GuzziMoto

Hi Carl Thanks for the info . I'll try to do something on this bike if I can find the necessary parts to raise or lower the respective concerns but as mentioned it only runs on 160 rear tires and yet feels lazy as compared to V11 . Maybe to convert to a riased handle bar might solve all this . What do you think? Know of anyone who has done it here on the forum? My Daytona, as mentioned, has been converted to standard full handlebars. It also has forks from a GSXR that are shorter by a good bit (I forget the number) but also have a different offset to complement the increased rake. Also, the front wheel is much lighter (also from a GSXR) and the fairing is removed. It is still a little long but it handles pretty close to the wifes V11. Since it is longer it will never be the same, but it is currently pretty close. None of my bikes has a steering damper, I find that most Guzzi's don't need a damper and all it does is slow down the steering. Some people do not agree and some think V11's need a damper or they would not have come with one. I have a V11, a Daytona, and a Griso. The V11 and Daytona came with steering dampers. They both went bad and caused issues so they were removed. They both handles better in my opinion without them. The Griso did not come with one from the Factory. It works fine with out it. To each their own.....

There are a few things that are different between the two. The weight I don't believe is that different but I am not sure. The length, the V11 is shorter so for the same amount of lean angle it will turn more. The rake, on later V11's there was not a big difference but earlier V11's had a steeper rake which causes the bike to steer more/quicker for a given amount of steering input. Trail is also factors in here, less trail makes a bike lighter steering but too little trail can cause instability and tank slappers can result. The width of the bars, wider bars make a considerable difference in reducing the effort required to steer. Switching my Daytona from clip ons to wider full handle bars made a big difference in steering. Lighter wheels, my Daytona's wheels are considerably heavier then the wheels on the wifes V11 and that makes a big difference in steering effort (especially on the front). Newer Guzzi's have even lighter wheels. I am not aware of a "linkage" you can buy to raise the rear ride height. But reducing the amount the rear sags when you sit on the bike by increasing preload will raise the effective ride height of the rear. Replacing the shock with a longer shock or an adjustable shock will allow you to take that further. You can also drop the front by sliding the fork tubes up through the triple clamps a little. That has the same effect on steering as raising the rear but does slightly reduce ground clearance. Keep in mind that steepening the rake by raising the rear or dropping the front also reduces trail. So there is a limit on how far you can go before bad things happen. (edit) Oh, and as Skeeve points out air pressure and tires have a big effect on how a bike handles. More air pressure = lighter steering. Forgot to mention that.

Actually, I believe it is "Hold my beer, watch this".

god damn pete that is funny, You remind me of knurl sometimes too, I swear your brothers but he is the aprilia knowitall. Yeah, that is funny. It would be funnier if the Buell I sold (with a Sportster engine) to buy my Griso wouldn't eat my Griso for lunch in every category related to "Sport". Wish I had kept that bike. At least my Daytona is an improvement over the Griso (???? that doesn't make sense....)

Come on, what do you expect?! It's a 1420cc engine! I wouldn't be too surprised in case a hot pimped S&S/HD engine of this capacity would show a similar performance. If you tend to define "Sports" this way you might find *this* also quite sporty. Hubert I thought he was defining "sports" as being faster around a race track. The Bentley is not likely to be faster around a race track. Was the Guzzi running a bigger motor then the Ducatis, yeah. But if you ran a Ducati that big it would likely blow up. And in the end, on the race track, it is very easy to tell who won and who lost. And in that case the Guzzi won. Sundance has built some nice H-D powered racers, but nothing as fast as the BigBore MGS01.

Are you looking at the MotoScope Mini or the MotoScope Tiny? I have not tried them, honestly they don't appeal to me. Electrosport was selling some really cool all in one gauges, and I plan on buying one but they seem to have run into some issues and are currently on hold. I hope they are able to resolve the issues and continue selling them again. I liked the clean look of one gauge that would replace both and then some.

I know of at least one other V11 spring that was measured by Penske, and it was only 500 lb/inch. The one they installed on my Penske shock is 525 lb/inch.

How do you know it is the "rev limiter" you are hitting?

I believe it is related to the magazine by the same name. I read that magazine, it is not bad. Definitely not like OCC.

If your Guzzi has a 4.5" rear rim (I think it does) I would go with (and have gone with) a 160. It fits better on the 4.5" rim with less mushrooming of the profile and usually weighs less which is a good thing. Some tire makers post specs on the innerneck saying which tires fit best on which size rims. Sometimes you need to dig a little to find it. I encourage you to use that as a guide. (Dennis Kirk is good about posting that info) Just my two cents.

There are companies that make handlebar conversions for GSXR forks. I got one as part of my $600 fleabay shopping spree (LSL). Check into that before you buy as not all years have the same interchangability with the top clamp. My Daytona has a 120 front tire on the GSXR front rim and a 160 on the 18" Guzzi rear rim. The GSXR uses the same size rim as a Daytona or a V11, but it is lighter. That is a good thing. In my case the rims look different but I don't care. The V11 front wheel is much more like the GSXR front rim and while not a match is not something that most people would even notice. Paint/powder coat them the same color and you probably wouldn't know. I use the GSXR fender, brake discs and calipers, with the stock Brembo master cylinder. I plan on getting a new Brembo master for a GSXR soon but haven't done it yet. My GSXR forks have heavier springs then stock (different year GSXR's come with different rate fork springs) and have been re-valved by PPS. I also like the black and gold look. Figuring out that tapered roller bearings(aftermarket) for a DRZ (I own one of them too) allow the GSXR fork stem to fit in the Guzzi frame with no mods was the key to the swap. GSXR parts are cheap and common, and their front forks are pretty good. Probably better then the 'zokes that came on your Guzzi.

A wrong choice of words... Skeeve.... Tell us more about GSXR forks. What year, size, etc... Most 2k and newer GSXR forks will bolt up with little more then different steering head bearings I think. You will probably want the GSXR wheel and brakes as well. I have '03 or '04 GSXR 1000 forks (I forget which)on my Daytona. Paid less then $600 for the whole deal on fleabay. Steering head bearings for a DRZ 400 matched up the steering stem to the headstock.

I don't have a Breva, I have a Griso. When I test rode a Breva I found it to be soft and marshmallowy. I guess it is a matter of perspective, but it is either too soft a spring or your shock has dampening issues. To check the spring rate, measure the sag with and without rider/gear on board. There is plenty of info on the web regarding setting the sag. If your sag is wrong then your spring is the wrong rate. If you have too much sag with the rider on board or if you have not enough sag without the rider on board (after getting the sag with rider on right) then you need a stiffer spring. If your sag is right then something may be wrong with the dampening.

As "Tipo" is type in Italian I believe, I would agree that you paid a big chunk for a "Type Normal" washer. Sorry to hear. I don't remember seeing one or not. I just try to use all the parts I have when putting something back together. Now you are making me wonder if I need to confirm that all the parts required were used at the factory when it was first assembled. No, I need to have faith that Guido used all the parts my bike needed when he built it. If you have faith, the bridge will not fall down.

I don't have an RS, just a plain jane Daytona. The one I have I bought from a friend and it was the first Guzzi I ever rode. I went with hime to buy it way back when and he let me ride it a few miles after he had bought it. Obviously a good friend. I told him right then and there that if he ever sells it I want it. Many years later that finally happened and now that same bike is mine. Daytonas aren't perfect, the gearbox is not as smooth as the V11 six speed box, and the fuel injection is not as nice. But like most Guzzi's, once sorted they are fantastic, with the Daytona's possessing a feel like a hot rod tractor. I am sure the new 8 valve bikes are great, but the older 4 valve per cylinder Daytona's are my favorite motorcycles ever and if you have a chance to ride or own one then sell a kidney if you have to.

My wifes look like that, but they have little plates where you would expect a brand name that say "For Off Road Use Only". We bought them from the dealer when the bike was purchased new and they were supposed to be the factory mufflers (presumably made for Guzzi by Mistral).

Well, doing things 'ARD is great. But without making massive changes to your Guzzi about the only thing I can think of to do would be to replace your rear tire with one that is smaller in diameter. You would need to raise the rear back up to maintain your geometry, though. And this would effect not only first but all the gears. All in all I don't think it is worth the effort.

Having your fork tuned by a pro is nice, but it sounds like you have a simple issue that needs to be fixed. Could RaceTech or another suspension shop fix it for you? Probably. And while they are at it you could have the forks done with springs and dampening matched for your weight and riding. When I have had it done it ran about $300. PPS is on the east coast and has done good work for me. Or you could fix them yourself.

The tach issue could be as simple as the cable is broken or a connection is not tight. That is where I would start. The electrical stuff is harder. I have only had the issue with the relays, no other electrical problems yet. Get an electrical schematic if you don't already have one. I seem to recall an issue with a common bad ground for some of the instrument lights,I don't remember which. Remember you need both power at the light and a return path, usually a ground. Also, you replaced the relays, but did you inspect the terminals they plug into? Some have had issues with the connections getting corroded.

My wife and I tour a fair bit on our Guzzi's. She has a V11 and I have a Griso and a 4V Daytona. They have yet to leave either of us stranded once past the initial new bike sorting phase. All have had a few issues when new that required a ride home. We have had a battery fail right as we were leaving on a long trip, but that could have happened to any bike, even a Honda. The difference I guess is that it would have been easier to find the replacement battery for the Honda. We also have had a few issues crop up while on the road that needed to be dealt with, but none were something that was related to it being a Guzzi. It was always something like a flat tire or a broken license plate bracket (aftermarket) that you can't blame on Guzzi. My opinion and experience, Guzzi's are not Honda's and they lack the dealer and parts support, as well as the engineering and build quality of the Honda. But they are still easily capable of covering vast distances with little trouble once initially sorted, and do it with a style and panache that the Honda just can't match. Are Guzzi's for everybody? No, not even close. But for someone who enjoys the style and grace of a Guzzi and is willing to put forth a little more effort and involvement they are almost as reliable and likely longer lasting then a Honda. If you are happy with the Ducati, the Guzzi is like that but with less maintenance required, and what needs doing is mostly easier. My two cents.

Yeah, if you're speeding or your vehicle is too loud then that is cause for you to be pulled over. But putting up a road block that only pulls out the motorcyclists and checks them for papers and inspects their bikes for legal compliance is illegal (for now) here.

Sucks to live where you do I guess. Around here profiling is illegal so far. I hope we don't end up this way too.

How is this even legal? How can you pull over some people (motorcyclists) and let others (car drivers) go? That has always been illegal in the past.

There are a number of factors, ranging from the roads you ride and the pavement they are paved with to the air pressure you run. I have seen the Blue ridge Parkway eat a set of tires (two sets actually), wearing them down to the cord, not in the center but on the sides, in less miles then I would have thought possible. I have seen people run air pressure too low, but also too high (doesn't hurt to check your gauge to be sure it is accurate). Either one seems to reduce tire mileage. Also, how much you weigh, as well as if you carry a passenger, and how hard you accelerate and decelerate factor into it. I am sure there is more that I missed, but I hope this helps.

I have Michelin Pilot Road 2's on all three of my Guzzi's at the moment. To early to say how many miles I will get out of them, but my mileage does not mean you would get the same anyway as roads you ride and how you ride them are part of the equation as are pressures. What I can say is that the Michelins are the best tire I have tried yet. But they have a new Pure out that sounds even better. Unfortunately I had just bought three sets of the old tire and then 6 months later I see they have a new tire that sounds even better out. But I am a Michelin fan. I have used others, from Dunlop to Continental to Metzler and Pirelli, and I am always happy to go back to Michelins.