Rocker59's Spine Frame Chronicles...

[rocker59]

I got this idea from a friend and fellow Arkansan, "eOR" over at ADVrider, who has chonicled his experiences with a couple different bikes he's owned over the past few years.  Ulysses, R12GS, FXDX...

So, my intention is to talk about my experiences with my sporting Guzzis.  The thread will probably ramble, so be patient.  And, don't hesitate to chime in or add to the thread if you wish...

These are the two (current) subjects at hand.  A 1996 Sport 1100 and a 2004 V11 LeMans Nero Corsa:


I bought the Sport 1100 new in March 1997 as a 30th Birthday present to myself.  It came from a now long-gone dealership here in Fayetteville called "Motorcycles International" that sold Triumph/Ducati/Moto Guzzi.  An elemental Italian sporting motorcycle, it's been a great bike over the 24,539 miles I've ridden it...  Here, it is pictured on a cold January day ride through The Hills of NW Arkansas:



The Nero Corsa came to my garage in January 2006.  A friend who lives down in Ozark had bought it new a year, or so, earlier over in Tennessee.  He only put about 2,300 miles on the bike during the year-and-a-half he owned it.  I suppose that I've gotten along with the Nero Corsa much better than he did.  The bike has now covered about 29,000 miles, so I've ridden it about 26,000 miles over the past three-and-a-half years.  It has proven itself a very worthy sport-touring mount.  Here it is pictured on a March day a couple years ago:




Stay tuned...

[rocker59]

Winter Projects...

I've got several things I'd like to get accomplished over the winter...  One of those things is new fork seals for both bikes.

I've always thought the OEM fork springs were a little soft on the Sport 1100.  I don't really mind it too much since I've learned to ride the bike smoothly over the years, but since the forks needed to come off for seals and oil, I decided to source some springs.  I emailed "the usual suspects" and decided to send my Marzocchi forks up to Moto International for service and the addition of WP fork springs.  Here it sits in my garage awaiting the guys in Seattle to do thier magic:



The Nero Corsa has the opposite problem.  As delivered, the rear Ohlins spring is pretty soft (by sporty standards...  It's still a log wagon in comparison to something like an '07 Norge   ;) ).  I've been keeping my eye on Ebay for Ohlins springs.  Recently I won an auction on a 1093-36/105 spring to replace the 1091-26/85 that was original equiment on the bike.  The 1093 spring is 10mm shorter, but much stiffer (600-lbs vs. 485-lbs), and should improve the bike's handling when riding 2-up, when loaded for camping, AND when I'm feeling like dragging a few hard parts on a nice Sunday afternoon:



stay tuned...

[rocker59]

Well, it's 74-degrees and sunny today.  Although I'm on call at work this weekend, I think I'm going to sneak off and put a few miles on the Nero Corsa this afternoon...  I'll add some more to this thread later this weekend...

 ;-T

[Kentktk]

Looks like an interesting thread...thanks!

[kevdog3019]

Hey... please tell us the difference between the two bikes (engine pull, refinement, rider positioning, etc.).  I love the look of the older Sport and have an '03 Lemans myself, so would love to know.
Thanks,
-Kevin

[blackcat]

Some nice person needs to buy you the factory engine stand. What is that, an old Quaker State oil bottle under the engine?

[Anders Pedersen]

Some nice person needs to buy you the factory engine stand.

Does anyone have a picture of/a link to this and if so, would be kind to post it? Just wondering if I could have my brother (he's a metal worker) make one for me. It would be a great birthday present wish :)

[spridget]

NA...........just needs a flat rubberized saddle........or a bottle of Mobil 1.. ;D...whatever works.......

[rocker59]

I was wondering if I'd get any comments about my field expedient jacking pad...   :D

Re-purposed Mobil-1 bottle!   ;-T

[rocker59]

Hey... please tell us the difference between the two bikes (engine pull, refinement, rider positioning, etc.).  I love the look of the older Sport and have an '03 Lemans myself, so would love to know.
Thanks,
-Kevin

To be so similar, the bikes actually feel quite different...  The Nero Corsa is quite a bit more refined than the Sport 1100.

Honestly, my seat of the pants feel is that the Sport 1100 has a little more power than the Nero Corsa.  Of course, my Sport 1100 has Keihin FCR41 carbs and a full Staintune exhaust, plus it's a little lighter...  They both pull nicely.  They definitely don't have "too much" power, but accellerate quite rapidly in the 5,000 to 7,000 rpm range.  Rarely do I ever need or use full throttle where I ride.  Here in The Hills it's more about balance and being smooth.  "The Pace" is how I ride.  Corner speeds are high enough so that accellerating down the straights isn't really necessary on the street.  On the track, however, the Sport 1100's lack of power on long straights can be quite noticeable...  But I must say, things happen very fast on the track at 100+mph speeds... Even on a "slow bike"...

The transmission of the carb'd Sport contains straight cut gears that whine.  The shifting is agricultural (and quite loud).  It's geared pretty tall...  Think of riding your V11 around in gears 2 through 6 and you'll have some idea of how the 5-speeder in the Sport feels...

Seating position?  The Sport's tank is much narrower in the knee cutouts, something that I like...  Pegs are in the same position, but a bit farther outboard on the V11.  The bars on the Sport are below the triple clamp vs. the V11's bars mounted above.  The bars of the Sport are much lower.  Think Ducati 916 and you'll understand.  I've ridden my Sport 1100 all over the country with the stock bars.  It's something a person can get used to, but it's definitely a committed sportsbike riding position.  Higher bars are not do-able on the Sport unless you're willing to alter the fairing.  There was a yellow '97 for sale recently with those mods done that looked nice.  Pretty big project, though...  We have an esteemed spine frame aficionado in Maine who has an altered '96.  Maybe he'll chime in regarding raising the bars on a Sport 1100.

The suspension on the Sport 1100 is actually quite good.  The Marzochhi forks and WP rear shock are nice pieces.  It seems Guzzi is always behind the curve on suspension and brakes.  The Marzochhi fork fitted to the Sport 1100 and Daytona 1000 was used by Ducati in the 1980s with great success.  Of course, the Ohlins on my Nero Corsa is something else altogether.  I have fantasies of sourcing V11 Ohlins parts and installing them on my Sport 1100 someday...

Bottom line, if you have access to curvy roads or trackdays, the Sport 1100 will be great fun.  You can tour on it, but the V11 LeMans is much more refined and comfortable for daily chores and long rides loaded down with a passenger or camping gear...

Obviously, I love 'em both.  There have been four other bikes in my garage over the past decade.  These two have been the ones I've kept...

[Tom]

Haven't the slightest clue to what you're talking about. ;D

 

And what he says is true. ;-T ;D ;D

[fotoguzzi]

ROCK ON!

[kevdog3019]

Great comparison Rocker.  It sounds like it has my Centauro's gearbox, but not my engine  :P
The Sport sounds like quite the bike, but perhaps a bit too sporty with regard to the rider position.  I have bar risers and Matra pegs on my Lemans and it's a perfect fit.  Try some Iridium plugs in that Nero and you'll love the pull.  It does make a difference.  Both my friend and I did it and it's rather significant.  I'm going out tomorrow and will give a second experience report about it just to make sure I wasn't dreaming.  Thanks again for the report.
-Kevin

[Kentktk]

My Sporti has Heli bars installed by the previous owner. It raise the bars about 3/4" which is all you can get before the fairing becomes an issue. It doesn`t sound like much, but it is quite a change in comfort.

[BrianK]

Some nice person needs to buy you the factory engine stand. What is that, an old Quaker State oil bottle under the engine?

Is it better to use dino or synthetic oil bottles for this purpose?   ~;

[Offcamber1]

Is it better to use dino or synthetic oil bottles for this purpose?   ~;

Does not matter really, as long as you use a hose clamp! ;-T

[LowRyter]

if you're going to the trouble of taking the forks apart & installing new springs, you might consider getting a Race Tech kit.  Depending on the type of forks, they make a Gold Valve kit for cartridge forks, and Cartridge Emulators for damper rods forks.  The Gold Valves made a huge improvement on my Bandit (which I hope to get back together before Xmas).

[Turin]

I'll second the rece tech kit. I put a set in my trumpy D 1200 and it made a huge difference.

[jeff]

Great thread, enjoyed it much so far.

[rocker59]

My Sporti has Heli bars installed by the previous owner. It raise the bars about 3/4" which is all you can get before the fairing becomes an issue. It doesn`t sound like much, but it is quite a change in comfort.

I was coming off a Sportster when I bought the Sport 1100.  I wasn't sure I could get used to the seating position, so I had my dealer order and install HeliBars after a few months of ownership. 

The HeliBars remained on the bike for a year, or so, but I went back to the stockers because I like the angle much better. 

[blackcat]

I have ridden Leafman's Daytona RS and find the seating/clipping relationship much more comfortable than the stock setup on my 03 Rosso. I purchased some clipping from Jean-Marc a few years back and have considered installing them below the triple tree's in hopes of a similar riding position to the Daytona.  I should have done it by now but......

[kevdog3019]

Well... Did 140 mile jaunt today since the mercury hit over 60.  I have to say I totally agree with my friend about the iridium plugs agreeing with the V11 engine.  It is a different bike.  She just pulls harder plain and simple.  It's the best $16 bucks I've ever put into a bike.  Doesn't seem many have found a difference on this sight and I was sure skeptical when he told me about both his '00 Sport and '02 Lemans pulling harder.  I have always respected my friend since he understands subtly better than anyone I know.  I took the plunge and really had nothing to lose since they last longer anyhow.  He was not joshing.  It is much more Centauro-ish now with these plugs.  It's got bigger gonads and I'm liking it.
My 2 pennies.
-Kevin

[rocker59]

The beginning.

I was 15 or 16 when I began reading about Moto Guzzis.  That was 1982/1983 and my obsession with cars and motorcycles was in full force.  In my mailbox each month I recieved five or six different magazines.  I remember reading about (and lusting after) the Italian exotica that was occasionally featured.  Laverdas were particularly appealing, but there was something special about Moto Guzzi.  The LeMans III was the first Moto Guzzi that I can remember.  Guzzis weren't the fastest motorcycles at the time.  AMA Superbikes were all 1100cc four cylinder Japanese bikes.  However, the Guzzis seemed to garner respect and admiration in the reports and tests I'd read.


A couple years later, the LeMans made the news again when it was bumped out to 1000cc.  I remember it being a pretty big deal, but by the mid-80s, bikes from makers like Laverda and Guzzi were well behind the performance curve and were beginning to be criticized by the press for thier "agricultural" feel and old school handling.  

Then came Dr. John and "the Guzzi Gang".  For a few short years they made quite a showing on the AMA endurance circuit with the bikes they campaigned.  Being a bit of a romantic, I couldn't help but smile each time I'd read of Dr. John's team.  It was during this time that I began reading a little about Moto Guzzi and its history.  My attraction to Guzzi grew stronger...




I was still only a teenager, though, and The nearest Guzzi dealer was 250 miles away.  Atlas in Tulsa, or Gene's in El Dorado.  Add to that little logistics problem the fact that Guzzis were about twice the price of a Honda 650 and it was quite understandable that my first motorcycle was a 1983 Honda CB650SC Nighthawk, but Guzzis were never far from my mind...  Especially when the magazines showed up in my mailbox featuring the Daytona 1000 in the early '90s.  Wow!  


Well, this new Daytona was something else!  Based upon a design used by Dr. John on his race winning endurance machine, this bike was simply fabulous!  These small companies with real and accessible people producing motorcycles really held my attention during the early '90s.  Along with Guzzi, I had also followed the efforts of Erik Buell since his RR1000 racebike project.  Companies and motorcycles like these just seemed so much more "real" than the appliances being pumped out of the large automated factories by the big players in the business...

Life gets in the way, though, and fate had me riding an old Sportster XLCH and then a Sportser 883 before finally "coming home" to Guzzi.


In February 1996 I moved to NW Arkansas.  I had sold my 883 a year before and was really craving another motorcycle.  Then one day it happened.  On a Sunday I was driving in my car and heard a radio advertisement for a Triumph Dealer.  No mention of anything else, just the new Triumphs and the dealership was only 20 miles from my house!  My afternoon was open, so I decided to do a little window shopping.  I was thinking I'd be looking at Triumphs that day, but boy was I wrong!  

Peering through the window I saw them.  There was a pair of red Moto Guzzi sportbikes sitting there calling to me.  I was stunned. I couldn't get the beautiful red motorcycles out of my mind all weekend, so on Tuesday at lunch I stopped by the shop for a closer look and to find out what it was that I'd seen while peering through the window...

Sport 1100. That's what I saw.  Jeez!  The good vibes were flowing from these motorcycles.  I couldn't stop smiling.  I couldn't stop staring.  The seat was high.  The bars were low.  I didn't care.  My connection to Dr. John, to Mandello, to all those people I'd read about who had been a part of Guzzi over the years was made real when I sat on the red Sport 1100, leaned forward, and gently gripped the bars...

That was December 1996...  I became a regular at the dealership...  They were a great bunch of guys...  It took me a few months to put it together, but in March 1997 I became the very proud owner of a brand new 1996 model Sport 1100...  I couldn't have been happier...

[rocker59]

if you're going to the trouble of taking the forks apart & installing new springs, you might consider getting a Race Tech kit.  Depending on the type of forks, they make a Gold Valve kit for cartridge forks, and Cartridge Emulators for damper rods forks.  The Gold Valves made a huge improvement on my Bandit (which I hope to get back together before Xmas).

Too late.  The forks are en route to MI for new seals/oil/springs.  I'll be reporting back once the bike is back on the road in a couple weeks.

[Tom]

Boy did you get sucked into the mental illness! ::) ;D ;-T

[VA Sean]

Great thread, Mike!


 ;-T








Ohh, and Tom... I don't know whether to love you or hate you!

 ???

Haven't the slightest clue to what you're talking about. ;D

 

And what he says is true. ;-T ;D ;D

[LowRyter]

if you're going to the trouble of taking the forks apart & installing new springs, you might consider getting a Race Tech kit.  Depending on the type of forks, they make a Gold Valve kit for cartridge forks, and Cartridge Emulators for damper rods forks.  The Gold Valves made a huge improvement on my Bandit (which I hope to get back together before Xmas).

Too late.  The forks are en route to MI for new seals/oil/springs.  I'll be reporting back once the bike is back on the road in a couple weeks.

MI can obtain the Race Tech stuff.  My mechanic was able to procure and install.  You're probably talking another $100.  Not much considering the springs and labor.

[Tom]

Great thread, Mike!


 ;-T








Ohh, and Tom... I don't know whether to love you or hate you!

 ???

Haven't the slightest clue to what you're talking about. ;D

 

And what he says is true. ;-T ;D ;D

One of these days I need to clean the garage.  I'll take some pix. ;D

[philp]

I'm enjoying this thread Rocker.    ;-T   Thanks

[rocker59]

Versatility.


I've been waxing all poetic about the Sport 1100 and neglecting the Nero Corsa...  I'll get around to the NC soon, but with the much needed maintenance happening on the Sport 1100, I've been thinking about it a lot lately.  

So back in 1998 I took my first "big motorcycle trip".  A friend and I trailered from NWA to Steamboat Springs, Colorado for the AHRMA Vintage Days in September.  It was a big adventure (even though most of the trip was sitting in a BMW M3 with a Ducati 900SS and my Triumph Sprint Executive following along in the trailer...  I know, I know...)  It was an eye opening experience!  I got to ride the Colorado Rockies on a motorcycle for the first time, seeing things I'd only read about!  Total mileage on the bike was less than 1,000 miles for the week, but man! it was fun!

In September 1999 the races were moved to Park City, Utah.  Again, Derek and I planned on making the trip.  He was dead set on not riding across The Plains so we trailered to Colorado Springs to meet some friends.  From Colorado Springs, we would travel a circuitous route across Colorado and Utah to Park City.  We'd spend a few days in Park City, then head on back to Denver to friends', then down to Colorado Springs for the AMA Superbike races at PPIR.  The trip would be a little different...  I would be riding the Sport 1100 !!!

This was pre-internet (for me) and pre-digital photography.  I've never really scanned any of the photos to my computer.  I guess I should sometime.  Well, it was a great week!  Don't let anyone make you believe a person can't tour on a sporting Guzzi.  

For all you map geeks (like me), here's the route we travelled:  Colorado '99 Map Link

About 1,750 miles in a week.  I still had the HeliBars installed, but the seat was stock.  My luggage amounted to a Marsee tank bag and a GiVi E50 bolted onto the pillion pad.  The setup worked great and I actually had plenty of luggage space!

We met our Kansas friends at a hotel in Colorado Springs.  Actually, we rousted them out of bed at 0700 after driving all night from Arkansas.  A quick bite to eat in the hotel and we readied the bikes for the trip.  

I'll spare you the rest of the ride report.  No pics to support it.  Maybe I'll scan a few sometime and add 'em to this thread.  Here are the only two I've got handy:

Monticello, Utah at the junction of US-191 and US-666 (now US-491).  There were some Indians selling skulls, jewelery, and blankets at the intersection.  They kindly loaned me a skull for my obligatory "Devil's Highway" pic:


Near Strawberry Reservoir on US-40 in NE Utah on the way back to Denver.  My first "big ticket" on my second "big adventure".  Ton-up, baby!


The Duchesne County deputy actually turned out to be a motorcyclist and a pretty nice guy.  No book was thrown at us that day, and for that I was thankful!  As was typical of this ride, we were stopping to smell lots of roses, so this 500 mile leg took us about 11 hours...  I was seven years away from my first 1,000 mile day!!!

This was a big turning point in my motorcycling.  I learned that I really enjoyed long roadtrips.  I learned that touring on a sportsbike was not that difficult.  I grew to really love this Sport 1100...

I did encounter a few difficulties along the way.  At some point on our leg into Park City, my bike began running on one cylinder below 5,000 rpm.  Once at our destination, we went down to Salt Lake City to the Ducati/Moto Guzzi dealer to let them have a look.  The Dellortos were running pretty rich at elevation, but my biggest problem was a bad connection between the spark plug cap and the wire on the left cylinder.  Easy fix for the tech at the dealership.  He also put in some fresh NGK plugs and ran about three pulls on the dyno.  The Sport 1100 had the OEM Dellortos, a K&N filter in the stock airbox, and a Marsee Crossover with stock cans.  It pulled 76rwhp on thier Dynojet Dyno.  Not too shabby.  The bike ran much better on the homeward stretch.

My riding has changed with my experience over the past decade.  I remember how wiped out I was after that 500 mile day between Park City and Denver.  Now a 500 mile day isn't really that big a deal.  Funny our perspective changes with experience...

In 2005 I rode from my house in NWA to Mexican Hat, Utah in less than 24-hours to complete my first IBA sanctioned 1000 mile day on my 2000 model Quota 1100ES.  This year, I participated in the Colorado Classic 1000 and completed my second documented 1000 mile day on my V11 LeMans Nero Corsa.  

The Sport 1100 has been mainly relegated to backroads blasts and track days because of other bikes in the stable.  It's a mighty versatile motorcycle, though.  Just after the Park City trip in September '99, I participated in my second Jason Pridmore's STAR School in October.  I rode the Sport 1100 on the track for the first time at that school.  Over the next few years, I took it to Hallett, Oklahoma a few more times for track days.


And, then ultimately I was fortunate enough to ride a track day at Barber's in Birmingham, one of the USA's premier road racing facilities.


One of the reasons I'm spending money on the Sport 1100 right now is because I want to ride it more.  Over the past few years I've been averaging less than 1,000 miles per year on the poor beast.  Once my forks come back from MI with fresh seals/oil/springs, I'm going to lever on a new set of Pirelli Diablo Strada tires.  It's not had sport-touring tires on it in awhile.  It's going to need them, though, because I'm in the planning phase of my next IBA documented ride and this time I'm planning on doing it on the Sport 1100!!!  So don't be surprised when you see a weekend ride report for my Sport 1100 where it covers 1,500 miles under me!!!

stay tuned...

 ;-T