Introduction Thread

[rbt1548]

Hi all,

Just joined forum as I am thinking about getting a V11, I live in Glasgow Scotland. I have had a Guzzi before an 1978 850 Le mans, for the grand sum of £70, ok it was a burned out wreck and only an engine, gbox, frame, forks and a wheel, I totally rebuilt it but, family, one wage, 2 children, a mortgage, and a new central heating system meant it had to go many years ago.

I have just sold my BMW Rockster edition 80 due to ABS problems and it having too many electronic bits and bob that only a dealer can fix(sic), I still have a 1977 Norton Commando and a 1965 BSA A65 Lighning Clubman, both of which I have restored.

I want something a bit simpler so my thoughts went back to Guzzi's, thinking of a V11 le mans or a 1000s.

I have a number of questions on the V11 that hopefully someone can help me by answering, not sure whether to post in this introduction section or there is another section, I'll have a wee look to see where to post, ifthere isn'tanother setion I'll edit this.

Looking forward to gleaning some knowledge from the members.

Thank you

Cheers

Robert

[orangeokie]

Hi all,

Just joined forum as I am thinking about getting a V11, I live in Glasgow Scotland. I have had a Guzzi before an 1978 850 Le mans, for the grand sum of £70, ok it was a burned out wreck and only an engine, gbox, frame, forks and a wheel, I totally rebuilt it but, family, one wage, 2 children, a mortgage, and a new central heating system meant it had to go many years ago.

I have just sold my BMW Rockster edition 80 due to ABS problems and it having too many electronic bits and bob that only a dealer can fix(sic), I still have a 1977 Norton Commando and a 1965 BSA A65 Lighning Clubman, both of which I have restored.

I want something a bit simpler so my thoughts went back to Guzzi's, thinking of a V11 le mans or a 1000s.

I have a number of questions on the V11 that hopefully someone can help me by answering, not sure whether to post in this introduction section or there is another section, I'll have a wee look to see where to post, ifthere isn'tanother setion I'll edit this.

Looking forward to gleaning some knowledge from the members.

Thank you

Cheers

Robert

 

 

Welcome to the #1 V11 forum in the world. I recommend you ask your questions about the LeMans in the 24/7 forum. It gets lots of looks.

[rex007can]

Well... here we go.

About 6 years ago, I bough my very first motorcycle. It was a 1977 R60/7 that had a bunch of mods such as 800cc Juggs, different carbs, modifiet seat etc etc.

I did all the maintenance on the bike myself for those 6 years except the heavy technical stuff like rebuilding the gear box. She was old but she ran well and never left me stranded.

 

I replaced the pistons and juggs, rebuilt the carbs, changed my own tires, rebuilt and repainted the fenders, re-covered the seat, added luggage and a fairing, replaced the breather valve... heck the list goes on and on... I did a LOT.

 

But finally this summer, time caught up with me and I was no longer able to stay ahead of maintenance... 30 year old bikes need a lot of maintenance...

 

SO... I started shopping and within a few days, a dealer add for a used 2001 V11 Sport with 4500 miles on it caught my eye... hell... I totally fell in love with it. The lines and curves, the impression of power coming off that engine, all the positive articles and reviews I read online... I wanted THAT one... so I got it.

 

I was totally into this new bike! Okay... I admit it is not the best city commute bike. The drive play and engine compression is a little too abrupt, which causes too much weight on the hands in high traffic stop/go you get a lot in a big city... but as soon as you hit any open stretch of road... effortless... just beautiful.

 

And then about 3 weeks later, still getting adjusted to the new bike, on the highway in a construction zone in tight traffic, someone slammed on the brakes, the guy behind him/her rear ended him, the one behind did the same, so did the one after that and the one after that... and then there was me. Still not fully used to the 4 piston caliper dual disk stopping power... I hit the brakes a little too hard, locked the front for a fraction of a second, sent the bike into a tank slapper and eventually fell on the side and slid into the car in front of me...

 

I'd slowed down a lot by then so I didn't break any bones. Some road rash, bruises all over, a sprained knee and a gash on my thigh needing 12 stitches. I got off real cheap... lucky I didn't high-side.

 

The bike hit right in the headlight, crushed that,the instruments and the ignition switch. Also cracked the tranny's rear cover seal.

 

It's still at the shop now, I got them to repair the seal and the handlebar stopper. I'm going to replace the lights with aftermarket parts, a kit I got from Aztec8, the dials with a Koso and generic blinkers. It's going to look close to the same.

 

It's been a moth... and I miss my bike!

 

That's the story...

[Tom M]

Sorry to hear of your crash but happy that you weren't badly hurt. Have your V11 checked over very carefully before putting money into repairs. There have been many reports here of cracked timing cases and transmission castings as well as bent frames from relatively slow crashes like the one you describe. Will your insurance replace it if it's totalled?

[rex007can]

There have been many reports here of cracked timing cases and transmission castings as well as bent frames from relatively slow crashes like the one you describe. Will your insurance replace it if it's totalled?

 

No, insurance will not cover it.

I've unfortunately heard the same, that V11 don't crash well...

The dealer notified me of the small oil leak before he knew where it was coming from. Then he told me they cleaned it really well and then waited, and then looked it over closely to be sure where the leak was coming from. The rear cover is the only thing the found.

[guzzler]

Hello all,

 

I just bought a 2000 V11 sport yesterday. It has a few issues to sort out but searching this forum has been very helpful to know what to look for. Here is a picture I took last night after I got it home.

 

Nice green one mate!

Cheers guzzler.

[VNA]

I've been riding for almost four years. I started off on a Ninja 250 and purchased a 2009 Triumph Street Triple three years ago. This past year I was searching for a good candidate for a sport touring bike. Now of course, my Street Triple can do it all. After putting 53k miles on it through commuting, touring and local canyons, there's no doubt. But, I wanted to have two bikes and have a good balance between them. I wanted to find something that moved me as much as my Street Triple does. Tall order because most bikes in this category tend to be too big, bland and/or overpriced (ie Aprilia Futura, Honda VFR, Ducati ST3, BMW F800ST, etc).

 

I came across the Moto Guzzi V11 Lemans range of bikes. I had seen green sport model on the road a few years ago and thought it looked amazing. I love naked bikes and the engine configuration of the V11 is so pleasing to look at. My mechanic mentioned that he used to specialize in the V11's and he was very familiar with every aspect of the the bike. I saw a Rosso Corsa in person at Laguna Seca last year and loved the styling and design. There's only so much reading and researching you can do to get an understanding of what a bike is about. It's hard to decide on a bike without test riding it beforehand but this forum definitely helped out immensely.

 

About a couple months ago I found what seemed like a perfect Rosso Corsa listed here in the classified section. Only thing was that it was in Vancouver BC Canada and I'm in down Southern California. Initially that was a deterrent from getting it but then I realized it was a good price for a rare bike that was in great condition. After reviewing photos and video from the seller, talking to him over the phone and getting advice from my mechanic, I decided to go for it. Michalebc was great! He picked me up from the airport and even threw in a set of soft saddlebags for my journey back.

 

It was a perfect opportunity for a fly & ride. A one way ticket to Vancouver and if it all checked out, I'd ride it back down to Southern California. If not, I'd spend a day or two in Vancouver and fly back. Well, it all checked out. The timing was perfect as I missed all the rain. It was a straight shot down the 5 freeway. I left on Monday and returned on Thursday. Going through US Customs was simple since the bike originated in the US. I figured if anything was going to go wrong with the bike it would during the 1400 miles it took me to get home. I had no problems whatsoever and fell in love with it along the way.

 

The sound and feel of it is amazing. It's hard deciding which bike to ride every day. It's different in so many ways than the Street Triple. It is slightly taller but all that took was a little bit more planing on where and how I stopped. I'm actually tippy-toed on it but it hasn't been an issue. I'll most likely get the seat modified by Rich Maund. It's 100 lbs heavier than my Triumph but well balanced. It has a larger engine but less horsepower and more torque. The previous owner added bar risers and heated grips. The half fairing makes a big difference at highway speeds. The only thing I think I'll add are some hard cases.

 

My only regret is that I couldn't spend more time in Vancouver and the areas that I passed through in Washington and Oregon. I did take one unplanned detour through Wolfe Creek in Oregon so I was able to test it out on some scenic twisties. The 5 freeway wasn't bad, though. I did get caught in rush hour traffic going through Seattle. I woke up to snowflakes one morning in Northern California and got a little bit of sprinkling. It was extremely windy as I headed south of Weed, California. A lot of riding sideways. I was comfortable the whole way. Oh, and the heated grips were wonderful. I'm looking forward to many miles on my RC. I plan to go cross-country next summer. I was going to go on the Street Triple but now that I have the RC there's been a change of plans

 

It was a fun trip on a great bike

 

Ivana

[Badclassicist]

My Strange Moto Guzzi Dream

 

My name's Gideon, I live in Birmingham (the UK one: home of the people of Beorm); my wife and I both teach at the university there, although we're both in Rome for the Autumn. As you can imagine, this last bit hasn't helped banish my Guzzi cravings at all. I currently ride a yellow Suzuki TLR, which my wife has named 'Buttercup', but there is a black Guzzi V11 in Scotland that is calling to me (hi Mark!) and that I'm hoping to pick up in January once I'm back. Last night I had the strangest dream.

 

In my dream, I was looking again at the particulars the seller had posted when I saw I'd missed an important detail first time round. The Guzzi came with the official Guzzi accessory of a leather mule harness (a very nicely made piece of kit - recommend it), and a mule to tow it. It wasn't the original mule - that had died after a year - but the replacement was still going strong. I'm aware that Guzzis come with issues character, but I admit this gave me second thoughts. How was I going to get it home? Ayr to Birmingham is quite a haul, and the obvious route is by the motorway, but at mule speed that wasn't an option. Would I have to rent a special trailer?

 

And what about when I got it home? Where was I going to keep the mule? We don't have the kind of garden you could keep one in (a hedgehog maybe) and I couldn't just leave it on the street. My parents have a vegetable allotment, but they don't live locally, and an eighty-mile round trip to pick up the mule would kind of negate the whole point of better fuel economy.

 

Anyway, I've given a firm 'yes' to the bike, but I still don't know what I'm going to do about that mule.

[luhbo]

Yeah, the mule. It's always been the cause of hassle and a big selling handicap. Good to hear that they swapped to a more business oriented type of give aways now. I'm not sure whether this will help in your particular case, being a married teacher, at least it'll make it easier to shed it at your neighbours'.

BTW, are you sure the mule in your dream is not yourself?

 

 

Hubert

[stefano]

hi VNA

hope you enjoy your V11 as much as i like mine. they have a couple small issues, (they're dealt with on the forum) but on the whole, they're pretty bulletproof. mine's been anyway.

that can be pretty interesting, riding from vanc BC to So Cal late in the year. and on an unknown bike to boot.

i did kinda the same ride years ago on the beemer, sacramento to seattle on october 31. the ride up was great.

the ride back 3 days later not so much. rain mixed with snow through the siskiyou's 'til about shasta dam/redding cal. and i know what you mean about the wind between Yreka & Weed. sheesh.....

cheers, stef

[Badclassicist]

Yeah, the mule. It's always been the cause of hassle and a big selling handicap. Good to hear that they swapped to a more business oriented type of give aways now. I'm not sure whether this will help in your particular case, being a married teacher, at least it'll make it easier to shed it at your neighbours'.

BTW, are you sure the mule in your dream is not yourself?

 

 

Hubert

 

This plus leather harness could get me in a lot of trouble

[ObdewlaX]

Hello Everyone!

 

Thought I would take a moment and introduce myself. Been a member of your fine forum for a week or two and happened onto the site as a result of my search for V11 LeMans information. In about a week or so I should be the proud owner of a V11 LeMans of my very own! Pumped!

 

I currently ride an '07 BMW K12S which has been a hell of a bike! Apart from trail riding, it does everything well and makes for a fantastic hyper-sport touring machine & getting from point A to point B & back is big time fun. I graduated to the KS from an '02 K12RS which was my first bike and also a fantastic touring machine. But I made the mistake of test riding the K12S and that's all she wrote.

 

The Guzzi will be my second bike and I was inspired by my riding buddy who has a 2000 V11 Sport that's pretty sharp. Once I got interested and began poking around for information, I discovered the LeMans.

 

Anyway, glad to be here and I hope to learn a thing or two along the way.

 

Update!

 

I did get my LeMans... an '03 and I couldn't be happier.

 

[felix42o]

For your consideration as "youngest member of the board". Though she's a little short for the Buell dropped pegs, she is obviously set on riding a Guzzi as soon as her helmet fits.

Karis Michelle on her first Guzzi:

[madridpunch]

Hi All,

 

I've just come back from buying my second V11 from a dealer here in NL My new V11 .

 

I started off with Guzzis back in 1982 with a V50 Monza. All my mates at the time had Kawasaki Z650s, and they were much faster than me on the straights, and I could leave them for dead in the twisties. I crashed that one pretty hard, bought another one and put the two together to make one good one.

 

Next bike was a Norton 850 Comando, then a Moto Guzzi 1000S, then a Cagiva Raptor, then my first V11 - silver with red frame. I part exchanged that for a Griso 8V in 2008. Added a V7 Racer this June (nostaligia trip, really reminds me of the Monza), and made my stable complete with the 2006 V11 Cafe Sport this afternoon.

 

I'm British, currently living and working in Eindhoven. Just building my very first dedicated bike shed in the garden. It'll be great!

 

David

[Dazguzzi]

Hi, my name is Darryl and i have just purchased a 2004 V11 Le Mans in Black/Grey. I live in Durham, North East England and have no doubt i will visit frequently for advice. Thanks in advance

 

Cheers Darryl