AndyH

That's why I want to set mine up a little. Mine stalled at an intersection while I was waiting for oncoming traffic so I could turn and it can be quite dangerous. I seem to have found the cause of the bogging and stopping problem - I discovered that the RH silencer wasn't properly tightened on the crossover after the missus said I had a rattle on that side during a run. I tightened up and it's behaving so much better now. Hasn't cut out once. So you might check your exhaust system for leaks I guess if stalling's a problem (exhaust gasket ring, clamps on crossover etc.). Just a thought. AndyH

There's a few posts about problems with hot running about town but I haven't seen the symptoms I describe below mentioned anywhere, hence a new topic. I took my V11 into the City of London today through rush hour heavy traffic in order to get to a meeting. After stop/go at countless lights, waiting in traffic queues because I couldn't get through, and then searching around in vain for bike park, the engine was getting really hot (and it is no way near summer here, the air's quite chilly still!). That's when it started playing up. First the charge light started coming on at tickover (at least it ticked over!). If I blipped, the charge light went out but came back just above tickover. I switched off the headlamp but that didn't seem to help. Then the Neutral light started glowing even when not in neutral: then it was on all the time in any gear indistinguishable from Neutral. The engine was getting quite grumpy, popping a bit and running lumpy and it was with some relief that I finally got it into a bike park and wondered if it would start again when time to go. Two hours later after the meeting, cold engine, it started up and behaved impeccably in the rather lighter traffic and there seem to be no lasting ill effects. What's going on here? Is the hot engine breaking the Neutral light insulation down perhaps? What about the poor charging at tickover? Sound familiar to anyone? Andy H

Been to Skye before but not on a bike so I know it. I've got some friends who've just moved there that I'll be staying with too so Skye's on the route and no need for accommodation but good to know that kind of info, thanks. Looking for B & B recommendations on Mull and Harris/Lewis too, if anyone knows bike friendly places? Yes, those roads will be amazing, looking forward to it - just mind the wandering sheep.

I'm doing the Highlands and Islands thing too in early July. Have a good one and let me know any good roads etc. afterwards. Pass of the Cattle perhaps?? I'm not going in there to fix what ain't broke as it's not done me wrong so far... but I'm taking spare spring and tools just in case. I was wondering if external circlip pliers are needed/desirable for the process? Anyone know, if so, I'll sling in a pair. AndyH

There's a thought. Is the black coating a kind of metallic black/gunmetal type colour or just gloss black? Don't recall having seen it? A

Slightly different tack here, but braking performance can be surprisingly strongly governed by lever adjustment. When I changed over from summer to winter gloves last autumn, it seemed that braking performance had fallen off a cliff and I even locked the rear in my attempts to compensate and scrub off the speed in a hurry (that had never happened before on this bike). Couldn't figure out what had happened and checked pads and disks etc... until I adjusted the lever in one click to allow for the thicker glove and the braking power came back. Another notch in was a bit too sharp in fact, especially for wet roads. I don't recall adjustment being so significant (e.g. on my Ducati) but as everyone has observed in their different ways, you're stopping an elephant in a hurry, so unless you already have enormous hands it could be worth tinkering a bit with lever adjustment for the most ergonomic position. AndyH

Hmm! Just looked at this... "Titanium Nitride coating available." What's that, anyone?

I was beginning to wonder if that might be the problem... could well be it as I have no provenance for the seals - they could have put the old ones back in for all I could tell. There really isn't any pitting on the chrome and the tide mark is just a bit too obvious to be certain to pass an MOT test unless I give it a wipe down round the corner before I take it in. Cheapskates! Just goes to show, if you want a job done properly, do it yourself (although to be honest I didn't have the pillar drill to drill out the stuck fasteners accurately) AndyH

That's just about where I've got to as well and I save myself a bundle in labour charges to boot. I don't want to go retro again - vintage and classic brits are a money pit: that's from bitter personal experience. A

I bought my V11 on a whim just under a year ago thinking, 'I've always wanted a Guzzi, got no bike, so why not?'. I had no bike because I'd just got bored with bikes. My last bike was a Monster 750, sold 4 years before, and it was too easy to ride, too hard to work on, expensive to own and I just couldn't be bothered any more. So I got a Guzzi V11, cheap and a bit of a heap: knackered Sachs shock (split ring - ouch), no tacho, speedo up the spout, notchy swing arm bearings, paint peeling, seized fasteners all over, no damping in the forks etc. etc. But I loved it from the word go: I fixed the dangerous stuff straight away and tolerated the detail stuff for a while longer. All through the winter I've worked on it and I'm back on the road and it's just so much better. Deep deep joy! It demands respect, it rewards with rock steady handling and buckets full of torque, vibey enough to tell it's working, smooth enough to ride all day. But hell, I'm telling you stuff you already know. I couldn't have done it without this forum so thanks all: in case we forget how lucky we are, my wife rides a Triumph Thruxton 900 and complains she just can't access anything like the same level of opinion, fact and sometimes pure unadulterated bo11ocks as this worshipful community offers. Proud to be a part of it, so I'm staying. You're my besht mates AndyH

When they say hose-clamp the filter, hose-clamp the filter! Glad I found out when I did: the filter cartridge fitting apparently has two modes: welded on tight or spin-off loose. The latter will lose oil pressure... Do you want to take a chance? AndyH

Thanks, I'll check them out. Happy with their work? I found www.pittedforks.co.uk which are actually just up the road from me in Hemel but have not yet found any recommendations online for the quality of their work. Proximity alone is not necessarily the best criterion for selecting a supplier. Anyone know of issues with Marzocchi forks on this generation of V11 Sport? 'Cos there's no point in expensive rechroming if the seals are a slack fit in the first place. AndyH

I just got my forks overhauled for the first first time since I got the bike (do most stuff myself but there was some work needed on stripped/seized fastener threads so while I was at it...). There's slight weeping in the fork seals leaving a black tide mark, more on the left than on the right, after a run which shouldn't happen this soon after seal replacement. I should get through the annual MOT next month, if I wipe down first but I want to fix in the longer term. The bike's got 16K miles on the clock, but I don't know how long it was run without a odo/speedo and I'm sure it had somewhat more than that. Looking at the fork stanchions I suspect the problem is a worn hard chrome surface: no pitting but it's just a bit too shiny on the front, perhaps from being run for too long with too little oil and no overhaul. On the other hand, it may be just a problem with this generation of fork (2000). If the former is the case, outright front fork stanchion replacement will be expensive. Some specialists offer a fork rechroming service for normal forks, but for upside-down? Is this a cheaper option or even possible? Anyone with any experience of this? If you know of a good such supplier in the UK, let me know. AndyH

Idle speed dropping is also the 1st sign of time to adjust the valves... I just replaced my air filter and the idle speed dropped a bit, so clogged air filter, I think not necessarily. Oh and I did my valve clearances recently. They say do them cold - it was minus 6C. Now mine's occasionally bogging and stopping at tickover when I stop at lights or at a junction after an open run. Around town it's fine. That's why I'm reading this topic. A

This might sound odd, but I got something similar with new bike boots. The depth of the instep meant that the lever was somehow getting stuck in gear. Eventually I was able to get it working again. When I happened to change back to my old boots (just because they were handy one day) the problem disappeared! New boots gear stuck, old boots no problem. Barely used pair of boots anyone? AndyH

conspiracy theory no 1: magnetic releasing compound. Once you've worn the slippery stuff off you're in the clear. Conspiracy theory no 2: a small percentage of tyres come with a screw pre-fitted to boost revenue Conspiracy theory no 3: the fitters bash one in when youre not looking Cons.... Forget it... Sods Law is all...

Had to google channel locks. What we in Blighty call mole grips I guess or near nuff. As a committed tool fetishist, the three legged wotsit keeps me happy.

Yeah, I've just been through that. First of all the filter tho' UFI had a different number of flats from the Guzzi tool I got (and that filter was fitted by a Guzzi dealer - it had the date and other refs written on it like a whole load of other replaceables on the bike). so off with the sump. Then it had clearly been wrenched on with a scaffold pole because even a screwdriver punched through wouldn't do it, just tore the metal: never failed me before. So off with the oil manifold/filter carrier and then the copper pipe to get a better hold. Chain wrenches, strap wrenches, jubilee clips - nada. In the end my friendly local automotive shop (Apsley Motors) offered me a neat Gizmo with three legs that dug into the filter body the more torque you apply: 'If this doesn't work it'll be a Dremel job'. £16.75 (sorry, can't remember the make, the wife threw the packet out). With a 24" bar, it got the bugger off like a dream. Well worth every penny. So what I seem to get from this thread is: - filter cartridges can come loose in use and lose oil pressure, so don't just hand tighten as instructed - whack 'em on tight. - don't use the round cover to get at the cartridge, you won't get enough purchase through the hole, so pull off the sump plate each time, and you can save the cost of an O ring. - use the three legged wotsit to undo the filter, cos that's what it'll take, then put it back in the 'single function and other weird tools' box for the next time. Andy H

Thanks, will look around at what's been done. Maybe not beyond me after all.

Dishwasher I think I can get away with, it's bits in the oven she gets mad about. At least with the Guzzi I don't need to cook chains in grease tins like I used to in the early days. Anyway, it's done now - kind of came out a dull grey but I think it's worked the grit out so I just need to smooth them down and paint.

Yer right, it is a bit of a blob. Not got the skills or facilities to fab one up and it would look crap if I did. Any options out there on the market that anyone knows of?

She's away till Friday - good plan. 70 deg C should do it. AndyH

Is that 'repainting because getting the bearings out makes a right mess of the paintwork when you heat it' by any chance? . I had to grind the screw heads off to get the hugger off: drilling out just rotated the inserts even more and you can't get behind the inserts to hold them in place until you've removed the hugger. I've ordered some new inserts off Wendel and when I get them, will spot braze them in place so they don't rotate. I'm getting the swingarm recoated anyway (for aforementioned reasons) AndyH

I used Nitromors when I wanted to strip the paint off my cafe racer's yokes and fork legs- worked well as long as I used loads, let it soak in then the paint peeled off in big lumps. Was quite theraputic watching the paint bubble, then peeling it off. Had to do a bit of scraping on crevices. Cheers Guy I didn't find Nitromors or any other over the counter medication worked too well. In the end I did most of the work with wirebrushes, either hand held or on a drill, followed by wire wool of various grades. Just remember to drain the oil first - which I didn't and it all came out the breather cap. The drill brushes got a bit aggressive so you have to be careful. I don't blame you for wanting to avoid getting them blasted: see my post about my rocker boxes. But if you were to do that you'd have to take it all apart first and then rebuild it all which I suspect is not a trivial task. With the wirebrush route I just masked the relevant bits and sprayed up again with a good (German) make of Aluspray and while not to shop brand new standard it's miles better than the state it got in and I'd bet a whole lot more durable than the original finish. Time will tell.

Can't really help on that question. Y'see, the damping in the Sachs original was non-existent when I got the bike last year (with a fresh MOT... suspicious?) - maybe that's why the eye took a hammering so the Hagon is an improvement for sure. I've never been a suspension fiddler so having all the remote and adjustable stuff is a bit wasted on me. To be honest, I quite enjoyed the snaky fast curves and general unpredictability and it was only the prospect of the eye actually letting go on the move and the oily mess from the seals that pushed me into action at all. Makes me a bit of a freak I suppose, but I've ridden far far worse: a couple of allegedly 'well set up' Norton Commandos for example.