Bob Hartman

Yeah, how about that? I had some electrical mysteries with my recent V11 and along the way found the rear bulb was in upside down. Symptom? It was bright all the time. Effect: An additional, constant 2amp draw - plus the safety aspect. I also found that the socket does not allow the 1157 bulb to be twisted into place. There are two channels for the lock tabs, but no corresponding slots to accept them/hold the bulb in place. So it's a friction fit - which works - but is bewildering. If you have the same situation, I wonder if the plastic socket has come out of shape.

That's impressive indeed. My experience with performance ECUs (Termi, EVR, Akrapovic) is that they throw more fuel in the belief more airflow = lean running. I removed the Termi ECU from my PS1000LE 2:1 system because it cost 5 - 7mpg and fouled plugs. Sounds like you have a winning combination. Does it still pink like stock?

Huh? 5 qts to the Imperial gallon, right? I get 32mpg [ie, multiply the Imp. mileage by .8 -> SAE, or the US mileage by 1.25 -> UK.] What am I doing wrong? It's six fifths, not five fourths. Common error easily made. I normally get around 37mpg (44.4) on the V11 Le Mans but on a recent 1,500 mile trip in New England ran around 40mpg (48), with one day peaking at 42.5mpg (51). I normally use 93 octane, but nothing higher than 91 seemed available in New Hampshire and Maine. Didn't hurt mileage but I did notice a smoother running bike when I got back to 93 in MA and CT.

Great result. The perplexing thing to me is the symptoms manifested on the one cylinder. Would never have suspected the temperature sensor - or is that how they all work?

Here are wiring schemes for Electrex 451 Reg/Recs as used on V11 Guzzis, et al. The white wire is used for the charging light. On my bevel Ducatis I've wired Electrex R/R's to have the red generator light act as original (on=charging/off=uh oh) and the reverse - as found on Guzzis. And I think the key to motorcycle electrics is keeping the grey smoke inside the wires. If one really wants to monitor the last 100th of a volt there are plenty of inexpensive meters out there - and I've tried one on a pesky 1978 Ducati - but in the end a simple red light does the job.

I'm in the air leak camp. They can be hard to find; might not present themselves until pressure changes at higher rpm. The usual test is to spray WD-40 or starter fluid around the inlet rubber bits at idle and listen for any change in engine speed. In your case you might want to remove clamps, as mentioned, and even have a look inside the rubbers. At the least, it's a free and easy way to eliminate one source of bother. Exhaust system leaks can cause backfiring as well. Are all the joints snugged up/any black around them? I'm aware of Ducati owners with the same sort of ECU find it was the brain at fault but if it's electrical I'd suspect a coil might be breaking down. Bob

Grey/white plugs and, although some say it happens, glowing headers sound like it's too lean to me. I can't see how red they get from here, mind. My radar pings whenever I hear "They all do that, sir." Has fuel consumption changed much?

Thanks! Sorry for the delay. Just got back from a 1,475 mile, six-day camping trip through New England on it. Did 475 miles today from Bar Harbor to home. Didn't skip a beat the whole week. Lovely, lovely bike. Sounds great! More pics??? Mmmm, see if THIS works.

Thanks! Sorry for the delay. Just got back from a 1,475 mile, six-day camping trip through New England on it. Did 475 miles today from Bar Harbor to home. Didn't skip a beat the whole week. Lovely, lovely bike.

Darn it. Should've read "it was capacity, not sales". Schoolboy error - I get a word in my head...

Sorry, there were two things wrong with my earlier number for Honda production: It was old by a few years and it was production, not sales. The real number for 2012 can be found in their annual report. It's a lousy 12,559,000. Lovely as they are, H-D is still a bit less global and diversified than Sochiro's little enterprise. It's probably been some time since Honda produced fewer units than Milwaukee. Don't you hate Wikipedia sometimes? I guess the real questions in this regard about Moto Guzzi is whether they 1) have records of how many of each models of bikes were produced each year and 2) do they make them available? Does anyone have an 'in' at the museum in Mandello? We know from Ducati lore that the factory was hopeless at keeping records until relatively recently. Were they not alone?

Do we know how we can get this category 'pinned' like the other Registries so more happen across it?

Agree with Guzzimeister on the grounding issue (and not just on Guzzis) and on not having to buy a 'list' replacement (GU37703805 part no., by the way). I've had very good luck with Electrex items but there are others, new and used, to be found.

Also reminds me of what happens when the reg/rec gives up the ghost.

And Honda produces 18 million bikes a year, which seems like rather a real lot! I thought I was the V11 Le Mans Connecticut Owners Group until one popped up for sale recently on Craigslist. I hope it doesn't leave the State. Are there production numbers in any of Falloon's books? Anyone else out there? Bob

http://hartford.craigslist.org/mcy/3087629621.html Just FYI, I have no connection whatsoever. Bob

I looked and looked and waited for a V11 Le Mans registry... Would love to know how many were made, who has them, and where they are! 2002 Red/Grey Le Mans in Southern Connecticut VIN: ZGUKRAKR52M114715 Bob Hartmann

Frank, To clarify: You're spinning the shaft (and knob) clockwise. 'Clockwise' means it's not turning the tripometer. You might have to give it a little push/pull as you do this to release any loctite that might be in there. The end of the shaft that you can't see is hollow with threads in its interior. The shaft turns onto a miniscule screw emerging from the trip roller. Yes, I just replaced a lost reset shaft. Bob

After 300 miles on the Michelin 2CTs I've noticed the following: 1) Grip in dry and wet is substantially better. After riding daily for 24 years in England you'd think I'm relaxed in wet riding but no. Haven't seen much wet yet in Connecticut, but on fast B roads it's been transition from dry to wet (great test, that) and the Michelins shrug it off. Temperature is key; the tires don't seem to go cold. 2) Braking is better. The first few times coming up to a stop sign it felt like a brake upgrade. 3) No drama. I expected more of a 'eureka' sensation but wondered why there wasn't more of a sense of difference. Then I noticed the speedo said I was going through the same corners 10mph quicker. 4) I'm not using all the tire; not as far over on the edges as it feels yet. Probably me on a new bike and I don't use squishy pressures. Plenty left in reserve, then. 5) I did have a moment on a hot, dry sweeper when both front and rear stepped out. No idea; didn't see anything on the cement surface where oil would have shown easily. Maybe it was just polished there. I've changed to 2CTs on two other bikes before, a PS1000LE (claimed dry 398 lbs), a VFR 800 (claimed 458 lbs) and, unsurprisingly, the lighter/sportier the bike the better the result. This makes me wonder if the 2CTs are on the sporting edge for the LM (claimed 498 lbs) - and perhaps my riding style. Let's see how they last!

I'm don't spare the horses either, on the pushy side, but my stock V11 Le Mans' mileage in the 37's (the lowest I'd had on anything in years!). The Michelin 2CT tires are 2-3 lbs under the recommended pressures of 36 and 42, just because it's hot this summer. To each his own, I always say, but recommended pressures are worth trying on today's tires. It's also possible that as I learn the bike I'm a gear high in some situations, although not for long. When I put a Termi system on my Ducati PS1000LE, the included ECU just dumped fuel through. Mileage dropped 5-6 mpg. I went back to the stock ECU and installed an O2 Manipulator, www.fatduc.com, which sorted everything. The idea comes out of the HD community (!); it's a simple inline rheostat that fibs to the ECU. But you need a Lambda sensor in your system... Freer flowing exhaust, crossover and air cleaner should lean out the system. But if you're running rich (black plugs/sooty exhaust) it could be you'd benefit from tweaking the PC3.

In my first 250 miles on the Le Mans I've averaged 37.5mpg (about 16km/l). Obviously probably going easier than I eventually will. Very little traffic but also very little highway; mostly 3 -6 gear riding with the emphasis on 4 - 5th gears. Just wondering: Are the guys experiencing lower fuel consumption on faired bikes? Does a fairing make a measurable difference - or is any aero advantage lost to additional weight?

Pilot Power 2 CTs are going on the V11 Le Mans tomorrow, replacing a squared-off, fully worn rear BT20 rear and "new" four year old BT20 front. I've put only 200 miles on the Bridgestones since buying the bike, but will report whatever changes I notice.

Docc, you may be no Steve, or even a Kiwi Roy, but your inputs are non-the-less appreciated ... just sayin. Gio Thought I was asking Steve W, but glad you have the answers DOCC! Hadn't seen your reply but pulled the tank again, found the only two bullet connectors and, although they were fully 'engaged', one showed some sloppiness. Disconnected the offender, crimped the receiving end, put it all back together and everything was fine. Visual inspection would not have been good enough. If I hadn't been given the tip to go straight to bullet connectors (terrible things) it might have taken quite some time and cursing to sort it. Once again, great group! Many thanks.

Well, I'll be darned. If I turn the bars a little right of center, the starter engages. Thanks guys! It shouldn't be a big deal but I'm reluctant to take the tank off again to fix it right now. I had a terrible time getting it back on yesterday after replacing the breather hose. It's like the tank grew 1/2" while I had it off the bike and I had to exert A LOT of pressure to get the bottom back edges of the tank over the frame. I literally worked up a sweat getting it back on. Mystified me - all I can figure is the rubber frame pucks that secure the front of the tank have become hard over time and difficult to compress. Any thoughts? Ok - I took off the tank - sure enough, I instantly found the "bullet connectors". And, sure enough - they were barely making contact. I shoved 'em in good an far - life appears to be good. Thanks again for the help. It's a beautiful day here in Upstate NY - time to go for a ride! Son of a gun. This just happened to me. Thank goodness for this group and smartphones. Literally looked up the solution here while in the car park. Tank will come off to look for those despicable bullet connectors. Where did you find the offending items, Steve?