500 mile impressions with my 2000 v11 Sport

[rageman]

2000 v11 Sport - what a great bike - can't wait for many more miles! Rides like it is smaller than it is; sounds like no other: I love the styling (one of the best looking naked bikes out there, and I like a healthy rear end ) Shifts are a little rough and it has taken me a little time to get used to the off throttle characteristics. I was originally in the market for a Suzuki TL1000R, and am very glad that I wound up here.

 

Repairs completed:

Oil cooler brackets

Front brake switch

 

Modifications:

Rizoma bar end mirrors (class retro) - great look and solved alot of the bar vibes

 

Problems:

Shifter has locked on me a couple times; plus a couple missed upshifts. Sounds like a new spring is in my near future...

Sometimes stalls coming to a stop coming off a freeway or speeds over 50mph

 

Maintenance list:

It needs the 6k mi service, so lots to do there this winter -

Needs tires

Change fork oil (and upgrade to heavier springs)

Oil change

Plugs

Transmission/final drive fluid replacement

Valve adjustment

TPS adjustment/throttle body sync

Flush brake and clutch fluid

 

Would also like to tidy up the tail; not sure what I'll do there. And it probably isn't on the list $ wise, but I would like a new seat.

 

Couple of questions -

1. The stalling when coming to stop - the bike has Mistral cans and K&N pod filters, but no updated ECU or aftermarket engine controls. Could that be the cause? It does not pop on decel or show any indications of running lean (pinging or the like). Should a PC III be my next modification? I could probably swing it...

2. Trying to decide on a gear oil; I have looked at a lot of threads - anyone with long term experience care to chime in?

3. Experience with tires would be appreciated - I ride mostly street/touring. I would like something that performs, but I can get some miles out of it. Pirelli Angel Sport Touring?

 

Thanks all for the great forum and the previous information you have worked so diligently to keep together.

[jrt]

1. There's two things that will fix the deceration death. Both easy. Put more miles on the bike and remove the overflow o-ring seal under the gas cap. Be aware, though, that removing that seal means you could spill some gas if the bike tips over. It basically let's the tank breath so that a vacuum doesn't build up (down?) in the tank. Prevents 'tan suck' also. Riding more just helps the bike break in. If you only have 6k miles, it's not yet broken in.

2. I won't touch that one.

3. Pirelli angels sound good to me. I have metzlers now, but based on various reviews, I might have a conversion. TomM recently had a thread on tires. Try tech topics.

[Tom M]

Good to hear that you're liking the V11 Rageman. It will get better with more miles as Jason said. Here are my suggestions for your issues:

 

Gearbox: Fresh lube will probably clear up your shifting issues. If the problem was the shifter pawl spring you would be stuck in one gear and not able to upshift until you replaced it. The best lube that I have found is Redline Shockproof Heavy, but it's performance does seem to go downhill beyond 3k miles.

 

Stalling: Your valves are probably tight. Adjust them to .006" intake/.008 exhaust then sync the throttle bodies. That fixed my bike when I started getting "flame outs" before coming to stop.

 

Tires: It seems like all the sport-touring tires available these days are pretty good. If you want a little quicker turning go 1 size narrower on you rear tire. I just mounted a set of Pirelli Angels and they seem good but it remains to be seen how long they last. FYI I got 5k out of a set of Roadsmarts, 4k out of Conti Road Attacks, and 6+k out of Metzler Z6.

 

Guzzitech has progressive rate fork springs. Racetech and Sonic have straight rate springs for your forks.

 

Good luck with your wrenching

[fotoguzzi]

500 mile impression? get new tires, ride 5,000 miles and report back...LETS GO 4 A RIDE!

[rageman]

Thanks for the advice, gents! I'll post up what I choose and how it goes.

 

500 mile impression? get new tires, ride 5,000 miles and report back...LETS GO 4 A RIDE!

 

You've got that right. I tend to be pretty limited for time - but I'll get them in as I can! Hope to see you here in the Cities.

[docc]

 

 

Couple of questions -

1. The stalling when coming to stop - the bike has Mistral cans and K&N pod filters, but no updated ECU or aftermarket engine controls. Could that be the cause? It does not pop on decel or show any indications of running lean (pinging or the like). Should a PC III be my next modification? I could probably swing it...

2. Trying to decide on a gear oil; I have looked at a lot of threads - anyone with long term experience care to chime in?

3. Experience with tires would be appreciated - I ride mostly street/touring. I would like something that performs, but I can get some miles out of it. Pirelli Angel Sport Touring?

 

Thanks all for the great forum and the previous information you have worked so diligently to keep together.

 

Right, then:

1) You'll be amazed the response she has to a proper tune-up (valve adjustment, TPS, throttle body synch. Don't worry about ECU mods until you have a fine tune on her.

2) RedLine Shockproof Lightweight "blue" has done very well in my gearboxes. Cleaning, shimming and lubricating the foot shift mechanism (external) is also good medicine. It's rare that shift spring failure would visit your '01. Make sure you have flushed the clutch fluid. Look at this FAQ: Maintenance Checklist while the wheels are off

3)I do like my Pirellis. The Angels look like they'll run out the typical Diablo miles, but probably no more. And they still feel great in the last of their days . . .

[Buzzard]

Concerning the seat, I took my V11 seat and reshaped it. Very simply, I took off the seat cover and very carefully flattened the foam with a hacksaw blade, taking some off both front and rear. I then took a power orbital sander with 60 grit paper in it, and smoothed the foam, rounding the edges and so forth. Set the whole thing in the sun for a few moments, and stapled on the seat cover again. Getting rid of the forward rise in the foam is very kind to your private parts, and levelling the rear part gives you the full use of the rider portion of the seat. It's a cheap fix until you can afford the $400 or so a professional job will cost.