O2 V11

It appears the wear on Rick's rear disc is similar to mine. I have done 6000 miles and are not a heavy user of the brakes. It is a worry that my disc is wearing as well. I would not have expected any wear in the rotor at all with factory pads. If they were sintered HH replacements, one could expect some wear in the rotor. Even one of the front rotors is wearing slightly. I noticed the wear pattern on ckamin's rear rotor in his recent pics of his porkchop. His rotor is identical to mine in appearance. Is anyone else experiencing wear in their rotors at such a low mileage as we are? Rob

Pierre, this was one of the many changes introduced on the 2002 model. The original V11's didn't have this extra bracing. Rob

Carl, the black looks really sharp, the coated pipes definitely add the extra touch. Rob

Rick, I can only assume the oil you use is not motorcycle specific as I can't find it under the motorcycle oil types listed on Castrol's website. I myself use Castrol mineral but it is a motorcycle specific type unavailable in the US, Activ 4T, 15W-50. After the same mileage of 3000 my oil is not terribly discoloured at all. But I do change the filter at the same time, something I have always done with all my vehicles both petrol and diesel, 2 or 4 wheels. It is interesting to note that for many years I have used Castrol GTX2 and when it was superseded, GTX Protec in our petrol cars. After 5000k or 3000 miles this oil was always black. I put this down to the properties of the Castrol oil itself, not anything else like air filter efficiency or operating temperatures. Interestingly our bikes nearly followed each other down the assembly line, my VIN is...M114957. Rob

Steve, if Piaggio's proposal that dealerships through North America are to be European only I guess the whole world would be eventually expected to follow suit. Here in N.Z. our 4 dealerships all sell Japanese and or American bikes in conjunction with Moto Guzzis. I could not see anyone wanting to be a Piaggio group dealer only, it would not be financially sustainable. Effectively that would be the death knell for the marque here. Not a nice thought at all. Rob

Skeeve, why would a man ever want to get rid of a signed copy of Guzziology, of course it's a keeper. Rob

Sorry guys, I'd love to participate but the f%+(^g thing won't accept Invercargill pop. 51,300 as a valid city. I am way too parochial to nominate another city as my place of residence just to get a blob on the map. Rob

It must be another one of those Guzzi things. Mine has done it from new, it is something I have never worried about. It weeps only enough to be noticed and never enough to drip. Only from the right hand side as well. I guess if I had worried about I would have asked the same question as Alex, how do you fix it? Rob

Chris, the engine paint on this could become an issue. I have done 5500 miles on mine and it is beginning to get ugly. If you got it for close to 6k you should be doing alright. The goodies already fitted would save you about 1500 bucks. Best of luck. Rob

It looks like Anthony has a 2003 with the front crossover, which has come loose and leaks. Tutle must have a CAD drawing of a more suitable exhaust header shim than the OEM one. Rob

If you can find, or bend a fitting to the right angle you can grease the front nipple at any time. I have done mine twice, the first time was when I first got the bike. Then recently when I the changed tyres. I bought a budget flexible hose which I can bend enough to fit through the swing arm onto the nipple with the wheel and bevelbox removed. When removing the rear wheel I find it easier to drop the brake caliper and then remove the wheel and bevel box together and then when refitting it I "roll" the wheel and box forward onto the driveshaft on a small piece of wood. The spacer is a real pain to get in place when trying to refit the axle. I normally hold it in place with a large screwdriver from the left hand side while refitting the axle. There are other ways of removing and refitting the rear wheel but this way works for me. Where are you off to, and have you got that bike sorted out yet? Rob

From the front mine are: 1 Starter 2 Lights 3 Neutral (sidestand safety relay) 4 ECU 5 Fuel The starter relay is a 5 pin job and the rest are 4 pin ones. I wouldn't think they would be any different from yours. Are you not getting much help from Woods on this one? Rob

I would have an updated 1000S over one these Dukes any day. The single side swingarm and exhaust configuration just leaves me cold. If this bike had a conventional swingarm and a muffler each side and sidecovers it would appeal a lot more to me. No doubt a very competent bike but to me it comes across as a dressed up Monster. I must admit the front end certainly grabs my attention with it's spokes and decent sized rotors. Rob

At the recent National Guzzi Rally I attended some bikes had radar detectors fitted. Some used an earpiece while others had the H.A.R.D. unit fitted. A quick look on the net uncovered a radar screamer one could use as well. Has anyone here had any experiences good or bad with any of these devices? My luck must run out eventually in regard to not being stopped for speeding. I would just like to lessen the odds a little bit. Rob

Do a search on the subject. I think Rich Maund fitted a set to his bike, they could have been off a Kwaka. Rob

No 1, it is the starter relay. Rob

Since Burt Munro's story has been turned into a movie, Invercargill is now being touted as you guessed it, home of the world's fastest Indian. The record holding bike itself resides in E Hayes and Sons Hardware store in Invercargill's main street. The movie stars Anthony Hopkins who is being talked up as a possible Oscar nominee for his performance. The movie is based on the life of Burt Munro with the usual Hollywood twist of course, but the fact remains, this old man took a 1920 Indian Scout he had modified over the years from an original top speed of 55 mph to a top speed of 201 mph. Here is a link to the W.F.I. site: http://www.worldsfastestindian.com.au/main.html Rob

As per a previous thread, I put a piece of rubber tubing on mine after swapping the springs over. It works a treat. Rob

I don't hold to this theory at all. I have put over 21 litres into my tank on 3 separate occasions. I can assure you, there never was any where near 3.9 litres (1 US gallon) lurking unused in the right hand side of the tank at the time. In fact there was hardly enough left to make any sloshing sound at all. The manual states a fuel capacity of 20.7 litres including a "reserve" of 5 litres. This is pretty close to the mark and just about the lot of it is usable. Rob

The greatest distance I have travelled on one tank is 186 miles. I then put in 21.67 litres. This would probably be as empty as you could go without running out. You know when you are starting to run out.... Once it coughs and splutters the first time I need to be less than 5 miles from a gas station. But I haven't had to push it yet. My fuel light hasn't worked from day one, I haven't got round to looking at it yet, one day perhaps. Rob

Amazing, we have must have completely different riding styles. My rear was worn out in less than 6,000 km. What is your fuel consumption? Mine has averaged 40.27 mpg since new. Is your lack of tyre wear reflected in your fuel consumption? Rob

Continental is a German brand but mine are made in Korea. I have seen some Continental truck tyres made in Slovakia. Similar I guess, to the likes of Levi Strauss who have moved most of their production off shore. Rob

Antonio, the MGCN tour of N.Z. looks interesting but the only English language on the site is the Home page. I will e-mail the club for some more information. Rob

What a great weekend it was for all. The venue at Otematata was excellent, plenty of good roads and lots and lots of Guzzi's. It is true, you really do meet the nicest people riding Guzzi's. Here is a link to pics from the weekend, mostly bikes. http://o2v11.zoto.com/[/url] Rob