Mr. Bean

If you are talking about item #18 then the part number is 30157400. If it's #14 then it's part number 01007200. Randy

I was just at Moto International today. I saw a couple hanging on the parts wall there. Randy

Ahh!!! I get it. Yup, I knew it couldn't be that easy.... Randy

Just more curiosity than anything I guess, but has anyone tried simply removing the screws holding the collar that prevents easy access to the grease fitting and sliding it out of the way? I was looking around on the parts manual tonight (yes, i'm bored ) and then went and looked at the bike. It seems like just three screws hold it on. It can't be that simple right? The collar is part # 6 on the diagram below. Randy

Bill, My Ballabio did this from when it was new, even when I have it running very smooth. It would be most noticeable on mine at med revs when riding fairly slow as I have to do through a local 25 mph speedtrap. VERY annoying.... The fix for me was to put some pieces of rubber between the chrome headlight ring and the fairing in two places where it was rubbing. At the very top and the lower left corner when looking at it from the front. See the attached picture. I ended up using about 1/2 inch of one of the vent hoses I removed along with the evap cannister. Just split the half inch section in two lengthwise ans wedged them in there. They are only held in by friction but in over 8000 miles have not budged an inch! Almost invisible too! Before doing this I had tried making sure everything was tight and even with the laminar lip installed, it still buzzed. This solved it completely. Randy

Got mine today. Look to be very well made Thanks Aaron! Randy

Hmm...this is a fly in the ointment. The clutch one is the main reason I opted to order these in the first place. When I bled the brakes and clutch last year it was the only one that was a real PITA to get to. Having not yet received the SB's...does it look like they can be modified in any way, (i'm thinking my handy dremel tool here) to fit more like the stock piece? Randy

What was the issue with the clutch one..wrong size on some? I have some speed bleeders on order including one for the clutch, (SB1010S.) Is there something I should look out for or do to it prior to trying to install it? Randy

I thought I saw you eyeing the forks on my Ballabio the other week when it was in there getting the fork oil changed. If I had known you were looking for some I woulda kept a closer eye on you! Off topic, but let us know when you get that new windscreen arrangement done. I'd like to pop in and take a look at it. Randy

I have a TwinMax and don't use any adapters...the hoses off the unit fit the ports on the heads just fine as is. Randy

It's not the wind blast I have a problem with. It's the turbulence. My previous bike, a MZ Traveller had a very smooth windblast against my helmet...the Ballabio, not so great. I've noticed at least one magazine review that also mentioned this trait. Probably a result of being a parts bin bike . The higher handlebars with a screen they use they use on other bikes is a bad aerodynamic combination. Hopefully Greg Field's experiment with replacing the screen mount with one from the sport will work and I can copy him. Aestetically and aerodynamically it's the only thing I don't like about the bike. Randy

I should clarify that the pics in the above post were taken before I removed the black edging from the stock screen. I was fairly dissapointed in the Laminer Lip before I did this. It was Micha at Moto International that suggested I try removing the trim. It turned out to be a big improvement...actually makes me wonder if just removing the trim without the laminer lip would also improve things. Randy

I have had one on my Ballabio for quite a while now. It is butt ugly but works pretty well in removing the turbulence on the helmet for the stock flyscreen. The trick is to remove the black edge trim from the stock windscreen first. Randy

I'm in for one set as well. Randy

It's good to hear they finally fixed that road. It is my favorite ride in the state but has been an absolute mess in the last few years above treeline. This pic was from the last time I was up there Sep of 04. Looking forward to the spring thaw! Randy

I didn't want to hijack Alex-Corsa's thread http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6829 But since he posted pictures of his TB's and where they apparantly drip fuel from the pivot screw assembly. Mine has always done this from new. It has been mostly just a nuisance as I could just clean it every time I washed the bike. Now that cold weather is upon us, it seems to do it a lot more...to the point where sometimes I can actually smell fuel when I wheel the bike into the garage after a ride. It drips enough now that it will drip down on to the transmission. It only does it on the side with the TPS, not the other side. I have thoroughly cleaned the entire tb from the outside with carb cleaner then taken the bike for a long ride at highway speeds. Same amount of dripping when I get back. I've tried cleaning then just ride in the city...same result. I tried putting a leaner map in the PCIII, same amount of dripping. The spark plugs look perfect with the regular map. The bike has the stock airbox, filter, snorkles and pipes. I removed the charcoal cannister way back when I bought it and rerouted the hoses. I have one hose that simply connects the two vaccum ports and then the one from the gas tank is vented to the atmosphere. The fuel seems to be a bit "oily" as it doesn't evaporate as fast as gasoline normally does so I suspect that there is some oil in it as well. I assume that this means it is actually some of the oily blow-by that enters the airbox as part of the breather system. Anyone have any ideas on how to stop this or should I just ignore it and chalk another one up to ? Thanks, Randy

I'll probably switch back to the 120 as I still have that option with the dealer. Just for the record though, the dealer is anything but a "shyster." The only mistake they made is a typo on an inventory sheet. We discussed the details of the various options before I decided to go ahead with the 110. Apparantly they have quite a few v11 sport folks that specifically request the 110 front tire for the faster turn in it provides. I was just wondering if there were any other effects, negative or positive that I might see. Randy

Hi all, Just had some new tires put on my Ballabio. The original M-1 Sportecs lasted about 7700 miles..not too bad from what I hear. We decided to go with the Michelin Pilot Powers but ran into a snag after the new rear was already put on. Turns out the they thought they had a 120/70 in stock when in reality it was a 110/70. After going back and forth between riding it with the old Metzler on the front and Michelin on the back until a new 120 could arrive or going with the 110 I opted for the latter. I've only had the chance to ride it home but I noticed right away that the turn-in is WAY faster now. Is this the only change I should notice and is this related more to the tire size or simply the new tire brand? Is this a bad idea to change the front tire size from what is spec'd by Guzzi? I've heard of changing the rear size to a 170 from a 180 but couldn't find any comments on the front tire. Just wondering if I should experience any bad handling or significant change in handling before I really start putting the new treads to a workout. Randy

Yup, no Triumph factory setup at the show. Kinda disappointed too about that. Cycle Barn, a local multi-brand dealer had a couple or so on the floor although I didn't see a new ST. Didn't look too hard as I can't stand that dealer and wouldn't give them my money if they were the only one around. Randy

Went to the show today and saw for the first time in the metal the Breva 1100 and Griso. What can I say but I know what I want for Christmas! The crowd around them seemed very positive and there was definitely more enthusiasm about the bikes than I've seen before at Guzzi exhibits. Hopefully MG can follow up by getting these into showrooms around here soon. My girlfriend was very taken with the Breva 750 too...hopefully I can talk her into trading her Magna in on one. All in all, a good show this year. Bummer I forgot my camera Randy

So what else is new? Randy

Yup, going on Saturday. I'll be sure to say hi. Is Dave also working the booth? Randy

I'm still mostly commuting on the bike here in Seattle, though I am using an electric vest. Best piece of riding gear EVER My vest uses 33 watts..not sure what the heated grips use. I find that with the vest on my hands really don't get cold unless they get wet. Randy

I have the Iridiums in the bike right now...bought them with a coupon so they were almost the same price as the regular ones. Verdict? Can't tell the difference at all. I got rid of my pinging and rough running by doing a proper tuneup...the plugs didn't do anything for that. I did gap them to correctly match the book even though the box said not to. Once these 4 are used up, back to the cheap stuff Randy

I double checked the manual this morning and can't find any references to the "racing" ECU. I assume since it's the same computer and all, that just the map is different. I have always heard it is plug and play and doesn't require any additional tuning when one installs the pipes and the ECU from the kit. Randy