Guzzi Curious Seeks Opinion on Used V11 Sport

[MacMcMacmac]

I recently went to look at a V11 Sport I am interested in. I have seen it in the classifieds off and on for 2 years now, so it seems like it doesn't have many people interested in it. I would like your input on its condition if you would be so kind. I cut and pasted this post from another forum, so my apologies if you have seen it already. The guys there said this was the place to be for V11 knowledge. Thanks in advance.



Beautiful color. Plastic tank. Any worries there?







Motor has general oil sweats over it. I couldn't find the leak, If the mileage is to be believed, this is somewhat disappointing.


What's up with the shaft tube? Is this normal? It seems a little, agricultural in fit and finish. That doesn't really turn me off if eveything is mechanically as it should be.  Again, general oil sweating over the tube.  No experience here.



Lol, that brake light is the same Emgo unit I put on my XS650. It's a sign!



Again with the sticky film on the final drive. I'm not sure if Guzzis have an incontinence issue, or the owner wasn't handy enough to fix the issue.



Has some minor blemishes. To be expected after 20+ years.



Must have been a stateside bike. Mileage is super low, if the speedo gears haven't already packed it in. Seems a bit fishy for the age of the bike.The forks have a sticker on them stating that the bike was modded to meet Transport Canada regs in 2013.



The bike has some 4" bar risers installed. Ergos seemed really good. It started ok, after a few tries. Starter spins up a bit slowly. Nature of the beast? Sounds lovely, with the characteristic sideways tug when the throttle is blipped. No noises except the dry clutch rustle. Clutch action seemed quite light compared to my old XS with the heavy duty EBC springs, which did nothing to stop the slipping!

If this is in decent shape, it would probably fulfill my desire for s simple, torquey, sporty/standardish twin, with a dollop of Italian flair to boot.

It looks better in the ad than in person, but bikes usually do.At $4000 CAN, it's not a huge financial risk, but a  time bomb bike is no good no matter what the price. That price has dropped $1k in the last week or so, as the seller would like to clear it out before winter (towing company).

I was given a list of recent repairs carried out on the bike, which included new tires, a new fuel pump, new turn signals and 2 new solenoids. 

I'm wanting to love it, but a few red flags has me wondering. What does your Guzzi spidey senses tell you all?

Edited November 20 by MacMcMacmac

[MacMcMacmac]

Sorry for the blocky typeface....

[docc]

I'll dive in!

First, welcome to this V11 SpineFrame community! Yes, indeed, you are in the right place! 

All our V11 have the "Nylon" tank. Best not store ethanol fuel in it for long periods. Use non-ethanol for storage. If you are running the fuel through it regularly, a high octane premium with ethanol is probably fine, while not "ideal"."

All of the oily haze looks like she could use a good cleaning. Yes, there could be a weep here or there (especially at the timing chest at the front of the engine). The "crinkle black paint" is a known issue with 2002 V11 and 2003 "Carryover" Sport that featured that beautiful burgundy tank and grey accents. There is a passenger seat cover missing, BTW. What year is this Sport being sold as?

The rear fender has been removed in favor of a "tail tidy" mount for the license plate and closer signal brackets. Lots of folks like the cleaner look, but expect more road spray from wet roads.

The white face Veglia speedometer/odometer are rather notorious for failure, usually because of the angle drive at the right side of the gearbox driving (or not driving) the cable. Numerous approaches to remedy are known, yet the mileage could be suspiciously low and hard to know if the speedometer has been changed. Or replaced more than once. (I'm on speedo #4 ). Honestly, looking closely at the typical road-wear places, she looks really clean, more like she's been sitting up quite a lot. Did you ride it to see how the speedometer needle (and odometer drum) act?

I get $4000CAN as ~$2870US. Pretty easy money for an awesome bike if you can accept the foibles and "a certain amount of some owner involvement" . . .

Best to you on this journey, @MacMcMacmac !

 

[audiomick]

8 minutes ago, docc said:

... there could be a weep here or there (especially at the timing chest at the front of the engine). ...

And in the crank-case breather system. There are rubber hoses involved that don't stand the test of time all that well.

[p6x]

Something important; why do you want to purchase a V11 from the early 2000?

One thing we all have in common here, is that we do appreciate the Guzzi, especially the V11. We are willing to be forgiving to the little issues we all have experienced at one point or another.

If you are in that category, and you are not simply curious, depending on how much you are willing to roll up your sleeves, those V11 are extremely reliable once you look past the little quirks here and there.

You are not listing any other motorcycle in your profile. Is this a "getting back in the saddle"?

There is not much you could do wrong in purchasing a V11 anyway. If you jump the gun, people here will help you all the way. Spares are reasonably available by mail order, and flowing supplies are no problem.

As an aside, I recently changed the timing chest cover gasket, replaced it with a metallic one. But I ran the bike with the oil seepage for a long time. For the instruments, as Docc pointed out, there are many solutions. I have had my gauges fixed by a fellow in Tennessee who specializes in fixing and making reliable those Veglia Instruments. I also have Veglia on a Guzzi Quota and I got my tachometer fixed in Germany.

But you can purchase modern replacements. After, it is a question of what you want to do, for what price.

For the rest, I crisscross Texas with my V11 each year without a worry in the world...

[Pressureangle]

I'd go in with a lowball offer, maybe $3k Canadian. What can they say but no? After 2 years, and it's a towing company so they got it for nothing beyond the paperwork to recover the title- they're not invested. Cash is King. At $3k, I'd jump on it quick. At $4k, it's probably a pretty good price, if it doesn't need every single rubber bit replaced and every electrical connection made secure. 

Which it does, certainly. 

Pretty.

[MacMcMacmac]

20 years old is a pretty new bike by my standards. My previous bike was an 83 XS650 I rocked as an only bike since 2018, and owned since 2008. Believe me, I am no stranger to repairs or maintenance. I'd still be riding it if we both hadn't been squashed under an Ecosport back in June. I have been riding mostly non-stop since 94.

 

The price is right on a very desirable model. I was looking at a V9 Roamer, a W800 or maybe a Bonneville to replace the XS, as it had given me a deep affection for twins and classic bikes. The XS showed me there is a lot more to riding than droning around at 1/8 throttle on a litre bike. The V11 promises an extra bit of performance and handling than those other bikes, while still being fun at sane speeds.

 

I have a 1200 Bandit I'll be selling on in the spring, sporting carbs and pipes worth more than the bike unfortunately!

[pete roper]

All I can do is reiterate what others have said. It’s a seemingly low mileage machine that has likely spent a lot of time parked. This is more likely to be a curse than a blessing.

If you do go ahead do not expect it to be a simple, ‘Turnkey’ proposition. On any machine like this I’d be taking the back end apart and checking stuff like the driveshaft alignment and the state of the outrigger bearing in the bevelbox which are notorious for getting water in and rusting out.

The timing chest weep will need fixing but that is a simple gasket swap and most of the breather hoses will likely need replacement. Then it will need a full service and tune to make sure it runs correctly. That includes brake and particularly clutch fluid as V11’s, (And the CARC bikes.) are absolute murder on clutch fluid.

I haven’t owned a V11 in a long while and never owned one here in Oz but I’ve ridden and worked on many and if I wasn’t ageing out of larger bikes would still dearly like to own one. They are comparatively rare here though and command higher prices than in the US/Canada.

Put very simply, if you are just looking for a cheap and cheerful ‘Everyday ride’ that you don’t have to put any effort in to? I’d look elsewhere. If you are really drawn to the V11? Fill yer boots!

[audiomick]

44 minutes ago, pete roper said:

...if you are just looking for a cheap and cheerful ‘Everyday ride’ that you don’t have to put any effort in to...

I've got a Breva 750 i.e. that pretty much fills the bill on that. It had less than 10,000 km on it when I got it for a good price. The catch is the "20 year old bike" bit. It had run a documented 800 km in the ten years before I bought it, and has the whole "change all the rubber bits" thing.

So if "cheap and cheerful" is what you are after, go for the V9, if that's your thing, or one of the new V7 range, i.e. not twenty years old.

If you want "interesting" as well, go for the V11 and put in the effort to get it good. It is worth it. I haven't got mine good yet, and I still love it. The Breva 750 is all good, is fun indeed, and runs beautifully, but it isn't really "interesting".

Edited November 20 by audiomick

[p6x]

5 hours ago, MacMcMacmac said:

I was looking at a V9 Roamer, a W800 or maybe a Bonneville to replace the XS

The V11 is a very different animal compared to the vertical twins "a la Briton". If you are looking for an easy going motorcycle, a 20+ years Guzzi that has not been run for an undisclosed amount of time will take some effort to restore to that careless status.

I am saying this because the two Guzzi I purchased had most likely been ignored for some time. My V11 took some looking after before it became reliable. But once I ironed out the typical issues every V11 are known to have, it just works like clockworks. I went from 8k miles to 40k miles. I purchased the bike in December 2020, but only took possession of it in April 2021. The major part of 2021 was used to fix the odometer, the starter motor circuit.

Thereafter, it is now a Swiss army knife.

[Pressureangle]

Anybody who rode a SX650 for more than a couple seasons is probably the right guy to own a V11. For a lot of reasons...no wait, for *all* the reasons.

[docc]

11 minutes ago, Pressureangle said:

Anybody who rode a SX650 for more than a couple seasons is probably the right guy to own a V11. For a lot of reasons...no wait, for *all* the reasons.

"It Takes a Lot of Medicine to Go This Fast " . . . .       

So, @MacMcMacmac, can you get the Sport out for a ride? That Tango might just seal the deal . . .

[edit: oh, yes, yes, we are a "technical" forum. Once we get past the passion and unbridled enthusiasm.

        "Let's ask the other inmates on the ward if I should bring this orphan V11 Sport home " . . .     ]

[Pressureangle]

10 minutes ago, docc said:

"It Takes a Lot of Medicine to Go This Fast " . . . .       

So, @MacMcMacmac, can you get the Sport out for a ride? That Tango might just seal the deal . . .

Reminds me that if I come across a nice Bultaco Streaker or Metralla GTS, I'd have it.

[docc]

32 minutes ago, Pressureangle said:

Reminds me that if I come across a nice Bultaco Streaker or Metralla GTS, I'd have it.

Yet, you have an Aermacchi (and an 1100 Sport-i), already?

A.L.F.A. syndrome  . . . "Always Looking For Another" . . .

[MacMcMacmac]

Heh, my lotto car is a Montreal Green Giulia Quadrifoglio with tan leather interior.