GuzziMoto

You trust the neutral light???? Yeah, I missed that. But it is also easy to wire in as it just has 12 volts to it and the ground is thru the switch.

The SpeedHut option offers turn signal and high beam lights. So you should only need an oil light and a charge light (or better yet a volt meter). You could easily make a plate with those two. The oil lght is easy, the light gets pwoer and the ground for the light goes through the oil switch as I recall. The charge light should be equally easy but slightly different depending on the output for your R/R, or just install a meter.

Acewell makes combination units that have an analog tach and a digital speedo. They also offer an adapter that connects to the stock speedo drive on the transmission and sends a signal to the speedo. I have one on my Daytona. I will say that I went with one from the UK supplier as the support in the USA was not there. I did try to buy on from a outfit in the USA who said they had the one I wanted in stock but it turned out they were lying and while I finally got my money back from them it was not a good situation. The UK supplier seemed like a stand up guy who did his best to accommodate me. I would also add that I found the SpeedHut units after I bought the Acewell unit and if I had found them earlier I would have went with one from SpeedHut. The Acewell unit is okay but it is typical Made in China fare. It mostly works as intended but is not as nice as I would like.

My wife is about your height and has no issues reaching the funny tang on the side stand. Does yours have the funny U shaped tang that makes reaching the stand possible? Aside from making a longer tang another option would be a strip of rubber that catches on the ground and flips the stand up, ala 90's Hondas.

Also, 1500 rpm is not really an overly high idle and should not make the bike unrideable unless there is something else wrong, like out of sync or binding throttle bodies. And TPS needs to be set, or the bike can think the throttles are more open then they are (or more closed then they are).

We went with the Rossopuro fender eliminator on the wife's V11. I don't know if they still sell it but it allowed us to use the stock taillight and signals. And it had a hinge that allowed you to adjust the angle. I'm sure you could make your own if you wanted.

Sorry, you misunderstood me. I am a fan of Todds work, although we do not always agree. I run his kit on the Griso. I am also a fan of the Power Commander line. I know it is not the most sophisticated FI modifier but it works well and is user friendly. My regret with regard to the lost map is that I had a map that fueled perfectly (not a matter of how much hp but rather no surging, stumbles, or hiccups) and I lost it. Someone loaded a new map in it to try and did not pull the old map out and I did not have another copy. The guy who built that map for me disappeared as well. The bike runs well now but not quite as well as it did before. If we had not had the previous map we would not know what we are missing. But we know.

My Griso has the full system from Todd; PCV, Autotune, and open airbox lid. I am happy with it as well. Setup is key, but it seems that some Guzzi's run better then others, or some people are less picky then others, or some combination thereof. The wife's V11 has a Power Commander and it runs well, but I managed to lose the original custom map it had and it has never been quite as good since.

Around here it is around $4 (give or take 10 cents) a gallon for premium pump gas. Keep in mind the European method of rating octane is different and our 93 is your 97 (or there abouts).

I would just buy the cheapest one and defeat it. If it were to get stolen the assumption could be made that the thief defeated it. A lock is more effective then an alarm, but owning a Guzzi is the best theft deterrent. My favorite alarm story is my buddy with a nice collection of bikes, mostly Ducati's, loves alarms. Many of his Older Ducati's have that stupid suicide side stand that auto retracts. His bike was parked in a motorcycle parking area some time back at Daytona. Their security decided they needed to move the bikes. When they got to his they picked it up off the stand, the stand retracted and the alarm went off. They immediately let go of the bike, and it of course fell. Hundreds of dollars worth of damage, at least in part, due to the alarm. WOuld they have dropped the bike with out it? Possibly, but likely not. I had an alarm on one of my bikes a long time ago, it was useless. Parking it in secure places like garages, using large locks, owning Guzzi's, all work better then an alarm. And none of those options will leave you stranded ( well, other then owning a Guzzi) like an alarm can.

And to take it further, if your measurements are correct and the springs are too stiff and too short then that could be the source of your suspension issues. Too stiff, well that is self explanatory, and too short would cause the suspension to ride down in the stroke where there is less compliance and less travel. Fork springs are cheap in the scheme of things. A proper set of straight weight springs of the rate required for your weight and riding style won't set you back much $$$. And they could save you a boat load of hassle trying to fix issues that the wrong springs are causing.

As mentioned in the other thread, if you only have 10mm of sag from the bike only to you on the bike then something is wrong. Either the measurements are off, or the springs are too stiff. The fact that that 10mm of sag happens between 40mm and 50mm with preload cranked all the way up also says something is wrong. Perhaps the springs have been replaced, maybe the replacement springs are even shorter. Or maybe the previous owner cut the springs to stiffen them but did not replace the cut out length of spring with a spacer. It could be a lot of things, but 40mm free sag and 50mm race sag is typical of springs that are too stiff and too short.

There are a more then a few sources for better relays then came stock. It is also a good idea to make sure the connections at the relays are clean and tight. more then a few have had issues with poor connections at the relay base. I carry a spare set of relays when we travel. I don't carry many parts, but relays have let me down a few times.

Decent quality stainless fasteners are fine as long as you don't use them where graded bolts are required. For holding on valve covers or other various low torque, low stress applications they are fine in my experience. That is what the kits are, they do not replace the head bolts or anything like that. Quality stainless bolts are typically stronger then non-graded hardware store bolts but weaker then 8.8 bolts (and thus much weaker then 12.9 bolts).

My GSXR wheel is a three spoke wheel. Right now it is not even the same color. Once I paint them both the same color it will look fine. The newer GSXR front wheels don't match the thick three spoke design of the 17" Guzzi rear wheels in my opinion anyway. It is a dainty three spoke front wheel. I would not want to give up the change in rear ride height, plus the reduced gear ratio, that would come with a 17" rim. I can deal with the difference in look.

I have a 17 on the front (GSXR) but not the rear. From what I hear it is a straight swap to a newer 17" rim but the rear ride height drops down and you need to compensate to maintain proper handling. I have seen bikes that had it done. Other then better rubber choice I am not sure what it gains. I think Art, the mechanic at Europa Macchina has done that to at least one Daytona.

Just asking this question on his forum would be a good start..... There, you can also PM him. He does go off on trips (I think he rides....) now and then and may have limited internet access for now.

I have bought from this guy off of ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTO-GUZZI-V11-EV-POLISHED-STAINLESS-ENGINE-KIT-/261234589360?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cd2cb7eb0&vxp=mtr

In order for the transmission to shift one end typically has to be spinning. Either the motor running to spin the input shaft or the rear wheel spun to spin the output shaft. Not saying you don't have a trans issue, but in order for the trans to shift smoothly the gears must have at least a little movement to them. Otherwise the dogs can't go into their slots and the gear teeth won't mesh.

Sorry for the confusion. I specifically said that the gas pressure, if you lost it, would have been from the shock. Sorry, but as you seem to have a general suspension issue I assumed that you were looking at both the forks AND the shock. If your shock looses gas pressure it will tend to squat too much when loaded, like when cornering, reducing ground clearance among other things. Your rear shocks sag numbers do seem pretty good. There is more sag with you on the bike then I would like, but certainly within acceptable limits. Your front numbers are still wrong and not within acceptable limits, but you seem to be measuring without your gear. Maybe you wear less gear then me, the gear I wear adds up to about 20 lbs. That is ten percent of the total weight. I am not sure how much difference your gear would make, but you should be measuring with it. It almost sounds like either the PO cut the stock fork springs shorter, or he replaced the stock fork springs with stiffer, but shorter, springs. To have that much free sag and such a small increase in sag with you on the bike says that your springs are stiff and/or short. If you are looking to keep the stand off the ground you want less sag, both with and without you on the bike. You want to keep the correct ratio of with you on to without you on as that tells you whether or not your spring rate is correct. I would also suggest you try to maintain a balance between the front and rear sag. They should be as close to equal as possible. That keeps the geometry of the bike steady. you want somewhere around a 20% (of total travel) increase in sag between without you on and with you on the bike. If you only have around a 10% increase (or less) in sag then the springs are too stiff which could result in an overly stiff and unsupple ride. Which seems to agree with what you are saying. The caps should not be too hard to remove. Compress the springs, either with a spring compressor tool or a nail into the doorway of your shed at just the right height, and you should be able to loosen the jam nut and unthread the caps. Try to keep the damper rod from falling down in, and as a rule I back the adjusters, including preload, all the way off before I start.

With the sags you list, 50mm with you on board (I call that race sag) and 40mm just the bike (I call that free sag), either you have mis-measured or your springs are way too stiff. They are certainly not correct spring rates if your measurements are correct. Once you have the preload adjusted to the correct sag with you on the bike (I shoot for 25% but some like 30%) you should only have about 10% sag without you on the bike. Having 40% sag without you on the bike means that you have so little preload to achieve your sag with you on the bike that without you on it the bike only reduces sag to 40% of travel. That would be a much too stiff spring. I would double check your measurements. The suspension might be binding and/or you may have lost the gas pressure in the shock. Personally I prefer a stiffer spring (hence the preference for 25% race sag) and less compression dampening. But adding low speed compression dampening (which is the only compression dampening the V11 is likely to have stock) can help keep the suspension higher in the stroke by slowing its compression under cornering forces.

My target for sag is 25 - 30% of total travel with me on the bike and around 10% just the bike. The stock rear shock on the wifes V11 was not overly soft but it was a little soft, and the front forks were soft. She has a Penske shock and modified forks with extra compression set up for her weight. She has ground her stand a little but not much and once clearanced it stopped being an issue. The rear tires on all the V11's seem to be to wide for their rim. That results in a pinched profile that won't allow you to get to the edge of the tire. The idea of letting the stand retract a little more is a good one. Setting your sag and using the results to determine how close your spring rates are to correct is another. Remember, adding preload does not make the spring stiffer. I would think you need stiffer springs. But a little more compression dampening might do the trick.

I am looking forward to it. I am starting to feel the need for a new bike and the timing might be just right. I just hope they put the new motor in a sporting frame. I am fine with body work like the MGS01 or no fairing like the V11. And water cooling does not scare me. I have had more then a few water cooled bikes and I have found water to be reliable. I am looking forward to the new motor. I hope they get it right.

I converted the wife's V11 Sport from clip-ons to bars using the V11 Billabio bar and clamps. They mounted right up and the wife thinks they are comfy. Other then some creative routing of the brake line and throttle cables no other mods were required.

There, fixed it for ya! My understanding tho' is that the Griso isn't all raked out like the H-D V-Rod, it just has a long wheelbase that slows things down. I could be wrong tho', I haven't paid all that much attention to the Griso other than looking at it. For those who've never seen one up close, they look MUCH better in 3d than in pics: I positively loathed the looks of the concept bike that got so much press until Guzzi finally displayed one at the CWIMS show in Long Beach about 5 years ago now; then I became a convert. [unlike the V-Rod, which looks just stupid in photos AND in the flesh, & feels even dumber when you take one for a test ride. H-D realllly needs to do a rethink on that one!] Well, 26.3 degrees of rake is not quite as much as a V Rod. But it is a lot to me. I have never owned a bike with that shallow a rake angle before. The Griso still handles well in spite of that but the steering is less then quick. Between the rake and the wheel base it is a freight train. At least by my standards. To me it is a bit of a couch, but I used to tour on an FZR 400. Other then I wish I had an 8 valve motor I am happy with the Griso, but it does not have the magic of the V11 or my Daytona.