PhillipLarsen

If ever getting new ones made, consider that for those with a Roper Plate installation it needs to be modified to accommodate the thickness of the plate and additional gasket.

A smiling Ballabio! Not just a pretty lady, but a business lady who over the last 20 years has ridden her BMW650GS up to 13 hours a day, from 34F to 105F days. For shorter rides she used her new Ducati 800 Scrambler!

The crossover was just to complete the iconic happy smiling face look of the later V11s coming at you on the road😃

The Original “Water Buffalo”!

Took the Ballabio on a spirited ride this evening for about total 2.5 hours, from Vancouver up the Sea to Sky twisty highway towards Whistler and back. Filled fuel before and after. Fuel mileage was 38 miles to US Gal or just over 42 to Imp Gal. It does top appear that it is running rich, looking at fuel mileage and plug colour.

@docc appreciate the follow up. During 20 year work last winter / spring replaced cam chain and the tensioner foot and spring. The cam chain had no measurable wear, tensioner foot barely showed wear, just did it as was replacing gasket and to be sure it was not causing any issues. With stator out checked carefully, looks good and measures correctly, replaced zip lock as you recommend ( it was broken), the yellow leads at the bullet connectors looked like they has been warm enough to discolor at some time. and the white plug with two yellow static wires has some melting and on wire as well. Removed all that and went spade connectors (soldered to yellow wires covered in shrink tubing ), with just the one joint instead of two places. Also had put ground wire from regulator to timing case a few years ago and cleaned and monitor original ground to back of gearbox. Battery ( matgas ) was new last year and kept on tender if not using more than a couple days. Charging system and battery show numbers per specs. Replaced TPS during 20 year work, had checked before replaced and appeared to function correctly with no jumps, but to eliminate as cause of issue replaced it. Made no difference to missing issue. Really the only things I think remain to verify is fuel filter, injectors and fuel pump, and remembering it is running great right now with only the TPS at not standard setting and air screws at 1/2 out.

@docc appreciate the suggestions. i agree something does not seem correct as discussed perviously. All sensors were replaced during last winters 20 year overhaul. Guzzidiag was used to set Co trim to 0, also tried + 10 and + 5, but the current set up is TPS at 285, air screws 1/2 out, CO trim =0, idle 1250 per Guzzidiag. No play in TB shafts, Ballanced TBs, No leaks intake or exhaust. New gasket/ sleeves in crossover, bolts with copper gaskets in intake ports, intake rubbers all good, have spares, didn’t need them currently only at about approx 18,500 miles (quite low for 20 year old bike) I did spend two full days doing runs on dyno and street trying to find the lowest combination of TPS setting, co trim and air screw setting to eliminate the misfiring between about 1800 and 2800 rpm, as a temporary fix until can change fuel filter and get injector cleaned / serviced. As you suggested I am going to change the fuel filter (have one waiting) as soon as gasket arrives and last item will be to have injectors serviced at a shop this fall. I am hoping one of these will turn out being what is causing the lean running with TPS at 157. Sure appreciate yours and the many others help in trying to solve this Also happy it is running so nice right now even though it probably should not be!

Update. Still waiting for a new fuel pump to tank gasket so can change the fuel filter, and will get injectors serviced at end of riding season. In the mean time riding the Ballabio a lot and running perfect with the TPS at 285. Looking back at my notes I had measured the original TPS factory setting ( still had yellow seal on screw heads) at 330 mv from factory with everything disconnected.before changing the TPS. Some could be due to wear I suppose. Did anyone ever check one fresh near new to see what was actually being delivered back in 2004?

@Lucky Phil yes, so true. Had my CBX get too far over in my ground level basement while maneuvering it into its spot. Used my body to prevent it from lying on the floor and managed to get my phone out to call for help! They sure laughed at me! Six years ago at 65 I was looking after my personal 4 aircraft and Heli’s (Glasair 3, R22, C120 and Mini 500) 16 cyl., 14 motos 34 cyl. , and 2 autos 14cyl., and was working 50 to 60 hours per week at my job. Don’t know how I did it. Now at 71 down to 7 bikes and 2 autos and need to make that number smaller as too much work!

This is how my 04 Ballabio sings to me about being Special and demanding my Attention

Did it run well previously? What has been changed since then that could cause running rich? Intake somehow restricted, mice moved into air box or something else restricting air box ? TPS has some issue?

Maybe, but because it is an Italian Mfg product I think they would not apply, but even so I face a 12 (5 +7) % federal and provincial sales taxes.

Love that low mileage like new Ballabio, wish it was closer to me as I’d love to have the two of them, just 93 sn’s apart. one with original Ballabio bars and mine with the Lemans bars and upper triple plate.

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.

Thanks Docc, Peter and Phil for your advice. Will do more checking to try corner the issue. The air filter is new, but fuel filter is not. I just happen to have a new one on the shelf so I will ride out the full tank of fuel in next couple days, pull the tank off and change it, see if any change by setting TPS back to 157 mv and trying it. The TB shafts do not feel like they have any play ( bike has just approx 26,000 kms on it). I use short bolts with copper washers to close off vacuum nipples holes when not in use.

Update. I did not hear anything back from HMB after I advised them that the cam chain tensioner does not fit my 2004 Ballabio. Wanting to take advantage of the riding season I went ahead with using the HMB tensioner wear pad and spring on my original tensioner base. The pad is near identical and the spring as well The HMB spring had a little more resistance than the original, likely because it is new. They look identical. I reassembled the bike, using new metal gasket on timing case, hoping to again have an oil tight bike. Ran the bike, checked spark scatter at idle and the 1750 to 2000 rpm range. Very slightly less scatter but maybe 20% less. Took bike for a test ride. Same issue of popping back into air box at that rpm range whether riding or in my stand. I am now convinced this is not the issue causing misfire / popping into air box. I set everything back to Decent tuneup setting 157mv, balanced TBs, CO =0, air screws 1 turn out, idle 1250. Extensive test in stand ( use my Hartzel dyno cooling fan) and riding showed missing and popping back into air box in the 1500 to 2800 rpm range (larger range than previous), plugs showing white / very lean indication. Also ran test in stand on left cylinder only and right cylinder only. Same problem both sides. There are no leaks on intake or exhaust. All sensors are new, plugs, etc. In desperation I decided to see if increase TPS setting would help. i did it initially in large increments to see if changed. Without going through all the steps which was spread out over 2 days I found as I increased the TPS setting the range of rpm where missing and popping got tighter until it was only at 1950 RPM. One more increase and it was gone. I then worked back down until it started and went up in small increments until it stopped. Took numerous rides attempting to get it to pop or miss. It doesn’t now, no matter what I try. The end setting that makes it run so nice with as low as I can set it with out inducing popping is TPS 285 mv, balanced TBs, air screws 1/2 out, idle 1250 RPM. Plugs show medium tan at various rpm runs. It doesn’t make sense to me that this works. Could it be fuel pump pressure? Or injector condition? I am very pleased to have it running so fine, and not worrying it may pop and stall when making a left turn across traffic at low rpm, but would really like to understand if something is not correct I have put on about 300 km now and it continues to run perfectly. Will be checking fuel consumption to compare to previous levels. I would really appreciate input from others that may have any ideas.

I recieved the HMB Tensioner today which HMB had assured me would fit directly with no interference problems of the Millepercento tensioner. Enthusiastically I went to work on it, only to discover the same interference issue with the pad and no way to modify the base of the HMB tensioner as the interference is where the pin is attached to a countersunk screw that holds the pivot pin to the base. The HMB tensioner does not fit ($ 248 Cdn for tensioner, shipping and import tax) So I now have two new tensioners on hand, neither which are useful with out removing about 4.5 mm from the entire pad area and in the case of the Millepercento an additonal hole drilled into the lowered pad to accomadate the protruning back side of the pivot pin. The tensioner arm that rubs against the chain and the spring look to be the same dimensions as the original tensioner so I am considering to use those peices of the HMB unit on the original tensioner base. I have advised HMB of the issue and will see if they have any solution. EDIT/posted june 12, 2025: Update. I did not hear anything back from HMB after I advised them that the cam chain tensioner does not fit my 2004 Ballabio. Wanting to take advantage of the riding season I went ahead with using the HMB tensioner wear pad and spring on my original tensioner base. The pad is near identical and the spring as well The HMB spring had a little more resistance than the original, likely because it is new. They look identical. I reassembled the bike, using new metal gasket on timing case, hoping to again have an oil tight bike. Ran the bike, checked spark scatter at idle and the 1750 to 2000 rpm range. Very slightly less scatter but maybe 20% less. Took bike for a test ride. Same issue of popping back into air box at that rpm range whether riding or in my stand. I am now convinced this is not the issue causing misfire / popping into air box. >[moderator note]: subsequent TPS and tuning discussion moved:

Thank but unfortunately it is not just the pin but the whole pad area that need to be relieved 4.5 mm and then an additional hole for the pin.

Thanks Pete and Phil, the additional information is great to know. I sure don’t want to go grinding out anything before knowing if there is something important in there. While I am waiting for the new HMB tensioner I have been looking at the original one closely and it seems to me that if the spring had somewhere around 3/8 to 1/4 less coil is would provide a lot more resistance to the tensioner pad. By shortening the spring and re-bending the end that could be accomplished, but not sure how it would affect the fatigue life of the spring. Looks like Chuck and the Engineers Handbook would provide the answer. A real solution to the weak spring on the later Guzzi Tensioner maybe a redesigned spring and continue using the Guzzi Tensioner, kind of like the gear selector spring issue.