kerowako

My '03 LeMans has been sleeping for five years inside my garage, free from the elements. I just started it for the first time, with fresh battery, oil and after replacing timing cover and sump gaskets. It started reluctantly, won't begin to idle, and is running solely on the RH cylinder. I verified it's not an ignition problem, so fuel system is suspect. It ran reasonable well before storage, so the problem seems directly related to being dormant for 5 years. Where should I start? Are injectors subject to cleaning? Other ideas? Cheers, Fred

Thx docc!

To confirm, is Odyssey PC545 the right one for a V11? Their website battery finder doesn't list V11, only California models.

Hi, Is it possible to remove the cover with the engine installed? I've got the alternator rotor removed, and the front engine bolts that attach to cover are removed. I'm concerned that there isn't enough room to clear the crankshaft without removing the front subframe from the spine (a task I really want to avoid). Any experience from y'all is appreciated. Fred

PROBLEM SOLVED!! The problem was that the RH throttle body was NOT fully closed when I set the TPS to 150mv. The instructions posted on this forum caution you to ensure that the fast idle cam is relaxed fully. However, upon closer examination, I found the small cam roller was still in contact with it's stop, even with the fast idle lever (and cable) fully relaxed. However, the throttle butterfly was still NOT fully closed. There is a small screw on the RH throttle body, head facing downward, that indexes the fast idle cam roller. I released this screw, which allowed the throttle butterfly to close fully. I then tightened the screw so that there was just a very small clearance between the cam roller and it's stop. Then, set the TPS to 150mv, throttle balance, idle set up and air bypass screw set. My bike has been transformed. I suspect that it was never set up properly from the dealer, as it now gets better mileage, and clearly runs stronger, and smooth as glass. Fred Meyer '03 LeMans '54 Norton International '48 Sunbeam S7 '66 Ducati Sebring etc etc

Hello Guzzisti, I've been troubleshooting unsuccessfully to solve this problem, so any input is greatly appreciated. This is about a 2003 V11 LeMans, 31K wonderful miles..... At a very low throttle opening, the engine spits back, backfires, stumbles. This seems to be independent of engine load or RPM....rather, directly related to throttle position. I first noticed it while the bike had a Power Commander installed. I removed the PC, reverted to the stock ICU. I've done the full set-up for TPS, throttle body balance, etc, per instructions posted elsewhere on this marvelous forum. No differenec, not better or worse. I then re-installed the Power Commander, and the problem is still unchanged. Adjusting the PC low-range mixture to full rich has no effect. I've read on the forum about air leaks in the throttle bodies, but I've all but ruled this out, after close inspection shows no unusual slop. HELP!!! Thanks- Fred

It's not bonded in place? Well that's great! Not wanting to destroy the bezel, I used an Xacto jewelers saw, and cut the case open, exactly one Scotch tape's width below the flange. This turned out to be the perfect place to open it. Although there's no point in reassembling the old one, I plan to open up the new one immediately (if I ever receive it!), as I assume the lack of lube on the gears will lead to the same failure again. Assuming I will cut it as I did the first, I haven't yet designed the closure. I won't glue it....but I think some sort of arrangement with locating pins and a band clamp will do very nicely. I will, however, try the bezel removal again on the new one, as that would be far better of course.

Hello All, I've had terminal failure of the speedometer on my '03 Le Mans. The local dealer has had the replacement on backorder for 4 weeks now, with no estimate of delivery. This is a black face/red needle unit, apparently made by ITI. I believe earlier ones were Veglia. Can anyone point me to a dealer, anywhere, that might have one on hand? I'm desparate to put my bike back on the road, but not without being whole! I'm also wondering if any other late V11 owners have experienced the same problem. (Cable problems excluded....that's been well covered!) The speedometer function is still perfect- the odometer/trip meter gradually stopped. Upon opening the case, I found the main odo worm gear had worn itself away- clearly from lack of lubrication. Have any others has speedo failures? Regards..... Fred Meyer 03 Le Mans

I changed the pawl spring on an '03 Le Mans last month, using the same "improved" aftermarket spring. Identical symptoms: less force on the upshift than the downshift; wouldn't quite return to catch the next gear up. I was puzzled as well, until I examined the geometry of the Guzzi shift change design. It is inherent in the basic design that the up shift will require less force than the downshift. Just wiggle the gear lever from neutral on any V11- there is a measurable difference. The reason is the bias of the pawl spring force relative to the heavier centering spring. The moment arm that the pawl spring has adds to the otherwise neutral centering spring force in the down direction, and subtracts from it in the up direction. The Guzzi engineers accounted for this when determining the force (coil angle) of the pawl spring. Unfortunately, the "engineers" for the aftermarket spring did not, and made the spring too heavy. Compare the angle of the stock spring to the aftermarket item. The aftermarket spring has just slightly too much force to allow clean return of the shift lever to center. I ended up putting a new Guzzi spring in. The original spring (with roughly 5K miles on it) show NO signs of impending failure, but since the customer was concerned with probably failure, I changed it anyway. He now carries THAT as the spare.....

Looking for used seat to fit 2001 V11. Cosmetics not important as long as base is good.

The cable on my '03 Le Mans gave out at 5228 miles....60 miles out on the longest x-country to date, 1400 Miles! Figures. The problem with the latest "bent tube" drive design is obvious to me. To clear the RH throttle body, nearly a 90 deg. rigid bend was needed. It would seem the engineers at MG don't understand cyclic fatigue! This, combined with absolutely NO lubrication (on my bike at least) was asking for failure. This is a clear design problem, so I expect MG had better get back to the drawing board on this. After my dealer gets round to providing a replacement (waiting since Apr13) I'm gonna use it as a pattern and make a spare. Of course, you can't by just the inner wire from MG. (If you order one, be SURE to specify carefully WHICH cable- seems there are at least 3 variations for the V11. Urge your dealer to keep 'em in stock....their gonna need 'em!) Anyone have a reliable solution to this? Such a marvelous machine this is, but such a dumb detail. Fred Meyer

I just finished installing a set of Dual Star grip heaters, but haven't wired them yet. The switch in the kit is crude in appearance, and would spoil elegance of cockpit. I'm not going th Heat Troller route, as I think it's a bit overkill. So, I keep noticing that filler panel on the LH cluster, presumably the space a lighting switch would be fitted on Euro models. How nice it would be to use that space for a proper switch. Can anyone over the pond from here describe or send an image of the LH control cluster? My highest hopes are that the Euro lighting switch is a 3 position rocker, suitable to adapt for grip heat, off/low/hi. Has anyone done this, or maybe found a nice rocker that can be adapted to fit into the cluster?