al_roethlisberger

As reported briefly in another thread, I went and had my PCIII custom map made at Hare Racing, in Sunnyvale, CA today. First let me say that these were some very nice folks, and went out of their way to tinker with the map several times to try to address the ongoing idlling/coughing problem the bike has. That being said, after having the map made, peak HP was 82.4, and torque was 64.4. Unfortunately I do not have a comparison dyno for the bike as stock, versus the modifications currently installed. But I would have to guess that I've gained a handful of HP based on "seat of the pants" dyno, and past results I've seen from other stock bikes that had HP results in the mid/hi 70's. Peak torque seems about the same though. Although HP and torque weren't statospherically increased(and BTW I asked them to balance efficiency with power, leaning toward efficiency) it was "up" across the board as opposed to just peaks, and the curves for both were much smoother. While I still have a dip around 4-5k RPM, it is reduced, and the oddball dip in torque from 6.5-7.5k RPM was eliminated. Current setup: - Mike Rich "Stage II" Ported Heads - Dual Plugged Heads (but not yet "working", so moot at this point) - Increased Compression 1/4 point - Hardened/Coated Valves(same size, should have no effect on power) - K&N Pods - Stucci X-over - Leo Vince Exhaust ...and the PCIII of course Now if I can just figure out why it won't idle reliably worth a damn once warmed up. Sheesh... it'll idle fine, then... "COUGH"... stumble... maybe die... Then it'll idle for a while just fine. Then "COUGH". It used to do this out of the right TB, then the dealer more-or-less calmed it down(the coughing, it still died at redlights a lot), and now is coughing out of the left TB. I dunno. I'm going to recheck the TB balance this weekend, and hopefully that'll help. I'll probably run some "injector cleaner" through a tank too. Why not This idle thing is really bugging me though. It's the only real problem I've got with the bike If balancing the TBs doesn't get it, I guess my last hope is to go to the Raceco valves settings as Mike suggested. It's not a big deal to get done, but I just haven't taken the time. al

Well, I don't have the cam nor "lightened and balanced" engine, but for the most part I have everything described above... oh and I have "pods" right now instead of the K&N in the airbox. After getting the custom map done at Hare Racing, it came out to 82.4HP and 64.4 ft-lbs torque. Not bad. The peak HP was about the same before and after the map, although it was almost 5HP higher across the map afterwards, with an especially smoothed out curve between 6.5 and 7.5 RPM. Torque was also increased significantly and evenly across the board, but there's still a dip in the graph at 4-5k RPM, albeit smaller than stock. They are emailing me the map and graph, and I'll post them ASAP. Of course, I'm still having the bike die at idle, and "miss" and "cough" while idling. It was doing it in the right TB, but now after the work at the dealer last month, and the new PCIII map, it's doing it in the left. I'll check the balance this weekend. It's possible I knocked something out of kilter while working under the tank for these last couple weeks. al

Here's the current status from Cycle Cat: I haven't heard anything from GenMar for a while either, so I guess this Summer is going to be a "bust" for any new risers al

ahh, then what exactly are we talking about in the photo then? al

Jack, Not to dance on someone's grave.... but what happened to the carcass of your wrecked LeMans? I'd love to have a crack at some salvage parts. BTW, I don't remember hearing about your accident. What happened? Glad to hear like it sounds like you are OK though?? al

...ah, but the photo posted shows a "roller rocker"... does MG-Cycle offer that as well? I couldn't find the photo that was posted on the MG-Cycle site. al

... if you drill a small "vent" hole in the plastic cup behind the tach, this is supposed to clear that up. Mine stopped fogging after the first few days though. al

Do you have the link to their "roller rocker" kit? I looked around but didn't see it on the website. al

So, does anyone know the size/threading of the female fuel tap(that the petcock and regulator screw into) connector/nut on pre-2003 tanks? al

Indeed, I think this is the diagnostic tool that I spoke with Ken at Evoluzione about last Fall. It had been in "final beta" testing then, but I guess is available now. AFAIK, this is just a diagnostic version, and cannot modify any settings. But that's still useful. They are supposed to also be working on a version that will allow modification of the ECU's map, although I don't know if that includes the timing curve. I need to check with him on that. BTW, I don't believe that modifying/moving the TPS affects timing so much as it does fuel delivery?? Am I wrong? al

Hi Jeff, Wow, that's quite a list.... sorry to hear about your problems. We've actually heard very little in the realm of complaints for the 2003's, so this is a bit surprising. But it is odd that all of these gremlins showed up at the same time. Do you think they are related somehow?? ...especially the exhaust?? I've never heard of the headers failing in the way you describe on any V11 variety over the years(not to say it hasn't happened though), so maybe the suggestion that the loose x-over conspired to stress the headers could be relevant. Perhaps the exhaust headers, x-over, etc were installed incorrectly ad stressed. Over time, or sustained vibration, this could lead to the more systemic failure you describe I guess. Very odd though. As far as the speedo and tail-light, I'd have to agree that although you have every right to be disappointed... just chalk those up to leaving the house without the blessing of "lady luck" The lenses are attached with a single screw, and plastic tab. So if it wasn't "clipped in" fully, it's conceivable that over time it could come out from vibration, or someone could have knicked it. I occasionally make sure to check that the phillips fastener is tight as well, as I've found them backed out over time from vibration. I'd put loctite on them, but since it's plastic and the screw is kinda cheapy... I just choose to check them every few months. But yes, they are literally $3 at your local Buell dealer, and they almost always have them in stock! Now, the fairing mount.... yep, I guess that's just simply a manufacturing anomaly.... a defect. I've not heard of that happening on *any* LeMans yet(although we may have simply not heard of others). So I guess you just got a lemon fairing sub-frame . Make sure they replace the whole thing for you, not just re-weld it. But here's a "silver lining".... if you read through my various bi%$h threads, in the current and old forum, you'll see that I and various owners had a handful of nits and failures right from the outset, and they seemed to show up in the first 5k miles or so. Yes, they were disappointing and frustrating, but once they were fixed, that was pretty much "it". Everything seemed to settle down at that point. It seemed like "if it was going to break", it did right away. In some ways, that's not really a bad thing So your "silver lining" is that maybe you just found basically all your major defects on one short trip... and after this, it's smooth sailing I hope so anyway Good luck, and let us know about the exhaust failure. I'm very interested to know the root-cause once determined. That's an odd one for sure. al

..I hope so, otherwise the breather wouldn't work any longer, as it vents from under the perimeter of the cap. Working a hose over the vent with the cap still attached would simply seal it off. Although the fitting is indeed very very short, I would think one could easily attach a hose(once said cap is somehow removed), and "clamp the heck out of it" with a fuel-line clamp, and just run the hose straight up, then add some sort of 180 degree fitting, or just gently radius the hose to some other location, even back down. A nice soft vacuum hose should be flexible and light enough to stay on I would think. But I'm pretty confident that the new fender will do the trick. Interesting side note: My trans fluid is milky/cloudy after getting it back from the shop a few weeks back. I just noticed it the other day while doing all my other work. This is odd because I haven't ridden it in the rain since last year, nor even washed the bike in months, and I'm quite certain the fluid was "clear" when I took it up to San Mateo. And I don't think the guys up at Moto Italiano did any extended rain/wet riding either. hrmm, not sure. But I guess I'll be changing my fluid al

...unfortunately this doesn't "make the case" for the much vaunted MG longevity and durability claim! Ah hem...

That is a good idea... the aluminum unit, although the fit/finish could be a bit better. It doesn't seem to follow the lines of the bike very well, at least from what I could see in the photo. I'd be interested in something like that fender if it were just a bit better finished looking al

.....cracked head!! I hope not...

Well, if the tanik is moving around, there is only one bolt holding it on, so check that it's actually "there" Other than that, the tank rests on two rubber bumpers at the nose, and those are bolted to welded-on tabs. So it could be that one is missing or somehow loose I suppose. Regarding smilies... just "click" on one, or "mouse-over" and see the text required and you can type it in yourself And removing the tank... just remove the bolt at the rear of the tank, and lift. You'll need to have unhooked the fuel supply and return lines of course, and the breather/drain hoses up underneath. The 2003 may be a bit different with the quick disconnects, but it ought to pretty much be the same. al

Yeah, this will be prior to "enabling" the dual-plug modification.... I still have to get the coils, and nail-down who can remap the ignition... plus it'll be $$ I'll get the rest of all this sorted first... then....

Good question, but I'd have to guess it's to relieve any weight on the inner fender to keep it fron sagging under the weight of tools, etc , especially when they used to have the carbon cannisters under there?? Dunno... but I like the little tray. It fits Rich's tool bag perfecty al

Well, I got it all hooked back up, and even though I forgot to reattach the air temp sensor ... it ran fine. Great "sucking sounds" are coming from under and to the rear of the of the bike now I'm still reassembling bits from some of the other projects, so even though I haven't had a chance to run it around the block, it idles fine and seems to run without problem. I was actually quite surprised that it started right up with no drama considering everything that I unhooked, unplugged, etc. I was sure I'd forget some critical part. Anyway, so I'll head down to the Dyno center in the next week or two and get the PCIII mapped, and hopefully it'll run like a champ, and I can "close the book" on this particular project al

Same here, as reported when Mike tore into my heads some months back: ...so it's apparently a problem across the board. He installed the harder coated valves in my bike as well, so it should now be problem-free for the forseeable future al :1000

No, the fueling system on the V11 needs about 46PSI if I remember correctly. Gravity and sea-level air pressure will only produce about 15PSI at best... if I also remember my high-school Earth Sciences While carburated systems rely on air-flow and the venturi effect to draw fuel out of the bowls(reservoirs) of the carburetors, a FI system uses injectors which are really nothing more than high-speed gates/spigots that open and let the pre-pressurized fuel escape for a prescribed duration. It's really the opposite of a carburated design. So, the base requirement of Fuel Injection, mechanical or electronic, is that the system be pressurized, and that is always at a higher pressure than the outside atmosphere can provide. So a pump is required. But, even some carburated systems use pumps if the fuel must be pumped "up" to the carb, or if gravity simply can't provide enough flow. This was true on my '89 FJ1200, as with 4 carbs sucking gas, gravity couldn't keep the bowls filled fast enough And finally, the regulator at the end of the FI loop keeps the pressure... well... regulated Otherwise the system wouldn't stay pressurized, or could over-pressurize... both being most undesireable. So as an aside, as I was mentioning about making a "balance tube" .. if "tee"-ing off of the regulator tap into the tank, it would have to be hooked to the "low pressure" side of the regulator, otherwise 46PSI of fuel would be sent back up the petcock, into the fuel-pump, and pressure would be inconsistent. So, either a "tee" would have to be mounted between the regulator and tank "rigidly"... or the regulator could be relocated elsewhere, and the hookup to the tank made with a custom hose. I'll investigate that later. al

Hi Northend, and welcome Question for you: is the gap inconsistency always like this, or only present when on the side-stand? Simple answer from my end, no my frame and bodywork does not move, twist, or change alignment in any way. The bike is very stiff. If the answer to my question above is "yes, it is always like this" then I would have to say that the bodywork is simply unevenly mounted, which you can adjust. If the answer is "no, it moves", then either the bodywork is loose and/or you may have a subframe member loose, but I think that's very unlikely as you would have noticed when riding... I would think anyway. I've never seen nor heard of this before though... that is, the bodywork moving around when the bike is on the sidestand. Let us know what you find... al

True, and I've thought the same. However, another approach would be to mount the regulator remotely. It doesn't have to be attached directly to the tank after all We'll see. I finally found some of the fittings I needed, but of course I didn't buy enough, and they are closed for the weekend. So my final installation will have to wait until Monday night. However, I did put the bike back together(minus front fairing) and it all seems to run fine for now... no leaks, etc. So I think the basics of the installation are ...keeping fingers crossed though. I'm always a bit nervous right after surgery of this type ...time and miles will tell. al

That's good news Paul ..I *finally* just tracked down some fittings so I can make the turn from the pump to the petcock a bit easier. At the same time, I think I have figured out how to easily make the "balance" or "x-over" tube. But that will be a later project. Basically, just put a "tee" fitting at the pump inlet, and insert another "tee" between the pressure regulator and it's input into the tank. Then just run a hose from the regulator "tee" to the pump "tee". If I can find some fittings with the correct threading, this should be a very easy modification, and without any cutting or modification to the tank itself. One would probably also want to put a valve on the regulator supply line, another petcock if you will, to ease tank removal though Anyway, I'll tinker with that later. al

I got the K&Ns from Evoluzione. They had been working on a slightly different pod solution, but have since shelved the project due to "inconsistencies" in MG's placement of components such as the fuel-pump on pre-2003 bikes So I bought the remnants, but I'm sure they can get more filters, or any number of other vendors like Harpers, etc... I don't know how well the pods will run yet, as I have just put them on, and the bike is quite disassembled right now. I'll be making an appt at Hare Racing next week to get the PCIII mapped appropriately, and that's all it should require. If you don't have a PCIII, you'd need your shop to tweak the fueling on the ECU via FIM. It's a minor thing though. The only concern I've got at this point is "head pressure" to the pump. Whereas the pump was about an inch below the petcock in the stock location, it is now about level, maybe 1/2 inch higher than the petcock. This really shouldn't be a problem, but then again... who knows how close the tolerance is. I guess I'll find out when I fire it up in the next day or so. al