Grrrreenie - the long and whining roar

[po18guy]

I have a quirky spiritual link to Iridium plugs, but in a really twisted sort of way. Iridium is in the platinum spectrum and is the most erosion resistant metal known. One of the chemotherapy drugs I received (13th, 14th  or 15th depending on how you count) was a platinum-based drug called Carboplatin so, I don't know, the connection just kinda stuck. Now the M&M ignition/injection is not all that sophisticated and we'll have to see how long they go before one of the cylinders cries "fowl!"  

[hammershaug]

9 hours ago, LowRyter said:

I had my original shock rebuilt with a heavier spring.  I did it because the external adjuster didn't work. 

I ultimately had more noticeable results just playing with the adjusters on the fork.  The issue I had was weave at higher speeds with those big HB Jr bags.  I experimented quite a bit stiffening the rear, when I should've been softening the front.  That was the key for me.  I discovered it when I had a new front tire installed it was loaded with max air.  The front was just bouncing all over the road and weaving.  I wasted some time adjusting air pressure when the fork adjusters were right in front of my face.  (Of course the rear tire should always carry 4lb more air than the front.)

Thanks for sharing your experience. My shock seems to be okay AFAIK. I guess it will serve me well this year. Maybe an upgrade to Wilbers next year.

7 hours ago, Lucky Phil said:

Forget about making fuel consumption assumptions based on reading plugs on a road bike. Fuel consumption is measured at the fuel station with mileage V refill qty calculation. Road bike plug readings dont really mean much, too may variables.

I'd ditch the fine wire plugs on this engine as well, just stick with the std plugs.

I've been recommending Wilbers shocks for years and have the highest spec one on my bike which was custom made for my weight,riding and conditions. I also have a Wilbers on my GSXR1000 track bike and race spec Ohlins on my 1198 and poor mans Ohlins on my 1000ss. The Wilbers is better quality than the OEM Ohlins and a little below the TTX Ohlins on the 1198 in my view. I wouldnt chase a second hand Ohlins for your bike( because thats all thats available these days) for some silly money when you can buy something thats considerable better for less money new.

Ciao      

Fine wire Irdium is indeed ditched and replaced with NGK BPR 6 ES. I'm sure they're good enough.

I have no plans splashing out loads of money on an Öhlins. I check around last night - and damned they're expensive! As a member of The Norwegian Moto Guzzi Club, I think we have a discount on Wilbers. Not much though.

 

6 hours ago, gstallons said:

Are you good w/a DVOM and reading wiring diagrams ? Check the resistance of both the air temp sensor and the cylinder head ( oil temp ) sensor at the ECU connector . They had better be the same of within 250 ohms . 

If you are running a PowerCommander , take it off and try it . I messed with mine all this spring to find out the PC was !@#$%^ up .

I'm an electrician by profession, so I think so. I'm grateful to @Kiwi_Roy and his wiring schemes. I don't have a PowerCommander. Isn't that old school tuning? 

Thanks for the tips!

2 hours ago, po18guy said:

In opposition, I have removed the OEM plugs and installed Iridium. I noted quicker starts right off the bat. On DW's Lexus, the NGK Iridium originals went 250K before replacement, and we noticed zero difference. Now, I'll grant that the MG combustion chamber is more akin to a 1930s Pratt & Whitney radial than to  a liquid-cooled 4-valve Japanese chamber, but anytime you can unshroud the spark in such a deep chamber, I figure it's worth a try.  I also note that the MG engineers were negligent in not placing the plugs on the pushrod side of the head - making them Italo-easy to change.  

Ok, that's noted. Gonna stick with the NGK's this time.

4 hours ago, ScuRoo said:

Hammershaug

Second Lucky Phil on ditching the fine wire (iridium) plugs.

But don’t stick with std plugs either (as an aside Mike Rich recommends dropping two grades cooler).

Do your bike a favour and upgrade with two LR12ZS multi spark plugs by Brisk. I’ve been using these for years - don’t listen to any diehard NGK naysayers who haven’t used them.

If you haven’t heard of Brisk?

Try - thank me later! 👍😎

Sorry, never heard of Brisk. Looks impressive.

 

Thanks for your inputs guys. I really appreciate it! 

[gstallons]

21 hours ago, ScuRoo said:

Hammershaug

Second Lucky Phil on ditching the fine wire (iridium) plugs.

But don’t stick with std plugs either (as an aside Mike Rich recommends dropping two grades cooler).

Do your bike a favour and upgrade with two LR12ZS multi spark plugs by Brisk. I’ve been using these for years - don’t listen to any diehard NGK naysayers who haven’t used them.

If you haven’t heard of Brisk?

Try - thank me later! 👍😎

 

 

Uh oh ! I mentioned them a while back and got shot down  breathing a word about them .  

 BTW , these spark plugs are the result of running way too rich .  

Have you properly synched the throttle bodies , adjusted the min air screws and set the TPS ? This may not do any good but you will eliminate this as a factor .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[po18guy]

As to Brisk, I know that they are expensive. Watching a YouTube video, it seems to be an update of the old Kawasaki "Surface gap" anti-fouling plugs from the two-stroke triple days. There seems to be an intermediary laser imprinted band of something conductive around the porcelain between the center and multi-ground electrodes. Plus, Brisk also makes an Iridium version - prolly costs more than my bike.

Am guessing that the V11 could benefit from something like Dyna coils, as the OEMs were (probably) marginal at best, and the loopy round-the-back-side routing only weakens the spark. Typical hot rod stuff, really.

[docc]

48 minutes ago, po18guy said:

Typical hot rod stuff, really.

You say that like it’s a bad thing! 

[po18guy]

Bad? No - just advisable if not necessary!

Am guessing that better coils are available. Would do coil-on-plug, but then I would need "Overwidth Vehicle" flags and flashing yellow lights.

[Lucky Phil]

3 hours ago, docc said:

You say that like it’s a bad thing! 

Well it can be. I submit as evidence wrapped header pipes on a V11. A hotrod item best left to the hot rod world. I'm taking a broad interpretation of hot rod. 

Ciao

[Tomchri]

Haven't seen much of 2 plugs conversion on the V11  ??  my 992 tonti does like the bigger bang on each side of the piston dome.    I allways did a little spending when upgrading ignition systems  on the old big blocks, and allways Pete Jackson gear drives. I just like it,,,, not a big performance gain for the money, but better.

Cheers tom.

[docc]

48 minutes ago, Lucky Phil said:

Well it can be. I submit as evidence wrapped header pipes on a V11. A hotrod item best left to the hot rod world. I'm taking a broad interpretation of hot rod. 

Ciao

Or a "Gow-Job!"  Just learned this from the Hagerty Drivers Club:

6 hot rod body styles you need to know

[po18guy]

Other than when used as turbo header wrap, the pipe wrap is basically the same as biplane rear wings and thug life glasses. 

[hammershaug]

Proper grounding to the voltage regulator, but not happy with copper-aluminum connection. I guess some white Vaseline will do good.

Feinschmecker wire to starter motor. Phoenix Gold 5 AWG (16mm2) Next up: Fuses! A new Tyco 30A breaker will replace my burned fuse. 

 

 

 

 

[ScuRoo]

On 5/1/2020 at 7:31 AM, Tomchri said:

Haven't seen much of 2 plugs conversion on the V11  ??  my 992 tonti does like the bigger bang on each side of the piston dome. 

No need to go the hassle /expense of dual plugs on the V11 Tomchri.

(As an aside - physical improvement of the combustion chamber. Mike Rich’s MRM HiComp matching beveled pistons have a flatter/wider dome - lessening impedance to flame front & matched slanted squish turbulence).

Returning to the main point of ignition - & more fundamentally open to the possibilities of building a better mousetrap... as you know dual plugs improve ignition by having two sources. There’s less acceptance however that a single ignition source cannot also offer vast improvements.

I’ve not stopped at the Multi-Sparks (brilliant as they’ve been) - I’ve recently been further experimenting with pre-chamber TJI combustion.

Do a little research on Turbulent Jet Ignition - as first introduced by Mercedes in F1 a few years ago. Mercedes was recognised as having dominated with more power & increased economy. Initially thought to be cheating - then subsequently adopted by the other teams like Ferrari & Renault you’ll find there are other easier options to increase the combustion chamber flame speed on V11’s.

As a side-note, unfortunately my earlier suggestion of the Brisk LR12ZS Multi-Sparks may have aggravated some old raw nerves as gstallons indicated.

However, to be even handed I’ve used the stock NGK - they work. But I’ve also tried Brisk Multisparks - and my V11 absolutely performs better.

If anyone has used both - then fair enough, go ahead and agree or disagree as befits the results.

I’d previously read plenty on Beemer forums with sea-dogs opining Brisk’s are snake-oil until I just paid my monies to find out the merits of the vigorous back & forth discussions.

Glad I did.

Not all combustion sparks are equal! ⚡️⚡️

[docc]

Officially "June" and when will we see a mirror image of this wild scene?

[Lucky Phil]

6 hours ago, docc said:

Officially "June" and when will we see a mirror image of this wild scene?

eeek.......bar end mirror:)

Ciao

[Chuck]

We'll have to agree to disagree on the bar end mirror thing, too, Phil.