Mr. Bean

I would look carefully into the Port Angeles ferry...It is my favorite for car use but it is usually a fairly rough ride while out in the middle of the Straight. The currents crossing the ferry's path are good and strong. Not sure if I would trust my bike not to get knocked over while it crosses the straights. I've heard the ferry will try and tie your bike down or against the wall of the deck or something, but I have never actually seen a bike onboard during a crossing. I have used the BC ferry out of Tsawwassen once with a bike and it just like our WA state ferries...only nicer IMHO. Sounds like a great time and your weather forecast looks awesome so far! Randy

Thanks all Now if I can get a spare few minutes I'll try these ideas. Randy

Thanks for posting this question Al. I had the same question myself. My bike is running very well, but I wanted to try and see what the setting was anyway. I never was able to get any response on the multi-meter either. The instructions I was using from Guzziology said to pull back the rubber boot and connect to the purple/black (positive) and blk (negative). My bike does not have a rubber boot that I can see when it is plugged in to the sensor. I tried using a couple very small paperclips to push down along the wire holes but still got no response. Can someone maybe post a picture of what it looks like to hook up a MM to do this test? Thanks, Randy

Speaking of Power Commander Tuning Link centers, I just noticed that the Power Commander site now shows Renton Motorcycle Center as a tuning center that does sportbikes...not just harley's. Has anyone in the Seattle area tried them yet? Randy

I have to second the opinions on the Red Line Heavy Duty oil. My shifting was getting rather "clunky" too with lots of missed shifts and it seemed to be getting worse the hotter it got. When the engine and tranny were cold, it would shift very nicely, as soon as it warmed up the shifting got very tough. I have always been a skeptic as far as oils are...Always felt "an oil is an oil is an oil..." In this particular case I felt there was nothing to lose so I tried it. I gotta admit I was sure wrong. The Red Line made a night and day difference! The bike shifts perfectly now hot or cold. Made a believer out of me! Randy

Thanks Brian, that is good to hear. Now I gotta wonder if the larger fairing on the LeMans helps out any in this compared to the Ballabio's flyscreen.

Does anyone have any experience with this FBF kit and riding in the rain? Are there any issues of the filter getting soaked? I have been interested in this modification but I regularly commute on my Ballabio here in Seattle which inevitably means being piddled on! The regular airbox seems to do a good job of keeping the filter dry. Thx, Randy

I just tried my QD's using Frank and Fonzarelli's advice....It worked only on mine it was backward! I tried doing it by pushing the grey collar toward the hose (away from the red and white connectors) and they would not come free. As soon as I tried pulling the collar AWAY from the hose and toward the tank connector while at the same time pulling the HOSE away from the connector..off they came easy as can be. I reinstalled and repeated each a couple times like I had done it my whole life...very cool. These sure beat my old MZ for convenience! Randy

Very good information Al, thanks! I will be eagerly awaiting to hear if you find the correct way to use the quick disconnects...I too tried to tug and pull on them but don't really want to use too much force either for fear of breaking them. Randy

Ok, I looked over the bike this afternoon. It does have a loop system for the fuel supply. I'm not sure whether the red or white connector is the supply or return but a hose leaves the red connector and forms a full loop first past the right side injector, passes down under the tank behind the engine and loops up past the left injector and back between the tank and engine to connect to the white connector. Each fuel injector is on a Y off of the loop. There is no visible fuel filters anywhere on this loop so it must be inside the tank??? As far as looking inside the tank...couldn't see anything really..it's full right now. Let me know if you want me to take any pics of any of this to post here. Randy

I'll try looking into the tank with a mirror and flashlight tonight and see what I can find out about where the pickups are. I'm also scheduled to drop the bike off at Moto International for it's first service tomorrow...hopefully I'll get a chance to talk with those guys about all this stuff and see what they know. Randy

I gotta admit I don't feel so bad now! I was figuring I would get about 15 replies "uhh..that thing right in front of you that says fuel petcock on it is the fuel petcock..." or something similar. Randy

Thanks for the information all, Al, I will take your advice and put some protection on those wires. Maybe some silicone up in there to keep them from moving around. I agree that the quick disconnects look rather flimsy...any ideas on how to correctly disconnect them? I don't want to break them by doing something wrong. Does the grey part slide backward releasing the hose forward? Thanks again, Randy

Hello all, looking for a bit of advice from all you experienced Guzzi owners...especially anyone with an 04 V11. I'm still getting to know my new Ballabio including reading some of the maintenance procedures on it from the service manual and parts manual. I quickly found what appears to be a major departure from past year models when I got to the procedure on removing the tank. Unless I'm being thicker than the offspring of the village idiot and tv weather girl...My bike does not seam to have either a fuel petcock or pressure regulator Logic dictates that since its fuel injected it MUST have at least the pressure regulator, and I'm assuming that it is the item in the photo below. This is under the tank immediately above the TPS. I compared my bike to pictures I found online of other year model V11's and there is definitely no petcock on the left side and the pressure regulator does not stick down below the tank on the right side as in the manual or pictures I could find. If this is so, does this bike have a fuel petcock somewhere and if not, are the two connectors to what appears to be the new pressure regulator quick disconnects of some type? I have not seen connectors like these and don't just want to start pulling or twisting on them. Incidently I did find the electrical connector to the fuel level sensor a few inches forward of these connectors. Did MG just clean everything up and make it so you only have to disconnect stuff on one side of the tank? Any ideas appreciated! Thanks, Randy

I took jrt's advice and went over the bike front to back...the only loose bolts I found were of course the cinch bolts on the front axel...I'm thinking I was pretty lucky afterall! Anyway, all's well that ends well! Thanks for the advice! Randy

Thanks Al, You've solved the mystery of what that hex slug was designed for. Only it looks like my kit might be for a different year or model of Guzzi. I looked up the service and parts manual and they show two different front wheel mounting methods. Mine is the one with the 30mm hollow bolt that screws on over the hollow spindle. Oh well, easy enough to get one. The local Yamaha dealer has them on the shelf and it looks like it will even fit in the little tool bag. ...And did I mention how utterly fun this bike is! Randy

The stars finally aligned correctly today and I was able to get the new Ballabio out for a good ride. Took the ferry from Edmonds and rode out to Neah Bay and back. My buddy and I seem to have this jaunt down as our break-in-the-new-bike route. When we stopped for lunch on the way back I noticed that the front wheel bolt..yes the big one, had loosened and unscrewed itself almost completely off. Well, no biggie, glad I caught it in time I said to myself as I grabbed the stock tool kit to tighten it back up. Imagine my surprise when I find that the big wrench in the toolkit doesn't fit the bolt. Not exactly sure what that wrench is in there for now. Lucky and just a little bit embarassing, that the wrench that came with my buddy's Yamaha R6 fit the bolt perfectly and I was able to carry on with the rest of a great ride back to Seattle. Of course this got me thinking on the way back, just what items (spare parts and tools) do you all tend to carry with you on rides. On my last bike, a MZ Skorpion Traveller, I always carried spare bulbs and a spare clutch cable. I used the bulbs a couple times, and never needed the cable. I've read that some of you like to keep a spare spark plug and wire, and spare relay. Any other items I should get before I take any long trips..besides a wrench that actually fits? Thanks, Randy

I think you have good case for it!

Hi all, Just a note to say howdy since I've been lurking for a while now. This is truly a great site! I looked around quite a while to decide what my next bike would be and the info I found here was one of the reasons I ordered a silver 04 Ballabio from Moto International. It took a while to receive it even though MGNA had it in the warehouse...turns out some of the "restructuring" that you all have been talking about there took it's toll on the order communications. Dave at MI took it a bit higher in the organization and now I have the bike. No problem, my last ride was a MZ Skorpion Traveller, so I'm very used to relaxed importers! Looking forward to being able to ask lots of questions from the experienced Guzzi owners here. Randy