al_roethlisberger
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Posts posted by al_roethlisberger
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Who fixes them in Palo Alto.... CA?? ...which BTW is about 15 miles from my house
al
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John,
You might be interested in my write-up on the Formotion clocks, and my mounting method specifically for the Le Mans in the old forum under:
Formotion Clocks and Thermometer
I have photos posted in my Yahoo briefcase, and a fairly detailed description of the products.
BTW, the only "lesson learned" is that I used 2 or 3 0(single aught) rubber bib-washers around the M6(I think) 2 1/2" bolt to space the bracket above the dashboard so that it would be somewhat isolated from vibration, and to avoid marring the plastic and so that the gauges would sit "even".... If you don't know what I'm talking about
... I think you'll understand once you see the photos and where/how I mounted it.al
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Yep, I'd recommend contacting him as his seats get great reviews, but the last I heard... he wasn't taking any more orders for seats or anything else for a loooong time, as he was very backordered.
I don't know if this is still the case though... but just an FYI
al
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My dealer is Moto Italia in San Mateo "the largest MG dealer in North America"....
But seriously, they are good guys. They do good work, etc... but they, like other dealers I've spoken to, have been in "limbo" for months(4 months and counting now) with any parts ordered from MG Italy. It's always "on the water", "stuck in customs", or otherwise screwed up because of the warehouse relocations after the Aprilia reorg... when they check with MG.
My parts are body panels which generally aren't stocked by anyone..
And in regard to the service, they have always been more than happy to "make things right", even for free when appropriate. But with the oil-leak, I had heard before that the service manuals were inaccurate in regard to quantities of oil, etc... and this leak is a common result. So this may have not been their fault completely.
Oh, and in regard to the paint bubbling/chipping... while I think you are completely justified in demanding a new part, this is a very common defect in the painted engines that everyone seems to encounter sooner or later. The only real "fix" I've heard is what your dealer suggested, which is to get the black "wrinkle" engine-paint from HD and touch it up
al
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Scura,
Sorry to hear you are still having some trouble.
I'm surprised to hear that your relays are hitting the seat pan. I've got the Bosch units, which are taller, but mine clear with some room to spare. As I've mentioned, I believe the pans do vary because they are hand-laid, so it's certainly possible that yours is different. My rubber feet/grommets are a perfect fit/alignment.
Also, regarding the distance on the seat-back, I had Corbin add a good 3 inches to the back of the seat so that I could sit forward and still feel like I had some back support. What's also interesting, and testament to the varying end-results, is that my seat isn't any higher than my stock seat. BUT I also had them shave the sides of my seat so that it wasn't as wide, which lets me sit lower.
All-in-all, still very satisfied with my seat, and there just isn't any substitute for going to the factory and working with them to get it right... if that is an option.
al
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*laugh* ... my "eagle" is also crooked on my timing-chain cover! I tried to "twist" it, but it just goes right back. I've just gotten used to it over time, but good grief!
BTW, regarding the "plume" on the Formotion thermometer, this is a known issue. They are great folks at Formotion, and replaced my first thermometer free of charge with no questions asked stating that they are aware and apparently receieved a bad batch with defective paint(the black plume is paint dust from the vibrating needle). However, upon my second thermometer exhibiting the same problem, I called back and they now have more info:
They are completely redesigning the paint/needle to avoid this paint shedding from vibration. They will still replace your thermometer free of charge now, but recommend that if you can stand to wait a bit, they would prefer to supply the new/improved unit when ready. In the meantime, they suggest using the calibration instructions included with the thermometer to open the case and use a fine-bristled paint brush to dust the paint from the face. It should just dust right off, and in fact, the needle may quit shedding any further.
Anyway, they are great folks at Formotion, and very apologetic about this issue. I get the impression that they are working diligently to rectify the problem and get new units out the door.
I would suggest giving them a call and getting on the list for a new unit, and in the meantime, if the dust-trail bothers you, use their suggestion to clean it up temporarily. Me, I'll just wait
al
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Janus,
I've seen various posts in other forums about the "correct" amount of oil and tranny fluid for the V11s, versus what is stated in the shop manual, etc. That's why I suspect my leak was induced by the shop overfilling the bike.
Do you have any experience/tips on what you've found to be the correct volume for both since you've been changing them yourself?
BTW, I agree that this is almost certainly from the shop overfilling my bike, as it's just too much of a coincidence. I'm going to call them tomorrow to let them know my displeasure.... again....
It's too bad really... whether it's the bike itself, or the inaccurate manuals, etc... Guzzi is really shooting themselves in the foot if they keep this up.
I can only hope, as everyone has for the last year or so, that Aprilia and Guzzi sort this all out soon.
al
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Hi Ed,
...glad to hear you received your MG parts so quickly
Me, I've been waiting oh... 4 months and couting for my various warrantee items. I'm beginning to lose patience after being told several times that "the shipment is on the water"... So to add to my newly developed rear tranny leak, I've now developed a pretty loud squeak coming from the swingarm/rear-suspension when I go over large enough bumps to make the suspension travel significantly
al
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Yep, I've been keeping an eye out for this one on mine too(knocking on wood)....
I haven't personally had this happen so far, but I have heard of this on several other V11 bikes before. Many people have had this repaired under warrantee, or like yourself just fixed it themselves... but in the end, it always broke again from the vibration, etc...
The advice I've seen is to eventually just give up and take it out... as apparently it makes little difference because most bulbs are coated on the tip to eliminate direct glare anyway.
al
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Hrmm, now if that isn't the best, and perhaps most obvious, idea I've heard in a long time....
Good grief, I honestly have *NO* idea why any of us hadn't considered this method before.... especially since I was just thinking the other day how much easier it was just to take my one-piece fairing off of my FJ-1200!! duh
Great idea, and based on my difficulties getting it all lined-up again, I'll be giving it a try as soon as I need to replace a headlight bulb!
THX!
al
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I agree.... while I love my bike, as I've noted a couple times(at least) on this forum... I am very disappointed with:
- Q/A from the factory
- Fit/Finish
- Component Failures
- Warrantee Support
...on a 21st century bike?! I know it's a 20th century design, but come one guys!
Now, I went into this bike purchase with my "eyes open" after doing quite a bit of research, so I more-or-less knew what I was getting into. I'm still glad I bought my bike, but sometimes I feel like I'm getting nibbled to death by these little problems, not knowing when the next one will show up. Heck, I would have preferred one MAJOR issue, as opposed to the random little ones.
...right now, I too have developed a slow, very slow, but still noticeable(I can smell it, and see the burnt oil on top of the x-over) leak in the same region we are describing in this thread. Good grief, and I *just* had it in the shop for it's 1000 mile service a few weeks back! *thinking*... I wonder if they overfilled the oil.
Since my shop is about a 45 minute ride in heavy traffic away, I don't relish having to take the bike up there again, when I just was up there a few weeks ago for it's service, then again a week later to get it re-tuned as it wouldn't even idle.
And then there's the issue of waiting 3+ months, and counting, for warrantee parts.... UGH!
Sorry for the rant guys
.... but Aprillia and Guzzi had better pull their head out of... well, you know... or no matter how snazzy a new "Technocustom" proto-bike looks at a fashion-show or how cool the colors are on "this years model" ... the rank & file riders out there will hear the reality on the grapevine and start to look elsewhere for reliable bikes. Character and panache will only get you so far... especially when that character breaks down or gives you a headache every few 100 miles....and that would be a shame, as I'd like to see Guzzi succeed.
I guess I'll have my leak addressed this Fall, when I do my next major "whatever" that needs the shop... unless the leak gets worse that is
al
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John,
Thanks for the great photos...
If I didn't have a faired V11.... I'd definitely look into the modified Napoleans mounted on the brake lever. That looks really slick, and with my need/requirment for my Throttlemeisters, and issues with bar-end mirrors and lane-splitting here CA... this alternative mounting location is a great option!
...and it looks really slick too
Thanks again.
al
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John,
...nope, no real "tips" other than to take your time. The plastic and finish on the body panels of the LeMans/Sport seems quite soft, so be careful when you unbolt the panels so that they don't fall. And take care to put them somewhere out of the way so they don't get damaged.
I've heard, but not confirmed, that to replace the whole fairing is about $1200USD!!
I will say that upon reassembly, you'll have to figure out which parts you should bolt-up first, and this will depend on your dexterity, and flexibility... as well as the size of your hands!
I found that installing one "side", then the "chin", then the other "side", then finally the "top" worked out well for me. After I bolted most of it together, I then had to re-loosen a couple things to get the gaps between the pieces fairly even. But after a few minutes, it turned out great.
I did find that removing the "dash" (behind the guages) required unbolting the gauges/bracket to avoid scratching anything though. It was "possible" to get it out without doing so, but I didn't want to tear anything up or scratch the finish.
OH, and I used "medium" loctite on everything
So far... *knocking on wood"... everything has stayed tight!
al
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Hi John,
Well, it's actually quite easy, although I'll have to do this from memory.
In a nutshell, no you don't have to do any major surgery, including removing the fuel-tank, to remove the evaporative/charcoal/emissions cannister.
In past V11 Sport applications, the cannisters were located under the seat, in the tool-tray area. This was a rather unfortunate location for those of us in States/Countries where this emission equipment was required.
But recent V11 Sport/LeMans/Scura's have relocated what were the dual cannisters under the seat, to a single cannister located between/under the the front of the rear tire/swingarm pivot/exhaust-x-over. Looking at a newer V11 from the side, you can see the black plastic cannister mounted in it's nickle-plate frame and kooky wire-tie hold-downs with the bracket.
Although this is certainly a more convenient location than under the seat, and we now have our tool-tray back.... the new location is less than attractive, and seems sorta kludgey.
So.... enough with the history.
How does/why does, it work? Well, you have a vent hose from the tank that goes down to the cannister. The cannister is supplied vacuum from the intake manifold/throttle-bodies. With the vacuum applied to the cannister/tank(via the vent line), gasoline vapors are reclaimed into the cannister, then sucked into the intake to be combusted, instead of vented directly to the atmosphere via your fuel-tank cap. Oh, and for the extra fuel that ends up condensing inside the cannister, there is an overflow/drain tube that drains to the pavement(make sure it doesn't drain onto your exhaust x-over.... potential fire hazard there).
OK, now back to the original question... how to remove this thing.
Easy, unbolt it, rip out the vacuum lines to the manifolds, cap the nipples with vacuum caps(or run a balance line between the two), and route the vent line from the tank under the bike, to vent/drain to the ground
It really is that simple!
Longer story.... well, the cannister's goofy "afterthought of a mouting bracket" is bolted in-line with the rubber grommet/bushing assembly that holds the OEM exhaust x-over in place. Unbolt that assembly, and remove the bracket holding the cannister. This bracket is attached to the U-shaped silver bracket holding the x-over with two bolts if I remember correctly.
At this point, I just cut the vent line and vacuum lines from the cannister, so I could leave the clamps on the cannister in case I ever wanted to put it back on... don't know why I would though.
Once you have the cannister physically unbolted from the exhaust x-over bracket, and cut/removed from the vacuum and vent lines... it should just come right off. You're done with that part now. Either toss it, or do as I did and put it in the "OEM LeMans Parts Bin" that I have started to amass
Now, you have two choices with the vacuum line as I mentioned. You can do as I did and just pull the 3-way line out of the bike entirely, and then cap the vacuum nipples on the throttle body with rubber vacuum caps, or you can run one vacuum line between them... although I don't know why one would. It shouldn't matter either way, and my capping the nipples hasn't had any adverse effects.
Finally, you are left with the vent line from the tank. Since bikes with the emissions cannisters have caps that don't vent, this line is still essential. Occassionally you will have gasoline vapor, and potentially some liquid fuel escape via this hose. So, I simply moved/rerouted the line forward a bit and lashed it to one of the oil-line fittings. It now drains/vents directly to the ground without any risk of venting/leaking onto my exhaust.
That's it....
Now one final point. Other than aesthetics, this modification will/should in no way affect the performance of your bike.... good or ill. If you remove the cannister and things don't run right, you've probably got a vacuum leak and/or pinched/plugged-up your vent line. Either condition could make the engine run poorly.
However, if you did everything right, you shouldn't notice anything "better" either, other than you've saved about 2 pounds of weight
Well, hope that helps...
al
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Yep, Happy Birthday....
...but Jaap, I have to ask.. do you watch and memorize everyone's b-day, or does the board drop you a little note?
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Thanks Jeff
...and yep, I remember you and your bike well! It was great to meet you, ans see another LeMans on the road.
It's actually the first "red" LeMans I've seen on the road .... OK, well in fact it's the first *ANY* LeMans I've seen on the road!!
But regarding the cans, I'm still on the fence regarding the Ti versus Carbon Leo's though. My friend has the Ti can on her Honda F4, and it was parked right beside my bike today. I gave it a long look, and tried to imagine it on the bike... and it seemed a good match to the silver of the cylinders, etc. But of course, the Carbon units look good too. But hey, since I don't plan on buying them until Winter, I get plenty of time to ponder
Now, if I can just get someone who has both the Carbon and someone who has the Ti cans installed to send/post some photos. Actually, Jeff, do you have any photos of your bike with the Carbon cans you can send me? Maybe I can photo-shop doctor them to get a better idea. Dunno....
And BTW, the fit/finish of the Carbon Leo's was great, as was the mounting hardware, which matters a great deal... so many aftermarket items are such kludges. I was very impressed. ...oh yeah, and they sounded good too
al
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To me the other major incentive to move to aftermarket pipes, would be to minimize the uneven placement of the OEM mufflers.
As I'm sure all of you with bikes with the 5.5 inch rear rim have noticed, the right muffler had to be kicked out even further than before, and from the rear it is very obvious that the pipes are not evenly spaced... looking a bit odd.
For some people this may not be a big deal, and in fact may "build character"
... and that's OK... But for me, being a bit anal ... it bugs the snot outta me! So, I've noticed that with some of the aftermarket units, this is minimized, and is much less noticeable. With the Leo Vince units, it was nearly unnoticeable.
Of course, to be fair, I'm sure I could fashion something to fix it a bit with the stock cans as well... dunno
...anyway, sound, performance, and aesthetics are what are driving me... especially since my stockers are already turning purple BTW, I've also heard that the OEM units are quite a bit heavier than the aftermarket. Has anyone verified this?
al
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Well, took my first longish highway trip this last weekend to Yosemite, as well as around other various mountain passes and deserts in Northern California.... about 1000 miles.
So, as soon as my trip took me out of the traffic of the cities, my mileage rapidly climbed beyond the 35-37MPG I am getting around town.
After completing the trip, I found that I averaged a little greater than 43MPG!! On a couple cases I even got 48 and 49 per tank! Wow
So, while Ivan's point about highway versus city traffic is fairly obvious, I was honestly fairly shocked this evening when I sat down and did the math, as I hadn't been keeping track of the actual MPG over the trip... just filling up every 100 or so miles when it was convenient.
So.... I guess I can get my 'magic' 40 without a problem on a trip after all!
....heck, maybe it'll even get better once the engine is broken-in
al
And no, I still haven't done my run-dry test...
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So, what do you think of the fit/finish of the hugger then? The photos look pretty good
How do you think it compares with the quality/finish of say, the carbon instrument panel? I find that the finish and depth of the clear-coat/resin on the instrument panel on the Scura/LeMans is very very good, and quite classy.... but often, many aftermarket carbon items seem to skimp on this, and the finish rapidly deteriorates in the Sun, etc... how does the hugger compare in this respect?
The reason I ask such a particular question is that I would like the hugger to more-or-less match the stock/OEM carbon items like the instrument panel....
Anyway, thanks so much for the photos, and I'll be very interested to hear your detailed review and thoughts on the hugger!
al
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Well, now I can officially join the "vapor lock" club... and as if I weren't convinced before(I was)... I am 100% convinced now that this is totally a heat-related issue with the fuel-line/pump after riding in very hot conditions and not quite giving the bike enough time to fully radiate the heat away.... causing the heat to "soak" into the pump/line as the heads radiate.
Scenario: This weekend, we took a ride up to Yosemite, and up at Glacier Point(~4000ft elevation) after climbing the mountains in ~100F degree weather, we stopped for about 20 minutes to take-in the view. Upon returning to my bike, I tried to start it, and although it fired off at first, it stumbled badly then quit, and I could hear the fuel-pump whirring a bit too much with the engine eventually dying.
Keeping in mind that I tried this several times over the next 10 minutes, and that the bike had been running extremely well all day, and it was hot as "heck" outside.... I figured this must be the "vapor lock" issue. So, since I knew it was cooler down the road in the trees, and if I could get some air flowing over the engine it would cool down more quickly, I just sent the rest of the group ahead and then coasted down the mountain for about 100 yards, and VROOM... it started right up!
But what's also interesting is that the following day we rode in some slightly warmer weather, stopped nowhere near shade
(were in the desert), left the bike to sit an even shorter time, but I never encountered this problem again?? I can only guess that a combination of heat and altitude/low-atsmospheric-pressure conspired to make this happen, and it was pretty mild as the bike "almost" ran.... just not quite. So maybe my efforts to move the lines further away from the heads, etc... have helped, but extreme conditions make it slightly vulnerable.
Anyway, so, it's not something I'm too terribly worried about as it never happened again, and isn't anything permanently disabling, but I might entertain making a heat-sheild for the pump this Winter when I work on a few other projects.
...oh, and completely as an aside, after putting on 1000+ miles in two days, I've really grown to appreciate that "pad" on top of the LeMans tank
al
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...one thing TO consider about aftermarket pipes and whether or not to keep/preserve the OEM units...
Believe it or not, if you ever want to do some "track days" and take courses, some tracks do not allow aftermarket or modified cans(over 80-90db). Case in point, Laguna Seca here in CA, which has 2 days of the year that allow "race cans"...that's it.
So, if your dream track or perfect instructional course happens to be one of these types of tracks, you'll need to be able to return your exhausts to stock to ride the track. It depends on the track and other factors of course, and it's not a big enough deal to dictate your decision, but just something to be aware of...
al
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Jim,
Is this the carbon hugger from MG? I'd love to see several photos of it installed, as the photos on-line leave much to be desired.
...am particularly interested hear about the fit/finish of the unit compared to the admittedly heavy/beefy, but durable, OEM hugger.
al
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Geez, I'm still lucky to get 36MPG, and ~130miles when the low-fuel light comes on *grumble*
But then again, I am still only at about 1100miles, sooooo
I had the 1000mile service done a few weeks back, and maybe some things are tight, but the idle is now a bit low, and it "coughs" every so often when hot at about 3kRPM, and stumbles from a stop now. So I'm riding up to Moto Italia tomorrow where they've offered to put it on the computer and readjust everything again for free for me on the spot. I think the tune is just a bit off after the valve adj, etc.
But I'll probably get the x-over, exhausts, and maybe a PC later this year... so much of this will probably get addressed then. But for now, I want to avoid any major changes for a while and let the bike sort itself out mostly stock first.... then I can really notice any changes once aftermarket parts are applied. Plus I don't want any more "downtime" than necessarly while in prime riding weather
Hopefully though, as I get another 1 or 2k miles on the bike, mileage will improve. That seems to be everyone's theory, but I am still quite shocked with some folks' high 30's and 40+ MPG figures from the start... It's so strange that there is such a variation from bike to bike, even stock.
al
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Yeah, I have pretty much set my heart on the Leo Vince mufflers as well, but am on the fence regarding the Ti or CF ones. This is purely an aesthetic issue at this point, although I "guess" the CF ones would be a tad more susceptable to damage from passengers, etc...
I think that even though there is a lot of black on the LeMans, including the original cans, either the Ti or CF units would look great. But am unsure.
Anyone have any photos of both the CF and Ti exhausts installed on a LeMans? I especially would like to see what the "silver" Ti cans look like on a LeMans, as I can already sorta guess the CF's by looking at my own bike with the stock black LaFranconi's
thx
al
Gas Tank
in How to...
Posted
Yep, just as an FYI, I don't think my 2002 LeMans has an electric or vacuum petcock either. I don't know if MG changed the design from 2001->2002 or if the Sport is just different from the LeMans... who knows
But mine has a manual knob under the right-hand fuel-supply tap where the fuel-supply line attaches to the tank. Just screw it shut, although I agree that it tends to still drip a bit. I plugged it with a vacuum cap.
al