cycles4fun

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately I Just went there and could not find this machine listed. B/R...Mike

Hello everyone, I need a good printable wiring diagram for a V11 lemans 2003 M/Y. I went to Guzzi Tech and linked to Sportissimo but they dont list that year. Specifically Im interested in the the ECU terminal pins regarding inputs/outputs. I have a complete harness, both the engine and body from an 03 Lemans, and grafting the engine harness onto a project Tonti. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks Mike

Thanks Pete! yea I figured the same just thought I would put it out there.

Hey guys looking for a little insight here. I'm wondering if there are any good technical reasons that the older rod bearings with the holes (part number 30062000) can be used in place of the later holeless bearings (part number 01062030) on the V11. The reason I ask is I have a new set of the older bearings which will save me a few bucks. I believe the demensions are identicle. Thanks Mike

Thanks guys. Using the stock ECU is an interesting possibility and also opens the door for EFI later on down the road if I decide to go that direction. How does the stock ignition deal with load/temp? I figured it needed at least the TPS and cylinder head temperature sensor unless its just a simple RPM based advance map. Hey john how does your bike run with the Mukuni's compared to the EFI? Igntech offers the ability to alter the advance map and would give the option to tune out the pre-ignition. I really want FCR's but the cost is pretty brutal! Thanks Mike

I'm looking for an alternative stand alone ignition system that will trigger off the cam position sensor on the V11. I'm using a V11 in a Tonti and scrapped the idea of running the EFI and prefer to run carbs. Obviously I need a solution for the ignition. I know of IgniTech, however I want to explore all options before jumping in. Does anyone have any practical experience with alternative ignitions and willing to share their experiences? Thanks

Very cool project Graham! I'm about to join in on a very similar project as well. I'm not building a Dr John replica, however I am swapping a late model 2003 V11 lemans engine into my 87 Lemans SE Tonti. I was torn between carbs or running the EFI and have finally decided to toss the carbs and run the injection. It seems to be the general concensis on the thread I started in this forum. I have most of the EFI components and I wont have to come up with a stand alone ignition system. If I were to go with carbs though I would run kehin FCR's and toss the Delortos. Regarding the oil return line, would it not be easy to simply drill and tap the existing boss's on the cylinder heads for the return nipples. I have not even looked at the V11 engine yet to see how the return is configured. I need to find a home on the Tonti for all the EFI crap but I have it mapped out pretty well in my head. The V11 oil pan may not fit the Tonti frame rails but I wont know for sure until I test fit it. If it wont I'm pretty sure my lemans pan will bolt right up. The other thing I need to work out is fitting a fuel return nipple to the fuel tank which should not be to big a deal as others on this forum have illustrated. Do you have the MK4 Lemans handlebar mounted fairing and side ducts for your Dr John project? My bike is fitted with a frame mounted fairing and I have my original ones as well as the chin spoiler and I may be interested in parting with them. Keep us updated on the progress and thanks for sharing! B/R...Mike

I've had endless conversation with my very good MG dealer friend and the aftersales support Piaggio provides is abysmal at best! Broken promises, unpaid warranty claims, parts availability issues, minimal technical support, the list goes on. Its really a shame! Moto America was much different. It does not appear as though Piaggio is very concerned with the US market. This is very sad indeed! Mike

Oops, I misread your thread and assumed you aquired a MK4. Sorry if I was a bit hasty.

Hello and congrats on the lemans acqusition! Take a look at my thread "fuel injection conversion" and check out my MK4 1987 Lemans SE. Its the same bike you have. If you have good mechanical aptitude and are resourceful these are easy bikes to play with. Spares are hit and miss. Engine parts are a piece of cake, however body and chassis parts can be a bit harder to find. I have spent 10 years + modifying my Lemans and have not regreted one minute of it. Sometimes I need to step away for awhile as I begin to feel I'm ready to throw in the towel but trust me....once the hook is set, you will understand. Nothing sturs the soul like a Guzzi! I have owned all the Japanese brands, Aprilia, Ducati, and Triumph, and the Guzzi's are the ones that seem to stick around. In my opinion Guzzis are always work in process. Honestly I think thats the attraction. Take care. Mike

Thanks for the excellent pic. Does it loop back down once it enters the tank or does the fuel just shoot strait upwards. This seems to be an excellent solution for the fuel return issue. Very clean, I like it!

Funny! Yea mine was pretty brutal as well. In fact I could never get a grip to stay glued in place. Eventually it would always start to rotate. Couple that with the hard pull and it was pretty miserable. I improved it considerably with the a twin cable throttle, custom cables with properly angled cable ends, and tossing the external springs for internal ones. I dont know what springs I ended up with as I have learned on this site several exist, however the end result of my work is a very comfortable throttle pull nowhere near at hard as the stock set-up. I hear the Kehin FCR's are very smooth and approach EFI throttle body like pull.

Thanks Greg, I'll take that as a complement! This thing has been a love / hate relationship for years! Nobody in sound mind would spend the time I have in this bike! I guess I enjoy the challenge of constantly trying to make it better. I could easily replace it with something far superior and begin to sleep at night but I dont need to explain this to all you Guzzi guys as you all get it. You might hate it from time to time but nothing stirrs the soul like a Goose! Greg, tell me which way would you go, EFI or Carbs.

Well I figured the V11 Lemans engine already makes the same or more power so why mess with it. Is the cumbustion chamber the same as the big valve heads? What are the valve sizes of V11 lemans heads. I figured the newer heads were optimized for the total package regarding the EFI/timing maps, compression ratio and such but I really dont know. I do know that the ports are very nicly finished for stock heads. They are way nicer then what my big valve heads started with. At this point I think I will stuff the engine in and go from there. Its looking like I will likely go with the EFI. Its going to take some work but in the end it should be a very nice runner. It already was fast enough and had killer torque with the B10. I have rode the newer Lemans and I really like the way they run. My bike is much lighter so it should acellerate even better. They seem much smoother, have great torque, start well in all temps, idle when cold, etc. I cant wait! I can always go back to carbs. Mike

Very cool! I had a 1000SP in the same color. great idea on the return nipple. i was wondering how I would do that. Seems pretty strait forward. Was it worth the effort for the EFI or do think it would have been okay with modern flatslides?

Thanks for the thoughts guys. I figured guys would be on both sides of fence on this one. I have pretty much everything needed for the EFI swap with a few exceptions that should be fairly easy to source. I have also mapped out in my head where the ECU and all the plumbing will go. I definitely want to go with the new motor as it makes nearly the same power and should be stone reliable. Plus its not even broken in yet! I know what will happen though, sooner or later I'll start screwing with it and end up in the same place in a few years! Carbs are definitely cool and very simple which definitely is a bonus. They only need gravity! I'm likely going to part out my old engine as the heads and cylinders are pretty valuable. Or better yet......I could keep it around for another project bike....see here I go again!!!!! Mike

I had my Lemans Valve covers powder coated in gloss black years ago and it still looks as brilliant today as the day I did them. I remember the guy who did it say it was real bitch as oil kept leaching out of the pores and screwing up the finish. It took him several runs to get it right.

I cant wait to hear how the FCR's compare to the EFI. Also let us know how the ignition goes. I'm still on the fence weather to go EFI or carbs with a stand alone ignition.

The hose on the diff is indeed a vent and it terminates to a very small K&N filter in the rear cowl. Honestly its really unecessary but is a great conversation piece. This bike has been an ongoing project since 1996 when I picked it up. God where do I start! You asked so here you go. My goal was to improve and modernize it in every way possible without destroying its rich heritage. Starting with the chassis I braced the frame around the steering head, the swingarm pivot area, and braced the swingarm as well. Chrome moly was used and beautifully tig welded. I also modified the swingarm by notching it to gain approx 5mm more tire clearance for the wider wheels/tires without requiring any off-set. Frame was powder coated in red. The Astralites run modern radials in 350/17 front and 150/60 18 rear. Rim widths are 4' rear and 3.5' front. These wheels are amazingly light and have a profound effect on the suspension performance and handling. The front fork is a fully adjustable KYB sourced from a Yamaha YZF600 and reworked for this application. I machined off all the tabs and such and made a fork brace to mount the stock Guzzi fender. Even Guzzi guys never spot the fork swap.! I had to bore the triples 1mm as the KYB fork is 41mm. I also used the much lighter Yamaha axle and the excellent mono-block calipers squeazing 310MM iron discs. Prior to these I had 4 piston Brembo Goldline calipers and to be honest the Yamaha mono-blocks are far superior. Pressure is suppied by the adjustable Yamaha Nissin master cylinder and custom stainless lines I made up. This thing has awesome brakes with incredible bite and are very powerfull! The rear suspension is Ohlins and the rear diff was lightened by machining off the large stock flange. Handlebars are Honda VFR 750 modified to fit and are sporty without applying to much pressure on the wrists. I think its a very nice compromise. I also own a Triumph 675 Daytona so the Guzzi is my sport tourer. Corbin made me the seat on my stock plastic pan as opposed to the the very heavy fiberglass pan he normally uses. It took a couple times to get it to my satisfaction but I really like it now. He normally wont do a seat on the stock pan as it does not provide the necessary support but I convinced him otherwise. The fairing was sourced from Italy and I made all the hardware to attach it. The guages were moved off the steering stem to the fairing where they belong. I also had a custom tinted windscreen made up. The rear tail was cut down a bit to reduce the swooping look and I opened up the faux louvers on the side panels to make them functional vents. The paint colors are 851 red and 900SS graphite. The Graphite is carried over to the wheels and the triple trees as well. The exhaust utilizes Bub headers and Verlichi (spelling) muflers. Its loud, obnoxous, sounds killer on the rundown and I love it! The foot controls are Torossi with a modified shifter linkage to reduced travel. Lets move over to the electrics and engine. The charging system always sucked on this bike so a few years ago I updated it with a modern charging system from the newer guzzi's. What a difference!!! The car like stock battery has been replaced with a smaller gel battery in a custom box I made in aluminum. I think I dropped the weight in half and it charges like a normal bike now! There are numerous other details I wont bore you with. The transmission is a stock Lemans SE close ratio with strait cut gears. The engine sports 94mm forged pistons run in Nikasil liners. (1082 with stock 78mm crank, 10.57:1 measured compression ratio). Please excuse any spelling errors. Heads are big valve lemans with 47mm intake and 40 Exhaust with titanium retailers and Raceco springs and mild porting. Pushrods are chrome moly. Carbs are 40MM delortos with K&N filters and custom cables and throttle. Cam is stock B10 with aluminum timing gears. Flywheel and ring gear are heavily lightened and the clutch uses the updated deep spline gear. Now the ugly....last year I completely went through the bottom end. I had the crank machined .010" under, had it re-nitrided, balanced, the works! I ran it for approx 700 miles fault free, changed the oil with synthetic and rode it to the Malibu Ralley (approx 500 miles). At about the 1/2 way point I noted the oil light would flicker at idle. Oh crap! I shut her down and checked the oil and it was full. Now my head was spinning with all the possibilties. The most logical was the oil pressure switch was faulty and I kept riding. Another hundred miles and now the lamp was on steady at idle and had to rev to 2000 rpm to go out. This is not good! I should have called it quits right there. Stubborn and in the middle of knowhere I kept going. It just kept getting worse and now required reving above 3k to extinguish the lamp. In addition to this I noted my charging system was now failing! By nightfall I made it to the ralley and arrived throughly discusted! Next morning I dropped the pan to make sure the filter was still in place and the pressure relief valve was not stuck. Everything looked fine! A very friendly guy loaned me a new oil pressure switch for testing and initially it seemed good, however as the oil heated up the pressure soon dropped. At that point I was done and called the wife to bring down the trailer. Bottom line I'm sick of dicking with this engine and want to move on. When I got home I found both the charging and oil pressure problems. Seems the front crank bearing is completely wiped out and allowed the rotor to contact the field coils wiping them out as well. I let the thing sit for months and now I'm ready to give it another go. I have not taken it apart yet to find the root cause but I will soon. My fantastic Guzzi dealer friend sold me an engine from a 2002 lemans with 1800 miles on it. I can go two ways with this. 1) drop it in and run carbs and a stand alone ignition system. 2) run the EFI fuel and ignition. The EFI conversion will surely be a pain in the ass and very time consuming. Is the weber system worth all the trouble? I read endless tuning issues on this forum. I could get a set of 41mm Kehin FCR's with roller slides and a stand alone ignition. The kehins have EFI like throttle pull. This would perform very well and still be old school cool. I'm on the fence!!!!! Please give me your thoughts? Pros/cons. Power wise I think it it will be very close as my lemans pounded out 82 rear wheel HP.

That is a very cool Guzzi. I love the beast of an engine for all to see. I'm curious as to why you are tossing the EFI for carbs. Funny as I'm about to do the opposite to my lemans 4. Going to EFI in a non EFI bike is sure to be a major pain in the rear. After reading about everones tuning issues with the Guzzi EFI I'm wondering if I'm doing the right thing. After surfing this site I found a link to a supplier of after market ignition that will work with the Guzzi hall sensor. It would be real easy to just stuff the late model V11 lemans engine in my Tonti, go with the stand alone ignition and drop a pair of kehin FCR's. Humm.....mayby I should rethink the project. Any thoughts?

Thanks so much for the link. I just checked it out, what an awesome site! B/R...Mike

Actually Last year I spent a good amount of time reducing the throttle effort. I sourced a Tomaselli (spelling) Daytona throttle and had two custom cables made at Motion Pro with the proper curved end fittings. I also removed the outer return springs from the Delortos and installed normal coils inside. the end result is pretty nice. Definitely not anywhere as smooth as an EFI throttle but definitely tollerable. I was very close to purchasing some roller slide Kehin 41mm FCR's but thought I would try this first.

Hello everyone, My Guzzi project this year is swapping a late model lemans fuel injected engine into my Tonti framed lemans 4. I have the complete engine with flywheel and clutch parts, coils, wiring harness, ECU, and throttle bodies. I still need to find a suitable fuel pressure regulator, fuel pump, throttle with cable, fast idle lever and cable, and who knows what else. The throttle bodies are also missing the linkage that connects to the two throttle assemblies as well as the TPS. Someone stripped off some of the linkage parts so I need a set of throttle bodies that I can rob the various linkage components. I would also entertain any thoughts from anyone who has performed a similar engine swap. Altough I'm very mechanically inclined, some insight before embarking on the project would be greatly appreciated. I know some may think I'm nuts and I should just get a spline frame lemans, which would be more cost effective, but I love my Tonti. I have been perfecting this bike for many many years and although I love the simplicity of Delorotos and a distributor, the thought of a new Lemans engine with a well sorted engine management system and fuel injection is to tempting. I'm not the kind of guy who can leave things alone and welcome your thoughts. Here is a photo of my bike. B/R...Mike

Years ago I put a 3/4 fairing on my Lemans 4 and the BUB crossover was in the way. I called up Dennis Manning at BUB and he made me a set of headers without the crossover. I then welded in a crossover under the gearbox and it worked fine. No notable change. Mike

Hey guys just a little tip here. If someone has already covered this I appologise. Install your filter of choice and tighten normally. I use my hand and cinch it down pretty good as I have a pretty good grip. I then install a hose clamp around the filter and orient the screw part of the clamp to rest up against the oil pressure relief valve thus preventing it from backwards rotation. I have never encountered any problems. If anyone is unclear of what I'm talking about here I will post up a pic when I get a chance. This is the equivelent of safety wire for the filter! Mike