Leaderboard

It is so. My late, lamented, and lost-to-me Ballabio I bought while Kathi was getting her master’s in Boston. I did not tell her. It seemed the safest thing to do. That was error. I promised not to do that again. So, as she is in George just now, I thought it prudent to mention all of this to her on the telephone this morning. She used her well-honed wife, and middle school teacher skills to say that I “should do it if I feel it right.” Men married more than a day or two see the trap there. But I am musing about it. The reality is that I am so smitten by my V 85 and pleased with my Stornello and EV, all three of the present occupants of the Moto Grappa, that it is difficult rationally to justify such a purchase now. At 78 next month, I’m not sure that I want Kathi and my executor to go through anytime soon what the OP is just now. Yes, I can see what I’m doing up above, and it’s not working. Lord, that’s a sweet machine. Bill

Look at it this way: you got the bike cheap, so you've got some room to spend a bit on getting it how you want it. Good luck with your search. PS: welcome to the forum.

I've been in your situation and the answer is keep them in the house. I had the MV Agusta in the lounge room behind the sofa and the Ducati1000ss in the dining room. No smells or leaks, all good. Every girlfriend I had at the time ( I was single and in my late 40's early 50's and there were a few) would shriek in horror when they first saw them in the house and then just ended up forgetting they were there after a few sleepovers. I used to tell them consider them Kinetic art. Once people get over the initial "motorbikes shouldn't be in the house" mantra then they just become an accepted part of the furniture. I'd actually prefer them not in the house only because they do actually just become part of the furniture you are so used to them being there and they lose a bit of their "specialness". You don't realise how lovely a 2005 MV1000 is until you haven't looked at it for a while when it's been under the bike cover. Phil

Greetings folks.I wanted to see if any of you have a pair of aftermarket mufflers laying around collecting dust.I am still debating buying new ones but they are quite expensive considering i paid $2500 for the entire bike.I have been scouring the classifieds and ebay with no luck thus far.Great forum,i have enjoyed reading all that i can regarding these machines .Best regards

Such a very nice V11! And a very thorough walk-around video, @Steve54296. Complete with the wife weeding the garden at 1:22 (let's not tell her . . . ) We do have a longtime member who has a place for this (in his heart and in his garage). I'm not naming any names, but his initials are @Bill Hagan . . .

...and what is the penalty for cancelling an auction? Might be worth it. I just read through the BAT comments. They seem like reasonable questions. Tires absolutely should be replaced before riding. Brake fluid, despite looking good, can absorb water over time, and should be flushed every few years whether the bike gets used or not. And... It's not a motorcycle in the house, it's a connection to your dad. Add in a couple months of core exercises to strengthen that back, and you're riding. That Falcone looks lovely. Maybe you should keep that one. Talk about art in the house...

Even if it was a genuine Surflex response I’d be wary. The Surflex plate splineform are wrong and their hardening, at least on the twin plate plates, which I would imagine would use the same centres as the single plate, have for years, nay decades, been woefully poorly hardened leading to the splines chopping out in short order. I can provide plenty of photographic proof if needs be but it would be a chore to find and I can’t be bothered. Anyway, simply a word of warning from long experience. I’d rather trepan myself with a butter knife than use them in one of my bikes…….

Yes, I’ve read a fair amount about the V11 on here. The Italians definitely take a different path to engineering, than the Japanese. But, if a guy goes into it understanding that, you’ll get character out of this bike, that the Japanese bikes just can’t match! That’s my take on it.

Just watched the walk around video. It looks great. Red, as good as new, Italian exotica for $5000. A bargain, even if ownership is a character and knowledge building experience. When you look at 4 wheeled Italian offerings, which take a whole lot more expense and maintenance, a V11 is a cheap entry into the visceral joys of Italian sporting machinery.

Noted. Thanks for the info. No rust, just clutch dust and a little oil, probably from either the bottom of the breather hose/tube or the Welch plug (or whatever term preferred) for the cam. Clutch dust and oil makes for a pretty strong bond. I am going to paint the seam on the plug with 3 coats of Glyptal Red. Put some vw silicone sealant (they make a pretty good product $$$) on the breather tube gasket and look for a better clamp to the breather hose. Follow some of the other points in Docc's thread. I don't see the point in changing seals at 10K miles, even if it's getting up in years, they all look good. I put sealant on the 2 lower bolts on the crank flange. They were dry and had been factory-treated with some sort of sealant that was a mix between glue and bubblegum.

Is that a fibre plate or one of the bronze ‘Racing’ plates? 10k strikes me as a ridiculously short clutch life for anything but the most extreme racing situations!

I had a stop watch on you Pete! Your views on Surflex are well understood. I have 10K miles on my single plate Surflex and it has 1/2 life left, and I like to rip with the best of them. That is not uncommon wear from what I have read others report. That's why we have Ford v. Ferrari; It makes the world go 'round. I have no financial interest in Surflex. I am not sure that all the swap-out proponents can say the same about the products they are standing behind....just sayin'

Not sure? In case anyone is interested, I could be well into the minority on this one, Surflex is going to restart production of the original clutch plate for the single plate V11 clutch. Moto Guzzi part number GU 01081940. Contrary to what I had read else where, this is Surflex part number 83 M 1. Production is to begin week 29, 2025. The notched version of that plate, Surflex 83 M 4, will be produced in 2026, no specific date given. Price is 120 euro plus shipping and handling. They are currently taking orders. They returned my email on a Saturday so, I am almost positive it's a scam. If anyone is interested go to the Surflex website and send an email to their contact email address requesting information. English language is fine. If this needs to be moved elsewhere, please feel free.

I’m not a pushover, and I’m the man of the house…but, that being said, I also don’t want my wife to murder me🤣. Bringing motorcycles in the house would be a one way ticket straight to the wood chipper! 🤣

I’ll check that out. Thanks! Appreciated! Who knows if my dad ever even had the bike setup, or if he ever did any adjustments, since it got shipped over from Italy? I am guessing not. There are no service records of any adjustments or service: which, at 507 miles, it wasn’t ever really due for any service. I’ll probably just swap all the fluids, before the auction is over: I already changed the oil/ filter, and put in a new battery, but now people in the comments on BaT are freaking out about the brake fluid. I really don’t like BaT, because not only do the auctioneers use overly aggressive language when describing the bike, but then a bunch of trolls end up entering the auction comments, who probably have no actual interest in the bike, and only have the objective of sowing fear and doubt in the bike. Not sure why they get their rocks off doing that, but I guess I’m the stupid one, listing the Ballabio there, when I already had a bad experience with the Falcone.

Make sure the shift lever is not fouling the "porkchop" on the side of the frame. The lever does appear that it is adjusted fairly far down.

And thanks @Pressureangle, I will get the injectors serviced at next opportunity when can have the bike down without affecting my riding plans, just to ensure there are no hidden issues. There are several companies that service gas fuel injectors here in the Vancouver area.

The loudest clutch I've ever heard is in my '74 Aermacchi/HD Sprint 350 after venting the clutch cover.

Got an official Pete Roper slosh plate?

Ha, yes, I had ridden the Ballabio, right after I had ridden my dad’s BMW R1200RT(which I just sold), so we are talking going from a bike where the Germans did every thing they could do to engineer the character out of the ride, to an Italian bike with lots of character! I also noticed the Ballabio was a little difficult to kick down into first gear, so not sure if that’s typical, or if there’s something I could do to improve that.

If that is still worrying you, I'd suggest you go and listen to a Ducati with a super-trick carbon fibre open clutch cover. After that, you will never, ever worry about the rattly noises from a Guzzi clutch. Think very, very hard about which of your mates have a big garage and owe you a favour.

In addition to the rear main, there are two gaskets, the cam "bung", and the two bolts at the bottom of the main carrier that need sealing. Then two on the gearbox and one that I am forgetting....

It always helps if you load on the hyperbole in your ad. "Amazing" "Fantastic" "Time Capsule" etc. etc. etc.

Thank you! I guess, per Bring a Trailer’s policy, I can’t sell directly on here, as of 30 minutes ago, but thank you for the info! I think if BaT hits around the $5K mark, I won’t be ecstatic, but I’ll be satisfied with that. If it hits the $6K-$7K mark, because of the extremely low miles, I could see that as being within the ballpark, for the right person, too, just because it’s basically new. If it’s around the $3K-$4K mark, I’ll feel like I made a huge mistake with no reserve on BaT.

Hi there. New to the forum! Long story, but I’ll try to keep it short. My father passed away recently, and I am attempting to sell a 2004 Ballabio, for my mom. The reason I bring that up, is that is the reason it has such low miles. He was in poor health for many years, and just wasn’t able to ride it. My auction is going live on Bring a Trailer, 2:40 pm Central time US, today, and they kind of pushed me into ‘No Reserve’. But…I had just tried his 1953 Falcone on Bring a Trailer, and I wasn’t happy with the result. The high bid was only $7,100, and didn’t come close to my reserve. That being said, I’m getting nervous about this auction, that someone will get it for pennies on the dollar of what it’s worth, without having a reserve. Does anyone want to make me an offer, before this thing goes live? I have a number in mind. Once the auction goes live, I’ll pull this post down, because I guess I’m a good guy, and will follow their policy, and go through with the auction. It’s in pretty immaculate condition, save a few tiny rock chips, some fine scratches on the exhaust, and a small scratch on the front fender. It was kept in an unfinished, walkout basement. It’s located in MN.

Mistral cans are almost mandatory to let her sing...... Just sayin

Yeh, does not stand the test of time. BTW your electronic cleaner trick works like a charm. Good find.

(Italian) glue + bubblegum = olive oil Pretty sticky. Until the first time it heats up . . .

I won’t be one to change your mind! If anything, I think it’s more slanted towards trying to submarine items. The auctioneers write the listings, but they leave out all the pertinent qualifiers, like, “minor”, or “occasional”. So, with the Falcone, what started out as “occasional oil drip”, and “minor pitting”, turned into, “engine leaks oil”, and “exhaust is pitted”. Then, like with the Ballabio, once the auction is up and rolling, the trolls show up, to basically make the thing sound like it’s ready for the scrap yard. I understand sellers will often fluff up an item, or leave things out, but with BaT, if a guy goes into it honestly, it ends up not just leaving the fluff out, but it turns into a bash session. There are ways to ask honest questions about things that could be concerns, without presuming the thing is ready for the scrapyard.

Ha, that was my mom! I think you just made her day with a drastic underestimation on her age, even if it does require an incestuous path to reach that estimation🤣

Yeah, I’ll do the brake fluid, but from everything I’ve seen in my 27 years of working on cars, is it’s hot/cold cycles, that really beats up the brake fluid, or if something is stored outside. This bike rarely saw a humidity over 50%. The comment that irked me, wasn’t necessarily that one, it was the one that presumed that the fuel was gummed up, the seals were all dried out, the tires were shot, and the bike is basically scrap, at this point. While those are legitimate concerns of long term storage, there was a certain amount of presumption in his post, without even asking how the bike may have been kept up with, while in storage. He basically said this, without saying it, “this bike is junk”. And I agree if the intention is to hop on it, and slam the bike into corners at 120 mph, the first thing I’d do is get new tires. But, that being said, for normal riding, these tires still have a very sticky, gummy feel to them. But, I guess I’ve lived my life working on cars, and pushing things to their limits, before their replacement, so I’ve learned where the limits are..so I go more by experience, rather than some arbitrary “should be replaced” mantra…unless, like I said, my intention was to buy the bike, and immediately slam it into hard corners.

The proper term is "stuck". You can clean all of this off w/a Roloc disc and get a smooth surface. Spray Brake-Kleen on everything to get the rust and dust off all the metal parts. Also , spray dry film graphite on all metal splines to ensure smooth operation and keep things from rusting.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2014-moto-guzzi-v11-sport-ballabio/

I've been following V11 prices for a while and have bought and sold a few myself. There was recently a Houston Ballabio for sale like yours with low mileage, but it was pristine showroom condition. It was listed quite a while for over 8K. It finally sold, but no clue what for. I think I could be happy with 5-6k in my pocket. IDK what BaT does for commission, but that would be my target for your bike with no maintainenance for years and some cosmetic damage. Now if it was a greenie...

Well...to be fair, could have been my badly angled wrists leaning over the tools I should have put away while the lift is at full height.

I can't say I've noticed that, but you could have a look at what @Lucky Phil wrote here. I haven't done it (yet), but it all seems plausible to me. I've got all the bits. Just waiting for the round tuit.

What? They're out of round? I'm shocked and dismayed!!!

The sad truth is the V11 series aren't worth much these days in terms of dollars. I have no idea why when you look at what people are asking for old T5's that have been converted into Cafe racers and other old butchered Guzzis. Its a mystery to me honestly. As we all know the value is decided by the buyer not the seller so personally if I didn't need the money I'd just store it or use it and see what the future holds. Cars and bikes go in and out of fashion. Whats the Falcone look like? Phil

That’s what I thought. Nominal 45mm on the V11. CARC 2-valve motors use 40’s from memory and the 1200’s use 50’s. When they went to the 1400 they went single 54mm body with ride by wire control. Mark, (Beetle.) has converted his Griso which runs a big port single spark version of the motor that we built for him to a single mechanical TB, I think it’s a 60mm? Not absolutely sure. Had to go to higher flow injectors too as boy does it like the dinosaur juice!

I appreciate it! Yeah, I did include a cold start video on BaT. Starts nicely. The only thing I was questioning with it, mechanically, is it has a little clutch noise when the clutch is disengaged/ lever pulled in. But, I read on here, in fact, that it’s very typical of this dry clutch setup, and it’s nothing to worry about, unless you hear loud grinding or whining noises, which, I don’t. I read that they all make some noise, and it’s just the nature of the beast with these machines.

Yup. After nearly 25 years, and multiple repairs, i know a lot of these guys. I used to use Joe Eish a lot, he was out in Ohio, a long time ago. I have seen people put some sort of sealant on the Welch plug. I think that was part of the problem. Any recommendations on what sort of sealant?

Despite it's excellent condition, the Ballabio did not emerge as one of the most desirable V11 variants. The Ohlins-equipped version of this bike, the Cafe Sport, would seem more likely to fetch that price. Just my opinion.

Wow, what a nice Ballabio. Sorry about the circumstances. I suppose that you keeping the bike has already been ruled out? There is at least one member here with an affinity for pristine, low-mileage bikes. @Twin AH

I have already replaced the slave with a new one from Denmark. No change. So to recap. Rebuilt the master, no change. Installed a new slave, no change. Rigged the slave with washers, no change. Pulled the engine and the tranny and no visible damage. Not sure where to go from here. It could be that the pressure plate is out of spec. but I have no way to check that. I could buy a new clutch, but I have an aversion to being a parts cannon, until I figure out what is wrong.

All of the bulbs with the exception of the blinker (indicator) can be replaced with LED’s making them much brighter. If you also add the jeweled cover the lights will be infinitely better than stock.

The V11 Owner's manual shows pilot lights were originally 1.2W. The lamps in the back of the Speedo/Tacho are 2.2W. @Kiwi_Roy wrote in some posts about LED substitutes for those incandescent lamps. https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/topic/20578-problems-with-dash-lights/#findComment-235855 Note that the "low fuel" light must be an incandescent lamp because the function relies on current draw. Note also that indicator warning lamp must not be an incandescent lamp if you want to fit LED flashers. https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/topic/30710-signal-indicators/ LED turn signal conversion problem - Page 3 - Technical Topics - Moto Guzzi V11LeMans.com Forum

A word to the wise: I don't like that dealer. Not that I have directly had a bad experience; I had already decided to avoid him before it could come to that. In the course of looking for parts, I have looked at quite a number of his adverts. The general impression is that he is anything other than cheap, and that he doesn't particularly seem to care how bad the condition of the parts is. He still puts a premium price on them, and often describes something as "good condition" when it is obvious from the photos that the part is, in fact, in a very shabby state. So if anyone is thinking of buying there, have a really close look at the photos first. Twice.

just fyi, this is not a verb. It's a noun, like Batman. Pressureangle is a helluva guy too.

Moto Guzzi Making electricians and mechanics out of riders since 1921..