Lucky Phil

Because the tool receptacle is shallow and they are thread locked you need lots of heat directly on the fastener. A fine tip on the oxy torch is the way. Anything else is fraught with danger. Then replace them with something sensible.

Swingarm....satin black. It's an agricultural piece on a V11 you don't want to be highlighting it. Phil

Your set up and mine are fine docc. Yours is the same as the std set up and mine is also just the std setup reversed with the spherical bearing in the damper body mount and the solid fitting on the triple clamp. I debated whether or not to press out the spherical bearing on the damper mount and fit a solid bush but it was staked in so made up the new fitting instead. If the one in the centre has a spherical bearing in both the damper body point and the triple clamp point then it won't work correctly. As you turn the steering the spherical bearings mounted face to face rock over until the mount bolt or the mount faces contact before the damper will stroke. The further apart the bearings are located the worse the effect. I have a bush between the mounts and it was very noticeable when I tried to use the std spherical bearing mount on the triple clamp. This is why I machined up the solid mount.

This method of attachment doesn't actually work on a V11 mount set-up. If you have 2 spherical bearings mounted one on top of each other there is going to be a dead spot in the centre of the steering range for maybe 5 degrees each side of centre as the bearings rock over. This is why I made my own solid fitting to replace the original spherical bearing on the steering head when I used an aftermarket damper mount that came with a spherical bearing in it (see image). I didn't make it because I wanted to but because I had to. The std Guzzi mount whether an Ohlins or a Bitubo does not have a spherical bearing on the damper mount for this reason. Guzzi chose to use the spherical bearing on the triple clamp fitting. They could have chosen to use the spherical bearing on the damper mount instead but they didn't but you can't use one on both. Will the damper still move? yep. Will the damper have any damping effect on each side of centre for maybe 5 degrees with the double bearing set up? nope. It's important the damper has no dead zone of influence each side of centre.

This relates to my problems with the Andreani fork cartridges they they say fit's all models 1999-2006 that have 3 different type Marzocchi forks alone. Add to that the fact that re sellers have parts and accessories on their websites they don't actually stock and have zero idea on availability of that item until they themselves put in an order with their supplier. Phil

What you say is correct in that the difference between bikes is infinitesimal as it is with riders pretty much. But both are still enough to have an impact on results. All these guys and bikes are pretty amazing but it's gravitating more and more into a technically weighted sport. The riders ability to "make the difference" is diminishing fast. Have a think about this. The average GP race track has around a 95 second lap and 14 corners give or take. These days if you are 1 second behind in qualifying you're nowhere, in a different race but in reality you(or maybe the bike) is literally 1% slower than the guy on pole. Now think about the guys that are 1/2 a second off the pace, 1/2 a percent slower or 2 or 3 hundredths of a second per corner slower each lap. I does my head in, I don't know how riders cope with that. Everyone is on the limit all the time. Not sure it's ultimately a great thing in reality long term.

Does the Hyperpro damper bracket that clamps onto the damper body have a solid bush or a spherical bearing in it? Phil

You're right Mick I just measured my Ohlins. There's 35mm of shaft sticking out of each end. I'm pretty sure you can re seal the Bitubo dampers. Recall seeing something about it not too long ago. Mine was leaking as well. Phil

Sorry Mick I don't. The damper is generic and you purchase by the stroke length which means you can shop around. The only part that is V11 specific is the mount that clamps onto the Ohlins damper body. I didn't have one so I used a Ducabike one and made an adaptor because my bike is a bit different due to it's later triple clamps. The easiest way is to try and source a second hand V11 Sport Ohlins mount and then shop for the correct length stroke damper. 120mm stroke rings a bell from memory. Phil

Personally I think the best bar option with a V11 Sport is the later clip ons that mount on the forks above the top triple clamp. They are higher and less susceptible to magnifying engine vibration. Anything with an extended swan neck style mount such as the early V11 series bars aren't going to help mitigate engine vibes through the bars. Only issue is you would need to run fork extensions to use them or use the later longer forks. Phil

The Ohlins still work and are readily available and a competitive price these days as well. More because the other high end options are more expensive and not because Ohlins have reduced their prices.

Whatever the bike is I know one thing for sure. It's definitely NOT cool. Bit like the Prince music video from years back with Prince trying to look cool riding some appalling Honda faux chopper thing. Phil

I'm currently awaiting delivery of my 3rd small container of touch-up paint to get a decent match, sigh. I'll soon have enough variations to mix and match to get it right the way things are going. The problem with touch up paint now is it's not mixed in large 100 litre batches and bottled and sold but mixed individually in 50ml bottles. Mixing 100 litre batches means the slight discrepancies of a gram or 2 in the pigments don't really have an overall affect on the colour but trying to mix a 50ml bottle down to 1/10 of a gram in weight for 3 pigments is pretty much mission impossible. I watched the guy at the local auto shop mix the paint and he got the weights spot on but who knows how accurate the scales are. It can be done as I have had touch-up paint that's been a perfect match on more than 1 occasion in the past. Phil

That will do it. Phil

There's not a racer on the planet that can currently win a race on the KTM let alone a title. KTM overestimated the performance of their bike and Ducati has taken a significant step in 2024. I still can't understand how any company would consider employing Vinales the ultimate soggy cornflakes man. 9 seasons in MotoGP, 10 wins and best finish in the Championship of 3rd 5 years ago, plus deliberately trying to destroy the engine in his bike in a childish fit of peek. Yet teams are cuing up to give him a ride. Shows you the state of decision making in MotoGP these days. Once the expectation kicked in and got into Acostas head the results have tapered off which was fairly predictable. He's done a Zarco in his first season. Next year when he's genuinely expected to produce the podiums he'll find it even harder. It's gong to be interesting to see which ex Ducati rider can actually deliver on the track next season once they have departed Ducati and are now on lesser bikes. Phil

Seems a random comment? Phil

Yes docc good point I would assume they use UOA for that as well to save money with semi's etc in large fleets. In these large trucking fleet companies I know they have dedicated departments that do nothing but monitor the trucks mechanicals in real time as they are on the road. I would assume they use UAO for plotting their oil changes as well. I guess it depends on the engines oil consumption. Engines that are used commercially and are running 24/7 obviously consume oil and it gets to a point where you no longer need to do oil changes because the consumption and top offs are cycling the oil through anyway. Big gas turbines are like this. Because they burn around a quart/hour you never change the oil like a bike or car, there is no point as fresh oil is always being installed. I remember when I started in aviation and some of the old guys had tons of experience on big radials they talked about how pointless and annoying it was doing a mandated oil change on the bloody things because they consumed so much it was a pointless exercise dumping 25 gallons of oil that was in reality never that many hours old. The old Lockheed Super Connie Qantas used to fly had a dedicated oil tank and engine replenishing system in the fueslarge that the flight engineer used to pump fresh oil to each engine on long flights to keep the main engine oil tanks at a safe level they used so much. Phil

I can live with the Victorian winters if they are 3 months long but these days, like for years now the heater is running from mid April to into the end of November We now have 2 seasons. An 8 month winter and a 4 month summer. PHil

Without knowing the history of your bike also check the front engine mount lugs on the engine cover. Even a lowside on a v11 Sport can break one of them so look for a cracked front case mount. Failing all that it's the lead weights I guess. BTW here in Aus the bolt on plastic weight used on garage roller doors is full of nice lead shot like shotgun pellets. Come to think of it you could always go to the local ammunition supplier and use lead shot I guess.

Have you checked the engine mount and front frame mount bolt torques? Phil

Agreed the weather in Victoria is shite this year but it's also cold all up the east coast as well. Phil

Do your std clip-ons have the std bar weight assemblies installed? The vibes aren't normally particularly obnoxious on a 2000 V11 Sport with the swan neck clip-ons. The later clip-ons and weights are a little better but you can't use them. Phil

Yea I know. We'll still have a couple of days there after it's over to hang with George though so that will be relaxing. Phil

Guess whos just discovered he's going to be in Mandello for this without a clue it was actually going to be on. Pleasantly surprised. https://www.motoguzzi.com/en_EN/moto-guzzi-world/events/moto-guzzi-open-house-2024/ Phil

Technique wise Pre loading the shift lever in both directions is the secret to sweet shifting on the 6 speed box. Phil