moto fugazzi

Finally got my bike back yesterday. Quite a few setbacks from the dealer-wrong parts ordered or sent, plus a few medical issues with the mechanic (got some metal debris in his eye, then he had some outpatient surgery done for something else a week or so later). Anyway, all of the leaks are fixed, plus I have new clutch plates, shift return spring, swing arm and wheel bearings, and all new tranny seals. The dealer also took off the aftermarket foot controls and replaced them with the stock units, and the bike has never shifted this smoothly. Ever. The ironic part is that I dropped it off in December of last year since it's too cold in WI to fix it during winter, and I was promised the bike would be done in March. Had I known it would take this long, I could have done it in spring, and saved a bunch of money. At least it gave me time to modify my V7C by taking off the spoked wheels and replacing them with Breva 750 cast wheels and putting on the racer exhaust and adding new hanging brackets. Ken

I ordered mine from Pyro Dan. See this thread: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18228&hl=%2Bpyro+%2Bdan&do=findComment&comment=193660 Ken

I'll have him address the cam plug as well. When I stopped in today, he also showed me that he replaced the tranny input shaft seal and the clutch actuation shaft seal. Part of what was taking so long was the extra seals he had to order once he had the bike apart. This dealer is mostly a high end Italian used car dealer (Ferrari, Maserati, etc.), and he has been building race car engines since the 70's when he moved here from Italy. They started selling Vespas and MG's in 2009. Ken

Just an update with my 2001 V11S. It was the rear main seal. The dealer will finally be done with it early next week. The first seal he ordered was the wrong size, and he swears that he ordered the right part number. That may explain why the PO had his seal replaced within the first 1,000 miles. Turns out my swing arm bearings were shot as well, and I had him do a few other things as well (shift return spring, clutch discs, wheel bearings). I'm sure the repairs will be expensive, but I've been working 6-7 days per week and certainly don't have the time to tackle this myself. Can't wait to get it back and update the ECU with Guzzidiag. I have a version from Meinolf that is supposed to make corrections for temperature so that it doesn't run lean when it gets hot. Check out his work here: http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=67653.0 Ken

My dealer set the CO on my 2001 V11S last year from 2.0ppm to 4.0 ppm, and that eliminated the cough and sputter at 3K RPM. It also runs much richer from idle to 3K, so I'll probably set the CO to 3ppm and see how that goes. I also have the PCIII, and have since added the LCD-200 to it, and I also have an AEM AFR meter. PC also makes an AFR that integrates with the LCD screen. It's about $500, but you can record your AFR readings and create your own maps for the PCIII and send them to the PCIII in a matter of seconds. It's a little more expensive than having a custom map made, but it sure is fun making and tweaking them. Ken

Docc has a great point with the crank sensor. Make sure it's clean, and has the correct gap, otherwise it will mess up your timing. Ken

Harper's has them listed on their website, but doesn't tell if they are in stock. Ken

Worst case is that you could just take the new inner metal cable out of the surround and slide it in your old surround. Just make sure you lube it properly. Ideally, you'd want to replace the entire cable with a new one. Be very careful, the threads on the speedo can strip out fairly easily. Ken

The hose is available from MG Cycle. $33.74 plus shipping. http://www.mgcycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=1186 Ken

I caught that too watching it live. Good eye! I was going to rewind, but the others were too busy watching the game and commercials. Ken

I put YSS shocks on my 2009 V7 Classic. While they're nice, I think I could have done equally as well with Hagon or Ikon shocks. After having the YSS for a few years now, I don't think they were the best shocks for the money. The one cool thing about them is that I can change riding height on them. They make different height "eyes" that thread onto the ends. Initially, I bought shocks that were 20mm shorter than stock to lower the bike, but I kept scraping the center stand on turns. I then ordered the longer eyes to raise the bike back up, and I'm much happier with the results. Review here: http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=45157.0 Ken

There may be one at Moto International. I talked to the parts guy (Patrick?) over a year ago, and he had a used one coming in from some deal he was making. I needed up not buying it since it won't work with my Stucchi crossover. Ken

I finally sent in my ESR510 unit to Electrosport, and received a new one in the mail yesterday. I have a brand new unit, and it looks very different from the one I purchased last year. When I contacted them yesterday, they told me the one I sent in was an obsolete version of the ESR510, and the new one should solve any issues I was having. The downside is that I won't be able to try it out until next spring. The new ESR510 is about the same size as the stock MG unit and has the connections with the exception of the extra wires that go to the battery and the 30A inline fuse. The original ESR510 had bullet connectors for the Volt warning light (not the stock 2 wire connector) and no inline fuse on positive battery connection. Ken

The headlight does not fit in the original bucket. Sorry for any confusion about that. I have mine in an old Yamaha bucket, and I guess I didn't even notice that the lens sticks out that much. Maybe my fairing makes it less obvious, and the fact that I won't see it when I'm riding the bike. Ken

Roger that. Good plan. Thanks! I put 1/2 bottle of UV dye in my bike a few months back in order to locate the leak. The dye isn't showing up through the bell housing hole. I was hoping that the leak was from the gasket above the oil pan, but it isn't. Maybe I just don't have enough dye in there, or perhaps it's already stained the inside of the bell housing as it leaks down through to the vent hole. Feel free to merge the threads, or delete mine, as they seem to be fairly similar. I'll post findings as my bike gets taken apart. I'd do it myself if there was any chance of the temps getting back into the 40's in the next few months. Probably won't get back into the 70's for at least 4 months here. Ken Are you using a UV light & glasses (w/the dye) to find this leak ? Yes. It sure shows up easily where I spilled some at the oil filler hole. I bought the complete kit from NAPA. Ken

Roger that. Good plan. Thanks! I put 1/2 bottle of UV dye in my bike a few months back in order to locate the leak. The dye isn't showing up through the bell housing hole. I was hoping that the leak was from the gasket above the oil pan, but it isn't. Maybe I just don't have enough dye in there, or perhaps it's already stained the inside of the bell housing as it leaks down through to the vent hole. Feel free to merge the threads, or delete mine, as they seem to be fairly similar. I'll post findings as my bike gets taken apart. I'd do it myself if there was any chance of the temps getting back into the 40's in the next few months. Probably won't get back into the 70's for at least 4 months here. Ken

That's exactly what my bike looks like after a 35 mile ride. Let me know what you find when you open it up. I was going to take mine to my dealer today, but 22f and 30+mph winds, I changed my mind. Should be 30f on Monday, so I'll ride it there then. Ken

I have the Mistrals and a Stucchi crossover. No complaints as far as build quality, and they have a great sound. They may be a little loud for some, but not me. Here's a good read on crossovers: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11564&hl=%2Btale+%2Bcrossovers Ken

I'd replace nothing as long as it hasn't definitely failed already. Seal rings for sure are delicate things, I never feel comfortable when working on or with them - so I let my fingers off as long as possible. Same for the clutch. If it's working, don't replace it. You don't know about the quality the new parts will have. Take the fly wheel off and check out the camshaft cover. My money is on this. Heat it up with an airgun, then apply brake cleaner and after that slow curing epoxy glue. As P/R wrote. I had this problem with my first 750 engine in the early eighties, didn't have it with the LMIII, then again had it with the V11. Pulling the tranny is easier for DIY garages, but in this case you have to pull the engine because then you can lay it over and work horizontally either on the main seal or on the cover or/and definitely on the clutch springs. You have the tools for the clutch, BTW? Hubert Thanks, Hubert. I don't have any of the tools for the clutch, nor do I have a proper seal puller or driver to install a new seal. Couple that with the fact that I won't have time to work on the bike until January of next year (in an unheated garage with temps from 0f-32f), I'll have my dealer take care of this. They're honest, and they'll even let me observe the process as long as I stay out of the way. Not to mention that I've buggered up a few seals in the past, but that was 20+ years ago, and I've been intimidated by them ever since. Ken

It was a revelation to me that there is a substantial gap around the vent pipe the "pokes through" the top of the clutch housing. If the clamp is loose or the attached hose is breaking down, the crankcase vented oil vapors will drain back down the hose and run through the bell (clutch) housing and out the lower weep hole. fugazzi: what did you use for a replacement hose - MG part or one of the alternatives (heater hose)? I've read Pete's thread many times, but I think the tranny will have to come off unless there's a large gap around the vent pipe and the oil is draining down there without making a mess on top of the engine…I'll have a look later. The hose is from MG Cycle, and I bought the check valve as well which I didn't install because the bike didn't have the valve installed when I replaced the hose. Ken

I guess my point is that something is leaking back there. What else should be replaced as long as the tranny is removed? Should the rear main seal be replaced even if it isn't leaking as long as it's apart? What about the seal on the tranny? I'd hate to tear into this again a year from now in case another seal does go bad. Ken

I'm trying to figure this out now. Here's according to Pete: When the clamp loosens or the hose cracks or collapses the hose leaks, it then runs down through the hole the pipe pokes through, through the bell housing and dribbles out of the drain slot and people who should know better say, "Uh! You've got a blown rear mainseal mate! That'll cost you a zillion dollars to fix!". If the hose is bad or the clamp is loose, is it that the oil is not going up the hose and instead going downward towards the bell housing? I put a new hose on last summer, and I went to tighten the clamp today, and it looks like I stripped it. I'll replace it after work today. Here's a pic of the hose from today, and there's no fresh oil around that area.

I'm assuming that my rear main seal is leaking, but I won't know for sure until it's taken apart. Motor oil is leaking from the "slot" in the bottom of the bell housing. My questions are: What else should I replace as long as the tranny is out of the bike? Should I also replace the seal on that? It might also be a good time to replace the clutch disc(s), change the return spring, and lube the swing arm and wheel bearings. My 2001 V11S does have 31,000 miles on it. I'm also going to have my dealer do it since he quoted me $500 labor plus parts. I wouldn't be able to do it myself until January in an unheated garage (In Wisconsin), and I'll get free heated storage from my dealer as well. Ken

Not wet and dirty around the vent hose at all. I did remove the inspection plug on the RH side, and it looks like there's a little bit of oil in there. I sprayed it out with cleaner the other night, and I'll check later if there's more oil in there. Ken

I have some leaking at my bell housing as well, and it doesn't smell like gear oil. The breather hose was replaced this year, and there's no leaks from there. The leak is getting gradually worse, but isn't bad yet. I wonder if I can remove the starter and take a look inside with a mirror and flashlight to find the leak? FWIW, I'm told the PO had the rear main seal replaced under warranty at under 1K miles. Ken