GuzziMoto

I have ridden motorcycles with aggressive steering geometry that needed steering dampers. I used to race a TZ250, and that bike was near impossible to ride without a steering damper. It had something like 22 degrees of rake. I also had an FZR400, and that really needed a steering damper, but it did not come with one stock. You could ride it without one, but It wasn't nearly as stable feeling as a V11 is without one. To race it you really needed a steering damper. That bike met its demise in a tankslapper. I also raced a TL1000R a few times. That bike had a steering damper and yet still met its demise in a tankslapper. It seemed like that thing wanted to kill me. On the other side, I had a Buell X1 Lightning, it had aggressive geometry and yet did not need a steering damper. I even raced it and didn't need a steering damper in spite of having something like 23 degrees of rake. Only one degree more than the TZ. That was a well engineered bike handling wise. It shows that steep steering angle alone doesn't mean it needs a steering damper. Anyway, different strokes for different folks. But the V11 is just not very aggressive geometry wise. If someone likes the heavier feel a steering damper provides, run one. But anyone interested in making their V11 feel lighter may want to try running it without the steering damper. If nothing else it will show them what sort of difference the steering damper is making. You don't know until you try.

I will add my two cents, not so much for the OP as simply for future people reading this, and because I feel the need to be part of the discussion. The wife's V11 had the stock Biturbo damper on it from new. Years later we started having stability issues with the V11. It did not want to go straight. The steering damper was not leaking, but inspection revealed that it was binding. The damper would resist moving until it let go and then it would move freely. That is really a bad thing in a steering damper. What it would do is make it resist handlebar inputs until sufficient force was applied to overcome that resistance. It would then move freely so the additional force applied was more than required and you would overshoot the desired outcome. The result was the bike would weave instead of track straight. To confirm that was the problem, I removed the steering damper and we rode it. We found it steered better without any steering damper (an early red frame V11, one of the ones that has less trail so it is supposedly less stable). So we just left the steering damper off and have run it that way ever since. The V11 does not have overly aggressive geometry, and really shouldn't need a steering damper. If you prefer the heavier, slower, steering that a steering damper provides running one will give you that. But the wife decided she prefers the lighter quicker steering it has without a steering damper. She really doesn't need a 500 lb motorcycle to feel even heavier. Now, insert the standard disclaimer, your mileage may vary.

From the internet, and if it is on the internet it must be true.... "This engine was designed to provide better fuel economy than a gas engine would be able to achieve in a heavy truck or SUV; and it delivers on this promise. Where it starts to fall short, however, is reliability. The VM Motori EcoDiesel has been plagued with durability issues since its release, leading to some drastic actions from Chrysler in response. First the engine’s recommended oil viscosity was increased to 5w40 from the thinner 5w30 that the engine first used. Later, Chrysler released software changes for the engine’s computer which changed the torque curve at lower RPM, in order to take some pressure off the engine main bearings. While these changes have helped, the engine is still far from what we’d consider calling “robust”. Because – like all modern diesels – the engine is fitted with all kinds of very intricate and expensive parts, it’s an engine that owners should try to maintain as well as they possibly can." http://mygarageairdrie.ca/our-top-5-engines-that-require-absolutely-religious-oil-changes/ Out of all the companies making diesel engines to choose from to source your diesel engine if you don't want to make your own I am not sure Stellantis / FCA would have been my choice. And I won't be surprised when it hits the fan that the engine in your son's Ram is recalled because it was cheating on emissions.

Wrong thread for this comment, but Guzzi did the same thing with the Griso and it worked. I was lined up at the dealer to buy one long before it existed. I think that long time between first sighting and release helps because Guzzi people take time to warm to new models. Especially when it introduces revolutionary things like water cooling.

That sounds like Stellantis is in trouble. Not sure how much of that will come back to Suzuki. But it seems many diesel engine manufacturers are going to be in trouble soon. Side note, why would you source your Diesel engines from Stellantis / FCA?

I have heard about that. And it does seem like a problem. It affects some, like Fabio, more than others, like Bastiani. It sounds like there are two aspects of the current bikes that contribute to the problem, the aero (which we all saw coming, or should have seen, aero does that) and the design of the Michelin front tire and the tire pressures it needs to work. That sounds like the bigger issue, the current Michelin front tire has issues. Funny, because back in the day (20 years ago) the Michelin front tire was magic. Now it is a cruel mistress. I would be surprised to hear other manufacturers bailing on MotoGP. The series is more popular now then it has ever been. And that makes competing in it more valuable then ever. Suzuki seems to be an anomaly. Perhaps bean counters are running the company, I can relate to that. Nothing like bean counters who don't understand how the business works running a company. Either that or they are on their way out of the motorcycle business and are simply saving that money to invest in an aspect of their business that they are moving away from.

Yes, it is a shame. And yeah, the Suzuki's do seem to take good care of their tires and come to the front towards the end of the race. But it seems Suzuki is struggling with motorcycles as a whole. I worry about their long term viability in the motorcycle industry. They are saying all the things one would say when they are on their way out. The Yamaha is also an inline 4. Word is the inline 4 is at a disadvantage with the current rules package. I do miss the days of a wider variety on engines on the grid. When they first went to 4 strokes the best thing about the 4 stroke rules were they allowed a number of different engine configurations by setting different minimum weights with 3 cylinder bikes getting to weigh less and 6 cylinder bikes (which no one actually made) being the heaviest. So we saw everything from 3 cylinder Aprilia's to 5 cylinder Honda's (a V5). That was fun. Now the primary difference is an inline 4 or V4.

I don't know that anything has been "ruled out". But it is true that some things would require MotoGP to change its rules. But as MotoGP seems very keen to get another manufacturer to replace Suzuki it would not surprise me if they change their rules. I don't understand why you think anyone who bought the Suzuki MotoGP team could not develop the bike. But I would expect that anyone who bought the team, if that happened, would only be buying it to get their foot in the door. Depending on the buyer I would expect that within a couple years the team would field their own bike. But until then they could run the Suzuki. Not completely different than when Kawasaki left, but different. There are always fans who boo certain racers. I don't agree with it for the most part, but it is what it is. People are people. Human nature means people are dicks. Aside from that it seems the crowd in France was massive for the track. I mean, that track could not hold more people. But honestly that crowd at Indy would look sparse. It is all relative.

I would be looking at the relays.

For sure, building a MotoGP bike from scratch would take years. I doubt anyone has a bike in development that we didn't know about, waiting for just such an opportunity. I wonder if a deal could be struck, though, where Suzuki sells the current team and bikes to another manufacturer. Another possible option is KTM, it could want Husqvarna or GasGas in MotoGP and could put them there using its KTM MotoGP bikes as a basis for theirs. Like they do in other series (think Supercross / Motocross). But MotoGP rules would make that hard, unless Dorna are willing to change the rules. I like the option of another brand buying the Suzuki team and rebranding them, and could see Triumph doing that. Beyond that, it is likely this will mean a satellite team for Aprilia, as no one wants to be a Yamaha satellite team and Ducati have enough already. Honda and KTM also don't seem like good options and both already have a satellite team, and their bikes don't seem good enough to warrant a second satellite team.

I suspect it will actually light a fire under them, as they will both be auditioning for a ride on a team that will be on the grid next year. Rins looking fast, but he can be fast. His issue is can he not crash. If he can stop crashing without loosing much speed, he could be a contender. As they say, it is easier to teach a fast guy to not crash then teach a slow guy to be fast. Looking forward to seeing that shoulder cam in the race. Hopefully it will be a clear view, with Aleix out front. A second win would be sweet. I can dream. Sad about Suzuki. Their motorcycle arm seems to have taken a back seat. It sounds like they will have no presence in upper tier motorcycle racing in any class.

So, it does work. You just can't have as much free play as you want. A slightly longer push rod should do very much the same thing, take out the dead travel, as adjusting that. What if you just upgrade the clutch lever to an adjustable clutch lever. Then you could remove the excess free play and still put the lever where you want it.

From the ""Customers also purchased" section of that page https://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193&products_id=4690 A longer pushrod designed for use with the RAM clutch on 5 speed transmissions. I assume there is a similar pushrod available for 6 speed boxes. Or, as mentioned, you may be able to use a single ball bearing to extend the current pushrod setup. If the clutch is working correctly and has no air in the system, it may be an issue with the pushrod length.

Also, you mentioned an occasional grunt below 2,000 rpm. I don't run it that low. 2,000 rpm would be absolute minimum, and rarely below 3,000 rpm. It isn't a stump puller, it is more about midrange.

I simply drilled a bunch of small holes in the stock plastic dipstick, in the range between the marks on the stick. The holes hold oil, making it easier to see the level of the oil on the dip stick.

I was never much of a fan of Max Biaggi. I respected his talent, but I didn't care for his attitude. But I did enjoy when Biaggi rode for Aprilia in WSBK. Like him or not, he has skills. The Espargaro brothers have a cockyness that seems out of place in a racer who hasn't really won anything. But I respect their heart, they try hard. Especially Aleix. Vinales was always a hot and cold racer, who would often run cold more than he runs hot. If he is able to get his confidence on the Aprilia he may end up winning a race. If that happens, it would not surprise me. But that will never happen on a regular basis. Signing him was a mistake. Aprilia could have used that money to sign a rider who was on their way up, not a guy who is on his way out. I want to see Aprilia do well. But it was a pipe dream to think Vinales was going to come in and run up front on a regular basis. He just isn't that kind of racer. He is way to hit and miss, with the emphasis on miss.

Petrucci was riding well, but he had not yet shown Gagne a wheel or put him under pressure in any way. In Jake's mind he just made a stupid unforced mistake. He certainly didn't seem to be under pressure. But, it doesn't matter if he was under pressure or not. In the end, Gagne crashed and Petrucci walked away to an easy win. But that was offset by the Ducati failing. The sad part is, we are still waiting for a straight up race between Gagne and Petrucci. I am looking forward to that. I suspect it is only going to get better. I am super happy to see Aprilia do well. I am not a fan of either Espargaro, but I am a fan of Aprilia. So I am happy to see Aleix do well.

Are you sure you don't have air in the clutch system? Air in a hydraulic clutch can cause decreased throw of the pressure plate, causing clutch drag. Because the air compresses.

That is a sweet sounding Guzzi. I really like engines that rev up and down fast. It gives them a sharpness. The exhaust system on that Guzzi is art. Not just the sound, but the look.

Well, Ferracci certainly knows what he is doing. Good to see him back in racing at the top level in this country.

He did have a great start to racing here in the states. It helped that the first two races were at a track he knew well (probably had more laps around COTA than the American racers). Then they went to Road Atlanta, where he had never been. He still did well there the first race, winning after the leader (Gagne) crashed. Had Gagne not crashed it did not look like Petrucci had anything for him. But, as they say, to finish first first you must finish. In the second race at Road Atlanta Petrucci's Ducati failed him, and Gagne didn't crash. So Gagne won by a mile. I do think how well Petrucci is doing says something about the level of competition here in the states. It says that the top guys here are pretty F'ing fast. Because Petrucci is a top level rider and he isn't having a cake walk here. Petrucci is running at the front, but he isn't way out in front. There are at least a couple guys here who can run with him and even beat him. That said, I like Petrucci and am glad he is racing here. I think it is good for our series. The guy is a true racer. He elevates the series, and is forcing the other competitors to step up.

Could be. I would say FQ needs to finish the first lap still in the lead. Just starting up front doesn't help if he gets beat to turn one.

Racing is fickle. It runs hot and cold on riders from certain countries. At one point riders from America were hot, and they were getting the good rides, the opportunities. There have also been runs of guys from Australia. And right now it seems it is Spain. The reality is being successful at motorcycle racing is a combination of talent and opportunity. Talent is equally distributed, but opportunity isn't. Running in Europe, in particular in Spain, is useful to get you noticed, to possibly get you the opportunity. But it isn't required to develop the skills. Take Beaubier for example. He rose to the top here in America racing superbikes. The same as Spies, and most of the Americans before him. Roberts went to Europe, but it really didn't pan out for him and he came back here to race production based bikes and re-establish himself. In the end, who gets the opportunity and who doesn't is something of a lottery. No doubt as we speak somebody in some obscure part of the world is racing motorcycles and doing things most of us could never dream of. But he won't get the opportunity to race MotoGP.

I have only taken the sump off once prior to now, where the sump is off to install a Roper plate. But I am surprised that so many people never take the sump off. I thought it was more popular to use a hose clamp on the oil filter to keep it from loosening. And that seems to require sump removal. I have yet to have an issue with the oil filter, but I can see how it could be an issue. Normally a loose oil filter would show a leak but on the V11 it would simply leak back into the sump. Develop enough of a leak and you don't have sufficient oil pressure. But I have been lucky so far and not had a leak there. On a side note, I wonder if the modern CARC sump from a Griso 1100 would fit on a V11 block. It might need both the sump and the sump spacer. Or it might be completely different. It has a cut out in it for the oil filter, instead of putting the oil filter in the sump. A better design in my opinion.

Yeah, I am sure FQ knows Jerez. But I don't think that is as important as how well his Yamaha will do there compared to the others. If he can't get away then he risks others on bikes like the Ducati motoring past him on the straights and holding him up in the corners. Jerez doesn't have excessive straights, so he has a better shot at getting away then he will at some other tracks. At least that is the theory. But last year Fabio didn't do well at Jerez, finishing 13th. It was his worst race all year. It will be interesting to see how it goes. Joe Roberts is clearly aiming to be in MotoGP. And I hope he makes it. If he does, I will be happy for him. But between him and Cameron Beaubier I think Beaubier has accomplished more success so far and has shown more potential. But never say never, there is still hope. Roberts needs to take a step up. Maybe this win will give him the confidence he needs. But in the end he got this win because the 7 guys faster than he was that day crashed. Most of them crashed because of a freak rain and not really rider error. Only one guy was rider error. But hey, I will root for any American out there. Once upon a time American were a dominant force in GP racing. Now we are happy to have two guys in Moto2.