My first 330 miles on the V11

[V11crazed]

Hello all....

 

Being the new gurl in town and all, and after getting nice support and feedback on acquiring my '01 V11, I thought it only proper to write up a ride report and my thoughts on the new bike. Please note, this may be long and full of adjectives....

 

The bike arrived Friday from Haulbikes.com....they were 15 days past the arrival date so I got a $75.00 refund which was cool. Other than that, no complaints about the company and I would recommend them to anyone.

 

I took half a day off work and watched as the bike was lowered from the bowels of the semi-truck. Was gorgeous and sunny. The battery was dead so I put it on a trickle and got to work cleaning the Guzzi up and removing the saddle bags and support brackets. I don't plan on overnight trips with it right now and really wanted it clean and lean. It took the better part of the day to do all this. By the end of the day, the cold beers, sun and drooling (over the bike), took it's toll and I eventually went to bed in anticipation of my first ride on Saturday.

 

Saturday arrived and the promised warm weather had been taken over by an overcast, cloudy and rather cool morning. Bummer, as I really wanted a ribbon of sunshine to illuminate my path. Oh well. First cup of coffee down, gear wiggled into and bike warmed up....I was ready to roll.

 

I snicked it into gear and off we roared to top off the tank and head for one of the curviest roads around...about 40 miles away. My very first impression was HOLY SHITE! This vibration is gonna kill me and whoa, that V-twin is ALIVE, and damn, she doesn't turn worth a damn!!!

 

This all in the less than 1 mile to the gas station.

 

I was grinning like a fool despite all this, topped off and hit a little 2-laner to the freeway. I spent the first half of the ride comparing the bike to the VFR, which I suppose is a somewhat normal reaction when riding a new bike. I exited the freeway in Arivaca and proceeded to carve the turns. It's a pretty little 2-lane road through desert grasslands, picturous and very curvy...all kinds of tight esses, long sweepers and nice segues. I found at times that I was really fighting the bike into the turns and going pretty slow, compared to taking the VFR through. Which was fine as I simply wanted to learn the bike and its quirks.

 

I was on my way to meet a friend and eventually reached my destination. A small, funky country bar where the locals and bikers intersect. Kent came out to greet me and his jaw dropped to the ground. Seriously! When I emailed him photos of the bike awhile ago, I don't think he was too impressed. Well, 15 minutes later after gawking he finally spoke....something to the tune of "wow, holy shite, I had no idea, now I get it, damn girl"...grinning like a fool he was.... And yeah, she is a head turner and then some.

 

So, after some BS'ing, we hit the road back to Tucson and this is where it really got interesting. I let go of the comparisons and simply became one with the ride and the bike. I have yet to mention, that just as I pulled into Arivaca, the sun came out, bringing azure skys and warmth. My ray of sunshine..finally! Anyway, I was getting a better feel for how to work with the bike and the curves and adjust my riding position etc. It was a brilliant ride home....hit 105 mph on the freeway and ended up going to see some live music and have a bite to eat. I finally arrived home well after dark, 10:00 p.m. to be exact. Satiated, exhausted and with a big grin on my face.

 

Sunday finally arrives..

 

I wiggle back into my gear and head out on a nice, long circular route, down scenic hwy 83 to Sonoita, Patagonia, to Nogalas and home. This area is mostly grasslands, sweeping views with purple mountains. Bright blue skys....a motorcyclists dream ride. There were tons of folks out..bicyclists, motorcyclists, car clubs...the energetic vibe was high.

 

I met some great people, had a slice at Velvet Elvis (pizza joint in Patagonia) and despite all the folks on the road, my timing was such that I mostly had it to myself....perhaps that is the magic of the Guzzi? The road unfolds for you, the sun comes out and scatters diamonds in your path.....

 

I think that pretty much sums up the 330 miles of bliss. I have today and tomorrow off as well. The sun is out, skys are blue yet again and my riding gear is waiting to be wiggled into.

 

ps. the only glitch so far is the speedo failed yesterday.... Also, photos will be posted soon....

[ponti_33609]

Nanc,

 

Wow, a writer amongst us! Glad the first weekend worked out so well. The response from folks is a riot. "Never seen one of these".....I get that one a lot. Ok, we will be patient for the pic's!

 

 

Bob

[Garsdad]

I finally did some much-needed maintenance on the Tenni this weekend. Got the Roper plate in, changed out the lube in the bevel box, and raised the idle and re-synched the throttle bodies. Holy crap!

 

I was laughing like a maniacal fool. The ping at WOT is gone. It pulls so hard right through the redline, and accelerates like never before. I was never able to hold the throttle open before- it would ping and I would back it down. I hit speeds I have not seen in a long time.

 

Still have to check the valve clearance (maybe today) and I am done.

 

The vibes will go away to a great extent with a TB synch... just the good vibes remain.

 

I can't wait for next weekend when the rain is supposed to go away and I only have to work on Saturday. Sunday is looking good. I am very jealous of your weather and schedule that allows for mid-week fun rides.

 

Garsdad

[rocker59]

A Guzzi can steer fairly quickly with the proper tires.

 

What tires are on your bike, how worn are they, and how much air pressure are you running?

 

Guzzi spine-frame bike like "pointy" tires.

[Steve G.]

I finally did some much-needed maintenance on the Tenni this weekend. Got the Roper plate in, changed out the lube in the bevel box, and raised the idle and re-synched the throttle bodies. Holy crap!

 

I was laughing like a maniacal fool. The ping at WOT is gone. It pulls so hard right through the redline, and accelerates like never before. I was never able to hold the throttle open before- it would ping and I would back it down. I hit speeds I have not seen in a long time.

 

Still have to check the valve clearance (maybe today) and I am done.

 

The vibes will go away to a great extent with a TB synch... just the good vibes remain.

 

I can't wait for next weekend when the rain is supposed to go away and I only have to work on Saturday. Sunday is looking good. I am very jealous of your weather and schedule that allows for mid-week fun rides.

 

Garsdad

 

I like threads like this. Someone who is experiencing the 'unique' characteristics of the old school M.G.

Garsdad, you mentioned your pinging is gone since you tuned up the Tenni. What can you attribute this to?

Steve

[Tom M]

Congrat's on the new bike! Glad to hear that you loved your first ride on a V11. I'm sure that's true for most of us here

 

While the Guzzi will never turn like your VFR, it's turn-in can be improved with the right tires, right suspension setup, and finally dropping the forks through the triple clamps a bit if everything else is in order and you still want to quicken the steering a little more. Check to see if the rear tire is squared off, and also check its size. Stock width on your bike should be 170. Lots of folks find that going one size narrower than stock helps turn-in a lot.

 

Lots of speedo failures reported here are due to problems with the angle drive at the transmission. I haven't had that problem (yet) so I can't help much, but I'm sure a search will turn up lots of info.

[V11crazed]

Congrat's on the new bike! Glad to hear that you loved your first ride on a V11. I'm sure that's true for most of us here

 

While the Guzzi will never turn like your VFR, it's turn-in can be improved with the right tires, right suspension setup, and finally dropping the forks through the triple clamps a bit if everything else is in order and you still want to quicken the steering a little more. Check to see if the rear tire is squared off, and also check its size. Stock width on your bike should be 170. Lots of folks find that going one size narrower than stock helps turn-in a lot.

 

Lots of speedo failures reported here are due to problems with the angle drive at the transmission. I haven't had that problem (yet) so I can't help much, but I'm sure a search will turn up lots of info.

 

Hey Tom,

 

Yes, the rear is pretty squared off and ready to be replaced. I have a new one coming. The front tire is pretty new, very little wear. Dunlop Sportmax. I have Pilot Powers on my VFR and love them. What brand do you run?

 

The PO is sending a new rear to me, so as soon as that arrives I'm getting together with my mechanic and hope to get all those things sorted out for me and my size, weight etc...hope to dial the bike to my needs!

 

Thanks for the tips....

[V11crazed]

A Guzzi can steer fairly quickly with the proper tires.

 

What tires are on your bike, how worn are they, and how much air pressure are you running?

 

Guzzi spine-frame bike like "pointy" tires.

 

 

Dunlop Sportmax. I don't like them. They were stock when I bought the VFR a year ago and couldn't wait to run through them and get the Pilot Powers.

 

Front is practically new, rear practically done with. I agree, a vast difference once I get new rubber. The pressure I tend to run is 38 rear and 36-37 front. Works for me on the VFR.

 

So, what's your idea of a "pointy" tire....

[Garsdad]

I like threads like this. Someone who is experiencing the 'unique' characteristics of the old school M.G.

Garsdad, you mentioned your pinging is gone since you tuned up the Tenni. What can you attribute this to?

Steve

 

Steve, I think it is due to a couple of things.

 

When I first got her, I balanced the throttle bodies and synched them, set the TPS, and she would ping every time I abruptly opened the throttle; even when blipping for a down shift. It bugged the crap out of me. I tried closing the air bleeds down, re-synching the TB's, running FI cleaner through just in case the injectors were clogged. I eventually figured I had buggered it up and paid to have it all done again. It all checked out, and she still pinged. I couldn't hold more than about 3/4 throttle for more than a second or two before she would ping, at all RPMs right up to red line in every gear (well, not quite every gear- I have not run her up in 5th or 6th). I rode around the problem all last year, and figured I would have to get a PCIII and remap.

 

A long time ago, I sent Mr. Roper a request for some help. He made a couple of suggestions about setting up the TBs. I didn't attempt another run at them last year; I was a little snake bit I think. In reading other post over the past year, I realized I was causing damage to the splines on my input shaft by having my idle too low (I showed 1000 rpm on the tach); that clutch rattle was not just annoying.

 

I had been using the fast idle lever to raise the idle a bit all the time. I finally turned the little screw on the linkage and raised it permanently (here is where the purist will tell me I need to raise it with the air screw adjustment, etc. I did that the first time, and it was as good as it was going to get) and when I checked the TPS it was at about 619mv.

 

Following Pete's recommended methods, I reset the TPS voltage to 513mv (that wasn't the target, just where it ended up after tightening the hold-down screws) which was in the "acceptable range" and re-synched the TBs at 2800 rpm (within 1/4 inch on my carb sticks, over a 1500 rpm range). It took a couple of tries, but I got it. Funny thing is, barely turning the adjusting nut would bring the mercury up or down a significant amount, and the sound and smoothness of the engine would change noticeably. While fine-tuning it, I moved the knob about 1/16th of a turn, and it was too far and I had to go back a hair.

 

She does not ping when I blip the throttle for a down shift. She will still ping at larger throttle openings under about 4500rpm, but over 5k she just rips to redline without a complaint. Love the sound. I had to make adjustments to my riding position on one of my favorite on-ramps because I needed more lean to hold my line with all the extra acceleration.

 

I did get a couple of "cough back" moments just off idle, I suspect I had a valve tighten up a bit since my last adjustment. I will reset the lash and should be done for the year, except for oil and filter changes.

 

One more thing- I put a new UFI filter in with a hose clamp... don't suppose the clamp had anything to do with it, do you?

 

 

Garsdad

[rocker59]

Dunlop Sportmax. I don't like them. They were stock when I bought the VFR a year ago and couldn't wait to run through them and get the Pilot Powers.

 

Front is practically new, rear practically done with. I agree, a vast difference once I get new rubber. The pressure I tend to run is 38 rear and 36-37 front. Works for me on the VFR.

 

So, what's your idea of a "pointy" tire....

 

The V11 Sport/LeMans handling goes away rather quickly when the rear tire is flat spotted in the middle.

 

Pointy?

 

Sport-touring: Metzeler Z6 Roadtec for about 7k miles of use.

 

Sport: Bridgestone BT-014 or Pilot Power 2CT, but they last half as long as the Z6 Roadtec.

 

Your pressure seems a little high for solo sporting use. I run 32f/35r or 33f/36r solo and 34f/38r two-up...

 

Oh, welcome to the fold. These bikes are intoxicating/adicting !!!

[V11crazed]

The V11 Sport/LeMans handling goes away rather quickly when the rear tire is flat spotted in the middle.

 

Pointy?

 

Sport-touring: Metzeler Z6 Roadtec for about 7k miles of use.

 

Sport: Bridgestone BT-014 or Pilot Power 2CT, but they last half as long as the Z6 Roadtec.

 

Your pressure seems a little high for solo sporting use. I run 32f/35r or 33f/36r solo and 34f/38r two-up...

 

Oh, welcome to the fold. These bikes are intoxicating/adicting !!!

 

It's funny...our personal preferences....those pressures seem a little low to me..... Thanks for the info though. I think all will be revealed with new tires and sorting the suspension out. Until then, I still a mad-happy guzzi lovin gurl....

[Tom M]

Hey Tom,

 

Yes, the rear is pretty squared off and ready to be replaced. I have a new one coming. The front tire is pretty new, very little wear. Dunlop Sportmax. I have Pilot Powers on my VFR and love them. What brand do you run?

 

The PO is sending a new rear to me, so as soon as that arrives I'm getting together with my mechanic and hope to get all those things sorted out for me and my size, weight etc...hope to dial the bike to my needs!

 

Thanks for the tips....

 

I'm using Metzeler Z6 Roadtecs. Probably not as sticky as your Sportmax's but they seem to last longer than a full on sport tire while being sticky enough for a lot of the guys here including me.

 

Getting rid of the squared off tire that you have should really help your handling, and going to a "pointy" tire as Rocker suggested does seem to be the way to go on these beasts. I really liked the handling improvement that I got when I went from the stock 180 tire to a 170 (2002 and later bikes came with a wider rim/tire combo than your bike). I think most of the pre-2002 guys here who dropped from the stock 170 to a 160 width really liked the change too.

 

FWIW If the PO sends you a tire that's any wider than stock I'd advise you to get rid of it and get one that's narrower.

[rocker59]

It's funny...our personal preferences....those pressures seem a little low to me..... Thanks for the info though. I think all will be revealed with new tires and sorting the suspension out. Until then, I still a mad-happy guzzi lovin gurl....

 

I've seen lots of people crash needlessly because of running too much pressure in the tires on their sporty bikes.

 

Check your owners' manual, if you got one. Use those numbers as a baseline.

 

The manual that came with my Nero Corsa recommends:

 

Front: 2.2 BAR solo. 2.3 BAR two-up. That's 32 psi and 33 psi.

 

Rear: 2.4 BAR solo. 2.5 BAR two-up. That's 35 psi and 36 psi.

 

The manual that came with my Sport 1100 is close to these numbers, but suggests 2.2 BAR (32psi) solo and two-up in the front. 2.4 BAR solo and 2.6 BAR (38psi) two up for the rear...

 

There are lots of opinions out there on tire pressures. Just remember that the numbers on the sidewall are Max pressure for the tire, not recommended pressure for daily riding...

 

Be safe and enjoy your new-to-you Sport !!!

[Guest frankdugo]

as for the vibration-if you can,t live with it, try johar foam gripps.about $15.

[V11crazed]

I've seen lots of people crash needlessly because of running too much pressure in the tires on their sporty bikes.

 

Check your owners' manual, if you got one. Use those numbers as a baseline.

 

The manual that came with my Nero Corsa recommends:

 

Front: 2.2 BAR solo. 2.3 BAR two-up. That's 32 psi and 33 psi.

 

Rear: 2.4 BAR solo. 2.5 BAR two-up. That's 35 psi and 36 psi.

 

The manual that came with my Sport 1100 is close to these numbers, but suggests 2.2 BAR (32psi) solo and two-up in the front. 2.4 BAR solo and 2.6 BAR (38psi) two up for the rear...

 

There are lots of opinions out there on tire pressures. Just remember that the numbers on the sidewall are Max pressure for the tire, not recommended pressure for daily riding...

 

Be safe and enjoy your new-to-you Sport !!!

 

Thanks again for the info...yeah, I'm aware that that is max pressure..and yeah, opinions......