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Hey Dan, if you can make it, drive down to the Illinois Moto Guzzi rally in Oquawka IL at the end of may. Guaranteed to be at least one '01 spec V11 there to check out. Usually lots of other cool bikes as well. Jason

OK, Robb, is the helicopter noise before or after you shut off the engine? How does the clutch engagement feel? When I lost a plate off my eldo, the engagement was often smooth, but occassionally very 'chattery' like the gears in the transmission were banging against one another (they were). It was worse when hot. There should be additional vibration in running the motor as well, since it will be unbalanced now. And if you have the correct tools, a clutch job is a long afternoon depending on how fast you work and how much beer you drink. I have an alignment tool I could loan you, but I only have the transmission input spline tool for the 2mm old (really old) style. oh- nevermind- the bikes still under warantee...even better!! Jason

Too funny. I like his commentary for the pictures- 'about here' 'chunk of metal' and the license plate on the Jackal- 'boost is good'

There's pros and cons to either machine, but they are really similar. I own an '01, so that's my bias. Advantage '01- silver engine (vanity), cheaper, essentially same motor, exhaust mods come with that bike, shorter wheelbase and therefore quicker steering Advantage '03- black-painted engine (if you're crazy enough to like that kind of thing), some improvements in the motor like oil jets under the piston (how much difference does that really make?), longer wheelbase so more high speed stability. Rear wheel may be wider (?), but I don't know if it's a standard size. brakes- same electrics- same shocks- same (unless ohlins) instruments- different (but may not be any better) This is just off the top of my head- others will have lots more to say. Just a thought- ride both. Buy the one that really pulls at your heart, and you'll be happy. Good luck, Jason

Good call on the instruments- I removed mine, but I bet it's not really necessary. I'll have to look again- I really thought that the allen-head bolt on top tightened the steering head...(walking off scratching head).

Curious. Umm, just a random thought here, but the brake rotors are drilled, and I hear a 'buzz'- albeit a soft one- every time I brake. Could your brakes have siezed up or expanded/been applied somehow? J

The oil pump is mechanical- can't be that. The fuel pump isn't receiving power after you turn the bike off- can't be that (unless you have a gremlin You don't have a flat tire now, I hope? I just can't think of anything *moving* on the bike after it's shut off. Must be gas escaping from somewhere- either fuel out of the recovery system (tipover valve???) or something out of the sump. I'm stumped. J /had to thow a helicopter logging joke in there...

For the most part, I think ya'll are right- simple retro tanks look cool. But some of the early Breva tank designs aren't bad. I like the first one better- it's more 'organic' (don't care for the exhaust pipe, though). I just don't understand the need for the 'sectional' look that's starting to show up in the second drawing, but it's obvious that someone was trying to follow heritige. Thanks Pexi! Also, FWIW, Guzzi has had a long history now of hideous tank designs. The V7 line is ok, the V7 sport and Le Mans I look cool. The T, T3, T5, SP, G5, Convert? blech. Actually, everything on...blech. The V11 Sport/Le Mans is ok, but disfunctional. eh, whaddya gonna do?

I've got an Eldo...been inside it a number of times, and I've never seen a part like that. I don't think it's an Eldo part. The shoulder makes it look like a locating washer... How big is it (inner diameter/outer diameter)? J

Trust me, it is.

The easiest thing to do is put the bike on a center stand, disconnect the damper, lift the front wheel and slowly turn the forks left and right. Feel for notchy or 'crunchy' bearings, particluarly at 0 degrees. If you want to do a more involved R&R, then you have to drop everything (instrument cluster, pull out the clipons, drop off the wheel) removing anything that might drag on the bearings. If they feel smooth, why mess with them? If you want to go farther- the top plate comes off very easily- remove the center cover, there's a hex nut underneather that adjusts the compression on the bearings. Remove it. Use a wedge to open up the clamp-points on the tubes (carefully!!!) and lift up the top clamp. Then drop the fork tubes. I haven't taken off the lower clamp, but I imagine all you have to do is push it out. edit- i do check the bearings regularly- by the first method I mentioned because it is easy. Handling is good, the bearings feel good, there is grease in them, so I don't worry too much about it.

Yes the design studies are cool. I like the earliest ones (especially the 'bulbous' first one) Thanks for posting the review- Jason

Looks like it's in decent shape... What's that thing duct-taped to the right fairing lower?

Nogbad, have you done the diaster adjusment yet? It's a sensitive adjustment, but critical. Jason

you can have one or the other but not both. I'm guessing, but I think txrider means more control with a larger grip. The throttle moves the same amount unless the cam at the throttle bodies is changed. I found the stock grips too small on my bike, and I changed them out to something larger. Now, I have a lot more control with grips that fit my hand (no crude jokes, please). It's like finding a baseball bat that fits- it just works better.

Tip-over valve- yes. But I also removed the rubber seal under the gas cap and that's what fixed my bike. Sure, if your bike falls over you can spill a bit of gas out from the cap, but I figure you must have bigger problems if you're in that bucket. J

A fine bike. My best friend had an SP for years...several of which he rode it without a clutch (don't ask). Great bikes, easy to work on, easy to ride and good ergonomics. The cylinders should be steel lined, so you might be able to rescue them Well, good luck on it. J

Looks good- I think that if you are going to ride mostly solo, then it's a great setup. I like the fact that the center of mass is ahead of rear axle. Good thinking there. As a generality, it's a bad idea to put heavy stuff behind the bike or aft of the axle. On my Eldorado- which I merciliously load up for camping- the handling gets squirrelly if I put too much in the bags. Lex, When you remove the bags, can you carry a passenger? Ben- the '01s have red frames at least in some cases. Like on mine. Jason

Verily this Hasselhoff is insidious: "What! can the devil speak true? And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths; Win us with honest trifles, to betray 's In deepest consequence." ~ William Shakespeare Of course, this quote, while not relevant, is pretty silly: "God is in my head, but the devil is in my pants." ~ Jonathan Winters

Sorry, I can't answer your question, but it can't be very many. The Rossa is a higher end machine from a company that doesn't build that many in the first place. Congrats and welcome! Jason

Hi Scre, the 2006 National is indeed a week later than normal. I'm told that it will be the third weekend in July which means July 14, 15, 16. I hope to see you there! Jason

Depends on the teacher, I bet. I've read about it, but I was under the impression (maybe incorrectly) that Canada was still under French or English control at the time. No big deal- Jefferson was a hellova architect. Nogbad, I think you found someone's "button"

Ummm, welcome to the wonderful world of Guzzi Engineering? Truly, they do put some things together in a fashion that looks like an afterthought. Other things are engineering masterworks in their simplicity and functionality. Until Luigi puts it together. Maybe the cable got incorrectly routed at the factory or during dealer prep- it's been known to happen. I'll have to look on my bike at the cable end, but I don't recall either it coming loose nor do I recall a fastener in there. There is a spring on the idle advance mechanism (choke) that got mixed up with the seat retainer spring. Do a search on 'spring sprung' or maybe just 'spring'. That could also account for the increased idle. Hey, and welcome here! J

Congrats to you and your Girlfriend, Guy. She has good taste Daniel- any chance I could get a copy of the article? That paper doesn't make it out here to the hinterlands. I miss City Bike too- that was a good read when I lived there. You might call my dealer in I-o-way to see if he still has a set of Mistral pipes Jim had two pair a while back (last year) with one set fitted up on a Breva. They were carbon fiber. Sound was ok, I just heard them in the shop at idle. They are probably better sounding outside and/or driving. Ned's Auto and Cycle 319-648-3241 Ask for Jim He's a very good guy, and will treat you right- tell him I sent you. Jason

Nice Score! Here's the Moto Guzzi Database (Belgian MG club), not very useful for you but cool. http://www.mgcn.nl/dameijer/home/ Motomecca lists a parts fiche- they might also have a workshop manual: http://www.motomeccaspares.com/pricelist/p...s%20and%20Books If not, at least the motor and transmission will be similar or identical to the rest of the 750 lineage (just guessing here, but it is likely). good luck with it and enjoy! Jason