guzzimeister

Hi in my experience, mot of these sneezes are caused by marginally weak fuelling. However all the above are equally valid reasons and can be easily checked out before looking at the fuelling. It's also worth check the TPS setting, in case this has drifted - there are many good threads on this forum to do this. If none of the above improve the problem, try the following: - part some marks on your twistgrip so that you can readily identify ho far it is turned when the sneeze happens - recreate the sneeze, and note tacho reading and twist grip position - connect your PC to the power commander and with the twist grip in the sneeze position note the angle as given in the PC3 software. You can take the tacho reading as being slightly high ie 2200rpm is actually more like 2000rpm, or yuou can run the engine and on the PC3 screen, note the actual rpm when the tacho needle is in the same position as when the sneeze occurred - now look at the mapping on your PC3 at the moment. If the sneeze occurred at 2000rpm and 20% throttle, just alter the fuelling at that point by +2. Upload this new map to your bike. - take it out onto the road and see if this cures the problem. If not repeat the above and test again You may have to make 5 attempts at it but you will cure the problem. It's the electronic equivalent of differnt jets, slides and needles being tried, but far, far easier. Very important: (a) make sure your TPS setting is correct ( the PC3 is set as per Dynajets calibration instructions. That way you will have a reference point in future. However even if you don't do either, this procedure will still cure it, and give you a better midrange too. V11s are set very weak between 20 and 40% and 2000 to 3000 rpm, this causes the sneeze. My V11 runs K&N type cones and Mistrals and needed +6 in at least 4 points to run well, but now it is very fast in the midrange and more economical too. Hope this helps Guzz

Hi jumpy speedo is symptomatic of a dry cable. You must lube it or the strain imposed on the little plastic gearboxes at either end is enough to strip the gears. These are not repairable and nigh on unobtainable. The cable can be lubricated with a mixture of 3 in 1 or similar and WD40. Pull the cable out, drip the oil on it and wash most of it off with the WD40. It's been OK for 60000 miles with me. Speedo drives come in two forms. One cable has a gearbox at each end, the later models have the speedo cable screwing straight into the gearbox vertically with no gearbox at that end. If your speedo drive gearbox is shagged at one end, suggest buying the later cable and takeing the drive straight off the gearbox. The SD gearboxes are identical. Cheers Guzz

Hi lots of questions here which I hope I can help with - tachos can be repaired by Stein Dinse even the electronic ones, they are on the net - condensation in them seems to make no difference, indeed the concensus in the Moto Guzzi Club GB is that they tend to be more reliable than the dry ones - Stein Dinse reckon they fail because the tiny gauge of internal wiring in the unit is too small and fractures with vibration Cheers Guzz

Hi 100% agree with this. It takes about 30 minutes with practice to get the wheel and the swinging arm off. You can then check the swingarm bearings; if these are notchy they can be saved by lifting the dirtshields off the beari ngs and repacking with grease. Much better than putting new bearings in. Wheel bearings are next; Guzzi are notorious for fitting u/s bearing spacers, and bearing failures are not uncommon. If yours have gone, before banging the new bearings in, check the spcer length, and if u/s, buy some bearing spacer shims from a good bearing stockist and pack to the correct size between the bearings. Plenty of threads on this forum about spacer measurement. Then check the state of the rear caliper pads, these are only 2mm thick when new and wear rapidly in my experience. e e If the spline grease nipple is broken off on your bike, simply pull the shaft halves apart and LIGHTLY grease the splines by hand. You will have to manipulate the halves back together again to release any trapped air which will act as a gas spring for a while..... Greasing the UJ nipples is best done with a needle. With the swwingarm off the gearbox end UJ nipple can be done in situ, while with the bevel box off the bike, access is even easier. Grease until old grease comes out of the joints. Finally put some grease on the bevel box output shaft splines before putting the wheel back on, and make sure you look at the little unshielded roller bearing that acts as a pivot for the bevel box. This should be cleaned and greased every toime you take the wheel off, as it siezes very quickly. Then grease the wheel spindle to make sure it doesn't seize in the wheel in future and you're done. Sounds a lot but in practice very quick to do, and saves days of heartbreak...... Cheers Jon

Hi ECU on all V11s is electronically the same except for the addition of a Lambda sensor input on post 03 models. The maps fall broadly into two types, the original map on the Mk1 V11s, those with the red frame and no frame bracing at the front, and those on the other later V11s. There is another subdivision of Mk2 V11s fitted with lambda sensors and those without like mine. Mk1 ECU maps tended to be quite lean in the mid range, which is the cause (among other things) for the famous V11 cough at 2000 - 3000 rpm. Mk2 maps are better but still over lean in the mid range. The PcIII can sort all this out; don't get overly hung up on the descriptions of the maps (mistral X over etc), put the one closest to the description for your bike and play about with the settings. Providing you don't go over lean you can't damage anything. I tuned mine through many many road rides, working on the basis of altering usually richening the rev range and throttle position that felt weakest on the road. I would do this with carbs so figured I could do this with an ECU too... The Tacho reads slightly fast but close enough (+100-200 rpm) and one get calibrate the throttle by looking at the 10%,20% and 40% positions as shown on the PC software and marking those points with Tippex or similar on the twist grip. It's close enough. Alternatively spend the money on a dyno check, and find where the weak spots are. However this won't tell you how it feels on the road, which is what it's all about basically. I'm running K&N cone filter copies, no airbox, Mistrals and a standard cross over. Map is attached. PCIIIs seem to be roughly the same price wherever you go, sometimes you get one popping up on ebay. Cheers Guzz 120720.djm

From reading the link on this post I can see that I'm not alone in having the nipple rounded off Hi You might want to soak the three countersunk mounting screws in WD40 or Plus-Gas before attacking them too, because they have a very small head, and will have seen the full effect of thrown up road dirt for some years......... mine came out fairly easily after 5 years but.....? Wish I was living in NZ.... Cheers Guzz

Hi these are the classic signs of a regulator failure. The tacho conveniently operates OK down to about 8 volts, where upon it dies and shows zero. The ECU can work down to about 7 volts and then it too dies. That's why you see a tacho fault and then you have about 30 miles before the bike will stop dead. The regulator is the finned thing fitted just under the headstock. They fail on V11s because they are very poorly earthed - more to come. To check whether your reg is working, charge the battery or jump (do not bump!)start the bike. Put a voltmeter over the terminals of the bike. At idle, you will see between 12 and 13.5 volts. Then rev with bike up to about 2000 rpm. You should then see around about 14 volts, or at least an increase in voltage from idle. If it doesn't, the reg is probably dead, and needs to be changed. You can do the same check at dusk, and use the headlight to tell if the reg works. As you rev up, if the reg works the light will brighten slightly. If you get an increase in voltage, but the bike battery seems flat and doesn't want to charge, it's possible that the battery has failed on one cell. Sealed batteries are quite reliable but can fail very quickly - I had one collapse in 30 miles. Please don't assume that because you don't see the charge light coming on, the battery is being charged. All it means is that the battery voltage is being matched by the reg output. If it does come on, it definitely means there is no charge function. Also putting a voltmeter across a battery with no load on tells you nothing. It needs to be cranking the engine to provide any info - it should fall to about 8 volts doing this, if you see 6 volts, take it to an auto battery specialist and get them to do a "drop test" on it - standard test for which they should charge you nothing. They will tell you if your battery needs changing.... Just as a point of interest, had mine checked on Saturday for another reason, and its peak current capability was 670 Amps which is why you should disconnect the battery if you are fiddling electrically...... When you fit your new reg, it is worth running a separate earth cable from the case of the reg direct to the negative post of the battery, Also clean up any earthing contact faces and smear with petroleim jelly to stop corrosion. The standard reg earth on the V11 is very poor - I fitted a new reg to mine, and took a wire from the battery negative to the reg case. Incredibly I was able to get a small spark between the bare wire and the case - when I measured it there was a voltage difference of about 4 volts. At that point, I then fitted the separate earth. As well as preserving the reg by not making it work so hard, it stops your battery from being routinely charged at too high a voltage - the reg looks for a 12v difference beteen its earth and its output to regulate itself. If the earth is poor as per my example it can be putting out 15 or 16 volts - not good. Regs are generic items and available on ebay or a good dealer for about £60. Hope it all helps. Guzz

That's good news!! So I have to look for a complete hard bag set. Since I don't like the genuine MG soft bags, is there any company that offers lateral hard bags, a top box and the mounting units complete as a set? Hi I use Hepco and Becker 30 litre hard cases on an Hepco and Becker frame. I don't think they carry these as stock any more but will definitely make them up for you. Talk to your local H&B agent. Frames are not super pretty but are extremely tough and allow ues as a grab point, which is very difficult on a standrad V11. They also accept a top box but given how high up and rearward it is, I wouldn't recommend you use a top box.

Hi oil leaks are funny things which rarely seems to show up at the point where the actual leak is. I have a Dowty washer weeping on the RH connector on the oil cooler yet looks like the timing chest is leaking. For the 40p a Dowty washer costs, worth changing both on the oil cooler as a matter of course. Cheers Guzz

Hi 2000-2001 models had no Lambda sensor, I'm not sure when they introduced lambda sensors on V11s, around 2003 I think. If you are not familiar with these, look at your V11's header pipes and if it has a device in one of them with wites attached, that is the sensor. If it does not, you are safe to use the Pc3, as the only difference post 2001 apart from the sensors, were additional frome bracing, slightly better engine mapping, a balance pipe between the headers, and black faced clocks, all or none of which mayt be prsnet on your V11, depending how old it is. I use one of these pc3s on my 2002 model, had to richen the bottom end up by 10% but made a world of difference. Cheers guzz

Hi g/box seal is replaceable in situ, drive two woodscrews in and yank it out! Guzz

Hi Keith, that did go bang, didn't it? Nice to see the safety cage works though to prevent shrapnel going through your leg.... Re possible causes for failure. In my experience,mis alignment of the two shaft halves is the biggest killer. I have seen other V11s where the paint marks do not indicate alignment, in once case 90 degrees out. This puts a massive strain on the joints, surprised you got to 28K. Lubrication seems to be less critical, I do mine about 10 to 15k apart and they have lasted to 64k so far. Grease is not critical, just make sure it's squelching out of the bearing. I hear somewhere the the UJs should be slightly stiff, and that if they strat getting floppy the bearings are on the way out. Personally I prefer to take th ebike to 30 mph, pull the clutch in, kill the engine and coast. If it feels harsh or vibratory, I would look at the UJs. Drive line slack is not an indication as it is made up of the wear in the bevel box pivot, the shock absorber in the gearbox and the cush drive (not much). Somewhere on this forum, someone has identified that the UJ is a standard one and can be had for a lot less than MG charge for it. Alternatively try Stein Dinse, who seem to be very reasonable. Going to the V Twin? Cheers Guzz (JW)

Hi I agree. Any issues with the hydraulic actuator will make the clutch difficult to disengage,because it will not overcome the clutch springs. Any slipping is nothing to do with the hydraulics. Look for oil leaks either from the engine crankshaft or the gearbox drive shaft. This will show as drops at the bottom of the bell housing as my learned colleague has indicated. If it's not that, plates are very worn, or springs are weak, probably the former. Either way you will have to split engine and gearbox to find out - about 2 hours work with the swinging arm out. Cheers Guzz

Hi should be a straight swap. Later V11s only differ technically from the earlier ones in the frame which had additional bracing particularly to the engine, better engine mapping, the addition of lambda sensors, and a balance pipe across the headers. Swapping the cluster as a unit is easy, just three screws attaching it to the facia, disconnect speedo drive and supporting electics, and swap out. You will have to unscrew the trip knob which has a LH thread, and undo the 4 nuts which hold the pod rear on. As I recall, there are then standard gauge retaining U shaped brakets which come off with one knurled nut each.While you have the opportunity, pull the sppedo cable out and oil it with a mixture of grease waterd down with light lubricating oil. This will prevent the binding which destroys the angled speedo drives at the speedo, and on earlier V11s the gearbox, both identical cheap plastic things which are now nearly unobtainable. 45 mins work. Please be aware that early whitefaced tachos are not known for their reliability, Ive repalced two in 18K miles. A good indication seems (anecdotally at least) to be that if the tacho initally mists up after starting it will survive; the ones that don't seem more prone to failure. Something to do with the dissiptaion of condensation I expect. Keep smiling..... Guzz

Hi Paul BPS will rebuild, there are others who advertise on ebay, search V11. Around £150, a lot cheaper than a Hagon at £400. Very common fault, never quite understood why, can only assume a weakness in WP shocks. My Sachs damper never had this problem. Cheers Guzz

Hi Frank screw the trip knob clockwise, it has a LH thread. Four nuts hold the back of the instrument cluster on. Remover the speedo draive first. It's easier. Cheers guzz

Hi suppliers would be Teo Lamers in Holland (tlm.nl) or Agostinis in Italy or Stein Dinse in Germany or Corsa Italiana or Spares GB in the UK. i think the gasket is common to all square head large block Guzzis so it should not be a probalem. Cheers Guzz

I'm no expert but I think you are refering to a circlip that hold the bearing housing in there, if so no, even if you do you wouldn't be able to budge that part. How do I know, I tried. You will get a better answer when the other guys wake up Cheers Roy Hi Paul, lip is there to retain the cush drive, which on most V11s is probably seized. Don't worry, there is a ramp and ball shock absorber in the gearbox which is more than sufficient. To your wheel bearing: In theory, these are just tapped out using a rod which is a loose fit in the bearing.You have to cant it to one side to get the edge of the rod to touch the inner ring of the bearing you want to remove. Therefore this can be a tricky job, and you should make sure that the end of the rod that contacts the bearing is square to the axis of the rod with sharp ie not burred over edges. I use M10 or M12 studding. This process is not helped by the wheel spacer which gets in the way a lot but is deliberately designed to move over to one side to allow you to do this. In practise once you get a purchase on the bearing, a few shap taps with a hammer not a rubber mallet, will knock it out. The disc side is often much sighter than the drive side, so I usually knock the drive side out which is quite easy, take the spacer out, and then you have good access to the disc side to put a big fat rod on it, and whack it out. Bearings are freely available, about £5 each from any supplier, and if one has gone, the other won't be far behind, so replace both. Another technique is to put a suitably sized Rawlbolt (expanding bolt for concrete) in the bearing inner and tighten up til the claws are behind the bearing innner race. It's much easier then to bring a rod to bear on the bolt and whack it out. Yet another tip: When the bearing spacer is out, do two things. Measure the spacer length with a vernier, and compare that to the distance between the lip of the seating of the removed bearing and the inner race of the bearing in place. At most there should be around 0.1mm difference. MG are notorious for using undersize spacers; this can be corrected by buying bearing shims of the correct inside diameter and packing the spacer with these during reassembly. Another tip is to grind a small (say 4mm) V shaped notch in each end of the spacer before reassembly. When you have to change the bearings again, it will be much easier to get a rod to the inner ring of the bearing. Bearing life: With u/size spacers, typically 10k miles or less. With correct spacing, 30K miles or more. sorry to rattle on, hope it helps. Guzz the circ

Hi think I just posted an empty reply, apologies. To answer your question, I would take the inlet manifold off and heliciol it. Do not do it in situ becuae it will take only one loose flake of metal to destroy your cylinder liner - this is an almost certain outcome. Also if you do not feel confident doing a heliciol you can take it to your local engineering who won't charge you much. Consequences of a leak depend on how much of a leak. Connecting the two nipples together with a rubber tube will work for a while until the rubber gets hard. As Hubert says, intila signs will be an erratic surging idle which should be warning enough. If you ignore this you will get to the stage where the beat will spit back through its injector and blow the inlet rubber off - that should get your attention. Very unlikely to seize a motor through lean running, although I have met a guy who fitted Mistrals and K&N cones to a nion lambda sensored V11 without a Power Commander and had a nip which cracked the cylinder - so it CAN happen, but you'd have to screw it to do so. My advice - go with a helicoil, the kit is £20, job including takeing the inlet manifold off is about two hours. Make sure you apply Hermetite or similarto the inlet manifold agsket and make sure all your rubbers are done up tight. V11s are very sensitive to leaks in the engine to injector rubber. Airbox rubbers do affect the bike but to a lesser extent. Hope it all helps. Guzz

Hi Robert, yes it is. QR couplings are available on the Denon Tweeks or indeed any rally car site. I fitted one to the pressurised side by the fuel pressure reg whic I think is a 6mm bore. Has worked fine for 5 years. Not easy to remove though, easier with needle nose pliers. I didn't bother with the fuel tap side as I could turn the fuel tap off. Some early v11s have a solenoid operated fuel tap which also automatically shuts the fuel off. As far as I can remember the QR coupling was about £15. They are prettu robust, by the way. Cheers Guzz

Hi I have seen a late model V11 with a straight output from the box. Providing the cable is well lubricated there shouldn't be an issue. Cheers Guzz

Hi when it happened to me, it was an air leak at the injector to head rubbers plus a TPS setting on the low side. Both are easy to check and described in detail in this forum. To check for leaks, sometimes sqirting WD40 around the suspect area detects a leak by the engine increasing revs when idle. Also check the rubber retaining clips. The rubbers (especially left side) are a B$st$£r to locate properly yet seem to have no problem working loose. All the above comments re idle speed are relevant but I would say get the injectors balanced with a correct TPS setting and the bike will idle all day at an indicated 800rpm quite smoothly. Don't like fast idles because the bike overheats and loses oil pressure in heavy traffic like all Guzi V twins since Genesis. I will now be controversial and say that while setting vlave clearnces, new relays, and balancing the injector bodies undoubtedly helps, most of the problems with poor running on this forum are either air leaks or TPS settins, ie lean running. Despite having an ECU and injectors the injection system on V11s is very crude, especially ythe pre lambda sensor types. Treat them like carbs except that the TPS adjust both idle and main jet settings, if you see what I mean, and you can diagnose faults very quickly. The weird bits about the system are when sensors malfunction, or relays make poor contact or fail. The former usually makes the ECU default to a rich get you home setting and is pretty rare. This is tricky to diagnose cheaply. The latter usually lead to fuel starvation symptoms, ie misfiring or cutting out dead at speed, which is not surprising because fuel supply is afected by these parts. Cheers Guzz

Hi from memory bolts are M5 x 40mm or thereabouts, Length not critical. Cheers Guzz