GuzziMoto

Sliding the triples down the fork tubes, i.e., raising the forks in the triples, can be a double edged sword. On the one hand it does steepen the rake and put slightly more weight on the front wheel. On the other hand it reduces trail, which is the main aspect of geometry that makes a motorcycle stable. There is a happy median range of trail. To little is really bad and too much is a little bad. If you already have stability issues you should be careful sliding the fork tubes up through the triple clamps. It may help but it could also increase the instability. You won't know if you don't try but you might not realize it is an issue until it really is an issue. I am pretty sure your bike has more relaxed rake than the early version V11's. I think it has 26 degrees of rake. Many later V11 owners do the sliding the forks up through the triples thing to get back to or close to where the early red frame V11's are with 25 degrees of rake. But if you do that you can get to or near where the red frame bikes are with rake, but I am pretty sure you won't have the same amount of trail they do. If you have triples made that decrease the offset (or have your triples modified), or if you swap to other forks, like GSXR forks, that have less offset you can have the rake without the decrease in trail. Or you can try a little sliding of the stock forks and see what you think. Personally I am concerned that you have head shake, and think you should first set sag. Setting sag should tell you if your springs are the right rate. Springs that are too soft can't be resolved with more preload. It don't really matter how much preload you add the spring rate does not change unless your springs are progressive rate springs. I don't think Guzzi's came with progressive rate springs. Best way to start any journey is to start at the beginning. Setting sag does not require professional help. It does help to have a friend or two help you. But it can easily be done with the help of a couple of friends. If you get together with two riding buddies you can, as a team, do the sag on all three bikes in a couple of hours. Just take notes and keep track of what you end up with.

My wife's V11 is just like that one. Hers has a little more miles, a different exhaust, and a few other detail differences, but it is pretty much that bike. Hers has been, and continues to be, an excellent motorcycle. As to the price, that seems like an average price. Maybe it is even a good price as they usually cost a little more from a dealer.

I wouldn't dare do that. If you don't want to do that then don't do it. But we have done that on the wife's V11 and it is working very well. There are two main reasons a street bike needs a steering damper. 1) It has very aggressive geometry and is inherently unstable. There are more than a few sport bikes and race bikes that fit this category. The V11 does not fit this category. 2) The suspension is not set up 100% and needs the damper to mask the set up issues. V11's can easily fall into this category. There is a third reason for a steering damper, but is not really a reason for a street bike to NEED a damper. It is if the rider WANTS a steering damper. Some people prefer the heavier steering feel they impart. As has been mentioned before, The reason we removed the steering damper from the wife's V11 is because the damper had failed and it was screwing up the handling, making the bike wallow and weave. It was not obvious, but you could just feel there was something wrong with the damper set at its lightest, the bars would resist turning at first and then they would "let go" and turn easier. The slight stickiness would cause serious issues even trying to go straight. We removed it thinking we would replace it, but the bike handled so much more to my wife's liking with it gone. The steering was lighter with more feedback about what the front end was doing. It made the bike a much sharper tool. I am sure some here would not like it that way. And those people should not do so. But if you want sharper, quicker steering from your V11 and you have or are willing to put in the effort to get the suspension set up correctly it is an option.

No.

"It comes down to using a tire that is made to fit the rim size you have. It has nothing to do with Guzzi and everything to do with who made the tire and what size rim they made it to fit." If you have a 4.5" rear rim a 160 mounted to that rim will have the correct profile and the best contact patch because that is the size rim that tire is made for. Better handling and better traction. A 170 tire mounted on a 4.5" rim is not mounted on the size rim the tire was made for and as such the profile of the tire is wrong and the contact patch is reduced. If you have a 4.5" rear rim a 160 rear tire was made specifically to fit that size rim and a 170 was not.

As mentioned, my wife runs saddlebags on her red frame with no ill effects. Maybe they aren't quite as large as yours, but they can't be that far from it. They are standard full sized bags. Add to that the crap she straps down to the top, it can't be that far from what you are doing. Once she had those bags plus an oversize sleeping bag strapped on top. As to the geometry, the early models had 25 degrees of rake and somewhere around 4" of trail (I am not sure what the exact trail numbers are). Those aren't extreme numbers and there are many motorcycles out there with similar numbers. I hope you find out what is wrong. They don't all do that.

First thing to do is see what the width of your rim is, that is stamped on the rim. If you have a 4.5" rim it may be better off, you may prefer it more, because the 4.5" rim fits a 160 tire better than a 170 tire. That can result in a better shaped and sized contact patch with more rubber actually touching the road. And the 160 weighs less, so that plus the better contact patch can lead to better handling. If you search here I am pretty sure you will come up with a fair bit of info on it. It is a known issue. It comes down to using a tire that is made to fit the rim size you have. It has nothing to do with Guzzi and everything to do with who made the tire and what size rim they made it to fit. Early V11's had a 4.5" rear rim. Later ones had a wider rim. The early 4.5" rim fits a 160 better, the later rims (5" or 5.5", I forget) fit a 170.

I think your red frame V11 came with a 4.5" rear rim. If so, it would be better suited to a 160 tire than the stock 170 size. The 5" rear rim does well with a 170 but the 4.5" rear rim is a bit narrow for it.

I think the term you meant to use is "have more aggressive geometry", not "have aggressive geometry". There is nothing aggressive about the geometry of a red frame V11 accept when compared to other Guzzi's. And again, my wife has an early red frame V11 that does not weave, wobble, or wallow. And it does not even have a steering damper. There have been more than a few people to say their red frame V11 did something bad, that it was not stable. But, my point is, that tells me there was either something wrong with their bike or they did not properly set sag. And you may find, when you set sag, that the numbers tell you your spring is too soft. And no amount of preload can fix a spring that is too soft. You can only fix that with a new spring. First set your sag and see where you are with your spring rates (front and rear). If you need stiffer springs get them. You may want to have a pro set up your suspension. Then, if it still has issues, find what is broken, worn, or mal-adjusted and fix it. Because it should not do that and if it does something is wrong.

The bags we use (we both use the same type of bags) are soft bags from Ortlieb. They are fairly large, but I do not know the rating. We load them up pretty full and pretty heavy when we take a week long trip like to Indy for the races. My wife also uses a tank bag, but I don't think that has much influence. I have heard stories about Tonti frame handling issues (the EV), but I don't know how much of that is bike specific problems and how much of that is design. Part of the issue that could cause handling issues is certainly weight distribution, Guzzis carry more weight on the rear than many others, and there is likely also some aero component to the issue. I suspect weight distribution is the main factor. And to deal with that you need to set your sag right. If you can't get the right sag numbers with your current spring you need a different spring. Too light a rear spring, or even not enough preload on it, could easily cause handling issues. So can any other suspension mis-adjustments, but that is often one of the worst offenders. Again, if your bike has a weave, wobble, or wallow, check out the various parts of the equation. Something is wrong. It could be anything from a dead rear shock to worn steering head bearings. The steering damper may be causing the issue as easily as it might be helping with the issue. Whatever it is, it is something. FYI, when traveling I use a GPS for speed. We usually don't run the interstates much, but have been known to make time on them for various reasons. When we are on them we are usually making time. As long as I don't get a ticket it is all good.

My wife's red frame bike has been dead stable on the interstate at, let's just say, over 90 mph with saddlebags fully loaded. Weight does matter and setting preload to match the loading of the bike can help. But we did not even need to add preload to compensate for the saddlebags. We just load up and go. No issues. If your V11 wobbles, weaves, or otherwise has a handling issue, something is wrong. They don't all do that.

Ohlins are nice, But there are other high quality brands like Penske. The main advantage of a high quality shock is having it built to your needs. Whether the Ohlins is worth it depends on how much the used shock would cost. You would need to calculate the total cost after having it rebuilt and tailored to your needs. Once right Ohilins are nice, but honestly they tend to be the older style Ohlins when they are on a V11 and you can buy newer shocks with more features often for less than what you would have to spend on the Ohlins. People often think their used Ohlins are worth a lot. That said, if the numbers for the ohlins add up go for it. Other wise go for a new shock. As to the forks, you can have them gone over by someone like Todd, and they should work pretty well. They will never work as well as a better set of forks work, and a set of GSXR forks is what I went with for my Daytona. But if you go that route you will also be dropping some coin on them to have them set up for your needs, just like the shock. Figure a grand for a used GSXR front end minimum when all is said and done. I think mine was over that but I added a Brembo radial master to improve the brakes that much more. The stock brakes are fine, mine are substantially better. Most people would likely be happy with just having the stock forks done, but it comes down to how far you want to take it and how good you want it.

My wife's V11 is a red frame version, so it is not direct apples to apples. But..... Her V11 takes very little effort to hustle back and forth through the twisty bits. In fact, that is the main strong point of the bike. It changes direction with little effort. There has been a lot of good advice thrown out here. I agree with most of it. One thing that catches my attention though is a comment about "adding more preload". That is not how you do it. You measure sag, both with and without you on the bike. You then compare the numbers and see where you are at. Proper sag is a good thing, blindly adding preload can be a good thing or a bad thing, 50/50 chance. I am not sure of the true nature of your issue from your description, it sounds to me like you are describing a wobble (tying itself in knots) but perhaps you just mean hard to turn. If it is a wobble, check the steering bearings (perhaps new tapered bearings set correctly) and steering damper. The damper needs to move smoothly with no binding, drag, or stickyness. I saw one fail (the wife's) and it would bind when you first tried to slide it and then it would let go and move easily. That caused the bike to wobble as it resisted your turning input and then let go and overturned. The way I found this was to turn it all the way down and slide it in my hands off the bike. If your issue is indeed a wobble then something is wrong. For the record, the wife's V11 has the forks at the stock height in the triples, a Penske shock that is slightly longer than stock, a 160 (instead of the 170) tire on the 4.5" rear rim, steering damper removed (after the original damper failed and caused steering wobbles, as mentioned), improved fork dampening, and air pressures at 34F/36R. It handles pretty F'ing well.

That certainly is interesting, but I am not sure why you would replace one of the holes with three holes. I guess it is slightly better than it was, but your adjuster likely still has no effect except when the forks are near the end of their travel.. And your valving would also have no effect until it is most of the way through the stroke. Did you switch to thicker oil when you did this?

The thing with GSXR forks is, not only are the easily available but there is a wealth of info about them and a large amount of support. You can make other forks work but you will be much more on your own, much like you are with the Guzzi to begin with. If you are replacing something like that why not go with the most support. If you search this site you will find a link to a site with info on the various versions of forks GSXRs came with. That alone makes the swap much easier. Plus there are fork extensions for some versions along with the dampening mods that everyone loves. You also get a lighter front wheel and better brakes. Finish that up with a Brembo RCS master cylinder and you have an awesome package. (Here is the link to the site with the GSXR fork info http://www.svrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=135430 )

Chains out last belts on average. But a crappy chain tensioner can shorten a chains life. Still, I would think the stock timing chain should last a good long while. As it gets old, and the tensioner wear out, you may have lumpier idling and slightly less power. But usually those things creep in and as such are not really noticeable. The wifes V11 has over 60k on the stock chain, I have the gears but have not switched to them yet. I finally have a garage instead of a shed. Perhaps soon I will get to it.

I have no doubt Stig could fix the 'Zokes. I am not, however, sure he wants to. But he is a nice guy and it can't hurt to ask. Personally, I encourage people to see for themselves how their forks work. If you have a set lying around, take them apart, try what I was talking about for yourself. Perhaps you can find something I missed. Or something I forgot. It has been a while since I had them apart. Perhaps I need to re-visit this myself, but I lean towards putting a modern set of forks on with modern brakes and a lighter wheel.

Yeah, with both holes it flowed so much oil that none of it was forced to go through the shim stack. Some suggested thicker oil but I think it would have to be really thick and that would mean you had to change the shim stack to work with the thicker oil. I think my solution was blocking off a hole and slightly thinner oil to get compression dampening through the whole stroke. And now the adjuster actually has an effect. Before it did not, you might convince yourself it did, but with the springs out you could really see that the adjuster had no effect until the piston went past the holes.

My experience was specific to the early Marzocchi's, as the wifes V11 is a red framer. If your top triple has the hole machined in it from the factory for a handlebar riser it is not from a Daytona, nor from a sport 1100. They had clip-ons. There were a few V11's that had handlebars stock. As far as I know even the ones that did not have handlebars had the boss cast into them for where the hole would go. That is the way the wifes V11 was, no hole for the bar risers but the boss was there. I just drilled holes in the clamps and mounted bars. As to the dampening, this is what I found from memory. There was zero compression dampening until the forks were about 80% through the available travel. Then there was a massive amount of dampening. This was basically hydraulic bump stops. Turning the compression adjuster had no effect on the first 80% of travel, and little effect on the last 20%. The reason this was that way was two holes in the damper cartridge that allowed all the oil to bypass the stack in the piston until the piston went past the holes. The holes were at around 80% of travel. I found this during service of the forks. I took the springs out and put them back together. I then could feel the dampening and how it changed through the stroke. I noticed the compression dampening was nothing until it hit the last 20% then it seemed to lock. I took them back apart and found the two bypass holes. I blocked one of them off and found a weight oil that delivered what I thought was the right amount of compression dampening. I don't remember what that was. I seem to recall the rebound was stupid but not as bad as compression (each leg does one or the other). The thing I fall back on is this is just suspension. It is not special because it is a Guzzi. There is compression dampening, rebound dampening, and springs. They all have to play nice together. Only the details on this are different because they are Italian forks. The way they are built is a little weird, having compression in one leg and rebound in the other. But I had a Buell that was the same way and now other major brands are going with that set up as well.

Sorry, but Sorry, but I have to disagree. To your first point, a properly designed and made set of gears will last the life of the motor. The chain and tensioner set up will not. Second point, The distances between the various shafts are not something that is random. They are pretty much fixed.Gears are by nature are noisey and make their own sound, but chains are not much quieter. Belts are quieter, but that is not part of this question. If a set of gears does not fit right it was not designed/built right. Third, That is exactly the reason why gears are better. With a cam chain and tensioner, the cam timing can vary as the cam goes through its rotation. The tensioner allows the timing to vary as tension and slack is applied. Gears give a much more accurate cam timing. Fourth, the Stucchi tensioner is a good idea if you are keeping the chain. It seems to work better then the stock tensioner. The stock tensioner is a weak link. But if you are looking for the results you can achieve with gears the Stucchi tensioner is not going to give you them. Most people probably do not need timing gears. many people will use the stock tensioner and be happy. Some will switch to the Stucchi tensioner and be happy. Others may end up with gears, and a properly designed and built set of gears is the top of the cam timing pile.

I do pre-fill my filters when they allow, but I don't put any more effort into it than you did the first time. I just pour oil in once until it is mostly full. And on motors where you can't it never matters that much. I doubt how you pre-filled the filter was the difference. Perhaps it was a bad filter, I assume you put a brand new filter on the second time? You did not find the gasket mis-aligned or flipped?

Without looking at the parts (meaning I am not sure), if you dropped the pan I assume you replaced the pan gasket. If you put it on wrong it may be affecting oil flow. It does not sound right. Even not pre-filling the filter should have only made a small difference in the oil light going out. 5 - 8 seconds should have had the light going out. I would be concerned. Check the work you did, it does not take much running without oil pressure to destroy a plain bearing motor.

Funny thing. Ducati tend to use ALMOST exactly the same part between models, they change it just slightly. Guzzi tend to use EXACTLY the same part between models, only changing it if they have to. The cases on my Guzzi's still have the boss cast into it where the distributor went.

Chains may be reliable, but the chain tensioner is not always. And the chain can be less accurate as the tensioner wears. Gear cam timing is typically regarded as more accurate, and people who have switched the Guzzi to gear cam timing have reported smoother, steadier, running especially at and near idle where some Guzzi's have a "sneeze". I am not saying everyone needs to change, just hinting at some of the reasons people might consider changing. There are a number of kits, so the market seems to be there. But most of the kits use aluminum gears and that scares me a little. The sets I got (one for the wifes V11, one for my Daytona) use steel gears.

If you want the finish to last I would either powder coat them or use some sort of bed liner coating. If you use regular paint it will probably look bad from wear in a few years. Another option is anodizing them. But, in my experience, black anodizing tends to fade when exposed to the sun.