GuzziMoto

I have used Caswells epoxy tank sealer with good results, including on the wifes V11. As with any paint or coating, good preparation is key.

I think there is more than one possible cause of the dreaded V11 sneeze. I remember it being suggested that one possible cause was the weak stock cam chain tensioner. Perhaps at certain rpms the tensioner is not able to keep the timing in check. Some people upgraded to a better tensioner or even gears and reported the sneeze went away. But, as I said, there is likely more than one cause and as such there is likely more than one solution. I recall having also heard people say that they set their valve clearances to a given value and the issue was reduced or went away. Often that value is higher than the standard US clearance numbers in the manual, sometimes what is referred to as the "world" clearance specs. I have bought a set of gears for the wifes V11. It has a minor case of the sneeze, so I will see what, if any, effect that has on it. That is, of course, when I finally get around to installing the gears. It turns out keeping them in a box near the bike has no effect.

Correction: I can't find any specific restrictions about discussion topics on this site. This forum seems self-regulating for the most part (though older posts do suggest that there were some more tumultuous times in past). I must have been thinking of the rule #2 from WildGuzzi: 1. No un-justified personal or dealer attacks. 2. Keep the content Guzzi related. No room for Politics or Religion debates here. 3. There is no room for "raunchy" posts with adult or mature content. This includes strategically covered nudity, sheer or see-through clothing, lewd or provocative poses, close-ups of breasts, buttocks, or crotches. 4. Posting of for sale items allowed only in the classified section. Failure to adhere to these simple, common courtesy, common sense rules will result in your being banned to ever post on the Moto Guzzi Discussion site again. That being said, Enjoy the Guzzi talk. #3 is well-written. For examples of all offenses, see: Gratuitous pics of girls + Guzzis Agreed. And now some who called for the exit don't want to be responsible for leading the country after the vote. Personally, I think most of the people leading the "Brexit" campaign were not really expecting to win. I think most of them were just doing it to try to gain more political power, they expected to lose. I think they were just using it as a soapbox to stand on in an attempt to make a name for themselves, as well as letting them blame their the other side and remaining in the EU for all of the countries ills. As someone said, the EU has become the whipping post in the UK for everyone who doesn't like the new global world. The EU didn't cause the new global world, and leaving the EU won't undo the new global world. Times change, but some people hate that.

Stew, I have old time friends (friends from years gone by) that are in the UK. They are native born, classic traditional British people. They are well educated, smart, and down right nice people. I have not talked to them in a while, and thought that maybe I should reach out to them at this time. Then I thought "What if they are on the side of the racists?" and decided to let it go. It is odd how someone who can seem so normal can suddenly turn into a giant ass when they suddenly start spewing racist garbage. Put me in the "I hate racists" camp. I was also disgusted by the people who are saying they have been tricked into voting to leave with false promises. Those pie in the sky promises were so clearly never going to happen, you really had to want to believe in them to believe them. The only thing worse then people making really bad decisions is when they won't then own up on their bad decision. I hope this does not go as badly for the UK as it looks like it will. Good luck. And wish us luck while you are at it.

I was not really directing my comments at you, except for the answer to your "question" about why it's the front brake they leave off on choppers. Your Eldo is a different can of worms then the V11, and has a different braking set up. Comparing the two is not really apples to apples. Yes, there are times when the rear brake is a good thing. But those times are the exception, not the rule. The OP has made comments suggesting that "just about anyone who does pretty heavy sport riding will agree that the tiny little rotor with that twin piston caliper on a heavier bike like a v11 is just too small.". It is comments like that I take exception to. When people infer that there is a common design issue, and if you don't experience the same issue they "resolved" you just don't ride hard enough, I take exception to that. It was not directed at you. No offence is meant to anyone here, certainly not to you, Roy.

I would not say the rear brake is "un-required" and I would not leave either brake off. Choppers do so because they are more concerned with looks then function. But if I had to pick one or the other it is the rear brake I would ditch. Try riding your bike with only the rear brake for a day and see how well that works. A cruiser might work ok like that but a V11 or other sport(y) bike will not stop for shit. Where as using only the front brake I can stop a V11 just as fast as if I was using both the front and rear brakes. There are times when the rear brake is advantageous to use, but those times are more of the occasional nature and not a constant. Can you use the rear brake more, sure. But you quickly get to a point of diminishing returns. And if you are using it so much that it is over heating the rear brake perhaps you want to re-consider the way you are using the rear brake. Or you can put a massive rear caliper and matching m/c on your bike to compensate for the way you are using the rear brake. Personally, not only do I not understand the caliper and m/c upgrade vs adjusting your riding style, I don't understand why you didn't upgrade the disk itself if you want more rear brake. For example, when you convert a dirt bike to a supermoto bike a standard upgrade to stop the smaller front brake of the dirt bike from not having enough power and fading quickly is to upgrade to a larger diameter disk. For most people that alone is enough to make the brakes work as desired. It is only after that, if you need more brakes, that people start replacing calipers and/or m/c's. I do agree with docc that the stock rear set up requires careful cleaning and maint. to keep it working right. And you need to make sure it is not a maintenance issue with the stock system that is causing the problem. But again, people are free to mod their bikes anyway they want. I don't have a problem with that. I do object to when they make statements to the effect of projecting their personal issue that triggered their mod to everyone else. There are lots of people who ride motorcycles like the V11 that have small rear brakes. The V11 is not unusually fast nor is the rear brake unusually small. The vast majority don't have the OP's issue. And please don't say that those who don't have the OP's issue just don't ride hard enough. That is arrogant and wrong. As to linked brakes, the more common linking method is to apply the front brake when the rider applies only the rear brake. That is because the rear brake lacks the stopping ability of the front brake so to aid riders who don't know how to apply the front brake so they can still stop in a reasonable distance. Use your brakes the way you want. Mod your brakes the way you want. Feel free to discuss proper braking technique. But please don't assume that you are better at braking / riding then others on the internet. That would be a false assumption. And you know what happens when you assume....

Mine arrived while we were at a Jeep festival this past weekend. That was fast. Thanks again, Scud.

Uhhhh....No. That is not something that everyone who "does pretty heavy sport riding" would agree with. And there are bikes out there that are faster and/or heavier then a V11 with a similar sized rear brake. The issue is not the brake but the way it is being used. If you insist on using your rear brake that way, fine, replace it with an oversized caliper. But please keep in mind that their are guys on V11's that are faster than you who don't have an issue with the rear brake on the V11 (or the Daytona). And please don't bust out the chalk board, I am sure you are happy with the way you ride, but I am also doing just fine without a giant rear brake caliper.

Thank you Scud for putting in the effort to make this happen. Of course, I am on my own when it comes time to install, oh well.....

I have seen where someone adjusted the height of their rear brake pedal and, without realizing it, prevented the master cylinder from returning fully to where the port was open to allow fluid in and out of the master. This caused the system to apply the brakes on its own, getting hotter and as it got hotter it applied more brakes because the pressure could not escape even though they were not knowingly applying the brakes . Eventually the brakes would fade, because they got so hot. It is easy to do the same thing just by laying your foot on top of the rear brake lever. There are many things that can cause a brake system to fade. I have never had one fade because the caliper was not big enough. I have had brake fade because the disc was not big enough. Racing supermoto I had issue with fade twice. One was when I was racing a two stroke with a 270mm front disc (small by street standards but that is an oversize dirt bike disc), if I used only the front brake it would fade in four laps. If I used the back brake as well it would go 8 or 10 laps no issues, but I had to use the rear brake to take some of the load off the front. I think that was not only was the front brake on the small side but being a two stroke it lacked engine braking. The other issue was with a newer supermoto specific bike that had a bigger front brake and was a 4 stroke. The front brake lacked bite and would fade over a longer race. I switched to a better pad and the fade was gone, while the new pads offered amazing bite. Neither of these stories has anything to do with the rear brake of a V11, but that is because we don't have any issues with the rear brake on the V11. And my Daytona has a very similar rear brake, goes even faster, and also has zero issues with the rear brake.

Same here, but neither the wife or I use the rear brake for much other than a parking brake. The front brakes have more than enough power to stand the bike on its nose. It really comes down to rider preference. They did not design the V11 for heavy rear brake use. It is much like every other sport bike out there, the rear brake is not overly robust. For most people that is not a problem. But the design of the rear brake can lead to issues for some as it does require more involved maintenance due to the mounting orientation. I would not put a rear caliper that big on ANY of my bikes, but if you brake so much with the rear brake that you over heat the stock rear brake it may be a good idea for you. Or you could adjust the way you use your brakes.

It is not a mod that I would do, but it ain't my bike. I don't agree with Todd on everything, including when he proposed that set up. But if it works for you, congrats. It is always nice to address an issue you have with your motorcycle.

I seem to recall knowing Fred @ Yoyodyne years ago when we were racing as Gotham Racing. We bought more than a little titanium bits from him as I recall. Seemed like a good guy.

That sounds like a fun trip. For us, we have had great experiences with trips on Guzzi's. The wife rides her V11 and I have had a couple different Guzzi's, like a Griso and a Daytona. I also used to ride a Buel X1 on these trips, but the wife has done them all on her V11 (she finally bought a second bike, a Ducati Monster). It has worked near flawlessly. I had an issue or two with the Buell, but the only issues she has had were relays acting up and a flat tire. Neither was a trip stopper. One of our favorite trips was from the DC/Baltimore area to Indy for races. First it was F1, then it was for MotoGP. We would do most of the trip on two lane roads, WV and Southern Ohio have some great two lane roads. We also have done the Blue Ridge Parkway a couple times, and a trip up to Cape Cod (mainly on backroads, of course). I hope to one day make it to the Pacific Ocean, but I think that will require two trips, one to go out (maybe in the fall) and another to come back.

It's a uniquely styled bike for sure. Some love it, others hate it (I've read some very witty scathing comments about it's appearance). When I bought my Scura, the dealer also had a Centauro available, a dark green one. He suggested I ride it, but I just couldn't get past the low seat and the overall look of it. I guess it is a muscle-bike, or power-cruiser - but that genre has never been appealing to me. I now wish I had at least taken it for a spin so I would know how that motor performs. But something to consider for the project: The Centauro is a rare and unusual motorcycle. It might be worth ensuring that all mods are reversible - and keeping the stock parts so it could be restored in future if you (or someone else) wants it to be a Centauro again. That is what I did with my Daytona. I swapped the rear end to a V11 tail / rear subframe. I removed the front fairing and swapped to GSXR front forks with handle bars instead of clip ons. I did a few other changes as well, but all of them are bolt off / bolt on. I have all the original parts and could put it back to stock if I wanted to.

If it is a V11 it should have a hydraulic clutch. That requires the hydraulic system to be free of air the same as the hydraulic brake system. If you squeeze the clutch lever and the clutch does not fully disengage I would first check the fluid in the clutch reservoir, then bleed the clutch. If still no good, work from there. I hope you didn't throw a lot of money having people change out the clutch when what you really had was a bad clutch master cylinder. A worn clutch will not make the clutch fail to disengage, it would fail to engage. Your issue is with the hydraulic system that disengages the clutch. The issue is not likely inside the gearbox. The one part of the system is the clutch slave cylinder which is on the back of the gearbox. Good luck, it sounds like the bike is pissed off at sitting for two years.

"Some aren't so big", that's for sure. I was driving one of my work trucks (a Ford F150 4x4) down the highway yesterday and saw a nice example of a car I used to own years ago, a Triumph Spitfire. To this day it is one of my favorite old cars. But I was stunned at how small it seemed, looking down on it from my F150 4x4. I know my Smart car is small, but I did not remember how small the Triumph was.

Setting sag should always be step one. Steering dampers are a mixed bag. Some prefer the feel with the steering damper, some don't. I fall into the "some don't" category. But whether you like the steering damper or you don't, if it is not working right it can have a serious negative impact on the handling of the bike. Also, tire pressure can have a noticeable affect on handling. More pressure tends to make the bike lighter and quicker steering, less pressure slows the steering down. You might find that a little less air pressure brings the handling to where you want it if it is too light and quick steering for you. Work in small one or two pound steps.

I love the Centauro. If I did not already have a Daytona I would have bought one. Nice bike.

The older injected bikes had the fuel pump external to the tank, so there should not be much difference between a carb bike tank and an injected bike tank. There is an external pressure regulator on one side of the tank that you would have to replace with a fitting of some sort. Then there is the question of if you want to add a reserve valve or not. If you are adding a reserve you will need to know that before replacing the pressure regulator, as that will determine what you replace it with. Someone else might have better detail on the exact differences, but I doubt there is anything that cannot be overcome. Try looking at parts diagrams between the two models. That should give you an idea what the differences are.

In the USA the gas tank "vent" has a one way valve that only allows air to enter the tank, so that as fuel is used air can replace it so there is not a vacuum. Common practice, at least to me, is to remove that one way valve. If you follow the line you should be able to see the valve. I believe euro bikes vent directly through the cap, but as I am not there I am not sure.

Good luck with the Yuasa. I have not had good luck with them in a while. Check to see where it is made, if possible do that before you buy it.

Pretty sure they ship via slow boat and they go around the Cape of No Hope. It doesn't matter where they are going, they go around the Cape of No Hope.

The thing I go back to, though, is that the Odyssey appears to be the same as the OEM stock battery in the V11. That battery had no issues with the V11 charging system. In fact, it lasted a really long time for most people, just as the Odyssey battery does. I even have an Odyssey battery now in our Lario. If it can last there it can last everywhere.

I use Odyssey batteries whenever possible. I do not do any special charging or "conditioning". I get better life out of the Odyssey batteries than any other brand I have tried, and they seem to have more power than any other battery I have tried. I can't fault them. I have tried many of the standard lead acid batteries, including Yuasa. And I have tried Shorai and Ballistic Lithium batteries. I had better results with Odyssey. I am pretty sure stock OEM battery on a V11 is an Odyssey with a different badge on it. It had a Sparker badge but it was identical to an Odyssey in every way discernible.