My ( new to me) V11

[Denis]

Hi,

 

I thought I would give an update on my 2004 V11 Ballabio.

 

I have really enjoyed the bike since buying it recently - sold my Ducati Monster 1100S as it just didn't suit me, wanted something a little saner.

 

So, I have

 

Changed the plugs to iridium spark plugs

Changed to engine oil 20-50 fully synthetic AGIp

Changed the rear drive oil

Changed the gearbox oil to the recommended Redline 80w - what a difference that made!

 

Have tried to grease the driveshaft, but can see that this might take another attempt - may leave to the winter now and remove the swinging arm etc.

Thanks to Rossi46 for helping me out here - great chap.

 

Fitted a sump baffle plate

 

Checked the brake pads for wear

 

Fitted two new speedo cables ....

Cleaned the K&N air filter.

 

Overall its a joy to work on, and a joy to ride.

 

Will be fitting a Mistral crossover soon. 

[fotoguzzi]

do you have 2 speedos?

sounds like you did everything right.

[Denis]

The first speedo cable broke after I had ridden the bike for about 150 miles - it was the original cable.

 

The new replacement cable lasted about 90 miles, then broke.

 

Fitted another new one, which seems to be lasting longer - if this is a regular breakage then I'll shift to the electronic versions discussed on this forum.

[GraeV11]

The first speedo cable broke after I had ridden the bike for about 150 miles - it was the original cable.

 

The new replacement cable lasted about 90 miles, then broke.

 

Fitted another new one, which seems to be lasting longer - if this is a regular breakage then I'll shift to the electronic versions discussed on this forum.

 

Hi Denis. I would check that the cable is routed properly, i.e., as few twists and turns as possible., Happy riding.

[fotoguzzi]

yea try routing the cable with no sharp bends in it.. they usually break a few inches up from the tranny so look especially around the air box.

[LowRyter]

My speedo jumps all be the place, especially above 70 mph.  It was sold to me like that with 14k miles on it.  I've owned it less than two years and have 28k miles on it now and the speedo (or cable or whatever) still hasn't totally stopped working and dances a little less than it used to.  The trip odo has erased the "1" & "2" numbers on the second digit.  

 

I normally cruise by the tach speed anyway.

[Denis]

I find the speedo working very useful , as the V11 doesn't have a fuel gauge.

 

I just use the trip meter to remind me when I need petrol. The warning light for low fuel is not very strong, If I relied on the light, I'm sure I would run out at some stage.

 

I don't ride much at night, so the warning light in the daylight is poor.

 

I have paid alot more attention to the routing this time, and poured some Redline 80w gearbox oil down the inner cable.

Electric drill on the speedo drive shows the clock to run very freely.

[Denis]

Received the Mistral crossover earlier today, now fitted.

 

Looks much neater, much lighter.

 

Still raining and a few too many beers to try it out.

 

Tomorrow looks good.

 

Liking the high level Mistrals end cans, but I'll see how the bike rides in the mid range ( which is my main interest).

[fotoguzzi]

the low fuel light gets progressively brighter as tank empties so it does look weak when it first comes on.

[grossohc]

I went through a few speedo cables a while back, every few hundred miles they would fail. When i went to the v twin a few years back (1200 miles) i thought i would do a bit of pre emptive maintenance and change out the speedo cable for a new one so i would have a working speedo for the entire trip, it failed halfway down the road. When i got home i refitted the old cable and hey ho its worked ever since. So the secret is !!!!

[Denis]

First ride with the Mistral crossover, definitely a different sound after 3,000 rpm, but the mid range is much smoother and stronger. Much easier to ride, glad I dd this mod, many thanks to the previous posters who siad that this was a good mod to the bike.

[AndyH]

First ride with the Mistral crossover, definitely a different sound after 3,000 rpm, but the mid range is much smoother and stronger. Much easier to ride, glad I dd this mod, many thanks to the previous posters who siad that this was a good mod to the bike.

Shows how different these bikes are. I was less than convinced (=disappointed to be honest) when I replaced a very rattly but serviceable standard box with the Mistral. It felt like it was running far too rich in the lower mid range (no science, just a hunch and eventually it turned out I was right). Torque was definitely down in that range and it wasn't until I started mucking about with GuzziDiag and TunerPro that I got the fuelling anywhere near back to where it should be.

 

It took a PCIII to really make it run really sweet though.

 

That said, however, if it's already working better for you with the Mistral, you really don't need to spend the money on a PCIII yet, not to mention the essential dyno work to individually optimise your fuelling. For me, I think the PCIII and dyno work just brought mine back to a bit better than how it was running before the standard x-over box fell apart so I'm still trying to figure out the overall cost benefits!

 

Some on the forum have recently opined that these bikes were set up pretty much right, straight out of the box, and I agree (up to a point) but age (mine's 14 years old), wear and tear, subsequent changes in fuel quality and the principle that 'no two Guzzis are the same' mean we cannot really rely on that notion in practice. And your experience with the Mistral bears that out.