Mike Stewart

David, The Penske has not arrived yet, looks like the 3 week wait is turning out to be more like 6 weeks plus. My 00 V11S is in the shop anyway and I do not know when it will be finished up either. I would still go with the Penske! But wait till I try it out. Mike

Le man, Check the rear brake lever for binding. It should return to the adjustable stop. My 03 Rosso rear brake lever was tight at the pivot bolt. I had to remove the brake lever and file down the bushing that is pressed into the brake lever. Works smooth now, however I believe it has warped the rear brake rotor from having the brake partially on. I now get the dreaded rear brake moan when the bike is rolled forward or back. I am still fighting the no crank condition. Seems the problem is either the clutch switch or the starter button. When the problem happens, a turn lock to lock with let the bike crank and start up. I am off the the garage to check on my tool bag to see if there are any suprises. I did notice that they give you a 14 mm. hex to remove the front and rear axle bolts. Mike

Baldini, I am using the stock tire sizes, 120/70/17 and 180/55/17, I am currently running 35 psi in the front tire and 40 psi in the rear. I have my fork preload all the way cranked up, but my weight is 200 lbs. with out gear. I have the forks set to the stock settings for compression and rebound. On the rear shock I added more preload to get the correct sag. The compression adjustments are 14 clicks from full tight (turned clockwise all the way and backed out 14 clicks), the rebound is at 8 clicks from full on. At speed, this setup worked great, when cruising the settings still may be a little harsh. The 03 bikes are compleatly different from previous years. It is a plug and play setup. No tuning required. My problem is I want more sound from the exhaust and I know it will require at least a PCIII to correct the air/fuel ratio. The midrange is greatly improved, I really notice it when cruising at 70mph and then opening up the throttle for passing. No downshifting is really needed. I did get the front wheel to loft off the ground this weekend which my 2000 V11Sport never did. As for needing more power? There is always a need for more horsepower! Keep me posted on your findings, Mike

The only thing I can add is: check the sparkplug wires coming out of the coils. Sometimes they will work loose when removing the tank. Mike

I am looking for a high quality reverse cone mufflers with the inlet pipe diameter of 2 inches. I have searched and could only find ones with 1 3/4 inlet openings. I am trying to make a reverse cone setup on my Rosso, to get that old Guzzi look while making room for Givi bags. Any help would be welcomed. Thanks, Mike

Baldini, Try the Metzeler Sportecs M1 tires! I am very happy with the way they feel. You will notice a slightly quicker steering which is needed for the long wheel based Guzzi. The front end never felt unpredictable and I pushed the Rosso very hard through the turns. Expect the rear tire to only go 4 to 5000 miles. I weigh 200 lbs. and the Ohlin's suspension felt fine after a little adjustment. Metzeler reccommends 2.5 bars front, 2.9 bars rear, which is a much higher pressure than the Guzzi owners manuel gives. I went with a few psi lower to start off with. The front fork sag is 40mm. and the rear is 35mm., I have noticed that the 03 Rosso is much taller in the rear than my 00 V11Sport. This was really apparent when I put the Rosso up on my rear stand. On the 00 Sport, the rear tire would be off the ground at least one inch. With the Rosso, the rear tire is still on the ground. Looking at the rear swingarm where the driveline goes through, it looks like it is closer to the lower edge on the Rosso which means that the shock is longer. Now I wonder if the rear end was raised to get a steeper head angle or is the Ohlins shock slightly longer and causes the rear end height difference? Mike

Or did you mean to your GOLD MEMBER! Mike

Al, Besides the fuel tank and pump, you better add in the special lines and fittings that go along with the in the tank pump setup. It also looks like the pump and return are on the right side of the tank! The bad news is... how do you use the fuel on the left side of the tank? Mike

Mixing tires brands is a no no! I tried it once because I had a flat and had to settle on a different brand that was being replaced. I could not believe how terrible the bike handled. Went back to the matched set and everything was cool. Tire companys have different ways that the tire belts run along with other technologys that could cause handling problems if mismatched. Be safe, go with an 020 front tire or replace both to a different brand. Mike

One problem with Moto Spezial is they do not sell to the U.S. Your best bet in the states is MG Cycle. Mike

I am going to try a different set of tires to see if I can get a quicker turn in rate. My bike came with Bridgestone 020 and I am going to install the Metzeler Sportecs M1. The Sportecs were a little too quick for the 00 V11Sport, but on the 03 Rosso, they may be what the bike needs. Mike

Yo, To set the idle speed, do not go by the Guzzi tachometer. On the 00 models, the tachometer is at least 300 rpm. off (fast). I can get a great idle at 1000 to 1100 rpm. but that is with the valve adjustment larger than the euro specs. The first time I went to the larger valve lash, the bike idled a few hundred rpm. faster. I turned down the idle speed and was amazed how smooth the bike idled. I have talked to other V11 owners that have experenced the same thing. I have also noticed in the past, that the bike idles differently with different brand fuels. My bike idled best with Chevron and was at least 100 rpm. slower with Shell. Of cource the California fuel has been changing especially with the removal of the MTBE's. I have leaned out my idle mixture with the PCIII, it would run rich at idle and very rich when the weather temps gets in the 90's. It now idles smooth at all tempertures and I do not get the rich exhaust smell when in traffic. Mike

Was that Mike or the other Mike or Mikie?

Mike, I agree with you on just loosening up one head bolt at a time. In the automotive world, that is how it is done. Weather it be water cooled or aircooled. The specs. for the valves are .004 intake and .006 exhaust which are the euro specs. I currently use .006 intake and .008 exhaust on my 00 V11Sport. The Guzzi's do pretty good in the heat. Nothing like my BMW R1100RSL, after 10 min. in the heavy traffic, it felt like it was going to have a melt down between my legs. That is one good thing to say about not having a temp. gauge, no gauge, no worries! Clever these Guzzi engineers. Mike

The springrate on the Ohlins front forks on the Rosso do feel a little soft (at least for my 200 lb. weight). I have read on the Ohlins web page that the Road and Track forks come with .85 kg. springs. This is soft for my weight. The Guzzi manuel states that the standard setting for preload is 13mm (with the preload adjuster). and there is only 18mm. preload possible. That means that you can only crank up the preload another 5mm. You can add a couple of clicks on the compression damping to help the front end dive, if that is what you feel. What does the bike do to make you feel that you need more weight over the front wheel? Raising the forks in the triple clamps will put more weight over the front wheel and will also make the bike steer quicker. I had a problem on my V11 Sport which lead me to installing aftermarket clip-ons but my problem was being blown off the bike at 90 mph. plus. The lower clip-ons really get the weight over the front end and the downside is wrist pain in city traffic. Mike

I have used the CRG mirrors for about 1000 miles. They are the best looking mirror out there. But you give up a few things for those looks. The mirrors are about 3 inch. in diameter and are really convex. Everything looks way far away but in real life they are pretty close. It was just hard for me to use them in heavy traffic. Seeing the Highway patrol in the vibrating 3 inch. mirror was also a pain. I went with the Napoleon bar end mirror and modified them to bolt through the clutch/brake lever pivot. They run anywhere from $29. to $39. bucks. I would post a picture but my bike happens to be in the shop. I know of two other V11Sport owners that went the same way. Larger mirror and less convex makes for safe riding. Mike

Mike the Le man, Retorqing the heads is a good idea. Has to do with engine expansion and contraction and letting the parts settle. Retorquing will make the cylinder/head clamping force even again. I use larger valve lash specs. mainly because it takes away the engine dying sydrome when hot on my 00 V11Sport. You are correct on saying that there is slightly less valve lift and the cam duration is also decreased. You will find a rock steady idle at a lower rpm. and a little more low end torque. On the down side, you may loose some on the top end. Only a dyno will know for sure. I am talking about euro. specs. not the US. noise emission specs. , I did notice that in 2003, the manuel calls for the euro. spec. only. Mike

When I first bought my 00 V11Sport, the grinding of the side stand was welcomed becaused I used it a an early warning sign to lean angle. After I changed the wheels to the Dymags which has a 5.5 inch rear rim width, I havn't touched down the stand. Yes my lean angle is still the same but now I have a 1 inch wider rim, which means 1/2 inch. more clearence for the side stand when in a full lean. By the way, one of the first mods. done on my bike were to bypass the sidestand and clutch lever switches. I just hate to be stranded! Mike

Oh yea, Don't think the oil change is the same as on a BMW R1100RS, DRAIN THE ENGINE OIL FIRST before removing the cover for the filter. On the BMW, the cover allows access to the filter, on the Guzzi, the filter is submerged in oil, removing the cover without draining the oil will cause a mess on your garage floor. Don't ask how I know! Maybe this topic should be under the Dumb Ass Award... Mike

The filter wrench is an odd size. I have tried the Snap-On tool man, auto parts stores and while some wrenches are close, none of them will get the filter off. I finally just bought one from a Guzzi dealer, it was not made by Guzzi but some other bike company. It also fits Ducati, so just go to your nearest Ducati dealer to pick one up. I would bring in a Guzzi filter with you when purchasing the wrench. Mike

The header pipe of the California has a smaller diameter than the V11Sport. I had thought of going that way when I first saw the picture also. Mike

My 00 V11Sport feels like the saddle height is lower than my new 03 Rosso. My wife also seems to feel a difference between both bikes and says she has less leg bend on the 03 (which is good). The peg location looks the same, so it must be in the seat. I would go to your local dealer and sit on the different year bikes to see if you can feel a difference in heights. You can slide the forks up in the triple clamps and go with an aftermarket rear shock that is adjustable in length to lower the bike to your needs. Just realize that when a bike is lowered that parts tend to hit the ground sooner when leaned way over in a turn. Good luck, Mike

Matthieu, I did see that lonely Magni fairing sitting up across from the Magni bike and it did cross my mind about trying it out. The rear hugger is just a bolt on item, I noticed that the Guzzi 1100i had the naked rear swingarm and liked the look. Mike

I don't use the extremly expensive motorcycle oil in my V11S, one of the main difference in motorcycle oil verse automotive oil is the additive for the wet clutch. There is also some additives in the oil to help with breakdown from heat. I say just go with Mobil 1 synthetic and change it more often. I know I will get some heat on this issue. Mike

I haven't seen any aftermarket front crossover pipes (just for the Jackels and California's). I have thought of making my own for my 00 V11Sport, but I will have to wait till it gets out of the shop. I think I will do a swap with the Rosso first, just to see how much difference there is if any by the seat of my pants dyno. Mike