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Re: Bellagio mods

Hi Mike, the symptoms were like toggling the killswitch on/off/on anytime I hit a reasonable sized bump.
Eventually I lost one cylinder totally, it would idle but could not accept any throttle.
Was only able to ride using choke/high idle speed, eventually it would not even start.

Second PC evidenced the toggleing kill switch and hard starting.

Hopefully I will get to test it before this weekend.
 
It was a simple fix that worked, and with the modified shock the bike rides better now, but unfortunately ..........




The ex-wife recently accused me of obsession, but I never demanded sex .....................
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Update fellas, that 2 stroke above that I was going to develop has been reversed.
Person I was dealing with is such a dissapointment (fraudster) that I have given up and its for sale.

2nd update, Bella's suspension was a definate improvement but long term testing has shown that a Matris R straight-up would have been a better choice. Have potential buyer for 2 stroke and contemplating BST carbon wheels :eek:hmy:

By the way, the bloke in bed with his Suzuki is not me, he's just a look-a-like.
I've never owned a GSX-R, honest.
 
Was it the same guy that screwed over others with a 500cc conversion for the 350cc twin and putting it in an Aprilia chassis.
It is such a shame that blew up the way it did. Only the high cost kept me and a buddy from getting mixed up in that black hole.
 
Sure was, I'm 20k+ out of pocket but at least I got all the bits and some extras as well.
My mate has his running like a rocket but with none of the setup detail from the fraudster, plus a few bits reconfigured etc. Chris is a 2 stroke nut, me too a little but life without a Guzzi is lacking something and I've lost the passion for the foul taste I've still got from the whole sordid affair.

Somebody can have a bargain for 10k, hope.
 
Sorry to hear....
But it sounds like you came away with more then others.
What a shame.
I have a KTM 440 and one day I am going to put that motor in a road race chassis. It will never be anywhere near what the 500cc twin can do, but it is what I got. They do not make them like that anymore.

My current project is an Aprilia 550 that I am building into a road racer. That motor is about as close as you can get today to a two stroke.
 
Re: Retail Therapy

From giving up on mods and selling my bike I'm now waiting for new bits to arrive.
The Matris R shock is in the mail and just bought a pair of Brembo 4 pot (&4 pad) calipers off a 749/999 from e-bay.

Still scamming my budget/accountant for a set of BST's :twisted:

Meanwhile, the front end will need work to keep up with the rear shock.

Anybody cartridge kitted the Cali EV forks that have comp knob on top of one fork and rebound on the other?
Matris F05R would be nice.
 
Fitted the new Matris shock. Feels quite firm on a short run around the block, yet no harshness.
Unfortunately discovered another crack in the custom mudguard bracket, no long test ride and fine tuning just yet.

Bellagio shock weighs 3.10kg with hydraulic pre-load adjuster.
Griso shock weighs 3.26kg with compression adjuster/gas resevoir & 11kg Ohlins spring.
Matris weighs just 2.69kg with bells and whistles.
The compression adjusters require a 4mm Allen Key, the pre-load adjuster needs a 5mm Allen key.
So I had 2 Torsion Insert Bits welded together in an 'L' shape, so I can easily carry it in my jacket pocket, and make adjustments with a gloved hand.
 

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Went for a 100k ride today (uted the bike into the country first) over some bumpy terrain and tight corners.
Firstly the Matris R has a spring rate to suite Dmitri @ 230lb or 105kg dressed for battle, while I am 17.6lb or 8kg lighter.

All damping settings were set in the middle of their respective "operating range" as specified by Matris.
I stopped frequently to + or - a click or two and ended up with +1 click more rebound and -2 clicks of high speed compression. Ride height is at its minimum -319mm shock length.

As fitted the spring has 16mm of preload. The pre-load adjuster is currently wound right off, but the actual hydraulic unit itself can be raised further up the threaded body, therefore with less preload as a 'starting point' I may get a slightly smoother softer ride. I will confer with my suspension guru first to see if we should go with a softer spring.

The ride is firm ............. approaching a hard ride but even my 65kg (145lb) mate says it is much better to ride, definately more compliant and the HARSHNESS has gone. With the standard Bellagio shock, and the modified Griso shock trying to dial in any compliance resulted in loss of handling, as the single compression damping circuit can't handle both high and slow speed together, with any degree of composure. (Well, by comparison to what I've got now.)

The biggest and most noticable improvement thus far, is the bike felt light in the steering coming off the corners - hey we're not talking 200+HP superbike here. It took awhile to work out what was happening, but I realized the Low Speed compression (& stiffer spring) were preventing squat in the rear so the bike held a tighter line all by itself and I was no longer working hard to hold it in.

Unfortunately with 4 year old touring tyres that have seen better days, I called it quits after the 2nd power slide. Michelin Pilot Power 2CT's and a fork kit will be next.

Todd, what is the ultimate Cali EV fork upgrade?

While the midget was riding Bella I rode his 675 Street Triple, which has been fitted with a Hyper-pro shock with all the same features as the Matris R. Surprisingly it didn't feel mushy or soft as I expected due to my 30kg body mass increase over Kieren. Yet all the tiny road surface irregularities could still be felt, as with Bella.
 
Did you set the sag? If so, what is it front and back?

The ultimate upgrade for the Cali Forks is a drop in cartridge set up. It'll run around $1200USD. If you want to try something lower, a set of cartridge emulators or even trying to fit a set of the Matris Norge fork internals might be worth the time for ~$400USD.

The Matris R shock is simply one of the best working/functioning shocks I've ridden on, and I've ridden and raced on top shelf suspension including Ohlins. The R still impresses me every time I ride it.

p.s. I should have some info soon on the carbon wheels. Watch direct e-mail for it.
 
Will book in to have SG (Suspension Guru) set sag properly and dial in all the other settings.
It currently has a 120N/mm spring, my Griso shock mod used an 110N/mm Ohlins spring.

I have a fairly good understanding but love being educated by the real experts.

Definately interested in the top shelf fork upgrade as the stock front end feels rather ordinary now, for some reason. :eek:
Please tell me more.
 
Scotty (my SG) stripped the forks today and was surprised to see the Marzocchi 45's had cartridges inside with a very good base valving system, that he can easily work with to generate some really good improvements.

The springs are softish with way too much pre-load, this alone can be responsible for a less than compliant (choppy) ride.

While Bella has only a single adjustment to the damping on each fork (comp right side, rebound left side).

But the real surprise is, the stock cartridge and valving system still lends itself to tuning for both high and low speed damping.

When I left Scott was pulling apart the fork caps themselves to check the damping adjustment needles. A long fine taper needle is better for fine tuning.

Todd, you mentioned 1200 Sport fork caps somewhere, are they interchangeable with Bella, and how's them BST wheels?
 
Fitted Pilot Road 3's to the standard wheels.
Fitted Oberon 20 degree angled, 50mm bar risers and Triumph 675 Street Triple alloy fat bars.
This is 690g lighter than stock bars, and 460g lighter than Cali bar yokes and M900 bars.

Re-installed the Matris R shock, still using Dmitri's 12kg spring but with base preload reduced by 6mm. Will test ride and see ................................... as soon as I get the revalved & resprung forks back tomorrow.

Test ride will use standard brakes then ...........................
I'll fit the 4 spot/4 pad (999R) Brembo's and an R1 Brembo radial master cyclinder.

Then I'll test ride again, meanwhile a mate has booked me in for a track day at Morgan Park 8th June.
 
Sounds like you're going to have a great time.

I'll be able to check the fork caps this weekend I believe. I'll let you know, along with the BST wheels info via direct e-mail.
 
Took a rain check on the track day as weather doesn't look promising.
999R calipers & radial m/c feel good, light touch actually gets a response.
Instead of the wooden feel, lack of any bite with a hard pull on the standard 2 spot calipers, I now have instant bite and retardation, but with FEEL! And that means confidence and control.

Due to different banjo position/entry angles on all changed components, I had to get new braided lines made. Lucky for me HEL are located in Brisbane and made them up on the spot.

I rode back to back with a 675 Street Triple, it has Goldline 4 spots. Triumph is similar but lacks the initial bite of the 999R calipers.

The Oberon risers & 675 bars make the riding position a lot more relaxing for me as well.

Now all I need is the 10.5kg spring for the Matris
 
Well I'm a happy camper tonight, I had my most memorable ride on Bella today and am glad to report that I am now very pleased to ride her. We haven't reached nirvana yet, but we have made progress in leaps and bounds.

The problem is not so much a poor product from Bologna, but the state of our roads in Queensland and the pace I like to carry over them. It has been suggested I buy a better tool for the task, but refuse. I prefer a Guzzi and modify the crap out of it (literally), until it does what I want. :laugh:

The Matris R shock is now close to where I need it, previously assembled for a heavier rider on a different model, I now have a 10.5kg spring. Sag was set and we headed for the Mt Lindsey hills stopping frequently to adjust and experiment with the different damping settings, adjusting only one thing at a time and keeping accurate records including perceived results.

In the end I had wound the high speed compression completely off (-18 from hard & no more clicks), resulting in the most compliant ride thus far. My aim is for firm but compliant.

I spoke with my Suspension Guru about the prospects of internal mods to the hi-speed comp shim stack, so I can play with the needle in the middle of its range. My concern being if I go too far it may introduce unsatisfactory compromises. SG replied "If you had gone too far today, you wouldn't be telling me it was the best ride you've had on this bike. Therefore we have room for improvement with the hi-speed". So I'm pretty chuffed right now.

The new brakes are awesome! Agility in the flip-flop (turn in) is awesome. Handling bumpy corners now, has shown how bad it was before. Previously bumps on exit would not create wobbles or tank slappers, but it would unsettle both bike & rider such that all my efforts would be engaged in regaining my seating position and vision, settling the bike and pointing it straight, then and only then could I entertain negotiating the next bend. Not good in the flip-flops. Now I just power hard out of a corner through the bumps and into the next corner in one fluid motion. If you knew the road I speak of ......................

Front end mods by SG are on the money, yet more is to come.

Am I fast? Don't know don't care. But I am smoother, safer and much faster than I used to be, but most importantly, I got the biggest grin :D
 
Public holiday, pissin rain, cabin fever! Decided to weigh Bella;

Half tank of fuel (so I've used approx 7kg worth of premium unleaded).
Front 103.5kg bias 49.3%
Rear 106.5kg bias 50.7%
Total 210kg half tank or

217kg full wet weight.

BST Carbon wheels will drop close to another 10kg off my total weight.
When you consider that the lightest of the current Japanese 1000cc sports bikes is the ZX-10R at 203kg, my bike is not so bad.

Get this, according to the same article in AMCN (vol 62 #22 15th-28th May, 2013) the current Yamaha YZF-R1 weighs exactly the same as Bella, 217kg wet.

Woo Hoo! :p I just need another 100hp and I can go racing :lol:
 
I spoke with my Suspension Guru about the prospects of internal mods to the hi-speed comp shim stack, so I can play with the needle in the middle of its range. My concern being if I go too far it may introduce unsatisfactory compromises. SG replied "If you had gone too far today, you wouldn't be telling me it was the best ride you've had on this bike. Therefore we have room for improvement with the hi-speed". So I'm pretty chuffed right now.

Update; Shock is booked in for Wed for revalve of Hi-Speed Comp.
Todays ride showed several times the suspension is more compliant as one approaches terminal velocity.

As I prefer riding hard at lower speeds in the tight and twistys, and generally cruise on the straight boring bits, my suspension requirements are probably different to most.
 
ghezzi said:
As I prefer riding hard at lower speeds in the tight and twistys, and generally cruise on the straight boring bits, my suspension requirements are probably different to most.

I once heard spoken in Italian that the roads are like women - not very interesting without curves.
 
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