Mike Stewart

For most of my life, I only had one bike at a time. Then I purchased a Moto Guzzi V11 Sport in 2001 and all hell broke loose. Mike

This is a picture of my garage Notice the scuff marks on the ZX6R from my lowside at 70, 80 or maybe even 90 MPH (OUCH) The bike came out much better than I did. 2005 Kawasaki ZX6R 636 2003 Ghezzi Brian Folgore 2000 Jackal with the Lemans 1 tank and rear fender Wifes 2000 M750 and my 2003 Rosso at 30 degrees. Mike

When you say it doesn't start, do you mean it does not crank OR cranks and does not start? If the bike does not crank over when you hit the starter button, then check the clutch switch. Usually there have been problems found under the fuel tank at the bullet connectors. I had problems at low mileage on my 03 Rosso. I bypassed the clutch switch because it is just another thing to go wrong. I am also old school when I ride as I always pull in the clutch lever when starting a bike. Ok, now if the bike cranks and will not start and you played around with the relays and now it starts, you could have at least two things going on here. One are the relays themself, and the other problem could be a loose fitting female terminal that the relay plugs into. You will need to preform a drag test which is taking a male terminal the same size as the terminals on the relay and inserting it into each female terminal that the relays plug into. You want to feel some drag, no drag equals a poor connection. If you find one that fits loose, you can tighten it with a small pick or big needle. Keep us informed, Mike

I think the steering angle is about the same with the forks raised up in the triple clamps. I have not measured the angle yet. Anyone know what the steering angle is on a LM1? Mike

The Jackal is a 2000 model, purchased in Iowa from JRT and ridden back to California two up fully loaded. Good ride mind you (heck, any ride is a good ride). The forks are stock Jackal forks, just moved up into the yokes. The rearsets are Agostini and are from a Lemans I, the exhaust are Bubs also from a Lemans I. The lower frame rails are from a 850T. I want to change the swingarm to a shorter model, but that is another project yet to come. The Jackal swing arm is about 3 inches longer than the older Tonti framed bikes. Just looks odd when trying to fit the rear fender. Also during this project I wanted to go tubeless and did find one tubeless rear wheel. Unfortunatly it will not work with the shorter swingarm. I plan to have no side covers, so I will have to fit the fuel pump and filter along with all the fuse box and relays under the rear seat. I may have to customize the Corbin seat by cutting off the rear half to gain more room. Like I said, the more I work on it, the farther behind I become. Here is a shot of the battery box I had to make to go side cover less. Mike

OK, I will come out of the closet, I am one of those guys playing around with a Jackal to 1100S project. First problem being, you start off on the project going one direction and all of a sudden, you get all these ideas and you are off collecting more and more parts. I think I have cornered the market in California on the different Guzzi fuel tanks I have collected. 1000S, 750S-3, Lemans I, Lemans II So now I am planning to go with the Lemans I tank, Corbin seat, V7 type rear fender, No sidecovers, naked or with the Lemans I fairing. On the first chapter, I purchased a set of 850T side covers and was in the process of metal finishing in the vents to make them into the smooth version like the 750S, still in the works. I fell in love with the sidecover less tonti frame so now the bike is going to be more like a Cafe Bike. Mike

I think Guzzi was just ahead of the times. In the early 90's they came out with the 1000S, a retro bike of the 70's 750S but they did not sale. The V11 Sport was a retro version of the V7 sport but with modern looks. Sexy and has eye appeal! But, I would love to see a Tonti framed bike, even with the same old 1100cc engine, put newer, wider 17 inch. spoked wheels on it, update the suspension & steering geometry. This with a V7 Sport fuel tank and rear fender/tail light setup and you have a winner. Just a thought Guzzi, Mike

So I have not really been on a bike for the last 10 weeks since my crash and I am healing up nicely. I was on the Ducati site, looking up part numbers for my wife's Ducati Monster and I came across the new Sport1000. I just don't know why it looks so good to me. Could it be the Guzzi style fuel tank or the stock bar end mirrors? Perhaps it is the retro looking tail light that lights my fire...... My wife took one look at it and agreed that I need one in the Garage. Hopefully it will be at the International bike show in San Jose in two weeks. Mike

Trail braking as taught in racing schools refers to using the front brake deeper into the turns. As the bike is leaned over less and less pressure is applied to the front brake. More lean angle= less front brake pressure (too much front brake equals front tire washing out). Now draging the rear brake helps make the bike settle down. It slows the rear suspension down, kinda like more compression and rebound dampening. Alot of racers do not use the rear brake while some do, so it really depends on what you like. Anyway, I find the Guzzi rear brake being touchy, so I do not drag the rear brake unless I am going way to hot into a turn . Hope this helps, Mike

Bingo!, Many of the 02 bikes had this leak, Guzzi found out the the leak was caused by paint being on the gasket surface. So, do clean off the paint from the surfaces when replacing the front cover gasket. Also, I like silicone sealant but not with a paper gasket. When used with a paper gasket, the gasket will want to push out away from the gasket surface (don't ask how I know ) when tightened up, stick with the old tried and true aviation sealant with paper gaskets. Mike

I really wanted to go to Ducati Day but I was just not mobile enough yet. We need to contact John C at: http://www.ducatiowners.com/mh900e/intro.html, I believe he is the one that puts the Ducati Day together. He also puts on Ducati Night in San Jose and in Lafayette that is once a month. I have ridden with John C and he knows much about Guzzi's, real nice guy, he also had posted some events on this site, but there always seems to be a very small turnout of the Guzzi's in Northern California . Any other idea's how to get Guzzist in NorCal together. If it wasn't for Carl (now moved out of California) and Mark West for leading rides , there would be little involvement in this area. Mike

I think there were some changes to the early 6spd gear boxes. When my 2000 V11 Sport was at the dealer for a trans oil leak repair, they put dye in the trans and then road tested it and while on the road test third gear came apart and locked up the transmission (before the recall came out). OK, the bike was in the shop for 3 months because Guzzi said the trans had to be repaired verses replaced. The time problem was due to the trans parts Guzzi was sending the shop. The new parts did not match the older parts and more and more parts had to be ordered to get the gears to match. They also had the trans together and apart 3 times trying to figure out why the new parts would not work with the older parts. Even Guzzi did not know the differences of the newer parts. In the long run it cost Guzzi more to redo the old transmission and the shop got screwed out of alot of time that Guzzi did not pay for. Mike

What it really boils down to is how the bike is mapped and your riding style, type of roads (curvy or straight), rpm the bike is ridden at and last but least air temp. Mike

How does she handle? Mike

Jedione, The Ghezzi Brian Super Twin uses a manuel clutch. The pull isn't too bad, I have thought of replacing it with an hydrolic unit, perhaps down the road. I want to get the trans shifting fixed first, I am having a problem going from 3rd to 4th. Seem to hit a false neutral while at the track way too many times. Mike

The PCIII USB is the way to go only if you do pay for the extra charge of getting the bike dynoed and have the seperate cylinders mapped. Note, the single cylinder mapping is an extra charge because the bike needs to do an extra pull or two. One guy at the rally that did have his bike dynoed said that afterwards the bike did run really smooth, his words were the bike felt non Guzzi like! The bike owner also had a few more runs on the dyno to make sure each cylinder was equal, and the mapping was different each time. This is like setting the idle mixture adjustment on a carb, you need to adjust on side, then go to the second carb and back to the first one to readjust. I talked to Todd earlier this year at one of the rallys where he put on a PCIII seminar, it was very imformative. We were trying to figure out why the single cylinder mapping would make such a difference in making the Guzzi run so much smoother. It could be a number of things engine wise since the Guzzi engine is not really blue printed but I think it has more to do with the way the injectors flow? Not really sure. One thing the really needs to be done when having the mapping made is to have the sniffer put in 18" to 24" from the exhaust port. This is to get a true reading from the cylinder, any farther back and you will draw air into the sniffer. Todd also recommended going with a 13.0 to 13.2 air fuel ratio for power which may have an effect on your fuel mileage. This brings up another question. What do you do when you have an 03 or newer V11 with the front crossover? Mike

Bill, I have replaced the missing air box screw on my 2000 V11 as well. The good news is that the bolt holes do not go all the way into the airbox so no dirt was sucked in . Mike

I just went to the Ghezzi-Brian site and this is what the "Tuning kit" consist of: POWER TUNING KIT Power tuning kit “Ghezzi-Brian racing “ for MotoGuzzi V11 –1100 Sport Cod.210090001 • Forged pistons • Rods • Valves,springs • Camshaft • Specific electronic unit It doesn't say if the pistons are high compression or not. I would think it would be bumped up slightly, I would be interested in what cam they use. A dyno graph would be nice to see if there is much power made. Any idea what the kit goes for? Mike

Talk to RacerX (Todd Eagan), he has been using a hydrolic unit from MG cycles for some time now. I think he had a write up at Guzzitech.com. He did mention that the lever action was quite reduced. I have installed one on my V1100 project but have not had the chance to make the bike rideable yet. Mike

The Diablo Corsa's are stickier than the normal Diablo, I got over 7000 miles on the rear Corsa and that was with alot of straight line travel, high and low speed turns. For some reason, I was able to get more mileage out of the Diablo Corsa's compaired to the Metzeler Sport tec. Must be due to the compounds used in the tire. Mike

I know this might sound stupid, but has the dealer started from square one and tried adjusting the valves? Al Roethlisberger had a sputter, cough problem when hot and it turned out the valves were way tight. This is often overlooked even at the dealers. The next step after the valve adjustment would be the throttle sync. Just a thought, Mike

The guy that scored it has a V7 Sport, well at least he has taste Mike

Bummer, I was outbid at the last second. Drat, I wanted to install the Magni fairing on my Rosso and paint it to match. Would of been a custom Rosso! Mike

No matter what head guard you have, they are only good for slow speed crashes. Yes, installing one that sticks out more will save more on a slow speed drop. I had seen a V11 Sport in May at the Prescott Rally that went down when the throttle stuck (30-40 mph fall). The damage the head protector did was just as much as if you had the stock one on. Either way you will be looking at replacing the cylinder head. The tiny 6mm bolts that hold the guard and the valve covers on are just to small to and the threads will pull out or the bolts will snap. Mike

You will love the Corsa's, they are good in the wet and when things heat up. They are my favorite tire of choice. I still try other tire brands but I always seem to come back to the Corsa's! Mike