Mike Stewart

Hi All, The three rubber insulator mounts that hold the coils to the frame have seperated on my 00 V11S. Now they are not rubber mounted and lay nicely on the vibrating frame. My question is, is there an aftermarket replacement for this part or do I have to order it through Guzzi and possible miss some upcoming rallys? They are rubber with 6mm studs on both ends. Thanks, Mike

Yo David and Lex, My front fork sag before the LE treatment was 23mm. static, 35mm with rider. Now it is 20mm static and 30mm with rider. Not a whole lot of difference in sag measurments but it really made a difference. I think it has to do with the spring rate and the amount of preload that the spring has on it that makes the difference. My rear shock sag was 8mm. static and 26mm. with rider. I had the rear spring preload cranked up really high to prevent the launch over the bar syndrome over dips and large bumps. The new sag is still 8mm. static and 25mm. with rider. With this sag, I still had the launch over the bar syndrome. I increased the preload to 17mm. sag and the sydrome is gone. I also think the rear spring is under sprung, but if I had more travel before hitting the shock bumper, the launch problem would also be gone. I just talked to LE and Jim was out of the office. I will call again tomorrow. They did say that the shock bumper does flatten out easy and shouldn't be causing the problem. The rear wheel travel is measured with the bumper compressed. So that means roughly 2.5 inches of shock travel and 5" at the rear wheel. Sure does not feel like it! Mike

Hi Lex, Good to hear that you are pleased with the work LE performed. The first thing I noticed on my bike after the LE suspension work was the lack of front end dive under heavy braking. With the old fork springs and valving, the front end would dive so much, the rear end would get really light. I felt like I was doing a hand stand when on the binders hard. This with a steepened head angle due to the compressed forks made going fast a challange. At least it forced me to be very smooth when the brakes were applied and in turns. I now have to learn how to ride the bike all over again. I have noticed a slight head shake when leaned over and riding over poor pavement surfaces. Perhaps I need to crank up the steering dampner ( I have it all the way backed off) to take care of this issue. I also had the bike kick up in the rear when hitting sharp bumps. I had to crank up the preload on the rear shock because it was bottoming out against the bumper. This brings up another question. I measured the swingarm length and also from the swingarm pivot to shock mount. I figured it out to be about a 1.9 to 1 ratio, which is really close to 2 to 1. Now I measured about 1.5 inches of rear shock travel and if my math is correct, that means about 3 inches of travel. What is the claimed rear wheel travel? Can I cut down the bumper by perhaps 1/4 of an inch. to gain another 1/2 of needed travel? Anyway, Lex are you going to the Ojai rally on April 5th? I hope to see you there! Mike

Oops, I meant this picture! Mike

Hi all, I have looked at all the stands and I decided to make my own. A few hours work and lord and behold, I have a nice looking stand that is very stable and matches the frame! It just took a few cuts on the metal chop saw and a few welds, plus a few wheels off my sons skateboard and this is the finished product. The stickers help with the poor spraycan paint job. I also made the paddock stand handle removeable to avoid triping. Mike

Well, while my bike was having the transmission leaks repaired at the dealer, the transmission got stuck in third gear. Once they got it out of third gear, it was stuck in a false neutral. After 3.5 months, the transmission was rebuilt and most gears replaced. The fault was 3rd. gear coming apart in three pieces and then wiping out the rest of the transmission. So I hope you only have a clutch issue. Mike

Hi all, I just thought we should do a poll on insurance rates for the V11Sport and Lemans. I have six bikes insured, five being insured with Progressive Insurance and my V11Sport being insured with Universal. The reason for having my bike insured with Universal instead of Progressive is that Progressive wants $1000.00 a year for full coverage. This is double that of Universal. What's weird is the five other bikes are more expensive on the Universal plan. What gives? I would like to have all bikes insured by one company to get a multiple bike discount. The V11Sport is more like a touring bike than a sport bike. My Falco is Aprilia's sport tourer and is more like a track bike than a touring bike but cost less to insure. Go Figure! I also have a clean record! So what are you paying per year for full coverage on your V11Sport or Lemans? Please tell which company you use also. Thanks, Mike, Paying through the nose for insurance

I have tried dino oil, vegi oil, and both with moly additive (one oil at a time). My conclusion is that the type of oil makes no difference on the Guzzi for missed shifts. If I try, I can find a false neutral in just about any gear on the V11 Sport. So my thinking is a very long and firm shift is needed. I have had days where I have missed half a dozen shifts and the next day I do not miss any. I wonder if shifting with out the clutch will make for more positive shifting? Just a thought, of course we need someone to try that with at least 3 months of warrantee left. I am a firm believer in moly lube, I had transmission issues with my BMW R1100RSL after the trans fluid was replaced with synthetic oil. On long rides like down highway 5 in hot weather, the bike would get stuck in 5th gear and I would have to mash down on the shifter to get it out. I took it back to the dealer many times and they could not duplicate the condition (I guess they don't allow techs to road test a few hundred miles). Anyway, I had the bike serviced at a BMW/Guzzi dealer and they replaced the synthetic oil with good old 90 Wt. with moly. I never had the problem since. Mike

I always blame miss shifts on myself, but so many owners of the V11 complain about missed shifts, one has to wonder. I have never missed a downshift and you are right about the amount of throw the shifter has (even in the upper hole). I thought about moving the shift lever down like you but then my foot wouldn't be able to slide under it for the shift. I am planing to make a extension where the linkage bolts the the shifter so the throw will be even shorter. Mike

Hi Buck, Mike again! I have been a GM tech. for over 25 years now and have run across many jumping speedo issues with Oldsmobile and Buicks in the late 70's. The main problem cars had with jumping speedo needles was the lack of lube on the cable or because there was a kink in the cable. What happens in most jumping speedo issues is that the cable itself will whine up and then release making the speedo jump. My V11Sport has a kink at the speedo head where the cable attaches. The kink is caused by the headlamp bracket and is really stressed when turned lock to lock. I know this is what made the speedo drive go out, but try telling the Guzzi dealer this. That is another story. I can fix anything on my bike but it would still cost me an arm and a leg for all the gears in the transmission that just replaced under warrantee. I have never carried my Guzzi tool kit in 14.000 miles, I think I need to tow my Snap-On tool box around everywhere I go or go the Harley route and just have a pickup truck follow everwhere I go. Mike still ranting and needing a cocktail!

Hi Buck, I can feel your pain! I too was a BMW lover until I laid eyes on the Green V11Sport in the BMW parts department. I had to have it, and this was just after I sold my 97 F650. Try explaining to your wife that you wanted to buy another bike. I rode out of the shop a few days later with my first Guzzi and Italian bike. I never rode one before and fell in love with my new V twin. It has soul, not like any bike I had before. The BMW's are well designed, do everything well, but were boring in looks and sound. I sold my 94 R1100RSL a year later and have never looked back. I have had problems with some of my Beemers, mainly transmission issues (89 K75S trans jumped out of gear, speedo inop) (R1100RSL trans bind in gear, turns out Guzzi moly lube fixed the problem). I rode my V11Sport for over a year with out any major problem (just relays and 14,000 miles). Yes ,my speedo jumped the last few months before it quit and I have had my bike in for the trans leak twice now (second time third gear came apart while in the hands of the dealer). After having my bike at the shop for 14 weeks (3.5 months, and it still leaks trans oil and the speedo is still inop), my opinion has change alittle. Yes I love the bike and every Guzzi owner out there. I love the Guzzi rallys and the tight niche people it brings. But after having a bike in the shop for that long of time, really makes you wonder how much it would cost you the owner for a trans repair after the warrantee is up! I had thought about buying a 2002 Lemans for the ultimate two up touring machine, but with the peeling paint on the engine and the trans issues, I am forced to look elsewere. I think Guzzi needs to wake up and take care of the owners it has now, before they go after new sales. How about extending the factory warrantee for the amount of time it has been at the dealer! I know that I will demand 3.5 months of extended factory warrantee for the time the bike was at the dealer waiting for parts from Italy. This is just a rant, I still have love for Guzzi! I am thinking of replacing the V11Sport with a Aprilia Tunono, but I luv the Guzzi people too much. What should I do..... I work in the auto trade as a tech. and am very aware of the lemon law in California. The vehicle has to go to three different dealers to attemp to repair the vehicle. If after three attemps the problem is still there, then it will be brought back, mileage will be deducted form the vehicle. I however never heard of a lemon law for motorcycles, is there such a thing in California? Mike, ranting and needing a cocktail!

Hi Lex, I put my bike back together this morning and went for a quick ride to check everything out. My first impression is boy this bike feels different. I can't put my finger on it as of yet but it does feel better. The first thing I noticed was the lack of dive when braking. The old springs in the forks were pretty tired and sagged. I also noticed when hitting a dip, the bike does not even notice it. Before there would be a steering change and one had to hold on. There was a lot of debri out on the road today from the storm last night, and I couldn't or wouldn't force the bike around the turns like I normally do. I did hit a few sharp edged bumps and do have the fly over the handle bar sydrome. I need to crank up the rear spring preload (rear sag with rider is 1.250 inches). I will change it to .750 of sag and ride it hard tomorrow. Mike

I put my bike back together this morning and after I had fired it up to check everything out, I noticed a drip of fuel on the starter after I had turned it off. My first thought was a leaking fuel hose (I had the fuel tank off). Upon further investigation, I found it was from the throttle body. My guess is that the injectors do leak a little with the bike off. The fuel drips out of the injector and into the throttle body and then out the throttle shaft. I checked the other side and it was also wet. So, is this normal for a Guzzi? I also have a 00 V11Sport and I have never seen this in 15,000 mile plus or minus a few thousand (speedo still inop and waiting forever for parts). Mike

I just returned home from picking up my suspension parts at LE. The front spring rate for my 200 lb. weight is .90, the rear spring rate is 550 lb. (you do the conversion). I can feel the stiffer spring rate on the forks just by pushing down on them (one at a time). The rear Sach shock had its seal replaced by replacing the seal head assembly. This was a extra $60.00. Now I just need to sneak into the garage to put these bad puppies back on. Mike

Hi Joe, I don't think the 02 Lemans spring breakage problem is what is causing your false neutral condition. I have had my share of false neutrals and thought my problem was gone since I just had most of my transmission replaced. I still hit them. One place to look for problems is on the shifter linkage. I had the screws back off a few times on the pivots, this will make the shifter throw really sloppy. I have been thinking of making the shifter throw shorter to see if that would help the false neutral problem. Mike

Wow, another suspension question! Well , I was happy with the front forks when my 00 V11 Sport was new, however with mileage the forks tend to sag. With 15,000 miles give or take a few thousand (speedo still not working) I felt the fork spring rate was way too soft. I weight 200 lbs. One the other end, the rear was what I thought was way stiff. Every dip and bump I hit, the rear end wanted to spring me over the bars. I played with the rebound dampening and maxed it out. Still had the problem. A shop suggested on increasing the spring rate, I thought he was crazy. Lord and behold, the problem was solved. What was happening was, over dips and bumps, the shock would bottom out against the rubber stop which would spring me over the bars. Oh yeah, I have the rear Sucks shock, now getting the LE treatment! With the rear spring rate cranked up, it is now much harder to grind the side stand. Another plus! Mike

Well, I took the plunge! I removed the forks and rear shock from the Green V 11Sport last nite. I now have green parts everywhere! I thought the forks removal would be the hardest part, but it turned out that it was the shock that was a pain in the rear. You need to remove the fuel tank compleatly along with the airbox assembly just to get a wrench on the upper shock bolt. It was a good thing that I removed my fuel tank because I found my two coils were riding on the frame. The three rubber mounts had seperated apart. I have only 15,500 miles (I'm guessing on mileage since my speedo still dont work :finger: ), so you better check yours. I ran the suspension parts down to Lindermans (LE) this afternoon to have them reworked just like Lex. I went with having the rear shock redone also since it is so much cheaper than buying any aftermarket shock. The bad part is the shaft seal, if it leaks, it will be time for new shock. Anyway, LE is a small hole in the wall, but just a few steps inside you will notice a warm wonderful, pleasant odor of suspension fluid filling the air! Mike

Lex. It seems three bike in my garage have rear Sach shocks. I have called Aftershocks, Racetech and LE about all three bikes (V11Sport, Aprilia Falco, Ducati M750) at one time or another. The Falco shock is junk and can't even be serviced, the Ducati shock isn't much better but can be revalved. The V11S shock shows promise but after LE told you that they may not have the right seal bugs me. I will give LE a call tomorrow, I am hungry for some suspension work. By the way Lex, the Scura test report (Ohlins shock) was thought to be very stiff in the rear. The magazine thought the swing arm was too short. Mike

Hey Carl, Want to trade your WP shock for my Sachs unit? Mike

Hi Darth, I tryed the electric screwdriver and drill to check the speedo. The first problem is having to use the drill in reverse and the second problem is you need high rpm to get much needle movement. My needle jump problem was at higher speeds 70 to 200mph and with a drill I could only get the speedo to reach maybe around 20 mph. Mike

I think the only real way to figure tire height is to check with the tire manufacture. Different brand tires equal different heights. This is why racers usualy stick to one brand. Just by changing tire brands they would have to raise or lower the forks to bring the head angle back to specs. I have read this many times in tire test. Carl, if I remember correctly, you had Z3 Metzelers on your V11 not the M1 sportecs. The Z3 tires are less rounded than the M1's and most likely the Pirelli tire you just installed. If you remembered when I had the Sportecs on, I loved the way they turned in but hated the high speed sweepers because the bike would just not settle down. Any type of bump or rider input caused stains in my panties. It was very nervous! (the bike not me) Some tires just do not work on some bikes. My Falco came with the Z3 Metzelers and the thing turned like a Mack truck. Switching to the M1 Sportec's off my V11 transformed the Falco into a flickable road racer. So the moral of the story is, not all tires are made equal in the biking world, what works on one brand of bike may not work on another. Mike (needing to go for a ride)

Another problem area for the jumping needle sydrome is where the speedo cable screws onto the speedo. The headlamp bracket puts pressure on the cable and forces it to bend right next to the crimp. This causes drag and the speedo cable will wind up and release causing the speedo needle to swing. I lived with this for a few months and then the 45 degree adaptor gear blew out. It is still on order! Mike

Ok fellow V11 Sport riders, If the Sach shock sucks so much and the suspension guru's have a question mark about their ability to make it work, would it be better to just get and aftermarket shock and hope for the best? The Bitubo shock is most likely the cheapest unit out there, anyone try it out yet? I have talked to Works Performance and they said if I drop my bike off, they would make a shock up for it at no charge. Of cource I need to drop it off to Southern California for a few weeks. Mike

So Lex, Did you get out for a ride yet? I took a ride up Mines road in Livermore today, great day to be out. I thought about my poor suspension the whole ride. I really need to send them in to LE this week. Mike

Well Paul, looks like you did your homework! Keep us posted on how the project is comming along. Mike