hgravelpha@aol.com

I have a 4.5" rear so the 170 was the original size. My t595 had a 190 (too large) and my GSXR had a 180 (perfect for ultra-sport riding) but the 170s seems to fit this bike perfectly (twisties-sport with less power).

Well, I finally replaced the stock tires with new Michelin Piot Road. These tires are excellent over most surfaces. I ride on the worst freeway in the states (710-Long Beach, CA - the only freeway that tractor trailers go to and from the very busy Los Angeles Harbor) and these tires handle all imperfections that has been tossed at them. I can take twisties at much steeper lean angles than with the stock Bridgestones. Warm up on these tires are very similar to the Bridestones. I had Pirellis, Dunlops and Avons on my Triumph t595 and never felt as confident in the twisties as I have with these tires on my v11. I recommend these tires to all v11 riders. Oh by the way, I purchased a 170 for the rear. Cost: Dennis Kirk - they match the best price on any tire and then reduce the price by a dollar. Shipping cost is $6 per tire. If you live outside of MN there is no sales tax. $84.99 for the front - delivered cost $104.99 for the rear - delivered cost $15 per tire mounting cost through Cycle Gear Thanks to all for your help on how to use my new jack, info on changing the front and rear bearings, and info on greasing the %$#@ zerks .

I was able to only grease one fitting. I pump too much and it all spurted out. Is this bad? How the hell did you guys get to the other ones? My grease gun end was too big to fit on the zerk on the end. Do I need some else? I even have the 180 degree end. Any hints will be appreciated. I have been working on the bike the last two weeks to get it ready for the non rally. The wife ok'd me for two days of riding time. I just put two new tires (Michelin Pilot Sport) and new bearings all around. You guys have been a great source of info. Thanks again.

I need some info on how to remove the front bearings. The rear were quite easy after instructions from you folks. I heard that the front was a bit more difficult. Any hints will be appreciated. Thanks.

I purchased a used BMW bucket that was 98% similar to our Guzzi bucket. I was able to fit a xenon headlight from a 2001 BMW 328 into the bucket. I'm currently looking for a reflector to complete the transformation. I had to cut the back of the bucket to fit the igniter for the xenon. I tested the unit and the light is awesome. It has a high and low beam reflector built in and I was able to wire the light directly to our high/low beam switch. I will add pictures as soon as possible. I hope to find the last piece on ebay soon to complete the transformation. I'm also looking for another bucket to redo the job (better cutting).

Wd-40 is key. I used a large screwdriver and a rubber mallet. After 10 hard blows in a circular motion, the bearing did not budge. I then sprayed the bearing with some wd-40 and bam it came loose with two heavy blow. Worked the same on the other side. I did not have to remove the circlip or the brake bracket. I think it will be much easier next time. My spline was pretty dry. Well, on Thursday, I will work on the front. Thanks all for the helping hints.

I pulled the rear wheel off to change my tire. The bearing on the brake caliber size was bad (gritty sounding/not smooth). I was planning on changing both bearings myself. Luckily, I had spare bearings. I need information on what steps I should take to start this project. Do I need to remove the circlip? Do these bearing need to be press by a machine? Can i do this job at home? Decent mechanical skills but nothing like AL R. Hope to see some of you at the Central California get together.

Jsut removed my rear wheel and discovered that my rear bearing on the brake side is toast. Is this task worth doing or should I take it to a shop?

How do you install these things. I could not get the rubber piece in. It should fit. Help.

I just ordered a set of Michelin Pilot Road 120f/170r at Dennis Kirt for $182 total for both tires. Your shipping is $5 per tire. I've been buying tires from them for years and they have always been great to deal with. Also, since they are not in CA, I do not have to pay sales tax(8.25%). These people sell more tires and have a bigger selection than any dealership. My local dealer will not install tires not purchased from their shop but I've found several local bike shop that will for $15-$25 per rim depending if it is on or off the bike. I support my local Guzzi dealer on everything but tires. Geez, just the other day I paid $19 for an oil filter. By the way, the tires generally will be at your door within 4-5 working days. This is my six set of tires purchased through them.

Sorry for the wait. I've been out of town on business. My supplier stated the design of these springs are poor at best and the material used were extremely poor. He told me that the springs that he received were a bit rusty and they were in the original oem packaging. He made a few springs but they failed during testing. He does not want to make these springs for us because he does not want to be liable for them failing and possibly hurting one of us. He did not suggest a larger wire diameter because he did not know the fitment area. I have a small spring manufacturing company in California that can manufacture these springs for us. I will not explain the application to this supplier and will have him make them to the original specs. This however will not resolve our problem that these springs sooner or later will break. Does anyone know if we have enough space in the transmission for a larger wire diameter?

My supplier will fabricate a few springs for testing. They've been busy with actual paying customers. I explained our applications and they will fabricate and test these units. They will then quote me a price for a batch. They will get back to me by next week with pricing and a minimum batch quantity. I will keep you all updated. BTW: They are fabricating and testing all three springs for the transmission.

Can I use ss ball bearings instead of lead shots? It is easier for me to get .25 in. bearings. It's too hard for dampening?

I swear by Simple Green, but last week I decided to use a bottle of S100. The bike looks brand new. I will never go back to Simple Green again on my bikes. Simple Green will only be used for my cars. Try it once, you will not regret it.

I want Guzzi's new helmet. I'm not sure if it is sold in the USA. Can anybody in Europe find out the pricing or a write up about this helmet?

Received the springs yesterday and sent the springs to my supplier today. Thanks Doc for the springs. I will send you your springs back once duplicates are made. My supplier will be closed durind xmas week. I should get an answer from him on how to improve the springs by next week. We should have new springs by the beginning of the year.

I will check with them for pricing on the complete set. Thank you for sending them because I could not find a dealer in Southern Cal. that had this spring in stock.

I check with several dealerships in my area (LA County, CA) and none had it in stock. I would like to borrow one from one of you so we can use it as a prototype. My supplier would like to look at the unit before he can really recommend what we need. I think we will go with their recommendation. Can someone with a broken pawl spring show us a picture or explained where the fatigue is on this item. We might go one wire size up but we do not know what kind of repercution it would have. We will try this spring first and then work on the others after we have a good working unit. My supplier stated that they will manufacture this unit but will not be liable for any problems cause by their use. So we will be using these springs at our own risk. If someone have an extra unit and can be without it for a month, please send it to: Thang Pham 1441 Brett Place #336 San Pedro, CA 90732

I will order the part today. My supplier suggested that we use 1065, 1080 to 1090 carbon steel with a phosphate and oil finish. The specs on these wires are - max temperature 300 F. and the tensile strength is 147,000 - 399,000 psi. He also recommended type 316/316L stainless steel if it was in a corrosive area. The specs are max temperature 400 F and the tensile strength is 312,000 psi. I'm thinking we should use 316 stainless. Now I have to wait for the Guzzi dealer to send me my spring so I can send it to my supplier. Please give me your $.02 about the type of steel to use.

Paul, If your spring is a better design, can I borrow it so my supplier can copy it. My supplier is in the east, so this process may take several weeks.

I work for McMaster-Carr Supply Company and I can have our supplier manufacture this spring in a small batch quantity. I can have them manufacture to our specs, i.e. stronger material and larger wire diameter. I just need to know the right part number to order from Guzzi so I can send it to my manufacturer. I will also need help from you all on what improvements should be made to this spring before I have a batch produced. If the cost is relatively inexpensive, I will make these as a gift to you all. If the cost is beyond a couple dollars each, then I would have to shift the cost to you. The initial batch have to be more than 50 each.

If anybody on this site need any fittings (nuts, bolts, washers, clamps, and etc) at cost, please don't hesitate to contact me. I can buy these items at cost. See mcmaster.com for merchandise.

I left Bella (2001 V11s) at the dealer for a week for a tune-up and a PCIII software upgrade. When I got it back, the bike performed amazingly. The software upgrade ($280 at Orange County Motorsport) is a definite must for all PCIII owners. The dealer also found that I had a bad neutral switch but he was out of stock so they had to order it. I rode it back to work that same day. I was in my parking space smiling ear to ear when I made the dumbest motorcycle mistake ever. I kicked my stand out but forgot to check if the stand was completely down. Well, you all know what happened next, the bike was on top of me. I was so angry with myself that I didn't realized that I had already picked it up. The bike had a left broken mirror, broken left signal, a little scuffing on the cylinder guard. I guess the bike was mostly resting on me. Now I'm deciding if I should go for after market mirrors and turn signals or just go back to stock. The dealers in my area did not have either of these items in stock. I was quoted $43 for the left signal. I called Buell and they quoted me $12 each but they did not have it in stock. I'm thinking of getting Napoleon's mirrors and mounting them up top or slimmer rectangular mirrors like the ones that are on the mgcycle.com web site. Please help me decide. If anybody have these items because they upgraded, please sell it to me because the dealer will not have it for at least 3 weeks.

HID does not draw anymore power than our current light. It actually draws 35w instead of the usual 55w. The reason for the low power draw is the HID system uses its own seperate ballast to heat up the xenon gas.

I was thinking of swapping my current 5" rear rim to a 5 1/2". Is this a simple swap or does it entail other modifications. I was going to look for a used 2002 or 2003 Lemans rim. The reason for the change is that much of my riding consist of an 80 miles commute and a bigger rear tire should make my ride more stable. My last bike was a Triumph T595 with a 6" rim and a 190 size tire and the bike was rock solid. My commute will soon be 160 miles (round trip) and I would like to make this change as soon as possible. Any info on this matter would be greatly appreciated.