[Replacing the Idiot Lamps]

$164 for the plastic top, which is over $220 AUD.... not happening.

I would machine it from billet before paying that. 

I got the whole back plate for $30 for Teo

[Fitting a larger aftermarket oil cooler?]

The guzzi and bmw twins would have to be the coolest running bikes in history. Cooling them more is pointless, you virtually can't burn yourself on the motor.

I rode many jap bikes eg fireblade, vfr,etc and their frames get hotter than guzzi motors and I live in the tropics. Good oil is all thats needed and if youre desperate and bored, add a thermofan adjusted to the oil temp. 

[Replacing the Idiot Lamps]

whats the dash look like now with the new guages ? please post a pic.

 

Anyone know where to get the plastic cover for the idiot lights ?

[Two to one V11 exhaust?]

to add but a brief word on fuelling, a properly tuned bike will sound quieter than something not correctly tuned. 

After a new 2-1 exhaust and full rebuild on my ducati ST2 Cafe Racer, i took it for a PC3 fitment and dynotune.

The sound difference and of course running through the revs was completely different and went from harsh and raspy at times to sweet.  

[Scura starting (electric) issues ...]

Remove the side stand switch and bypass the clutch switch. 

Two less places for starting failure. 

The only things left in the starting circuit then are the relay and start switch.

So the only thing is to make sure you start the bike in neutral or with the clutch in, no biggy considering the improvement in reliability

[Vibration]

Thanks for the replies. I say "feels" like 100hp because it feels more powerful than my ducati which dynos at 89hp and it is basically a 2valve race spec 950 motor.

 

Ernst, it makes sense if some of the cranks were out. I rode a V11 back in 2003 and certainly do not remember any vibration, so this is why I was asking if its me or the bike.

There has been a lot of work done some of it is good work, some not so.. There was a starter button wired up next to the old one, under the mirror and I was told they couldnt fix it. 

So I took the tank off last night and did a service and fixed the starter. The connector from the start/stop buttons was not in correctly and the relay was not working. So I fixed those and removed the clutch switch - what a silly idea. Just another lace to fail IMHO.

Starter Button works a treat now and I have removed the 2nd switch.

 

Found the sump plug is stripped, thats the next job. Fixed the sagging rubber under the tank. ALL the hose clamps are destroyed from over tightening, never seen such a thorough job !.

Machined up a 27mm nut to get the filter plate out. What a pain in the ass to get it back on. New grips , new mirrors, billet brake cover... waiting for a Clutch and rear brake cover because the knuckledragger previous owner doesnt know where the old cover is ... the rear master reservoir has no top cover FFS. May go clipons yet and footrests seem very smooth - may need to replace those.

 

One thing that really gets on my nerves is everything needed lubrication. The brake, clutch , gear lever, side stand etc were rusting at the pivots. The pivot pints in the levers are worn and the clutch and brake lever holes are well worn and I have some sharp looking cnc levers to replace them. 15years, 50000km and never lubed anything ... LAZY and a personal pet hate .

 

Getting there though. At least it was cheap.

 

 

Neil

 

There is a lot of work done on your bike. When I look at the polished exhaust system - I know this because I did this work on my own V11. 

 

I own a MY 2000 KR V11. Despite an accurate tune up with carb synching, CO checking and so on my bike suffered of very serious vibrations. Out of this reason I dismounted the engine at 9000 km and balanced the crankshaft. With this measure I got rid of the vibrations. I read a test by Alan Cathcart in a motorcycle magazine where he also complained extreme vibrations on the tested V11. Some early V11 engines seem to vibrate, most don't. 

 

If a correct calibration of the engine does not cure the vibrations, yours seem to be also one of those. Mine is now as smooth as any V11 if not better. But it is a lot of work getting the crankshaft out of the engine...

[Vibration]

My new bike - 

[Vibration]

Hey All,

 

So I finally got to ride the new beast yesterday around the block and back to strub in new tyres.

Seems to run well, makes plenty of power - seat of the pants says around 100hp, but it has a fair amount of vibration. No noises though, just vibration. Like Sportster vibration - lots, certainly not from tail shaft either.

I am just about to do oil, filters, etc, done wheel bearings, tyres and pads already.

 

What would cause vibration like this, flywheel, TB out of balance ?? any clues

 

regards Neil

[V11 Sport performance mods ?]

Hi Al, that what I thought might have existed. Especially since the factory offered Stage 1,2,3 kits on the Daytonas for example.. anyway, not to worry. I think the ECU is the first thing  and then search suspension stuff once I have sorted the bad bits out on the bike.. 

Like, tyres, wheel bearing, disk pads, seat and foam, grips, mirrors, rusty bits and the dodgy starter switch mech that needs to be replaced !

Mike Rich did my dual plug conversion, ported the heads, added high comp pistons, new valve guides, etc and Teo Lamers reprogrammed the ECU for the timing.  I can't really comment on how much it helped as too many other things were changing at the same time, it was 10+ years ago and I've never ridden another stock V11     But it didn't cause any detonation or other issues with reliability or smooth running.  

 

That being said, I still do have the occasional 3-4k stumble after everything is good and warmed up, so I'll be putting some time into ferreting out that problem even if it sacrifices some top end performance (or not).  I may look at refitting the stock airbox even though I do like the pods aesthetic.

 

 

 

But to the OP question, it really is a matter of personal taste, goals and available resources (time, money & patience).  And just like any similar endeavor one soon realizes a trend of decreasing returns for increasing cost. When I did all my original mods, I was a single guy with lots of disposable income, so if I were doing this again today (now with family= much less disposable income), I'd probably opt for some simpler modifications that focused more on addressing reliability, economy and suspension opportunities versus power.

 

There is a wealth of info here, but there isn't any (AFAIK) succinct formulas say for "stage 1", "stage 2" etc well tested performance combinations documented all in one place that essentially could be thought of as "kits" (parts & ECU/PCIII maps) with clearly defined results.  With that in mind, given the years of tinkering recorded here and other places like Wildguzzi perhaps there ought to be 2, 3 or 4 well tested combinations (each more complex/costly than the previous, again "stage 1", "stage 2", etc) we could put in the FAQ section with references to the most commonly available parts, install guides, ECU/PCIII maps, estimated cost, HP/torque/reliability/caveats, etc ...   I think after all these years we probably do have a lot of that information scattered throughout the forum.

[V11 Sport performance mods ?]

Thanks for the tips. Last Guzzi I had, a Mille GT, made some incredible changes by adding pipes, carbs, larger valves, coils but the biggest gain was from lightening the flywheel. This single change was just day and night. There was 4.5kg taken off and it felt incredibly better in suspension, revs, engine braking.

I also recently built my ducati Cafe Racer and reduced the flywheel to 300grams, high compression pistons, remapped ECU with PC5. It feels unreal to ride, lightning throttle and wheelies.

 

So this is why I am asking, what mods are the best, Hi compression pistons, lightening the flywheel, ECU, i think it has pipes already (i havent seen the bike yet, its on the way, was a friends bike). Also he has pressurised his air box with some pipes from the front to the airbox on his Coppa Italia and previously  on this bike and reckons theres improvement with the colder air.(anyone else done this ?)_. .. I just want to try and get it right first time around. 

[V11 Sport performance mods ?]

Hi Everyone,
I have just bought a V11 Lemans which is styled as a V11 sport as its naked, but was thinking to do a couple of engine mods to raise the performance level up .
What do people recommend for this ?
I have seen 11:1 hi comp pistons from Wiseco which would be a good start I guess, perhaps ECU, airbox ??
So what other stuff is there ?

[Show us yer Tontis!]

My old Mille GT. It did a bit of a Jenny Craigs thing.  Loved that bike but a divorce meant it changed owners. Recently that owner passed away and the bike was given to his son. I would dearly love to get it back but I can't see it. So I bought a V11 my dream bike. When I bought the Mille GT in 1996 and started the work, I had always envisaged Guzzi being the ultimate Cafe Racer back when Cafe Racers were a thing of the distant past. So when I started everyone was like oh don't touch it, you have to keep it stock, nobody modifies bikes. Anyway, after I finished, they all looked at it quite differently.