v11 how far

[lukethecaveman]

I've went through a bit of this forum and seen a lot of heated discussions about upgrading the v11 the pros and cons of it but giving this scenario from all the v11 knowledge out there, how much of a power/torque increase is possible with out changing the bikes natural style and still keeping the longevity of the engine mostly intact. the v11 sport is awesome and i dont want to be blazing down the 1/4 mile track in under 10 seconds, if i did i would of bought yamaha honda suzuki etc street bike but none of those bikes have the style of a guzzi. ive always been about a balance of style and performance but a few ponies added to guzzi would only make it better. what do you think is possible?

[jrt]

This is my opinion- others will have different ones.

 

I don't believe there is any need to substantially increase the hp output of the V11. The motor is well developed, makes more power (torque) than is needed for most of us and also it is already pushed close to it's design limits. Significant changes will likely only have a negative impact on the longevity and (for me) the overall ridability of the bike.

What really makes a difference to me is remapping the power output to be more consistent and have power in the rpm ranges that I generally run in. 90% of that was accomplished by adding a stucchi crossover and mistral pipes. I suspect the other 10% would come from a power commander, but I don't have one of those so I won't really address that.

What often makes a much bigger difference in terms of riding is to sort out any suspension issues with the bike. They handle pretty well stock but they become absolutely fluid through cornering when performing well. I liken riding the V11 to surfing. Smmmooooootthnessss counts.

[belfastguzzi]

This is my opinion- others will have different ones.

....but they become absolutely fluid through cornering when **performing well. I liken riding the V11 to ****surfing. Smmmooooootthnessss counts.

JRT code for

 

...when**I'm well full of Laphraoig

...to****swallyin whisky

[OldButNotDead]

I tend to agree with JRT.

 

The usual bolt-on/plug-in fixes that improve linearity of power delivery will also gain you some small measure of additional oomph. Beyond that, it's diminishing returns and the main reward seems to be the pleasure gotten by the process. I don't think I've seen examples of gains of more than ~10-15%.

 

Here's one example: RippinRosso

[Skeeve]

I've went through a bit of this forum and seen a lot of heated discussions about upgrading the v11 the pros and cons of it but giving this scenario from all the v11 knowledge out there, how much of a power/torque increase is possible with out changing the bikes natural style and still keeping the longevity of the engine mostly intact. the v11 sport is awesome and i dont want to be blazing down the 1/4 mile track in under 10 seconds, if i did i would of bought yamaha honda suzuki etc street bike but none of those bikes have the style of a guzzi. ive always been about a balance of style and performance but a few ponies added to guzzi would only make it better. what do you think is possible?

 

The big valve 2v Guzzi motors seem to top out around 80 rwh w/o going to extremes and jeopardizing engine longevity/reliability, from what I've gleaned over the years of reading about Guzzis in print & online.

 

The '95 Spot 1100 was claimed w/ 90hp, but that was measured at the piston tops, when the Daytona was claimed 100 and measuring 91 rwh or thereabouts.

 

The '05+ models have a harder time reaching these numbers despite their bumped displacement due to the emissions restrictions being tighter.

 

The reality hasn't changed much in the last 20 years: you'll get more from a Guzzi by saving wt. everywhere you can and cutting down on the things sticking out [ie: decrease drag] than you will chasing horsepower; short of some fairly expensive & esoteric work, there's just not much way to get more out of the mill than it's already providing.

[savagehenry]

Hi LTCM, I bought mine from FBF, after the original owner had them put their entire catalog of "go faster" parts put in, and headwork, and cam, and a PC III. FBF guaranteed, in writing, it would push over 90 horses at the rear wheel if I had it dyno'd, ( I haven't). Of course, then I had to put hours into making a sloppage tray for it, because it needed it...

I live outside Chicago and ride it pretty much daily 8-9 monthes a year, and any time it's dry and above 25 degrees or so. It has been very reliable so far, two years and just over 10,000 miles later. Longevity? We'll see, but my MG guy seems to think that's not a problem, and I trust his judgement implicitly.

But...The bill for all that was just south of $6000.00 Man, that's alot of coin to get these beautiful, heavy, "tractor motors" to be a little faster I DO love this bike alot, though...Good luck in your chase for MORE, S.H.

[lukethecaveman]

cool news...new owner, more than impressed with the bikes ability but was curious what could reasonably be done to the bike to give it an extra edge in the future. my brother has a 05 sportster 883 bumped it up to a 1250 threw better cams and a better carburator. nearly doubled the bikes stats, has yet to get to a dyno but the guy that did the work for him claims it will have close to 90 hp and 90+ torque. it can be done seen a lot of other 883's online with similiar stats but the v11 runs more natural and feels like it has more guts. just seeing what i could do in the future to mine and was wondering how far the engine would go until it was maxed out. thanks

[GuzziMoto]

There is more to get out of hot rodding a V11 motor then there is out of a typical Japanese motor because they are not even close to the limits output wise for what they are. They have a lot in common with Harleys in that respect. No, you're not likely to make a V11 competative HP wise with a 1000cc four banger, or even a Ducati 1098. But you can add roughly 20-25% without too much effort and little cost to reliability. Try getting that kind of improvement out of a 1098 ($$$$$$). Hell, just normal breathing and fuel optimizing can net you 10-15%. Dyno readings vary, so it's hard to compare readings from different dynos and/or operators but my wifes V11 went from about 70 at the rear wheel to 75 with pipes and a PC. K&N filter in the stock box along with porting and adjusting the fueling to match has brought it up to 85 at the rear wheel. I don't think the fueling is perfect yet and could see hitting 90 with a bit of time and a few small changes, but for the time being she's happy with it like it is. And there has been zero loss of ridability and reliability.