V11 Sounds Questions and Ground Question

[Guest MikeC]

Hey all,

 

I said in my intro I will have questions.

 

Getting in tune to the sounds and need to know what is normal for a 2000 V11. I noticed something different from my 2002 California Special Sport.

 

When the V11 is at idle in neutral there is a knockng sound coming from I think around the tranny/clutch area, when I rev the engine a little it seems to get quiet. Also when I pull in the clutch it goes away. Is this normal because my other Guzzi does not have this sound. I know the transmissions are different that is why i'm asking.

 

Now to the Ground ??.

 

Something strange happened right at the end of my ride. I noticed the tach was not working and the road up ahead was dark.

 

The headlight, tach itself not the light in the tach and the brake lights were not working but the running lights and blinkers were OK.

 

Checked the fuses and all was OK. My daughter tapped the headlight and everything worked then stopped again. I started to tap and giggle items up front and everything worked and right now is still working regardless of what I giggle and tap. I guess this is good. Any suggestions. I was going to check all the grounds and connections up front on the bike.

 

I also noticed when I start the bike the headlight dims to almost being out then gets bright as soon as the engine kicks in. Is this normal for a V11?

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[Steve G.]

With regard to the rattling going on at idle, it is normal for a non-California/Quota bike. The flywheel is much lighter, to allow the engine to rev up quicker, but at idle the lack of flywheel allows the engine to acellerate and decelerate very quickly,allowing the gear box gear clusters to do the same, which as you can imagine causes a rattling. No worries mate.

With regard to the headlight/tachometer working odly or not at all, simply take the seat off, fire the bike up, and tap relay # 2 from the front, and everything should work well again. This relays location is perhaps the highest taxed relay location, as it has to switch the headlight, tachometer, and most notably, the charging system! My 01' still has issues with this, and am about to ask the lads who are better than this than me, to dig into the forum's archives to find the name of the place which sells those high amperage replacement relays to replace the junk Seimens units your bike and mine have.

Ciao, Steve G.

[dlaing]

Here is my rant on the relays:

http://www.guzzitech.com/RelayFailures-David_L.html

You can get a GEI relay here

http://www.dpguzzi.com/relay.htm

The GEI is rated for more Amps than any other relay that fits our relay sockets, and the one that I used to replace my Bosch relays that were failing frequently, has lasted well over a year.

I frequently ride with the highbeam flasher held down with the low beam on. This puts a stress on the relay, but the GEI has endured my abuse. Also blasting the horn puts a strain on it, but I don't use my horn very often.

The GEI is made in China, so some prefer not to buy it.

If you do not buy the GEI, than in my opinion you should install seperate headlight relays(this has the added benefit of brightening your headlights).

You can find other relay options here

http://www.guzzitech.com/Relays.html

Welcome to the board!

[jrt]

I believe the tach is grounded through the case. If the mounting button is corroded- no ground. Do a search as I believe Carl Allison has written something up on it.

 

The Sport makes more clutch noise than the California models. Like the Cali's- don't pull in the clutch at idle. It's bad for the clutch, the gears, etc.