GuzziMoto

I have some of the same Sta-bil for ethanol gas. I use it mainly for my lawn mower and weed wacker. The gas usually gets used up quicker in my motorcycles, but I did put some in them once. I doubt it would undo any damage already done, but then I am not one of those anti-ethanol people either. It may stop tank issues from happening but since not everyone who uses gasoline that contains ethanol has issues it is kinda hard to know if it helps with tank swelling or bubbling. It is cheap enough and has other advantages like prevent the fuel from going stale and adding extra anti-corrosion agents (which is a definite issue with ethanol) so it likely can't hurt to add it. As the saying goes, better safe then sorry. As for the octane booster, ethanol is an octane booster. In fact, used to be many of the cheaper octane boosters were ethanol based as I recall. Most poor in the tank octane boosters are a waste of money. If you choose to use one I reckon it doesn't matter which one you use. If you really want to increase your octane buy 5 gallon cans of race fuel and cut that into your pump gas. That actually works.

I have no experience with Wilbers but plenty of experience with various aftermarket suspension bits. Typically for street use most people are going to be just fine with a single compression adjustment and a single rebound adjustment. High and low speed compression adjustment is typically tuning to a higher level then you could use on the street as the variety of pavement is too great. The advantages of high and low speed adjustment come in to play when you are riding the same bit of pavement over and over (aka, Racing) and you can tailor the dampening to suit that particular bit of pavement more precisely. But if you are riding on a wide variety of pavement on the street being able to fine tune the compression dampening that precisely is likely not of much use. That said, I am sure some street riders will swear they need that sort of precision adjustability.

Comfort is the main reason for me. Other people prefer the features of some helmets, but most of those features in the end create a more comfortable helmet as well. Things like being quieter, having a soft washable liner, better shield optics, better ventilation, and in the end the most important feature....Fit. I have had many helmets over the years, more non-Arai then Arai. The cheaper helmets often will protect your head almost as well or even as well (sometimes not, though) but having your head comfortable makes riding more enjoyable. The Arai helmets I have owned over the years have always been the most comfortable helmets I have owned. And they last the full five years (or then some) in better shape then the cheap helmets do. I have never regretted buying an Arai, I have regretted buying other brands. As to comparing safety of the cheap helmets to the quality helmets, go to a race track and see what they wear. Those people know they are more likely to put the helmets safety features to the test, see how many cheap helmets you see there.

My wife and I are both Arai people. We have other, less comfortable helmets that have features like the flip down internal sun visor (great feature) but they do not have the fit and feel of the Arai so they are usually used for shorter rides. I love the fit and feel of Arai's, but I wish they would start to offer some of the features others are starting to. I think they feel that a simple but well made helmet is enough. Sometimes it is but other times it is not. Two things about Arai's, in the USA they are very tight about who can sell them and for how much, and they are the only ones I am aware of that offer different fits for different head shapes. The right way to buy an Arai is from a shop that knows and sells a lot of them. Such a shop will spend time to find the version of Arai that fits your head right whether it is the one you thought you wanted or not. In the mid-Atlantic area of the USA that shop is The Service Pavilion. I am not from there but I have dealt with them and even if I did not buy the helmet from them they replaced a broken plastic part no questions asked. They show up at the Indy MotoGP race every year so far as well.

I like to spray brake clean on a rag and use that to wipe it off. The brake clean does a better job of cleaning the tube and spraying it on a rag instead of the tube allows you to control where it goes. It could be the seal grease from what you said, I would give it more time with cleaning. Maybe you should talk to the guy that replaced the seals to get his opinion. You could also pull the wiper ( that first outer part of the seal that you can see, that actual seal is deeper inside) and see what is under there. If it is fork oil it would likely be wet under there, if it is grease it will just be..... well, greasy. Just be careful.

Both the charge light and the oil pressure light have been know to come on at idle when the idle it too low. That can be for a number of reasons (the low idle when hot) but one reason is valves that re too tight. Many people find their V11's do better with looser clearances then the factory recommended settings. Raceco recommended settings are my preference.

Oh, I also had a thought while working on my bike. When fork seals are installed it is common, at least in my experience, to use a seal grease on the new seal. This can cause a ring to be left around the tube where the seal has recently been to. It could be hard to tell the difference between that and a leak. Is this ring you are seeing definitely wet? Do you wipe it off with a white rag? What color is it? Do you use a cleaner to remove it or just wipe it off?

I think it is mainly a Suzuki thing. They call it DLC (Diamond Like Coating) as I recall. It appears to be mostly a black chrome, but I am sure it is not really that simple. It is supposed to be a very hard surface and also slippery. I don't know about that, mostly I think it looks cool. If it is harder and/or more durable then chrome, great. But I just like the blacked out look. You can buy a used set of GSXR forks complete with brakes and rim for cheap. I spent $600 on mine. I then sent the forks to a suspension guy and had them revalved and sprung for the Guzzi. To fit them o the Guzzi frame only required a different set of steering head bearings. I used some for a DRZ. The whole deal was under a grand, and the improvement in the front suspension is huge. The stock Zokes are ok but leave a fair bit of room for improvement. The first gen V11 forks do not even have adjustable compression dampening. The adjuster on the compression fork actually adjusts a hydraulic bump stop. It only affects the last inch of travel.

It is that pretty gold color instead of chrome for the sliding surface of the tubes. It is supposed to be lower friction then chrome. It certainly looks cool. There is also a black coating available now. That is what the forks on my Daytona (from a GSXR) have.

No issues here with the Zokes on the wifes 2000 V11. 50 some thousand miles with original seals. I have modded them to get actual compression dampening out of them but the seals are original. Not sure about your description of "worn chrome". Usually if there is a problem with the chrome tubes causing seals to leak it is pitting, not being "too shiny". Also, a little oil making its way past the seal, just enough to make it so you can see where the seal has been, can be an early sign of the seal going but unless it is actually leaking I would not replace it unless you are getting ready to go on a long trip and just want to be sure. It could turn out to be nothing. Or either the replacement seal was not up to snuff or the seal was nicked on install. You could measure the tubes with a micrometer for out of round wear, comparing the results to other bikes that do not leak. But the chrome layer is pretty thin and and real wear would likely go through the chrome, resulting in less shine not more, I would think.

Not sure what the tire sizes required for a '96 sport are but if rocker59 says it is a 160/60-18 I would think he is right. A V11 uses different rims and likely different tires. Just for your own knowledge though, V11's came with two different width rear rims. The earlier bikes have a 4.5" rim and even though they came with a 170 from the factory that width rim is better suited to a 160 and many people switch to a 160 when the 170 wears out. Feel free to research the recommended rim widths for 170's vs 160's next time you need a tire.

Yeah, 10 pounds is 10 pounds. But on a 500 pound bike ten pounds is only 2 % of total weight. Any weight reduction, even unsprung weight or rotating weight, is really a question of percentage lost. On a Griso the battery is in almost the same place but a little higher up. Feeling the difference is like feeling the difference between a 2/3 full tank of gas and a 1/3 full tank of gas. If you think you can feel that riding on the street, fine. But I doubt it and I am perfectly willing to admit that I would not even try to tell the difference myself. They are cool batteries and to have one for the sake of coolness is fine. I bought two out of curiosity, plus the SuperMoto needed a more powerful battery then the stocker yet the Odyssey was a little too large. On the other hand my Daytona could use a smaller battery then stock because I swapped the rear subframe to a V11 subframe and had no room for the Odyssey battery it had. It all kinda worked out, except the reduction in cranking power of the Shorai seemed to trigger the no-start issue that some experience with the late-model Guzzi's. They are also much more noticeably impacted by low temp making it hard to start then either my Odyssey or a normal gel acid battery. I do agree with Buell and mass centralization, but again, improvements are relative and tend to be a question of percentage. A 10 pound change on a 300 pound bike you may be able to feel. On a 500 pound bike that same 10 pound change is not going to have the same impact. Even unsprung or rotating weight it still comes down to percentages. A 2% reduction in unsprung weight would also be hard to notice. A two percent reduction in rotating weight might have a more noticable impact but that is a function of rotating weight having a larger impact on performance/handling then either unsprung weight or normal weight.

I have two Shorai's, one in my Griso and one in my SuperMoto. The SuperMoto works great with it. The weight is possibly noticeable, but the bike originally came with a very small battery so the difference is not that great. But the Shorai seems to have more power then the original battery on that bike. Originally I had replaced the stock battery with an Odyssey PC310. That battery was great but it was a little big for the SuperMoto. So I put that battery on my Daytona and got a Shorai to replace it. The Griso is another story. The Griso developed the no-start issue after switching. The no-start issue is not uncommon in new Guzzi's, having to do with the ECU sensing too low a voltage and aborting the start. But I never had an issue with it until I switched to the Shorai. I have since added an additional relay that hopefully resolve the no-start issue so hopefully I will not have the issue any more. I have to say, though, the notion that saving a few pounds by running a light weight battery on a bike as heavy as a Guzzi..... well, if you are expecting to be able to notice the difference you are mistaken. And if you have swapped to a light weight battery on a Guzzi and you think you CAN feel the difference you are deluded. But they are cool and hopefully they will hold up. All in all I prefer the Odyssey PC310 in my Daytona, it is rated less power then the Shorai but it is hard to compare different battery types as they measure current differently) but it has more power and holds a charge for a long time. It is heavier, but not really any larger.

I have no issue with you trying to get info on your wiring issues in this thread but I would think that your non-FI bike is different enough that you would stand a better chance of getting the info you need with a fresh post. Personally I only have one non-FI Guzzi and I have yet to have that one that far apart. If the ignition switch is anything like mine, there were four wires from the switch that connected to three wires from the bike, the power supply wire jumped to a second wire. That meant one power feed to switch, two switched circuits, and two switched power leads back to the bike. One went straight to the right handlebar switch assembly I think and the other went to some of the lights and what not (the park/second on circuit). You should be able to put a meter on the switch and the leads to determine what is what.

The impact driver you need is a hand tool, not an air tool. You hit it with a hammer (I use a mini sledge hammer) and it applies a twisting motion in addition to the impact force of being hit with the hammer. They are relatively cheap to buy at any store that sells tools. If you are applying the heat to the outside of the wheel with a propane torch I don't think you could heat the rubber wedges inside the wheel up hot enough to melt. Just apply the heat to the wheel itself where the bolts screw in to, not to the bolt it self.

Yes on the heat and yes on the hand impact driver. If you have already stripped the screws you can cut a slot across them and use the aforementioned impact driver with a flat tip bit along with heating the wheel with a torch to get the screw out.

Unless you cut the steering head and re-weld it back on at a more reasonable angle (24 or so degrees) along with changing the offset to maintain trail at around 100mm then it is just a cosmetic dress up on a bike that does not need cosmetic help. It needs less weight and more rake.

There is a ton of info out there on this subject. If you want to hear a readers digest version of my opinion on the subject I will throw it out there. Just remember that in the end you have to decide for yourself. There is a fairly well defined science to setting sag. You measure the suspension fully extended. Then you measure it compressed under the weight of the bike. Then you measure it compressed under the weight of the bike with the rider on board. Individual preferences vary, but in general there should be about 5 - 10 mm of suspension compression front and rear under just the weight of the bike. That would be the first measurement minus the second. Call that free sag. Then you want 25 - 35 mm of suspension compression under the weight of the bike with the rider on board. That would be the first measurement minus the third. Call that race sag. If your race sag is right but your free sag is too little or none at all then you need stiffer springs. If your race sag is right but your free sag is too much then you need softer springs. If you can only get one of the two right then get the race sag right. Once your sag is set right (or close to it) then you can start with dampening. The factory settings are a good place to start. From there, only adjust on thing at a time. I start with rebound, I like to have the bare minimum of rebound dampening. I start with too much and wind the rebound out until the bike starts to feel nervous and then turn it back up a click or two. Then with the compression dampening I again start with too much and wind it out until the bike starts to wallow and transfer too much weight under braking then back it in a couple clicks. But that is me, I prefer more spring and just enough dampening to keep the springs under control.

I will let you know. It will be at least a week or two before it is on the road. The wiring aspect of this is a bit deep. I have wired up bikes before but this is the first fuel injected bike I have done and because of the rarity and lack of parts availability I am cutting up a harness from a different Guzzi to use as the donor for the modification. It is very close but not the same. I am pretty sure it will work.....

I currently have a Daytona that I am putting back together. I bought a Bassa trans and used the gearset from that in my Daytona box. I also used better main bearings with steel instead of plastic cages. I am just now getting it together, I am also re-wiring it and finishing up some other mods. I hope to have it back on the road in a week or two. Time will tell how well it works with the Bassa gearset. I am hoping for better shifting and smoother, quieter running. The slightly shorter gearing should give it more acceleration as well. If you search you should find a fair bit of info on the Guzzi 5 speed box, both how to set it up as well as short comings of the various versions.

I have Pilot Road 2's on three of our Guzzi's. The harder center compound helps keep that flat spotting in the middle to a minimum. They have been replaced with the PR 3's I believe. I am sure they are a great tire as well but you may be able to find PR 2's still available at a discount. But in the end tires are almost as bad a subject as oil.

As I recall the neutral switch is a switched ground circuit. The neutral switch itself is just a ground. When the bike is in neutral the switch tang is grounded to the gear set. An easy test would be to pull the single wire lead off the switch and ground it on the bike. Then see if your problem still persists. If it does then I would check the relay and/or the wiring. The neutral light/switch circuit is switched on the ground side, it should always have power but the switch controls grounding of the circuit and thus power flow.

I do not think as much of Stoner as many others do. I think he has lots of natural talent and seriously big balls but I don't think he has the ability to improve the bike that some, like Rossi, do. As long as his bike is at the top of the heap he is hard to beat. But if his bike loses its advantage he rely's more on his mechanics to figure it out and if they can't, a la Ducati, he will suffer. And while Honda is tops right now they do have a habit of making engineering direction mistakes, it tends to run in cycles. If he loses it he may start crashing again, if that happens he may be toast. And this year with the 1000's there may be more emphasis placed on race craft then there has in quite a while. I think people who count Rossi out are way premature, I would be surprised if he doesn't win at least one more title. And if Rossi and Burgess can get the Ducati going in the right direction after years of Stoner leading them a stray, it may be sooner then you might think. But there are plenty of people with a shot this year. WSB is looking good, but Checa seems to still be on form and unless he loses that form I doubt any one else can challenge him for the title. Checa right now is like Stoner when he first got on the Ducati or Vettel right now in the Red Bull. Some times it is just the right rider/driver on/in the right racebike/racecar more so then the absolute best rider/driver. Motor racing is a man/machine contest. It requires more then just ability to go fast. But in general I am always glad to see race season start back up. This year will be tight for me with house plans requiring a lot of time/money, but I hope to participate in a few races in myself. And I already have tickets my tickets renewed for the Indy MotoGP race to spectate.

The Sachs shock on my wifes 2000 Sport cracked at the shock eye. From what I have heard it is a common failure. I replaced the shock with a Penske unit. Any quality shock should work.

I doubt it is but I would think the unit from Cliff is programmable. You might be able to tell it to retard the ignition smoothly instead of cutting it abruptly.