State of the Quota, pt. Two
Quota at the Guzzi Museum. Photo credit: PaulTim2000
I did not sleep well last night. Sometimes my brain picks up a thread and runs away, taking with it as hostage any hope I had for sleep. Sometimes the brain thread is work stress related. Sometimes it’s born of anticipation or excitement for something I’m working on. Last night, my brain was on about moto camping and the upcoming mods I’m planning for the Nevada BDR trip this spring. Not a bad thing to be on about. Still, sleep would have been nice.
In my previous post I outlined what I know of the technical history of the 2000 Moto Guzzi Quota 1100ES (or, a V11 Quota in standard Guzzi parlance) I’ll be riding, including mods I’ve done in the two-ish years I’ve owned it. March is feeling a whole lot closer now than it was when this ride plan was hatched. Maybe that’s why my brain is ramping up the anticipatory noise.
Mods & Repairs to Come
So, what’s left to be done before we go?
Skid Plate / Sump Guard
The biggest (most challenging) item on the list is acquiring and fitting an aluminum skid plate. Quotas did not come with skid plates when they rolled off the factory floor. It’s unclear to me if anyone ever manufactured an after-market piece. If they did then, they don’t now. The oil sump on the Quota hangs way down below the frame rails; it’s entirely unprotected. And, that whole sump pan unbolts and comes off every time you change the oil. So, I’m hoping to find someone who can design and fabricate something that is both protective and relatively easy to remove and re-install. Changing the oil is a chore enough, already. I really don’t want to make it harder.
Unprotected sump
The oil sump hangs down below the frame rails and the exhaust pipes. A good sump guard will protect the sump from cracking and the pipes crushing in the event of (probably) unintended contact with rocks. One never knows…
I’ve spent a fair amount of time scouring Google images and the Adventure Rider Quota thread for photos of Quotas with skid plates that I could use as reference material in coming up with a design. The photo at the top is the best example I’ve seen. It’s a nice wrap-around basket design that protects both the sump and the pipes (as well as the under-belly exhaust crossover) and appears to be fairly easy to remove and re-install. It attaches at mounting tabs that have been welded on to the frame, at the front and sides, in very accessible locations. The only thing I can’t really tell is where the end of the long underbelly section mounts. I’ve got a lead on a guy who does custom m/c fab work who said he’s potentially interested in this project. I’ve sent him the photo for reference. We’ll see where it goes.
Mistral Header Pipes
This one is more cosmetic and is something I’ve been meaning to do since I got the bike. The original Quota exhaust system has a crossover between the headers placed low and forward, in front of the sump. Aside from being located in a terrible place to route an exhaust pipe (see above about rocks) they also have a tendency to crack from vibration. One of the previous owners of this Quota cut the crossover pipe off where it attached to each header pipe and welded patches in place to close the resulting holes. Apparently it looked like crap, hence all the header wrap you see on there now. I’m not really a fan of unnecessary header wrap in the first place. And this stuff was put on with non-stainless safety wire, which is now rusting away and allowing the wrap to come loose and flap about. Off it comes.
Poorly placed front crossover
That low-hanging, crack-prone crossover is an engineering head-scratcher. New stainless Mistral headers look good and come without it.
Photo credit: Motorcyclist
Mistral, who makes the stainless under-belly crossover I installed to replace the original equipment middle muffler, also makes a set of stainless header pipes, sans crossover, for the Quota. These are shipped over from Italy on order (they may even be made-to-oder…not sure, but it takes 8 weeks), so I’ll be getting my order in soon and installing them before the trip.
General Maintenance & Prep
These are general maintenance items that aren’t necessarily related to the trip, but need to be done.
Replace “big” rear drive seal (there are two, this one’s leaking and covering the rim with gear oil)
Replace all fuel hoses (the ends are drying out…it’s time)
Change oil
Change transmission oil (Guzzis have a dry clutch and a separate transmission)
Change final drive oil (it’s shaft drive; no chain)
Set proper valve clearance
Replace rear tire tube with heavy duty MX tube (did this on the front already)
Set proper rear suspension sag, fully loaded (more on that here)
That’s pretty much it. I’ll keep you posted on the skid plate project. I’m most excited about that. Future posts will also deal with gear, luggage, packing lists, and to-do lists. I’m a list maker and I’ve broken my pre-trip to-do list down into four groups:
Things to do months before the trip (like, now)
Things to do weeks before the trip
Things to do days before the trip
And things to do the day before or immediately before on the day of the start of the trip
More on all that soon.
