mdude

My red pork chops (frame pieces) are seriously sunbleeched. I have seen this on a couple of other green/red V11s, while newer bikes seems to have a tougher type of paint. What have other guys done with this? Can I restore the pieces with some kind of rubbing compound (tried some light paint cleaner, but that didn't do it), without dismantling? (cuz I'm lazy...) Or is it best to remove them for painting? Is dismantling straightforward? Will big, heavy and expensive bits fall down if I take them off the bike for repainting? I have not yet tried bigger operations on this bike.

actually, I think I got that idea first...

I would go for the original carbon fairing. Its small, but it works (I'm 188 cms "low", and above 80 km/h the screen makes a big difference, and very little turbulence), it suits the bike, and dont change it into a semi-Beemer (sorry, lads. the R90-style fairing is WAY to retro looking), and it is light and easy to put on. If one wants LeMans style fairing, one should buy a LeMans. The V11 is and should be; NEKKID! :-)

MIRACLE!! just got the news that my Ti's are on their way from Italy! I dont believe it before I can touch them, but this is the first positive feedback. I was actually calling my dealer to cancel the deal when they told me (BEFORE I told them why I rang). It will be thunder before winter, after all....

written to Moto Guzzis accsessory dept. and to Mistral. My dealer her in Norway has gone into hibernation it seems... going on 9 weeks...

oh, the dirty word experiments... fun... one can never have enough of them. But since this is monday, The Day of No Fun, back to question:I had a long good run saturday, and noticed the same thing. my bike drifted to the right. especially while cruising at around 3000rpms/70-80kmh. Accelerating and higher rpms seemed to make it drift less. Tyre wear is even. The only thing that makes this a problem is that my arms starts hurting after a couple of hours, due to the constant countersteering. My previous BMW R1150R did this also, but less pronounced. It must be the physics of the bike, strange that so few have noticed it. Or maybe they have, but do not understand it and instead turns to The Dirty Word Experiment, as an escape. Would be interesting to know if one can get rid of it without too much dismantling.

well, that makes it even more difficult to understand...doesnt it?

Just wondered if anyone else has experienced long delays for the delivery of the MG Titan slip-on kit. I am on my 7th week now. Not getting any feedbacks to my calls either, apparently the norwegian distributor is unable to track orders due to MGs manual order-system... 2005 anyone?? Getting desperate... want my noize... Thought that this was an always-in-stock kit made by Leo Vince? Bike is '01 V11 Sport, by the way. Oh, thats already written in the margin here...doh!

what does "better" mean? longer lasting, stickier, less nervous, cheaper...???

I would be cautious about adjusting the fork and rear damper too hard. My bike was set like this when I bought it, probably because the former owner meant that HARD equals SPORTY, and it was dangerously nervous. A coin in the road made it twitch like crazy and sent it right off course, and I had to change pants regularly. I actually wondered for a while if something was seriously wrong with the frame. Then found out that I drove faster and more securely with a much softer setup. The feedback from the chassis also got clearer. Yes it dives, but I get used to it. My mountainbike dives even worse... What I also have found out is that the Sachs in the rear probably has a spring which is way too hard. My bike is perfect with a pillion (a trustful wife). Tracks like a train and points into turns with ease. And I am a grown up guy, not a dwarfed test driver. So the Sachs will have to go... If one wants to seriously better this bike; look to the springs. A subject which is thoroughly explored elsewhere on this forum.

My v11 needs a good twist of the fast idle lever EVERY time I start it. It doesnt matter if the engine is warm or not. I need to leave it on for about 15-30 sec's before the engine is able to idle by itself, or else it just stops. Why is this? I understand that a lot you guys never use the lever at all. I also experience occasional hiccups when cruising at 2800-3100 rpms. Is there a connection here? Dont think it is any wrong with the bike, and my previous Beemer was the same. Maybe its just because I am such a cold and unsensitive guy? I have also got a slightly low idle at 950-1000 when the engine is warm. This is a bit low, isnt it?

It is a great bike, first of all. Loads of character and driver involvement. It is fun to own, something my BMW R1150R not always was. The Beemer was way easier to drive, though, and perhaps safer too. But it had no soul. My V11 is my second bike, and I am quite happy I didnt buy it as my first bike. It would have scared me. Its not the easiest bike to learn on. You ought to have a certain sense of whats going on, and a bit of technical knowledge, to be able to get the best of it. The engine is a bit spiky, and the chassis has some odd feedbacks that scared the sh.. out of me the first time I rode it. And it needs some tinkering to get it right for the specific driver. And its not the lightest bike around. But it is special, and if you are willing to learn to drive it and forgive it for its shortcomings you will end up loving it in the end. I think of it as the Big Smiling Brute. As an alternative: My wifes first bike is a Laverda Ghost 668, it is equally special and also ferociously fast for its size (no Ducati under 900ccm can follow it), but really friendly and easy to handle. Perhaps I am just jealous; a Ballabio as a first bike? Wish it was me. --- ..writing from Norway, so you don't have to

I was raised on chicken fat... Writing from Norway, so you dont have to...

I recently (four weeks ago) jumped from a BMW R1150R to a 2001 V11. I love my Guzzi!! The Beemer is a german hightech travel tool. A brilliantly developed bike, but it leaves me cold. The highfrequency vibrations nearly comatized me on long journeys. And the seat was bad. And the monstrous turbulence from the roadsterscreen made me go blind above 120 kmph. But its easy to own and drive, fast enough and can withstand small nuclear blasts. The Guzzi has loads of character, I find myself grinning from ear to ear when I go down to my garage to fire it up. Its a special occasion every time. It is actually more comfy for me (I am 188 cms) on longer runs, in spite of the rather harsh vibrations between 3000-4500 rpms. But you get used to that. Yes, its not quite finished from the factory, loads of small and smallish faults, but I like the idea of learning and tinkering. I never dared to tinker with the techno-Beemer. All the help you'll need is available on the net or from the clubs, and Guzzi-people are generally incredibly nice and enthusiastic. And from 5000 rpms, it is just ballistic... And in a week or two it will be thundering along with its new MG titanium pipes. And it is virtually handbuilt... And rare... BUY!!