fieldsheer

Robbiekb I managed to be out on the two hot days we call summer. Both times the petrol level was low, my bike is black so the tank soaks heat from the sun. Earlier in the day a ZX9R was leaking petrol through the vent pipe and when he opened the filler cap he must have lost a least another cup full, that was before the heat the really got up. Strange but true. OT A tourist had been in Seattle for a fortnight during which time it had not stopped raining. Being curious he asked a local youngster when the rain had started. The younster replied that he did not know as he was only eight years old. (stolen from somewhere) Callison I thought I was going to have problem with the petrol pipe length as well, it's a neat fit but will probably be replaced in due course,I don't wasnt to swap one problem for another. Cheers folks

New manual tap fitted and problem solved. Only the holiday period wait was a pain.

The story so far, The wire to the fuelcock was broken (checked of the bike with a Multimeter) and after I soldered the wires back no longer works at all, so either I was ham fisted or it was on its last legs. The starter motor was properly goosed, when it was stripped the magnets were no longer attached to the casing and all of them were in at least two pieces. Fortunately the shaft and wiring were salvagable so £65 from a reasonably local repair shop instead of £135 for a rebuild from a Motor factor, I just it does not prove tobe a false economy. Callison, There are two bodies available to spin the motor clockwise or anti clockwise, the one I required was not in the general catalogue but the guy got it sorted anyway. The engine turns over alright but I cannot start it until the fuel tap arrives. I would have posted earlier but have been having none bike problems with blocked drains and arguements with Scottish Water and the Local Council over who is responsible, now resolved. JRT, Boiling petrol I can give a miss . Derek

There was an Australian film about sidecar racing that wasn't too bad but I can't remember the name of it, late 70's early 80's. It had the guy who played Wally in Crocidle Dundee in it.

Had the problem a few times and find that pulling the clutch lever a few times does it as well, if you can be sure to retract the side stand (bad experience in the distant past) every time removing the switch should cure it.

Thanks for the reply guys. I phoned Motomecca today to get a manual petcock from a 2002 model but all the guy could find was the electric version I already have and the later in tank model. The other option was the petcock from the 1100 Sport which having done a search tonight I delieve is the one I am looking for. The old Part No was 29105460 which has been replaced by 01105460, as the part no Al had in a previous thread was 30-29105460 I am sure this is the part I need and I have copied Al's photo of the part to send to Motomecca to double check. In the mean time I will have a go at repairing the existing petcock. On the temperature front they were probably the hotest days it has been out in. I didn't let it run to see if it would clear, I just tried to get moving as soon as possible which in light of your experience was the wrong thing to do. On the starter motor front a local car factor is also £135 for an exchange unit but supplied the name of a local refurbisher to check out who will hopefully be cheaper. I definently cooked the starter as it dose not spin smoothly and the brushes are only about 5mm down there slot (they are still a good 15mm long), the gear throws out but the motor dosen't spin I guess i've damaged the winding. It could be worse as we still have the Thunderbird or SV650 to play on. Thanks again guys. Derek

As Murray said ,one of the better ones, and no speeded up crap. If you see Stone and Mad Max 1 you'll see a few familiar faces.

Thanks for the reply Al I just wanted to make sure that I hadn't missed something real simple, I can make mountains out of mole hills without much effort. The starter is indeed a Valeo bearing the number D6RA21. I checked Motomeccas site and they were £135 exchange and Motorworks listed a Valeo starter at £199. One of them, I can't remember which, also listed individual stater components but no model details so that is another avenue I'll be checking out. As you suggest I'll also try some of the local automotive agents before the bike dealers as they can be a fair bit cheaper on some items. On the vapour issue it nice to they cared! To prove the 'law of sod' I had ordered some aluminiumised cloth with the intention of shielding as many under tank components as possible. It arrived on Monday morning.

I have problems restarting the bike after stopping for a short break, 10 mins approx, this has happened twice in the last couple of weeks. The first time was outside a Jap bike dealer, kept calm and checked the fuses which were all okay. Swapped the relays (Siemens originals) around which made no difference.It would just about catch but die when the throttle was opened a little. Went to borrow a lighter from the sales guy but he sent a mechanic to have a quick look at the bike instead. As he had no info and was unfamiliar with Guzzi's I described my usual staring procedure, when he did it the bike fired up. Said thank you and left, total time at the dealers approx 30 mins. I drove about a mile to fill up with petrol expecting more trouble but the bike fired up no problem and continued todo so for the rest of the day. From previous links regarding vapour lock and heat build up I assumed that I had finally been caught, it was much warmer than usual but nothing like what you must get in Italy. On Sunday I was out with the Ducati Sporting Club and as the weather turned warmer I began to have concerns about stopping and restarting. The first time no problem, started as normal, when it happened the second time I assumed it was heat and leave it a while and all would be well. When I did get it going again I had to keep the revs above 6000rpm or it would stutter and die, it took three restarts and a bit of pushing to cover 12 miles. When it would not turn over I assumed I had flattened the battery, but when we tried to jump start it from the recovery truck there was just a loud click from the starter (sounded like the gear was throwing out but no guts to spin the engine) and the wiring getting very hot. The starter took a lot of abuse so i guess I have burnt it out. I have since checked the Fuel tap and could get no continuity from it which I assume that there should be, the wire from the loom is giving a 12 volt feed. I guess a change to a manual fuel tap is next as I tried a direct feed to the fuel tap wires and still no fuel. The starter motor will occasionally spin when removed from the casing but not reliably. The wire to the solenoid gives a 12 volt reading when disconnected but only 4 volts when connected to the solenoid. My conclusion is the fuel tap is faulty and I've damaged the starter motor. Am I correct or are there other parts to check in addition to those already mentioned? Both times the motor and tank were really hot and the fuel level on the low side. Apologies big time for being long winded but I wanted to give the whole picture. Before it stopped it playing ball it had been runnnig like a wee sweetie.

Just read other threads and I am wrong as existing owners had been contacted, still seems strange that a franchised dealer knew nothing about the recall.

I bought my 2000 model in March this year and found out about the recall on this site. The franchised dealer I was buying the bike from did not know there was a recall. I contacted MG in the UK and was told my bike was affected and my dealer carried out the work, he had the parts within a fortnight (it possibly helped that I had not parted with any cash at the time I found out about the recall). It seems that MG are waiting for owners to contact them rather than track down the affected bikes. I hope MG give you a new engine (assuming it was on the recll list) as they know about the problem.

Anti clockwise, but be carefull. I weigh around 150 lbs and run the rear shock at 3 out from clockwise on compression and 24 out from fully clockwise on rebound, this gives a comfy controlled ride ( Sachs rear ). Going to soft on the rebound and the bike kicks of bumps. Be carefull when turning the rebound adjuster anticlockwise as the last two clicks are softer than the rest and then the adjuster just seems to unscrew. On the front compression is 2 from anticlockwise and 4 from anticlockwise for rebound, but I am still playing with the settings. No promises but it works for me.

The pipes maybe heavy but if it solved the flat spot what the heck. It will still drive better and with the money saved he can get out more. Most of us like nice things but there is usually a balance between want, need and bank balance.

Lex Thanks for the feed back and the link (now saved), mybike is a 2000 moel so I may get away without the extended hoses. Interesting info on the mirrors and vibration as the only bad vibes are around the 4/4500rpm area, below that it is not a problem and above it is really smooth. The demo bike I tried before buying was a 2002 model with the shorter bars and vibration was not a problem. I did test ride the bike I bought but had already seen a handlebar conversion on this site and had intened going down that route if vibration was a real problem. The vibration I can live with but the riding position is a little stretched for a short arse (5'7" on a good day). (I had a nose fairing of uncertain parentage lying about the garage which has been modified to fit). I guess I am aiming at a similar set up to yourself, arms and knees bent at roughly 90 degrees and slightly leaning forward (classic stance?), good around town and sporty enough on the open road. I'll have to check and see if they have a UK importer or check out the cost involved in having them shipped over. Al I've had a look on eBay but I am not registered. Only just getting used to this electronic wizardry so I'll give them a miss (last price was 61$ and 3 days to go). I can't explain the reluctance as I know others who ,on the whole, use eBay without problems. long winded as ever Derek

Who makes the converti-bars and what price? Can you keep the standard hydraulic lines or do they need replacing? It looks easer than drilling the top yolk and fitting a set ao bars.

Fuel consumption update. Covered 107 miles behaving myself by keeping the revs below 4000rpm, okay a few higher bursts, over mixed roads. Fuel used 11 litres, 9.73 miles per litre or 44.25 miles per imperial gallon(4.55 litres). Keeping the revs low should give 150/160 miles to the orange light. Not likely to be driven like that again but usefull to know if caught short on petrol.

2000 V11 Sport with 8000 miles (only 800 by me). Averaging 38mpg, 135 miles to the orange light when it will take 16/17 litres to fill, just as well i'm being to get into its ways and enjoying the ride or it would be getting traded. By way of comparison our Thunderbird averages 55mpg and the better halfs SV650 does 55mpg both two up travelling around the national speed limit of 60/70mph on a mix of open roads and over the hills of Scotland. To be fair the Guzzi is ridden solo, the better half tried pillion once but her legs were cramped, and a little more enthusiastically than the other two. Following comments from an earlier thread most of my running has been in the 4000/5000 rpm range, I'm trying to keep the revs below 4000 on the current tankfull to see what difference it makes,if any. Will post again when I have the results.

I did the same as yourself when I got my bike and found that the comression had 30 clicks and the rebound 34 clicks. The only reference in the manual I've found states : extension (rebound?) 20 snaps out from fully closed compression 10 snaps out from fully closed spring length in its seat 152mm No settings at all for the front suspension. When I got the bike it had Compression 20 click from fully clockwise Rebound 19 clicks from fully clockwise I've yet to measure the spring length. I'm currently running Compression 6 click from fully clockwise (10 clicks as the bike kicking of bumps). Rebound 24 clicks from fully clockwise it's better but still not perfect, increasing the compression seems to lift the rear and adds stability at the expense of comfort. As a guide I weigh 150 pounds plus riding gear. To feel any difference in ride quality I was increasing compression 2 clicks at a time and rebound by 4 clicks. I hope the above is helpful and not leading up a blind ally. Derek

Hi Badmotogoozer, I've had my V11 for a couple of weeks and have been playing with the suspension. The rear is a Sachs like yours and the rebound adjuster will also unscrew anticlockwise if wound back far enough, fortunately it still adjusts as it should (I think). I can wind the compression up hard (about 34 clicks), but when taking it to the softest setting the positive click first becomes soft and then the adjuster unwinds. So far I've been able to keep it working. The last bike I had was a KTM Supermoto with Whitepower suspension at both ends, on that you could feel the difference each click made unlike the stuff on the Guzzi which seems to need a fair few clicks to make any difference. I'm still trying to work out wether the rear spring is to hard or I've yet to get a good balance between compression and rebound. Not much help to yourselve but now I know to keep an eye on the adjuster. Fieldsheer