Beuphonium

Sorry to revive an old thread! My MC alarm story goes like this: I had installed a Scorpio alarm as it shaved a few dollars off my insurance premium as I lived at the time in an area where motorcycle theft was a very common occurance. The alarm apparently did have a feature in that it would disable itself if left armed for a certain amount of time so it would not discharge the battery too deeply. The issue I had with mine was the key fob / remote. I attended an event at a very public venue (large shopping mall, plenty of people around) parked the bike, armed the alarm, and entered the mall for around two hours. When I returned, I found the fob/remote display screen flashing... it had somehow lost sync with the alarm unit. As such, I was unable to disarm the alarm. I ended up uninstalling the alarm system in the parking lot with the siren going off, which was really quite an experience, but worth doing as I did have to get home that evening. Nobody seemed to notice that there was an alarm going off either, that or no one cared. The mall security drove by without a second thought. Once the alarm unit was removed from the bike's circuitry the siren continued to run on an internal battery for probably another 15-20 minutes. I ended up wrapping it in an extra shirt to try and quiet it down and stuffed the shirt in the saddle bag as I drove home. Nothing else I could have done short of smashing it but I wasn't about to destroy an expensive unit. I still have the alarm unit, and the bike is still wired for it. I've tried hooking it back up and re-coding the remote/fob to the alarm, after about an hour or so the remote "forgets" what it's doing and I'm back at square one. It's a little more than $100 to replace the remote. If you desire theft protection for the bike, about the best advice I can give is to make your bike more of a pain in the rear to steal than the next guy's. An audible alarm can in some instances serve that purpose; the proximity beep on mine certainly did. Then again, the alarm won't stop the bike from being wheeled into the back of a box truck. A disc or cable lock will provide better physical protection and not effect battery life whatsoever. The sad reality is that none of those options can completely prevent a possible theft. As mentioned above, I was afforded some protection in that Moto Guzzi wasn't exactly common. For a would-be thief, ripping it off had considerably higher risks associated with it as it would be relatively difficult to move either the whole bike or the parts from it. Here's to all of us never needing to worry about any of this!

I purchased my Magni fairing second-hand (what fun it was riding home with the kit strapped to my back as my V11 was, at the time, my only transportation.) I was able to buy it cheap because the mounting bracket had broken. After welding the bracket back together (and discovering the hard way I didn't have the entire kit) I installed the fairing. In my case this was compounded by having to swich not only the headlight mounts but the dash panel and all associated hardware as well. On the test ride I immediately trashed my speedometer cable as the angle drive I didn't know I required was still installed (I presume) on the motorcycle of the gentleman from whom I purchased the kit... My experience with the fairing lasted about another 300 or so miles before the fairing bracket broke again in a different location than the one I repaired. I removed the whole works and ran the bike naked for a few years. Now that I have access to my shop again, (I was stationed thousands of miles away when I installed it) I have fabricated a new mount that replicates the original Cafe'/Coppa/Ballabio "stalk" mount and welded the Magni fairing support arms directly to it. It works great. Oddly enough I have to pull the fairing off the bike tomorrow to install some gauges (converting to electronic speedometer to finally fix the angle/drive / bicycle speedo issue.) If there's any interest I can take a photo or two of the modified bracket while it's apart. For what it's worth, the headstock on my bike has two tubes welded horizontally across the front. The Magni fairing bracket as I received it did not directly bolt to both of them; the top bolt lined up perfectly, but to attach the bracket to the bottom tube I had to make some brackets (at the time I used aluminum angle) to be able to extend the mount on the main bracket about 3/4" or so further down. My bike is a cafe sport. The change from the stock handlebars on risers to under-the-top-clamp clip-ons is, to say the least, "radical." Despite my tribulations I love the fairing; all that is left for me to do now is spray it out to match the tail section I have.

#111237 is officially back on the road near Chicago, IL. I'm the original owner; purchased it new in Northern California in '06.

Being one of those hydraulic pressure type switches, I've never had one apart so I have no idea. I visualize a set of seals inside the switch that'd probably get trashed if I attempted to remove them. I'm just hesitant to tear it apart until I know that I can either rebuild the existing switch or have a replacement one on hand (but that's only because lazy me wants to go through the whole brake bleeding process only once...) I suppose in the worst case scenario I can cap it off and use a mechanical switch rigged up to the brake pedal.

Greetings all! It appears that the rear brake switch on my '04 Cafe Sport has crapped out; does anybody know of a replacement switch that can be obtained at, say, an a local auto-parts type place, or if there's any interchangeability with a part number from another brand / type? Authentic Guzzi parts are as scarce as hen's teeth here in Hawaii, and I've got to try and get this fixed right away. The brake light works perfectly from the front switch, the rear pedal doesn't turn on the light, but I can get the lamp to light by shorting the contacts on the rear brake switch, so I'm pretty much positive that the problem lies there. Can the switch be rebuilt? I'm assuming this isn't too common a problem... Thanks in advance! - Joe K

I am running 54mm Woodcraft clip-ons on my cafe' sport. They are nice in that their 2-piece clamp system does not require removal of the top clamp to install / remove them. On the other hand, the Harris units do come in a high-rise model. I have a set of Magni clip-ons as well, they have about the same bar height as the Harris high-rise units. The standard ones are significantly lower, IMHO. - Joe

Greetings! For what it's worth, I used a 1/4" (thread size) rubber well nut, a 1/4x20 stainless bolt that was long enough to pass completely through, a stainless fender washer, and a nylon locknut. The fender washer, nylon nut, and the (allen head) bolt will hold the gauge cluster to the motorcycle. The well nut will expand to tightly fill the hole in the gauge mount when the bolt is tightened, keeping the gauges both tightly fastened and reasonably well insulated from shock and vibration. I went this route because I retrofitted a V11 Sport / Le Mans setup to my Cafe' Sport, and discovered after it was all apart that the hardware that came off of my original setup was nowhere near what I needed. I was able to obtain all the parts to mount the dash / gauges at the local hardware store, thus the SAE size. I'd have gone with a metric version were they as obtainable. Hope this helps!

As an afterthought.. the "43mm" referred to earlier in this thread is the diameter of the fork tube itself. The clip on mounts to the fork "upper" which has 54mm diameter.

The last time I researched this, I found a variety of aftermarket clip-ons that would fit; I eventually settled on the Woodcraft with the 2 piece clamp. Harris makes a "straight out" and also a high-rise model as well. The V11 series bike will require the 54mm size, which is relatively hard to come by, but can usually be ordered. Hope this helps.... www.woodcraft-cfm.com www.harris-performance.com

That wire prevents a key fob from getting caught in between the ignition switch and the gauge mount. Without it there it's relatively easy to have a key chain jam the steering if one wasn't careful. I figured this out as I was removing it to fit the V11 Sport dash panel on my Cafe' Sport. I am really liking the idea of a pressure gauge... either mechanical or electrical. I'm using one of the holes left over from the handlebar mounts now to mount my Sigma computer.. maybe I can find a way to put a pressure gauge on the other one?

Thanks for the information- admittedly the only German I know is that which can be picked out from babelfish Having picked through the machine translation it turns out that the particular color I'm looking for isn't in fact green; it's Gray, Lechler GUZ-44 to be exact. My intent was to try and obtain the paint code in an attempt to have a starting point for a paint match. Armed with this new information, I'll be attempting to replicate the color using a more easily-available paint system, and will post the color code and mix here just in case anyone else needs it. Sooner or later I might just have to use "Verde Nacre" on a project- such a classic color...

Greetings! It is relatively easy to convert to clip-ons, especially if you can locate a set of the factory Guzzi clip-on controls; the threaded hole used for alignment of the clip-ons, however, is not drilled into the top clamp of a Cafe' Sport, and the mounting holes for the bars will be left over as well. Changing the fairing mount to the triple clamp will require a set of headlamp mounts (from a V11 Sport Naked) , and gauge mounts + a new dashboard (from a V11 Sport or Le Mans). I found my Cafe' Sport a much different machine to ride after the conversion to clip-ons, though I have mine mounted underneath the top clamp for fairing clearance (Magni) reasons. Seems to me that if you'll be sticking to the original fairing, the top mount is the way to go. Best of luck on the project!

Greetings all- Somewhere, perhaps on this forum, I read that the paint for Moto Guzzi is manufactured by Lechler SPA. Browsing their website I seem to have found an extremely comprehensive list of all the colors used for Guzzi. I am looking for the paint to match the tail section of my 04 Cafe' Sport. I have the parts manual for the 2003 V11 Sport, Le Mans, and Rosso Corsa, which lists only the colors as "Grezzo" (unpainted) Grigio Cromo " chrome gray) Rosso, (red) and Rosso corsa ("Corsa red). Basically what I need to know is the name of the color of the tail section in Italian. To my eye it almost looks like a very dark metallic green? Anyone have the official "Ballabio / Cafe Sport / Coppa Italia" parts manual that can look up the P/N and paint name for the tail / front fairing? Thanks in Advance!

The easiest fix (as mine behaves quite similar) is to purchase a Sigma 1606L. Calibrates easily, and provides a legible, accurate speed readout and odometer for less than the cost of a speedo cable (I bought mine after cable #3 crapped out). I'm waiting now on a replacement speedometer to arrive, though once it does my Sigma computer will stay on the bike. I had a different brand bicycle computer attached for a short while, but it was quickly removed once I discovered that it wouldn't ready any speeds faster than 67 mph. Once my replacement gauge arrives I'll see what I can do to find out what's going on inside the bad one, and post the results if they are of any interest.

Mine is off of the bike right now due to a broken bracket. I did, however, leave the control setup in the interim, which consists of a set of Woodcraft clip-ons mounted under the top clamp. I did move the forks up in the clamps to accommodate the change. Though it's pretty much common sense, there are 3 constraints when putting the controls on with the fairing mounted- they must be a) positioned vertically such that the controls clear the fairing, positioned horizontally such that the levers to not hit the fairing at full lock, and c) angled such that the controls do not hit the tank at full lock) It took me some trial and error to find the perfect position that met all three requirements, but once I did the bike was as comfortable as it ever was. As I recall, someone on here.. maybe a year ago, was selling a Magni fairing, claiming that they had found a way to use it with the stock clip ons. I am not sure whether they were referring to the under-yoke clip ons of the 99-01 sport or the newer style. Either way, it did seem to me that there was "some" room at least for adjustment, moreso should one obtain a set of adjustable clip ons. It also seems that if one could find a way to set up the "cross brace" bracket slightly different, that may yield more space as well. Once I get my fairing back on the bike I'll probably end up messing with it again to see what kind of room there is. Hope this helps...

To the best of my knowledge, the only V11 variants that come with bar risers and handlebars are the Coppa Italia, Cafe' Sport, and Ballabio, in what basically is "descending order" of trim. The Ballabio is, in essence, a V11 Sport Naked with a cast aluminum headlamp mount, slightly smaller headlamp, windscreen, and handlebars. The Cafe' Sport is a Ballabio in "Bronze Gold color" with Ohlins suspension and carbon fiber front fender, side covers, and starter cover. The Coppa Italia is the same parts as the Cafe' Sport but with a (beautiful, IMHO) 3 tone paint scheme, and the factory titanium exhaust kit with matching ECU. Pretty much every other (stock) V11 variant made came equipped with clip-ons from the factory. Of those, the Rosso Corsa, Nero Corsa, and Scura came from the factory with Ohlins suspension. I have yet to ride any of the newer Guzzi machines, so I can't comment on them other than to say I personally prefer the look of the V11. From some photos I've seen the Ballabio handlebar setup appears to work with the Le Mans fairing, but I haven't seen one in the flesh myself. Hope this helps, and good luck in your search.

That bike is, in fact, a V11 Sport Naked with a windscreen. As I recall the owner posted on here not too long ago having just bought it.

04 Cafe Sport- current odometer reading 6,5xx. True mileage ?? I went through 3 speedometer cables with a lot of mileage using the "what gear am I in vs. RPM" speedometer method. I do know for certain that I've got 2300 miles on it since I fitted the Sigma computer, which works much better than I ever could have hoped. Oddly enough, having replaced the speedometer cable my speedo now likes to read anywhere between 0 mph and 10-20mph faster than actual road speed... but the odometer still seems to be accurate. Once of these days I'll get that fixed.... Knocking on wood, the only quirks I've experienced were a loose battery cable, an appetite for speedometer cables, and the ignition switch falling off the top clamp at freeway speeds.

As it would be difficult to slot those for extraction with an impact driver, that leaves just a couple options: 1) Hammer in a piece of the next-upsized allen key, remove with impact driver. 2) drill, and attempt to use a (not so) e-z out (the type that have the cross pattern have worked better for me in the past than the ones that look like left hand drills), pound in and attempt to extract. I tend to stay away from these only because once you break them off inside the bolt you're trying to remove then you're REALLY up a creek. 3) Very carefully drill with a bit ever so slightly larger than the diameter of the bolt itself... once you get through the head, the bracket will come off and you can then remove the leftover stud by slotting, or any other convenient method. I have just had the same issue with the bolts on the oil cooler bracket on my V11. One came out, the other stripped. In my case though I am able to slot the screw head and try and remove with the impact driver. By impact driver in this case I mean the manual one... air works even better if you have it but my small 3/8" drive hand held impact driver is worth its weight in gold, especially thousands of miles from my garage where I have access to air tools

Joe- Having dealt with this myself, should you wish to convert to a Lemans fairing, this will require removal of the large cast stalk on the front of the bike. This will also involve obtaining a new dash panel and required hardware to mount the gauges such that they move with the handlebars. To mount the headlight, there are left and right side mounts which attach to the new gauge mounting hardware. and the lower triple clamp. Mounting of the Lemans fairing will involve removal of the aforementioned mounts, replacing with various brackets. I am in the same boat myself as I am waiting on the repair of my Magni fairing- I have constructed a "field expedient" headlight mount out of aluminum to tide me over. My original plan was to source a complete Lemans fairing and paint it to match the Cafe Sport color scheme. Once you have the whole setup converted to the sport/lemans style, then putting the coppa fairing back on will make a world of difference with the airflow. I'd have my stock fairing on now but it's off at "the lab" trying to get the color matched so I can have my Magni unit sprayed to match the rest of the bike. Hope this helps.... a number of folks here have done this conversion- it's just a few hours work if you have ALL the parts compiled. Also..... If I recall correctly, the stock ballabio / cafe / coppa handlebar setup will clear on the Lemans fairing without modification. As I have the Magni setup I was forced to switch from the stock handlebars to the (Much, much lower) aftermarket clip-ons mounted underneath the top clamp. The stock Lemans comes with the clip-ons mounted on top of the top clamp.... the options are endless.

Greetings.... I am looking now at my weight slip from when I had my V11 weighed for registration purposes here in HI. With the additions of a center stand, and the Hepco Becker 30 Liter bags, it was 540 lbs. I think the tank of gas had 30 miles on it. On the other hand, due to the center stand mod there is no longer a carbon canister, and my headlight mount is made out of extruded aluminum strap (until my Magni fairing gets back from the mainland). This may be a pound or two? as usual, YMMV.

Just thought I'd post this picture up.... I was looking at it thinking "One of these things is not like the others..." These are incredibly popular in Hawaii from what I've seen. Enjoy.

Over the weekend I removed the (much lower than stock) Magni clip ons from my Cafe Sport and replaced them with (lower still) woodcraft units. Personally I think the change is for the better, geometry wise, but I do now notice more vibration than I did before. I had done a pretty good job of dampening the vibrations with the Magni clip ons by purchasing a piece of fuel line that was roughly the same OD as the ID of my handlebar tubes, and inserting a tight fitting bolt inside said fuel line. This added a significant amount of mass to what otherwise was a rather flimsy (IMHO) setup from Magni. I also have heavy bar ends with replaceable sliders installed. Having just switched to the Woodcraft units, I noticed that the bar itself is lighter (aluminum vs. steel) and has a significantly thicker wall. I suppose it's back to the hardware store for more hoses and bolts for me... I also have 2 pairs of riding gloves, one of the leather and mesh type, the other of the full-gauntlet style that I used during Chicago winters. Wearing the winter gloves also was easier on the hands, but the mesh gloves admittedly are more comfortable in the heat here in HI.

Quite True. That did take some getting used to. It will get more aggressive still once I switch out the clip-ons to the (much nicer) 3 piece units that have just arrived. However...... I'm sure there's a way to make the fairing work with the stock clip ons, as I believe someone (here?) has done it in the past? That solution may have been for the pre-2002 models with the stock clip ons under the top clamp. I'll be looking into it myself once I get my faring back. As I recall, there were 2 issues: the height (which if I recall correctly will clear the fairing) and the rotation (such that the levers won't hit the fairing when the bars are turned to full lock). Unfortunately the installation and measurement taking may take a while... I'm in Hawaii, fairing is in Chicago I have found though that the stock windscreen works pretty well if it's pulled back and mounted like it was on the Rosso Mandello and Scura. I had mine this way for about a week before I sent it to my shop in Chicago to try and get the color matched. The bike has been naked since....