Kane

Well, there are racks, and then there are racks! I like ‘em all. back to the bike: good to know that there are options available. This will be a fun project getting the V11 tailored to my needs. Cheers!

Lovely. Now that’s Italian! All that red.....very nice. Looks like you got a heck of a package with that scoot. So cool how Guzzi was making different distinct styles of basically the same bike. What did you use to shine up all the painted bits, tank, etc.? The red color has been really restored, almost like a different shade, deeper and richer.

Cool. I imagine it would help for long rides. Any work needed for the shift and break levers? Thanks

Thanks for the info on Moto Machines. Buell pegs. These are just stock pegs for a Buell? Any particular model Buell to fit on a V11? I’ve seen these mentioned before for other bikes. It looks like they’re “L” shaped or have a jog to them that puts the foot lower and back a bit? Any issues for cornering clearance? I can see the benefit of dropping the foot and relaxing the knee joint a bit, also perhaps changing the shift and rear break feel? Is it just a straight retrofit, or do I need to rework or mod anything? Easy to go back to the stock Guzzi pegs if I prefer them over the Buell pegs? Cheers!

Sweeeeet! It looks like you’ve got a bit of a rise on the bars? I think I could ride that outfit to Alaska! It’s all Guzzi gear? Are these pieces, the flyscreen, rack, and bags, still available from Moto Guzzi? Btw, I went to the Guzzi site to look at accessories, and they don’t have a page for accessories on their site. Instead you request a link by email to download a file of their accessory catalog. I got the link, but the download freezes. Bummer. I would love to see what the factory has to offer for outfitting a V11. I guess I need to go to a local dealer.

This is it?: https://officinestucchi.it/en/home-page/9424-fairing-v11-sport.html From the diagram on the page it looks like it just attaches to the two headlight housing bolts? If this is the case, how stable is this? That might be good enough, perhaps with the added Laminar lip that Mikko mentioned. I guess painting it is just a can of paint, a can of clear coat, and some sandpaper and steel wool.......I painted a guitar body with some nitrocellulose lacquer spray paint I got from https://www.reranch.com/ and it turned out great. I don’t know if I can match the green, though.

Awesome. Thank you

Mikko: thanks (again!) for showing your mods and add-ones. I assume this is the black beauty Scura that you’re building? I love the CR-750 fairing on that bike....is it an old V7? Are you retrofitting an original Honda race fairing to your bike, or is a kit made to go on a Guzzi V11? You’re in a whole other league from me when it comes to being able to do mods. I have a tool box with hand tools and an electric hand drill. So anything other than simple adjustments would put me at the mercy of a shop. I have seen the page that you linked for the Magni fairing kit and sent them an email a few days ago, but I have yet to hear back. Does anyone know if these are available through any shops or dealers, or are only direct from Magni in Italy? The factory bikini that you mention may be just fine. Are these available through dealers, or what’s the source for these? Thanks!

Great to hear, thanks for your encouragement. I am getting back into biking after many years without one, got wrapped up with raising kids and working, but now I’m back in the saddle with a Guzzi, which is just how I started. Wheel go ‘round and ‘round. Back in my twenties the idea of a windscreen or fairing never crossed my mind, and I just rode, rain or shine. When I bought my 850T many years ago it had a huge Windjammer fairing on it and Dunstall pipes (loud as hell). I ditched the Windjammer first day but kept the Dunstalls. I live only about 25 miles from the coast, but unfortunately to get anywhere in the L.A. area requires getting on a freeway. So if you’re hitting the canyons, cruising the coast, riding through the desert and mountains, all of which are spectacular, you’re going to have to do some miles on a freeway, which seem to be congested for more hours than before.

I have recently acquired a 2001 V11 Sport, a Greenie. I have had the bike for about a week and so far have only done local rides. But once I sort out the bike and get used to it I would like to do long day trips, L.A to S.F., 2-3 day trips up to the Sierras and beyond, further up the coast....who knows where! It would be great to hear and see how people use these bikes for touring and their experiences. I don’t know what options are available for bags or windscreens and fairings and what works best on these bikes. I guess I could try to find a LeMans fairing, but I’m not even sure if I would need anything that large. It seems that in the searches I have done for small fairings or screens not much comes up for the ‘01 V11. I am also wondering about the ergonomics and comfort of the bike for long trips. My bike is a stock naked Sport with clip-on bars. I’m 6’2” and 180 lb. The bars and pegs feel great for the local riding I have done. How do people like this for long-distance riding? I’m also wondering if there’s anything to do to the bike if going from sea level L.A. to 4,000 or 5,000 feet above sea level? This is my first fuel injected bike. Do I need to tweak anything? Does the ECU automatically compensate for changes in sea level? Perhaps it’s a non-issue for these bikes? I’m looking forward to hearing how you guys do this! Cheers!

That’s how I feel about my ‘75 850T and my ‘61 Triumph pre-unit Bonni. What was I thinking???

You mean like this?:

She’s a good looking lady. The bikes look nice, too.

Can the inside of the tank be sealed or coated with something to help?

Well my chemistry is a little rusty, but would this mean either burning up the gas quickly, or use smaller amounts, to reduce the time the ethanol sits in the tank, and also keeping a tank rather full to avoid too much air in the tank, assuming that the water you mention comes from water vapor in the air?

Awesome. Thank you!

What the heck’s going on in that picture? It looks like a lot of man power being exerted! Between that picture and the thread about putting the Guzzi down into a basement for the winter, I guess it takes a village to raise a Guzzi.

So the tank does stretch from ethanol gas? Yikes. I know that these tanks are not steel, so I guess they react to chemicals. I live in Southern California. My local stations are just your standard brands, and the closest high octane racing gas is not practically close. I was going to ask this any way: what is the best gas in Southern California to use? I know that there are additives you can supplement a tank of gas with....will these help negate the tank’s reaction to ethanol? Or do they really help performance and engine health? I have read that Shell’s V-Power Nitro + premium gas is ethanol free, but I always figure that California is an exception to any norms that may pertain to internal combustion engines and the fuels they burn. Any recommendations for ,local gas?

On no. Damn ethanol!

I have discovered that when the front fork is turned all the way to the left, as it is when the bike is parked to lock the fork, the fork tube is touching the end of the tank. It is not denting it but it’s enough to have worn off a spot of paint and left a mark on the fork tube. I guess I will put an adhesive pad there to protect the tank, unless there’s a better idea. Is this common? Can it be remedied?

Rear tire:

I agree on the importance of having a top tire. Who are the top tier makers of motorcycle tires? These are Shinko Verge, 120/70 in front and 170/60 in the rear. I believe I’ve found the date codes: front is (3918), rear is (2318), so I guess these are about a-year-and-a-half old. Is that considered to be in the ballpark of a tire still being usable? They still have what looks to me to be fairly deep thread, the rubber looks good but has glossy areas are the edge of the tires. If these are not top tier, how would the Shinko Verge be classified? I’ll be doing sport riding in our Southern California canyons (nothing too insane) and touring/longer rides up to Northern California. So I guess I’m Sport/Touring. DMV costs me $300 today (bike is now in my name) and I’m bringing it to a Guzzi shop at the end of the week for a thorough inspection. I could do new tires then if they sell good tires, but depending on what the shop charge comes to I may have to wait a bit. I figure the course of action for this bike is: first get all of the bugs and mechanical needs taken care of, then upgrade tires or just ride these out if they suit me for the time being, then look at a small fairing to do some touring, then investigate performance upgrades with pipes, etc. Here’s a few pics of the tires: (Btw, sorry for using multiple posts to post pics, but the 0.2MB limit is restricting me to one pic per post or else I have to reduce the size of the pic to the size of a postage stamp. Any tips for posting pics?) Front tire:

Awesome. Thanks, guys. Yeah, L.A., south-east Los Angeles County. Bike is under an open air car port, so not in direct elements. I have a small carriage house garage / shed that needs to be cleaned out to become a mechanic workshop.

Thanks for the suggestions for tires. I think this is a good idea to get the tires sorted out before I take the bike out to the canyons. I’ll be doing sport riding locally but also moderate touring. A few questions: how can I determine the condition or age of the tires that are currently on the bike? They have good tread and I don’t see any signs of cracking or drying out.......but still, I know I should start with fresh rubber, but how can I evaluate what’s on there other than pushing the bike and seeing how they perform......or fail! Also, what is the best shop manual to get for a 2001 V11 Sport? With my 850T and Triumphs I liked to use a Haynes manual, but I can’t find a Haynes to match this bike. Any recommendations? And I need a cover........what’s the cover of choice fo a V11? Thanks again for your help! I am taking the bike to AAA this morning to transfer the title and register it to me. Woohoo!