GuzziMoto

I am lucky. For a couple years racing the TZ250 my wife was the mechanic. She would jet the bike (TZ250s need proper jetting to avoid seizing), and do whatever we needed done at the track. We tried to have everything good to go, and rarely did anything to extreme to the bike at the track. The worst thing we did was change the internal gearing in the trans once. That was pretty hard. But usually it was read the spark plug, change the jets, and make sure the tires were properly aired up. Later in life, after we started riding the Buells, she would do BattleTrax (which was basically autocross for bikes). She did that on the Blast at first, and then steeped up to doing it on her V11. She probably took it more serious than I did. She didn't like to loose. Sadly, they stopped doing BattleTrax when Buell was shuttered. She did highside her V11 once going for a faster time. And we always said, slow guys lowside, fast guys highside. She was a little proud of that.

She started riding through me. I was racing motorcycles when we met, but I actually did not ride on the street (too dangerous). I raced Ducati's, then a Yamaha TZ250. We did a couple two up rides on a bike we borrowed from a friend. Then Buell came out with the Blast, she read about it in RoadRacing World magazine. She decided she wanted one, no pressure at all from me on that, I still did not own a streetbike. So we bought her a Blast, and I ended up buying a Buell X1. She rode the Blast for around a year, then decided she wanted a second bike that was faster. A friend owned a Guzzi Daytona, so she knew about Guzzi's. And the V11 Sport at the time came in the awesome green with the red frame, she really liked that. She was also interested in Triumph, the Speed Triple. So we did a test ride of those two, there was a dealer not too far away that sold both Guzzi and Triumph. In back to back riding, she liked the Guzzi better. So we bought her a V11 Sport, sadly we couldn't get the greenie, by that time there weren't any still available. But we found her a nice silver red frame V11 at a dealership a few hundred miles away. We rode down there two up and rode both bikes back. We took the scenic route back, up skyline drive. In the years since then, I bought the Daytona from my friend, as well as the first Griso sold in Maryland. We also picked up a V65 Lario, and sold the two Buells. I do wish I still had the X1, that was a great motorcycle when it ran.

My wife is a Guzzi owner, but she isn't registered on this or any other motorcycle forum. Her V11 is really why I am here, I own Guzzi's but she is the only V11 owner in the family. There are probably more female riders now than I can recall ever seeing. But female riders are still the exception and not the norm. Even a few racing.

I got my J&J vaccine shot as soon as I was eligible for it. Actually I got it as soon as I was even somewhat eligible for it, I signed up for it before I was 100% eligible for it but by the time of the appointment I was eligible. I had no issues with side effects, nor did the wife. We still wear masks when indoors among crowds. We still try to be careful. The big concern is not spreading the virus to others. Too many people think the primary purpose of a mask is to keep the wearer of the mask from getting sick. I disagree. I believe the primary purpose of a mask is to keep people who have the virus from spreading it. I don't wear a mask to keep myself from getting sick, I wear it to keep you from getting sick. The surgeon doesn't wear a mask during surgery to keep himself from getting sick, he wears it to keep the patient from getting sick. It seems we as a planet are incapable of doing what it takes to overcome this. So it seems we will be dealing with it for a long time. People are unwilling to make the required concessions, unwilling to do what is required to do. Everyone wants an easy button for this, and they thought the vaccine would be that easy button. But they did not understand that it doesn't work like that.

I get preferring ICE motorcycles. But fire is not a very good reason, ICE vehicles, including motorcycles, are far more likely to burn than an EV. I have watched plenty motorcycles burn to the ground. Not one of them was EV powered. Can an electric vehicle burn ? Sure. But it is a rarer event than an internal combustion powered vehicle burning. If you want to hate EV's, hate them for real issues, like lack of range, time to recharge, and cost. But fire is a lame reason to hate them. A gasoline powered motorcycle is way more likely to burn than an electric motorcycle. Personally, I would love an electric motorcycle. An electric dualsport would be awesome. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy internal combustion motorcycles. They are great. But they are destined to go the way of the doodo bird. They are unsustainable in the bigger picture. So enjoy them while we can.

I agree with docc, modern tires are good and likely more a matter of different flavors than one tire being better or worse than others. Of course, some people think vanilla is better than chocolate, but really they are just different flavors. Someone may prefer the way Pirelli feels over Michelin, or vice versa. But it is just personal preference and the differences are small. I brought up the BT45 as an example of how long it has been since I have found a tire to be less than great, that was probably over 25 years ago. Fresh tires always tend to feel great, in part because you are typically replacing a worn out tire with a fresh tire. Fresh tires feel great. The nice profile compared to the flattened profile of the old one makes the bike feel lighter and handle better. I do like fresh tires. As to Michelin in MotoGP, the tires they make for MotoGP have nothing to do with their street tires and issues they may or may not have with the MotoGP tires has nothing to do with their street tires. A hand made MotoGP tire has nothing in common with a mass produced street tire. But I will say honestly I don't know why any manufacturer would want to be the single make tire supplier for MotoGP. The Bridgestones had issues, lots of crashes due to warm up issues, and only a certain riding style and chassis style seemed to work with them. Now it is Michelin, and while they seem more widely suited to different styles and chassis there are still issues. You will always have issues. And I don't think it helps a brands reputation to be a single tire supplier like that. You get no credit for winning; of course you won, you are the only one competing. And you get blame for everyone that has issues.

I think most all the current tires from the various brands are quality tires. It is more like flavors of ice cream than it is which tire is better. I have used a few different brands and model tires on our Guzzi's. They have all been good. I can't remember the last "bad" tire I tried, perhaps a Bridgestone BT45? It was OK, but I really didn't care for it. It seemed like the rubber was too hard and lacked grip. I would rather have a tire that wore out too soon than had a lack of grip. We also used to have issues with tires not heating up fast enough. But that doesn't seem to be an issue anymore. Progress. I do agree, if you have a 4.5" rear wheel go with a 160.

Looks nice.....

If he had been successful and blew the engine up, that could have caused issues for other racers (oil on the track). It also would have been expensive and bad press for Yamaha. Mav doesn't pay for the engines, and when they blow up Mav isn't the one people will think of. So he needs to be sat down, he deserves it. He can blame others for things, but the only one to blame for this is himself. There may be baggage on both sides, but this is a case of Mav doing something that was stupid and irresponsible that risks the safety and well being of others on track. That simply was not acceptable, regardless of how legitimate his beef with Yamaha is.

I would guess it is GRIT as in Guzzi Rally In Texas. But it could be a celebration of Grits, that would be delicious.

Yeah, from what I have heard all Yamaha did was withdraw his entry for the second race in Austria. He is sitting this race out. It remains to be seen if they part ways now or put him back on the factory Yamaha for the remainder of the season. I would not wish Mav on a team I hate, so I certainly don't wish him on Aprilia. They don't have enough money to pay someone like Mav to ride around at the back trying to blow up his bike. I would ride it for free and not even try to blow it up.....

I remember well that incident. I, like footgoose, did not see a kick. I also recall the hate was there before that season, but that gave the haters something to point to. There is no point re-hashing that season, it is long over and done. I think it is much like NASCAR, where Jeff Gordon came along and became an incredibly popular and successful racer. He took his stardom, and the sport, to levels it had never been. But there was also an element of hate there. While Gordon was one of the most popular racers in NASCAR he was also one of the most hated. It is like for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction applies to fans as much as physics.

I'd drink a beer or two with her.....

While I am not a "Rossi fanboy", I think he is / was one of the greatest racers of my lifetime. And I am sorry to see him go. But I totally understand and respect his decision to call it quits. It is strange how he can be so polarizing. While he is one of the most popular racers EVER (arguably THE most popular racer ever), he is also a racer who some people seem to hate (with a passion). I really never understood the hate. I just enjoy watching anyone that good at racing motorcycles race them. It has been a pleasure watching him. He is one of those racers that will end up being legendary, like Mike Hailwood orJohn Surtees. And I will be happy to say I watched him race. And I also remember that inaugural race at Indy (and the TZ750 at the fairgrounds, holy sh!t).

We already have an electric car, a Chevy Bolt. I was one of those that thought I would never drive an electric car. I do love the sound and feel of an internal combustion engine (ICE). But the Bolt does what I need it to do, and it does it really well. It has enough range for someone who drive 190+ miles round trip to go to work and back. It goes faster, quicker, than any of my ICE powered cars. And it was cost effective, it cost us about the same as an equivalent ICE powered car, while being cheaper to operate. Clean electricity does exist, wind, solar, and hydro-electric are all around us. Is some electricity not clean, sure. There are still coal powered plants. But currently in this country electricity production makes less pollution than cars and trucks do burning fossil fuels as I understand it. While I do like the HD LiveWire, it isn't my style of motorcycle. But I have thought about an electric Dual Sport. That would be a great option where I live. Noise is an issue when Dual Sporting around here, most places to ride aren't exactly 100% legal. So having something quiet would be helpful. My KTM 440 doesn't fit that bill. I will pretty much keep our Guzzi's, although I have considered selling the Griso cheap to a good home. It needs a new clutch and I have not found the time and / or money to finish that job. It has sat half disassembled in the corner of the garage for too long now. But the other Guzzi's I will keep and ride until I die. But that doesn't mean I would not also own an E bike. As a side note, we are having solar panels installed soon. A sign of the times. A Luddite like me with an electric car and solar panels, who would have thunk?

Yeah, temperature makes a difference on the exact voltage reading. But AGM batteries like the Odyssey will measure higher than normal lead / acid batteries, and at or just under 13 volts is fully charged. Only charging at 13.8 volts is low, but I assume that was at idle. As rpms come up charging should increase to 14 volts or more.

I am not saying anything about what causes the hiccup. I am just pointing out that throttle position, engine load, and whether you are accelerating or decelerating have little to do with cam chain tension. The cam drive is not in that transfer of power path.

A job worth doing is worth doing twice.....

I agree with Pressureangle. Most of the source of "play" in the cam chain drive is a result not of what the throttle position is or whether or not it is under load. It is because of the valve springs. When a cam is opening a valve spring it is "under load". And that load is in one direction, the valve spring is providing resistance to the cams rotation. Once the valve is opening and begins to close, the load on the cam chain is now in the other direction as the cam is now trying to spin faster than the engine because the valve spring is now pushing on the cam in the other direction of rotation. This dance gets even more complicated when you have multiple valves being opened and closed at the same time. Valves and valve springs make for varying forces through a cam shafts rotation. Those varying forces means the energy required to spin the cam changes as the motor spins. At times the cam is trying to go slower than the motor is, so the load on the cam chain is in one direction. But at other times the cam is actually trying to spin faster than the motor is spinning so the load on the cam chain is in the other direction.

I believe both of those options attach to the bolts that tighten the top triple clamp around the fork tubes.

I assume that is because oil pumps don't pump pressure, they pump flow. It is only resistance to that flow that creates pressure. With no resistance to flow there is no pressure. At higher rpms the resistance to oil flow likely goes down, while flow is going up at the same rate, due to increased motion of the various internal parts like the crank and rods.

For a production air cooled push rod V twin a Guzzi big block makes good power. The newer 8V CARC engines make better power, but they seem to less fuel efficient. The older 4V engines like from the Daytona and Centuaro have their own issues but they make good power. All three are big block Guzzi's, but each of the three has a different character. Being oversquare is only one aspect of engine design. If you make an engine oversquare but you don't have the flow past the valves to support the oversquare aspect you could make less power, not more. Being oversquare alone does not make more power. Being water cooled alone doesn't make more power. Although you can make more power by adding a turbo or compressor alone..... But then you need to be able to shed the extra heat. I do like how Guzzi's respond well to old school hot rodding. Cleaning up the ports, adding more compression and squish, things like that, can make a noticeable difference in power output of a Guzzi engine. Trying to get more power out of a modern sportbike engine is pretty hard in comparison.

I don't think HD is chasing HP. They are after torque, it seems. And feel. HD has built some pretty powerful engines. Obviously there was the V Rod engine. But they also built a 1200 air cooled engine for the Buell that made 101 HP (mine put out about 80 HP at the rear tire, more than the wife's V11, and over 70 ft/lbs of torque). That was a seriously sweet motor. Not like a V11 motor, it was much more of a stump puller that would still rev while the V11 motor is more of a mid-range motor. Certainly HD could build a more modern engine, but really they seem to be doing fine where they are. And the Live Wire is seriously fast. In the end, there is more than one way to make a nice engine. I just wish HD hadn't killed off Buell.

We did install a power commander on the wife's V11 years ago. That was before options like Guzzi Diag came out. The power commander on the wife's V11 works well. but it is old school tech. The newer Guzzi Diag options has potential that the power commander could never have. That said, it should run fine stock, and if yours doesn't I would do as docc suggests and perform a basic tune up. You never know what state a used bike is in when you acquire it. Once the basics are good there is plenty of time to go down the Guzzi Diag rabbit hole.

As mentioned, the key to the fuel sensor is it has enough resistance when covered in fuel (kept cool) to prevent the low fuel light from lighting. As long as there is enough resistance, it really doesn't matter how much there is. When it is exposed, uncovered, its resistance goes down and it can flow enough electricity to light the low fuel light. It is a really simple circuit. Besides testing the resistance of the sensor you can confirm that applying 12 volts to the rest of the circuit will light the low fuel light.