Centauro

[BrianG]

I guess the V10 is older than the V11.

[Lucky Phil]

It is.

 

Phil

[Chuck]

The Grease O is kind of an updated Centauro.. both are "in your face" and unlike other bikes. I loved mine, although it was high maintenance.

[p6x]

I almost purchased a brand new Centauro when they came out...

I was in Pavia.

I got seduced by the aesthetics. I liked the upper part of the bike which is in complete harmony from front to back. No disrupting line. Just a very pleasing continuity.

 

[docc]

23 hours ago, p6x said:

I almost purchased a brand new Centauro when they came out...

I was in Pavia.

I got seduced by the aesthetics. I liked the upper part of the bike which is in complete harmony from front to back. No disrupting line. Just a very pleasing continuity.

 

Luciano Marabese was quoted as saying the "Centauro was drawn from the Dondolino ." The design never made sense to me until learning this.

[BrianG]

Can anyone point me to a comprehensive list of the "necessary" V10 mods?

This Centauro of mine is from a collector's garage and has seen very little actual use (7000 miles) and likely no aftermarket mods.

[audiomick]

As far as I know, the motor management on those can't be re-programmed like later ones can, you must actually change a bit of hardware.

I know a bloke here who, I believe, can supply the part in question with an updated map.

If you like, I can ask him what is really involved, und what an updated map can be expected to bring with it.

The man in question doesn't ride on the road any more, only on closed tracks, but he used to have a Centauro. I believe that was his last road bike.

[Chuck]

It takes a reprogrammed chip in the ECU. Uh, it's probably safe to tell here, now. Guzzi screwed up and homologated the Centauro with the wrong chip. They couldn't afford to go through the process again, so gave the info to Wayne on the east coast, Will on the west coast, and Karsten in Germany. Those guys made (and improved) the "updated" chips.. I don't know who does it now, or if someone still does.

[audiomick]

44 minutes ago, Chuck said:

...Karsten in Germany. Those guys made (and improved) the "updated" chips.. I don't know who does it now, or if someone still does.

Karsten is the bloke I know. I believe he still does it, or still has some on the the shelf.

As I said, I can ask him...

[Chuck]

You'll be glad you did. The "stock" Centauro barely ran. It took me 2 years of tinkering to get it perfect. Fun stuff..

[BrianG]

So, i have found some front end mods by Joe Caruso, but I'm a bit confused.....

There appears to be a cam drive gearset replacement for the V11 cam drive chain.

Also, there are oil pump and gear replacementsv for both the hi-cam and the V11 motors.

I'm not sure whether Joe Caruso has something for the high-cam  engine cam belt drive system. 

Can someone fill me in on what Joe actually has for the high-cam V10 in the Daytona/Centauro?

[pete roper]

Nope, secondary timing is always going to be belt dependent.

[GuzziMoto]

On 8/20/2023 at 2:09 AM, BrianG said:

So, i have found some front end mods by Joe Caruso, but I'm a bit confused.....

There appears to be a cam drive gearset replacement for the V11 cam drive chain.

Also, there are oil pump and gear replacementsv for both the hi-cam and the V11 motors.

I'm not sure whether Joe Caruso has something for the high-cam  engine cam belt drive system. 

Can someone fill me in on what Joe actually has for the high-cam V10 in the Daytona/Centauro?

As Pete said, the Joe Caruso gear set for the Daytona and Centaro doesn't get rid of the belts that run the cams. But he does offer an upgrade for the gears that run the oil pump, along with the oil pump itself. The stock gears were aluminum as I recall, and were known to sometimes blow up. Also, the better oil pump helps.

[p6x]

On 8/15/2023 at 4:19 PM, Chuck said:

It takes a reprogrammed chip in the ECU. Uh, it's probably safe to tell here, now. Guzzi screwed up and homologated the Centauro with the wrong chip. They couldn't afford to go through the process again, so gave the info to Wayne on the east coast, Will on the west coast, and Karsten in Germany. Those guys made (and improved) the "updated" chips.. I don't know who does it now, or if someone still does.

I am still amazed that some amateurish errors can happen to such a long running company. Surely, they must have learned from previous experience? or were they so strapped for cash they had to always do everything as cheap as it could be?

Wasn't Guzzi under De Tomaso at the time they came up with the Centauro? just before Beggio? maybe De Tomaso wanted to unload Guzzi already.

[docc]

DeTomaso was finished by 1996. Although there are sources that say Finprogetti, then Trident Rowan Group, took control in 1994, through about 2000 when the Ivano Beggio era began. Piaggio beginning 2005.

Seemingly, then, the Centauro and the V11 Sport were created during the "holding group" period, both designs by Marabese. It is curious what ties Marabese had to Beggio leading one to ponder how much influence Beggio may have had in the Finprogetti/TRG period . . .