general satisfaction of the V11 product

[callison]

Almost 8000 miles on my V11TT since I bought it 5 months ago. Slight seepage at rear of transmission, broken right oil cooler bracket. Strong bike, fun to ride, very reliable, sweet sound from the Mistrals. Everybody likes it. It has the usual MG FI stumble, too. Big deal, you want FI problems? Own an MG Sport 1100i, horrible FI, yet still an absolute blast to own. The California, a blast to own. The V65, well, the jury is out on that one, but it's still fun.

 

Okay, so I like my Guzzi's, warts and all. But mostly, they're as good a bike as I've ever owned and they have a lot more endurance than ANY of the others I've owned. I have 55,000 miles on the Sport 1100i and 20,000 on the California. The 1100's are all my daily commuters (the V65 is for my daughter). 55 miles every afternoon and 55 more at midnight, every workday, rain, wind, shine, fog. They can't be that bad of a bike or I'd own a car!

[al_roethlisberger]

Indeed Carl

 

To those who are tiring of the complaints, as I've mentioned before, please don't mistake my pointing out the problems I've encountered as an indictment against the V11 or MG as being awful bikes.

 

But as Jason mentioned, by the nature of discussion forums... whether electronic, or just over a beer, the topics of most interest are always the most controversial or sensational So, we're not as likely to see people posting notes saying, "Hey, just another update that my V11 is running absolutely to spec again today! I'll keep everyone posted!"

 

However, to Ivan's comment, there are some issues with the manufacturer regarding ongoing support, and repetitive failures that I think is our right to report and communicate to the manufacturer. And, we also often discuss these issues ad-nauseum at times in an attempt to find a home-grown work-around when we can't get support.

 

So, don't take all the complaints to heart as recommendations against the V11 or other MG products... Lots of products have problems, and their discussion forums will be filled with the worst and most frequent as well. It's just to be expected.

 

But as a current V11 LeMans owner, I really enjoy the bike, and don't think as-a-whole that it is much worse than other brands regarding reliability.

 

....but it could be better, and that is sometimes frustrating

 

al

[Guest John Sears]

Okay, I'll take this opportunity to report that my '01 V11 Sport with about 6000 mi on it is running very well and continues to make me grin like nothing else can, and remains my favorite bike of three that I have.

 

It's not perfect - I too have had the broken right-side oil cooler bracket and the cracked side covers, both promptly taken care of by my dealer (Moto Int'l in Seattle), and it still occasionally cuts out when I'm stopping after a good hard run, and still occasionally stumbles at idle, but those are minor annoyances that I just haven't made the time to go after yet.

 

I wish it were a perfect product, and the day may come when I'm stuck in 2nd gear or whatever a hundred miles from home, and you and Guzzi will hear from me then, but I have to say that this bike is so much fun to look at, listen to, and ride that I'm actually willing to put up with these faults and accept them as part of having a brand-new-but-still-kind-of-old-tech bike. Right now, if I could only have one motorcycle, this would have to be it!

 

Ciao,

John S.

'01 V11S

'01 Duc ST4

'74 Duc 750 Sport (For Sale, by the way... )

[RichMaund]

Most of my bikes warts were fairly easy to remove. I have NO issues now with the FI. This bike runs great! Niggling problems seem to keep popping up. In Sept. it was worn out rear wheel bearings and brake pads at only 8K miles. Now it's a ripped intake boot. New ones are on the way. Easy stuff to fix and the bike has never let me down out on the road. It's a blast to ride and makes me grin every time I get on it. I love just looking at it. It's easy to work on. The grins waaaaaay outweigh the frowns, so I keep coming back to Guzzi. My last Honda (1983 Saber 750) would get fouling in the carbs. The clutch slave cyclinder would leak when I stored it during deployments and the bike bored me. My last Yamaha (1983 Vision 550 with full fairing.) had a self destructing starter. Got so I could pull it at night in a dark parking lot in ten minutes! It's kill switch shorted and caught fire. It used to eat speedo cables. All my Japanese bikes overcharged their batteries. I used to have to add distilled water regularly to them. My last BMW (1971 R75/5.) ate it's tach and had unsolvable electrical glitches. Weak ass charging system was useless in the Winter.......

 

When I look back like that over my 12 Guzzi's and 12 "other" bikes in almost 23 years, the Guzzi's are about as reliable, much more durable and are more fun and satisfying to ride.

I think I have this flu bug beat now. I'll go for a ride in the morning!

[Orson]

11,000 KM with no problems other than a weeping oil leak from the timing chain cover. The foggy tach and the stutter in city traffic don't count

 

If they refined this bike to the limit...it would be a Honda VFR...and I don't think that's what anyone here was looking for. It seems the more a bike is refined, the more charm & character you sacrifice. I love the way the bike lurches to the right when you blip the throttle...character by the bucketful