Kiwi_Roy

Are you crazy?

Sounds like the sidestand switch, mine just quit the other day also.

It could be several things, I'll list a few obvious ones Bad ground on the regulator. All of the charging current has to get back to the alternator via the regulator case. On a new bike the regulator is grounded by a good accidental connection to the horn bracket, from horn bracket to chassis however as the bike ages the contact points rust and corrode and all you are left with is the tiny wire Luigi ran from the case back to the battery. Any Voltage drop in this wire is subtracted from the battery Voltage. You should have a nice fat wire running from the regulator case to an engine bolt. Loose 30 Amp fuse The alternator doesn't put out a steady DC current like a generator, it puts out half wave pulses that are quite high, perhaps over 40 Amps, this can cause the fuse holder contacts to heat up eventually melting the plastic of the fuse or welding it in place. After a run touch each of the fuses and see if any are warm. The fuse holder should have a nice firm grip on the fuse Check the headlight fuse also, look for any discouloration of the plastic or blade contact area. Bad contact in the relay base Relay 2 (headlight relay) also provides the reference Voltage to the regulator, horn, idiot lights, 12V to the tacho and a few other things. The base contacts can spread apart or even if tight they corrode a little causing some extra resistance. Pull the relay and check the contacts, in the process you will give the contacts a scrape and create a better contact. On some bikes they wired the headlight relay in series with the starter relay so check that as well. Dirty ignition switch After a few years the grease in the ignition switch goes hard which takes some tension off the contacts building up resistance. Somewhere on the forum I have a post showing how you can check the resistance without pulling the switch. I don't think this is your case because the V11 Sport has one of the better Guzzi wiring schemes but if you haven't cleaned the contacts in a few years it might help. Dirty Dimmer switch contacts As above, but I don't think this is your problem, do you have after market headlight relays? Bad contact on the headlamp base connector. These are known to overheat and melt, easily fixed because they are a standard item in any auto parts store. I don't think this is your problem since the panel lights are effected also Bad battery connection Your battery terminals should be scraped and have Vaseline applied to prevent oxidation. Bad Regulator Sometimes one of the diodes lets go Hopefully not the case but I can show you how to check. Take note, do the panel lights go bright and dim with the headlight or opposite (headlight dim, panel lights bright) Some bikes have the horn on the same fuse as the headlight, you could check that by pulling the headlight fuse. If this is the case I would suspect the relay bases of headlight fuse holder I'm sure there are others, PM sent. Moto Guzzi, making electricians out of riders for 90 years.

Update The site was up for a couple of hours yesterday but this morning it's gone again. Luap has left this message for us on the main board. Wildguzzi.com Update 9-25-12: On or about 09-20-2012, the harddrives on the server failed. Completely failed. I am currently working to locate a good backup to restore the files. The only backups I have were corrupted. I have no estimated time to get all of this resolved, but am working on it continually. Thanks for your patience, Luap McKeever I'm sure most of us have lost a hard drive at some time, perhaps it would be a good idea for Luap to forget about all the old files and start again with a clean slate. At the same time it might be a good idea to place some restrictions on the way we copy and paste huge quotes and I'm sure threads with multiple copies of photographs must clog up the works. Take as long as you need Luap, we will be here when you get back. Roy

Yes there's one screw under the cap near the rear at about 7 o'clock to stop gas theft. Do you think someone might have jammed something in the key slot. Take it to a locksmith perhaps they have a secret way of clearing a lock. If all else fails you may be able to attach a lever and snap the internal bracket, every second allen screw is a false one, the short screws don't attach to the tank at all, they are just there for decoration. I had mine off just last week, that's how I know about the screws. The screws at 1,5 & 9 O'clock are real along with the one at 7 O'clock under the cap You could also drill a 1/4" hole through the lid at 7 O'clock just in from the false screw to line up with the hidden one, that would allow you to undo it with an allen key. Once you get the lock sorted fill the hole with JB

There are two sites I visit every day without fail, this one and Wild Guzzi for the past week when I type "Wild goose chase guzzi" I see the link but click on "General Discussion" all I get is Safari can’t find the server. I'm starting to suffer from withdrawal here "Hurry back Luap"

SInce there is no way to adjust the injector open time from left to right does it matter if it's only on one side? I had mine welded into the crossover under the gearbox smack in the middle tilted towards the rear. I don't think the sensor tip is a significant restriction but you could just add some washers. Each of the header pipes on my bike has a small plug but the sensor has about an 18mm thread.

I just noticed this V11 Sport tank for sale in Seattle, looks to be in great shape. I have no affiliation with owner http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/3284345540.html There's also an air box on Seattle Craiglist http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/mcy/3271490859.html

I don't have a picture of the fuse block but it's quite easy to bend the contacts so they clamp the fuse tighter. I think it's only the 30A one that gives trouble. The fuse holder is mounted to the chassis with a couple of rubber gromets, just grab the block and pull it will come away so you can inspect the connections below as well.

Reading back through the thread Emry mentions a similar problem he had with his stock ECU. Did you try cooling it off with cold water, if it's temperature related there it might show up as improved performance for a while. There are no temperature sensors inside the ECU but it could be a component going bad. I would also try as Fotoguzzi suggested and add some insulation around the fuel lines You can always send it up to me, it would like the cooler climate in Canada Good Luck, keep us posted.

I hoped that was the case when I replaced my cable last year. It wasn't. The tach on my California had a waver when I bought it last year, sure enough the cable snapped on my trip to California I wonder if the waver is also caused by the gears getting ready to go crunch and loading up the drive at various points in rotation

It's probably a loose contact causing the lamp to flicker off and on. The thermal shock as a lamp turns from off to on is what usually takes out the filament, you must have noticed this around the home. While the lamp is off the resistance is quite low so at the instant of turning on the current is many times normal.

The main odometer on mine gave out at about 70,000 km, the plastic gear stripped. I was able to swap it for the one out of the trip odo. The old gear still has enough grip to run the trip, less load with fewer wheels to drive. I think the main reason the needle wavers is a kink in the inner cable causes the magnet to change speed slightly.

The temperature seems to read about 10 degrees hotter than you expect but that could well be heat coming from the motor, besides I don't think 10 degrees is that significant. To check the sensor you could remove it and dip in water at 25 C it should read 3000 Ohms I suggest you also read the head temperature sensor, it should read the same at same temperature try it when the bike is hot also. It's easy to read the sensors from the ECU plug, you can also check the TPS for smooth operation from there, Dont unplug the cable unless the key is off. Radio Shack sell a kit for making up the old style computer cables, the little gold plated pins are the correct size to fit the plug or if you have an old cable laying around you can salvage the pins with wires already attached. On the attached PDF you will see the sensor readings I observed on my 2001, I left a spot for you to fill in yours. ECU Test Points.pdf BTW the head temperature sensor is the one called Oil temperature on my sketch BTW the ECU has a diagnostic connector, I have never used it but apparently you can attach a light and it blinks back a code to tell you what's up, does anyone here know how to use that?

Yes a jack is probably good insurance, perhaps I'm just lucky No special tools, if I recall the rotor popped off quite easy but if you need to use a puller you could pull the stator off first, don't loose the key. Store the rotor inside the stator once you get it off helpd protect the magnets. Inspect the joint where the wires solder to the stator, one of mine was hanging by just a strand or two. If the joint is bad you will likely need to replace the wires because they will be corroded and impossible to re-solder. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17473

That is very sad, he was a true gentleman. A couple of years back when I was doing research on the Ducati Energia voltage regulator failure Slavomir sent me a couple he had lying around. I was so touched that someone would take the time and effort to send some old junk half way around the world that I cut the mailing address off his parcel and glued it to my wall.

No, the motor will stay in place when you remove the two large bolts, I just replaced my timing chain and tensioner. The alternator nut should come off without a problem, if you need to lock up the motor you can put in top gear and apply the foot brake. Good Luck with the leak Roy

It sounds like electrics to me as well, my bike did much the same with a dirty ignition switch, I think the ECU relay drops out. Thats easy to check, just flick the switch a few times to get a better contact. Try re-seating the relays, you may have a loose connection there. Do you have the electric fuel petcock? I think if your TPS was bad it would pick up again at a different throttle setting. Could also be low fuel pressure perhaps, failing pump, plugged filter, bad pressure regulator but I have never experienced that. Don't give up, the bike is just trying to bond with you

I don't recognize that regulator, is it an after market one? If it was the Ducati Energia one yes, that would be correct Make sure your battery ground is good as well, I think it connects to the chassis behind the seat release key. Not knowing anything about your particular reg i'm not sure what I can add. Do you have after market headlight relay/s, that can cause low charging also.

The tiny wire to the battery Luigi provided is far too small to do anything, when the bike is new and there's a good connection via the frame it's ok but with time and corrosion it no longer provides a good path. I highly recommend adding a short wire from the regulator to an engine bolt. I think you will see your Voltage increase to around 14 See how that goes then get back to us. Roy

After much searching I finally managed to find the thermistor used in the air and head temperature sensors This is just the active component, it doesn't come with a plug or housing, all you get is a little blue blob with a couple of wires attached. VISHAY Part No NTCLE203302SB The resistance value is 3000 Ohms at 25°C, the point all thermistors a referenced to. 9.7 KOhms at 0, 202 Ohms at 100, 54 Ohms at 150°C I haven't purchased any yet, I thought I would see if anyone else was interested and make a bulk order, they would be about $2 each including postal, let me know if interested. Roy Thermistor.pdf

The air temperature sensor would measure the temperature around the front of the bike because that's where the stock air box intakes air from. I cut my sensor apart and extended it to the front of the tank but I doubt it makes much difference. With pods you need some form of velocity stack or you will get a flat spot. Note the beuties on Dave's bike

I mentioned in a PM that the ignition switch contacts can cause the ECU relay to drop out if they are really dirty, the grease goes quite stiff after a few years and tends to hold the contacts apart, its worth flicking the switch a few times to see if it improves. I caution against using solvents to clean switches, better to take them apart and clean out the old grease replacing it with good old petroleum jelly aka Vaseline. For those with lots of tupperware the health of the contacts can be checked from under the seat, it should be consistent and Just find where the wires terminate and pull the fuses / relay and measure from there Fuse 3. Fuse 5&6 and relay 3 in this case Otherwise it's quite easy to pull the contact block off for servicing. This is for a V11 Sport but other 2000 era Guzzis are very similar, just trace where the wires go from your schematic or Carl Allison drawing. You will notice that it goes through a 4 way connector (under the tank I think) Test Point Layout.pdf Don't forget the side-stand switch has been known to bounce open which also drops out the ECU.

You may be able to fix the sensor, it's a bead type thermistor at zero ohms sounds like the leads are shorting together. When I removed the airbox on my bike I carefully cut the sensor apart and extended the thermistor out to the front of the bike with a pair of wires. While you're waiting for a new one just substitute a resistor around the right value for current temperature say 3.3 K Ohms (~ 25 C)

There are no seals in the speedo cable, they have been that way forever. Did you notice any kinks in the inner, that's a common cause of needle jump, it sort of winds up then lets go.