Rocker59's Spine Frame Chronicles...

[rocker59]

Does dropping the forks make a big difference? 

Yes.  If you want quicker steering, it's easy and free to drop the front end.

[Kentktk]

yeah.  Sport 1100 tail light is same as Ducati Supersport up through '98.

Actually it is the Ducati Monster taillight that is the same

[Murray]

Actually it is the Ducati Monster taillight that is the same

And the cagiva elephant however the monster had a red insert in the bottom of the light where as the sport has a clear one to allow illumination of the number plate.

Re livening the steering up I'm running mine about 8.5mm through the forks and that seems to work fine if you really want to improve the steering I suggest complete removal of the steering damper. The forks on the carbed models are the old school damper rod style so they do like nice fresh fork oil and it to be cycled through on a regular basis.

[Doug McLaren]

I've just dropped mine by 10mm and had a brief hurtle around the area this morning, it's definitely more responsive but not twitchy, I'm happy with the way it handles now so I'll leave it at that.

One more thing, does anyone else think that these engines run a bit cold? Now, although I'm in the north east of the UK it has been a warmish summer, for our standards anyway. I had been getting a wee bit oil on my left boot so I replaced the rocker box gasket, the rocker feed oil lines and the "O" ring which resides under the 10mm hex head plug. Also re-torqued the heads. I had quite a bit of mayo on the inside of the rocker cover when I took it off, which was a bit surprising as I haven't been using the bike for short journeys.   

[rocker59]

Actually it is the Ducati Monster taillight that is the same

Yeah, you're right. Monster.

[Chuck in Indiana]

One more thing, does anyone else think that these engines run a bit cold?

I think that's been documented.  ;D Better cold than too hot, IMHO..

[rocker59]

October was an interesting month.  I went from three bikes to one.  dsrdave took my LeMans 1000 and ratguzzi took the Nero Corsa.

I had about 43,000 good miles on the Nero Corsa over nearly nine years.  The Nero Corsa carried me (and many times a passenger) all over the country.  From Virginia to Utah and from Minnesota to Louisiana.  It was a mighty fine bike, but for some strange reason I was never in love with it, though it did everything I asked of it over those years.  Two up, towing a trailer, back roads, interstate, commuting to work, 24-hour rallies.  The bike could do it all, and do it well.  Though I didn't love it, the Nero Corsa was a good friend for all those years and miles.  With a little needed maintenance, I'm sure it will make a good ride for our friend ratguzzi.  It served me well.






So, now the garage has a little more room in it!  One bike occupying the space formerly holding three.  And, I should have a little more time to catch up on some deferred maintenance on the Sport 1100.  I got a start on that this weekend by replacing the rear drive big seal.  The seal had been weeping for some time, and it let go a few months ago right after changing the tires to the new Bridgestone T30.  I kind of put the job off with so many other things going on, but once to it the job was pretty easy.

I've been lucky all these years, with all these Guzzis, and have never had to change this seal.  Bike up on stand, remove rear wheel, use a knife to lever out the old seal.  Lightly lube the new one I sourced from MG Cycle with a little grease, then slide it into place.  Snug fit, but a little coaxing got the seal fully seated.  Add new Mobil-1 85w90 gear oil, re-install the rear wheel, and the bike was ready for a shakedown.





Though it hadn't been run in months, the twin Yuasas turned the bike over and it fired to life, glorious Guzzi music coming from the full Staintune exhaust system.  I quickly donned my helmet and jacket, then headed off for a quick ride.  Fuel tank was low, so I headed 20 miles east to Anderson's in Hindsville for a splash of gas, made two passes down a nice little twisty road I know, then blasted back home at high speed on the divided 4-lane, being sure to burp the rear drive when I arrived.  A quick but fun 50 miles on a cool December afternoon.  On these old Sport 1100s, there is no bevel box vent.  After service, it's a good idea to run it until hot, then unscrew the fill plug to let off any pressure that has built up, then re-install the fill plug.  Just a little something that may keep seals intact and oil weeps to a minimum.  

Man!  What a great bike!  I really enjoy the Sport 1100.  The knee dents on the tank keep the knees close together.  The seat/peg relationship is nice.  The bars are a little low, but very purposeful.  The chassis is solid.  Nice WP rear shock, and Marzocchi M1 front forks with WP springs and 10wt oil does a nice job.  Wonderful new Bridgestone BT30 tires give quick steering and predictable feel. All the right vibrations and sounds to let you know you're on a real-deal Moto Guzzi sporty bike.  Straight-Cut gear whine mixed with the melodic V-twin rumble.  Heaven on Earth, the way Carlo and Dr. John intended!

Wild Goose, indeed!





 :bike

[oldbike54]

REALLY  8)

  Dusty

[Blueboarhound]

Would you quit rubbing salt in my broken Sport's wounds!  ;D

[Chuck in Indiana]

Heaven on Earth, the way Carlo and Dr. John intended!

;-T

[rocker59]

;-T

Once on the same wave length with the bike, it really is amazing how effortlessly fast it can get you from point A to point B.

Wide spacing of the gears and a nice torque curve mean little shifting most of the time, on the street.

And, it's eerily smooth between 4200 and 5000 rpm.

On smooth, sweeping pavement, the experience is fantastic.

[rocker59]

Nice December weather this weekend and was able to roll the Sport 1100 out for a little Saturday ride.  70 miles of Ozarks fun.  Bike is running well, and the new big seal on the rear drive seems to be holding! 

I'm really enjoying the Bridgestone T30 tires.  Good feel.  Nice turn-in.  Hold a line, and resist standing up when on the brakes.  Probably not as much grip as the previous Bridgestones I tried, BT-014, but will give me a lot more miles.  All good, so far!

Stopped for a quick pic at War Eagle, along the way

[oldbike54]

Nice December weather this weekend and was able to roll the Sport 1100 out for a little Saturday ride.  70 miles of Ozarks fun.  Bike is running well, and the new big seal on the rear drive seems to be holding! 

I'm really enjoying the Bridgestone T30 tires.  Good feel.  Nice turn-in.  Hold a line, and resist standing up when on the brakes.  Probably not as much grip as the previous Bridgestones I tried, BT-014, but will give me a lot more miles.  All good, so far!

Stopped for a quick pic at War Eagle, along the way

Hmm , no Harleys in the parking lot  ;D (just kidding Kev m)  ;)

  Dusty

[malik]

Great story/saga. Replay it every now and again.

Recently I replaced the front tyre on the carb Sport with a 120x60x17 - appears to turn in a little sharper - comfortable with this.

BTW if anyone needs new forks, Agostini Mandello currently has both Marzocchi & Ohlins on special for 1,000 & 1,250 Euros, respectively.

Mal

[rocker59]

Great story/saga. Replay it every now and again.

Recently I replaced the front tyre on the carb Sport with a 120x60x17 - appears to turn in a little sharper - comfortable with this.

BTW if anyone needs new forks, Agostini Mandello currently has both Marzocchi & Ohlins on special for 1,000 & 1,250 Euros, respectively.

Mal

Thanks for the tip on the forks special!

I used a 120/60-17 for awhile about 15 years ago.  I think it was a Pirelli Dragon GTS.  Seemed to work pretty good, but I ended up going back to the 120/70-17 size, and have used it ever since.  I really liked the Pirelli Dragon GTS.  Diablo Strada replaced it.  I used one set of the Diablo Strada, and they were OK.  Preferred the Dragon GTS, though.  The current Bridgestone T30 really feels good.  Looking forward to more miles on these tires.

 :bike

[rocker59]

A little Springtime prep for the Sport 1100 on a beautiful afternoon here in The Hills...

- torqued the heads
- adjusted the valves
- cleaned and oiled the K&N filter
- installed a new clutch cable
- cleaned a little as I worked.  It sure gets dirty under the fairing and fuel tank!

Still need to change the fluids and grease the drive shaft, then I'll be ready for Cedar Vale, and the Colorado Classic 1000!












 :bike

 

[oldbike54]

 Kewl , any left over parts ? :D

  Dusty

[rocker59]

Kewl , any left over parts ? :D

  Dusty

No, but there's plenty of grease and grime to share.

And, I did accidentally swap the plugs for the left petcock and the low fuel light.  Now I get to pull the fairing again to swap them back.

Took it for a short test ride.  It's running goood...   ;D

[dl.allen]

Rocker, on your recommendation I just put T30s on my V11 lemans last week.  Really like them.  Much more stable feel than the 10 year old original ones  :o

Also went with a new Odyssey  battery, and full Mobil 1 in all locations including the driveline!

She just turned over 3000 miles yesteray

[Lannis]

No, but there's plenty of grease and grime to share.

And, I did accidentally swap the plugs for the left petcock and the low fuel light.  Now I get to pull the fairing again to swap them back.

To me, the designed-in error condition in making those two plugs the same is one of the most inexcusably stupid things that Moto Guzzi ever did.   I'd love to have a candid conversation with the designer and honestly find out what he was thinking when he did that.   Was he told by management that they needed to save $.15 by using the same connector, and screw all the hundreds of owners in future that would mix them up?   

There's no telling, I suppose.   Probably no one would ever admit to it ... !

Lannis

[rocker59]

The low fuel plug is wrapped in red electrical tape. By the factory, I guess. I just didn't take the time to make sure I plugged it into the correct loose plug end!

It's things like that that make me love the struggling Guzzi of the 1990s.

[rocker59]

Rocker, on your recommendation I just put T30s on my V11 lemans last week.  Really like them.  Much more stable feel than the 10 year old original ones  :o

Also went with a new Odyssey  battery, and full Mobil 1 in all locations including the driveline!

She just turned over 3000 miles yesteray

Cool! I really like the T30.  And Mobil-1 !!

[Lannis]

The low fuel plug is wrapped in red electrical tape. By the factory, I guess. I just didn't take the time to make sure I plugged it into the correct loose plug end!

It's things like that that make me love the struggling Guzzi of the 1990s.

As my Centauro could attest, that red tape never lasted long .... !   And then, Error Precursor, thy name is Guzzi!

Lannis

[smdl]

I finally took the time to read this great thread.  I think I might even have shed a tear when the NC departed...

Thanks, Rocker!   ;-T

[rocker59]

Nice Saturday here in NW Arkansas.  Sunny and mid-70s.  No other plans, so I took the Sport 1100 out to stretch its legs.  And mine.

Stopped by the Indian dealer and demo'd a Chief Vintage.  Then stopped by the BMW dealer, ordered some Olympia riding gear, and checked out the super-cool R9T they had on the showroom.  Nice bike!

After making my rounds, I hit the twisties east of the metro and really had a great time on the Sport 1100.  It's really in its element on these smooth, sweeping Arkansas State highways.  Maintaining +10 to +15 speeds is almost effortless on this old sporty Guzzi.





Unfortunately, upon returning home, I noticed the telltale trace of grease splatter on my rear wheel.  Then, I ran my finger under the rear drive and found a drop of oil.  So... it looks like my new big seal isn't sealing for some reason. 

Tomorrow, I'm going to ride it 20 +/- miles, then "burp" the rear drive.  Ride 20 +/- miles and check it again.

I used the "better" V11 Sport seal, but now I'm wondering if I'd have been better off buying the regular big seal...  Hmmm...

[Vasco DG]

If it is a big seal then it is known as a walrus!

Sorry.....

And to think you nearly sold it a couple of years ago! That thing is your muse Mike, if you ever get rid of it your brain will explode! :D

FWIW I feel exactly the same about my shitty old 8V Griso...... ::)

Pete

[oldbike54]

If it is a big seal then it is known as a walrus!

Sorry.....

And to think you nearly sold it a couple of years ago! That thing is your muse Mike, if you ever get rid of it your brain will explode! :D

FWIW I feel exactly the same about my shitty old 8V Griso...... ::)

Pete

 Paul McCartney ? REALLY SORRY  :-[

  Dusty

[rocker59]

Expert texpert
choking smokers
Don't you think the joker
laughs at you?

[QCGoose]

I'm still scratching my head with my Sport's rear drive as it, too, is having leaking issues. Thing is, every seal in the rear drive has been replaced, and each time she was properly burped. ???

[cruzziguzzi]

I'm still scratching my head with my Sport's rear drive as it, too, is having leaking issues. Thing is, every seal in the rear drive has been replaced, and each time she was properly burped. ???

I had the seal problem almost immediately upon taking delivery of mine.

Before the nay-sayers cry foul over this in relation to my perspective regarding the hostage taking aspect of modern technology in new bikes and the "cult of engineers" sweeping shade-tree-mees under the rug of history - note this mechanical prob... concern, was handled in a decidedly low tech fashion. As were the fueling, oiling and other issues counted minor compared to todays electro-fuffles. When, did a '95 Spot become an old bike?

Since I whisked mine away from Minnesota and my favored TrackStar dealer - alas, gone now - and was dependent upon dealers Californian, and particularly Pro"Duc-tannia" and was not a celebrity (awful shop in those days for a walk-in Guzzi owner) I gave up on the factory seal after two re-fits. Too, I was not yet aware of Sonny Angel.

Eventually I visited with the Ol' Man's logic and weighed beating my head against a pasta wall on the one hand and properly representing the sons of Odin by way of the "Highlands" on the other. The latter being the route of self-sufficiency and quiet self congratulation of one's self for thinking outside of the box before "the box" was a "thing". Cringe not, this involves no duct-tape whatsoever.

I took my third factory seal with a couple of plastic-mic measurements to an inland bearing house and got one of the same outside (hard) diameter, the same depth (or close enough) and 1 or 1.5 millimeters smaller inside diameter. I don't recall the application of the seal but it was odd in that it was maritime, generator... both?

Haven't touched it since in 20 years, 25,000+ miles and very long periods of sitting and merely being adored for her style rather than being ridden.

Seems too, that I seated it at a different depth. Perhaps I spied something on the shaft to decide this?

Todd.