JRD

That particular RAM mount comes with an assortment of different size fittings which go down inside the steering head tube and when compressed as the allen head screw is tightened, flare out locking the mount in place. I cant recall why ended up using the small piece of fuel line sandwhiched between a flat washer instead of the supplied fittings. But it has worked great. I have the pictures on my phone of the installed mount, and completed assembly with the GPS. pm me your phone number and I will be glad to send them to you. Jerry

I foresee a hammer in this picture

Dave, that is the RAM mount I have on my '02 LeMans, (the one going thru the center plug). Works great with the 4" arm to the GPS cradle. I just used a very small screw driver to pop the center plug off the steering head bolt assembly. Then, instead of using one of the RAM compression inserts, I used a very small piece of 3/8" fuel line aprox 1/2" long inside the steering head tube. When I tightened the small allen head screw it compresed and flared the fuel line enough to hold the mount in place. Been on there for two years now without any problems.

Ok, for all you non-believers(Scud), check out ADVRider. Day Trippin, Two Wheels of Suchess. Seems to be a pretty nice picture of a LeMans posted there. Jerry

Wow, where has the past month gone?! Did the fly and ride, came home and got busy with the "honey do list" and started making plans for the ride to Nova Scotia. Sorted an electrical issue with the fuses. Went hunting wild hogs in North Florida with my son and grandson. Back home with just enough time to load the car and head to our cabin up in Hiawassee, North Georgia. Headed back to Florida this weekend where the bike and my camera are located. Will post pictures when we get back. Jerry

Took the beast for a nice 110 mile ride thru the North Georgia mountain roads. From Hiawassee over thru Wolfpen Gap to Suchess only to find Two Wheels of Suchess closed. Not a problem as a few other bikers came drifting in. From there took Ga. Hwy60 north up to Morgantown then east on Hwy76 back to Hiawassee and home. Cloudy, overcast with a threat of rain but it FELT SOOO GOOD to be out on the LeMans for the first time in months. Hardly any traffic and some of the best twisty roads thru the mountains, whats not to like! Jerry

Chuck- I was told that you should also check and or re-seat the valves when replacing the rings. The increased compression with the new rings would cause the valve to seat contact area to wear faster. What are your experiences, advice? Jerry

" is it OK to invite non-Guzzi riding friends?".......As long as it's not a potato-potato sounding bike Just joking, They even let some guy riding a Honda join in the fun a couple years ago! Im already planning to attend this years event. Trying to convince a couple buddies to join us.

Czakky- "the Vincent might be doable". Silly boy! @ $7-9K for the Coppa, you could buy 6 Coppas for the cost of ONE Vincent!!! A friend in Safety Harbor has a Vincent and rides it to the Quaker Steak and Lube by my house on Bike Night. Amazing how many people walk past not realizing how rare they are. Almost as rare as Guzzis.

Guzzidude- Im over in Clearwater and will be glad to help. Just playin it back as czakky was so helpful, before he moved to the Arctic! When I bought my '02LM my bike had very similar symptoms. We ended up settings the valves @.006I/.008E, made a minor adjustment to the TPI, balanced the throttle bodies and WOW, world of difference. You might also give your throttle bodies a good cleaning, we could not believe the varnish and crap that came out of mine with just 3,000 miles on the bike! Dont waste your money on a Dynojet and I really dont think re-mapping is necessary with stock/modified cans. I am running, Stucchi cross-over (thanks Ken), Mistral carbon cans with stock mapping, K&N filter and no problems. Once you get the valves adjusted and T/B's balanced you should be good to go. Feel free to send a pm and I will provide my phone number if that will help. Jerry

At Wayne's suggestion I replaced the 15 amp fuse on the MPH S/I Fix with a 20 amp and will try that for awhile. If that blows I plan removing the starter again and having the solenoid checked out thinking there may be some corrosion on the contacts from age/lack of use. Thanks so much for your help. Jerry

EYUP!!! Having been thoroughly been indoctrinated into the strange often dark times of Guzzi ownership with my LeMans, I tried to do a systematic check of all the things in the starter circuit that could go wrong. The only thing I havent checked and cleaned so far is the ignition switch. Just did more research on the W/G Forum and some folks recommend a 20 amp fuse in the starter circuit in place of the 15amp that keeps popping. Im going to try without that pig-tail for a few and see how it works out. If I have starter problems again I'll try the pig-tail with a 20amp fuse next.

I posted over on the "wildgoose chase forum" but I thought I would check here also. The previous and original owner of my new to me '08 Norge with 10,500 miles was very patient and went over everything on the bike including pointing out that he had installed an MPH Startus Interruptus fused,(15amp), pig-tail as a preventive measure after reading that many of the newer bikes suffer electrical problems. The bike ran great on the ride home and never indicated any problems re-starting during my 4 gas stops. Recently it has begun blowing the fuse in the pig-tail. I turn the ignition "on", wait for the needles and gauges to reset, then almost immediately after I hit the starter button the 15 amp fuse in the pig-tail blows. When I replace the blown fuse the bike immediately starts and runs fine. When I return home I turn the ignition off and restart the bike 6 or 7 times without a problem. I removed and cleaned all the cable ends and battery terminals as well as inspecting the connections at the solenoid and starter which appear to be like brand new with no signs of corrosion or damage. The bike was always stored indoors out of the weather. Checking the Odessey battery I get 13V with ignition off, 12.8 with ignition "on", and 10.8 when I hit the starter button. Down at the starter I get 12.7 with the ignition on, and 10.6-7 when I hit the starter. The pig-tail consists of two plugs, one male end that plugs into harness plug previously occupied by the starter relay, one female which the relay is now plugged into, and four heavier gauge wires, 12ga. red, black, blue and a fused orange that connects directly to the battery (+) terminal on one end, and entering the female plug on the other end. The orange wire with the 15 amp fuse is the fuse that occasionally blows. What concerns me is the 16-18ga wires in the starting circuit from the pig-tail down to the starter solenoid as well as the main harness. It seems rather light for the sudden load placed on it when the ignition circuit is opened. At the advice of a friend I have removed the pig-tail and installed the relay in its original position to see if that alleviates the problem. Most frustrating is this problem is inconsistent. It does not do this every time I ride or start the bike. Looking for suggestions here. Thanks in advance. Jerry

Scud- Looking forward to a report on how the new shoes handle in the rain. Im going to need a new set before I head out on an upcoming trip with the Norge. Our trip will be up the Blue Ridge Parkway and work our way over into Maine. Lots of mountains and I am willing to bet money we will see wet roads. Jerry

While helping spend a friends money finding him a new ride, I found a pristine '08 Norge on Craigslist. First time I ever did a "fly and ride". Flew from Tampa, Fl. up to Pensacola, Fl., did the deal and rode the close to 500 miles back to Clearwater. Bike ran great and had a completely enjoyable ride. Good lord how these Eye-Talian motor cycles start to multiply in the garage! The new bike feels right at home with her cousin the Aprilia Milie and brother LeMans. So many bikes, so little time!

Can't believe it took 7 pages to find that... you guys are extremely patient for not banishing me! Oh, you didnt get the memo? Glad you got her fixed!!!!! Jerry

Awesome write up Chuck, and thank you so much for taking the time to photograph the procedure step by step. I am a "visual learner" and it helps so much to see an actual photograph of something as it is being explained. Im guessing the procedure will pretty much be the same for the Showa forks? Jerry

Leaks? Those arent leaks. Obviously you have never owned a British bike.....or Harley!!!!!

I think Scud is THE Guzzi wrench. Not one, not two, but THREE hammers in one photo!!!!!

Better hurry up Bill, only six more weeks of winter

This is a timely post as several friends and I are currently making plans for an extended ride later this year up the east coast. I have Michelin PR4's on the bike right now and have been very happy with the handling and wear with about 4,000 miles on them so far. Although there is plenty of tread left and they MAY make the entire round trip as we plan on using the Auto-Train for part of the trip which will shave wear miles, I still plan on buying and installing a new set before we leave. One thing to consider, on a longer trip like that you are more than likely going to be carrying a heavier load with camping gear, possibly a passenger and running on some interstates at higher speeds which will increase the wear considerably. Hopefully Andy York will chime in with suggestions as he has the most mileage on his LM of anyone else on the forum that I know of. But Docc is trying his best to catch up!!! Jerry

Have those pics been re-touched.....I dont see any hammers

We have been at our place in North Georgia for the past couple weeks with temps having hovered in the 30's and 40's. Mother nature even treated us this past Saturday evening dropping just over an inch of snow. Have seen deer while walking and had two fox in our front yard last night eating of all things, the peanuts we put out for the squirrels. Unfortunately its time to head back home to Florida and put up with all the snow birds. BUT, today dawned bright, sunny AND WARM!!! Temps got up around 60 F so time to take the LeMans for a spin. Went for a forty some mile spin around Lake Chautug and it felt SOOOOO GOOD !!!!! Parked back in the garage with a full tank of fresh ethanol free go juice, a soft warm blanket and cover, patiently awaiting spring time. Truly blessed and never take it for granted.

Big Block- While at this years Southern Spine Raid we check the CO level on my bike. Showed a +10 and I still get 41-42MPG so dont be afraid to go just a tad on the rich side. These big bore twins like the fuel! I have a stock air box, K&N filter, Stucchi cross over (Thanks Ken!), and Mistral carbon cans that may or may not have the db inserts depending on my mood.

Remo, thanks so much for posting the photos. Both of my wifes grandparents immigrated from Italy to America. Mothers side of the family from Naples and fathers side from Palermo. We have discussed the possibility of a vacation to Italy many times. Unfortunately my Italian is limited to "pizza, pasta, vino". Hopefully next year-2018 will be the year. Jerry