down on the right hand side of the bike beyond the footpegs.

My first Lithium battery was a Shorai. It was mostly a failure in my Griso. It worked for a couple years, but would not start the bike on cold mornings. And it did not last as long as I expected. Next I tried a Ballistic, again in the Griso. Another failure. Did not last long, did worse then the Shorai. Currently I am running an Anti Gravity Lithium battery with their Re-Start feature. So far it has worked well enough. The Monster does not get ridden much, but so far the Anti Gravity battery has started it each time, not even needing the Re-Start feature. No doubt there are other good options. And technology for Lithium batteries has improved since my first Shorai battery in the Griso. And part of the issue with it in my Griso was the way the early Griso's would abort the start process if it sensed a low battery voltage. Newer Griso's allowed you to hold down the starter button and force it to turn the engine over. Mine is a early one and it lacks that. So a cold Lithium battery might not start it (just a click).

I have a Ducati Monster 1100 with a Lithium battery, similar charging system, no issues. Probably the next battery in my Daytona will be Lithium, mainly due to availability.

Around here "sportbikes" are not very popular, but "sporty" bikes are huge. All the Japanese manufacturers have sporty bikes, both naked ones and semi faired ones. A V11 is a naked sporty bike, and a Lemans is a semi faired naked bike. Both would fit in fine with what most of the other manufacturers are doing. Sportbikes still sell, but not as much as they used to. All the manufacturers still sell sportbikes, but fewer options in fewer displacement ranges. Thus, a modern replacement for the MGS-01 seems unlikely. But a modern replacement for the V11 Sport and Lemans seems like an obvious choice. If they only want to sell two wheeled SUVs and retro bikes, they can do that but will never sell enough to grow the company. And they sure won't sell one to me. We will see. My money is on more versions of the new bike.

I have zero interest in the Stelvio, but am glad to see a new Stelvio as it is hopefully a precursor to a proper Guzzi with the new engine. A modern V11 Sport / LeMans using that engine would be wonderful. Or maybe a modern Griso. Heck, I would love an MGS-01 with that engine, but I suspect that is a bridge too far.

You might be surprised how little it takes to make the engine rev up with no load on it. The throttle plates not closing all the way, something hanging up the throttle linkage as shown in the pic in the other thread would do it. Or an air leak between the throttle bodies and engine. A basic test of whether the throttle bodies are closed all the way (or near it) might be to open the fast idle lever and see if doing so opens the throttle bodies a little. It should. You can do that test visually with the engine off, just watch the throttle bodies to see if they move when you pull on the fast idle lever. If the throttle bodies move when you pull on the fast idle lever the throttle bodies are closing, which would mean the air leak is probably somewhere else. The throttle bodies could be popped of the intake boots, or the fittings used to balance the throttle bodies might be open to the atmosphere. If the throttle bodies don't move when the fast idle lever is pulled something is holding the throttle bodies open. I would first check to see if there is any slack in the throttle cable. If there is, it is likely something is hanging up the throttle linkage down at the throttle bodies. If there is no slack, something may be miss-adjusted in the throttle cable or hanging up at the throttle on the handlebars. I would also check to see if the throttle wheel is sitting on the throttle stop. It needs to be. It could be that the throttle cable has popped out of the fitting that secures it on either end. Sadly, this is something you really need to look at to find where the issue is.

Knowing Pete he would probably just ask that you donate some money to a charity.

Make sure the fast idle lever is not holding the throttle slightly open and that there is sufficient slack in the throttle cable when it is closed. What most would call a "choke" is really just a fast idle lever on the V11. It simply holds the throttle open slightly when you pull on the lever to activate. It is not really a choke. Also make sure the throttle bodies are firmly and securely seated in the intake rubbers. And make sure there are no cracks in the intake rubbers. Anything that lets additional air in will raise the idle. Also, see if the rpms change at idle if you turn the handlebars all the way left and right. If they do, you don't have enough slack in the throttle cable. And see this thread / image.

The main race was a great race. Shame about Binder losing a spot for that minor touch of the green. But it was still a great race. Good job by Martin, but Bagnia is doing what he needs to so far. It will be a good race to the title I suspect.

My old PC545 still starts the tractor without help. It does occasionally struggle, especially if it is cold, and the tractor has a low battery light that does come on. Then it goes out once the battery gets charged back up. But it still starts it.

I like Lithium batteries, but it is kinda silly to think the weight reduction is going to be an advantage, or even noticeable, in a V11. That said, Lithium batteries are good by now and hold their charge better then lead acid batteries. You did get great results with your last lead acid battery, I hope you have equal luck with your next. But I would not bet a donut on it. By the way, my wife's V11 had a PC545 in it. I replaced it because it was old just before we left on a trip. I didn't want it to be an issue on the trip. After a couple years of her old PC545 sitting in the garage, I needed a new battery for my lawn tractor. I grabbed the PC545 and put it in my lawn tractor. It has been there for some 7 or 8 years running my lawn tractor. It was already probably 7 or 8 years old before it got pulled from her V11. Then it sat for a couple years. It does struggle now, and should be replaced. But it keeps starting the tractor.

It was 2019, KTM was already in their third year. They were clearly still developing, but some here are saying that Zarco is a great development rider. So he should not have had an issue with that. Zarco's team mate at KTM that year, Pol Espargaro, was 11th for the season in points with a best finish of 6th. And Pol was really putting in the effort, trying to make the KTM the best it could be. Where as the best finish for Zarco was 10th, he wasn't putting in the effort the way Pol was. His partial year there was clearly lackluster and a failure. He was unable to ride the KTM. The one thing I will give him credit for there was that he didn't just phone in the rest of the season. Once he realized he was not going to be able to do anything on the KTM he made a deal to leave midway through the season. I respect that, some would have just rode around at the back to finish the season and get paid. The Honda he is going to ride is a lot like that KTM was. So I am not optimistic about his prospects at LCR Honda. Maybe he will do better, but maybe not. Side note, it would be funny if LCR signed with KTM for 2025 after their contract with Honda is up at the end of 2024.

Who replaced the fuel pump? If I was replacing the fuel pump I would have disconnected the battery while replacing it. If the battery was disconnected to replace the fuel pump all the battery leads may not have been re-connected to the battery properly.

Sounds like it could be a fuse or a relay (or the connections at the relays). It could also be the key switch itself, easy enough to check with a meter (assuming you have basic electrical knowledge). If you lack the electrical knowledge to test things like the ignition switch you may want to find a friend who does. The V11 won't start if not in neutral unless the clutch is pulled in, and that also applies if it is in neutral but the neutral sensor isn't saying it is in neutral (the neutral light must be on).

Well, we will see. As a development rider one of the most basic skills required is to be able to adjust your riding style to what you are riding. A change to a bike might be faster, but it may require riding in a different way to make it faster. A prime example of this is Binder. He has adjusted his style to what the KTM wants, and is seriously fast because of it. Some test riders are not as fast, but they are good at figuring out what works and what doesn't. Being fast helps as a tester, but it is clearly not required. I wish Zarco luck at Honda, but it is probably good that he won a race before going there.

Zarco wasn't sure if his seat would be there for him, there was a chance Bezzechi would get his seat, and Pramac wasn't offering him longer term deals even if he was re-signed. So he took it on himself to leave on his own terms rather then letting Pramac make the choice. Turns out Bezzechi didn't take his seat, but he had already committed to leave. So that left his seat for Morbidelli. But that was only because Zarco had left. Martins tires were gone. But when Zarco passed him down at the hairpin he did it with a block pass. That block pass opened the door for Bagnia to easily slip through along with Zarco. And it sped up Martins fall back through the front group to where everyone in the lead group passed him. And it all started with Zarco moving Martin wide at the hairpin on the last lap. It was a fair pass, but not one you would usually pull on your team mate while he is fighting for a championship. But it is done now.