Newly acquired '03 V11 Sport

[LaGrasta]

Hello all, I'm Anthony LaGrasta, from Mission Viejo, CA (SoCal). I recently acquired a 10,000 mile burgundy 2003 V11 Sport that has been parked in a garage for over a decade. I'll be working to get it cleaned up and on the road. Among other bikes, I also own another Moto Guzzi, a 2010 V7 Cafe Classic with 23,000 miles. Thank you for having me. 

[footgoose]

welcome Anthony.     ... and anotha GB500!

[Scud]

Welcome. Sounds like a worthy project. Let us know if you need something. I live less than an hour's ride South of you. I have various specials tools and a stash of spare bits.

[docc]

2 hours ago, LaGrasta said:

Hello all, I'm Anthony LaGrasta, from Mission Viejo, CA (SoCal). I recently acquired a 10,000 mile burgundy 2003 V11 Sport that has been parked in a garage for over a decade. I'll be working to get it cleaned up and on the road. Among other bikes, I also own another Moto Guzzi, a 2010 V7 Cafe Classic with 23,000 miles. Thank you for having me. 

Welcome, Anthony! You are in the right place, with the right people, to sort and learn about your V11 !

First thing to know is the 2003 burgundy (Bellissimo !) Sport is a "carry over from 2002 ("chin-pad" fuel tank with external pump and filter, white face "Veglia" guages that are driven by a sometimes troublesome angle drive at the gearbox, and likely the problematic engine/driveline paint of the 2002 models). When searching parts, you are likely to find the best matches with 2002 parts.

Looking forward to hearing and seeing more from you!

[LaGrasta]

@footgoose, you mentioned my GB500. It's noteworthy this is actually the Cycle World project bike that was built into a 600 (cam, pipe, etc). I call it the 1989 Honda CW600!

@Scud, Thanks for the offer, appreciate that. I hope to meet you soon.

@docc, thank you for the clarification. I have already encountered some confusion looking for parts, now I understand why.

[docc]

5 hours ago, LaGrasta said:

@footloose, you mentioned my GB500. It's noteworthy this is actually the Cycle World project bike that was built into a 600 (cam, pipe, etc). I call it the 1989 Honda CW600!

@scud, Thanks for the offer, appreciate that. I hope to meet you soon.

@docc, thank you for the clarification. I have already encountered some confusion looking for parts, now I understand why.

I remember that CW600 GB! I was fortunate to ride a similar 600 conversion back in the day. It was hot-to-trot!

(The only period article I have on the GB600 is Motorcyclist, November 1989, depicting a Rob Muzzy 600 kit.)

Buddy, you have definitely landed yourself with the inmates on the right ward!  

[docc]

Seems @LaGrasta's GB50/CW600 might be this White Bros creation from Cycle World, February 1990:

http://www.champsclock.com/gb500hu.htm

[LaGrasta]

@docc, yes that's the exact one. I'm still going through it; I cannot wait to take it for a spin!

[LaGrasta]

This past weekend, in spite of the heavy heat in SoCal, I managed to put the bike back together, fill it with fuel, and crank it over. It never started, but I'm assuming that's because it didn't crank long enough to build fuel pressure. It was leaking from the left injector. I pulled the hose, drained the tank, and covered the bike back up.

It's difficult to remove the tank as there is so many items attached to it. I'll get it back off, figure out why I have the leak and once I square that up, we'll reattach the tank and see if I can get to light!

[LaGrasta]

Just so I know what to look for, where is the clutch-switch and how might I be sure it is good?

[docc]

28 minutes ago, LaGrasta said:

Just so I know what to look for, where is the clutch-switch and how might I be sure it is good?

If it cranked over, the clutch switch is conducting. If it won't crank without the lever pulled in, the switch and its connections are functional.

The switch is located in the housing for the clutch lever with two small wires going to it.

 

[docc]

If the injector (hose?) leaked while cranking, seems you have fuel pressure.

Perhaps we could troubleshoot some electrical/ ignition concerns before pulling the tank?

[LaGrasta]

I have to pull the tank just to correct the leak. It may be as easy as tightening the hose clamp. I really think it just needs to crank a bit longer, fingers crossed. I hope to try this coming weekend, I'll report back! Thanks so much docc

[docc]

Gotcha. Try to position the clamps so they are accessible with the tank on.

Rather than crank the motor to purge air from the lines, simply turn on the ignition and run switches, listen for the fuel pump whir/stop. Repeat several times.  The return line through the regulator on the right side will eventually fill all the lines/injectors with fuel.

 

[LaGrasta]

After two successful bench cleanings and test, the injectors have now stopped working. The bike starts and runs as long as I'm forcing fuel in to the cylinders, so I again removed the injectors and found them not working any longer. Maybe I burned them out while bench testing. I did take precautions to not activate them for more than a moment, but I guess I failed.

So with this, I ordered two new ones from AliExpress. Although I'm mystified as to what happened, I am excited to receive the new ones with hopes of an install, a start-up, and a test ride!

At the urging of my OEM parts only brother-in-law, I plan to have the original injectors refurbished and shelved, just in case.