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Thanks SH. I did go to the PayPal link but when I tried to pay with the credit card after I completed all data the message was that it didn't go through. I have a Paypal acct but make all payments with a credit card on file. The link doesn't seem to give the option, or maybe I'm wrong? Thanks again.

Sounds silly, but where do I need to go (linky) to send some $ in? Thx.

Raz, Thanks for the petition link. Only 440 signatures so far. Very few from Germany, where Guzzi is much loved. Perhaps Biesel could forward the petition link to the German V11 site? (I just can't sign in for some reason).

You may have read a fairly long interview with Carcano on one of the other Guzzi sites. He was indeed an amazing guy, having designed not only motorcycles, but also sailing boats. One thing I remember he said was that if it had been up to him, Guzzi should have done something new, not continue with the same engine set up that he had designed. He seemed didn't seem to be stuck in the past, unlike the company. On the other hand he never left Mandello so he lived there most of his life. Then again, if Piaggio wants to play Harley, than they better keep the Mandello factory and everything that has with tradition. Skeeve is right . Harley lives on that because they capitalized on their past. But Piaggio seems confused about where they want to place Guzzi. Somewhere between BMW, Harley, and now Aprilia. BTW, there was an open letter somewhere for Piaggio from concerned Guzzisti, against the alleged closure of the Mandello factory. Mostly from Europe. Didn't figure out how to sign, but maybe somebody here can help.

Thanks for sharing the story. Thumbs up to Dimitris (and you for your interest in your family history).

It looks like whoever did the typing and illustrations (Luigi or rather Luigia) saw a few pages before there were two screws pictured with the torque 28-30Nm (from the ones for the brake disks). On the rear there's only one disk, but for consistency, they felt like showing the same torque for the screw shown as being inserted from the opposite side--which happened to be the axle. There should have been a disclaimer in the manual: "All instructions herein must be checked with and confirmed by v11lemans." But Luigi/Luigia aren't alone. As an example, the manual for my other bike, written by folks von dem Vaterland. Granted, it's much better organized. There's a general list of torques, but then each job has its torque specs shown on the same page, unlike the "tighten to the torque indicated on chapter blah, blah". However, even the proud Germans have their screwups. Some folks have broken a front wheel spacer by (over)tightening to the high torque shown in the shop manual. Fortunately there's a great forum for the F650GS too.

Thanks everybody. I've tested the Twinmax and reversed the hoses. The imbalance at idle (with Twinmax at maximum sensitivity) is the same, around 1, but it switches sides from left to right when reversing the hoses. Wouldn't this indicate that there is an actual imbalance between the TBs (and the Twinmax is detecting it)?

Thanks. I'm a bit surprised that you're saying you fine-tune the balance with the bleed screws. Shouldn't they be set first and then left alone before adjusting the balance with the idle screws? Also shouldn't the white knob on the rod be used to adjust the balance at higher revs (like 3k)?

Thanks again. From what I've read, apparently the white knob on the rod that connects the TBs should be used to tweak the balance at higher revs than idle (it may affect the idle, but there's some slack in the rod connection so it may not be a problem for the idle setting).

Thanks. At least it's good to know it's not only my bike that needs some throttle to start. Perhaps the fast idle lever isn't acting as it should? I'll look into it, though if the cable is adjusted to open the throttle more, it's more likely that it won't be completely off when it should, with the engine warm.

Thanks for the replies. Didn't know Twinmax wasn't too reliable. What's better, mercury sticks? (I guess water mano should be pretty accurate, but kind of hard to use). Micha's method starts with adjusting the bleed screws first (1 full turn out from closed). Perhaps I should have done that (I assumed the bleed screws were set before I got the bike and didn't want to mess with them). I'll do it just to make sure. Also there must be enough lash in the throttle linkage that when I rev the engine the balance starts to shift toward 0 (balanced), at least as indicated by the Tmax. Another question: Should the engine start just by pushing the start button, or does it need some help from the throttle, as mine seems to (even with fast idle lever all the way on)?

Set my idle to a little over 1k rpm. Got a Twinmax and checked the TBs' balance; the needle kept hovering left of the zero mark, around 1, as you can see in this generic pic: . It seemed that the right idle screw didn't help the matter. Should I try again with the idle screws only, or should I reset the bleed screws according to Micha's method for the TPS? The bike runs fine, and I'd rather not mess with its settings if possible. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

That's very bad news. The factory will actually become a memorial to Guzzi. Anyway, most of us probably felt it was too good to be true that Piaggio intended to just remodel the factory.

You mean you own that bike? Wow! What's that BMW, a K or an R?

Thanks Tom M. Makes sense, I'll try to stand back as far as I can from the bike on the side I'm measuring from. The wires are 3.5 ft, not too long.

Good to know it worked for you (I guess savegehenry got it exactly). I'm also new to Guzzi--btw, just realized my bike turned one year old today ). Here you'll be able to find pretty much everything you need about this bike. Welcome to V11.

From what I remember, if your bike is like mine, you actually don't twist them. You push out with your thumb the part that's hooked to the tank while holding steady the (gray ?) sleeve with index and middle fingers, and with your other hand pull out the hose. Watch for gas being spilled. Here's what I found: Fuel Couplings To insert back you just push in the hose. Hope it helps.

I got this little gizmo, which is supposed to be pretty accurate and reliable (and made in USA). The digital display shows the rpm in 10 revs increments: ENM Tach To set my idle I wanted to know what my actual RPMs are, since the tach on the V11 is said to be very inaccurate. The little tach is supposed to read the sparks, one every two revs. Okay, so I wrapped the red wire around the left plug wire and grounded the black one. The bike was warm and the idle sounded perfectly constant. The bike tach showed 1k. The little tach instead kept changing and showed all kinds of numbers, up and down from around 1240. On the right plug wire the revs appeared to be lower, still over 1100. The idle (helped by the hi-idle lever, otherwise it would be too low) didn't really sound that fast, at least from what I can tell. Also, I noticed that if I placed the little tach on the tank, it would show in the 1500s. I don't know exactly how it works, but it seems to be influenced by its position, also it seems that the revs shown are fluctuating too much, and they're also much higher than estimated. Any thoughts? Thanks!

While I understand the points about the need for a better, more modern work environment, closing the factory that has been the heart of Guzzi for almost 90 years would be a tragedy. Karl Von's posts about the possible renovation, instead of closure, give some hope. From what I can tell, and hopefully I'm not wrong, Guzzi is contracting the work with the construction and architecture firm that would do an upgrading of the buildings. Let's hope they'll keep at least part of the old structure. If Harley had bought Guzzi, most likely they would have known how to appreciate Mandello et al.

"Hello sir, can I please see your driver's license, proof on insurance, and registration? (keeping a hand over the 45mm on the belt). Seriously, great replies. I too must have been "brave" to ride my V11 from Seattle back to Boise in non-stop rain for almost 700 mi. Sure, by the time I got home my speedo/odo/trip meter had quit, and was later replaced under warranty. But the bike ran like a dream, and I loved the ride in spite of getting soaked. I guess it's not bravery we need, but just a little patience and willingness to tinker. The bike deserves that attention. As far as other brands' famed reliability, this image (extreme as it is): has probably toured as much as the bikes themselves. Apparently, the manufacturer has been consistently denying a problem, though the failed final drives have all been fixed under warranty. Otoh, I have one of their bikes too--though the purists would deny it's a "real" one (what? single, liquid cooled, Austrian engine--bulletproof, for that matter, Italian design and parts?) in the same fashion that the other famous brand devotees don't consider anything under 1200cc the "real" deal. When Greg gets a chance to do a run, maybe we should all get that mADV sticker.

Now that we've seen the mock digital future versions of MV Agusta with ape hangers, tassels, straight staggered pipes and studded leather saddlebags, at least we can safely bet that Guzzi isn't going to get Hardley any cash from that side . The problem is that nobody there (Piaggio, etc) seems to care about the Guzzi brand as they should.

All great points above, including the fact that Beem owners (many of which are status conscious) tend to have a lot of resources on their hands. Also let's face it, BMW, not to mention Harley, do a much better job at advertising (=creating an "aura"). If Guzzi bikes were produced by BMW exactly as they are right now, they would probably be the tool of choice for high mileage riding. Guzzitech has a list of bikes and their owners who put over 100k miles on them (some even twice or three times that). Indeed V11 is one of the most bulletproof--this is confirmed by some of the people who know these bikes best. As for high-mileage Ducatis, haven't heard much about--unlike the high-maintenance they need.

A few weeks ago, without any plans, I hopped on the bike and decided to ride to Craters of the Moon. I hadn't been there before; it's about 200 miles from where I live, so really not that far. With all the detours, the whole trip was about 450 mi that day. Mostly two lane highways. Anyway, I got there. It's kind of like a national park in a huge area of dried lava, with paved roads and some parking areas from which you can explore the paths on foot. Well, in one of the parking areas, a couple of older/retired guys who'd arrived in a van or SUV walked over to look at my bike. One of them told me that his buddy had owned an Ambassador many years before, and he wanted to show him a newer Guzzi. He asked me a lot of questions and he seemed to like the bike, at least judging from his comments. Then he told me he'd had some bikes, all Beemers--some Ks, some airheads, and an oilhead. So as they were about to leave, he said, 'You're really brave to have ridden here'. So I asked him why? 'Well, you know, Guzzis don't have a good reputation of reliability'. Of course I told him that some took this bike to Alaska, for example. In the end, he told me that he was thinking of getting a Ducati. WTF? Are we brave or nuts? Are Guzzis that much less reliable than the Beems or Ducks? It's true that BMW people have those big mileage contests (Paralever failures notwithstanding), long-way-round, Iron Butt blah, blah, but really is riding a Guzzi these days such a risky proposition? Maybe somebody needs to do a RTW tour on a V11

Good to know, thanks for sharing. Btw, nice bike she's got.

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