Bello

My 2004 V11 LeMans is for sale. It has 18,000 miles, about 7,000 of which I put on it in the past year. It's in excellent condition. I just had the 18K service done, which included changing out all the brake fluids. It has Pilot Road 2s on it with about 7,000 miles on them. I've had the bike a little over a year. It's a great solo tourer; not so great two-up. In the time I've had it, it has run like a top, with no issues. It is basically stock, with the following exceptions. It has Staintune mufflers and x-pipe, which let it rev more freely. It is acceptably quiet, without the baffles, which I also have. Another exception is that it comes with a Hepco&Becker luggage rack which accepts all H&B bags. That's worth $500 from Moto Machines. Here's the beast. Asking $5,500 FOB North Carolina. Extras: I have the stock exhaust, and also a set of Pilot Roads with about 5K on them that were on it when I got it. PM Bello for more info.

Well, in a word, EUREKA! I put off checking on the oil filter as a cause of the low oil pressure light until this weekend. But Sunday afternoon I fired it up and did a 35 mile warmup ride. About 20 miles in I got slowed by a town, and sure enough, the oil pressure light came on at any rev under 2000. Back to the garage. I drained the sump and pulled off the manhole cover to get to the filter. I pulled the filter out, and the oil ring looked OK on the filter, although it had pulled a little away from the filter when I removed it from the motor. But as I tilted the filter to drain out the oil inside, there was a little splash in the oil pan that I was catching the oil in. I fished around in there, and found this. That's the oil ring from the previous filter, and you see that it got a little chewed when I tightened the new filter down (up actually) against it. The result was no seal, so reduced oil pressure when hot at low rpms. It's good to have fixed this for no money, instead of what I might have spent if it hadn't done the trick.

OK, I've got another question: how many posts does it take before I'm not labeled a rookie? I've been riding for 40 some years, and it's been a long time since I was a rookie.

I have not. But the light doesn't go out at 1000 rpms on the tach. It takes more like 1500 rpms showing, maybe higher. Plus the light is bright red, not flickering, so I'm looking for another solution. I don't think the problem is caused by low idle. I'll drain the oil (into a clean container, as you said) this weekend, and make sure the filter is tight. Then we'll see what's next.

Yep. All at once. The preferred method for endurance racer you could say Hubert BTW: working through this manhole in my opinion is the main reason for all those loose oil filters. Without the proper tool to correctly tighten the filter you're on a steep slope towards disaster. I actually am accustomed to working with a filter mounted that way, because I've had several BMW K-bikes. The Brick motors have a similar setup, and the K-bike filter wrench also fits the MG filters. But since I'm getting the dash light, I have to check to see if I did it right or not.

OK, then answer me this. When I changed the oil, I first drained the sump, then pulled the filter cover and changed the filter. If I don't drain the sump first, will all that oil come out when I take the filter cover off? Or can I get the filter out (to check the seat of the o-ring) while leaving the oil in the bike? By the way, guys, thanks for your attention to this.

I bought this bike, an '04, last November, and it had 10,620 miles on it when I got it. The previous owner had it since 2009, but had only put about 2600 miles on it in that span. However, he did change the oil twice, and kept the receipts of that work. Both times the oil he used was 10W60. When I changed the oil a couple of weeks ago, the mileage was 14,800, and I went with what the manual recommended (5W40). So should I switch back to what was used previously? I don't see anything as thick as 60 weight recommended in jwh20's chart above.

Well, I was on the other side of this discussion. Meaning that I bought my LeMans from a guy, about 70 years old (7 older than me), who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He had consigned the bike to a local shop to sell, but I met him when I went to get the bike and do the paperwork. He drove me to the tag office so I could get legal to ride the bike home. Nice fellow, and a real motorcyclist. He was also selling a Duc Monster, and he had 8 Harleys at home. But I could see riding in the truck with him that riding a bike would be an issue. He already had developed tremors in his left hand that would have affected his ability to ride. I felt bad for him, but also aware that I may be next. So I'm enjoying the LeMans all I can in the meantime.

The owners and shop manuals call for 20W50 and some here suggest even heavier especially if you live in an area where it's hot. Some have expressed concern about using fully synthetic oil as having a greater tendency to leak on some engines but I believe it's generally better for the engine than mineral-based oils. I just recently changed the oil on my "new-to-me" 2002 LeMans and I ended up using some Castrol semi-synthetic 20W50 that I found on sale. Now you're gonna send me back to the owner's manual, which is at home, to see what it specifies. I was pretty sure it called for 5W40, although it suggested a couple of other weight oils that were OK. I've had BMWs for many years, and they generally call for 20W50, but I don't think that's what the LeMans manual said.

Gents, thanks for the responses. Since I did just change the oil and filter, I do plan to start with that. That was my first time changing the oil on this bike, so it's possible that I didn't do it absolutely correctly. If that doesn't help, I'll keep looking. I've always thought that a low oil pressure message was the scariest info you can get, worthy of shutting the bike down immediately. In other words, not to be trifled with. Regarding oil weight, I put in 4T 5W40 Full Synthetic. Since Agip is not to be had here in the sticks, I used a BMW branded oil which is made by Castrol. That was pretty much the spec called for in the manual. Should I be running something thicker?

I'm resurrecting this thread because today at noon my '04 LeMans displayed the same behavior: oil pressure light lit up at low rpms with a fully warm engine in warm ambient temps (86F=30C). And this is within 100 miles of my last oil and filter change. I guess I have to go back in there again and see if the oil filter o-ring is a problem on mine. That would be a cheap fix, if that's the case. Oddly enough, I had a similar problem recently on my 2013 F-150 pickup truck. It's still under warranty, so I've been letting the dealer do the service. I was in there about 2 weeks ago for a service at about 25K miles. When I got it home, I noticed oil streaks on the concrete of my driveway, and I traced it to the Ford. I took it back into the service dept at the dealer. In this case the rubber washer on the old filter had torn when it was unscrewed, and part of the washer had stayed attached to the motor. Then the techie (and I use that term loosely) screwed the new filter over top of it. Poor seal, and occasionally big leaks. On the bike, I'd much rather replace the filter than the oil pump.

I'm a newcomer to Moto Guzzi, having bought a 2004 LeMans last November. I've ridden it a little, but the weather in NC has been pretty rotten all winter, so I still had not had the opportunity to take the bike out on an extended road trip. When I got an invitation to join a ride to Death Valley, I figured this would take care of that road trip issue in spades. Joining me on the trip was a friend from here in NC. Mike took his bike and mine in his trailer to San Antonio, TX, in mid-February. He unloaded his bike (a new water-cooled BMW GSA) and headed west, calling on customers as he went. Two weeks later, on March 1, I flew to San Antone and picked up my bike at the Residence Inn where Mike had left his Explorer and trailer. The next day I headed out before dawn to catch up with Mike. I had about 1500 miles to cover to get to LA. I was on US 90 the first day, to Van Horn, TX, then on I-10 the rest of the way. Here's my ride when I stopped to put on Gerbings: I must say that I decided to take this ride with some trepidation. My bike only had 10,600 miles on it when I bought it, but it is 10 years old. Also, I had a Ducati Multistrada a few years back, and it developed major mechanical issues pretty quickly after I got it (bad valve guides), so my confidence in Italian engineering was not high. But what are you gonna do, stay home? Not me. This was a blimp I saw near Marfa, TX. That dome on the underside contains either radar or infrared sensors. The blimp is raised on a tether, and from on high it can spot all living creatures below, but most notably illegal aliens. Also near Marfa was this structure. This was someone's expensive idea of a joke. Although business must have been good, because they appeared to be sold out. I got to LA on schedule and met up with Mike. On Thursday we met another friend, Craig, and headed out to Kernville, but first we made a run up the Angeles Crest Highway. It wasn't open all the way, but enough for me to get a taste of it. Great road, and so close to LA. Motorcyclists were just about the only ones out. Here are Mike and Craig as we waited near Palmdale for another rider, David, to show up. We made it to the Kernville Lodge that night. The next day we were on to Death Valley. Here's the obligatory photo at the entrance to the park. About 25 riders showed up at Furnace Creek in Death Valley. Some members of this group have been making this ride for over 35 years, and I won't argue with their experience that March is a good time to visit Death Valley. Temps were comfortable (highs in the eighties, but cooler in the mountains around). There were even flowers blooming in the desert. The next morning most of the group headed south down the valley to Shoshone, CA, for a late breakfast. Mike and I came over a small hill to find these guys. They didn't have much fear of us, and were looking for a handout. When we got to the restaurant, we mentioned the coyotes, and the waitress there said they were named Ike and Mike, and that they were regulars along that stretch. Also along that road we stopped at Badwater, which is the lowest spot in the western hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level. More of our crowd there. After breakfast I headed out on my own to see some charcoal kilns that had been built in Wildrose Canyon, which is in the Panamint Mountains on the west side of DV. I had been told the road was all paved up to the kilns, but I found out different when I got there. Here are the kilns, which were built is 1879 to provide charcoal for gold and silver smelting nearby. And one from inside one of the kilns. Coming back down from the kilns, here's that road. Two miles of it. I wasn't sporting knobbies or a skidplate, so I took it kind of easy. And a little further on, a shot back up towards the kilns and the mountains. The peak on the far right is Telescope Peak, the highest point in the Panamint range at 11,000+ feet. On Sunday morning, Mike and I headed back east. With days of 570 miles to Safford, AZ, 497 miles to Ft. Davis, TX, and then a light 387 miles back to San Antonio (all in perfect weather), we finished the riding for the trip. We were able to avoid I-10 the whole way, and Mike led me on some great roads in the Davis Mountains near Ft. Davis. In S.A. we loaded up the trailer and drove another two long days to get back home to NC. Oh, and my trepidation about the Guzzi? It didn't miss a beat the entire way, so I'm really pleased.

I got an '04 LeMans in November, and have been looking for a centerstand ever since. Two Guzzi dealers told me they aren't offered, and the info on this and other websites is generally old posts. This search has been going on by other V11 owners for years. However I did take a look at the Becker Technik website, and I liked that stand for changing tires and oil and whatnot. So I went to order one, and the United States was not one of the countries in the selection menu on the order form. I wrote an email to Simon Becker, and he replied that he doesn't sell to the US or Canada because they require product liability insurance that is too expensive for him. Well, I wrote back that there's more than one way to skin a cat. How about if I order it and have it sent to a friend in Germany, and then he forwards it on to me? Simon had no problem with that, so that's what we did. The charge for the "Central-Lifter" model, which fits Moto Guzzis, was 81.50 euros, which was $114 and change after PayPal threw in a charge or two. My buddy in Westphalia received the package in two days. And I got it in NC about a week later, last Thursday. Friday I bought the required two 1/2" drive 18mm sockets, and this weekend I hiked it up and put on a set of PR2s. The last pic was after I took the bike down off the stand, but with the stand still attached. It's really handy. You can put it on and have the bike in the air in less than a minute. I'm still keeping an eye peeled for a permanent centerstand, but this is OK in the meantime.