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Oooooh, yes . . . .

Have to remind myself that the breakdown was due to my not regularly (if at all) checking the tightness of the battery terminal connections. It wasn't the bike's fault. My V11 just went over the 30,000 km mark. Low mileage but it's twenty-four years old. In the two years I've had it I've probably only done 1500 km but until the other day it hasn't let me down. Thanks again guys.

My 'Sport did exactly that twice, upon which I installed an LED voltmeter to discover that the voltage (upon recharging the battery to full) was very weak, ~13.8v, and got worse with heat and distance. The short story is the connections of the yellow leads between the stator and regulator (under the headlamp on a 1100 Sport) were fried, causing high resistance. This connection is under the tank alongside the frame. I eliminated the bullet connectors and voltage went straight back up to ~14.5v and has stayed there now for a few seasons.

You’re making this way more complicated than it has to be. Really, your gears will be way beyond buggered. A second hand box is a far easier and cheaper proposition. I’d also be very surprised if you could poke at the pinion head from behind through the level port. There’s just too much stuff in the way. The axle of the crownwheel carrier for starters.

I'm thinking he will enjoy printing it more than buying it. He has offered to print stuff for us, I just can't think of anything I need. @swooshdave, nice style...green gloves for working on the greenie.

MG Cycle Aluminum Eagle Emblem, Alternator cover, Various uses GU02517700 Part # 02517700 $18.65

You need to move the wiring from that 30A socket to a new and better socket, such as a Maxi Fuse. The original socket is not capable of enduring continuous high current. Contact resistance in the original fuse holder will melt the next 30A fuse. There are many posts about the 30-amp fuse on this site.

I hope that the Guinness is not what was leaking from the front alternator cover, although it looks suspiciously like an oil change was overdue based on the colour!

That definitely gives me an idea on a printed bracket instead of the zip tie...

Green gloves courtesy HF. #protip

@OGGUZZI, I have been thinking that it may not be the lock cylinder, but the two "catches" that hold the cap to the underside of the filler neck. In that case, I wonder if pressing down on the cap and working the cylinder repeatedly might break it loose. Or, perhaps, give the cap a gentle, but abrupt, *rap* with a rubber mallet or plastic cased deadfall hammer.

Image shows wire grooming, @sp838's 3D printed medallion, as well as zip-tie fluid and very special Cable® GuzziStuff toolbox . . .

On the Guzzi, Yes, in the Adventure Rider link in an above post they detail how to balance the throttle body, but they are one butterfly per cylinder. On the Maserati, it operates like the secondaries on a 4/2 barrel carburetor, mechanical.

I will say ,the poor battery connections were responsible for all the problems you ended up with.

How interesting...Single Throttle body with Dual throttle intakes..so there are still then essentially the same issue of balancing the cylinders throttle activity/ignition/combustion, but how do you balance the single throttle body then to compare to what, is there some other mechanical device on the bike that you hook up the manometer to that is not the throttle body itself? Thanks!

The "Werle" looks to be 15 amps (NC) and 25 amps (NO). This should be adequate for all positions and the name implies it is German and the ratings should be reliable. I did not look up that Bosch data sheet, but 10/20 rated relays should be avoided in our V11. [Note that the early V11 Sports, 1999-2001, do not benefit from the added start relay of the later V11, yet require a true High Current relay in position #1. The presently available High Current relays are linked in the "Answer" ppost on page 5, preferably the Pickers Components, yet also the CIT:

To be clear, they carry oil from inside the engine to the oil cooler hose connections on the outside of the sump ring.

A lot of relay selections will give you an amperage rating for the current carrying abilities of the contacts at the on position and off position. The relay in this application needs to be at 30a or more on both circuits. It carries the starter current when the relay is energized and the headlight current in the off position. Both these circuits are important. I assume you have installed the extra relay to energize the starter relay ? It is not hard to do and it gives you satisfaction knowing you will get the starter solenoid current off the starter button and the start relay. A quick look says , The Bosch relay has a 10a rating and the Wehrle relay has a 10/25a rating . Short answer= NO

I just finished going through having my bike quit on me 3 times during a 15 mile ride. Symptoms were the high beam indicator was stuck on and the headlight died. Opening the headlight shell showed the connector for the headlight melted a bit. A new headlight bulb and universal connector and things were fixed (less than $30 fix). The internals on the universal connector were different than stock Guzzi and my low beam switch setup is now a high beam but it works. I have a pretty blue light turned on for regular riding.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience. I don't have a definitive update but since the rectifier and battery seemed to have survived, I cleaned and tightened every connection, replaced the melted plastic blob that used to be a 30A fuse, and she started OK. I'll go for a ride after work but leave the 'rescue' equipment in the van should the Mrs need to come get me. I like the idea of a voltmeter, mentioned above. TT is now underway here. Practice week. Weather's taken a turn for the worse (as per) but it'll still be a great fortnight.

@pete roper I see what you mean. No access from the oil level port.

Forgot to mention you can disassemble the electronic fuel tap as well to clean it if needs be. Phil

Austrian, it seems. And you left out an "h". https://www.wehrle-electronics.com/?LNG=en This seems to be the closest thing to the one pictured above. Maybe a subsequent model. Unfortunately, they don't seem to provide data sheets on their site. https://www.wehrle-electronics.com/en/products/switching-relays/micro-relays/micro-relay-12v/ EDIT: I think it is worth mentioning again, that one should also pay attention to the physical size of a potential replacement relay. A while back, I did a bit of research on the topic, and discovered that they can vary in height by as much as 5 mm. . There is not much clearance between the relays and the seat. If I recall rightly, mine shows some signs of contact between the top of one of the relays and the bottom of the seat, so a relay that is higher than the ones that are in there would not be so good.

I want to have a look to see what 220 miles of riding without oil did. I have the oil fill port to check what is in the way. If I can't get it out this way, I will go back to finding a vise.

As far as I understand it, whatever the vehicle, after the petcock comes the carburettor. If there is fuel finding its way into the motor, it is not because the petcock is faulty, but rather because the carb is letting it through. Generally because the needle valve is not shutting off properly, I gather, as @Lucky Phil mentioned a couple of posts up. I reckon a visual inspection of them isn't enough to say they are ok. You don't need much wear on a sealing surface that is supposed to hold back fuel for it to not seal. Also, as far as the bike running like crap goes, if the needle valves are not sealing properly, you may have a too high fuel level in the float bowls, which can cause the bike to run rich.

Sorry, mate, that was a typo. I was interested in knowing if you can get the seat off with the rack like that.

Push it down and get the pressure off the lock and turn it to loosen it.

The OMRON we so long relied upon are NLA. The Pickers Components are presently our best option with the CIT running a close second.

Red flag 🚩 saved it for the Marquez bros, Aprilia! Zarco on the LRC Honda podiums again, plus Marc got needed points to win championship, Trifecta.

Took the carbs off (Mikuni Smoothbores - TM38-86) always ran/jetted perfectly. Only run 91 octane/non-ethanol gas. Floats weren't stuck, everything appeared ok. Dropped the oil pan, and engine oil contaminated with gas for sure. PHIL - (you and kiwi roy helped me rebuild a v11 rosso mandello years ago)I was thinking if the left side petcock is allowing fuel to bypass, would that allow the fuel to get into the engine? Could this be why the bike is running like crap? Could it be as easy as swapping to manual petcocks, changing the oil, putting the carbs back on? Know you don't have a crystal ball! Lastly, what's the best way to clean the carbs - now that I do have them off... Thanks for the help guys - sincerely appreciate. Sean

The noise is supposed to be there . Enjoy it . You do want the clearance to be loose #s.

And inspect thr wiring at the connectors. If the wiring looks burnt , it will no longer "work". Cut back until you find fresh wiring.

Rossi dished it out to many, many riders in his career in the guise of phycological warfare and questionable on track "moves" so no love lost there for me in that regard. He tried the same thing with MM but came upon a rider that was much better at it than him and he paid the price. Live by the sword and all that. Personally I like Rossi more than MM so it's just an observation to me. Not that I'm particularly enamoured with either of them in reality, lol. Phil

You have some misconceptions around an open loop EFI system operation but be that as it may, how can you even think about comparing V11 Sport mapping to a Quota map and say the differences are comical? I mean the Quota has less compression, different cam timing, smaller valves, different intake runners, a single throttle body and an entirely different exhaust. Of course the mapping will be different in many ways. Phil

Truth. Especially for our V11 charging system, in my experience. Expecting our charging system to address an AGM (specifically the Odyssey PC545) when it is (well) below the 85% charging threshold (12.65v) is like expecting your date to be happy with you out dancing if you neglected to make her happy before going out . . .

to me the tell tale was riding the bike. If it had enough power to get started, you'd think there'd be enough electrical energy to run the ignition, despite a weak battery. If the thing dies while you riding, the first thing I'd guess is the charging system, of course the battery could have shorted out or lost a cell or two, but if the battery is recharging on the bench, then it's likely the ignition system. I think there's a place in Denver that sells Ducati regulators for $75. Just my guess, since I don't claim to be a mechanic.

Also, related just to the stator wiring: when the cover is off, we should always inspect those vulnerable yellow wires and consider a fresh "zip-tie" which is the sole strain relief on this design. Be very careful with the fiber "card" this attaches to, as it also gets very brittle. I learned that black zip-ties are more durable than the lucent and best quality is worth the few extra quid (or bucks, or lire).

Was just wondering. If I swap the ht leads over would the misfire happen on the other cylinder? Proving that one of the coils is at fault?

For completeness, look carefully at where the two yellow wires are (supposed to be) attached to the windings . . .

Yes. The loose terminal clamp should well cause the battery discharge but if you’ve escaped without reg/rec damage you are very lucky.

30 amp fuse melted to a green plastic blob... More investigation underway.

Pete, thanks once again for your expert opinion. Nice to have my own thoughts confirmed. One thing though, here: The programs themselves don't do any damage. What, however, is really important is making sure both the computer and the bike don't run out of volts during the transfer. In Bernd's opinion (Beard, GuzziDiag author), it is highly unlikely that anything would go wrong if the readout process were to be interrupted. A very unlikely possibility remains. The writer process, on the other hand, dare not be interrupted. Make absolutely sure that both the computer and the bike have a solid voltage supply that is not going to go flat in the middle of the process. Ideally the computer on its mains power supply and the bike battery on a charger or similar. This advice is, incidentally, included in the instructions for using those programs. Having said that, that is not a characteristic or "weakness" peculiar to the IAW writer. It is a general rule that applies anywhere in the computer world, wherever data is being written to some form of storage. For the same reason, windows has that icon in the task bar to log out a usb stick before you remove it from the computer. If you pull it out halfway through a write, it might get bricked.

Hi guys. Thank you again for the guidance. Here's an embarrassing admission. Just looked in on the bike and noticed the battery had yet to reach full charge (Optimate connected to pigtail). Upon inspection noticed the negative terminal had become very loose. I'm now hoping that this 'Mechanic 101' error / oversight is to blame. I'll still follow your guidance as it's all learning, but I've fingers crossed for an easy fix... :-)

Thank you chaps. Monaco GP just finished so heading to the shed to follow your guidance. I did put it on charge for a while and it started fine so that was a relief. Expensive weekend. The boy's kart is in bits right now and needs parts... Thank you again. I'll just add this pic from earlier today. Met my bike's brother from another mother...

Yer battery’s gone flat because your regulator rectifier has shat itself.

You forgot the Vegemite jar full of hen's teeth, and the flying pig.

Also seeking 2Kg bag of rocking horse excrement and 12 inch length of Unicorn horn. If all three can be wrapped, along with a piece of the True Cross in the genuine Shroud of Turin so much the better……..

well hold now.... its takes all kinds, and if we were all the same it would be rather boring. and look what entertainmnet came from it all in this thread. and pretty funny, moto guzzi owners calling someone else diseased. thats a gem!

I don't know why anyone would put that much effort in and not go all the way with it. It needs much longer forks, spoke wheels with no unsightly brake rotors, and elongated shark-fin-tipped dual exhaust (preferably straight pipes without any baffles). I would also hose-clamp a couple highway pegs onto the headers.

Just a wee clarification, if I may . . . Early V11 Sports do not suffer classic Startus Interuptus like the LeMans and later variants that send the start current through through the ignition switch and back to the starter solenoid. The early V11 does benefit from a robust (true high current) micro relays, especially in Position #1/start. As do all V11 Spine Frames benefit from the high current relays, just that the later variants need the extra start relay as Kiwi_Roy has described. IIRC, someone was making a kit for this. Was it "Eastern Beaver?"