Thunderpaugh

2002 V11 Lemans for sale; 13,500 mi.; Hepco-Becker 30-liter Jr. cases; Rich Maund gel seat; K&N; GEI relays; Michelin Pilot Road 2's; 12,000 mi service owner completed, new plugs, valve adjustment, new fuel filter, engine oil & filter, transmission oil, bevel drive oil, all synthetics; new intake manifold rubber connectors; new Odyssey battery; 3rd owner; garage kept; very good condition; location Central Virginia; $5,000. Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/112284705572841577271/2002MotoGuzziV11Lemans?authkey=Gv1sRgCJfNn8zLk-CWggE

Does anyone have a simple solution to the vapor lock problem for a 2002 V11 Lemans? This stopped me once in a 90 deg parking lot, with the bike refusing to start, getting me a trailer ride home before I figured out what was happening. The next occurance was in my garage after an hour ride on an 80 deg day. Two times in one month is too much. I'm looking for something to perhaps shield the pump and suction fuel hose from the engine heat, rather than a relocation of the pump/suction hose. Has anyone successfully tried this approach?

For my V11 Lemans, the vibration isolators for the ignition coil mounting bracket have failed. All three have sheared off the metal plates that attach it to the frame, leaving the coils and bracket and the remainder of the vibration isolators to float in the nest of hoses and wires under the tank inside the frame, and the metal plates bolted to the frame tabs. Has anyone seen this type of failure before? Can the isolators be repaired by re-adhering the metal plates to the rubber, and if so, with what adhesive? Are new isolators readily available from Guzzi dealers?

On my 2002 V11 Lemans, the cover for the fuse box indicates a 5 amp fuse in the F1 position (the one with the symbol for a diode on the cover). Installed is a 10 amp fuse. I am the third owner. I'm assuming that 5 amp is the factory size, and that the 10 amp fuse was installed by a previous owner for reasons unknown. What is the correct size fuse for this position? Is there a factory error? Is there an common issue that would encourage the installation of a 10 amp (or higher) fuse in place of the 5 amp fuise?

Does anyone have a torque value for installing the oil pressure sensor? 12mm x 1.5tpm I think.

Thanks, Pete. This is not a challenge to the function of the plate, nor to the veracity of your statements about it. I believe it works as stated. I understand how the plate would trap the oil underneath to prevent surging during hard acceleration and wheelies. On a long steep hill I understand how the oil might find its way through the holes in the plate, give sufficient duration of riding up the grade. But that is not the point. I was trying to employ the resourses of the forum and determine from knowledgeable sources if it was possible to expose the oil pick-up on a steep grade. The answer seems to be "yes, if it is steep enough" without the plate fitted, and "yes, if it is steep enough and long enough" with the plate fitted. But it is difficult for anyone to deternine what that grade is, or to advise me regarding conditions they could not remotely know about. While riding up a short but steep grade, I noticed that the oil pressure light was on. (Visiting in the hills of upper East Tennesse, in very wet conditions). After making a turn onto level ground, the light flickered and started to dim. Subsequent erratic behaviour of the oil pressure light, followed by normal light behavior, and then quickly followed by the total faliure of the oil pressure sensor's electrical function led me to conclude that what I experienced on the run up the grade was the oil pressure switch begining to fail, and which maybe was exacerbated by moisture comtamination from the torrential downpour I rode through. But I was still left with the unsettling feeling that that short, slow run up the steep grade could have also exposed the oil pickup, loosing oil pressure in the process, and that the crank bearings took a hit, hence the flickering and lazy oil pressure light behavior. How likely is it that the oil pressure light coming on during the run up the grade was due to both oil starvation (which is questionable and uncertain at this point) and oil pressure sensor failure (which certainaly did occur)?? I have noted your remarks elsewhere that damage to the crankshaft bearings begins with any loss of oil pressure. The light was on for a short period, seconds, but long enough in my opinion for damage to occur, if that's what was happening. However, the bike runs fine, and strong, and there are no unusual noises coming from the crankcase, and no unusual vibrations. Now it seems very unlikely that there was oil starvation due to the steep grade. I was simply trying to find out if it was possible, and if so, how probable, that oil starvation occured, before I take the time and trouble to test the oil pressure to see if I can determine if the is any damage to the crank bearings, or to just remove the rod caps to have a look at the big end shells and rod journal, or maybe both. At this point I am feeling that what I experienced was simply an oil pressure sensor failure. And a hefty dose of paranoia. Thanks, everybody, for all the comments and insights.

How 'bout accending a San Francisco-style grade about 0.1 mile long, with a 1/2 San Francisco style-grade approach about 0.1 mile long @ a steady 30-40 mph (no acceleration).

Pete Roper. I've read most all the threads about the Roper Plate. Tell me if the following is true. The plate is a windage tray that allows the sump to be filled with oil to a level higher than manfuacturer's specifications to prevent the oil pick-up tube from being exposed during hard acceleration, wheelies, (and maybe steep hills that Pierre thinks would require knobbies, or as you suggested, steep hills with a turn to the left while under acceleration), which tray prevents the overfill from being discharged through the crankcase breather, and maybe into the air filter. No doubt that it works, just trying to sort out the logic and design intent behind it. Anybody else have an opinion?

I would like to hear comments and technical opinions about the possibility of exposing the oil pick-up while assending a steep grade. Assume that the oil level in the crankcase is at the high mark on the dipstick with the dipstick screwed in and the bike on level ground and upright. What degree of grade would cause the oil pick-up to be exposed and result in the loss of oil pressure?

Does anybody know what the normal oil pressure is for the V11, hot and cold?

I'm looking for someone close to central Virginia that has a MG Ti system installed on a V11 Lemans, Sport, etc, that I could hear. I'm interested in the sound quality and the loudness level. Any comments or opinions, however subjective, on the sound and loudness, would be welcomed and appreciated.

Does anyone know of a repair for the apparently common problem of the bubbling or flaking crinkle coating paint on the engine cases of some of the '02 models? This would be a repair with the engine still in the bike, and not removing the engine, or dissambling it to re-paint. I heard a causal reference made to a paint made or sold by Harley Davidson that is being use to fix the flaking problem on Guzzi engine cases. Can someone verify this is true, and if so, provide details how to do it, or how it should be done. Or has anyone done it, and what were the results? Has anyone tried to repair the paint by any method? What works and what doesn't? All in all, what is the general consensus about the engine case paint problem, and how does it affect the value of the bike?