GuzziMoto

What a contrast between Rossi and Marquez.. Smooth vs. Aggression. Both have massive raw talent, but how they use that talent is currently very different. If only Rossi had not made that mistake early on.

Actually, my biggest fear with gauze K&N style filters IS water (rain). They are commonly used by dirt bikers in dry climates and avoided by dirt bikers in wet climates because water tends to carry whatever dirt is on them through them and into the motor. If you are going to use K&N style pods I recommend you look into the water resistant sleeves they sell to help keep that from happening. The other reason to avoid the pods is the loss in power that comes with loosing the airbox. That can be reduced by adapting some form of velocity stack between the pods and the throttle bodies, but it is hard to beat an airbox.

I have always heard that DOT 5, being silicone based, is not compatible and should not be mixed with poly-glycol ether based fluids like DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 . The seals for the two fluids are usually different and word has it that using the wrong fluid can cause your seals to swell resulting in brake issues. If you can mix 5 and 5.1 it is news to me, and most of what I can find on the inner neck.

I used DOT 5 on a race track, once. It was a Buell X1 (I also rode it on the street at the time), and it came from the factory with DOT 5. On the track, under hard use, the brake lever completely went away. The brakes faded so badly I was getting more deceleration from downshifting. The lever would come right back to the bar. It was hairy. I will never make the mistake of using DOT 5 again. DOT 5 is not suitable for any kind of performance use as when heated it out-gasses which results in what is basically air in the system. The result is horrible fade, more then I have ever experienced with any other kind of fluid. You do need to use different seals with DOT 5 then you would use with normal brake fluid. And once a system has been exposed to one type of brake fluid it is very hard to switch to the other as the two fluids are not compatible. It is easier to replace the system, master cylinder, caliper, and line.

The aluminum tanks he makes are art. If you want a cheaper option take your tank, or second hand tank, dry it out thoroughly and seal it with epoxy tank sealer. Another option would be to adapt a tank from a Sport or Daytona. That would/could require the removal of the airbox as you mentioned, but as they are metal (at least the older ones are, not sure if they all are) it should be possible with a bit of fab to make one fit.

While I wish you luck getting $5500 - $6000 for a standard V11, I think the original estimate or $3500 - $4500 was more on par with the value of the bike. The ones that bring in stupid money are usually limited edition versions with factory Ohlins suspension. However, a Motorcycles worth is determined by how much money SOMEONE is willing to pay for it. If you can find someone willing to pay you $6K for yours then congratulations. I prefer the early red frame versions, including the green ones, but not everybody shares that sentiment. There are pro's and con's to both the early ones and the later ones.

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/motorcycle-designer-miguel-galluzzi-to-speak-april-18-at-pro-italia-in-glendale-california/ April 18th he will be giving a talk at Pro Italia. He did the V7 Racer and the new California 1400.

As I recall.... The side stand switch should be a normally closed switch. When the stand is up the switch is closed (the circuit is completed) and power flows around the safety relay. When the stand is down the bolt pushes on the switch and the circuit is open, causing that relay to stop flowing power. Then it relies on the relay and the neutral switch to flow power. Does the neutral light work? If it does then I would suspect either the relay or the connections to the relay for the neutral circuit. The bike should start with the stand up or down. The only difference is with the stand down the power has to come through the neutral circuit. When the stand it up the power flows through the stand switch.

You can not switch from DOT 3 or 4 to Dot 5 (silicone) without changing out every seal in the system and completely flushing everything else. It is not practical. There is DOT 5.1 which is not silicone and you can switch from Dot or 4 to DOT 5.1 without even flushing. DOT 5 is pretty crappy fluid for performance riding. My Buell had it (it is a HD thing) and it sucked. The only advantage I can think of it it does not harm paint.

The tank swell issue I am not even sure is ethanol, but I recently did coat the inside of the wifes V11 tank to help keep that at bay. It has not been a serious issue so far for her bike but I did have an issue with my Griso where I had removed the tank fairly full of fuel and had it sitting off the bike while I was working on the bike over a periods of weeks. When I went to put the tank back on it was no longer the same shape as it was before and did not want to fit. I have no evidence that ethanol caused the issue, as far as I can tell the Italians just are not good at making fuel resistent plastic gas tanks. I never had this issue with the two Buells I have owned. So, after that issue I coated the wifes V11 tank with Caswell epoxy sealer. So far so good but other have had issues. Proper prep seems key.

Again, it is not a matter of knowing where they are. It is that they are not around me. The mainland of Maryland, same as most other metro areas in the east, does not sell ethanol free gas at most gas stations. It does not appear to be legal for road use around here. You can buy it out on the eastern shore, presumably for your boat. But here in the DC/Baltimore area it is not an option. We have been using 10% ethanol gasoline for something like 10 + years. I have not had much, if any, issues with it. It is certainly not something I would worry about. It is what it is.

But in some areas they do not sell ethanol free gasoline. It is not a matter of not knowing where, they do not sell ethanol free gasoline near me. But so far I have not had any issues from the ethanol. Hell, I like the knock resistance ethanol brings. If your motor knocks it is likely not from the ethanol.

The measurement would be inside the rim, but it should be easy enough to read what is stamped on the rim. DOT standards require a rim to be permanently stamped with its dimensions.

If it starts the bike in the locked position then either it is the wrong switch or it is installed/wired wrong. That clearly should not happen. There are a few good sources for parts. I bought an entire key/switch set from Moto International a while back, very reasonably priced. MG Cycle and Harpers are also often good sources of parts.

You may want to try a 160 on the 4.5" rim for the 2001. Most 170's are made for a 5" rim and get pinched when installed on a 4.5" rim. Plus the 160 is lighter.

With the 5.5" rear rim you can stick with the stock 180 size or step down to a 170. The 170 should improve the steering giving it a lighter feel, easier to roll over on the side of the tire. The fatter tire typically slows down the steering, gives a more stable feel but has less rubber on the road when leaned over. I believe the Macadam's are long since obsolete. At least here. I would go with a nicer set of tires, preferably something that offers dual compounds for better wear without sacrificing grip. But that is up to you. Asking for opinions on tires can be worse then oil. Everybody has their own likes and dislikes. PS. Be sure to actually check the rim for width and not base it on the published specs. Guzzi had a habit of using the parts they had on hand whether they were the right ones or not.

Interesting comment about the side plates on the Arai's. I/we have owned quite a few Arai's over the years and only broke one side plate. But when we were getting a free replacement of said side plate the guy replacing it mentioned others with the issue and he was thinking it had to do with what they used to clean their shield. What did you use?

Yeah, first step is establishing which size rear rim yours has. From there, many people go down one size from stock on the rear width wise for better handling. As far as brand, that depends on what you want, what you like, and what you can afford. I find the Pirelli's are good when you can't afford Michelin or Dunlop. But nowadays there are plenty of other options that do well, like the Conti's. Personally I prefer Michelins when I can afford them. Dual compound is/should be standard practice if you want mileage AND grip.

In my opinion the weight of the flip up modular helmets is their main disadvantage. Some of them in the past also offered reduced frontal impact protection, no EPS in the chin bar. But I doubt that is still the case. I agree, what fits you is key. A quality helmet, I prefer one that is SNELL rated, that fits your head is the main thing to look for. Sometimes the cool design or model you really wanted does not fit you right. A helmet that does not fit right is at the least worthless and at the most dangerous. The thing I like about Arai is that they make different models with different shell shapes, so there is usually one that will fit you perfect. I have a fairly oval head and Shoei, as well as most others, tend to push in on the middle of my forehead leaving a mark after an hour or two. If you are more round headed then Shoei or most others may fit well. Oval headed people have fewer comfortable choices. Tires and helmets are poor choices of things to skimp on.

"I would be very surprised to find that di-electric grease is a conductor, even if it is it can't possibly be better than metal to metal contact." Di-electric grease is not supposed to be a conductor. It works much like Vaseline does, it shields the contact from air and moisture to prevent corrosion. There are plenty of opinions on di-electric grease here and else where. All I would say is using too much of it is likely to cause problems. A small amount is usually all you need. Much like Vaseline. Use whatever product you want, but use it correctly.

The wife's has a Penske. Very nice shock. Custom sprung and valved. We went with that because the stock Sachs shock broke at the eye.

In Norway 10w/40 (or even 5w/40) could be just fine. But in warmer climates I would not use an oil that thin on an air cooled Guzzi. But that is me. The filter unwinding issue is well documented and there are quite a few people who use the clamp. I am just not one of them. But that is not because I dismiss the concept, I do not want to take the sump off every time so I instead choose to be very careful about putting the filter on and not using brands of filters that seem prone to unwinding. Everyone has to choose for themselves.

They offer both MPH and KPH. Here are 3 3/8's gauges, both KPH and MPH. http://www.speedhut.com/gauges/Speedometers-3-3-8-inch-Gauges-Only/1:4%7C37:3%7C39:1 Here is a 160 MPH gauge pretty much the same as the KPH unit referenced earlier. http://www.speedhut.com/gauge/GR338-SPEEDO-03T/1/Speedometer-Gauge-160mph-programmable--(w--turn-signal-and-high-beam) They also offer a 140 MPH unit. It can be customized from there. This is my favorite gauge from them. http://www.speedhut.com/gauge/GR4-DUALGPS-ST-01T/1/Dual-Gauge---120mph-GPS-speedometer---8K-Tachometer-(w--turn-signal-and-high-beam) It is a GPS speedo tach como unit.

I use 20w/50. Do you know what the previous owner used? I personally think that using an oil with good protection for flat tappets ( high zddp levels and such) is more important then the exact weight rating of the oil. One judge of protection is the API rating, SG is my preferred. Oils that meet newer API standards are not allowed to have as much anti-wear additives like zddp in them. So to me an oil that is SG rated would be best. Beyond that you might have an oil that is SG/SJ rated or SG/SJ/SM rated. The later would be the worst choice in my opinion. As a side note here, a 5w/40 uses a 5 weight oil for the base oil and adds viscosity modifiers to increase the viscosity to equate to a 40w oil at higher temps. A 20w/50 uses a 20 weight base oil and viscosity modifiers to increase the viscosity to equate to a 50w oil at higher temps. That is one of the reasons I use the 20w/50 oil, I prefer the heavier base stock. But for my riding the thinner oil is not needed (i.e., no cold weather riding). As to the weight of the oil, that is up to you. All I can say is if I had some oil laying around and it was the oil I wanted to put in the bike I would use it. If it was not the oil I thought was appropriate for the bike I would not use it. Even if you paid $20 a bottle for the oil it is still cheaper to eat that then risk doing serious damage to your motor. It is like riding on tires that aren't right for the intended use but you got a good deal on them. They can cost you more then you saved on them. So, the temps and conditions you ride in plus the type/weight of oil that was previously used in the motor (if you know that) would be up to you to decide. As for the clamp on the filter, I do not use them but I do not take the sump off every oil change. If you use the clamp, which is a good idea, you are committing to taking the sump off as I am pretty sure you can't change the filter once clamped without removing the sump. I have used the UFI filter but now I use NAPA Gold/WIX filters.

I found them a while back, right after I bought an Acewell unit. I wish I had found them before. They also offer GPS speedo/tach combo units, one gauge doing both. Plus with all the custom options it seems like a great option. And yes, they have been very nice to deal with asking questions and all. If I can't get the Acewell unit to work to my satisfaction I will probably be going with one from them. I thought we had mentioned them before in one of Roy's threads or at least talking to Roy.