Steve G.

This sounds like a heat related issue with the fuel system, caused by the engine superheating the fuel lines around the cylinder. Lets call it vapour lock. To fix this short term, you will have to "burp" the vapourisation from the fuel line from the fuel tank on/off switch/lever. Not sure which one you have, but probably the electric one. Loosen the hose clamp from the tank outlet, and it should start to vent air with some gasoline bubbling as well. Release this vapour, and all will be well. Long term, you will have to check the routing of your fuel lines to make sure none of them are near either of the two cylinders. Then try to wrap the fuel pump in the same material you find glued to the underside of the fuel tank. I had exactly the same issues you had with the running. If you wait, it will start when the fuel system gets cold, about an hour. But it will happen regularly if you don't get rid of the vapour. I have no such problems now that I have routed the lines away from the heat sources of the engine, namely the cylinders. Ciao, Steve G.

No comment? I'm feeling very dizzy thinking about gyroscopic effects going on between my legs, uh, while riding my Guzzi! Ciao, Steve G.

Napolean is the name of the company, and their bar end model is called the 'Beren', the Beren is available in semi-gloss black and also chrome, but they have a large variety of mirrors including long stalks, and fairing style mirrors used on something like a Lemans. Ciao, Steve G.

Re-treaded bike tires? I don't think so! You will never see re-treads for bikes, the lawyers will see to that. These colored tires use special color compounds when mixing with carbon black, the main compound of any tire. I think they are total squidly and silly looking, but perfect for the 'attention whores' among us. Ciao, Steve G.

I would agree with Murray. They not only built it, they designed the thing. Oil changes and oil quality can have a big effect on engine life. Right now there is an engine at the local dealer which did not receive the quality of oil it deserved, and the engine is now #@$&@#@. Clean synthetic, and this engine would still be in the bike. Non synthetic oil, maximum 2000 kms. Save money at the front, pay up at the back, that's what they say. If you are generally a short term owner, someone who flips bikes/cars often, then go ahead put Walmart crap in it. If you are a long term owner like me, use good stuff. Ciao, Steve G.

Went for a 60 mile ride, our annual New Years day ride, about 18 of us, under grey but dry skies, 50 deg F, not too bad at all. Went to the sea, to watch 500 nut cases go for the new years "polar bear" swim at White Rock, a local seaside town. Then went to a very notable local bike collector for an open house, where he showed us the many bikes of his which are going to be available for sale, perhaps 18, since his bikes at the Guggenheim will be returning soon, and no room left. A good day, no problems, much coffee. Ciao, Steve G.

Had an interesting talk with a local Guzzi guy who mentions big changes with distribution/sales of Moto Guzzi. Thought I'd run them by you guys to see if you can confirm these as truth. The biggest change here locally is that distributorship of Canadian bound bikes will no longer originate out of the U.S., that this will now happen out of Toronto. Whether bikes shipped from Mandello are sent directly to Toronto, or still sent to the U.S. first, will have a big impact on retail prices. No confirmation of this. You guys may already know this, [i didn't] that MGNA will be moving/has moved to the east coast, New York from what I understand, part of Piaggio's plan. The biggest news of changes may just be a bit of talk, but perhaps we can put this story to rest. Apparently Piaggio wants to change the sales at the retail level with Aprilia, and Moto Guzzi. This entails selling these machines at shops which have European bike only, that Guzzi and Aprilia will not be seen new for sale along side Japanese or American made bikes. If this is true, this could dramatically change who and where our dealers are in North America. It would certainly lower the amount of dealers. And I can see at least 4 shops locally affected with Guzzi and Aprilia. And finally, Piaggio will not be selling any of it's small bikes [Vespa, Derbi] along side the big bikes, that they will be sold at independent stores [i can confirm this in Vancouver]. Not sure if this all is good news or bad news! Ciao, Steve G.

YES!

I was working on a very high end motorhome trailer [caravan for you in UK] that had a generator to run a/c, power, heat, etc. Actually it was a mobile dressing room/rest area for the large movie industry here. Anyways, the generator was a Honda V-twin diesel, 35 hp, small quiet. Just a thought. Diesel engines are usually made of parts of higher capability, with thick nodular iron sleeves for cylinders with a aluminum engines at the very least. We're talking compression ratios of 20-1 minimum with non turbo engines. A ratty old Tonti. Golly, there's no such thing as a ratty old Tonti here. Guzzi was a no show in Canada from 1980-2000. Ciao, Steve G.

Gosh, sorry I didn't realize this. Fortunately/unfortunately, with my bike, I left the very first oil change to the dealer to square up any loose ends regarding any possible warranty problems. Any mechanical problems with an engine will happen within the first few hundred miles, or, an engine with huge mileage. It goes against my grain to jobber out something as simple as an oil change, and when I got my bike back, I took the cover off to check that the filter was tight enough. Pete Roper has a very valid point that a filter put on too loose, allowing the filter to loosen off from vibration, will cause big end failure very quickly, and without the rider knowing until it's too late. Ciao, Steve G.

I've seen the results of a gasoline engine converted to diesel, with GM, in their cars and light trucks, and these engines were a short lived joke, all of them. Note that the pictures that TX linked show a series of diesel bikes, the vast majority of the engines being ones designed from scratch to be diesel power. Convert your V-twin Guzzi engine to diesel at your own peril. Ciao, Steve G.

Rubbing down new or old tires with aggressive or caustic liquids is something I wouldn't do. I'd like to know what a tire engineer/chemist would have to say about this. Soapy water, that's it for me. Even when removing the spits of grease or chain lube [yes chains on other bikes] off the wheels, wd40 is sprayed on a clean rag, then carefully dabbed on the wheels to clean off. Ciao, Steve G.

Oil changes on these things are really quite simple guys. I'm not sure what the trouble is. With the correct tools, namely an 8 furrel filter wrench [for the oil filter], and a 1 1/16" [or metric equivalent] bolt and a couple nuts for said bolt [for the removal of the filter access cover through the oil pan. If you are using the factory UFI filters, an 8 furrel wrench is needed. If you are using a Fram or some other kind of filter, you must check to see how many furrels [flat areas around the end of the filter] the filter has, and make sure the filter wrench has the same amount. I can tell you that Fram filters have more than 8. The bolt is quite simple. the head of the 1 1/16" bolt fits into the spot where one might think you have to use a bloody huge allen key [hex wrench]. I think you will find buying a bolt and 2 nuts much much cheaper than buying a massive 1 1/16" [or metric equivalent] allen wrench. So, spin the two nuts onto the other ends, and crank them together real tight so they won't spin. There you have it, a 1 1/16" socket and ratchet, the cover spins off with ease. To tell you the truth, the biggest worry and chance for serious bodge up, is to cross thread the extremely fine threads while spinning the cover back onto the bottom of the oil pan. That will be an expensive fix if this is done! Oh, and putting in shit oil is not smart either! Ciao, Steve G.

All new tires should at the very least be scrubbed down with car/bike soap and lots of water. They aften use slippery soapy stuff to bead a new tire. Don't ask how I know, after riding a bike with new tires in the rain!! Ciao, Steve G.

No kidding!! Ciao, Steve G.

Obviously none of us would buy MV the company. But after seeing, riding, and studying the incredible craftsmanship of my buddies Brutale, I would consider buying one, if they were legal into Canada. I don't really care for the looks of the Brutale, but the fit, finish, and performance for a little 750 is pretty good. A 1000 ORO would be it for me! Ciao, Steve G.

Hi Jim, Yes the Italian bike night at Cafe Calabria, last Tuesday of each month. I'm not sure if anyone was there yesterday, with Christmas and all. Ciao, Steve G.

Hey Jim, you just get back into town? Ciao, Steve G.

Quite interesting to note that not only has Brian Robson left the Guzzi family [mainly because of a very destructive, expensive, and critically time sensitive rear wheel bearing failure, and the fact he needed a bike right away for his work], but also that Dirty Bill has left the Guzzi family, golly, it must be at least a year ago, also like Brian, to get an R1. Unlike Brian who would have happily ran the Guzzi on it's daily chores, Bill is a fellow who I think gets bored easily, and the V11 just ceased to become a novelty. Last I checked, he had bought and sold at least 1 bike this season, if not more. Which is cool. There are many riders I know of that get a new bike every year, and they are often different makes. As to the original thread comment, I wouldn't call people on this thread snobby. They are mostly quite helpfull actually. But a specific based forum will be clicky, and this one is no exception, it's very clicky, which as a specific forum, it should be. Understandably, most forum members on this forum think of the V11 Lemans as the greatest bike ever made, which is understandable. Hey, we're clicky, I'm part of it. Remember recently when we [me included] ripped apart the fellow member who started waxing poetically about some Harley? I think Jaap had to close the thread. I have been on forums of different manufacture, and those guys thing their bikes are the best ever. And they have the same legitimate reasons as alot of us do with our beloved M.G. I guess I consider myself very lucky to experience different machines, and can say that each are great machines for different reasons, on different days. But no bike can REALLY be said to be the best. Even the experts will come up with various different models. You guys can fire away now. Ciao, Steve G.

From your thread name, I'll assume you either have or have had Japanese sport bikes in your paddock. An honest person would freely admit that while one can expect a good handling bike in a V11 based Guzzi, it will never handle like a current series true sport bike. Those who havn't ridden modern sport bikes simply don't understand the situation. The shaft drive causing an improper weight bias to the rear, as well as a less than stout frame compared to sport bikes are the main contributors. Enjoy your Moto Guzzi. They will cause you to have pride of ownership! I can attest that any of the airbox kits will give you what you want as far as induction roar. I have the Ferracci kit, and this allows the old girl to show off her baritone roar! Ciao, Steve G.

As Lex said, a publicity stunt by Chrysler USA showing off their V10 engine. A computer controls the balance of the thing while standing still, and rights itself when the torque of blipping the throttle threatens to flip it on it's side from the 500ib torque. I saw the thing at an AMA road race at Sears Point 3 yrs ago. Sounded interesting when they started it. The only person able to ride it was former AMA flattrracker Champ Scotty Parker, who despite his skill, crashed it twice going straight in a back lot parking lot. Interestingly, for 2006, Kentucky "motorcycle" maker Boss Hoss is offering it's own version of the same V10 rated at 550hp and 782 ib torque as one of it's models. The word obscene quickly pops to mind! Ciao, Steve G.

Cheap is as cheap gets! Ciao, Steve G.

As far as the new aftermarket exhaust pictured, it's a non-starter, ugly. I'm biased, I hate carbon fibre exhaust. The Griso is a styling exercise plain and simple, and some will love it, others hate it. While I personally don't care for the big can on the Griso, it's not the only styling goof on this bike. Explain to me the location of the oil cooler. BUT, BUT, in the interest of overall trends in "power cruisers" having big cans, I would be willing to deal with the size of the can had they put better effort into the end of it. The turbine twirled styling is plain silly looking, and worst of all, the quality of the metal finish looks like it came out of a grade 5 elementary school workshop sand casting project! I mean, it looks like it was dipped in sulfuric acid for 1/2 an hour! Ciao, Steve G.

You're kidding right? This political correctness, golly, where does it end? Ciao, Steve G.

I've got chrome Napolean Berens on my V11, left and right side. Also on my Laverda Jota, and Norton. They are worth the money you have to pay for them, which around here is around 45$ cdn. Obviously I do like them. They are convex for great rear view. The rubber insert works on the other bikes, but the V11 bars are a bit smaller inside, and trimming of the rubber would not work. Sooo,, I took the wedge type tightener/fastener off of the Agostini bar end weights I was using, and put it on the mirrors, works great. With stock mirrors off, bar end weights replaced by the Berens, less bar vibration. Don't know why, but it's the case. I was worried because my hands are extremely sensitive to vibes, but it's all good. It has the classic cafe racer look, which is exactly what the V11 Sport is. Ciao, Steve G.