WellWellWell

Probably so. It was a track bike for quite awhile I believe.

It's a pretty heavily modified 97 1100 sport i. It belongs to Sean Fader, who is well known to many SoCal Guzzi folks. My Ballabio, on the left, was at his new shop, RTL Moto in Santa Ana, so a pic seemed in order.

I'm in the middle of this conversion from stock bars to clip ons now. One of the things I've confronted is the stock Ballabio fairing, which obviously was made for the pro-taper type bar, really doesn't fit with the clip ons. That little plastic wing impedes on the hand position. So I've decided to bin the fairing, unbolt that metal bracket and go with a naked front, at least for now. I may look around for a different fairing. Anybody else done that to the Ballabio or have a recommendation for an after-market small fairing that would work?

That's good info, Steve. Thanks. That sounds about right for height. I'd love to see pics and read your report once you swap. I think I'll hang on to my bar so I can put the bike back to stock later, should I do this swap.

Has anyone tried replacing the Ballabio's handlebar with clipons or other bend that puts the hands lower? Got any recommendations? I've always liked the Ballabio's bars but lately have been riding some sportbikes with clipons and have grown to like that lower hand position (but not too low). Mine's an '04; had it since '08. It has about 23k on it. Thanks.

Hi, Wondering if anyone here has experience with mounting a Givi or other topcase on a V11 rear luggage rack. I've added a Givi Monokey case for another motorcycle in my garage and was wondering how hard it would be to mount it on the Ballabio. I'm assuming Givi's universal mounting plate would be the one to try as I don't see anything specifically for the V11 rack. I figure it might take a little adapting or fabbing. Advise from anyone who's been there? Thanks

I really like the Napoleon bar ends. They have a pretty large coverage area. And they weigh enough to knock down bar vibes better than bar-end weights. My .02.

I think Lloyd67's analysis is spot on. I came to a different decision, but I think he is right in describing the choice. And maybe I would have liked the Griso more. I would say the v11 is not a do-everything bike. Not sure but maybe a Griso could be -- weekender, commuter, sport touring, etc. Depends on what you are looking for and what else might be in your garage. Also, I would say the v11 takes some sorting, typically, to knock down the vibes, etc. But once done, it is very rewarding in its own way.

I faced a similar decision last year fall. A dealer nearby was blowing out the Griso 1100s, new, for under $9k. But I opted for a nice used '04 V11 Ballabio. It doesn't have the Ohlins but the bars are very comfortable. It was made even more comfortable by installing the Motobits foot controls which relaxed the seating position by moving the pegs a bit down and forward. It took some other dialing in -- and a set of Mistrals -- but now it is a very sweet bike and I have no regrets. Nothing wrong with the Griso 1100 but I really love the way this Ballabio feels in the twisties, and I never tire of its retro/modern good looks.

OK, If you really want a loud growling rumble, don't fool around -- get yourself a custom job like this one:

Scura 73, to make it simple: You can't go wrong with the Mistrals. They have a low, deep wonderful sound, not too loud to be offensive but very pleasing. I've had lots of people comment favorably on mine, on a Ballabio. Plus they save weight and flow better. There's a link to Mistrals at top.