inkblot

Still available!

Haha, so true

FRESH UPDATE: Still have this nice V11. I just had another kid. There's no way I'm gonna give it the care it deserves (the bike, that is...). Come make me an offer! OLD UPDATE: Still available as of 8/24. Had a few deals fall through. Went on a nice ride last weekend- everything works great. Plenty of sunny days left this season! $4500 obo. I've finally decided to sell my 2004 V11 Sport Naked. It's in great shape, and has only 2000 miles. I'm the original owner. A brief history: I bought the bike new in Seattle from Moto International, a great, small shop full of Guzzi experts. I put most of the miles on the bike over the next 2 years, though my mileage was limited by the Seattle weather and my reluctance to ride in the rain. I had only a few minor issues with the bike during these years, mostly around flaky starting electrics which was resolved by Moto Int'l by replacing the original relays with Bosch units, and then by bypassing the clutch safety switch with a short bullet connector. I then lost a few years when I moved to CA, and left the bike in Seattle. I finally was able to bring the bike down (in a trailer), but ran into registration issues as the CA DMV's (incorrect) interpretation was that the bike was a 49 state model, and not CA smog compliant. I lost a few more years being distracted by life and not dealing with the registration. I then got motivated again and dealt with the DMV, and eventually got the bike fully registered (you can see the associated thread here: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15706&hl=inkblot&do=findComment&comment=169725 ). I put a few more miles on it after getting registered, but then life happened again (got married, had a kid) and the bike sat again for a couple of years. Under a little pressure to free up some space due to another move, I decided to sell the bike on consignment through Munroe Motors in San Francisco. I rode the bike to the shop, and as fate would have it, the motor developed a very nasty sound as I got about 3 blocks from the shop. So, instead of selling the bike, I ended up spending a bunch of time and money replacing the camshaft, which had apparently failed due to my poor job of changing the oil during all of the bike's inactivity. The tires were also replaced, and now have only about 100 miles on them. After the repair, the bike ran fantastic again, so I brought it back home with a renewed pride of ownership. Life took over again though, and the bike sat for another stretch. Finally ready to let the bike go, I got her all cleaned up and went on a shakedown ride, then found a puddle of gas on my garage floor. Turns out the gas tank wasn't venting correctly (maybe something got clogged, or maybe the vent-valve wasn't reinstalled correctly during the previous service). Munroe was able to perform a quick fix, which should work for most- though the proper fix will be to replace the entire tank. Guzzi doesn't stock the tank with the proper color any more, and I'd prefer to sell the bike as it is (rather than taking the time to source a matching tank or custom painting a different one). Take a look at the thread here, which brings us up to current date: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19920&hl=inkblot&do=findComment&comment=220332 Munroe Motors also performed a used bike inspection to confirm that all of the basics/safety/etc are up to snuff. I don't need to sell this audience on the merits of this bike- you all know exactly what it is (and isn't). Other than the repairs noted, the only other modifications are a fender eliminator kit and some bar-end mirrors. The bike now runs great, looks great, and is ready to go to a new home. You can check out my gallery here: These bikes don't pop up for sale often, so I really don't have a good sense of its value. I will consider any reasonable cash offer, but I'm not interested in trades, unless you have an old 911 engine laying around! PM me or email gilbertjmasters at gmail if you're interested. I'm happy to answer any general questions about the bike in this thread. I'm in the SF Bay Area. Thanks all, Jake

@Chuck I certainly don't know enough about what's needed to suggest that you're wrong! That said, it would strike me as odd that the shop wouldn't have done this (or at least suggested it) if it were possible... I gather that the hose which needs replacing is inside the gas tank, and runs between 2 fittings (one at the top of the tank, part of the filler assembly, and one at the bottom of the tank) which are both glued (?) into place within the tank making removal a very difficult (and perhaps destructive) process. Again, this is just what I've been led to believe, and might be wrong. I hope it's easier than I think.

FRESH UPDATE: Still have this nice V11. I just had another kid. There's no way I'm gonna give it the care it deserves (the bike, that is...). Come make me an offer! OLD UPDATE: Still available as of 8/24. Had a few deals fall through. Went on a nice ride last weekend- everything works great. Plenty of sunny days left this season! $4500 obo. I've finally decided to sell my 2004 V11 Sport Naked. It's in great shape, and has only 2000 miles. I'm the original owner. A brief history: I bought the bike new in Seattle from Moto International, a great, small shop full of Guzzi experts. I put most of the miles on the bike over the next 2 years, though my mileage was limited by the Seattle weather and my reluctance to ride in the rain. I had only a few minor issues with the bike during these years, mostly around flaky starting electrics which was resolved by Moto Int'l by replacing the original relays with Bosch units, and then by bypassing the clutch safety switch with a short bullet connector. I then lost a few years when I moved to CA, and left the bike in Seattle. I finally was able to bring the bike down (in a trailer), but ran into registration issues as the CA DMV's (incorrect) interpretation was that the bike was a 49 state model, and not CA smog compliant. I lost a few more years being distracted by life and not dealing with the registration. I then got motivated again and dealt with the DMV, and eventually got the bike fully registered (you can see the associated thread here: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15706&hl=inkblot&do=findComment&comment=169725 ). I put a few more miles on it after getting registered, but then life happened again (got married, had a kid) and the bike sat again for a couple of years. Under a little pressure to free up some space due to another move, I decided to sell the bike on consignment through Munroe Motors in San Francisco. I rode the bike to the shop, and as fate would have it, the motor developed a very nasty sound as I got about 3 blocks from the shop. So, instead of selling the bike, I ended up spending a bunch of time and money replacing the camshaft, which had apparently failed due to my poor job of changing the oil during all of the bike's inactivity. The tires were also replaced, and now have only about 100 miles on them. After the repair, the bike ran fantastic again, so I brought it back home with a renewed pride of ownership. Life took over again though, and the bike sat for another stretch. Finally ready to let the bike go, I got her all cleaned up and went on a shakedown ride, then found a puddle of gas on my garage floor. Turns out the gas tank wasn't venting correctly (maybe something got clogged, or maybe the vent-valve wasn't reinstalled correctly during the previous service). Munroe was able to perform a quick fix, which should work for most- though the proper fix will be to replace the entire tank. Guzzi doesn't stock the tank with the proper color any more, and I'd prefer to sell the bike as it is (rather than taking the time to source a matching tank or custom painting a different one). Take a look at the thread here, which brings us up to current date: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19920&hl=inkblot&do=findComment&comment=220332 Munroe Motors also performed a used bike inspection to confirm that all of the basics/safety/etc are up to snuff. I don't need to sell this audience on the merits of this bike- you all know exactly what it is (and isn't). Other than the repairs noted, the only other modifications are a fender eliminator kit and some bar-end mirrors. The bike now runs great, looks great, and is ready to go to a new home. You can check out my gallery here: These bikes don't pop up for sale often, so I really don't have a good sense of its value. I will consider any reasonable cash offer, but I'm not interested in trades, unless you have an old 911 engine laying around! PM me or email gilbertjmasters at gmail if you're interested. I'm happy to answer any general questions about the bike in this thread. I'm in the SF Bay Area. Thanks all, Jake

@Scud Have you heard of anyone successfully doing this kind of repair? When I look at it, I can't imagine getting a hand in there enough to replace an internal hose. Cheers, Jake

@Footgoose No, not selling because of this issue- I'm selling because I just never ride anymore. I bought the bike new, and I've only put 2k miles on it over its life; it seems like a waste- someone else should be enjoying this bike. I had not done a great job of maintaining the bike while stored, so I decided this was the year that I'd address everything and send her out into the world It's bittersweet, of course, because the bike now runs great, looks great and always stands out in a crowd. Jake

Hey all- just a follow up on this story. I thought I was all good, having bypassed the valve and charcoal canister. I definitely haven't had the tank pressurization problem since, but I do still have a drip of gas from the overflow line. I gave in and took the bike to the shop (Munroe Motors in SF, a generally reputable place that's always treated me well), and their diagnosis was that the hose inside the tank has rotted a bit do to sitting too long in old gas. This allows the fuel in the tank to slowly seep into the tube, and then out... Their quick fix was to plug the hose (funny how things come full circle, as the original problem was likely a clogged hose). So, now I have no leak, and hopefully no tank pressure issues either. Of course, I can't get the bike wet (for fear that water would find its way into the tank). The only real way to fix the problem is to get a new tank, they said, as there's no way to get into an existing tank to repair the hose. Sadly, Guzzi doesn't keep stock of my tank anymore, so even if I wanted to spend the $, I'd have to source a used one (and likely have to custom paint it to match). Anyway, I've decided to sell the bike, but before I do, does this seem to pass the sniff test to you all? Thanks everyone, Jake

Hi All, thanks again for the help. After reading Geddo's thread another 3 times (http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16618&hl=%20removing%20%20emissions&page=3) things starting making more sense- at least in the way that the tank vent and drain systems are supposed to work. I ended up removing the one way valve and disconnecting the far end of that same hose from the charcoal canister. Now the tank can breath freely in either direction, and it appears that my problem is solved. I found a few suspect things along the way: - I think the one-way valve was installed backwards. If I understand correctly, it's purpose is to let air into the tank- not out- though mine was clearly oriented to let air out. - The vent hose may have been getting pinched by the tank itself, as it ran down to the charcoal can. Hard to tell, but there were some suspicious wear marks. I'm still not sure how either of these would fully explain the symptoms I had- but as Swooshdave says, don't ask too many questions Everything seems to be working, so I'll go with it! Thanks again for the input. Jake

@Swoosh: Ha! I hear ya...

@GuzziMoto: Thanks for the detail. Yeah, I read about that in one of the other posts; it sounds like removing that one-way valve may be a fix, and it may be the fastest path to getting back on the road. That said, how does it make any sense? Not that everything in the world needs to make sense to me in order to work What I'm getting at is, if the vent from inside the tank is designed with a one-way valve to only let air in (to replace the volume of fuel being consumed), then something else must be responsible for letting air out when the tank gets pressurized. If I remove the one-way valve, then I may successfully create an exit path for the pressurized air (which solves my immediate goal), but I haven't then really addressed the issue of something else (whatever it is that should have been responsible for the outbound-venting the tank) being clogged or failing. Anyway, any help appreciated! Thanks, Jake

@kiwi: It's possible, I'll take a closer look- but I doubt it, as air flows through just fine when I blast compressed air into the corresponding little hole in the filler rim. @czakky: Yes, the bike is pretty much as new (only 1900 miles). I haven't (yet) messed with any of the emissions stuff.

Hi All, I've been a bad owner, and let my 2004 V11 Sport sit for too long (again). After replacing the battery, and doing some cursory safety checks, I gave my bike a bath and went for a ride. Everything felt great When I got back home, I was parked in the sun, and about two hours later I noticed a small puddle of fuel under the bike. The fuel was clearly dripping from the overflow tube, which made me think that it might be by design when the tank gets hot. I opened the tank cap and a big whoosh of hot air came out as the tank contracted a significant amount. I thought maybe this was just an extreme heat thing (though it wasn't really that hot out, and I've never seen it before), and the tank pressurization (and thus fuel overflow) would stop once everything cooled off. So, back in to the garage, this time w a little cardboard underneath in case of any drips. Later that evening, the cardboard was soaked in fuel. It was a warm night, but nothing out of the ordinary. At this point I figured I had a real problem- something is not letting the tank pressure escape- and I came here to search the boards for help. After reading a number of similar posts, I'm still a bit confused about how the tank vent system is supposed to work. Here's what I did, with no luck: I unscrewed the associated hex screws and removed the gas cap assembly. It has a little black rubber nipple which sits in the corresponding hole in the rim around the filler opening. I blasted the whole cap assembly w compressed air, and it seems like air is flowing freely from the nipple to the little holes in the red plastic center part of the cap. This suggests to me that the pressure in the tank should escape through the little holes in the cap, to the nipple, then back down and out of wherever that hole in the rim leads. I shot some compressed air directly into that hole in the filler rim (it's the one on the right, again where the nipple from the cap seats) and it sounded like the air was escaping, but I can't tell from where. Also, I shot some air into the other hole in the rim, and the air escaped freely through the overflow tube and out the bottom of the bike. This was expected, as my puddles of fuel indicated there was no restriction here... So, let me start with perhaps a really dumb question, at the heart of my confusion: How does the tank pressure build up to the point of forcing fuel out through the drain tube? I.e., why doesn't the air escape through that same path? Second, assuming I still have a blockage somewhere, where might that be? And how does one clear it? The problem began only after I swapped the battery, washed the bike, and went on a ride. I'm thinking maybe some soapy/dirty water found its way into the wrong place and created the blockage (?). Thanks in advance! Jake

No worries- thx. For reference, I did find this one re AZ: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=14971&st=0&p=161958&hl=dmv%20compliance%20sticker&fromsearch=1entry161958 and this one regarding the emissions sticker: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13161&st=0&p=141966&hl=dmv%20compliance%20sticker&fromsearch=1entry141966 Thanks again-