Cadwell UK Trackday write up.

[LowRyter]

that's they way to do it.  

[grossohc]

Good read, excellent pics.

[ex50haust]

hi kev ,nice to see the pictures . Looks to me your riding well good

[v11F]

Hi Kev,

 

From the pics, you make it all look very natural, you're relaxed and enjoying it ... what have you changed on the chassis ? I found 2 major (in my eyes) faults that led me to sell the v11 for a 1200S:

- light/unstable steering (although it never wobbled - just the feel, but night & day compared to the 1200s and the Monster Evo I now have)

- missed gears in bends: I was never confident that I'd have the drive, always worried about a false neutral and unhooking one of the tyres ...

Maybe I was unlucky on those 2 points ? My dealer is very competent and said those 2 faults were there - put up with them ... 

 

Cheers,

Pete

[Cabernet]

Hi Kev,

 

From the pics, you make it all look very natural, you're relaxed and enjoying it ... what have you changed on the chassis ? I found 2 major (in my eyes) faults that led me to sell the v11 for a 1200S:

- light/unstable steering (although it never wobbled - just the feel, but night & day compared to the 1200s and the Monster Evo I now have)

- missed gears in bends: I was never confident that I'd have the drive, always worried about a false neutral and unhooking one of the tyres ...

Maybe I was unlucky on those 2 points ? My dealer is very competent and said those 2 faults were there - put up with them ... 

 

Cheers,

Pete

Hi Pete,

 

The only thing on the chassis I have changed is to change the "over top yoke" clip on bracelets for "under top yoke" ones. This shifts my body weight forward and down, for a more prone and involved ride.

I run the steering damper quite tight, the front compression damping light and the rebound a bit firmer. The tyre on track, between 24-28psi depending on the weather. 36psi on the road.

The rear I run pretty stiff all round, with 28-30 on the track. 42 on the road.

The gear box, I have changed out the rose bearing for a decent one and changed all the springs in the selector mechanism along with fettling the action. It is a slick box now.

So, it's not so far from stock.

[Baldini]

V11S is heavy & carries a lot out back, on a v basic rear suspension design - doesn't help steering. Depends what you're doing, but I found this especially an issue on uneven roads, less so on v few trackdays I did. IME, cornering feel is better & front wheel is more planted w more weight over the front: Sitting as far forward as you can (tho tank design stops you getting right up), leaning forward - as Cabernet is doing; I raised the forks in the clamps a bit (Scura). 170 rear tyre (OME is 180) steers better, tho amount of difference depends on type of tyre -sharper profiled 180 may be as good as rounder profile 170.

 

V11S is a bit flexy: S/A is flimsy; MG dropped chassis/trans mount point that earlier Wittner/Foale spine frames had. Look at the additional bracing under trans they bodged up for 2002-on - why did they do that? It is always going to be very unforgiving on eneven roads. It'd be interesting to know the genesis of the V11Sport. It appears a bodge: new 6 speed box could have had new rear suspension design with longer s/a (& looks designed for such - see the rear trans plate casting, & look at the MGS01). But they used the old chassis designed for the long 5 speed box (cost?).

 

1200S, Breva etc have a more coherent overall design, including far more sophisticated rear end...they just don't have the style of the old grunter Guzzis.

 

KB

[Cabernet]

In the UK we have four road grades.

 

M- Motorways

A- Main and trunk roads

B-

Unlist local roads

 

I am a rural B road basher. These roads tend to be twisty, bumpy, undulating and largely unpoliced. Riding these roads I find that if I ride with my arse square on the saddle and my spine straight in line with the wheels the V11 handling is not inspiring. However, get a arse cheek in the breeze and my chin over the hand grips transforms the bike. It feels like when the bike hits a bump mid corner I am a double sprung mass. As the wheels are free to buck under the suspension, so it feels like the bike can buck under me. My head is largely still as my arms and legs absorb the movement of the bike. It's like I become an integral part of the suspension rather then a sack of spuds.

 

Am I making any sense here?

[v11F]

Hi Cabernet,

 

Yes, what you say makes sense. Getting in the right position always helps. Around Manchester you have great moors roads where the v11 must be great to ride. The difference the position made on my Ducati st2 (steering through the footpegs, bum off the side ...) was clear ... on the Guzzi v11, I never managed by moving forwards to get enough weight on the front, due to th long tank. I also found the bike not comfy, not only due to the seat but also the shape of the tank - you don't connect with it ... On the other hand, the bike is a beautiful design aesthetically and the engine I found nigh perfect: will run through town at 1500rpm (which the 1200S won't, not to speak of the st2 or the Evo !!!!!) is torquey, smooth and powerful. 

 

Glad to hear you enjoy the v11, and I guess with your moniker you enjoy a drop of red as well ... 

[Baldini]

Yeh, you just have to get as far up front as you can, let it move around under you & trust your tyres...til you hit a series of bumps hard on the throttle or brakes & it can get really knotted up - well, it's scared the **** out of me on a couple of occasions - more so than a big block Tonti ever has. 

 

KB

[Cabernet]

If you look at the 1st picture in my original posts at 09:32 you can see that I anchor myself with the cylinder head on the low side and the tank on the other.

 

Manchester is a great place to ride from. Play grounds on every point of the compass. From the Brecons and N. Cotswolds to Spalding and Skegness and all the way up to the Kielder forest all do able in a day at the top of summer. That's why I agreed to be relocated here.

 

Mrs C prefers winter when we have time for a Sunday roast just after dark with a bottle of red (as you guessed).

[v11F]

Hi Baldini, yes I agree the v11 is nothing like the Le Mans mk1 I had, a brilliant, compact bike with heaps of kudos ... I once rode across the Massif Central though (bumpy ...) with my wife on the back ... after a (short) while, she started whingeing about the stiff suspension. So I remembered having read you had to go fatser to get stiff suspension to work ... arund 100mph and things were whizzing, all working fine. By the time we'd done another 150 miles, we arrived at our hotel in Millau and ... she did get out of bed for dinner but then didn't resurface until 1pm the following day ... so the mk1 finally went, we got something more comfortable and she rode 1000's of miles even in the winter, so it was a good trade-off, but I'd love to have a mk1 in the garage today !!! 

[Baldini]

Hi v11F,   Yes, your pillion story is very familiar to me ! Compact is a good discription! Whilst the Tonti would get out of shape over bumps, it always felt taught underneath you, whereas the V11S seems to want to go in different directions all at once.  I put 38mm Marzocchis on front which was a heck of an improvement, & Konis on the back.   I once ride my old Tonti thru that part of France on a long straight thru some woods, an eagle flying low thru the trees keeping pace with me - magical. Lovely country. KB

[v11F]

Now I have another "compact" bike, the Monster Evo, absolutely brilliant and surprisingly comfortable, for me but also my wife, who found it - after a 30 min ride, no long ones yet - more comfy than the 1200S !!!!! 

[Cabernet]

You need to get off the bike more and get some value out of those knee scrapers and save the side stand. Get your toes on the pegs and tuck your feet in to keep your boots off the deck.

Try some road race boots as well, those big clod hoppers wont offer you much feel through the pegs.

Ciao 

 

Well, I tried some new boots anyway.

 

[Scud]

Great photo. Got anymore?

 

Makes me want to try a track day - never have done one.