Scud

The rear axle needed a little more persuasion on the way out than it did on the way back in. I should have taken a mid-process picture. My brothers-in-law and nephews set up chairs in the garage to watch and BS - looked pretty funny. Couldn't have got the stock spring back on without them - and they all want to ride it soon. Meanwhile, the women were enjoying Easter Sunday sunshine in the back yard.

I ordered four speedhut gauges: tach, GPS speedo, oil pressure, voltmeter. $460 for all four. Tach and speedo were $320. They had 15% off for March Madness. Roy - Thanks for linking to your install thread; that will come in handy.

Been chipping away at the project, including few hours today: Degreased – 30 minute soak in Simple Green, spray down with water. Then another soak/clean-up with silicon spray, which brought the dingy gray engine cases, swingarm, and other parts back to a nice, rich black - also great for the wiring harness. Main ground and starter connections cleaned and protected with cocoa-butter scented petroleum jelly Stock spring re-installed and set to factory spec, which raised the rear of the bike noticeably. Rear wheel off, freed caliper so it does not drag, bled clutch, clean, lube, etc. (maintenance checklist) Next up – remove front wheel – which should clean up as nicely as the rear. Bought a wiring harness on e-bay for $15. Needed some connectors, caps, etc. It’s also nice to have a complete harness on the ground to see how things are laid out – since I have decided to learn more about wiring. Discovered lots of “previous owner secrets” – won’t go into all the details, but my favorite was the use of a garden hose washer in place of a vibration damper. Cheap and effective… but not going back in during reassembly. While I have almost all the main stock parts, I’m missing a number of fasteners. The HarperMoto website is amazing. I hadn’t used that before – detailed parts diagrams with part numbers and prices. So helpful.

Thanks for this timely topic. Yesterday, I removed the entire exhaust from my '03. I'm going to take it to a shop and see if they can do the patchwork. It's not going to be in a very visible spot, so I'll probably put it back on without any coating. A weld will still look better (and be less likely to cause a problem) than the crossover. Cheap, easy, more reliable, less weight... what's not to like?

Here's a video. I haven't tried it myself yet, but it looks doable for a guy with your skills. The guy in the video replaced the stock Aprilia seals with Suzuki ones. My opinion - since you invested in the Ohlins, I suggest that you only put Ohlins parts and oils in there. You might also call Kyle Racing in Monterey, CA. I bought the special 4-prong fork nut tool from them. I think there is also a special tool for installing fork seals as well (which the guy in the video didn't use). I think a chat with Kyle racing could help you decide whether send the forks to them or DIY.

Girls are great. My wife and I have three. The father-daughter relationship is truly special. I just wish I was as strong and smart as they think I am. I also keep three Italian-made motorcycles in the garage. Coincidence?

You could hide the welds with Coca-Cola cans and hose clamps. That would look nice with the Rossa Corsa. Seriously though, a good shop should be able to make a new crossover... unless the break is at the mount. If do you have to get it welded, you could wrap between the down-tubes with ceramic header tape (black tape might make it visually disappear).

Have you tried taking the bike to an exhaust fabricator? They might be able to work up something for you to replace or eliminate the front crossover.

Thanks Docc. I'm going to follow the handy checklists: Wheels off maintenance checklist - The rear brake is dragging a bit, which accounts for the wear I noticed. Apparently, this is a common problem if maintenance is neglected. New pads on order. Tank off maintenance checklist ...and tuning after it's all cleaned up and reassembled. That should give me a fresh start with the bike.

Thanks for additional ideas. I've got the bike partway disassembled at the moment. After I clean it up, I'm going to put the stock airbox back on and go through the whole tuning procedure. The air sensor had been relocated between the cylinders. I will also install a new oil pressure switch. We'll see how she goes after all that.

Robin Trower and I stripped the bike a bit this evening to get it ready for a deep-cleaning and new gauges. Also flushed the nasty front brake fluid. BTW - I've read a number of posts in which people mention how hard it is to remove the quick-connectors from the 2003+ fuel tank. I found that an 8 or 9 mm open-end wrench fits over the tube and provides enough leverage to get the connector moving. Easy-peasy, hope it helps. Also dropped by the powder coater at lunch time to pick up several powder coated sample washers in interesting possible colors....... I like one that is about the same grayish-bronze as the Moto Guzzi logo on the tank. That could work for a bunch of small parts.

@FalcoLion - thanks for the dealer tip. I spent some time on the phone with a guy at HarperMoto today - super helpful and he was able to find some of the parts I want. He is going to try to find some other parts for me (the handle bar tube looks like it might be a challenge). I'll check Pro Italia too. My local shop is GP Motorcycles - good people. I assume you mean Pazzo Racing for the levers. I wanted to put short levers on my Scura - ordered some aftermarket ones and was so dissatisfied that I returned them. I just sent an inquiry to Pazzo, they don't list the V11 Sports on their "select your bike" list.

First little batch of questions: The bike has an Odyssey drycell battery. I know it's supposed to have an AGM type of battery. Is this drycell OK to keep in there for a while longer or is it likely to cause problems? I need a few parts that I have not been able to find. I already posted this in the classifieds/wanted. But if anyone has one of these items or knows where I can find a used one, I'd be much obliged: Gear shift lever and pivot bolt (through porkchop, through lever, to tab on frame). The lever I have was welded and the pivot bolt is slightly bent so it won't thread back into the frame-tab correctly. (I did find a billet lever for $159 at Harper Moto) Rear brake lever return stopper - the cylindrical bit that keeps the brake pedal from bouncing up. Sidestand - ideally with switch and wire, but just the stand is fine too. The sidestand on the bike was shortened a bit and I'm concerned it will lean too far when I restore the original ride height. Clutch hand lever - (I know I can get a new one from MG Cycle) Left-hand handlebar tube - for clip-ons. Also feel free to post links if you know where to purchase any of these items. Edit - all parts procured.

I'd love to join for at least part of the way, schedule permitting. Let me know when you're headed this way. You should go to Mexico too, then it will be a Mexico to Canada ride, eh? Tacos in Tecate and Beaver Tails in BC. I hope you won't mind that I removed all these parts from the foot controls and put the foot pegs, rear brake lever, rear brake master cylinder and fluid tank back where they belong.

That's what I should have said. I was new to suspension settings and getting the pre-load set correctly made the biggest positive improvement. I was fortunate that the sag could be set within correct specs for my weight (with all riding gear) by adding pre-load; therefore I did not need different springs to get correct sag. The results of these sag measurements will tell you if you should consider different springs. If you want to read my newby-DIY experience and benefit from all the great advice I got along the way, it starts at the middle of page 5 (post 68) of my thread Brand New Scura and goes for a few pages. Post 70 has a picture of how to measure sag. It's for Ohlins, but there should be a similar page in the manual for the Marzocchi.

Edited - all items procured. Does anybody have any of the following (in good condition) that you would be willing to part with for a fair price: Gear shift lever and pivot bolt (through porkchop, through lever, to tab on frame) - found used form forum member (thank-you) Sidestand - ideally with switch and wire, but just the stand is fine too - bought new from Harper's Clutch hand lever - I will also buy a pair of levers, but just need the clutch - bought aftermarket Left-hand handlebar tube - for clip-ons. As with above, I'd buy a pair, but I only need a left. - figured out how to straighten - not needed Circular cam on RH porkchop that stops the brake pedal from coming up too far. - bought new from Harper's Please send me a PM if you do - or if you know where to find a used part.

What I've done so far: I had an issue a couple days ago (which I wrote about in another thread) - I had plugged in the oil temperature sensor, which had been disconnected. At hiccuping low idle, the oil light flashed on (and off at normal idle). Based on some helpful suggestions, I did an oil change, dropped the sump, and cleaned the screen. The screen was clear, oil appeared in decent condition. But there was a CarQuest oil filter (glad that's gone...). I used 10w-40 Maxima synthetic (although the manual specifies 5w-40) and a correct UNI filter. After the oil change, the oil light went out almost instantly when I started the bike. However, it does flash on if the idle drops below 1,000 RPM - I adjusted the idle up - maybe 1,200 or 1,300 - and the light stayed out. I'm not going to ride it again till I figure out if I have a bad oil pressure sensor or another problem. It will also need a proper tune-up following re-installation of the stock airbox. I ordered a set of gauges from Speedhut: GPS Speedo, Tach, Oil Pressure, Voltmeter. I figure I can find somewhere to mount the oil and volt gauges behind the fairing. Interesting that the 2003 dash (compared to 2002) gives a second turn indicator at the expense of a warning light for the charging system (I wouldn't make that trade). BTW - all guages are 15% off at Speedhut through the end of March.

I think I’m the 3rd owner and I plan to use this bike as a commuter, tourer, and guest-bike. But it needs some TLC first. I’ll probably put most of the stock parts back on while sorting out the functional issues – and I think a few modifications are in order, maybe some shiny things... Feel free to make suggestions, observations, jokes, music recommendations, etc. This should be a fun project. Here’s my assessment of the current situation: The good: Strong running, crisp shifting, almost everything works. A big box of almost all stock parts that were removed. Minimal wear on seat, grips, and front brake rotors supports a low-mileage claim (odometer broken at about 5,000, PO estimates that actual mileage is less than 10,000). Should clean up nicely – it’s kind of greasy now. Moto Guzzi Kit Racing ECU and Titanium cans. It’s a growler. The bad (or not my preference): Unfortunately, the cans were cut down a few inches and are a little beat up (oh, but they sound nice...). I didn’t figure out that the bike had been down till I got it home. I missed the tell-tale flat spot on the clutch lever ball, and the welded shift lever in the spare parts box. I think it was just a low-speed spill on the left. (PO says he didn't lay it down, so must have been earlier.) Altered riding position/controls (all to fit PO’s preferences for more upright riding position - and quite comfy if you like sitting upright)Bars raised and pushed back. This required rerouting of cables and hoses. Footpegs and controls moved forward and lower, which also involved relocation of shock reservoir, brake reservoir, removal of starter cover, and maybe some other surprises. Rear lowered about 2 inches (compared to my Scura) with shorter aftermarket spring in rear (fork tubes also raised a bit in triple clamps) Sidestand ground shorter (I guess it was too upright after the rear was lowered Stickers on paint (already removed): only one was covering a poorly retouched scratch (on the front fender). Clutch and side-stand switches missing. (Wouldn’t it be ironic if one of these was the cause of the crash?) K&N pods installed – and although it runs well, it does not appear to have been tuned correctly (oil temp sensor disconnected as a “cheat”). Rear brake rotor is grooved, pads are thin, fluid was low – suggesting a habit of using mostly the rear brake. Some creative wiring. (My weakest area...time to start learning.) Here are some "as purchased" pics:

Filled the Giant Loop Great Basin bag with towels, just to give it a road test. It was a simple strap-on mount: removed seat cowl, used a micro-fiber cloth over the painted tail section, straps around footpeg brackets and under tail. It's stable and it didn't interfere at all while riding. Double-wide pies. That's living. Cherry Apple Flaky crust for the late Sunday breakfasters at home. And a frozen Chicken Pot Pie for later.

I spent a lot of time fussing with the suspension settings on mine, which was absolutely worth the effort (and steep learning curve for me). As for quickening the steering: Damper: I turned the damper to the position of least resistance (it was set pretty tight when I got it). This made a huge difference - quicker steering with less effort. I value the protection from potholes and road debris afforded by a damper, so I just turned it in two clicks to give me a touch of protection. Tires: Some people said that the bike handles better with a 170/60-17 than the stock 180/55-17 (total tire height is about the same). I followed that advice and have the narrower tire on the back now. I'm pleased with it. Pre-load: Getting the spring pre-load adjusted was like magic (because mine was set too soft) - especially in tight downhill corners. Sounds like you may have already done this, but I thought I'd mention it anyways. Definitely not a sport/race bike, but I run it through every twisty road I can find and I love it.

Before you go tearing it apart - have you tried loosening all the bolts on the timing cover (one at a time) and retightening them? I had a slow leak on mine and that fixed it. It's a metal gasket, so the gasket is unlikely to go bad.

That silver one is nice. It's been for sale for a while. The asking price is only a few hundred less than what I paid at a dealer for my Scura (with only 200 miles - and let's not discount the value of Öhlins suspension). Recently in San Diego, a certain 2003 red LeMans sold within a few days of being listed on Craigslist... I resisted the urge to post the link here. High prices are good if you're selling. There are still good values out there for people who know how to fix stuff. From a purely financial perspective, it seems that many of these bikes are worth more as parts than as whole bikes. While sad in some ways, I think that's probably true for lots of other bikes too - it's not just a V11 thing, it's even true for old cars.

Thanks guys. She's having a "time-out" right now for fresh fluids. @Chamberlin - the serial number on the LeMans has a bunch of 1s, and ends in 58. So I guess it rolled out of the factory shortly after your "all 1s" 2003. I re-read your resto-mod thread recently. It's going to be very helpful.

@Docc: Is this the lightweight oil that you use in the gearbox? http://www.amazon.com/Red-Line-58404-Lightweight-Oil/dp/B000CPI5YG/ref=pd_sbs_auto_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=09JN74NG6DJBF8S6QKT9 Do you use the same in the final drive, or do you use the heavyweight there? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CPI5XW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER I saw that some people are happy with the Redline heavy shockproof in the transmission. In one thread, the heavy oil solved a leaky transmission problem. Also - do you change these oils every 6,000 miles per the manual's specified intervals, or do you let them go longer?

Check the fileshare section. There's a thread that has some of the tail scripts. You could give the file to graphic artist and have him or her do a custom one for you - then output as a decal. I didn't see one for Nero Corsa; that would have been convenient, because you could just replace the "Ne" with "Azzu".