1100 GRiSO upgrades and tune-up

I'm looking for some advice on upgrading my 2007 1100 GRiSO that's going on 30k miles soon. I'm going to be tearing into it to get some of the standard 30k mile stuff done and a general look-over to make sure everything is up to snuff. That being said, the more that I think about it the more that I'd like to put a little work into upgrading the old girl. When I bought it it had a SuperTrapp slip on and nothing else done to it. The exhaust sounds nice but it's a little raucous for touring and it never fit quite right. I've looked into the GTM meg muffler but I've heard rumblings that that may not be a good idea. Is the Mistral cone or short cone a good option?

I've also heard that opening up the airbox can help but then you for sure need a map. A remap is planned as part of this, but is it worth opening up the lid of the airbox for more flow or should I just leave it? The GRiSO supposedly responds pretty well to a new map but what kind of hp/torque gains can be had from Beetle's map?

Lastly on the luggage front, I do a fair amount of touring and the OEM luggage is starting to fall apart and I'd like some at least semi-solid luggage. Anyone have experience with the Hepco and Becker c-bow system? Any other options?

Nothing quite like starting off by peppering out a bunch of questions, but this forum has been great in the past. Thanks in advance!

Do not open up the airbox. There's no performance gains to be had. The 5AM has no way to compensate for the extra air flow, so a remap will be required.

My maps do not increase HP or torque. They just provide linear power delivery and a flatter torque curve. None of my maps allow for an open airbox.

I have no opinion on the GT megaphone, other than the one Tony has on his 1200 Sport sounds awesome.

Anyone here have any experience with the guzzitech maps then? I've heard tell and seen some charts of some significant performance gains there with increased airflow.

My "reverse cone megaphone" from GT is OK. However I don't believe it is offered any more - they now have a slightly different version with no removable end cap (can't repack muffler when all the fibreglass gets blown out - being a big twin this will happen with the exhaust pulses). Having said that, yours being an 1100 2V (mines a 1200 2V) it probably should fit - check first - this type of muffler is not appropriate on the 4v/8v engines.

Mark (Beetle) does good mapping and it works as stated. GT mapping is a bit hit and miss either the remapped ECU (meh) or the PCV (double meh - kool aid to the uninitiated).

Both of these mapping solutions add more fuel than is needed in order to "extract maximum horsepower" - all it does is make you feel as though you have good value for your money and wear you bike out faster, as the extra fuel contaminates the oil, which defeats the whole exercise, in my opinion.

At the end of the day, it is your decision.

A longer pipe works better than a short one, even on the 2V motors. Don't be tempted by aftermarket air filters like K&N, they offer no performance boost and don't filter very well.

Read up on how to tune a W5AM Guzzi and don't try and alter the idle speed by playing with the throttle stop screws.

One thing I would strongly advise you do is check and grease the swingarm and shock linkage bearings. If they weren't done early in the bike's life there is a high probability that they will be rusted and unserviceable, it is cheaper to purchase a new linkage than it is to replace all the seals, bearings and pins. If you go down that route grease it well before installation. If the swingarm bearings are shot it is best to buy factory bearings as they are a bit of an odd design seal-wise and I haven't been able to find ones that will work in the aftermarket despite the bearing itself being a common size.

What year is your 1100? There are a couple of other things worth knowing and there were minor changes during the life of the model. Nothing major but when it comes to engine work there are some bits that changed on later models.

In my opinion, if you want to make improvements to the bike? Beyond tuning it properly, getting Beetle's 1100 map and adding a pipe of some sort, (Once again, the engine will perform better with a dB killer installed.) any money is best spent on brakes, (Simply upgrading to HH pads makes a world of difference.) and, for the biggest bang for your buck, suspension. The original Sachs shock is really pretty ordinary and both ends are under sprung and over damped. The Showas are a superb fork and eminently tuneable. There are many choices for rear shocks but if you can try and get a custom built one that will offer 20-25mm more lift at the rear as this helps quicken up the steering, something all GRiSO's can benefit from as their supertanker wheelbase makes for slow steering. When I had my 1100 I also ran a 170 section tyre on the back for the same reason, no, it didn't turn it into an RGV 250 but it quickened the drop into turns appreciably. I didn't have a longer shock on it either though.

Enjoy!

You're a legend, Pete. Thanks for the help. I'm thinking about the Mistral conical silencer (part number MG10). Not the best looking exhaust, but if longer is better that one should be good to go. Any opinion on the Mistral short silencer (part number MG10SHORT)? (I'd post links but I don't have permissions yet) I know it's probably not ideal but it would make me feel a little better about luggage clearance. My main goal is drivability, because I just moved into an urban area and it's really bringing out the worst in the low speed fueling. Handling isn't a huge concern since I mostly tour so the stability is a good thing for cruising the long roads.

FWIW, mine's a 2007 model, if that makes a difference. I'll see if I can't take a look at the swingarm and shock bearings while I'm tearing into it. They feel alright but there's no substitute for taking a look.

The MG10 'Short' isn't really that short. I was expecting some ridiculous little stubby thing six inches long. Mistral make a good product, I have their Hi-Pipe on my 8V. If you like the 'Short' it should be fine. As I said, I do advise a dB killer and not just because I find loud pipes obnoxious, it will honestly make the bike perform better.

I have a 2V as well, albeit the 1200....
I sent a lot of $$$ across to GT for a remap -had to post my ECU to California and wait weeks for its return, also pony'd up for the PCV....
she ran pretty good after the 're-flash'.
the PC is still in its original wrapping though, never plugged it in....

then I purchased a few leads for less than the cost of a case of beer and uploaded a very reasonably priced BeetleMap which has been tweaked immeasurably, then drizzled and polished...

then you see how they are supposed to run.

Anyone have a strong opinion on a headlight upgrade? The Motodemic unit is tempting because it would be an enormous upgrade but the price is a bit hard to stomach. Any LED bulbs that anyone had experimented with?

Put "headlight" in the search box, and you'll see that others have been there before you. Hours of browsing. It also seems that cheaper alternatives are starting to pop up on the net - the trick is to determine if they actually fit.

Got the exhaust installed, new air filter, new plugs, and a few other tune up items. That Mistral exhaust sounds great and looks way better than the supertrapp can that didn't ever really fit. However, I've got a nasty vibration that works through the entire bike right at 3000 RPM. It comes on super fast and then goes away almost immediately after 3000 RPM. Doesn't seem to be load dependent since it'll do it in neutral or moving. I double checked the plastics and fasteners to make sure everything was tight and didn't find anything out of spec.

Termignoni makes mine a harsher (vibrations) than stock pipe across wide range of revs.....just a minor downside of changing exhaust harmonics .....

Mine also vibrates around 3000 - keep it above that and golden days follow. My theory is it's more the engine in the frame than exhaust, but a lighter exhaust may also do this - total bike harmonics, or some such...

That's what I was thinking. That engine likes to keep cooking, and I'm usually above 3500 at all times, but it's odd that it never happened before. I thought at first that it was the dB killer vibrating but I made sure it was tight and it wasn't having an issue. I wonder if the computer's a bit weirded out with the extra restriction in the exhaust now, because the old "muffler" was basically a straight through.

Have you given it a full tune-up? Valves, TB sync, TPS reset etc?

Valves and sync yes, TPS reset no. Haven't had a chance to get the laptop and the bike in the same garage yet.

For any lurkers here, I am happy to offer up a PC-V and Autotune set up for a GRiSO 1100 at 1/2 current retail price.

Go to a different website to employ the contraption and Vaya con Dios.

I don´t get the 3K vibe on mine, but i did the tune-up and GuzziDiag process, with TPS-reset etc. Pata Negra now runs strong, smooth, linear, sounding proud! 2006. 2V, Mistral High-Pipe, dB in, Beetle Map, biggest improvement is the smooth & linear power delivery, maybe it´s no stronger but the delivery makes it "feel" faster. Arse-dyno says so.

I think I figured out my vibration. Had a bunch of failed plastic welds on the left hand trim piece and it's rattling.

Got the TPS reset, it was 3 degrees and was idling high, now it's 4.6 degrees and idling happily at 1100 rpm. Resetting the learning parameters helped as well, fueling is happier but it burbles and pops a bit now.

The bike definitely behaves very different now, throttle response is excellent and it feels better to ride. Definitely added some vibes from the engine in a few places but I'm probably just getting used to it.

Thing that worries mr is how did the TPS reading get as low as 3*?

Can't say that I'm sure. Bike seems happy but it's definitely got more vibration overall than it used to before I swapped the exhaust. I might pop the dB killer out just to see what it does.

Does the throttle stop screw still have paint sealing it?

Looks like it has paint on it still