Guest whart Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 This bike is so enjoyable to ride- I usually tire after 3 or so hours on the other bikes (Ducati/V-Rod), but yesterday, while still breaking in i took a 150 trip up and back along the Hudson River- clear spectacular skies, mild and dry. Most of my time was spent on a two lane road that had few tight curves, but nice wide sweeps and hills. The bike performed flawlessly, and i got home without the usual stiffness or soreness. My riding is much more involving as well- the bike is a very stable, predictable platform, turn-ins are entirely predictable ( i never installed a steering damper on the Ducati, and probably should have), and the lean-down position is not nearly as punishing on my wrists as i thought it might be. (I am still going to try the Williamsville risers, which will be installed with Stucchi X-over, Staintunes cans/PCIII and some other goodies, hopefully next week). The only real flaw so far is the bar vibration; it is tiring. I know DeBen recommended some bar end weights, which i will investigate when the bike goes to the shop for the other accessories to be installed. The vibration is pretty bad at idle- the mirrors are impossible to read- and varies in intensity given the resonance/revs of the motor. I took the Harley out as well, last nite, as well as this morning. It's also a kick, in its own way. The V-Rod motor puts out a fair amount of power (the ECU has been reprogrammed and I have those Vance & Hines pipes that are the same as the 'Screamin Eagle' version they make for Harley), so when you crank it up, it goes pretty fast for a big ol' hoggie. But, it's no way as predictable, or as tuned into the road, as the Guzzi. The Harley crowd, at least here, is so insular. After my ride yesterday, i parked in town to get a coffee, and a bunch of Harley dudes were sitting out at a cafe, watching their bikes and drinking. Not a word, or a nod. This morning, same town, same coffee, but I'm on the Harley. I am a celebrity! How strange. It was a pleasure to meet David a week or so ago; he brought up his new Le Mans and we took a cruise through some of the streets in the north of town. He encouraged me to post pics of the Harley, just to show you Euro-types what a real American pimp bike is all about. I promise to do that. In the meantime, I look forward to the changes on the bike that are coming up (I also ordered those adjustable footpegs, to achieve maximum comfort), so I can enjoy even longer rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Stewart Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Whart, Believe it or not, the bike vibration mellows with miles, yes, like a fine wine . I don't have any bar end weights on my 00 V11 Sport and it just gives me a mellow vibration at any rpm. A good tune really helps as well. I don't think many dealers sync. the throttle bodys during the pre delivery inspection. After the first service, the vibration could be better. Happy to have you aboard, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeBenGuzzi Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Whart, Believe it or not, the bike vibration mellows with miles, yes, like a fine wine . I don't have any bar end weights on my 00 V11 Sport and it just gives me a mellow vibration at any rpm. A good tune really helps as well. I don't think many dealers sync. the throttle bodys during the pre delivery inspection. After the first service, the vibration could be better. Happy to have you aboard, Mike 52462[/snapback] this is true, But I also like the look of the larger Bar ends, The heavier weights smooth it out even further I only have unreadable mirrors under hard acceleration. but who doesn't looks And Function are always a winning combination Also I am not a fan of the usual harley crowd unless youre on a Hog they don't wave, won't chat and don't care. they seem very Arrogant and stuck up I find that very annoying and putoffish to the whole brand which is somewhat of a shame thier bikes are very well put together. I have no makes on owning a harley until I am much, much older now and maybe I'll get a Victory instead and just a few years ago a harley is all I wanted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not_scooter_Scura! Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 The Harley crowd, at least here, is so insular. After my ride yesterday, i parked in town to get a coffee, and a bunch of Harley dudes were sitting out at a cafe, watching their bikes and drinking. Not a word, or a nod. This morning, same town, same coffee, but I'm on the Harley. I am a celebrity! How strange. 52457[/snapback] On the island as big as Nth America, the Scura has proved to break through the impossible. Riders on ALL typs of bikes give the nod, previously the KTM Duke had the drawcard (except for the Harley crowd...off course). But now the Guzzi even gets the nod from them too... With regards to your cafe set...when they finally ask you "hey don't you have a goose as well? where is it?..." just say "fucketshouldabeenhere" - yep that's one word in Australia. n_s_S! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TuscanRoyal Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 I would suggest bar end weights used in Aprilia motorcycles. Moto International (who also sells Aprilia) installed these on my sport. The vibes are much less than with the factory bar ends. True, the vibration does lessen over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve G. Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 It's funny how typcasting works with bikes in the motorcycle family. One thing I can say about Moto Guzzi to a large extent, and most all old British iron, is that they tend to be the most universally accepted machines out there. And for those Harley guys who don't understand, F&*# -em! With regard to the vibes, I will honestly concure with the other lads, that with mileage, these old lumps do indeed get smoother, but it will take at least 10,000miles/16,000kms. A long break in yes, but as with old air head Beemers, this means a long life, of which both engines are known. I have done much fiddling with the bars on my older V11, which are known to have more vibes than the Lemans series. As the V11 is essentially a "Cafe Racer", I thought bar end mirrors were the thing this bike should have. Of course, that would eliminate the bar end weights [Moto International] I have. So here's what I did. My favourite bike shop [burnaby Kawasaki] saved me a months worth of old wheel weights, which I melted with a propane torch [don't worry, I was down wind and outside] and poured into the ends of the V11 bars, with just enough to insert the Napolean Baren chrome bar ends. I won't lie, the vibration is to the point that I don't think of it during riding. Only when the subject comes up on this forum do I think about it now. And I should mention that my hands are quite suseptical to vibration numbness. Ciao, Steve G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not_scooter_Scura! Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 yep, did'nt want to ditch the bar end weights either,m bat wanted bar end style mirrors. so went the CRG route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeBenGuzzi Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 yep, did'nt want to ditch the bar end weights either,m bat wanted bar end style mirrors. so went the CRG route. 52488[/snapback] I may look into doing that myself. I haven't found a nice set of mirrors I'd want to put on because they turn into looks and no function right now the stock mirrors actually give me a decent view. Oh and BTW notscooterscura I Call Dibs on your carbon fiber tank topper if your bike gets totaled I'm also looking for a carbon fiber front fender but no hurry maybe next season I'll have the bug again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbdicker Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 I may look into doing that myself. I haven't found a nice set of mirrors I'd want to put on because they turn into looks and no function right now the stock mirrors actually give me a decent view. Oh and BTW notscooterscura I Call Dibs on your carbon fiber tank topper if your bike gets totaled I'm also looking for a carbon fiber front fender but no hurry maybe next season I'll have the bug again. 52495[/snapback] Tried the barends and really couldn't judge distances; casrs would be on me without warning. Went to these Napoleon mirrors, which are endlessly adjustable and very substantial, resisting vibration problems. They don't look so bad, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tikkanen Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 On the island as big as Nth America, the Scura has proved to break through the impossible. Riders on ALL typs of bikes give the nod, previously the KTM Duke had the drawcard (except for the Harley crowd...off course). But now the Guzzi even gets the nod from them too... With regards to your cafe set...when they finally ask you "hey don't you have a goose as well? where is it?..." just say "fucketshouldabeenhere" - yep that's one word in Australia. n_s_S! 52470[/snapback] Hi n_s-S, I stood outside the local supermarket today when a geezer approached me saying "this is how a real motorcycle should look like" and "you don't see many Guzzis nowadays" and boy, is he right Søren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest putt-meister Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Whart, I don't think many dealers sync. the throttle bodys during the pre delivery inspection. After the first service, the vibration could be better. 52462[/snapback] Being my first Guzzi I wasn't sure but it seemed to run rough and vibrate more than I expected when it was new. I took it to the local dealer and paid them to sync it and adjust the mixture. When I got it back it was better, but still didn't seem right so I invested in a mercury manometer set and did it myself. What a difference . The bypass screws were adjusted grossly different and then the idle balance was set which put the off-idle sync way off. The bike absolutely purrs now. Get your bike properly adjusted and you will probably see a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest whart Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Well, i'm hoping the dealer will have all my accessories soon so i can drop the bike off for him to fiddle with. I am so smitten with this bike i rode it to work yesterday, which is probably no big deal for most of you, but commuting into NYC requires crossing the GW bridge, and from the Palisades Pkwy, 6 lanes converge into two. Now, many of you think, yeah, those people from New York are a pretty polite bunch, they like to give the right of way to others; in reality, if you ever want to confuse a New Yorker, put up a "merge" sign. And, keep in mind that you don't have to read to have a driver's license from New Jersey. So, all these huge SUV's converge on each other, bumper to bumper, in rush hour traffic, one hand on the cell phone, the other on the decaf-skim soy milk carmel machiatto (I doubt there is any real coffee in the thing), and scream obscenities at each other while apologizing to whomever they are talking to on the phone. I normally don't lane split or "filter" much, but was forced to do so a number of times- got to open up on the West Side Highway (or rather, what's left of it, after the elevated part collapsed, they simply paved the rubble). Funny, didn't notice any vibration at all when riding in the city, given the state of the roads there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzziownr Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Bill Hart writes: I am so smitten with this bike i rode it to work yesterday, which is probably no big deal for most of you, All right Bill, now you are in the mix! I have been riding my Eldo to work this week (1) because I am riding it to the National this weekend but also (2) because the V11 was bringing out my inner hooligan. Useless mirrors are less of a problem for me than the upside down switches on the left bar -- the horn should be on the bottom with the turn signal above it. Nobody grabs the turn signal in an emergency! The person who thought that the turn signal woud get more use than the horn has never driven in NYC traffic. I wonder how many spine frames are riding in Manhattan. Since I got mine I have seen two Rosso Mandellos and a black V11 Sport. DW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not_scooter_Scura! Posted May 25, 2005 Share Posted May 25, 2005 Oh and BTW notscooterscura I Call Dibs on your carbon fiber tank topper if your bike gets totaled I'm also looking for a carbon fiber front fender but no hurry maybe next season I'll have the bug again. 52495[/snapback] sure no problem, I have duplicate of everything carbon fiber in the picture, just give me a delivery address & I'll send it on...favour for a forum member Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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