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More of a ward, no? "Let's ask the other inmates on the ward if we really are crazy . . ."

2004 V11 Lemans 76K miles. Was headed to the Kentucky Guzzi rally last Thursday In Frankfort and voltmeter I added a couple years ago indicated the charging system was fading away. Was hoping to get to a town before it died altogether as I was out in the middle of nowhere. Voltmeter flashes when it drops to 11.8 volts and I was surprised how soon the bike quit after that. Luckily the cell phone got a signal and was able to contact guys at rally so they came the 80 miles to get me with a trailer. After removing fairing and troubleshooting in the campground, the connector that the 2 yellow wires are in had overheated and fused together. Took 2 pair of pliers to persuade it to separate. Cleaned best we could and removed burned plastic, tightened the terminals, and applied caig deoxit electrical magic. Made it the 300 miles home Sunday charging better than it has since I added the voltmeter. Need to cut out the connector and replace with individual disconnects for permanent fix. Any recommendations as to what type of disconnect terminals I should use?

Ok, that's it for the Guzzis Pre-unit Triumph engine only. Don't care if it's a wide or slimline Featherbed frame. I should stop there before I get carried away.

Thanks for the posted info.I ordered mine just now,I got free shippin+I learned where the arse end of nowhere is in AUZ

I am! And I’m ready for seconds! Seriously, you guys have really helped me out. Thanks to your generosity in indulging my queries I feel pretty good about all of this.

Thank you, docc. Man, I have learned more from you guys in a few days than I ever knew during the years of riding my old 850T back in the day. It’s like the Oracle of Lake Como!

(Early V11don't have the O-rings, but AN fittings. Which should also be fine on the swap as long as they are not over tightened by some knuckle-dragging Neanderthal . . . )

The o-rings seal the pipes on the oil filter/OPRV valve. Normally they will still be malleable and undamaged so they can simply be re-used but hey? They're o-rings and cost pennies. Might as well do them if you remember to order them. Pete

We remove them and the 20 feet of hoses that cause vacuum leaks, and dispose of them in an environmentally correct manner. Plug the nipples the hoses were hooked to, and you're good to go.

My bike had bullet connectors on those two yellow wires, and after they melted and fused, I cut them off, slid on some heat shrink sleeve, fitted crimp connectors, applied DC4 dielectric grease (any grease is better than nothing) , and shrunk the heat shrink sleeve so the grease squeezed out each end. The joints have been trouble free ever since. The wiring is in a hostile environment with tire spray, and heat/cool cycles. You will need to cut the crimps if you want to remove the engine or alternator stator in the future, but the yellow wires were much too long so that would be no problem. The reason the connectors melted was because of resistance in the connector caused by corrosion in the joint. Water, salt, oxygen, make the connection corrode, so the resistance goes up. Joules law says heat in a connection equals current squared times resistance. Say 10 amps through 2 ohms gives 200 watts of heat. 10x10x2=200W. That's more than enough to melt the connectors. We often see the same in the 30 amp fuse melting. Clean and sealed connectors can last, if water and oxygen are excluded.

In Durango, bike running sweet, and many happy smiles/curves behind me. Route 64 between Taos and Chama is not to be missed if in the area, myself only getting to it by accident after missing a turn and not noticing for too long, causing that excellent re-route. still not good idling, and that 3000-ish rpm stumble, and worse than it was a week ago, but as of a week ago she had been mostly sitting for a long time, so thinking the use/miles are getting things stretched and worked, which is good, but likely means a handful of adjustments later.

Welcome, Kane, from another new guy. Although only recently becoming a Guzzi owner myself, I long ago formed the opinion that Guzzis are not so much a motorcycle as they are a project which involves a motorcycle. Maybe better stated is that they are an adventure involving a motorcycle. Not in the "Then Came Bronson" genré, but then again... Being long of tooth and having cheated death various times in recent memory, I came to the conclusion that if I was to own one, I'd better buy one, and relatively soon. Was looking at an '02 LeMans because, I posted at that time, "no one was selling a Ballabio." Never went to see it, as it was about three hours away. Well, my hesitation was well-timed, as an '04 Ballabio came up on CL. Also three hours away, but I went to see it. I was seduced by the Italian siren wearing red, as I bought it without even riding it. The sheer redness of it all, as well as the music emanating from the Staintunes weakened my resolve. I pulled the trigger. And, as docc said, I am now in the process of making it just so. Am also refreshing my memory of Italian curse words that I earned from my neighbors as a child. As you noted, forum members here most likely know more about Guzzis than Guzzi does. Bottom line: It's not so much ownership as it is a relationship.

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He's off at the Ragged Fringe Rally this weekend so if he doesn't get back to you immediately just be patient. He will reply.

Not sure about the details. I think I read about big resistors bolted to the pegs resp. the carriers

The OEM Ducati Energia didn't send Amps to ground, it just let the circuit go open circuit.

I wish I were smart enough to make a video . It would have to be in subtitles to conceal the Beverly Hillbillies accent . Maybe dubbed by Patrick Stewart ?

Excellent! I reckon even I could do that!