Are V11 Airheads?

[canada goose]

You're on the mark about the COG. My GSPD is farkled right out, so it weighs about the same as the LeMans. When pushing it around, it feels about 75 lbs. lighter. V11 has slower / heavier steering at low speeds and feels much more awkward and heavy. Once you get up to speed, everything changes. It is absolutely rock solid and stable from 50 mph up to the max. The airhead "weave" and that vague flexible feeling when you get hard on the throttle will be a distant memory for you. A V11 is on "rails".

[stefano]

  i used to get parts from the dealer in beaverton (portland oregon) my (then) closest dealer. no problems. haven't dealt with the new dealer in portland yet.

  you have the premier dealer moto international in your backyard in seattle. couldn't be better.

[chamberlin]

+1 on all fotoguzzi's comments. Plus: yes, plastic tanks, all. Probably some kind of roto-molded polyamide . . .

 

besides the full "leMans style" fairing, there are several smaller offerings - some fork mounted like the early Sport and others frame mounted like the Ballabio/Café Sport.

 

You are correct Docc, I definitely can confirm that the Acerbis tanks are made from PA6 (Nylon 6)....They aren't likely rotomolded however (like the RotoPax tanks I have on my Jeep), since Acerbis didn't start rotomolding until sometime in 2007. The process used to make the V11 tanks is most likely 'double shot' molding.

 

To mspa, please let me know if you get a bike and need parts for it. I've been restoring a V11, and now have a very refined methodology for looking up parts and finding them anywhere in the world!

[Guest mspa]

Thanks chamberlin, I will let you know.

 

On the tank . . . I'm guessing using PA6 material means the tank can take hits that would dent a metal tank? So do you know if these tanks are painted, or is the material colored, as in using some kind of pigment.

[chamberlin]

Yes, they are most definitely primed, painted, and clear coated just like any normal automotive part. The base color of the PA-6 plastic is a milky opaque white, and the plastic is not tinted whatsoever (although it can be, there is no need to in this application).

[AndyH]

 

One "airhead" thing I've read about and have thought of is head heat. Having the heads up by your knees has to be warmer, right? Just wondering if the oil cooler helps keep heat down. Do you guys ride with jeans, or usually with thicker riding pants?

 

Another comparison I'm curious about is rider sizing . . . I know some bikes "fit" certain size guys, where you can be too tall, or too short to ride a bike as-is, without mods to the seat or suspension. I'm 5'10" and 160 lbs, so average I guess. I'm assuming I would fit this bike well? I did see a post on here where someone over 6 foot mentioned being at the edge of comfortable. Maybe I misread.

 

It all depends on the length of your legs. I'm on the short side but my knees are still quite close to the heads but never been a problem. My mate in London is rather taller (6ft) and with longer legs and with the height of the pegs he didn't like the tendency to knock his knees on the heads at certain times (braking, bumps etc.). Slipping further back in the seat didn't help much as he slipped forwards, so the V11 wasn't for him.

I don't like gravel rash so always wear a good second skin and heat to the knees is never an issue. In winter and colder weather though, there are no better hand warmers than those rocker covers!

[chamberlin]

Haha, if I ever started a local Guzzi riding club, I was going to call it "Arizona Knee Heaters"...but in all honesty, I've never really felt much heat from that area, at least on my Norge. My water cooled Aprilia Tuono on the other hand, would melt your kneecaps when those radiator fans kicked on.