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No, the spacer has to be longer than the distance between seats, otherwise the bearings will take the side load (rather than the bearing race taking the side load). Some of this is just unsubstantiated argument and I would like to end it definitively by getting an accurate measure of the distance between bearing seats. David- go buy a damn set of calipers. Even the plastic ones work pretty good and they cost like $1.50. Seriously, I'll pay for 'em. Or borrow a nice digital vernier from from your fancy machine shop. When I was at CalTech, I was always bothering the machine shop to make some hoopty part for me. They enjoyed it because it was a break in their routine.

The Guzzi argal (ergal? I've seen it both ways) pegs in the stock holes will drop the pegs ~1/2 inch. At like $700 US, that's some pretty expensive real estate. The Evoluzione kit included should be easy to replicate. While it does give a lower mount on the peg, it is also back some, so it's not terribly low. I've been within 1/8" of the edge of the tire and haven't touched down. This was on a track, so real world variations in tarmac might not be so even or predictable. For my style of riding, they work fine.

Cheers Paul- happy birthday and many more!

Congrats and welcome!

Well, that was quick. On its way to David already. beauchemin: Yes. I worry about that a little bit. On the flip side, I would hope that the hub and maybe the whole wheel is a standardized run from Brembo. Al, I'll be happy to take more money. Any extra goes to Jaap as a donation and/or to Bob for his efforts. I personally think Bob should charge 25 bucks, and that's what I will give him for mine. J

I asked Bob to cut me a rear wheel bearing spacer based on our discussion here: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5537 see about page 3ish. Bob is either the spiritual leader of a freaky church but he's also my father in law, a good machinist, and an absolute motorcycle nut (He's into Vincents though...I'm working on him). So here's pictures of the first spacer he made up: Nice composition with the fruit and bread Slightly beveled ends for Baldini It says '$3.50 material, 1/2 hour @$17.00, $21.50 + S/H" I think he should charge more, but that's just me. Just curious if anyone know what the MG part costs? Dimensions are 113.04 mm (4.452") long X 25.2 (.9945) outside X 20.37 (.8) inside. Wall thickness is 2.51 mm. It is made of either 2024 or 7075 aluminum (I'll have to ask). Both are high grade aircraft aluminum. We calculated that the side load on the tube will be ~2-3000 psi. That's waaayyy below the stress limit for this part. Now, I do NOT have time to drop my rear wheel and remove the bearings to make sure this fits. It will if the dimensions I was given are correct. Who wants to be the guinea pig? Anyone working on their bearings? Jason

Thanks for the update and an amusing read Mike. Good luck on her.

Thanks all, we are pretty excited about it. Yes, it's our first. Yes, it's predisposed to being a scientist- that's why there's going to be music and art lessons in the future. I hope it has Sonya's art abilities, because mine are nil. My granddad was a teacher, my dad, my mom, Sonya's dad were all educators. Sonya and I are teachers. The little widget will probably be a garbage collector and make more money than any of us. Antonio- simmer down there! I appreciate your concern, but I'll not be getting rid of any motorbikes. Like I said, this is a kick in the pants to get the sidecar bike going. I'll still keep the Eldo and the V11. I think we can manage a few diapers....I have no idea how many I'll need, but the concensus seems to be "a lot". I know too much about disposable diapers and their legacy, so I'm going to start getting cotton ones. Should be messy. Jaap, Baldini- heck yes I'm interested, even in 3-4 yr clothes. Let me know what you find-I'll reward you handsomely for your efforts, or shoot me a web address if the Dutch or English Guzzi Club has one.

Ok, not the end, but rather the beginning. Sonya, my lovely wife, is 'with child' and she's due in January. Among the many decisions, preparations, alterations, etc. that have to be made, there are some that are more important than others. A critical preparation is clothing the little gadget. Now, in Iowa, they are somewhat particular (it's a progressive state)so my suggestion of burlap and sack-cloth went over about as well as you would predict. So I need some help. Are there any cute little baby clothes with the Guzzi eagle on 'em? I can't find any here in the States and Sonya wants some. I'm not making this up; it's really her idea. If you happen to see any- let me know. Other good news is she wants to keep her Breva. So, if we are to continue motorcycling as a family, I guess I need to get the sidecar going again (for when it gets a little older). Cheers, Jason

So, these are the other random thoughts I have- Could it be a sensor that's going bad? You could try cleaning and/or measuring the cam sensor, the oil and air temperature sensors (where is it located, BTW?) and the air pressure sensor is in the computer so you can't get to that one. That's a lot of tracking work, I'm afraid. The air/oil temp sensors follow the same temperature/resistance profile. The air pressure sensor sounds most attractive to me if you are in Denver. Do you live in Denver and does it exhibit the same behavior at high and low altitudes? Could it be a ground fault? That the problems occur below 3K rpm and the alternator output is pretty low below 3K rpm is purely coincidence I'll bet. But- it's worth thinking about. How's 'dem grounds? I can't remember who it was (TX or Gary Cheek) who recommended an extra grounding strap from the headlight and it's associated wiring to the frame. The same might be said for the computer... Back to sensors, could it be a TPS potentiometer? That should be easy to check- hook it up to your ohmmeter and slooowly open the throttle. Take a few angle/resistance readings and plot them out if you're really anal-retentive. I don't think it's linear, but it should be smoothly progressive. After all that, your description still sounds like an air leak or tight valves, so I'm not sure. Good luck, J

See if this takes you there: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...indpost&p=52570 If not, look at post #3 (dlaing)

I'll second what others have said- replace stock Xover with Stucchi (or mistral I guess)- it makes a world of difference. My pipes are mounted on the inside.

Dude, that kicks butt. There's several people on this forum that have dirt bikes. They're a heck of a lot of fun; I took my KLR650 out for good thrashing this morning, in fact. woop woop!

That bike started off as a frankenbike. I mean really, it's just a parts bin special. They threw a silver rear on with a black gas tank as a way to sell '01 bikes as 02 models. They came out with the 'Sport CF' at the same time. Maybe I should use this to my advantage; I managed to pick up a silver rear plastic whatever-it's-called. If I sell my bike could I get more money out of it this way? But I do hope Carl gets his ride sorted out. Bastard child or not, it needs some love. Oh yeah- on the subject of women bikers. Not all of them are conventionally beautiful, but look at yerself in a mirror before you say too much. I'm lucky- my wife rides and she's pretty good lookin'. On the other hand, I'm a fright.

This lists some of the most common problems that crop up with the Guzzi V11 Sport and LeMans. Credit and thanks goes to the contributors at V11Lemans.com Interested in buying a V11? Frequently asked questions from potential buyers Thanks and credit goes to the many V11LeMans website contributors. Are you interested in buying a V11 sport, Le Mans, Ballabio, Rosso, Coppa, etc.? BigJ sums up the gist of this faq pretty easily: "Just see if you like it. It may have flat spots, a clunky box, vibrate, need the suspension set up. Dont worry about it, they're fairly easy to sort/fix. Just enjoy yourself, if you find you're grinning to yourself as you go, its for you. If you dont gell, try another one." Common Modifications (all are well documented in the faq forum) Oil pressure gauge Foot forward controls relocation kits Roper Plate for preventing pump starvation on some models. For installation, see the topic in the How To section: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9425 Relay replacement Vibration control hSeat Bars Exhaust Intake PCIII a sigma (BC600) bicycle speedometer Rear mud guard http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...ost&p=67956 Uncommon Modifications Cliff J's, My16M new CPU http://guzzi.daytona-it.com/ http://daytonasite.free.fr/ Common Problems (most of these are addressed in this faq section in great detail- this is just an overview) Also, not all of these problems necessarily show up. Very few of them have shown up on my bike, and others have their own specific mix of issues. These are the ones that are most commonly reported. Oil pressure light goes on during acceleration- Models with the pump pickup towards the front of the sump can experience pump starvation during hard acceleration. This is made worse by the dipstick full mark being 0.69 inches lower than the actual oil level when refilling with 3.5 liters as specified by Guzzi, with the dipstick screwed in, as specified by the manual. Even with 4 US quarts, tests with an oil pressure gauge showed pressure dropping to zero at maximum acceleration in first gear on level ground. Installation of a Roper Plate and refilling with 4 quarts prevents this starvation. The Roper plate also permits refilling to 4.5 quarts for extra margin. Even with this, pump starvation may occur on long, hard, steep uphill climbs. An oil pressure gauge is a useful addition to monitor this and idle pressure. The oil pressure light switch only goes on if pressure drops to somewhere in the 2-5 psi range. Relays- see the "Best Relay" thread for what High Current relay is currently available. Grounding- Guzzi electrics are not the strongest so one needs to maximize all available power. Check grounds and use dielectric grease on every connector you can get to. Do not apply the grease to the mating contacts, only to the external joint (usually a rubber boot) to prevent moisture from entering. Tail light blows fuse- On some models, e.g. Cafe Sport, the wiring to the tail light is pinched by the mounting bracket and can short out. Simply loosen the screws and re route it. Tach fogs over- cured by drilling a small hole in the tach housing Tach 'bounces'- caused by a bad ground. The tach is grounded through the mounting lugs, not by a dedicated ground. Add a ground wire to the tach (requires disassembly) to cure. Speedometer bounces- common to every Guzzi I've ever ridden back to 1971 models. Sigh. The routing of the speedo cable puts a 'kink' in it. The best approach is to route the speedo cable so it has as smooth a run as possible. Additionally, on the early V11 there is an angle bracket that can work itself unthreaded and disgorge it's worm gear drive...usually at speed. As if that weren't enough- early Veglia speedo's and later ITT speedo's use DIFFERENT cables and these cables are NOT interchangeable. See 'bicycle speedometer' above. Both gauges are commonly optimistic (~8%) in their reading. The tach is also optimistic. Speedometer cable breaks- Models like the '04 Cafe Sport experienced early failure of the speedo cables. This is caused by the sharp bend of the metal tubing just above the transmission connection, which replaced the gears of the earlier generation. When replacing it, be sure to get the current version of the cable housing, which has a flexible tube instead of rigid. Moto Guzzi issued a service bulletin on this. The part numbers for the replacement cables are: 01760481 is the new cable for Cafe Sport, and Ballabio. 01760492 is the new cable for Lemans,Nero Corsa and Rosso Corsa. Clutch/sidestand switch- sometimes fail. Transmission spring boss oversized (year specific) mostly only found on '02 model years. The oversize boss stresses and breaks a spring in the transmission, causing it to get stuck in first gear. A fix has been posted. Flaking engine paint (year specific) 2002 Tank suck- can be an issue, even for bikes built after '02. On some early bikes, the evaporative emissions system didn't function properly and a vacuum would develop in the tank- sucking it in. The two possible fixes are easy- 1) make sure the breather valve is perfectly level, or 2) remove the rubber seal under the lid. If you do the latter, you may spill gas in the event of a tipover. In the case of the later models, the tipover valve must be tie wrapped vertical and right side up. These are sometimes installed incorrectly by the factory. See the thread on this topic in this section for details. Vapor lock- there are some reports of developing vapor lock in bikes that have an external fuel pump ('99-02 models). Heroic measures of insulating the pump have been performed. The best thing is not to drive your bike while hot for 1 mile, stop, drive a mile, stop, etc. which allows the fuel system to get hot (it sets right above the engine) Or, relax and wait 20-30 minutes for it to correct itself. Rear brake 'groans'- it's dirty and needs to be cleaned. There's nothing wrong with it in all probability. Vibration- especially problematic on new Guzzi's. Some bikes have a buzzy vibration that is unpleasant- it's mostly at specific rpm ranges (right around 3800 rpm on my bike). This fades with time and miles. Oil return tube- the ~1/2" (1.25 cm) rubber tube that runs from the motor (just fore of the bell housing) to the frame is low grade rubber- eventually it degrades and starts leaking. It is a pain to replace, but Rich Maund has written an excellent tutorial on how to replace it with quality tubing. Trouble shifting- clean, clean, clean and grease the shift lever, including the heim joints. Your ankle will thank you. Body panel cracks- check to see if the tank rests on the sidepanels. If it does, shim up the tank with a washer at the rear mounting point. Oil cooler bracket cracks - specific to '00 and maybe some '01 models. The aluminum brackets vibrate and crack. Replace with steel brackets. Practically, these should all be done by now. Electric fuel petcock- wires are epoxied into the base of the electric valve and can break from vibration. The fix is to replace with a manual petcock. Poor running when hot. The bike pops, spits, and idles rough. This seems to crop up every summer. While there are many possible causes, one of the most common is simply that valve lash is set too tight. Set the valve clearances to 'world' or 'Raceco' specs instead of 'US' specs. Not so common Problems These have been reported, but only by very few people. Clutch grenading- only reported on single plate clutches (Rosso Mandello, Scura). Not sure how much of a problem this really is. It is the topic of a long thread. Soft valve guides- The rumor is that all big-block Guzzi's have soft guides which wear out quickly. If you're worried, keep an eye on oil consumption and engine compression. Cracked transmission- Only heard of this twice so it's pretty rare Cracked oil cooling mounts- early ('00) mounts were soft aluminum and prone to cracking with vibration. Should be replaced with later steel versions Ignition mounting bolts- are 'security bolts' although not very secure. Some fall out. The suggested fix is replace them with allen head bolts and bit of locktite. Transmission leaks- check the seal on the left side of the case Wheel spacer incorrect length- If your bike goes through wheel bearings (front or rear) quickly, check the length of the spacer in the wheel. Sachs rear shock- a couple of reports of the rear mount eye cracking- check it regularly, clean and grease if you can to prevent rust building up. A tale of two springs- this one is weird- on some bikes, the idle return spring and the seat latch spring were fitted in each other's place. If the idle advance is *really* stiff and the seat latch is weak, it might be this. There are two recalls that need to be done on a specific range of bikes- 1) replace rod connecting bolts (only pre-'01 bikes qualify) 2) replace a transmission part (99-02 bikes) Are parts hard to find and where can I have my bike serviced? No, there are several VERY good online parts sources: http://www.mgcycle.com http://www.mphcycles.com http://www.motoguzziclassics.com and it would be easier asking about dealers on the forum. I'm constantly reading the various ways these bikes break. Do all Guzzi's break down so much? No, this is an internet forum where everyone (including me) posts problems. As such, it gives the incorrect perception that these bikes are constantly breaking down. Occasionally, some kind soul will post a happy ride report or something, but by and large, it's the breakdowns that are newsworthy. Guzzi's are rather well built- just look on any other marque-specific forum and people complain there as well. So then why should I buy a Guzzi? Maybe you should and maybe you shouldn't. It's a very personal decision. I'm biased, and I admit it. I like Guzzi's because they reflect what I think is noble about motorcycles- a simple, well designed machine that will run basically forever. They are way overbuilt in most ways- once the motor is properly broken in, it should run 100K miles (200 Km). The parts used are generally good quality (with the exception of a few choices mandated by 'bean-counters'). Horsepower is not that high compared to other, water-cooled, motors. If you want raw horsepower, you don't want a Guzzi, you want a Honda (or related). The advantage a Guzzi has is torque and good handling characteristics. A Guzzi has torque, and lots of it, which is useful in the real world. They pull like a freight train throughout the rev range. To me, this is an advantage because it forces the rider to be smooth and consistent in their driving, rather than using WOT to go fast on the straights. The Guzzi requires skill to ride well, and riding develops skill. The Guzzi also has soul, which is intangible until you ride one. The engine Guzzi uses has been around since '67 with the first V700's out of the factory. It's a very simple, 2 cylinder, pushrod-operated valve engine. It is a very easy bike to work on if you like to do your own maintenance. The community of Guzzi owners is outstanding; by far they are them most helpful group I've been associated with. But- it's a personal decision. Ride one, see what you think. If it connects with you, then it's yours. If not- find a bike that does connect, and enjoy.

Interested in buying a V11? See this faq and the 'most common problems' faq This addresses the changes in V11 Sports and LeMans motorcycles from 1999-2005 Thanks and credit goes to the many V11LeMans website contributors. Breakdown of changes in year models from 1999-2005. The V11 sport variants (referred to here as just 'V11') have been produced from about '99 to 2005. I understand that this model is now discontinued, and will no longer be built. That makes it a legacy bike, I guess. Major similarities: All the V11 models are 'spine frame' bikes. The name derives from the large square 'spine' that runs the center of the bike between the cylinders and serves as the main frame component. All the V11 variants have the normal Guzzi two cylinder, two valve/cylinder motor that is in a higher state of tune than the 'cruiser' model Guzzi's. The valves must be adjusted- they are not hydraulic. All the V11 variants have the six-speed transmission and a hydraulic clutch. Older spine frame Guzzi's like the 1100 sport, 1100sporti, etc. have a 5 speed box. Real changes in the bikes from inception to end are small and incremental. 1999-2001 models have a (shorter) red frame than later models. They handle 'quicker' or some say 'more twitchy'. Some say they are unstable at high speed- I've never had a problem. The 99-01 models have clip-ons mounted below the upper triple clamp and have Veglia brand (white face) instruments. They have a thinner rear wheel (4.5") and the brake rotors have circular holes in them; apparently the 'circular hole rotors' are more prone to warping than later rotors. My mid-year '01 has later model rotors fitted, so your guess is as good as mine here. Guzzi went to a longer wheelbase in late '01 or '02 to increase high speed stability. The '01 Rosso Mandello still has the short wheelbase of the 00 V11. Some folks have suggested that appropriate tire choice (Pirelli Diablo) gives a machine that handles like the '00-01 models. '02 and later models have additional bracing in the longer frame and a wider 5.5" rear wheel. New front forks with the clip-ons mounted above the triple clamp are standard. '02 and later models have black engine paint. The '02 model paint is 'fuzzy' and is prone to flaking and blistering off- so it looked horrible- and Guzzi offered new cases to those afflicted with it. New brake rotors (triangular holes) are stock. Late '02 models have commonly been rebadged as '03 models. True '03 models should have a '3' in the VIN and have 'satin' engine paint. Fuzzy engine paint on an '03 model is an indication that it is a rebadged '02 (with short/chin-pad tank, white face instruments and external fuel pump and filter). In '02 or '03, Guzzi changed the electric gas petcock out for a manual version. '03 was a 'big' year for changes in the V11; many improvements were made. Fork diameter is larger (43mm instead of the earlier 40mm), front axle diameter is larger and the axle is hollow. A front crossover or balance pipe is added above the alternator (improves midrange performance ?). The engine has a *claimed* higher compression set of pistons, which are now cooled by an oil jet (more on this below). The fuel pump was relocated to the interior of the gas tank, so '03+ models do not suffer from vapor lock like earlier models (see below). Several cosmetic modifications are present as well- the 'chin pad' is gone in favor of a smooth (longer) tank. The engine paint is satin black, the fairing (if present) mounts further ahead on a different 'gooseneck' mount. Gauges are now ITI/ hUr brand (black faces). This interesting trivia from the V11 board: "I would like to add a note about the speedo on the 02 - 03 V11 Naked. This may or may not be common knowledge. The original and replacement speedos on my bike did exactly the same. The bottom line is that the speedo indicates in MPH, the trip-odometer registers in miles but the odometer registers in 2KM increments. If you don't believe me and have one of these bikes, pull off and stop when the odometer just finishes turning to a new number and set the trip to zero. Drive the bike until the odometer just turns an additional "10 miles". You will find that the trip reads just over 12.4 miles or exactly 20KM. " All that said- Guzzi has been known to make 'parts bin' bikes out of whatever is left over. In that case, the bike may have parts from several year models. This can be frustrating, but it attests to the fact that most parts from one year will fit on other year models. Decoding the VIN number (thanks to Todd Haven of MPH Cycles) Z is for Italy GU is for Guzzi KRAKR designates 1100 spine frame 2000-2002(sport and Lemans) 9th digit is undefined 10th digit is model year(not production) W-98, X=99,Y=2000,1=2001,2=2002 11-16th digits are identifying serial number for your specific bike.

That bike merits a rarely used smilie:

JB weld? It works great on some plastics, but it will not bond to PVC.

For the speedbleeders- you can also check out ebay. Someone sells them there, and I thought they had the sizes listed. For the tygon- I don't think chlorinated hydrocarbons are used in brake fluid. In fact, halogenated HC's in general are used being less and less, because they often contribute to global warming. Freon 12 (or was it 18?) was one of the offensive ones that's virtually unused in the states anymore. If brake fluid is really just a poly-alcohol (a glycol), then tygon should be fine for that use. But, as cheap as 'approved' tubing is, why take the chance? I think some of the brake fluids are silicone based as well, but I don't think those are used in the V11. Tygon will also break down quickly in the presence of ozone, so it is contra-indicated for you Southern California types.

I like the layout- it looks nice. I was poking around the 'clubs' section- there's no recognized Moto Guzzi club in the US? I guess what I've heard is true, which is no one pays attention to the MGNOC. BTW, Canada has no recognized club either.

I believe (but I'm not certain) tygon will swell and get 'slick'. If it does this, it will pop off the inlet. Use line approved for brake fluid. That said- soak some tygon in a thimble full of brake fluid. If it remains clear and soft, then it should be fine. As I recall, it's very resistant to acid/base alcohols (ethanol) and ketones (acetone), but chlorinated hydrocarbons will really do a number on it. Alcohols/ketones will soften it, but not degrade it and this softening might be enough to let it slip off the nipple. Tygon is mostly used for water. Sorry about going on- I use a lot of tygon as well. And I've had a couple glasses of red wine (Californian, not Italian...sorry)

Hate to tell you, but it's not going to make a huge difference. Advil is more effective than 1/4 inch in this case.

Agreed- it's probably not the map, but it's one variable. It's simple to check and that's why I suggest it (still do). Valve lash is a better call. "lash" is synonymous with "space" or "distance" or "clearance". Set valve clearance to world specs as a general rule, I've found. Tank suck is easy to see- the front end of the tank sucks in. You can look for it and spot it in a heartbeat. Open the gas cap and if it sucks...it sucks.

Try the simple thing first and set the PCIII map to "zero". Then run it after you unplug the PCIII. Probably won't help, but it's simple and eliminates the PCIII and the map. J

I had a set...now I have zero point five set My bike tipped over a while back and cracked one in half. Oh well. Good: nice foot position- a little down and back. They look good. Bad: a bit wider (not much but definitely wider), the feelers are goofy looking (no big deal, take 'em off) and you'll need to move your foot to shift. I didn't like this last bit because I lost some control on the machine, so I made a set of brake/shifter levers. Well, now I'm back to the 'evoluzione' relocation kit because I'm a wingnut. At least the bike is ok. They were worth it as an experiment, and I'm happy I tried, but I don't think I'm going to do them again. I'll stick with the relo kit. If you want a (free) left hand side, send me an email. J