GuzziMoto

Strange, my Griso front wheel feels a good bit lighter then my wifes V11 front wheel with the exact same tire on it. Haven't measured the difference as I didn't care that much. Keep in mind that one or two pounds difference in weight for a front rim is a lot. Most 150 rear tires are made for a 4.5" rim so your choice makes sense to me. A 160 is the more common choice as it is also usually made for a 4.5" rim (it is what I have done) but a 150 should be plenty for the V11's power output and weight and should increase steering response and improve stability. It may wear a little faster then a 160 but that is just a guess and I doubt the difference will be significant.

Try ebay. It has a bunch of options under $100.

Getting into a debate on oils is a waste of time. I do feel compelled to point out though that you have lumped all modern synthetic oils together. That is not a generalization that I would make. Modern oils vary widely in their base stocks and more importantly their additives. I stick with oils that have an SG rating as this seems to be the optimum rating for motorcycles.

Very nice. The new Guzzi front wheels are a good bit lighter then the older ones and that along with your better rear tire profile should result in a quicker steering but more stable bike. Good job. I am guessing that you came across an Aprilia fork at a great price? GSXR forks are usually cheaper and more available. But I like the black forks. I believe it is the same front end as my Griso. Interesting mirror set up. What is it? I assume the rear cowl fits over the new seat?

Just going off of memory (which is questionable, I know), as I recall my Griso 1100 (US version) has the tank overflow and vent line coming out the back of the tank. I could be wrong but it is too cold and snowy to go look right now. But if you care I can check after it warms up. I re-routed the lines and got rid of the one way valve and canister.

What year/version? 30513401 is the cap/nut for a 01-02. Look through the parts lists in the links section here... http://66.196.80.202/babelfish/translate_u...ts_list/gb/1100

You should be able to get a rim powder coated silver for about $75 or less.

I guess it is a matter of taste as to which you prefer but I would not call putting a larger and heavier rear wheel and tire on a V11 an "upgrade".

At least your motor is in the frame....

The normal number, at least from what I've seen, is two. One is the vent to let air in to the fuel tank as gasoline is removed. The other is to the area around the fuel filler neck and is for overflow/spillage. Both are important.

I don't have a BillyBob, but I think the fairing, headlight, and dash, are mounted to the same bracket that attaches to the frame. You can remove the fairing but it may look odd with the headlight and gauges stuck out in front of the forks like that. But you probably could use the headlight mount and and dash from a naked V11. Or get a set of twin headlights for the front along with the naked dash.

The V7 is a great starting point to build a cafe bike. Sure there are bikes that are sold already made into cafe bikes, but that is not how many cafe bikes are made. The old school way is to buy a bike and build it into a cafe bike. The factories had little to do with it back then. But it is much like what has happened with the whole chopper movement, now any idiot with enough credit can buy a "custom" chopper even if he doesn't know how to change his own oil. So no, a V7 classic isn't a cafe bike as sold from Guzzi. But just like the Bonneville, which you can build into a cafe bike or you can buy the factory already cafe'd version (the Thruxton) you can buy it and build it or you can buy the V7 cafe classic.

The gravel trap?

I ride in the rain whenever it rains (all to often I'm afraid) and I have removed that big ugly fender. I have no problem with it, but then I usually use a rain suit in the rain (or I get wet). I don't see the issue.

Why would you put a car in the Garage? That's crazy. Garages are for motorcycles and working on them.

Yeah, my wife and I sometimes end up on gravel or even dirt roads. Probably more the most SUV bikes do. But it has never been an issue where I found myself wishing I had something taller and heavier... That makes no sense. A dual sport like a KLR (I have a DRZ 440 myself) is good in those conditions, a Stevio or any other pseudo adventure bike is just not as useful as people want you to believe. But if a 2 wheeled SUV floats your boat, go for it. If it happens to be a Guzzi, all the better. I just have no use for them myself. My brother had two, and he sold them both. The funny thing is, he wasn't a huge fan when he had them and then missed them when they were gone. Like a woman who drives you crazy but is great in bed, after she is gone you only remember the "in bed" part.

I bet it feels like it rocks, but you would likely get left behind by a normal bike and its superior handling.

When you put it like that it seems like a great idea.... No, I have no use for a two wheeled SUV. Some people do, like Dan M. I love the idea of riding Alaska, but until then, no two wheeled SUV's for me. Although I do like the look of the Stelvio, it is just too tall, too heavy, and two impractical (as most SUV's are) for me.

For an "adventure" bike (what a dumb name, like sport utility vehicle) it is nice. But I prefer normal, useful bikes. I have no use for an over weight, over priced, too tall, behemoth in dirt bike clothes. Regardless of the brand. I just need an engine, two wheels, and something ridged to connect them. The V7 Cafe/Classic is very nice. My wife may buy one. But I wish it had more power.

Oh Jeez, if I knew there was going to be a quiz on it I would have studied. Seriously, I don't remember off hand. I would have to look it up (if I can find it). What I do remember was that it was about 1/2 of the height of the chamfer at the edge of the chamber. I wanted to remove almost all of the chamfer but wasn't sure if I would have clearance issues then. So I went with half the chamfer. If I can come up with more exact numbers I'll let you know.

Milling the base of the cylinder is the same as using thinner base gaskets. In my opinion it does not matter whether you mill the top of the cylinder or the bottom. They are not exactly the same thing but the differences are minor and of detail nature (like the aforementioned altering of where the piston runs in the cylinder if you mill the bottom. You can mill the top of the cylinder and as that is usually an easier thing to do it is often cheaper. It also does not change where the piston runs in the cylinder. Exceptions to this are some Ducatis and such that use a lip in the top of the cylinder instead of a gasket and it is harder to mill the top then the bottom. So you can fly cut around the inner cylinder at the bottom. If you mill too much off the bottom you need to make sure the inner cylinder is also shortened to keep the crank from hitting it. If you do mill the top you want to make sure the guy doing it and his equipment are in good shape as the sealing of the top is much more important then at the bottom. I have milled the tops of the cylinders and the bottoms of the heads on my wifes V11 to reduce pinging and it worked, although it has been claimed on this site by some that I don't own a V11, have never set one up, and don't ride one (or something to that effect).

We used to get the rockers for our Ducati's redone by Megacycle. They were much less expensive then replacing and usually they worked well. But the surface finish has to be right or it will fail.

I see no reason why you could not use multiple inserts. I have done it. As for the jug or head as a guide/jig, I would think that would work if your drill bit is long enough to drill what you need out of the block while sticking out past the head. But the idea scares me unless you have a plan to keep the drill bit from carving up the head (some sort of centering spacer?). Maybe some epoxy on the drill bit to cover any of the drill bit flutes that you don't need (i.e., only have the part needed for drilling into the block and the rest filled in with epoxy). Just keep pulling the bit out if needed to clean the shavings out. I personally have never used an insert for anything more serious then an exhaust stud (I used two in a row). But I have known people to use them for all sorts of important things and I have more faith in a heli-coil then I do in aluminum threads. Good luck.

I like the original gold anodizing on other peoples bikes but prefer other colors on my own. I would powder coat them. They have so many wild powder coat finishes nowadays to choose from. I would think you could find something that would look great and be more durable.

I think the coatings for wear are getting better and better, but they still don't last forever. back in the mid 90's when I first started playing with coatings they would not last 10 hours in our race motors. Nowadays they should last much longer but still not likely the life of the piston, at least not that I've seen. But as I said, they do seem to get better and better. They also ceramic coat the piston domes now which is something else we started playing with way back then. If you are getting the skirts coated I would coat the domes as well. On the subject of the carbon burnt on the pistons, it can come from a variety of sources but one thing to check are the valves and guides. A few people including myself have had them wear out and cause those kinds of issues. As I recall there is no valve guide seal like a normal motor so valve guide clearance is extra important. Which means if the valve stem and/or the valve guide are worn then oil will make its way down the valve and into the combustion chamber on the intake side and down the stem only to burn into a crusty coating on the exhaust side. It also seems to cause detonation or pinging, at least for me. Just saying it is something to check if you have not done so already.