RichMaund
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Posts posted by RichMaund
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I have to say I share Al's technique on this.
I wash them when I wash the bike and dry them to prevent spotting. Otherwise, I leave them alone.
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Welcome Gio!
You are the only other person I have ever seen have the valve cover paint fail besides myself! Mine failed after many trips through very heavy rain.
They refused to correct mine under warranty, so I beaded them and polished them. They look much nicer now.
I pulled the alt. cover today to rotate the engine over to set the valves. Found the paint on the alt. cover flaking. I bead blasted it and applied silver Rustoleum hammer finish paint. Don't laugh! Nice finish and WAY tougher than stock paint. Once cured, this stuff is actually difficult to bead blast off!
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When I got these new Michelin Street sport tour tires, I did downsize to the 160/60 rear. You'd never know it was a smaller tire. It does seem to be a better width for that rim. I believe it's plenty wide for a 80 HP bike! The tendency to stand up while using the front brake in a corner is less than before also. Yeah, I know... That's a really poor technique and means I didn't set up my entrance speed well enough. But I never claimed to be perfect!
I would hesitate to mix brands as well. They are engineered to work together.
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Al
They made the bike feel new again. I'm afraid that's the best way to put it. My old tires were very worn after 10k miles and made the bike feel lousy by comparison. Amazing what you can get used to if it comes on slowly enough!
The old rear was worn almost bald in the middle from too much freeway riding. The front had cupped signifcantlt ruining cornering feel.
Now it feels light and neutral. Just right. The tires never "push" in corners. They just stick. Change your line in mid corner? No problem. Just lok through your new line and t he bike goes where you look. I'd forgotten how well the bike felt until I got these on and scrubbed them in!
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I just realized I screwed up.
I have Michelin Pilot Street Sport Touring tires in my V11S. Not Pilot Sports.
I picked them hoping they wouldn't wear flat in the middle as the "R" compound Battleaxes did. I think they stick great in corners. Their wet performance is great. If they last, I'll be a very happy customer.
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I've got 1000 miles on my Michelin Pilot Sports now. They're great! I love the way they handle and they feel better in the rain than the stock Bridgestone BT57's did.
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I agree with Carl.
Put a couple strong eyebolts into the rafters of your shop and use a pair of come-alongs to lift your bike. Cheap and effective and safe.
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You can trim the thickness of the rubber bumper that the sidestand rests against when retracted. That'll give you a bit more room before it touches down!
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The riders seat foam on the modified 2002-On pans is thinner than the older ones. No room to go downwards w/o compomising comfort. The mod'd pans have no issues with hitting the taller Bosch relays as some old ones did. (Mine doesn't hit them.)The older ones can be shaved 1/2" and still be OK. There really isn't anything to narrow in the front. You'd be cutting away the pan. You'll have to look at lowering suspension to reduce height.
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Check for split intake boots! They can lean out the engine and make it sound like it's missing! Break them loose and rotate to inspect! One of mine split on the inside and was well hidden. Drove me nuts 'till I found it!
My bike came with a badly routed fuel hose which pressed into the spark plug wire for the left coil. It shoved it sideways and partially out of it's plug on the coil. That may have abbetted the problem as well.
The nice thing about Guzzi's in my experience is that it's often just simple stuff that causes the problems.
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I have run my bike in 6th gear on the hiway at 3500 rpm. I had to laugh in my helmet because it pulled it easily and had some torque still on tap. But it did seem incongruous riding a V11S that way. This was at 10K miles and with the PCIII fitted. I agree with you on it being the best of both worlds. But MAN! I never could have done that a year ago! The motor was still loosening up. It vibrated in the 4's and lugged badly in the 3's.
If the motor is smooth and feels good, it is probably fine.
But if it is showing any signs of lugging, drop a gear and get the revs up! These bikes are great for "talking" to you and giving you good feedback. We need to listen to them!
I must say that my bike is a far better runner today than it was when new. It has been getting progressivly better as I "fettle" it and the mileage gets racked up!
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This engine really shouldn't be run at such low rpm's on the hiway! You are lugging it by running it well below the powerband. This engine is cammed and set up to romp & breath compared to normal Guzzi cruisers. A regular Guzzi motor loves to cruise at 4k rpm. These are much smoother and comfortable at 5k rpm.
I have found that as the mileage piles up, the motor is progressivly happier running at lower rpm's though. Mine will now pull 4k on the hiway way better than it did after break-in. Has almost 11K miles on it now.
What's the mileage on yours?
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I use Valvoline sythetic and also add the required amount of KalGard Moly additive.
You may have to source the moly from a Guzzi dealer.
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Sounds like a relay with a worn or burnt contact. My bike did this when new until I fitted the new style Bosch relays.
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All of this has been excellent advice. Good guidance all on properly mounting a fairing.
It has been my experience that all my fairings have had the effect of allowing me to hear increased levels of mechanical noise. Sidecars do it too. They reflect the noise back at you. Doesn't matter if the fairing is metal, fiberglass or ABS plastic. They're all like big drum heads the way they amplify and direct sound!
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Doc
If you're worried about a square cut, use a band saw and guide. Very quick that way.
If you lack that, I still have 7 feet of that damn pipe here. (It was about $3 for a 8' piece.) Tell me how long you want each piece and I'll cut & mail them to you for the shipping cost. $4 for Priority Mail. I'll be happy to help you out.
The tomato plants aren't in yet. Once they're growing well, this pipe will be used to stake them and I will be "out of stock" of PVC pipe.
So let me know in the next couple weeks if you need them made! -
Doc
They are tight. But mine came off OK. The PVC schedule 40 pipe is thicker walled than stock and may support the load from the spring even better. Not sure why they look at funny. Did you have a spot of grease on your nose?
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If you want a really good city bike, get a Ural and modify it like mine. 7.5 gallon tank and Harley Police solo seat. Cargo box sidecar.
You can carry the kichen sink and the easy clutch means stop & go traffic will never wear you out. Having a real reverse gear is a hoot too!
Going from the Ural to the Guzzi always make the Guzzi feel like a real hotrod! Owning a Ural as your city bike will make you appreciate your Guzzi more!
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I found that when I prepped the bike when new that Guzzi had built all the linkages and pivots dry. No grease. Naturally, I coated all the bolts with #2 Lithium grease upon reassembly. Mine has a touch of wriggle room when I yank it back & forth to try to rotate it. About 1mm. 5mm sounds quite loose. Perhaps they wore from lack of lube? Were yours dry as mine were?
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I once brought one back to life for an owner who imported it from Italy. It IS a tiny bike! (And I am speaking about this before my legs got crushed and I put on all this weight!) The seat is anarrow brick. The tranny is clunky and the rear brake is only so-so. The reversed controls take time to get used to.
That said, the motor is really sweet! With fresh cartridges in the forks and good rear shocks, this bike really handles well. It's a beautiful design as well. Timeless. It's a clasic that you can actually ride and it won't mark it's spot on your shop floor!
But the power and handling of the new bikes have me seduced. To me the V11S brings out the best of the classic V7 Sport mixed with all the advantages of design that have come along in the 30 years since.
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You guys make me glad that I don't ride at a level that allows me to tell the fine differences between good suspension and great suspension.
I'd have gone broke by now!
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Good point Jeff! I learned THAT lesson on my old BMW 25 years ago!
I prefer the brass brushes. They're softer than aluminum and won't mark the castings.
Kal Gard offers the Gun Coat in silver/gray as well. The stuff looks great.
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I have to say I would take all the accessories they offer you and then sell them on EBay. My large bead blast booth with beads came to about $200 at Harbor Freight. (A large discount tool store.) You could clean off the rear drive and alot more with a bit of labor on your part. The bare sand castings stay nice looking for quite some time and can be touched up with a brass bristle brush and WD40.
Another route to take would be to contact the folks at "Turtle Tough" in Pennsylvania and send them your components for recoating in either poweder coat or hi-temp Kal Gard Gun Coat. They know their business! They did the iron cylinders on my Ural three years ago in black gun coat and they haven't rusted yet!
The only good solution I see to the wrinkle black paint is to remove it.
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If it IS a seal, they tend to get worse slowly vice quickly. Mine started as a mystery drip and ended three months later as a few drops on the ground after each ride. Didn't soak the clutch plates or hurt anything, but did make a mess. Enjoy the ride!
I wish to de-lurk
in Motha of all V11 forums...
Posted
Oddly, the paint on my engine seems tougher than that on the covers!
I cleaned out chunks of macadam pot hole patching material out of crevices in my my cases today while I serviced the bike. But the paint was all fine.
Perhaps the sand cast vases allow the paint to "key" in better and hence stick better than the smooth die cast surfaces on the covers? Bead blasting roughened the surface just right for painting. I'll try to remember to take a pic of the alt. cover before I mount it tomorrow.