Quota New To Me

[Big_Jim59]

Hi Everyone, I am not new to Moto Guzzi by any means but it has been a while. In the early 80s I worked for a Triumph, Norton & BMW dealer as a mechanic. We picked up the Moto Guzzi dealership when Cal passed away. I have a lot of seat time on a shop Convert. We couldn't sell it so I rode it to keep the battery up. I have uncrated and ridden brand new Lemans MKIIIs (wonderful) and built a Cafe T3. But that was years ago. I got the opportunity to buy a black 2000 Moto Guzzi Quota. I wanted one when they were new and, true to form, I can have any bike I want but I have to wait 20 years.

So far I have only put a few hundred miles on her but I am really liking the ride. She is a tall girl but I am 6'-1" so it's good. I am mostly a sport bike guy but my knees and my hips are keeping me from fully enjoying that experience like I used to.  Plus I need to slow down a bit. I need a bike that feels right at a little slower pace and has a more upright riding position. The Quota seems Perfect.

My Quota has an updated rear wheel "Excel brand" and the tires are good Michelins. It has an Corbin seat and a broken trip mileage rest.  It has the cracked exhaust at the front right crossover and there in lies my question: how critical is it that I get this fixed. From what I have read from lurking here, the cracks will just show up again. I was just wondering if this will effect the already problematic fueling?

At last check I was getting 33mpg. I think the bike will benefit from an improved EFI map but I am still in the dark on how to do that. (I am still reading the material.) I did locate the port so I know it can be done. I just wanted to say that it is great to be back on a Guzzi even if my back can't take a LeMans!




image upload
 

[Huzo]

Welcome to the place BJ..
I’ll have one of those Quotas if I can off load my Mk2

[Perazzimx14]

The fuel map is most likely not your fueling issue. There is plastic sensor holder that is advised you replaced with a brass one (sensor holder brass (#30163301) at MG Cycles)to get a better read on the actual temp.

My Quota would get 30's MPG then the next tank would be in the 50's MPG. This would be on a trip riding tank to tank on same road. I would have tried the brass sensor holder but I sold the bike because of not being able to buffeting and wind noise under control.

The stock where were also recalled for cracking at the spoke nipples. Hopefully the wheels have been replaced. Also the exhaust collector was know for cracking so hopefully that too has already been addressed.


Fundamentally they are great bikes. Comfortable and enough power w/ a decent suspension. They are like Converts though being a oddity within an obscure brand. KInd of like the fringe of the fringe.


Good luck and hope you enjoy many 10's of 1000's of miles.

[Huzo]

I would have tried the bras sensor holder

Jeez..
Who wouldn’t ?

[hauto]

I refer to my Quota as the SUV of motorcycles.Great around town bike or long distance hauler.Yeah my millage is up and down.The TPI setting did noticeably effect my MPG.Forgot about the brass holder,have to take a look at mine.Maybe search around for a used after market exhaust system. Good luck,enjoy

[Perazzimx14]

Jeez..
Who wouldn’t ?

Pervert 

[Big_Jim59]

The first thing I am going to do is a fluid change. This is the strange part, the previous owner gave me two oil filters. I asked "are the filters still in the pan like the old days?" "No, that's weird" he said.  My guess is he never changed the filter. I have no idea how many miles he put on the bike but I am interested to see what the bottom of the pan looks like.

As for wind buffeting, my Quota has a little wind screen extension that seems to deflect the blast. I don't notice any more wind that I do on my Honda VFR.

I'll check the bras fitting and let you know! The mileage doesn't really hang me up. I usually just fill up and don't stress about mileage but I would like the bike to run right for it's own sake. I am not going to mess with it too much until I put some more miles on her.

I know that a cracked exhaust, one that has a history of cracks, is usually stressed in some way. The designer in me wants to isolate and fix it. The lazy jerk in me wants to ride until it falls off.

By the way, the riding position is brilliant.

[Perazzimx14]

The first thing I am going to do is a fluid change. This is the strange part, the previous owner gave me two oil filters. I asked "are the filters still in the pan like the old days?" "No, that's weird" he said.  My guess is he never changed the filter. I have no idea how many miles he put on the bike but I am interested to see what the bottom of the pan looks like.

As for wind buffeting, my Quota has a little wind screen extension that seems to deflect the blast. I don't notice any more wind that I do on my Honda VFR.

I'll check the bras fitting and let you know! The mileage doesn't really hang me up. I usually just fill up and don't stress about mileage but I would like the bike to run right for it's own sake. I am not going to mess with it too much until I put some more miles on her.

I know that a cracked exhaust, one that has a history of cracks, is usually stressed in some way. The designer in me wants to isolate and fix it. The lazy jerk in me wants to ride until it falls off.

By the way, the riding position is brilliant.

Grossly rich fueling can cause cylinder wall washing leading to other problems. Also incomplete combustion fouling up the internals.  Getting 33 MPG is grossly rich. My fuel economy was also unpredictable one tank 30+ MPG next tank 50+ MPG. When the low fuel light comes on its nice to know if I've got 60 or 100 miles to empty. Playing fuel economy roulette was not fun

[usedtobefast]

Fun bikes!  I bought one about 4 months ago.

Some great info here: http://www.thisoldtractor.com/moto_guzzi_quota.html

My trip meter is also broken!  Well, the reset is broken, the mileage goes up, but no way to reset to zero. 

So the fueling, what is it doing that is odd/bad?

Sorry don't know how critical the cracked exhaust is.  But as far as affecting how it runs, I doubt a small ish crack plays much of a part.

I am really enjoying my Q, but I'm calling it the "quirky quota" ... just seems to always be something where it needs attention ... like riding along, the dash starts rattling like crazy, the right side plastic hole/mount just disintegrated, ride home mostly holding the dash with my left hand, it is only held on my 2 bolts, so then I need to become a plastic welder/fabricator and I ended up with something that works but looks a bit hideous    And 6-7 other things like this. 

But super fun bikes to ride, my Griso and Racer are a bit confused why they don't get out more. 

[Big_Jim59]

But super fun bikes to ride, my Griso and Racer are a bit confused why they don't get out more. 

I wanted a Griso so bad but was a little worried about the ride position. It seems a bit of a stretch to the wide bars. The original Norton Commandos came out of the crate this way and the ride position had my head back at an uncomfortable angle or I would be looking down at the front wheel.

The Quota came along at just the right time at just the right price. I was working at the BMW dealer when the first BMW GS80 hit the showroom floor. They were wonderful and the Quota feels a lot like them except with more torque.

The fueling gets better when it is thoroughly warmed up but it still has a problem coming alive when the throttle is whacked open. You have to ease the throttle on but it was stubble a bit under a heavy hand.

I figure the Quota is not going to be a collector's bike so I am not going to worry too much about show quality finishes. (Like I ever would!) It looks pretty good right now. I will probably pull the pipes and get them welded up. I might even have a brace made for that corner to add some rigidity. It probably needs a flex coupling of some kind.

[Big_Jim59]

I looked over my pipes and they seem to match the Mistral header and collector after market offering. There is no provision for an exhaust sensor just two plain crossover pipes and one muffler.

[Turin]

Exhaust canister is from mistral, cant see the rear crossover. I have the same set up with the mistral headpipes. I'm on my second Quota.

I opened my airbox and had the ECU done. The bike is a hoot.

[Big_Jim59]

Exhaust canister is from mistral, cant see the rear crossover. I have the same set up with the mistral headpipes. I'm on my second Quota.

I opened my airbox and had the ECU done. The bike is a hoot.

Can you explain this modification or send me a link to where it might be?

[Kiwi_Roy]

Welcome to the forum, the Quota is one Guzzi I would like to own along with a Convert.
Make sure the Voltage regulator is well grounded, I suggest a #12 from the case to a timing cover screw.
The diagram shows a wire all the way back to the battery but its a bit wimpy, through the engine to the main ground is much better.
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/guzzi007/schematics/2000_Quota_1100_ES.gif
The Voltage regulator senses the Voltage down stream of the Headlight relay which also supplies the Tacho so be aware if the tach quits you probably don't have any charging.

I like the way they power up the start relay on this bike, direct through a fuse like it should be.
2 electric petcocks 

[Turin]

I have a guy who is a ducati tech, and he has the gizmos to re-map the 15M ECU. ECU found in late 90's FI ducati's. I removed the gas tank and put holes in the top of the airbox with a hole saw. ( remove lid from bike first) The two factory snorkels are tiny and restrictive in my opinion. The intake noise will be very loud at wide open throttle if you go this route. I for one, like it.

[usedtobefast]

Here is some great info on what is needed for guzzidiag ... and reading/writing fuel maps from/to the ECU:

https://advrider.com/f/threads/the-quota-thread.215106/page-46#post-34218994

To the OP, I can send you my fuel map ... my bike runs great, but I don't know the history, like where my fuel map came from.  My bike has the stock exhaust but with the Mistral cross over. 

Not sure if you've played with guzzidiag and the reader & writer.  Number one thing is making sure you read a copy of the map that is on your bike currently and save well ... like a couple of different places, etc. 

[Green1000S]

Great bike, I had two. They have few items to attend to, other than that its a great mileage eater.
Kind of like Kawasaki KLR, does nothing well, but it will get you there.
Few items to pay attention to:
- Change to manual petcocks
- Observe the rims, they may start cracking
- Buffeting can be improved, but not eliminated. Side wings from Gustaffson Plastics will help a lot.
- 21" front wheel is not a great idea for street, but mine loved the gravel and mud.
- There is a wide version of the seat and a narrow one. Try to find the wider one.
- If you can find Papa Sloan two to one exhaust, get it.
- Regulator can give you issues, above post already stated that.
- Headlight suck. Swap it to Yamaha?

Loved the bike, I have now a Stelvio, it does everything better. However I still miss the Q.
Good luck with the bike, I may have extra throttle and clutch clables, I could send those for you, if you want.



This was a red one, which I repaintred to look like the 1000 Q.

[scottydogg]

This was a red one, which I repainted to look like the 1000 Q.

[/quote]

You will be pleased to know that the paint scheme on that bike lives on, although a repaint will most likely happen this winter.

[Big_Jim59]

I really appreciate all the feedback. I did the engine, oil and filter plus I changed the transmission and rear-end oil as well. I wanted a bench mark for when the oil was changed. The inside of the pan looked great even though the oil was a bit dark. The transmission oil was really clean and the rear-end was dirty but that's to be expected. A close examination shows that the bike was loved in the past. It does have an aftermarket stainless exhaust (cracked at the left front crossover junction). The rear wheel is an Excel. I did add a fused extension for my Gerbings jacket liner but I have not needed it yet. (This is Texas after all.) The ground wire has already been added from my R/R to the engine so someone knew what they were about. It does still have the electric petcocks.

I have a little more seat time now and I do have a couple of questions. 1) I noticed that a cross wind knocks me about pretty good. Is this the "turbulence" everyone is talking about? 2) The rear shock seems really harsh. I believe it has some kind of aftermarket shock. There is a anodized knurled collar that turns and I have no idea what it does and there is some load adjustment further up (I believe.) Suspensions are not my strong suit and I usually ride them as they come but this is different. The front has a squishy dirt bike kind of feel (smooths out the bumps) but the back is like a board and just jars the disks in my spine! Any thoughts?

By the way, I love the riding position. Even though the north wind was pushing me around the wide bars gave me lots of control. I also love being able to stand on the pegs. This works to smooth out the bumps.

[usedtobefast]

Got any pics of that shock?  Or a name on it? 

With the seat off, you should have very good access to the shock. 

Mine has the stock shock and forks and both ends are pretty mushy/soft. 

[Big_Jim59]

OK, I got some pictures of the shock, top and bottom. It looks stock. The spring preload looks like it is cranked to the max. Please tell me what you think.

[Bob Mehmen]

   Stock shock, I replaced just the spring with a HyperPro #1127 on mine. Works great.

[usedtobefast]

Oh man, that's a lot of preload!  And seems to have been done by a gorilla with a punch and mallet.   

In general, most info says preload should be 1/3 of your travel, some places say 1/4.  The Quota 1100 has 200mm of rear wheel travel, so 67mm sag is 1/3 and 50mm sag is 1/4  .  Can't remember where I set mine.

Not sure if you are super knowledgeable about this stuff, or never done it before ... so not sure if you are looking for tips/info ... will type a bit anyway. 

I get a helper as it is pretty awkward to do it solo.

Get the Q on the center stand, pick a point on the swingarm and frame to make measurements, you want a straight up/down angle vs. a laid over angle of measurement.  Take that first measurement.

Then Q off the center stand, you get on with all your gear (tail bag?), bounce up and down a couple of times, have your helper measure those 2 exact same points, the difference is your "rider sag" amount.

I'm guessing it will be less than a 50mm difference.  If so, put the Q back on center stand, I'd spray some WD-40 on the threads of the shock body, and use a suspension spanner tool if you have one, otherwise a punch or a large dull flat blade screw driver, and lightly tap the lock ring loose ... spin that up 8 or so spins ... then lightly tap the ring against the spring.  Oh, I mark one of the tabs with a sharpie so I know when I've gone a full turn. 

Loosen a bit, re-measure, keep going until you get into that 50mm - 67mm sag range.  Once you get into that range, spin the lock ring back down, lightly tighten it up, and go for a test ride. 

The blue knob is a rebound adjuster, the shock does not have a compression adjuster.  You could see how many clicks out that is.  The simple "test" or "check" for rebound, sitting in the garage, rapidly push down on the rear rack or seat of the Q, and see how fast/slow it rebounds.  It should come back up at about the same speed/ease as it went down.  So if you give it a rapid push down and it slowly comes back up, then your rebound is too slow(need to turn that knob counter clockwise).  If it quickly comes back up, that's too fast, you need to turn that knob clockwise.

Here is a pic from the manual.

[Big_Jim59]

I had a little time this morning so, with a big dull punch and a plastic mallet I started to take some of the pressure off that spring. I sprayed the threads with a bit of WD40, knocked the lock ring lose and backed it off two full revolutions but I think it's going to take more like 30. I appreciate the feedback. I know how to set the sag in theory but never really bothered with it in practice but I am going to have to set the Quota or it's going to compress my spine. I have not had time to ride today to see if it feels any better.

[Turin]

How heavy are you? I'm a large guy and can trake a pic of my shock tonight to see where the preload is set if you like.

[Big_Jim59]

How heavy are you? I'm a large guy and can trake a pic of my shock tonight to see where the preload is set if you like.

That would be cool. I am 6'-1 and 250 lbs. By the way, the adjustment ring has been beat to heck with possibly a sharp screwdriver. I don't know but maybe the PO was traveling and had the thing loaded for bear but man it was cranked down tight.

[Turin]

can't get a good picture, but mines pretty compressed as well. I 've got about 25 lbs on ya.

[Big_Jim59]

can't get a good picture, but mines pretty compressed as well. I 've got about 25 lbs on ya.

Thanks for checking. I am going to press gang my wife into service and set the sag as close as I can get it to my solo weight. I tipped the scale at 283 about 18 months ago. Been on a modified Keto diet (I have the occasional salad) and have been steadily losing. At least I don't huff and puff going up stairs.

[usedtobefast]

You might want to consider a Wilbers shock with proper spring ... https://www.wilbers-shop.de/en/Motorcycle/Moto-Guzzi/Quota-1100-ES-KM/?force_sid=9n9qj4hnimr3u4qq5q6612bd03

Ted Porter's BeemerShop is an importer and super knowledgeable https://www.beemershop.com/ .  Yes, mostly Beemers, but he imports lots of Wilbers shocks for those bikes and others.  Not sure if you have a place closer to you, but you can call Ted on the phone, talk it over, buy it and have it shipped to you, etc.  Very easy and very knowledgeable. 

If you are checking sag numbers with the wife, also get the sag numbers with just the bike (off stand, but without you on it) ... call that bike sag.

I don't remember the formula, but that will help you find out if the current spring rate is close for you or not. 

Some examples:
Let's say you get the "Rider Sag" (you on the bike compared to bike on the stand) to 55mm
Then let's say the "Bike Sag" (just the bike on it's wheels compared to on the stand) is 10 mm (made up exaggerated number)

That means the shock had to have tons of preload dialed in to get that 55mm number.  Indicator that the spring is too soft.

If the numbers were 55mm Rider Sag and 45mm Bike Sag, that would indicate that the spring is way too firm (high rate). 

[Big_Jim59]

Some examples:
Let's say you get the "Rider Sag" (you on the bike compared to bike on the stand) to 55mm
Then let's say the "Bike Sag" (just the bike on it's wheels compared to on the stand) is 10 mm (made up exaggerated number)

That means the shock had to have tons of preload dialed in to get that 55mm number.  Indicator that the spring is too soft.

If the numbers were 55mm Rider Sag and 45mm Bike Sag, that would indicate that the spring is way too firm (high rate).

That makes perfect sense.