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The Motobatt that came with my son’s Cagiva lived a hard life, due to non realization for a number of years that it was a LiPo and not AGM (sigh), and consequently was handled improperly. In the end when it came out, not only had it been abused pretty badly, but it was also realized that it was very undersized for the application in the 904cc duc according to motobatt. But you never would have known while using the bike, as it took it all in stride. Just had the usual LiPo thing where it would behave sluggishly when it got real cold-soaked. moral of the story remains more or less as one might think: in the midst of strong support for one side or the other on LiPo or AGM, when looking at overall behavior rather than just single data points, they both seem truly fine. The AGM seem to last longer when properly cared for, and some argue are easier to care for. But the LiPo’s are of course much lighter and smaller, probably won’t last as long but will last a good number of years with their version of “proper care”, which others argue (not inappropriately) is easier than AGM battery care. Like you noted early on, its quite like an oil thread, with lots of anecdotes from everyone about why one is better than the other. My experience has been that way... had that early bad experience with LiPo, leaving me stranded a couple times, and some wise old KTM techs supporting that LiPo was junk. But since that time a number of years ago, am now instead having very good success with LiPo, and lots of other folks supporting that reality/view, along with touting the light weight and size. I’ll offer based on my own narrow experience, that if a LiPo gets too low on Voltage, such as in an application that has a small parasite draw even when the bike is off, it seems they don’t like to come away happy from that experience, unlike the AGM which have great recovery techniques one can use (as Docc and others have nicely explored and laid out). In my ADV bike that lives out of state and for which i want the highest reliability and no surprises, I’ve stuck with Odyssey. For the bikes in the shop at home that get trotted out seasonally and that i mess with a lot more in my own shop, I’ve become fond of the LiPo’s for their easy in & out and light weight, and the fact that once you get a handle on how they work they really are very reliable. For what its worth, several Cagiva fans I know of in your neck of the woods (UK) have voiced strong support for Motobatt as a brand.

Over the past 10 years I have personally done 4-5 tanks for myself and a 2-3 for friends , Aprilia,Ducati,and Moto guzzi V-ll "Plastic" tanks( they are actually a Nylon formula if you read in depth on the subject on posts over the past 10-20 years on Ducati websites like " ducati ms)) tanks that were Swollen..a couple REALLY swollen so swollen you could barely get them off the frame, On all the ones I did I took them off for at least three or four months.. ( I have talked about it here before). I always did it over the winter months to not lose as much riding time..unless I had a spare tank.., I wash them well,pull the filler, and petcock, and internal pump.. then let them sit in my Wife's planting sun room for at least 3 months..and I stuck a cheap hair dryer in the filler hole and run it on high every couple days..after the three or four months I treat them with a "FULL"can of Caswell "Blood" sealer, making sure to reach all inside areas,( following their directions) and then let them dry another week before installing..they all shrunk and went back on easy peasy..and to date none of them have re-swollen as far as I know. One Aprilia "Factory tank"had multiple bubbles..I carefully heated the bubble with a heat gun, then used a needle and punctured the bubble and pressed it down hard with a thumb and re heated..that one I did 4-5 years ago and still looks good. So..FWW..thats my experience

Are you sure? There's a ton of info on the subject in here and I haven't read it all; but I was under the impression that it was the ethanol in the gas absorbing water,,, and the plastic in the tank absorbing that water that made them expand and unable to fit. I was sure that I had read that some people emptied the tanks for a while and they shrunk back to normal size and were then able to fit them on? idk

Mikko, I have some pretty nice rocker covers if your interested . Also have this unknown crossover that was on a Centauro, I'd throw that in free if you can use it.

Good to hear your hip is an old injury and not something more serious. As a general statement I'm amazed at people going in for joint replacements, esp knees and hips when they are carrying obvious extra body weight. I sat in wonder at a work function a while ago and listened to two work colleagues discussing their knees and the need of having the joints replaced and noted both were carrying around 15-20kg (around 45lbs) of extra body weight they didn't need. So every time you take a step you briefly carry full body weight on all the joints in one leg. Go and pick up 20kg and note the extra weight plus the impact effect and imagine the extra load on the leg joints when that extra weight is applied 5 or 6 thousand steps a day. I sat there thinking, before I wasted time and energy wondering about whether or not various foods like Tomato's etc made your knees feel worse and dreading knee replacements I'd try dropping 20 or so KG and see how your leg joints feel first before having expensive and invasive operations. Even the side affects of old injuries can be mitigated by keeping weight under control and lessening the stress on an injured joint. My wife recently had a hip replaced but that was due to damage caused by Rheumatoid Arthritis and running combined so I'm aware of those considerations. It's just food for thought is all I'm saying. Ciao

I thought I'd provide a follow up. The leg stretches have worked well. Instead of frequent charlie horses, I may get one a week and can usually stretch it while lying down. The B12 didn't seem to help. So I have good days and slow days working out. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I've also gotten a few more aches and pains. Right achilles, Right Hip, back and left thumb. Since a riding buddy is a physical therapist, he did a couple of checks, told me to get an xray on the hip (which barely hurts BTW, only a slight "tinge" on occasion). Well, that lead me down a rabbit hole. The therapy for the hip, and achilles is pretty easy, can't tell if it's helping much but neither hurt much in the first place. But the Xray revealed some type of lesion that lead to an MRI. After the MRI, I get a referral to a surgeon! Now, I am really sweating it for a couple of weeks, thinking I might have a tumor. My GP says that the surgeon removes lots of benign growths- I don't find that answer comforting at all. OK, so I finally see the surgeon. She said I'm fine. I have an old injury that broke off a piece of bone and muscle about an inch and half long. Wheeeew! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> In so far as my thumb. That was nagging me the most. My PT riding buddy had me go to another PT. She made a custom "splint" for me. Gave me several hand exercises. It's helped a lot but still can nag me at odd times. BTW- DON'T squeeze a ball if you have thumb pain.

The Yuasa 'made in USA' are, i believe, made in the same factory as Hawker Odyssey's. My 2008 Stelvio's day one factory original Yuasa battery was still perfect when i sold the bike last year, no special treatment, no trickle charger just luck!

Somehow they managed to hold The One Show this year despite all of the restrictions. Limited crowds just meant you had more room to look at bikes. My brother and I were analyzing the Cafe Sport and got to talk to the owner. He lives south of Portland (I have a feeling there were more local bikes than usual this year). He said the bike was quite corroded when he got it (I assume it came from the coast) and he took it apart. Well, he did a damn fine job putting it back together. I need to find an abandoned Cafe Sport just to steal the suspension off it. I hope he sees this post and provides more details. I'll post a few photos and then provide a link to the photo dump. https://imgur.com/gallery/jfYuuar

Great pics, thanks. What a fine collection of motorbikes. Interesting observation about the Cub drawing a crowd. Restoring small bikes takes about the same amount of work as larger bikes that command higher prices when finished. So IMO, the small bikes represent true passion, where the vintage desmos and MVs might be seen as investment-grade restorations. Also, a lot of people start our on small bikes, so there is a personal nostalgia factor. My first bike was a Honda CB350-Four. I always look fondly on them when I see them. And... small bikes are fun. Like that saying goes - "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow." My Yamaha TW200 is actually a lot of fun - if you're not in a hurry.

They did that.. Stuchi is the hot setup.. Don't bad mouth it too much, that powerplant rocks. Be prepared to do some fiddling to get it running correctly. Of course, have a look at the oil pump.

True, if I seemed a little disappointed it’s only because I could have bought a much better conditioned bike for the same $$ I don’t feel as bad taking this one apart now. I should be able to get some money back selling off the parts I don’t need. It is cool tooling around in a 4v... too bad your average man on the street has no clue what that is.. most of the time it’s “A guzzi! Annnd stories about how back in the 70’s.....”

Replaced the Motobatt MBTX12U in my greenie today with a PC545 Odyssey that I had on the shelf that was intended for my LeMans when that goes back on the road. Surprised to see that the Motobatt claims a CCA of 200 amps compared to 150 for the Odyssey. I still need to buy a new battery, still unsure about going away from AGM / gel, so am going to look into Yuasa’s AGM offerings

I spent about 10 minutes looking at various threads about batteries- then just went to the local and got the stock Yuasa as well. battery tech has improved in 20 years, but.. if it works it works.

Roper sloppage plate, LP extender, and Scud's spring. All finally in. And new rubber too!

I can also attest for Seal Mate. Fixed fork leaks on my VFR and Monster S4R in the past 3 years. Seems to be true that most fork leaks are caused by small debris that gets up in your seal. Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

FWIW, cramping (spontaneous myospasm) is a function of electrolyte (mineral) deficiency or imbalance often exacerbated by mineral loss from exertion, heat/humidity exposure, prescription hyertension medications ("blood pressure pills"), prescription diuretics ("water pills"), dietary diuretics (coffee, alcohol), and subclinical dehydration (not enough water intake). While potassium is one of the mineral electrolytes, magnesium is also involved as are others, including sodium, manganese, chromium, selenium, etc. Often, branded supplements will contain their "title" content (B-complex or C), but also some electrolytes causing one to assume it is the "title" content providing the outcome. An example is the product "Emergen-C", a drink mix that contains a broad spectrum electrolyte effective for cramp control in many cases. It is not the Vitamin C that affects the cramping, but the electrolytes. Seek a broad spectrum electrolyte capsule and be aware that too much magnesium yields laxative effects. Be aware that B-complex vitamins (not so much B-12) stimulate the energy metabolism and should be avoided late in the day lest they lead to a bad night's sleep and a grumpy tomorrow . . .

Cymru is Wales, in Welsh. Dunno about exotic, but it's a great country. Took up mountain biking about 8years ago & despite the years, never been so fit! Try the hip flexor stretches!

OEM Part Name: Fuse Block Moto Guzzi Part Number: GU01743030 Replacement Part Brand or Source: ATC & ATO available at Del City (see attached photo) $11 Part number or other identifier: "ATC & ATO Block - 8 way" Comments:. This is the exact OEM fuse block that Guzzi used in my 03 Le Mans

Ok, I just installed my tank after being completely dry and off the bike for 7-8 weeks. Nearly all the elongation had gone. The nut had to be slid all the way to the rear but no pressure was needed to align the bolt. There is a nice gap between the tank and the rear cowl. So they can "recover" in time when emptied. How much time? It seems like the heat of the summer storage helped it recover more, and faster than my winter experience with the tank off.

No , fill it FULL and try doing this .