WitchCityBallabio

The burgundy is drop dead gorgeous!

Count me in. I also am about a 1/2 hour north of Boston (Salem).

Congratulations! I actually found it listed on the National MG Owners classified section. It's out of Iowa City and is supposed to be in transit home. It was a one owner bike with pretty low mileage in great shape. With the weather starting to break, I'm pretty excited. First order of business will be to put new tires on it (I'm weird that way. I have to have tires that are new and that I know the history of ) and probably preemptively a new battery so that I start the riding season fresh. For tires, I'm thinking of the new Pirelli Corsa Diablo III. They are getting good write ups and seem to be a good sticky tire. I'm curious as to what other owners are using for tires or if there is a specific tire that works particularly well on the V11. We'll definitely have to get together for a ride. Doug

Ahhh...now I understand why there is so small a selection (comparatively) of accessories etc. for the Guzzi's. I figured the production numbers were low, but that is even less than I thought it would be. To my thinking, it makes the Guzzi's even more special. Agreed.

In my neck of the woods, you just don't see Guzzi's that often. Does anyone have or know what the production numbers are for 2000-2005? I'd be curious as to whether or not, other areas see Guzzi's more often (maybe just not as popular here in New England), or if indeed Guzzi just doesn't produce that many bikes. Doug

As a new owner of a 2004 Ballabio, what are some of the things I should be preparing myself for with regards to repairs? Obviously the crossover pipe seal (for which a cure has been designed here). The shifter pawl spring? Does that apply to the 2004 years? Should I carry one on the bike in the event of a failure and is it something I could replace on the side of a road? I've also read of the rear end locking up. Either from improperly adjusted brakes, or a failure of a bearing. Is this something that also affects the 2004? Is there anything else that I should be paying close attention to? Thanks for the help Doug.

I look forward to it. As a newbie Guzzi owner, it'll be good hearing your experiences with the bike. Doug

Hi all. My name is Doug. I live in Salem, MA. My introduction to the V11 was about 3 years ago. I always liked the bikes, and was smitten for the V11 Sport when I first saw it. I took one for a test spin and it was love at first ride. Unfortunately, just before that test ride I had recently purchased a 2002 Honda Interceptor and mounted Givi hard luggage for a cross country trip of a life time with friends. After getting back from the trip, I drove the VFR around for a while, but found I was a bit bored by it. I had in the past owned all Japanese bikes, V65 Sabre, GSXR-1100, etc, etc. I found I was always drawn back to that delightful sounding Guzzi twin and the urge to ride something with a bit more soul. After selling the VFR and being without a bike for a year, I finally decided to shop around for a nice V11. I have found one, and it should be shipped to me in the next couple of weeks. I'm very excited. The downside of course, is that here in the Northeast, it's mid winter, we're expecting a pretty decent snow storm, and riding is probably still a month and half away. I'm glad to have found this forum and have already learned a lot from the membership. I look forward to reading and participating in the forum. Thanks for putting together a great resource. Doug

I'd be up for a meet and ride. I live in Salem, MA but my favorite riding grounds are in Western Mass anyway.

As a new member of the board, and a new owner of a Ballabio, I also would be very interested in a set of these if there are any available. If not, are there any plans in the near future to make more? Thanks, Doug