Route140 Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Hello, After more than 20 years of wanting a Guzzi, I finally bought one. It's a Black 2000 V11 Sport with a tubular handlebar conversion, Stucchi fairing and Mistral mufflers. I grew up around British Bikes, my father was a Triumph dealer from 1960 till they went out of business in 1983. I still have a 73 Norton Commando that I've owned since 1980 and a 79 Bonneville Special. In 1986, after completing a 3500 mile trip on my Norton, I decided I wanted something better suited for touring. The Norton never let me down on that trip, just the maintenance required after each day on the road made me want something more modern and with a drive shaft. My first choice was a Moto Guzzi LeMans 1000. I almost bought one with the 16" front wheel (1986?) but ended up with a BMW K75S. I think I chose the K75S to try something other than a twin. I guess I liked the K75S because I kept it for 15 years. It was a great bike, but not much fun to ride. When I sold the K75S, I again almost bought a Guzzi, this time a 2002 LeMans. Again I ended up with a BMW. I still have a BMW, a 2004 R1150RS. It too is a great bike, best suited for long trips. The boxer engine has more character than the K series, but I still don't find it very inspiring to ride. I haven't ridden the V11 Sport too much yet, but so far I am very happy with it. This engine really likes to rev and I think it vibrates less than my R1150RS. It also shifts very nice, it reminds me of my Norton (except that it shifts on the wrong side) very smooth with a long throw between gears. Only problem so far was an electrical issue. Before going for an inspection sticker I discovered that the tailight and instrument lights weren't working. One of the instrument light holders had come apart inside the instrument housing which may have shorted to ground, blowing the fuse. I also found a wire with insulation damage under the tail section. So far so good, no more blown fuses and I got my inspection sticker. I commend Moto Guzzi for including a decent wiring diagram in the owners manual. Also, after what I have seen of V11lemans.com, this is one of the most informative and helpful, model specific, forums available Thanks to all those that keep the site up and running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slavomir Musilek (R.I.P.) Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Saab and Guzzi the best combination ever! welcome! Slavek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoguzzi Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 IT'S ABOUT TIME! get a good cover for your other bikes, you'll always be gone on the Guzz... Might want to look at the relays and swap them out if they say seimens on 'em.. get a set for under 20 bucks from Pyro Dan also has manuals etc to download, at dpGuzzi.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waspp Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Congratulation! Thats a fine looking V11 sport. There are a few other guys with V11 sports out that way so you may run into a few. I get over that way often, i'm located just west of Bennington VT in the great Tax state of NY. Hal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugs Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Cool - Any pics of the '79 Special? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Route140 Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 Saab and Guzzi the best combination ever! welcome! Slavek Thanks Slavek, I hope I am as happy with my Guzzi as my wife is with her Saab, 185K miles and going strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Route140 Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 IT'S ABOUT TIME! get a good cover for your other bikes, you'll always be gone on the Guzz... Might want to look at the relays and swap them out if they say seimens on 'em.. get a set for under 20 bucks from Pyro Dan also has manuals etc to download, at dpGuzzi.com Good advice fotoguzzi, I don't think the BMW will see many miles this year. The relays have been replaced with Bosch, I may replace them with Omron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Route140 Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 Congratulation! Thats a fine looking V11 sport. There are a few other guys with V11 sports out that way so you may run into a few. I get over that way often, i'm located just west of Bennington VT in the great Tax state of NY. Hal Thanks Hal, lots of good riding between here and New York. I usually head that way when out for a ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Route140 Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 Cool - Any pics of the '79 Special? Here's a picture of my 79 Special. My father sold this as a leftover in 1981. The guy that bought it only rode it for one year and put it away. I bought it from him in 1996 with 850 miles on it, now it has only 2900. It still has the original Avon tires, probably not very safe to ride on but, obviously I don't ride it much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom M Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Welcome to the group and congrat's on your new V11! If you have any questions or run into any problems with your bike this is a great place to ask for help. Pretty much anything that can go wrong with these bikes has been discussed here in the past. The search tool will usually turn up the info that you need. I tried to buy a bike that looked just like yours from a guy in Princeton back in 05. I forget if he sold it or decided to keep it, but the deal never got done. I wonder if it's the same bike? If you've ever noticed a red & grey LeMans tooling through Princeton that was probably me. I ride out that way quite often. I have a neighbor with a silver red framed sport that rides out your way a lot too. There are lots of local Guzzi nuts enthusiasts on the New England MGNOC email list. If you want to join there's a link to the list from their web page at http://www.geocities.com/mgnoc_mass/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Route140 Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 Welcome to the group and congrat's on your new V11! If you have any questions or run into any problems with your bike this is a great place to ask for help. Pretty much anything that can go wrong with these bikes has been discussed here in the past. The search tool will usually turn up the info that you need. I tried to buy a bike that looked just like yours from a guy in Princeton back in 05. I forget if he sold it or decided to keep it, but the deal never got done. I wonder if it's the same bike? If you've ever noticed a red & grey LeMans tooling through Princeton that was probably me. I ride out that way quite often. I have a neighbor with a silver red framed sport that rides out your way a lot too. There are lots of local Guzzi nuts enthusiasts on the New England MGNOC email list. If you want to join there's a link to the list from their web page at http://www.geocities.com/mgnoc_mass/index.html Thanks Tom, I think I remember seeing the one in Princeton on EBAY back in 05, that would have been convenient. I went all the way to Ohio to get this one. I'll keep my eyes open for your LeMans and the silver Sport. Thanks for the link to the New England MGNOC site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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