belfastguzzi

If you want info on how that exhaust actually performs, (and how it performs relative to the promises made about it) pm me – though there are previous posts on here about it (and not only my posts).

Thanks Iain, do you know what was wrong with the original sensor? One of the previous 'service agents' here said that there were faulty ones, from manufacture, and he possibly said something about faulty fitting and bad earthing, but I reallly don't know what that could mean and it may have just been talk, or spoofing. Did you simply screw the old one out and the new one in and then it worked fine? Is there any height adjustment? My order has arrived at the new dealer here, so I just have to get out to collect it. BTW, on spark plugs: the 1200 8V just has the one plug, there is no hidden inner plug.

Seal failure and subsequent fun and games cannot be guaranteed, Some killjoys say that their Ohlins remain dry after tens of thousands of miles/km. I reckon that the seals are just high maintenance because they are more track biased than road. I don't think that the seal failure is caused by dirt or surface damage on the fork tubes. I, Baldini, etc always kept our fork legs waxed, no, I mean lightly greased/oiled and clean. Whenever the seals went, both sides would go together (give or take a few miles)– and to me that indicates product life rather than accidental damage, plus they leaked heavily, not just a little weep. To be prepared, it's probably a good idea to know where you can get the parts, in case you do need them in future, but apart from that, don't worry about it. When it comes to replacement, fitting normal (tighter) road seals, Kawasaki or whatever the correct alternative is, could be sensible?

BTW, Dynavector MC high output or Linn MM, or what? I'm in a quandry.

Order oil and seals for Ohlins Road & Track 43 forks. Re grease: Ohlins race tech told me that Ohlins grease is not important. Just use standard grease. I don't have a note of the alternative fork seals, which give a tighter fit and so are not so prone to leaking. Kawasaki does ring a bell, maybe Suzuki too? R&T 43 The oil is Part No: 1309-01, quote > Especially formulated for Öhlins 43mm Road & Track front fork. Changing to another brand or type of front fork fluid will affect performance. For maximum perfomance change fork fluid every year. Viscosity 19,0 cSt at 40°C. Grease: Öhlins front fork grease 148-01 (green grease). Öhlins front fork grease 00146-01 (red grease). Regularly put a little Öhlins red grease (146-01) regularly on the steel tube and work it in by pushing the forks up and down. Öhlins grease (green grease 148-01) Use: loctite 270 Install the cartridge assembly using red grease (146-01) on the thread going into the fork bottom. Loctite glue: 542 on Fork Bottom thread. Tightening torque: Triple Clamp bolt 15-18 Nm.

That seems good. To add a serious and reassuring note: there have been a very few reports of cracks at this mounting point, maybe only a couple on the forum here, after falls. It is not a common occurrence. My bike had a very heavy fall as it was loaded, including a heavy tank bag, with full camping equipment etc plus the fuel tank had only just been filled to the brim.

New pipework & cans are good. I have had Stucchi x-over along with the MG Titanium kit that includes a 'race' ECU. The reduced weight is very welcome, as well as the sound. I then fitted a Quat-D box that has a very different sound (which I like) and it does away with the x-over and weight of cans hanging out the back. Yes, get something lighter and better sounding. You may then need to also budget for a Power Commander.

Is there a place where Moto Guzzis should not go? Scotland: a damp and windy country and not a natural habitat for Italian motorcycles. Well let's look on the bright side – you got a café racer out of that incident and I got a Griso. Is the cracked timing cover a generic V11 problem or just a mean Scura nastiness? Look, keep the bike upright and the question is irrelevant. Fit car tyres and don't forget that spirit-level trick. Once it's busted, the problem about welding the timing cover is finding someone who can do the tricky job, to keep everything flat and true, and who has the necessary equipment. I did locate a second-hand timing cover (guess where from: clue... reconfigure these jumbled letters... Y e R r K ) so I will put that on at some stage, possibly when I acquire a suitable manservant. 'When' I get that job done, then I can get the original cover welded to see how it fares. Is there a highly believable excuse for Scura neglect? ~ If I had a garage with workspace, at the house, then I would have the V11 stripped and be working at it when I had bits and pieces of after-midnight time. Thus the job(s) would have been done long ago. The trouble is that my V-cycle is stored at work and not so accessible on a casual basis. Plus, hey, its replacement, the designer lifestyle Griso, fell apart at 2,500 miles and so began another lifetime project. ~ Is the Griso a much better bike? The current Grisos would be. I bought too soon, just as serious 'series one' bugs were bursting out of (or more accurately, exploding inside) the first, newly designed, 8V engines. Generally the build quality and overall design cohesiveness of the 21st Century Griso is better than the Paleolithic V11. The clutch/gearbox is better and the suspension more modern-ish. The V11 leaked oil from various inadequately designed or poorly finished places, from bow, mid and stern of the machine, whereas, again, the Griso parts are better designed and built in that respect. When this subject used to arise in olden days, I always said that the V11 seemed a faster bike to ride than the better-engined Griso. I preferred its neat riding position to the high, wide, open to the backwards-forcing wind-blast seating of the Griso. The Griso was new to me then and I am more used to it now, however the observation probably still stands. I will be interested to try the V11 again... The V11 is a heavy and longish bike. The Griso is lardy-heavy and longer than a long piece of string or even this post. Despite the Griso giganticness, its tank and range are indeed strangely pea-like and shorter than a short piece of string. Mind you, the V11 never had a great range either. Luckily, both these imperfect vehicles are great to ride in their own special ways and they share attractive traits, such as: character, blah, sound, blah, differentness, blah, proper stuffness, blah, not-stuffiness, blah etc etc. The Griso's eco-system is a bit more computer connected and dependent: judge for yourself if that is a good or bad thing, but it also means that there is increased dependency on access to a competent and properly equipped Service Agent. In my experience this is a Secret Service and even when an agent is exposed, he may turn out to be a sabotaging double-agent. With Guzzi, mechanical engineering self-reliance is a necessity (for many of us) and the olde worlde V11 facilitates tough love and bodgery a bit better than the emotionally sensitive touchy feely ECU of the Griso. I'll admit that I am scarred and traumatised... and in fact a Griso that comes from the factory as a good A grade product (rather than a B or C grade assembly) will likely need less looking after, less fiddling and fettling, than a V11. The V11, despite various incarnations and iterations from the factory, never really was a sorted product, was it? Ipso facto www.v11lemans.com Is there an end to this post? See immediately above. I rest my case.

Dear ExCali Biker I'm sure that I've told you at least, well, one time before: anyway, here goes again... The timing case cracked [this hasn't happened to you yet]. It is weak where the front frame support bolts to the engine. If you lean the bike, the terrible stresses will inevitably lead to such a fracture. Be advised that you must keep this bike upright at all times. The best accessory that you can fit is a small spirit level, taped or cable-tied across the handlebars where it will be in view at all times and so enable the necessary uprightness. Engine oil of course escapes through the timing chest crack. I tried many times to seal the crack with various epoxies, but I found it impossible to keep the oil in: there is too much movement at this location beside an engine mounting and a case joint. I could live with that oil leak, but when the Ohlins fork seals went (again) the great gush of fork oil onto brake callipers and pads put the bike off the road. There are various other deviations, such as a broken rear brake lever and spark plug (keep your bike upright, I urge you) and a melted rear brake calliper (plastic bit) [this hasn't happened to you, yet]. Due to these embarrassments, I engaged a finance company in the purchase of a shiny new motorcycle of the modern era. I can report that this may not have been the correct response, as further embarrassments followed, including most recently a non-appearance at the far end of Kerryland for a long talked about meeting of Irish cyclemen.

I went FROM a Griso TO my V11... and have had the Mille Factory since '05.. My V11 seems to be related to your Scura... Do you also find that when you read a magazine, you start at the back and work towards the front? Be careful. Your next move may be to a Cali. At least that would be geographically appropriate. Lucky that you don't live in Nevada. I wonder why there has never been a Moto Guzzi Ulster? If it was good enough for Rudge... Actually, Ulster would be a better name than stupid Griso, for this perversely troublesome yet strongly characterful minority cycle that goes its own way. Or I'd settle for compromise: the Moto Guzzi Davy Crockett. Coonskin set covering. Get onto it, Piaggio.

I have ordered a new sensor. To take the airbox out, did you disconnect the air inlet snorkels at the airbox?

Wow – I'm bringing you my bike! Prepare your spanners. Hey: you realise the next move is to a Griso? 2008 vintage should be about right. Then you get to have an Aprilia.

Hi Paul the connector on mine was a loose fit too. Also, the wire on it was discoloured – maybe that's ok, but I cut out some of the dirty wire and added a longer wire plus a new tighter connector. I hoped that might be what was wrong (although I have fiddled with the terminal before, to no effect). I made the wire longer so that it would be easier to get the connector on to the terminal. It is difficult to reach and the longer wire means that it can be put on easier from the opposite direction, i.e. from the engine side of the bike where access is just about possible. I have not taken the airbox off. I will wait until I get a new sensor before doing that as there are various other things that have to be disconnected to get the box out. Did you have to remove the 'rubber' air inlet connectors from the throttle bodies or do the tubes disconnect easier from the air box itself? Unfortunately the tighter terminal connection did not fix the problem. Either the sensor height needs adjusted or it is faulty. Either way, the bulk of the work will be in removing the parts to get access to it. I tried wiring a bulb to the switch/sensor terminal instead of the bike's neutral light circuit. I thought this would demonstrate if the fault was in the sensor or in the rest of the circuit. However the modern sensor must be more than just an on/off switch, because the ECU knew that the proper terminal was not connected and it did not like it (!SERVICE alert appeared).

going for same price as Mkll Le Mans these days. and in England, a Sport 14 combo

Extraordinary. The reality of this is hard to grasp. [bTW any similarity between the opening of this film and my Bell's Hill Scramble movie is coincidental: I have only just seen this tonight. It really is a mad coincidence. ]

BTW that's Mo-bikers new Scura, in a former life, in the photo up top.

New thread maybe. Here

Now that Mo-biker has procured a new (to him) V11 Scura, there is opportunity and, no doubt, need for new discussion and reminiscing on this most interesting of dark beasts. I might even be inspired to dig mine out of its oily corner. Let the praise, the poetry, the pain, the problem-solving commence.

Yeah, I carry a hammer too. The linkage must be disconnected. There is a nut underneath that often falls off. You've still got your clutch? It's holding on for dear life, I would say. The clutch is sharper on the Scuras. I liked the way it operated. John had the VDST, VSTD, STD or whatever. Maybe he had all three. It shows what's going on but I think there's a limit to what settings can be changed with it. There are others here that know about it.

I'm too envious of everything in the photo to reply. (But it's brilliant!)

Do you not remember? You must be getting old (elderly). Didn't the top end disintegrate... Whether through lack of oil or whatever. Luckily it was towards the end of the period when factory engine stock was being sold off and I was able to point to one (in Germany?). Those factory fresh motors were about half the price that you see breakers looking for used ones now! He was last seen (by me, heading southwards) on a BMW. I'm sure he's still lurking here from time to time.

Here's the rest of the movie, if you've got eight and a half standard minutes to spare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBf9m-RQJcQ

Who? What? Someone's birthday..? Merry Christmas to all!