Mr. Bean

Hi all, So I pulled the trigger on a purchase of a new Aprilia Mana. I first saw this bike at the International Motorcycle Show last December and it stole the show for me. Spent a very busy winter looking up everything I could on it when I got a chance and finally took one for a test ride at Moto International. As much as I like the Ballabio, the Mana is going to be a much better bike for my typical commuting in rush hour around here. Unfortunately I just don't get to go out and ride in the mountains much anymore...only once all last year. So if you or someone you know has been looking for a good, well sorted Ballabio, there will soon be one at Moto International. I took the Hepco and Becker bags and rack off to sell separately but otherwise it is equipped with Hyperpro springs and rear shock, Mistral crossover, PCIII with custom map. It only has about 15K on it's original odometer. I'll still be lurking about here once in a while, but wanted to thank everyone who answered my questions and gave advice over the last few years with this bike. This is a great forum! Randy

Not sure about the 2000 model forks...I believe those are different from my 04 model ones. Mine did require spacers. Originally I simply matched the same length as the spring / spacer combo that was stock. Since that time...and the above posting, I have added about 20 mm more to the spacers to get it just where I wanted it. I should add that to the steps above...if I get a few moments I will. Randy

A lot of us have had the same thing...I solved it by placing small pieces of rubber between the fairing and the headlight ring. See the topic here: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...&hl=fairing Randy

I don't know about everyone else here...but I ALWAYS crack my throttle open 1/8 to 1/4 inch whenever I start mine, warm or cold and it fires right away everytime. Not sure if I'm reading your statement above right..but you might give that a try? Randy

I suspect there won't be a specific length spec'd for the adjustment rod. When you use the white knob of the left side to synchronize the throttle bodies, you are effectively changing the length of the rod to do it. One side is fixed and turning the screw adjusts the rod left or right changing it's length relative to the other end where it connects to the other throttle body. Randy

Thanks for adding in the details Dave. At the risk of adding to the nine pages my only quible with the above would be your added step 4 point 1. By balancing the TB's under step 3 at 1800 rpm and only 1800 rpm with the bleed screws open, you are already taking them into account with the balancing. If you adjust the bleed screws at this later point, would you not be offsetting the balance you have already done? R

It requires the use of either the Axone or the much more reasonably priced VDSTS software from TechnoResearch. GuzziTech sells it.

The bike was a stock Ballabio when I first tried his tuning method. Now it has a Mistral crossover on it, otherwise it is still a stock drivetrain. I used the same tuning procedure both before and after with the same excellent results. I have not noticed any substantial change with the new crossover, just some better sound, better torque, same mileage. Randy

Tom, The idle trim requires the use of the VDSTS software or I assume an Axone would work as well. If you have a dealer close by, it should not cost too much to just have them set it. Or maybe someone else close by has the software? You can get it from Guzzitech as well...not too expensive compared to other accessories or tools and I think it is indespensible. Randy

After trying different things I assumed this was the case on my bike as well. I went so far as to slip the boot off the TB and look to make sure it was closed. It was actually very clean, just some oil buildup that I wiped off and the choke wasn't interfering. (I completely disengaged it.) Not sure if my bike is just a unique "Monday" bike or what...but the behavior I was getting was as follows: If I set the TPS to 150 with throttle closed and everything disconnected, and the bleeds open 1/2 turn, I would have to set my idle to 2.6 degrees to keep 1050 to 1100 rpm at idle. This resulted in a very "rough" take off from a stop and poor idling speed variation with temperature. It was difficult to ride the bike in commuting traffic. The bike also was very buzzy at higher RPMs. (A "buzziness" that I could not get rid off with synch adjustments) I also got a lot of pinging north of 4000 RPM. If I adjusted the TPS to 3.4 to 3.6 degrees, I had to completely close the bleed screws in order to obtain a 1100 rpm idle. The bike ran better at higher RPMs but was even worse taking off from a stop or at low RPMs and the idle speed was even more varied with temperature. My mileage with these settings varied from the low to mid 30's. With the settings recommended by MI, I find I have a very stable idle speed in all weather conditions, the bike is very easy to ride smoothly in slow traffic and there are no more hiccups in the 3000 rpm range. I also don't get near as much pinging anymore...now it just limited to really whacking open the throttle in the 3500 to 4000 rpm range (something I probably shouldn't do anyway! ) The bike is also much smoother in the higher RPM ranges...not nearly as buzzy. What is curious is that this all sounds as if it is running much richer. What is odd is that my plugs are cleaner and my mileage is up to the high 30's now in my normal mixed commute riding. I hate to mess with it now that it is running so well, but is there an easy way to test the TPS? I can't think of any other component that could cause the variations that I get besides the TPS. Randy

I had the same problem you have...I was constantly chasing one setting or the other trying to get everything close but never could get the bike to run the way it should using the settings from the book. I know it goes against the method pinned on this site for how to set the tuning settings but may I suggest you try something completely different? I learned the following method from Micha at Moto International. Step one - Set your valves to world settings Step two - Set your bleed screws to open 1 full turn Step three - Synch throttle bodies at just off idle (around 1800 rpm) Step four - Set idle to 1100 using left idle screw adjuster only Step five - Set TPS to 3.6 degrees (I forget what that translates to in mv..someone here will know) Step six - Ensure idle trim is set to zero These settings made my bike run like I expect the factory wanted it to run. No more coughing, excessive vibrations at speed, or unstable idle speeds. It honestly was like night and day! Randy

I decided to replace the fork springs in the Ballabio for something better matched to my weight and our wonderful NW roads. After checking around, I settled on the Hyperpro forks springs from GuzziTech. Todd asked me if I wouldn’t mind writing up some instructions with some pictures…so here we go! The Hyperpro springs are not drop-in replacements for the 43mm Marz forks. In fact, when they first arrived, I assumed they sent the wrong ones. The instructions referred to features and settings from the earlier 40mm Marz forks. Todd assured me they were correct and that they used the same springs for both the earlier and later models. They simply required a bit of additional work to install. As you can see in the picture below, the new springs were not the same overall length as the stock spring with it’s stock spacer. Also, the diameter of the new spring did not match that of the old one. The stock spring is tapered over it’s full length. From the bottom where it mates with the spacer it is 1.5 inches in outside diameter to the top where it nestles into a groove in the fork cap it is 1.3 inches. The new Hyperpro springs were an even 1.4 inches outside diameter end to end. Because of this, they did not correctly match either the spacer at the bottom or the cap at the top. I acquired some special 1.5 inch outside / 1 inch inside diameter washers from our friends at McMaster-Carr to provide a better mating surface for the spring to rest against the spacer. For the top where the spring meets the fork cap, Todd recommended I place a 5/8 inch washer on the cap to provide a flat area for the spring to rest against. As you can see in the picture below, the stock spring is designed to fit on the flat surface just inside the outer lip. The washer provides a flat surface for the spring to rest against. Once I completed the build using the washer though, I discovered that I lost all but three turns of preload adjustability. As you turn the preload adjuster, it pushes the hexagonal spring mating surface down against the spring. With the washer in place, it could only go down until the washer hit the jamb nut holding the fork cap in place. The regular amount of adjustability for the preload on these forks is 15 turns. I was not willing to lose that much adjusting ability so I looked for another option. I figured that if I could remove the “lip” around the outer edge of the preload adjuster the new spring would have flat surface to rest against…and…the adjuster would be able to slide down past the jamb nut as it is designed to do. The metal that it is made out of is a very light and soft aluminum. Some quick work with a metal file and then a parts washer had the lip filed down flush with the mating surface. So with that information behind us…the actual steps involved are: Steps: 1) Back both the Pre-Load and the Rebound adjusters fully. 2) Loosen the fork caps while the tubes were still in the triple tree. 3) Remove the brake calipers and hang them up from the oil cooler mounts using small bungee cords or similar. 4) Remove the mudguard. 5) Remove the wheel, noting where the spacer fits first. 6) Loosen the triple tree screws and slide the fork tubes out. 7) Block up the tubes from below and place a 19mm wrench on the jamb nut. Using the preload adjuster on the top of the fork cap, spin the cap off. 8) Pull out the rebound adjuster rod from the center of the assembly and set it aside. 9) Remove the stock spring. 10) Tip the tube over to pour out the old oil. Watch out, as the spacer that sits below the spring will slide out as well. Pump as much of the old oil out as you can by pumping the internal rod assembly as you keep the tube tipped over. I also left mine upside down in a pan while it was leaned in corner for a while to get more out. 11) Measure the length of the stock spring and spacer and compare with new spring. The difference is what you need to cut the old spacer down to. Be sure to include the thickness of the washer that goes between the spacer and spring in your calculation. 12) File down the lip flush to preload surface on the fork cap. Thoroughly clean the entire fork cap assembly afterward using a parts washer if you have access to one, or a lot of metal parts cleaner. 13) Hold the fork tube vertical in a vise and block up the bottom fully. Fill the tube with your choice of folk oil or synthetic. I just used the 10 weight oil that came with the springs. After putting few hundred ml of oil in the tube, be sure to purge all air out by pumping the internal rod until it moves smoothly through its full travel and no more air is bubbling out. 14) Top off the tube with oil using the air-gap method. For me, Todd recommended 125mm of air gap for my 180lb weight with full gear on. Others recommend 100mm for average build. Go with what you think…it’s easy to add more later if needed. One thing you do not want to do is use the Guzzi recommended 400 ml. Doing this will likely result in a different air-gap for each fork leg. 15) Once you have to correct amount of oil in the tube, slide the spacer down along with the washer on top of it. 16) Slide the new spring down into the tube with the progressive (close-ratio coils) toward the top. 17) Place the rebound adjuster rod back into the center of the tube. 18) Screw the fork cap back onto the assembly and tighten down against the jam nut. 19) Remove the tube from the vise and screw the fork cap back down onto the tube. 20) Repeat Steps 17 thru 19 with the other fork tube. 21) Insert both fork tubes back into the triple trees. Hyperpro recommends raising the tubes 10mm in the triple trees. On my bike keeping them at the stock 22mm above the triple trees kept the ride height exactly the same as before. 22) To keep from causing binding and increased stiction, you must assemble the forks in the proper order. a. Lower Triple clamp b. Upper Triple clamp c. Axle Spindle nut d. Bounce the suspension a few times to center everything. e. Axle spindle pinch bolts f. Fender assembly g. Brake calipers. 23) Tighten the fork caps back up. 24) Set your sag to where you want it. I set mine to 32mm laden. (There is a ton of info on this site detailing the correct setting of laden and unladen suspension sag. I won't go into any detail here.) Hopefully this will helpful to anyone looking to install these springs on the later forks. It is actually quite straightforward once I got past the early confusion. The benefits are definitely worth it! It is like a new bike now! Randy

Thanks for the offer Greg ! I'm good though. I think i'm going to use this opportunity to get the whole suspension upgraded with a new proper shock in the back and springs for my weight in the front. I'll be out of town for a period of time anyway while I'm waiting for the parts so I won't miss too much quality riding time. R

That is great idea...It would be nice to do something with front at the same time and end up with a complete package rather than just a part replacement. If I could fit it all into the same budget that may be the way to go. I found myself in this same situation with the original Sachs. I first played with the settings a lot until I got them where I wanted them...(or as close as I could get with stock equipment)...and then have pretty much left them alone for the last 10K or so. Thanks for the feedback y'all...keep it coming...especially if anyone has any experience with the HyperPro shocks? Randy