Trevini

Pawl spring failure, maybe?

It's a nice idea, but I'd be a bit wary of causing damage to the plastic tank if you had anything remotely weighty in the bag (even a book of maps!), moreso if it's spaced up to clear the pad.

Got mine from Stein Dinse Linky to shop

I have one of these on mine No harshness and greatly improved (over worn bushes).

i have gel pads fuitted to both my bikes. The V11 was done before I bought the bike, but can be seen here The pad in my TDM was fitted at home and was pretty straight forward. I did a write up for the TDM forum, which can be seen HERE complete with pics. Both work very well and 500+ mile days are a possible on either bike.

It might be worth checking the inlet rubbers. They seem to be quite prone to cracking and splitting, causing an air leak. Cheap and easy to fix. The other thing it could be, but I don't know how likely it is, is the temp sensor for the FI. That might be fooling the ecu into thinking it's a different temp to reality. Trev

I use one of these... Jofama luggage link Not sure if it will fit with other side bags as they're built in. Very well made, comes with waterproof liners/inner bags and fits a V11 with or without the seat hump fitted. No good if you want to carry a pillion, though. Took mine over to Germany for a week last year and it proved itself to be the most versatile single piece of soft luggage I've ever owned! Trev

It is a silly debate, but we're just a couple of good mates who've toured europe together and love to wind each other up. I wouldn't swap my V11, but that's just my personal preference. That said, it is a lovely bike.

A friend of mine has got an Aprilia Tuono and we are having a funny blokeish (see childish...) argument about who's Italian bike and brand is better!! So what are your plus points about Guzzis over Aprilia??? He's done the same on an Aprilia forum. Trev

Don't forget, of course, that one of the things that is affecting the frame designs either current or past, is the orientation of the V twin. It's used as a stressed member (especially in the spine frame) and compared to the rest of the crowd, points the wrong way. It seems to me that the very thing that gives a Guzzi it's character is also the thing that hampers it. Don't get me wrong, I love mine and wouldn't have it any other way. In reality, how much difference would an average road rider notice if the frame design was the ultimate? If everything was perfect on the bike, or very near, surely it would handle very well, go very fast and be generally very efficient at everything. Add all that together and you get bland and boring. Ok, a sports bike is never going to be boring due to the sheer performance on offer, but it's often been said that it's too easy to go stupid fast on modern 1 litre sports bikes. At real world speeds and riding conditions it will certainly feel bland, or maybe clinical would be a better word to describe it? A slower, non perfect bike is always going to be more entertaining and have more character to ride. It's the imperfections that we find endearing. Do we really want it perfect?

Trev, I used to live a stones throw from Oakdene, noe just a few miles from Headcorn (sorry to hear about your friend). We get down to Wessons cafe a few times a year, Rye also, so meeting up is definately on the cards!! Really pleased with the responses to my thread, I will get stuck in and have a go myself as I have lots of time at present. I'll keep posting. Happy New Year Andrew Sounds like a plan. I'll drop you a pm when I'm headed down next (probably not for a month or two, though). Trev

Am I right in thinking that both the BMWs you mention have servo assisted brakes? If so, that would be why they needed much less pull on the lever. Likewise, the 749 is a much lighter bike with more or less the same braking system as the V11, so is bound to be better. As has already been said, the V11 is a lardy beggar and needs a good pull on the lever to stop it. That said, they work well enough for the performance of the bike unless you ride like Rossi all the time. As far as improvements are concerned, give it a good overhaul and fit decent quality pads. Trev

Depends which bit of Kent, Andrew. Home town for me was Gravesend, so I know Kent fairly well. I get down that way on the bike fairly regularly (although it'll be less in 2012) with my "normal" ride out being Oakdene cafe on the A20 on the way through to the Strand cafe at Rye then over to Wessons at Horam and up to Box Hill and home. If I go all twisties it's about 500 ish miles depending on the route. I used to meet up with an old mate of mine and regular touring buddy from Headcorn until earlier this year when he died in a crash. It'd be good to meet up sometime anyway just to compare bikes! Trev

I'd check all that has been said so far, but it might be worth checking the inlet rubbers as well, as they're known to perish and leak causing a lean mixture (could also cause vibes). Most likely balance is out I would think. Where in the UK are you? If you're not too far away I could help out if needed. Trev

According to the UK Dynojet website, the part no for the 9v adaptor is Part Number 66116001. With that, you can program off the bike, or on the bike without ignition and/or engine running. Linky to Dynojet. My PC3 non usb works fine using a serial/usb convertor, but it is a bit fussy with some of them (apparently) according to reports I've heard.

PC2 and 3 both use 9 pin serial cable and support fuelling increments of 500rpm. PC3USB uses USB and supports fuelling increments of 250rpm. The maps are also stored in a different format, but the USB model also supports the older .map files. If you want to programme a 2 or 3 non usb model off the bike you'll need the battery adaptor (takes 9v pp3 battery) to fit between the cable and unit. All the units have the accelerator pump feature. Other than that, not much between them. I use a PC3 non usb on my TDM 900 to correct the fuelling when I have non standard cans fitted and it works fine. Hope this helps. Trev

It's funny you should mention the chromed plastic. That was one of the things that put me off buying a 1200 sport rather than the V11 that I ended up with. Plus, of course, I was simply smitten with the looks of the V11. I can't put my finger on it, but it just seems more classy. Trev

Sorry to hear that Mike. I'll kep my eyes open for you. Trev

For the UK members.... There's a V11 Le Mans for sale Here linky dinky at a dealer very close to where I work. I've not been in to look yet, but they normally get some VERY clean bikes with low miles. They also have a good reputation locally.

If you sell it, you'll probably regret it and they're getting more rare so it seems. Better to buy a second bike and supplement the V11 with something more sporty. For road use, though, I doubt you'll find a sporty bike THAT much quicker from A to B.

Have to agree with "fun" Pete. I believe it's a case of if you have to ask, you wouldn't understand. I've never yet got off my V11 without a huge grin , especially when I've just shown a clean pair of heels to a "sportsbike" rider on the twisties . Comments are always in the vein of, "that looks really nice, but aren't they noisy/slow/don't handle". Ultimately, it doesn't do "fast", but does do very quick from a to b on twisties.

Fairly straight forward. Tank off. Drop the oil cooler ( you can leave the hoses connected) to allow access to the alternator cover, remove cover, stator and coils. I supported the ebgine under the sump, but it may not be necessary. Slacken the bolts on the engine mounting brackets at the frame end to allow movement/clearance and remove bolts from timing cover end. Unbolt cover. Reassembly is the reverse procedure, it's all reasonably self explanatory. If you're a little nervous about being able to remember how to reassemble, take lots of photos and make notes. They really are easy engines to work on. It's worth mentioning that there are two different types of gaskets used depending on age of the bike. I don't know if they're interchangable (I would think so), but worth asking the question to be sure.

Looks like timing cover gasket to me. I did mine with engine in place. A bit fiddly, but can be done. Be sure to change the timing cover oil seal while you've got it off too and be very careful not to damage the seal when replacing the cover.

I can't really help too much (lack of knowledge etc), But have a few personal observations/experiences to share. Mainly tyre related, I'm afraid. On my other bike, a TDM 900, the handling changed considerably after I fitted PR2s and not for the better. The front end never felt planted like before when I had Conti Road Attacks fitted. One thing I noticed is that a 160 section rear PR2 is actually the same width as a 180 section Pirelli Diablo Strada (as fitted to my V11) and much wider than the previously fitted road attack. Like yours before changing the bars, before fitment I could deck the bike out easily and now for the first time in my life I have chicken strips! Maybe the weight distribution changes have made the bike more sensitive to steering inputs due to the more upright position and /or (possibly) wider bars. Have you tried any different settings on the steering damper? Geometry changes seem a bit drastic on what is a sweet handling bike to start with, so something else could have changed to cause it.

I dunno, but I spent over a year finding the right one for me....and boy was it worth it!