Garsdad

I started with a Vetter helmet- cheap. Had a friend who rode a long time. He said he had been down 7 times in Paris traffic- all but once he smacked the pavement with his face. I have always used a full-face helmet. I only buy ones with the crush foam in the chin bar, and that fit well enough to keep my face from contacting the chin bar in all but the worst direct hit. I have an Arai now, but after the articles I read, I will be looking elsewhere for my next lid. I don't ride at 100+ very much, and my most likely impact is going to be in the 50-mph range I am stuck commuting in. I want a helmet that will better protect me from what I am probably going to face, not one good for a guardrail hit at 150mph that I will never have. In the "old days" people used to want their cars built like tanks. If you could hit another car at 30 mph and have only a scratch on the bumper, that was something to be proud of. All that pride did wonders for your back, neck, and shoulders. The reason people survive horrendous wrecks today is because we discovered crumple zones. They reduce the g-forces on your body during impact. A helmet that crushes a bit at 45-mph and 2g's will save my brain more than one that won't start to deform until 4 g's or higher. Interestingly, most of the helmets tested that reduced the g-load at slower speed impacts performed well at higher speeds, too. The only area of concern would be multiple hits to the same region of the head. Again, not highly likely. The reason the GP riders all wear Snell- 1) they are going very fast all the time, and need the maximum high-speed protection they can get. I'm not likely to ever get the Tenni up to 130 mph, and they corner there. 2) They wear what they are paid to wear. Rossi et al make a shitload of money for wearing the gear they wear. I don't expect a guy driving a race car to have the same gear I wear driving to work; I don't expect the guy racing the bike to wear the same stuff I do riding to work. The differences in probable impacts are just too huge for it to make sense. Just my 2 cents, take it for what its worth. I'm gong to be replacing the Arai soon... can someone get me a Euro-spec Arai? I love the way it fits, and how quiet it is. If only it would do the best job of protecting my brain...

Can't comment on the schools. Can comment on the income potential. I have cousins with a very successful BMW shop. Lots of service work. Have a master tech, pay him six figures. He is worth every penny. Whatever you choose to do in life, do it better than anyone else you know. Before I got too far into the process, I would decide where I wanted to work, and then ask them what kind of training they would require. It would suck to invest the time, money, and energy into something only to find out that you should have been doing something else all along.

Paul: I can certainly understand the desire to find something "local" but don't rule out a short (under 1,000 miles) trip to get your dream bike. I found my Tenni in Fresno, California and I live in Portland, Oregon. I didn't come straight home, but the maiden voyage for me was about 800 miles and it was great. I bonded with the bike, she didn't let me down on the trip, and I got a cool adventure out of the deal. Find a cheap flight/bus ride/train and go get her and ride her home. People in the security line at the airport look at you funny when you board a plane with a helmet handy, but who gives a poop? So, expand your search to 500 or even 1000 miles, block out a long weekend (labor day is not too far away, Dude!) and go get her. Ryan

I have some carpal issues and ulnar nerve issues, so I was worried when I flew to Sacramento to pick up the Tenni. I couldn't afford the Throttlemeister, so I bought a rocker and went with that. It worked pretty well, but I had to learn how to go about setting it in the right place without hitting the kill switch, and mine also came off in my hand while going through some sweepers on I-5 at night. I think I will still add a lock at some point, as my wrist are getting worse and I don't feel like I can grab the brake well enough with that numb club at the end of my arm that my hand becomes after an hour. Then again, I meet with the doctor on Friday to discuss alternatives... like surgery. After that, I may not need anything at all.

My Tenni was out of warranty when I bought it... any chance of getting a soft luggage kit out of MG anyway? I have the wonderful bubbling paint...

Don't most of these guys ride I-4 motors? The case is narrow front to back, so there can't be that much "slop" under a wheelie or stoppie, because it has no where to go. If you could corner sufficiently hard without a coresponding lean to the bike, I bet you could slop it sideways, but since the bike has to lean to turn, that is not a problem, either. It's just that great big pan routed north/south that allows for so much movement of the oil.

I'm old enough to remember Anna Nicole before she got fat... don't need any of Tex's special help. Really. Please, it's OK.

Gee, I read "extremely full figured" and thought he was referring to her nice jugs... Then again, I too am stricken with the Tenni sickness. I am visiting my cousins with the BMW dealership this weekend, and trying to see how I can make a "life's too short for droopy jugs" t-shirt to wear when I am there...

Pete: Dude, you rock. I am a fairly proficient mechanic, but I still marvel at how you are able to take a fairly complex process and break it down. I "know this stuff" but enjoy your post and certainly learn a little something every time I read them. Besides, I know the general theory as it applies in automotive applications; you bring it down to a Guzzi-specific level that is of great help. I can read your description and see in my mind what is going where inside the cases. Thank you for your effort. Ryan

Related but unrelated... My son has a GS500 (his first bike, soon to be replaced by an SV650- can't get him to switch to a Guzzi) and it had many many "previous owner induced" problems right after he got it. Among them, the choke cable was mis-routed and had broken. I tried making a new cable end for it, but the sheath was broken in two places so it would pull open, just not push closed. No problem- I looped a zip-tie through one end of the choke mechanism and told him just pull it gently when you start the bike... works great! Of course, now that the burned valves have been replaced, the carbs properly synched, adjusted, and jetted to match the aftermarket pipe/airbox/filter combo (see what I mean about the previous owner?) and the valves properly adjusted, it starts much easier anyway.

In Rush Hour, Chris Tucker jumps on a Guzzi, and the sound coming from it has two too many cylinders making it. If they had any sense, they would use the Guzzi music for all other bike sounds!

piston, mains, ??? will it move backwards? can you move it with the clutch pulled in? Oh, the fun and joy...

It's probably on another thread, but what is the expected cost?

I'm guessing that unless a deeper sump also included a longer pickup tube, you would just have a bigger pool of worthless oil at the back of the sump. Do any of the extended sump pans available include a longer pickup, or do they simply increase capacity?

I'm a little bit cheesed about this one... 1700 miles on the bike.

The real fun was finding a level place to put it far, far away from where we were lighting off fireworks!

It's the external filter, and all is well there. I checked at the petcock, and the wires for the fuel level sensor. The wires were wet with fuel, but it was coming from above them. There are two other hoses under there, one that goes to the tip-over valve (that doesn't seem to be attached to anything) and the other that goes??? I guess I will disconnect everything and take the tank all the way off and then re-connect it all again. It is just such a pain in the ass- I can't make the last connection at the tank, since I can't see or get my hand up there once the tank is lowered to a point that the hoses will reach it, and with the tank in place routing the hoses is interesting at best. I think I will drain the tank for now, and tackle this project next week. Might as will do this and check the shift return spring issue at the same time. I also have to push the locating arm for the bevel box back onto the bushing (or more correctly press the busing back into the arm) since it currently rubs against the box. Is this a common problem, and if so, what is the cure? Thanks, Ryan

Fueled the Tenni on the fourth of July, and went to a bar-b-que at a friend's house. Parked on the street, and came out later to show them the bike. There was a rather steady drip of fuel running down the inside of the tank (the side that straddles the frame) and onto the engine. I moved the bike to a flatter location, and it seemed to help. Thought I just had gas going through the vent line. Rode it home, and the total miles from the gas station to their house and home should have burned enough fuel to stop it, especially on the flat of my garage. Well, it didn't. Last night, I lifted the tank to see what I could see (next to nothing) and cleaned the fuel off the tank, airbox, etc. Placed a small block of wood under the sidestand to level it off more, and thought I was OK. Today, there is a small puddle of gas under the bike. If the vent were leaking, wouldn't the gas be running out the bottom of the vent tube, instead of running down the underside of the tank? even if the tube had a leak, wouldn't the majority of fuel still make it all the way down? What else should I look for? I guess I will have to take the tank all the way off and make sure everything is properly attached. Any other hints? Thanks, Ryan

Wow. The only good thing about this post is it shows how narrow-minded and Euro-centric she is, and I know to not waste time reading her post in the future... there is no redeeming value in them, or her, at all.

Here is a great, twisted route with some decent scenery along the way. From Hwy 26 at Elsie, turn South on Foss Road. It winds along the Nehalem River all the way to Hwy 101 just North of Wheeler. I have not been on it in several years, but I had a grin a mile wide after hustling my Chevelle over it. If you don't mind a little bit of rough pavement, Hwy 202 out of Astoria to Jewell and Hwy 26 is kinda fun. Once you hit 26, turn right (West) for the short run to Foss Rd. If you cross into Oregon from Washington at Longview, it is a short ride West along Hwy 30 to Hwy 47. Take 47 South to the Vernonia-Nehalem Hwy just south of Vernonia, which will put you back on 26 a little further west than staying on 47. Avoid Hwy 18. It is heavily patroled, boring, and has a lot of head-on accidents. 34 is OK. 126 has some great sweepers between Florence and Eugene, or break north on 36 after Mapleton and instead of going to Eugene you hit Hwy 99 just south of Junction City. If you can get far enough South, the Redwood Hwy is really cool (199) and runs from Grants Pass through California to Eureka. Benchmark Maps puts out the Oregon Road and Recreation Atlas (among other states- we have Washington and California, too) that show a great deal more detail than a standard atlas. Depending on whether you are heading North or South, there are so many options that you will never see in a Rand-McNally atlas. The state police are forgiving up to 11 mph over the limit- the county guys? Depends on the budget of the county... Even Al Gore got a ticket here! Be safe, and enjoy the playground. Ryan

Dudes, it is not a matter of "cheaping out" as the AMS stuff is $11 a quart. I can't find Redline locally, and I have an entire week off next week (between jobs- love it when they say 'we'd rather pay you for your notice and have you leave right away' so I can't steal a client list I won't need anyway) and I want to get this out of the way before she breaks. I don't want to have to wait a week to get it shipped from Summit or ??? Does anyone in the Portland, Oregon area know of a store that carries it? I'll try Baxter's tomorrow, but I got shot down everywhere I tried today.

I have not found any information on AMS oil here- I can't find Redline Heavy shock, and I am about to do my shift spring and change the oil in the tranny. I can get (have bought, actually) some AMSoil Severe Duty but I wondered if anyone had any experience with this in a 6-speed LeMans. Thanks... please don't kill me- inquiring minds want to know. Ryan

I only have the suede seat for the Tenni, and I would like a stock seat to go with it so it doesn't get ruined in the Oregon rain. Got one cheap? Ryan

I loosened the two bolts that attatch it to the frame, removed the one support at the head, and had no trouble getting to everything. Ryan

That caugth my eye, too... maybe THAT's the reason their numbers are different from the rest of the world... they are using the wrong formula! Since you can measure torque and compute HP, try subbing the numbers and see what you get... at about 7650rpm, you show 60 ft-lbs torque, so HP should be 87 at this point.