Leaderboard

Beautiful round barrels on this early V7

While in the "Romance Languages" the gender is preselected, "American English" is neutral gender. (I cannot speak for our broader English speaking brothers as we are "separated by a common language." ) Yet, as gender pertains to the animism of machines, my motorcycles are decidedly feminine. How could I know? Their beauty and allure? Their vexing way of engaging me in their ways? My inexplicable devotion and unfettered desire to be with them? Bikes aren't chick magnets. They're dude magnets. I'm pretty well stuck to mine. On the other hand, my tractors and trucks are masculine things. They have scars, and deference, and a certain willingness to serve at their expense. My ///M roadster? She confuses me. I parked her ass-end over a curb today, badly. She seemed to say, "Whatever. Just don't do it again." Is "CowGirl" a special gender?

"bye ..... next!"

In my experience, motorcycles never were chick magnets; or let me rephrase this and be more specific. In Europe, I used to go to discotheques on my motorbike. I changed before getting close to the bouncers at the entrance. My friends had cars. I quickly discovered a few inconveniences; when you hook up in the club, having a conversation in a quiet place does not translate well when you are with your motorbike.... also, none of the ladies otherwise interested in knowing me better liked that I only had a motorcycle as a mean of transportation. Apparently those expensive hair styling were more important; but it is not my fault if they forget to put on warm clothing in winter, going to a club. Which was pretty good for my wallet anyway....

Okay FreyZI, Now we reveal their names? The V7 is Bridget: the ingenue/cheerleader, perky, fun The V11 is Betty: the serious keeper, you'd go to war with her Think what our wives therapists could do with this thread.

I'd leave it alone .

If you don't have a Voltage reference to the regulator the regulator cannot turn the charging light ON and neither can it turn on the SCRs to charge the battery, Check the black wire of the black / white pair, should be 12 Volts with the ignition ON The Black wire plugs into the female of the M/FM pair, its Red/Black on the loom side, connects to the headlight circuit downstream of the headlight relay, its actually soldered to the headlight feed under the tank. The Male pin on the loom side goes to the charge light, the light will turn on if you ground that pin. The light gets +12 Volts from the same wire that powers up the Tachometer. There are quite a few variations on the wiring but this is always the case, if you are looking at the M/FM connector on the loom side the Female should show the battery Voltage when the key is On (without this the regulator cannot work) the Male should also show the battery Voltage but if you touch it to chassis the charge light will turn On. Make sure the regulator case is well grounded to the engine, don't rely on the black wire that goes all the way back to the battery, its just a token ground.

Tim, thanks for the topic links. I do get the impression from poking around this forum that this is a fairly dedicated and knowledgeable group, with out all the BS’ing around. I like it. As far as tackeling various tasks it sounds like you’re on the right track. Do the research and take your time. And, help or moral support or both aren’t far away. I’m looking forward to participating, for sure.

This one has a bracket fitted Cheers Tom.

Yes docc, brings a big smile just looking and think about it. Turning angle ain’t much, and what degrees ?, but can’t wait to check out her behavior in the mountains. Snowing outside right now. Cheers Tom.

My V11, she's my Green Goddess. And when I'm with her I feel like a god! Goddamn these are great bikes!

Been curious on Dynotech.de for years. So came back this morning after 3 days in Germany with a 99 hot rod [emoji16]. 1200ccm, at least the bench papers says 108 hp. Will find out in about 65 days. First owner spend close to 40k € on the bike [emoji85], good for me, 2 owners. Got all the reciepts. Cute little thing. Original color is Legnano green. Defnetly a good friday here [emoji482]. Cheers Tom. Sent fra min SM-A525F via Tapatalk

Motorcycles don't attract women, they screen out the unworthy ones.

I believe there is a masochistic streak to own one. But I got into it innocently. I wanted a two up bike with bags on it, I noticed that I could get an EV for about $4k (2007 dollars) vs $6k for a used Japanese cruiser or $10k for a Harley. The local mechanic said they were pretty "sporty" and he could work on it. Bought that bike and really enjoyed the ride and handling despite that it only has 60HP (69K miles on it now). Then I went to the Guzzi National Salida CO and saw a Greenie and wanted one until I got one. Again, I like the feel and handling and the power curve makes up for any HP deficit (48k miles now). Then I got a Ducati (22k miles now). Same deal, I like the feel and handling, there's something about Italian bikes that fit me. Unlike my Guzzis, so far the Duc has been totally reliable although major service at 18k wasn't cheap and I've been through a boat load of tires. Of course the Duc is much newer and doesn't have near the mileage.

^^^^ Guzzi Bob was my riding buddy for years. We have been all over southern and central California on some epic rides. The first thing I'd do when we went out to SoCal is prep the bike, give him a call, and we'd meet up. Going to Redondo Beach just isn't the same any more.. Ride on, brother..

Got the freshly painted tank and fly screen back this afternoon. I’m happy, both to have it done and with the results. As known, the paint is tricky to match, not being a basic color, so i was only cautiously optimistic about how it would turn out, and I’d say it met or slightly exceeded my expectations, and is a “win” overall. When turning the newly painted tank, or the old side covers, at different angles in different light you get a real different look to the paint, part of what makes it neat, and hard to match. As noted earlier, the side covers i bought used and have some UV aging, the pilion cover and fenders are stock on my bike but were exposed to more UV and other bad things than they should have been, and now the tank and fly screen are new paint. They all match nicely, especially when considering all that. I’ll post the paint code for anyone interested. But first some pics (apparently i still haven’t figured out the proper way to post pics… but here we go:) Notice how even the pics look different, in the same place with same light but taken at different angles.

I did the same as Tom; added terminal blocks. A jumper goes to each battery terminal, so there are only 2 connections to each battery terminal.

12V planet.uk has som sturdy connectors, sure to be found elsewhere to. Cheers Tom. Sent fra min SM-A525F via Tapatalk

I have (had) all three: women, men, and neutral. The first two are BMWs and ladies: Ada (R1200R) and Brunhilde (R1100RL). Ada is nimble and quick. Brunhilda is a mother, carrying her one-wheeled cub on her right. And then third Beemer (F800GS) is a dude, Carl. I think there was a bit of a leap in finding that the F8 was male, to wit, getting past the idea of straddling and gripping a male. Out in the wilderness riding the rough stuff and getting dirty, though, I want to be with a dependable, rugged buddy, not a lady. So, Carl. Interestingly, the Italian beauty in the fleet is just "the Tenni" or "the Goose" or "the Green Goose". And the V1000 is "the Popemobile" or "the Rototiller". Both genderless. Just MACHINES. Maybe there's some grace in that: synergy between rider and machine; no need to personify. Well, with the V11 at least. The V1000 might as well be a tractor... Cheers, Frey

I can no longer react today.... We should start our own photo shoot with "normal" ladies and our own motorbikes? I am going to go to Galveston today, they are having their Mardi Gras celebration, and I know there are plenty of ladies willing to pose. Unfortunately, my Le Mans is still at the hospital. So we should post our own pics with whoever we find along the path.

On the 2002 Le Mans, yes!

Just installed a KiwiRoy auxiliary-high-current-fabadoo relay! Works a dream, thanks Roy. Starting troubles be gone damn you! One particularly nice touch was that wee unused bracket sited next to the ecu proved to be a perfect place to attach the relay- it just, only just has enough clearance for the seat base. Without this, I couldn’t see an alternative handy place- there’s not a deal of room under there. One particularly irritating point is having 4000 wires hooked up to the battery.

ATGATT?! My oh!

And also that the Workshop Manual states that 111111 is the first V11 built, meaning that this special V11 is #223 built. Fascinating!!

SHE . Cheers Tom.

I learned on, and took, my ‘big’ licence on a school’s Fazer 600. I was riding a cheapo, learner 125 single at the time and even though the 600 had the power i realised i enjoyed riding the single home after lessons more. It was the sound. That beat of the engine thudding away gave me a proper grin. After i got my licence i bought a w650 cos i knew i wouldn’t love a multi and i loved the ace styling. It was a superb bike and, in retrospect, perfect for a new rider. At the time there was an excellent forum for the model too. Eventually i crashed her by opening the throttle too soon on a wet and sharp bend that had tram tracks- awful road condition combo but a good lesson. So what to buy next? Always loved the first gen speed triple 900’s, and Aprilia Falcos looked funky…. Came very close to buying a trx850 (still want one) then i was re-reading an old 1999 issue of Ride magazine which had a tiny article on weird Italian bike. I think it only had 1 photo of the bike- oddball green colour, loved the styling, and it was a twin. I’m possibly a tad vain when it comes to bikes- styling and noise come first for me, couldn’t give 2 hoots about performance really. V11’s look damn fine. And with the right pipings sound perfect- booming at low revs and snarling more and more as you open it up. Perfect.

Simple enough to check the voltage on the yellow stator wires. The Workshop Manual says the AC voltage between the two yellow wires should be 15vAC at 1000 rpm, 40vAC at 3000, and 80vAC at 6000rpm.

The best of the last of the analog bikes. Also, Guzzis seem female to me. In the good way. They look good, they sound good, they require and respond to attention. Etc. BMWs always felt male, like, let's go drink fifty beers. English and Japanese bikes never struck me either way.

The 'Fabled' power wheelie is fucking effortless on that thing. In first or second. If I play my cards right I can do the same in first on my Griso with at least +15 hp and more torque everywhere. I can clutch the G up in second and even third with serious abuse but I don't do that shit much any more. The Mighty Scura would pop up with no clutch in either of the lower two and not much more than a stroke in third if approached in anger. It is a stupidly, stupidly fun motorbike. If I ever get back to the US I'd be willing to beg the current owner for a short ride just to get that shit-eating grin again! Blasting across the west Texas deserts with Sean on his Coppa with the tacho showing 7,000 for hours was a blast. Even though it was hotter than hades and when we stopped for fuel we'd fill our riding gear with ice to cool down. By the time we stopped again two hours later we'd be bone dry again. Fabulous times.... Fabulous bike!

This is because they can see you already have a gorgeous, and willing, dancing partner.

Something to soothe our Kentucky brother. Nothing says, "Don't take life too seriously" like a kazoo in the band . . .

Here she is, Chuck:

When I first saw a Guzzi, I liked it's design. Two cylinders angled out into the airstream. Equal cooling on the hot side of each cylinder head. No shared cyl wall like many twins, no rear cyl running hotter like HD & Ducati. Like a BMW twin, but cooler looking, with more ground clearance. Shaft drive. Less mess and less maintenance (or so I thought then). Dry clutch. Oil on a friction surface just seems wrong to me, and oil for engines and gearboxes should be different. Those features are no longer so important in modern bikes, but I still love the character and soul of the bike. It feels alive. I took a Triumph Bonneville for a blast, and nearly died of boredom (unlike the Thruxton R). I don't feel that way on a V11. Also I like how there are not many on the road.

Huh? Why? SEX of course! This exact Classic shot initially hooked me… after having been psychologically primed by following events… Recently returned from my older brother’s funeral - he was the good, sensible, clean living one. Dead at fifty - stomach cancer. Dirt bikes busted my teen bones, family urged ‘keep off ‘em - you’re gonna kill yourself’! So after my brother, with a GS mate goading ‘get back in the saddle’ - I couldn’t see the point preserving my skin just for bloody cancer or some-such to do me down. From the (then) new V7 - googled older Guzzi’s, & came across the V11… Damn! Smitten on ‘puter looks alone! Tracked my Scura R down on the Isle of Man - it’s delivery was the first V11 I’d ever seen - in all her voluptuous flesh! Like a well-thumbed Penthouse centrefold vision rolling down the ramp - a slightly breathless moment & I’ve never tired of riding her since! Mae West said it best. “Sex is emotion in motion.” 👍😎

Wonderful responses above. An introspective question for sure. Although I recall admiring the brand from a distance, I didn't know much about Guzzis. They seemed expensive, had a poor dealer network, and had a spotty reputation for reliability as far as I recalled. That all changed in 2010 when I bumbled into AF1 Racing in Austin, TX. The shop was magic. They had Guzzis, Aprilias and a wide range of Vespas. Somehow, there was a leftover, fresh-from-the crate 2007 Griso on the sales floor. Red of course. They also had a Griso demo bike. Jon encouraged me to take the demo bike for a test ride and I was hooked shortly after shifting out of the parking lot. It was the most glorious, visceral, connected bike I had ever ridden. The sound, the vibes, the agricultural shifting - it was all perfect. I even remember how good the bike smelled...Yes, they even have an aroma. Until then, I had owned several Hinckley Triumphs and a handful of UJMs. NOTHING created emotion like that Griso. Upon return to the dealer, I promptly sealed a deal on the leftover 07'. I kept it for a few years, mistakenly sold it to a gentleman in TN, experienced dreadful regret each time I went to my garage, then purchased a 2017 Griso in 2018, and vowed to never again be without a big bore Guzzi. I found my V11 2 years ago and can't imagine selling either bike. It's an ideal stablemate for the Griso. Other bikes come and go routinely in my life but the Guzzis stay. They're special machines that create an emotional bond that I've never experienced with any other vehicle.

How could any true Motor head NOT want to own an Motorcycle called a "Guzzi"?

If the thread title is "multiple choice" . . . c. I'm odd.

I own one because I'm into self flagellation. Ciao

Yes.

Psychology of a moto-enthusiast is a daring subject. As a life long rider I will say that I had ZERO interest in Guzzi until 2002 when I saw the Tenni in the flesh. At that moment I knew that all other mfg's had abandoned me. But they say love is a convergence of chemistry and timing, and the door of Zen opened wide for me. kensho - seeing into ones true nature. So yeah, ... I'm odd.

I had a bad experience with chain drive. I had a bad experience with radiators. I found inline fours expensive to service. The BT1100 bulldog didn't have the ground clearance. The BMW boxers had moved away from oil based paint and mine was desolving beneath me. I saw a year old low mileage V11 at a good price and decided to give it a try. That was May 2004. I am still testing it.

Well you could try a 7/64 allan key which is a fraction smaller than a 3m or you could apply some corse water based valve grinding paste to the 2.5 key tip to give it some grip. Note water based not oil based grinding paste. Available at any auto spares store. Ciao

True, although there's a more optimistic possibility. Moto Guzzi may wish that old V11s are scrapped, so you can buy their latest model, but if customer demand is sufficient, some aftermarket vendor will organize a fresh production run. We see this with some vintage car parts. And V11 gearbox springs. And Roper plates... Maybe soon Brembo 16mm brake master cylinder kits.

Still a good question. I wonder if this tidbit* of info may help: Having waited three months for the Harper order to ship, I placed an order with MGCyce and they shipped the next day. They'll be here today. *What I noticed is that MGCycle has the original part (01114300) superseded with 01114390. As to the point, I have to think that we will continue to see increasing numbers of V11 parts become No Longer Available. Very common with 20+ year old motorcycles (and cars), especially rubber parts that suffer not only from use, but heat, UV, and time (oxidation/ hardening). For those of us committed to keeping and maintaining these fabulous V11, it seems prudent to have spare intake boots sealed in a bag and stored in a cool, dry, dark place.

Also, in the USA, what about CadreCycle in Cincinnati , Ohio? https://cadrecycle.com/

https://www.af1racing.com/OEM-Moto-Guzzi-Intake-Manifold-Hose-GU03114370 https://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=94 so?

A Monza is like that.. and you look cool doing it.