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Ratchethack, where did you get your bulk hose and what dimensions did you end up getting? (Napa part is .62" inside dia) Can I get bulk oil hose at a local pepboys? It looks like a good option with the Goodyear ezcoil. I see bulk hose all over the internet but none of it lists diameter. OEM part is $58 and a couple of weeks to get.

Did the leak test with a good cleaning and a bottle of my wife's baby powder..... DING DING DING DING...And the winner is..... Breather hose at the aft where it clamps to the engine block. Everywhere else was bone dry. I did this check this morning before leaving for work so all I have is the diagnosis for now. There is a hose clamp on the thing and maybe it's just loose. I'll get further into it Saturday morning when I have the time, since the oil may be just traveling down it and the failure may be somewhere else on the hose. Thanks Everyone! I'll search the forum and see if there is more info on what needs to come off to replace the hose. Looks like a bear to replace. Looks like the best choice for replacement is either the ford or napa part... whichever I don't have to make elbows for will win out. Otherwise it will be oem. ( I think I saw one has nearly the same bends) David

Yup, I agree, good catch. It is not easy diagnosing something in this manner (forum) and I appreciate all suggestions, as each one gives me more insight into the bike and the ability to self diagnose similar issues in the future. As always...start simple and work forward. I'm going to try and give this thread a break for now, and for my own sanity, until I find the source of the leak. I'll post what I find and then will probably have a flurry of questions. Cheers!

Would it have that much of a leak from overfill? And would it get progressively worse starting about a week or two after service, where before it was but a drip or two? Anyway... Yeah, again it sucks that I'm at work, with nothing to do but sit at a computer, and dwell over this. So I apologize for the following.... Yes it also sucks that the one and only time I ever bring one of my bikes to a shop and allow them to do the oil change, I have issues. I have no idea what they put in for oil (dyno, synthetic, etc. which irks me, yes I could call...). Then there is the fact there's no site glass, or center stand, so even if there were a site glass, it wouldn't be straight when viewing, nor is it really possible to pull the dipstic while holding the bike level without the fear of dropping it, nor has there been any faith (according to this site) about how accurate the dipstick is.... It should be like the gearbox, pull the site plug and fill it till it drips. Again, sorry.

Always good to have options :-( No, this is very helpful and informative. I don't have the bike with me today as I drove the cage to work. Okay, forgive my ignorance.... "Brake fluid from the clutch" ?? The brakes obviously are hydrolic, and I believe the clutch is also, right. Is the clutch using brake fluid? I'm confused. (it's not your explanation, trust me it's me, I confuse easily). I will give the slave cylinder a good look when I get home. I really appreciate the help!

No, unfortunately I do not but if I can get a hold of some it may be worth it. Is it readily available? I absolutely hate leaks of any kind with an engine. It Irks me to the core. It shouldn't as owning classics usually means leaks of every kind and most just manage them, but I hate it. My father in law has "diapers" (read cardboard) under all his cars and bikes. Can you get the dye in different colors. The way I am if it didn't show up I'd just wonder if something else was wrong. I'd prefer being able to diagnose both at the same time.

That's exactly what it looks like. Even same side. Looks like I've got some rubbing to do. PS. Well did the sniff test and it doesn't smell like oil. The oil has the typical oil smell and much stronger, what's leaking has almost no smell (uless it's burning off the pipes).

Problem is I have reason now for concern over what this bike has been through. Bike was sold through max BMW as a personal bike of a salesman. Who never titled it and says it was actually someone elses. This someone else raced Mototards for Max Bmw so how he treated his street bikes is of concern. Also one porkchop is different from the other (almost pink) while the other looks brand new, makes me wonder if the bike had been down. There was a mark on the left side under the seat and I asked if the bike had ever been down and the "owner" said no. I guess I took a leap of faith with an internet purchase. But then again I'm pretty much a conspiracy theorist so I always expect the worst. Anyway, thanks. I was planning on taking those next steps with another cleaning and then I heard spraying the motor with Arid Extra Dry Powered aeresol does a good job of finding leaks. I also figured on pulling the tank (I hate doing this as my connie always leaked from the petcock) to get a better look at the breather. Thanks for the luck. David

Hi guys, well I am sad to say I have some kind of leak, first noticed about a week ago with very small drips, now leaves a softball sized spot. I originally thought it was the seal around the pan but it's coming from up higher and dripping down. The first drips are running down the back of the engine and onto the belly pan, then I also have a drip that runs down the back along the frame and drips directly onto the crossover of the pipes. The first drips are dark like old oil the ones on the crossover are cleaner. I don't know what the difference in smell is between fluids, anyone care to give that a try? Don't ask me to taste it ;-) the cleaner fluid is not as red as I would expect transmission fluids to be. Anyway I've been reading horror stories on here so far and my least fear is the breather hose, my worst a cracked transmission.. or both. PS. there was no leak before two things happened. 1. Had the oil changed at dealer because they said "want us to change the oil while we're at it" and 2. I cleaned the engine with SP100 Leaks mostly just following a ride (which makes sense). Then barely anything after everything cools down. I guess what I'm hoping for is where to look, pictures or detailed descriptions are best as I wont' likely know where seal x or rod y is. One day I hope to know what I'm doing, which is why I probably keep gravitating towards bikes that need constant tinkering. Glutton for punishment I guess. David

Here is a link to a breakdown of models by year. I was sent this link when I made basically the same post as you have 3 months ago. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5691 I too fell in love with the Silver with grey engine. But i will say the green grows on you and would not have minded a greenie either. I'm now in the process of changing some ergonomics (adding bars instead of clip-ons). If I hadn't fallen in love with the grey I probably would have gotten a cafe or ballabio for the riding position. I have a Magni fairing on her right now that I will be selling some time this season, it creates a lower riding position since it requires lower clip-ons. I left my all out speed days behind me years ago and wanted a sweet looking ride that fit my (11th anniversary of my 29th bday) age. I too kept my sport tourer (but she hasn't been out of the garage since the guzzi came along). Have fun and be patient looking, the right one will show up.

Thanks guys, I've contacted the MA MGOC (since I'm on the border). Jason, I'll be in contact, thanks. Once I get my bearings and check with the War Department to see what my schedule is like, I'll see what I can help put together for a ride. PS. love the bike, but I will be raising the bars, at least putting the stocks back on to try first, the clipons from the magni fairing are too low and my back is killing me.

Being very new to Guzzi and a very greenhorn wrencher. I would very much like to find fellow V11 owners in the area that are happy to talk V11eees with someone who's willing to listen. I used to go to a lot of what Concours owners called Wrench Sessions, we'd work on the bikes, eat lunch and head out for a ride. It gave us an opportunity to do some small mods on the bike with someone around who knew what they were doing, or just watch and learn a few things. Anyway, if there's anyone who'd like to meet up and head out for a ride and some discussion I'd be happy to host something like that (granted I'm not set up to handle to much work on the bike as I don't have more than basic tools, you'd be surprised at what some guys have in their garages for bike maintenance). Let me know if there is some interest and we can work on the logistics. David PS> I would have put this in the Meet, rides, events etc. section but that seemed mostly about organized or sanctioned events

Mother Nature had better stay home in the Kitchen!

Yeah, I know. My fault for not thinking. Valves on the Connie, for me, all day and maybe part of the next to do the job. I've only done it twice, otherwise I find a fellow COG member who enjoys the challenge and I suggest a wrench session (I then offer my bike up as the demo). It's an involved job: (see pain in the arse) Remove Lower plastic, Gas tank, Ignition coils, Air suction valve and air hoses, Head cover ( no easy feat here, many give up at this point), Pickup coil cover... 4 valves, 4 cylinders, remember firing order when putting all back is not 1,2,3,4. And all this trying not to rip gaskets on something you have about 2 inches of clearance to work in. Me liking v-twin, no plastic, and a gas tank that doesn't weigh 100 lbs when full, cause for some reason on the connie I'm obviously going to decide to do it just after filling up all 7.5 gallons....and of course the petcock is going to fail. This is when I adhere to the old adage, noisy valves are happy valves...

Hi, well my new 2000 sport went to the Guzzi dealership last week to get a couple of things done, (new tire, short in blinker). I also wanted, since I'm new to Guzzies to have the mechanic do a once over to let me know if he heard or saw anything wrong that I could address at some point in the future (or then if necessary). When I dropped the bike off he asked if I wanted them to change the oil and filter, I said yeah, go ahead..... big mistake. Now what is the most you think you'd pay for an oil change.... $50 bucks or so.... I mean, I've never had a shop do it before,,,,,,No.... not 50, nor 100 but a whopping $175.00 ($125 labor) at $100 an hour. I flipped. I asked if he had a one armed mechanic... an hour and 15 minutes to do an oil change? Talk about not wanting to gain a new customer. On my kawi I have to take 3 fairings off to get to the oil filter with allen bolts that have to go back exactly where they came from (mix them and you are screwed, literally) and it takes me only 25 minutes. If he was trying to make up time on work he did for finding the short, he sure made a poor choice. The guy I bought the bike off of offered to pay to get the short fixed. Why couldn't that have eaten the time....

Okay, so I, after all the back and forth and questions about changing this and what if that, got the 2000 v11 sport. 8,300 miles, magni fairing, mistral mufflers, cross-over, chip. Plus the original bars, mirrors and fairing as well as side, back and tank bags. First impressions, this is a real motorcycle, a man's man bike. Strong, tourqie, awesome growl. Tuesday's she's going to the moto-guzzi dealer for a thorough check up, since I am not used to her and can't diagnose anything based on sound and feel yet. This is more for peace of mind and to create a relationship with the service techs than anything else. She does have a short somewhere along the turn signal wiring thought, so that will be fixed. (keep blowing the directional fuse). Anyway, wow. She's pretty, fun to ride, different and a whole lotta fun, and the mistral pipes have such a nice sound. My father-in-law took her out for a ride and all he could say was WOW! I'll post a pic after I've cleaned and shined her up real nice... PS. Thanks to everyone who gave their advice, offered help and encouragement. David

Haven't officially announced it but I bought an '00 silver sport for quite a bit under 5k (8k miles). Picking bike up Thursday. I'll do the newbie with a guzzi post after I pick it up... but I'm dying in anticipation.

Well, I did buy the sport. Got a price I couldn't pass up. I should receive it next weekend or during the following week. I did ride a v11 lemans over the weekend and based on that I will be lowering the pegs just a hair if the setups similar. I've been told all services were performed with the last being at 7K miles (she has 8.3k on her). Regardless she's going almost straight into the Guzzi dealer to confirm she's in the condition stated and to have her rear end (part under seat) repainted for a small blemish she has.

I have the opportunity to ride both a v11 nero corsa and a centauro this weekend. It's been a hard time trying to organize a time to see the bikes. I had just jumped the gun because a very nice looking '00 sport came across on ebay close enough that I wouldn't have to ship it. But I would have to make the deal before the auction ended if I didn't want to loose it to a bidder. That's the only reason I was getting anxious about options for making it fit. When you start adding up all the changes it begins to put a different perscpective on which bike you should get, do I wait for a ballabio, etc. or do I modify the sport... etc. There are parts of each I like, as I say I really prefer the silver with grey motor look, vs most of the colors with the black painted motor. So the sport has some major visual appeal to me. I also was a bit worried becaus this bike on ebay has the Magni fairing which requires bars that are actually lower than the stock ones. Now to make it what I want (naked) I'd need 1. Handlebars, 2. stock mirrors, potentially peg lowering kit, etc. So I decided to wait, I have the cash and the green light from the misses so I really need to slow down and be sure. I've always been impatient so it's hard to think that if I miss this opportunity, another will come if I am willing to wait. Anyway I'm 6'3, 190lbs and have a 35/36 inch inseam. So I'm really all legs.

This seems like the best option I've seen, without forking out hundreds of dollars for other kits I've seen. Looks like the same pegs are used. Is there anyway to re-engineer this kit? I have to say that the companies that manufacture the current peg lowering kits should be ashamed of their pricing. I'm just so used to the connie guys coming up with a solution to something like this and bamm someone is machining out a bunch of set to sell barely above costs. Which I suppose is what happened with this Moto Evoluzione kit, it's too bad it didn't continue. Anyway, all this is really moot for me as I've 90% decided not to pull the trigger on the v11 right now until 1. I am sure I can fit it 2. The right one comes along. (I would really prefer a naked with the cafe racer type bars) I guess that really means the cafe racer. But I don't want to pay for the ohlins, etc. There really is just not another naked bike that combines the feeling of a v-twin (rumble, shake, rattle, buzz and roll), maintains some of the classic style, has twin pipes (not a fan of single pipe look, nor the pipes under your arse look) and one that not everyone has.

Thanks I probably should have mentioned that I meant a stock setup for a sport. My connie is between 17.5 and 18.5 inches and that's comfortable for my 35 inch inseam. Pegs are must forward of my butt, just about where my hips start. If the sport is comprable and anywhere near those numbers then utilizing the buell peg conversion should give me total comfort. I just didn't want a situation where my knees were kissing my chin.

Looks like this scura's pegs have been moved without a kit or different model pegs. Wondering how this was accomplished. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...ost&id=3231

Seems like we'll all be on our own shortly anyway, these are bin bikes, you don't see the Aprilia guys tossing a few my way then, huh. I figured they'd do it for a couple of bottles of vino

I hope you don't mind the questions.... If I wanted to go back and forth between fairing and naked with something like the Corsa, is it the same headlight as the naked models or will it look silly? Also, I imagine it's mounted further away from the forks, can that be adjusted or is it different mounting brakets? Also are the handlebars pre-drilled for mirrors like my connie (which is weird because there was no related bike to the concours that was naked). Truthfully the best setup and look for my taste is the cafe sport. higher bars, more easily removed bikini fairing, darker color, etc. I really need to see some of these in person, and I will next weekend. will be able to see the nero corsa next weekend. Like I said I saw the green sport, which actually was prettier than I thought it would be, but couldn't sit on it as it was sold. Also, is guzzi still offering to replace the caps on those bikes that saw blistering paint?

Thanks guys! Yeah as far as budget I'm right there in the middle. I can almost imagine my wife thinking me crazy when there are all these japanese bikes out there going for next to nothing, but she understands I want something that seems to mean someting, part of a culture, that has a bit of a history (either for itself or by lineage), but that doesn't mean I can spend what I want. Things sometimes don't work like they should, I accept that, but I'd prefer to have them working when I get the bike. Man, you'd be scared to fly if you knew all the things that don't work on an airplane that are accepted as normal. SH, that's a nice bike, and I too am not very fond of the red, man and every bike out there for sale is red... black or dark grey cause it seems more vintage, probably because we think of vintage as black and white despite the fact that the world was in as much color then as now. Funny, red's my favorite color and my current bike is red. I really do like almost all the other colors, I even like the coppa italia, anyone not realize what they have and want to part with one Anyway, How did you buy your bike? Did you have it shipped site unseen? I'm so not sure I could pull the trigger on a deal like that unless the seller was very helpful in the process and that seller was well know by say long time members in this forum who could vouch for them. Ponti, I love the all silver, I also really like the old engine color. My only thing on the newer models are the gold forks, not my fav but not something that I couldn't get past. Truthfully I would probably not tell the difference between the ohlins and the prior suspension, guys go on and on about tires, fork braces, shocks, dampers and all these mods to improve upon stock. Was the same with my connie and the members of COG. Always upgrading, farkles gallor, and I bought into some of it, but for me I never could tell any difference. Then there was the dreaded "buzz", had the bike apart so many times carb syncing, balance shaft adjustments, bar end weights, lead shot, checking engine mounts, etc. never any change. Honestly, it never really bothered me, I just took it as part of being a bike with the engine as a stressed member, but it was something that "had to be" fixed. Now I just ride and enjoy and have stoped chasing the perfect motorcycle. When I pull it apart now, it's just to make sure she's in top shape, and really, with 2 kids, I'll probably have the new one done at the guzzi dealer up the road. That way I spend more time riding. what I really want is that grin from the time I open the garage door and see her till the time I bring her back and drift off to sleep at night.