Gio

I concur that my 2000 V11S has the transmission lugs but no plate fitted. I also have the fairing mounts on the steering head (quite usefull for additional support for the Magni fairing ...) Docc - how much is MG asking for that transmission support plate? Gio

I considered the various options but wanted to retain the air-box body and associated side panels, avoid potential problems of pods (I often ride in the rain) and retain the use of the K&N filter I had already purchased. So my solution was to cut-off the snorkels (right back to the box body) and drill the airbox lid. The result was a noticeable improvement in response and to my ears at least, a nice increase in intake noise when wide open. Gio

I concur with SteveG in that the manual (both shop and owners) for my '00 sport specifies 20w50 which is what I have run since new (Castrol Grand Prix dino). I'm thinking that for those of us running dino a 10w40 (what I have always used in my air-cooled 750 Kawi) might be preferable for the colder winter months in particular...? Gio

I think I recall some mention of a place in Richmond, BC that has such facilities...? Any other "locals" care to comment? Gio

Al, Just ordered a manual petcock from Moto International (they had some in stock). Apparently the new (2003?) version is similar to the previous manual version but is ~US$10 cheaper than before (US$19.47 each). Same dimensions, 90 degree elbow etc. But now I have to play the old customs clearance game (so much for North American free trade eh..?) Gio

Glad to hear you are ok. Any history of work requiring the removal/re-fitting of that particular bolt...? Gio

Thanks for the heads-up guys - I checked my breather hose and also found serious cracking at the top end (~35,000 km). To make it a little easier for others, here are hose lengths I used with Rich Maunds "heater hose and PVC" method : From the top (ie spine connection) 1. Angled cut on top end (2" at front, 1.75" at rear) - allows better fit 2. 90 deg elbow 3. 12" central length (I measured 12.5" based on the orig pipe but it was too tight) 4. 45 deg elbow 5. 1.5" to the engine I used 1.25" lengths of 0.5" pipe for the elbows which left 0.5" sticking out for connection with the heater hose. As dlaing says, it's tight but it works. Gio

Thanks for the confirmation - I would prefer a straight-down in my case (as the primary hose now goes straight down, under the airbox and up to the pump from the opposite side. Gio

Docc, Yes - the vapour-lock problem was solved prior to the petcock issue. The petcock was actually leaking whilst off the bike and it was during closer inspection that the wires came off. Al, Good point re the petcock thread. I guess it would need to be a whole new assy from Pingel or other source if not of Italian/metric manufacture. Does anyone know how the outlet from the manual version compares to the electric (I think it is a 90 degree outlet rather than 45 degree down) position wise? This could be an issue (for me) with the new hose route... Gio

I have not drained the tank yet but thread looks like 1/2 inch (12mm?). We also need approx 7/16 outlet for the tank/pump hose and their std size is 5/16 inch..? The 6000 (universal) series is of interest to me as there is an outlet option facing down (the new route for this hose is under the airbox) but there are also other options. Gio

Thanks everyone, I think the manual replacement is the way to go (should bolt right up) but MG is doing some kind of inventory thing at the moment - so unable to place an order until Dec 5...? Alternatively Pingel seem to make some nice stuff also... Gio

I guess the electric Petcock on my '00 V11S took exception to the number of connect/disconnects during the recent vapour-lock expts and decided to liberate itself of the control wires (one snapped off just at the base of the solenoid assy and the other was hanging on by maybe one or two threads at best). Bad design. Anyone have a recommendation or part # on a manual replacement that would fit? Gio

Hi, Interesting thoughts....don't want to blind the squirrels (and have them fall out of the trees) as well though eh? Here's a link to PIAA in the US which has various options and specs : http://www.piaa.com/Bulbs/Bulbs-H4.html Gio

Thanks Carl, Other than HID, anyone else have any experience/opinions as to the merits of upgrading the stock H4 (Bosch I presume) for PIAA, better Bosch unit or anything else? The specs on the PIAA H4 Xtreme white (code # 15260 - twin pack or 15261 - single) are quite impressive (on paper at least) : Wattage 60/55w = 135/125w, 4150K Gio

Congratulations on the 100k miles! As per an earlier post, I found a whole bunch of very fine (almost charcoal powder like) crap in my fuel filter last time and suspect it may have come from the fuel lines...? Fortunately this was on the entrance side of the filter but who knows how much could get through...? Gio

I just replaced my BT010 front (so they are still available), with another (got just over 15,000 km out of the previous one). It was cupped towards the end of its life, but still performed ok so I don't worry about the cupping. It's a great tire. Gio PS - I run 33 psi in the front (and a 160/60 BT-010 w 38 psi in the rear).

Expt # 5 - Pump/Filter re-location 1. Re-located fuel pump above spine (where filter was) 2. Re-routed primary fuel supply from LHS underneath airbox (caution re intereference with TB linkage) and up to the pump from the RHS. 3. Re-located filter up-front (lots of space inside a Magni fairing!). 4. Heat-shielded both the primary line as far as and including the pump and also the filter/injector line from this same location back down (ie above the cylinders) Otherwise same conditions as expt #4 (these values in brackets) Ambient = 47F w light rain (50) Cyl temp = 199 to 211F (203 to 207) Supply line (as measured on the LHS) = 94F (132) Pump = 94F (182) Return line (RHS) = 82F (87) And at t=15 mins Cyl temp = 151 to 164F (170 to 177) Supply line (as measured on the LHS) = 95F (121) Pump = 97F (151) Return line (RHS) = 91 (84) So a significant reduction in both supply line and (in particular) pump temperature. Drum roll please.... At t=48mins the motor started without incident! I ran the motor (stationary) for 3 periods of a few mins each and re-checked temperatures (note - no air-cooling) : Supply line (LHS) = 100F Pump = 130F (max observed was ~150F) Re-checked at t=120 mins - still no Vapour Lock. In conclusion, it would appear that re-locating the supply line, pump and filter has had a beneficial effect on the "Vapour-lock" problem. It would be interesting to see what happens if the filter is re-located to where the pump used to be (might be preferable or necessary for those folks without any space up front). I'll keep monitoring and update with any further observations. Gio (PS - dlaing - I didn't forget those injector measurements - typically 70 to 80F)

During my vapour-lock expts, I measured the oil-cooler entrance (ie hot-side) at 156F (69C) immediately after switch off as a reference (I imagine this would be cooler than engine oil temp however as the oil has already travelled to the cooler) and also this in ambient temps of around 50F... Gio

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Re the injectors (dlaing) - I see what you mean - I forgot to take measurements - will include in my next expt. Re the pump location (al) - perhaps using the bracket that was posted earlier in the thread..? (I would try a temporary mount first of course). Anyone have a picture of this set-up on a late '02 model? Re the petcock (docc) - at least this would rule it out for sure. Just out of curiosity - do the folks with manual petcocks need to open/close each time or just leave them open? Gio

Expt #4 - Temp sensor It was a hunch I had to test. But remote location of the temp sensor from the air-box did not help. Here are latest results which were obtained under otherwise the same conditions as expt #3 : Ambient = 50F Cyl temp = 203 to 207F Supply line (LHS) = 132F Pump = 182F Return line (RHS) = 87F Oil cooler = 147F At t= 15mins Cyl temp = 170 to 177F Supply line = 121F Pump = 151F Return line = 84F Oil cooler = 99F I charted the results in excel but was unable to post the graph...? At t=48 mins the motor started, ran for about a minute (best so far!) and then spluttered and died as previously.... I would prefer not to remove the airbox, but unless anyone knows of a much smaller filter I don't see any easy way to re-position both pump and filter above the spine. As a compromise I will try reversing the positions of the pump and filter to see if this helps (at least the pump should be cooler above the spine, and the supply line a little further from the LHS cylinder..... Gio

Sorry - I remember the thread now... I just re-loacted the temp sensor from the air-box and will report shortly (with those repeat measurements you suggested) Do you have any way of measuring the fuel line/pump temperatures with your new set-up? Gio

Al Thanks for the feedback. I agree with your reasoning re the main fuel line - but how did you manage to re-locate this to give 5 inches of clearance - is your airbox removed? Did you transpose the locations of the pump and filter? The clearance I now have is the best I could manage with stock pump location and air-box body still fitted. In response to your questions : Temperature measurements - may have been compromised by the reflective material (I'm using an infra-red thermometer I believe flat black is the best surface to test..) As for as location - I'm in southern BC, Canada. We enjoy a reasonably mild climate so I ride throughout most of the year. When the bike (V11S) was completely stock (and running very, very rich as all seem to) I only ever had vapour lock on very hot (25 to 30c) days. With time I have made various modifications (Mistral cans, PC, K&N, airboxlidtomy) and with each of these the prevalence of vapour lock seems to have increased - particularly the airboxlidtomy which has resulted in reproducible vapour lock in otherwise cool conditions. Many of these mods leaned out the mixture. So I still think that the leaner = hotter engine theory is a good one although running a richer map does not seem to help. Plugs still look fine also (nice tan colour) - I have always run the std CDN model plug (NGK-BPR6ES) So I also agree with your last thought that there may be some other factor in play. For example - I still have a suspicion that the temp sensor in the air-box now gets much hotter than previously (with the snorkels removed but drilled lid still fitted - hot air can now easily fill the roof of the air-box - less so for those of us with the lids completely removed perhaps...?). I'm planning to do a test re-location of this outside the airbox. dlaing, I'm not sure I understand why other than the main fuel line or pump that the injectors would be the hottest place..? I will try make a couple of measurements in this region in my next test. Keep the conspiracy theories coming please - I would really like us to solve this problem. Gio

Vapour-lock update - Expt #3 Just to re-cap the fuel delivery system (at least on my V11S), from the left side (LHS) to right (RHS) of the bike we have petcock/supply line/fuel-pump/filter/injector branch/return line/regulator. Following the results of the previous two expts (see below), I replaced both the main supply (petcock to pump) and pump to filter hoses and wrapped them both in a combination of both Thermo-shield and sleeve. I also shortenened the main hose by ~1 inch and routed it between the throttle body rails (rather than under) so that it was further away from the LHS cylinder (by at least one inch at the closest point). I also thermo-shielded both the filter and filter to injector branch hose (ie all components of the fuel delivery system that are directly above the cylinders were now shielded). I repeated the test run used in expt #2, using the same map (V11TomH) : Ambient temp = 48F Cylinder temp at end of run = 228 - 231F Supply line (LHS)* =104F (?) Fuel pump* = 96F (?) Return line (RHS) = 82F (* Now covered in reflective thermo-shield so may not be comparable to previous) So peak cylinder temp is a little higher than previously....? After 15 mins, supply line (LHS) = 126F (previously 123F) and fuel pump = 106F (previously 130F). So the pump appeared to be significantly cooler*. The shape of the cooling curves for each measurement location is similar to before. And so for the acid test at 48 mins - any vapour lock? For the first 30 seconds the motor started right up and ran ok, then began to splutter and die in classic vapour-lock style. Several expletives were issued...!. So the best I can conclude from this is that whilst heat-shielding may (?) have reduced the temperature of the fuel-pump in particular, vapour-lock still ensued at the end of the test (perhaps to a slightly lesser extent....?) So whilst I'm not ruling out any benefit to heat shielding, I am still on the hunt for a primary cause for this problem. Any comments, thoughts or ideas would be most welcome. Gio