My 250 mile assesment of my V11 Sport.

[Richard Z]

Its been a month since I purchased my 2004 V11 Sport naked. I purchased it new with a couple of ticks on the clock. The bike rolled 250 miles on the odometer and 2 full tanks of gas. This is my first V Twin sport bike.

 

Here it goes: It rattles and vibrates. It starts hard and waits til the end of the ride to warm up. When I give it input, it fights back. When it gives back input, its harsh and abusive. It has a mind of its own and shines when it wants too. Its like riding and fighting Rocky Balboa.

 

Bottom line: I love it. It makes me want to ride. Not cruise or be noticed. It begs for more than I can give it. It takes the confidence out of me and uses it to its own advantage. It likes to be ridden and not cruised or shown off. It eats corners and hills and doesn't brake a sweat. Nobody knows what it is and it likes it that way. It rides through traffic with pride and never looks back.

 

I won't trade it. I have a new favorite bike.... Just my

 

Richard Z.

[Guzzirider]

Moto Guzzi V11s are f*cking marvellous machines

[Ouiji Veck]

My bet is your valves are too tight.

Get off the factory specs and on the World Specs

or Raceco Specs.

Muuuch easier starting and happy motoring in general.

 

No, there's nothing like it. It's fighting you because it's

teaching you how to ride the thermals (corners) like

a Falcon instead of a spastic humming bird.

Give it another 1000mi in the sweepers...

Thats Sophia Lauren ya got there, not Brittney Spears

You think you like it now? Just wait till she finally teaches you

how to do it all night long instead of a quickie in the mens room.

Enjoy!!

 

Oh...Kansas huh? They got corners there?

[Richard Z]

There are a few corners in Kansas. Flat ones, but they are corners........

 

Richard Z.

[Van]

My bet is your valves are too tight.

Get off the factory specs and on the World Specs

or Raceco Specs.

Muuuch easier starting and happy motoring in general.

 

No, there's nothing like it. It's fighting you because it's

teaching you how to ride the thermals (corners) like

a Falcon instead of a spastic humming bird.

Give it another 1000mi in the sweepers...

Thats Sophia Lauren ya got there, not Brittney Spears

You think you like it now? Just wait till she finally teaches you

how to do it all night long instead of a quickie in the mens room.

Enjoy!!

 

Oh...Kansas huh? They got corners there?

ah, one thing though, don't let the "others" know, thn they'll all want one

Cheers

Van

[svjj]

That all sounds like my bike

[Guest iwasedsel]

My 2004 V11 Le Mans has 1500 miles. This bike is a beast, it makes her presence known, it breathes, it shakes, not to be taken for granted. It challenges me for control! I have to use my full upper body weight to make it lean in the corners.

 

I love her so bad that I hardly ride my other bike.

[Mark]

I love her so bad that I hardly ride my other bike.

 

 

I had an 04 Thruxton that I loved but crap suspension and not a lot of personality made me let her go. I'd like to know how the two bikes compare if they do at all. I've never ridden a Guzzi but that will change as soon as I can manage a test ride on one. Mark

[stormsedge]

Mine has just over 10K miles on the clock and is beginning to act like it is broken in. k

[Ouiji Veck]

I've got 27K on mine, I felt a definate loosening up, better milage,

better breathing at around 20K.......as advertised.

[VA Sean]

I don't understand this whole "I have to fight it" thing... unless you guys are joking, and I'm too much of an ingoramus to figure it out.

My bike is very smooth -- I don't have to "throw it" into corners... I just pick a line and dive in.

I'm not saying I'm a better rider than anyone here -- because I ain't!

I'm just saying this is NOT my experience with the V11.

 

[Gregg]

I have had my 2000 V11 for 17,500Km (11,000 miles) in 9 months and I am a "returned to riding after a 25 year break" mature rider. I have attended 2 Stay Upright (advanced riding courses in Australia) and am booked into another one in a weeks time - they have helped greatly to stop that "puckering" into some downhill LH corners !

I found my V11 was similar to Richard Z experience to start with initially - after a month I checked the suspension settings and set them all back to standard which made a big difference to the way it handled tight bumpy corners - worth checking that it is set up to the book as a good start point.

The next thing I played with was backing-off the steering damper notch by notch - now I ride with it at its lowest setting and have not experienced head shake as yet. This helped in slow tight corners and made it feel like it wanted to change direction more.

I have also developed a riding style which uses 3rd gear more and more in tight or unknown roads as 4th felt right but was sucking me into corners faster than I was comfortable with - 3rd was much more responsive to throttle roll-offs and counter-steering inputs.

All in all I agree that the V11 has taught me a lot and I will probably never ride "George" to his full potential but Christ it is great fun learning to ride smoothly on a bike that talks back to you !

Viva Guzzi !

[Richard Z]

I have had my 2000 V11 for 17,500Km (11,000 miles) in 9 months and I am a "returned to riding after a 25 year break" mature rider. I have attended 2 Stay Upright (advanced riding courses in Australia) and am booked into another one in a weeks time - they have helped greatly to stop that "puckering" into some downhill LH corners !

I found my V11 was similar to Richard Z experience to start with initially - after a month I checked the suspension settings and set them all back to standard which made a big difference to the way it handled tight bumpy corners - worth checking that it is set up to the book as a good start point.

The next thing I played with was backing-off the steering damper notch by notch - now I ride with it at its lowest setting and have not experienced head shake as yet. This helped in slow tight corners and made it feel like it wanted to change direction more.

I have also developed a riding style which uses 3rd gear more and more in tight or unknown roads as 4th felt right but was sucking me into corners faster than I was comfortable with - 3rd was much more responsive to throttle roll-offs and counter-steering inputs.

All in all I agree that the V11 has taught me a lot and I will probably never ride "George" to his full potential but Christ it is great fun learning to ride smoothly on a bike that talks back to you !

Viva Guzzi !

 

My thoughts exactly. After riding In-line fours for a long time, there are plenty of differences in initial feel from them to the twin. I haven't done any adjusting of the suspension. As a matter of fact I haven't even checked what the dealer or factory even set them at. None of the comments I made were bad. Its not as refined as some other bikes, but sometimes thats a good thing. It makes me want to ride and learn more. Just as I get complaciant with a bike and its characteristics is when bad things happen. I just don't see that with this bike. You have to ride this bike. I've ridden bikes that you just "flick" into a turn without hesitation. However, I've found with my sport extra effort is needed. It may be due to the degree of rake or my riding position. Being vertically challenged and small in size, it takes me more effort to enter and exit turns than my FZR1000 or GPz. I seem to focus more than I used to while riding. It might be from the accident. Spending a month in the hospital does that to you.

 

I'm sure after initail break in, complete reading of the manual and setting the bike up, I will be able to "flick" the V11 into any corner without hesitation as well.

 

Richard Z.

[Guest ratchethack]

My thoughts exactly. After riding In-line fours for a long time, there are plenty of differences in initial feel from them to the twin. I haven't done any adjusting of the suspension. As a matter of fact I haven't even checked what the dealer or factory even set them at.

"Well, THERE'S Y'ER PROBLEM!" said the blind carpenter as he picked up his hammer and saw.

 

Not that you've made any "bad" comments, Richard. Not at all, as you've pointed out. But IMHO, you oughta be making lots more "good" ones by now. . . . .

 

IMHO there aren't any "bad" handling Guzzi's, or even mediocre handling ones -- just "bad" suspension setups, and there's a heap o' those. . . . . It seems the last few years on this Forum have exposed an area that's sorely neglected, & far too often. . . .

 

One of our most revered Forum Guzzi Officionados, occasionally referred to as The Oracle of Bungendore (at least by Y'ers Truly), has often recommended suspension setup as fertile ground for the richest of Guzzi harvests -- yes, my friend, He's talking about rewards even beyond those of plumbing the donk for power peaks!! I happen to agree in spades, but that's just me.

 

May I suggest the following links for the principles behind getting the suspension properly dialed-in, an experience that I guarantee will reward you many times over. IMHO it's the best cost/benefit and smile/mile investment you can make on a V-11, even if you have to upgrade all springs (I did).

 

Oh - and if'n you've still got one, get rid of that stock-size 180 rear tire ASAP, in favor of a 170/60.

 

http://www.strappe.com/suspension.html

 

http://www.racetech.com/articles/SuspensionAndSprings.htm

 

http://www.peterverdonedesigns.com/oilheight.htm

 

Welcome, and have fun.

[Gregg]

As my Stay Upright course on 21-1 is in Canberra - just down the road from the aforementioned Mr Roper at Bugendore. I was maybe goin to see if he was in the workshop or the pub and buy him a beer and see if I could smuggle one of those sump baffle plates into my saddle bags on the way out !