Dr Gil

LOL...by asking that question shows you don't know about Daniel Kalal. Go HERE for more info.

Works just fine here in Northern California Paul I just had to take the opportunity to watch and listen to that Guzzi go around the track just one more time...ah, music to my ears. Download speeds were fine, faster than most slower than some.

I am interested in your stock Le Mans windscreen. I need one and MPH Cycles tells me they are on "back order" and I've no idea when it will be available. Please PM me with your asking price.

I voted Joan Jett...My bike, like me is an aging rocker. It simply doesn't get better than that.

I crashed my '02 Le Mans a while back and am starting the re-build. I lost both the front and back, left-side turn signals and the left side mirror in the accident. I was told that Buell makes a great substitute for the original parts at a fraction of the cost. I've done the "search" here for threads helping me through adapting these parts to my bike but am nothing but confused I've taken my broken bits down to the Harley shop and had them match them. The closest they come up with don't really match and will need modification. Here's what I'm up against. Mirrors: I got Buell part # NO162.02A8 (righthand) and NO161.02A8 (lefthand). These are almost exact matches to the originals but with longer threaded bolts...which means I'm going to have to fabricate 1/4" spacers to make them fit. I see from my online search that there are mirrors with a "curved" stalk from a Firebolt that may suit better. Anyone know anything about the differences? Am I still going to have to make spacers? I hate making spacers Signals: I got signals from the new Ulysees (sp?) offroad bike. Part #'s Y0503.02A8 for the LH Front/RH Rear and Y0504.02A8 for the RH Front/LH Rear. While these look right the base's are all wrong. The mounting doesn't match and I'd have to fabricate some sort of funky insert to cover one of the mounting holes on the Guzzi and drill out the other to fit the single mount required by the Buell light. I also hate drilling into my beloved Guzzi's fairing So where am I going wrong? Are there other Buell parts that would suit my quest better? Or am I stuck with, if I want things to fit correctly then I'd best bite the bullet, spend the dollars and get OEM? Any and all advice/help/experience/suggestions will be MUCH appreciated.

Add me to the Buell choice. I recently slid my Le Mans down the asphalt and have to replace most of the left hand side. To replace ONE Guzzi turnsignal (front and back are the same price) was $59.61 (entire assembly not just the lens). The same part from Buell is $23.70 and is actually a better product (soft rubber, flexable stem rather than the hard plastic Guzzi stem). I am replacing ALL four of my signals with the Buell products and am still coming out ahead.

You know, I've never really trusted the Germans to appreciate fine Italian styling anyway so this comes as no surprise to me. IMHO this is one drop-dead, gorgeous machine. REGOLE DI GUZZI!

UPDATE: Yesterday I spent the morning entertaining the insurance adjuster while he appraised my ’02 Le Mans. After hemming-and hawing over the bike he pretty much agrees with me that basically it's straight...but the insurance company is surely going to total it. Things like a pair of small (buff-able to my way of thinking) scratches on the fuel tank means that it must be replaced, etc. No problem. Depending on the value of the bike and the payoff we settle on I'm thinking (at least for this 10 minute period...it changes) that I'm going to repair the Le Mans. What better way to get to really know my bike So then, I need to start checking on the availability of parts. In an effort to save $$$ I’m planning (instead of buying all brand-spanking-new genuine Guzzi parts) to substitute either Buell , aftermarket (I'm thinking of "cleaning up" the ruined tail section) or used parts. I've posted a listing of things I'm going to need HERE.. So if anyone has any spares of the parts I need or that they no longer require please PM me here or email to (drgil@pacbell.net) and let me know what you've got. Thanks in advance, Gil

With my Le Mans perhaps down for the count after the crash I'm seriously tempted to at least put a lowball bid on this bike. It's a beauty, I'm in need and it seems a steal if it stays in the current price range. Am I wrong?

So I've gotten tired of waiting for the insurance adjuster to show up and have started peeling off the broken bits of the Le Mans. I figured both he/she and I would need to take a peek beneath the beat up pieces of fairning anyway. The bike took a bad 200 foot slide down the asphalt but no took no tumbles and hit nothing. It looks to my inexperienced eye as though most all (with the exception of the "fork base" (the lower triple tree...my steering stops are WAY too wide on a right turn currently) are simply "bolt-off/bolt-on" sort of repairs. The frame, forks, engine (except for the valve cover and guard) and wheels look perfect! I'm thinking of taking this oportunity to replace all the destroyed "messy" parts of the rear end with the "cleaned up" Kelly Baker version that Al R had done to his (it's in the FAQ's). I'm still pondering what to do with the exhausts however. It looks to me like the whole system is shoved to the right. I'm tempted to just "shove left" and see what happens. In reality though I think I can actually replace the whole exhaust system with some stuff I've seen in the online forums (including here) for what it would cost me for one OEM exhaust can. Of course this would have to wait until I heal up a bit more and actually have the strength to "shove."

Thanks to all for their input. It's going to take me awhile to digest all this info and to poke around these websites but the insurance people are moving slower than I'd like so I seem to have some time on my hands to deal with things. I'm starting to get a good feeling about being able to bring my Le Mans back from this crash.

I'm starting to feel a bit better physically after my crash. In fact I’m feeling well enough to start thinking about getting the Le Mans back on the road. I'm still waiting on the insurance adjuster to make up his mind what he's going to do (can't even get anyone to look at the bike to assess the damage...nearest dealership is 250 miles away). I'm thinking they will feel that even though the bike is straight (just my impression and I'm no expert) that replacing the plastics and other mostly cosmetic stuff will total it. So I'm starting to shop around and get some prices on parts I know I will need. Herein lies my problem. Like I mentioned I'm in a remote area of northern California and am depending the computer for most of my research. I'm coming up with almost NO sites with parts/price lists for stock Le Mans parts. The better ones I'm seeing all seem to be European with no English translation. I'm pretty much in over my head to start with and having to use Alta Vista's Babelfish to translate is putting a serious crimp in my progress. So would would be wonderful is if some of you could suggest online sources for parts. I don't always know the specific names of the parts I require so best is lists that I can sift through with prices. This way I can get an approximate idea of what bringing the beloved Guzzi back to life will cost me (I went out and started it for the first time today...couldn't use the choke, broken, but it bless it's heart it started right up and ran STRONG!) I know I need the tail section fairing, the front left portion of the front fairing, windshield, left hand front and back turn signals, left clip-on, etc. Anyone have a list of sites that might be of use? thanks in advance, Gilberto

I went out to the garage this afternoon to look at the Le Mans for the first time since we brought it home from the crash. My brother-in-law Daniel Kalal emailed me to ask about how the battery had fared in the crash and that I probably really didn't want it leaking all over my electronics. His gentle prodding helped snap me out of the funk I've been in since the crash and I figured it was high time for me to face the music. The good news is that the bike isn't as bad off as I had originally thought. Sure it's a mess. ALL the plastics are trashed. My recently acquired stock exhausts are totally beat up. The left hand clipon is bent 90 degrees, etc. But all the damage that I can see is just "take off the damaged part and bolt on new stuff” sort of repair. And with the exception of the plastics the damage is only on the left side. The seat will have to go back to Rich Maund for repair (it was my first ride on his new seat and it's one of the things I feel the worse about). Of course I will still need someone more knowledgeable than I to look at the engine (the left cylinder hit pretty hard and banged up the valve cover and destroyed the guard), the forks (look unscathed) and mostly I worry about the frame. But I have my fingers crossed and am hoping for the best. Tomorrow I contact my insurance guys and find out how to proceed and what they are willing to do. That should be ugly I’ll post more of this ongoing soap opera as it occurs.

Thanks for the tip Joe. I'm not sure how the insurance company is going to handle this all. I'm sure the somewhat less good looking now pipes were a major factor. I had, as you saw rememoved the carbon fibers before the wreck and have them boxed up and will go out tomorrow morning. If they are not suited to your needs I'll be glad to send you back your original set Gil

Good tip jrt. This sort of information, the where and what to look for may come into play soon. My next step is to deal with the insurance company and get the bike assessed for damage and determining whether it's salvagable and if so how much they will compensate me. I'm not sure who will be doing the assessing, my "local" Guzzi dealership is Moto Meccanica 250 miles away in Santa Rosa, CA. If it's someone local looking over the bike I'm pretty sure they will have no experience with Guzzis. I'll know more after I make contact with my insurance people.

Thanks to all for the well wishes. I'm truly touched. I checked the sidestand along with the CHP officer while waiting for the tow truck. Neither of us could find ANY evidence of a sidestand cutoff switch. Being a newguy to Guzzi's I assumed that they just didn't come on this model. Believe you me when I rebuild this bad girl WILL have a cutoff switch!

Yesterday I crashed the '02 Le Mans that I struggled so hard to buy just recently. I'm banged up but ok. I scraped off then end of one of my fingers so keyboarding is a bit hard for me right now. I've posted a thread about the accident on the ST.N site. Please excuse me if I'm not feeling up to doing it here again and just direct you to that thread HERE. My intention is to rebuild the bike (or have it rebuilt) but am going to have to deal with the insurance people now (I had collision coverage on the bike) and see how they wish to deal with it. I'll post more as it develops. And yes, I am aware of the irony in me crashing my newly purchase bike following so closely on the heels of Tom crashing his Le Mans on the way up to sell it to me.

It's apples and oranges. No comparison is possible no matter how hard you try. Richard Egan maintains that everyone needs 5 (at least I think it's 5) motorcycles; a sport bike, a cruiser, dual-sport, vintage bike and a work-in-progress (or something on that order). Point being, "Congratulations you now own two of them."

Wow, I'll bet he almost NEVER has to buy a new front tire !

I've recently purchased an '02 Le Mans with carbon fiber exhausts. I'm a sport-touring sort of guy and I find them to be overly loud for my tastes. I am interested in purchasing a set of stock exhausts (with crossover if possible) for the bike. If I can do some sort of exchange for the existing carbon fibers all the better. I can find no brand name on my current exhausts but suspect they are "MPH Cycle (or at least that is what they look like). They are in "used" but servicable" condition. There is a small scuff on the right side muffler. Digital pictures with full disclosure are totally do-able if you are interested. If you are not interested in doing a trade please PM me anyway with what you have. I will sell the existing exhaust independently if necessary.

Thanks for all these excellent suggestions. I suspect a lot of the "vibration" problem is probably me. This is my first Guzzi and I’m coming to it after having ridden a triple for a number of years. All things are relative and “amount of vibration” is surely at the top of this list...and no ratchethack, sigh, I was not revving it high enough but am now but HATE traveling Interstates in 5th gear (oh my gas mileage! Must go FASTER) and still find the vibration "somewhat tiring." The bike had 11K on the odometer (now pressing 13) when I got it so the engine should be well broken in. I suspect the bike has an aftermarket airbox on it (the original is in a "box o' parts" that came with the bike...and sadly I simply have not had the time to tear into things to see exactly what I have here...a winter project, for now, we ride!) and I know it has the aftermarket carbon fiber exhausts. I don't know if the fuel injection has been adjusted to compensate for these changes. I suspect the bike is running a bit lean what with the carbon buildup around the exhaust, slight smell of gasoline when the engine is cold and the occasional "hiccupping" backfire. I'm interested in checking to see if the throttle bodies are in balance but hate spending the $90 or so necessary to buy the instruments do it (the costs for this "wow, I got an incredible bargain bike" are kicking it out of the "bargain" category...but understand I'm trying to bend the bike to my will, IMMEDIATELY). So, I've heard rumors once you balance the TB's you don't need to visit this again unless you change something dramatically with the engine. Is this true? Do I actually need to purchase these tools or can I simply go to a dealership, have the TB's balanced and walk away...after all, how much can they charge for such a simple task? So, whatcha think? Do I actually NEED to buy the Carbtune/Twinmax's or just get someone to do the tuning for me?

Alrighty then. I’ve just recently returned from the first “shake-down” cruise on my "new-to-me" 2002 Moto Guzzi Le Mans. My wife, on her Suzuki SV650S and I on the Le Mans traveled from Eureka, California to Bend, Oregon to attend a barbecue and then back again. The trip totaled about 800 miles over the course of a weekend and I must admit it was a bit of a grind. Right up front I should identify my riding style as being pretty much “sports-touring.” I bought the Le Mans because it gives me the feeling I want when riding a motorcycle and am now trying to find that happy place where I do the necessary modifications to it to let me ride longer miles each day while maintaining what attracted me to it in the first place. I was pretty much flying blind on this trip. I was riding a new motorcycle (having owned it for just less than 2 weeks AND it being my first Guzzi… (formally being a Triumph Triple sorta guy). I had some serious concerns about all the vibrations, the noise (aftermarket carbon fiber exhaust…oh my!) and the stock seat. These concerns turned out to be so very real. The vibration is tiring, the noise is tiring and the stock seat turned into a cement slab after the first 100 miles or so and is tiring. I was tired. I think of myself as pretty much of a 400 mile-a-day sort of guy. I’m no 1,000 mile “Iron But-ter” but I really don’t really feel like I’ve ridden anywhere unless I’ve put in 300+ miles a day. This bike in its present configuration has knocked about 100 miles per day off my total “comfort” range for me. But no worries…these are things I wanted to know and were what I wanted to learn from this ride. The reduced miles is ok with me (very little ego here)…I found the miles I did travel were all “quality” miles and so what if I can’t travel as far each day. I still believe the Le Mans IS the sports-touring bike I want to ride and my 400 preferred miles are still quite possible. So let the modifications begin! First thing home last Sunday after getting off the bike and even before taking off the riding boots was to go online and check into seats. Rich Maund’s name keeps coming up. From here on the V11 site, from the ST.N site AND from word of mouth (yes, I may have ranted a bit to anyone who would listen about “stock” seats and why can’t anyone seem to get them right) at the ST.N West Coast Regional II barbecue (this was the event we traveled to attend…I should mention that the bike arrived to actual “thunderous” applause from the 20 or so attendees as I rode up and was given a place of honor, in the driveway right next to a Ural w/sidecar, to park it). Bottom line is that my seat goes off to Rich the second weekend in August for a total makeover. Ok, this solves the seat problem. Next thing to deal with is the bars. I installed a pair of Throttlemeister weights/throttle control bar ends before I left on this trip. They helped a lot. They tamed much of the vibration and with their help I was able to give my hands a much needed, periodic rests as I traveled down the road. I find myself either through my own laziness OR through fatigue OR because the bike doesn’t fit me quite right yet that I MAY need to raise bars a bit but mostly bring them back to me. That decision will wait until I have Rich’s seat installed and then we’ll see if that changes things. Baby steps. The last real concern is the, what I consider, overly loud exhaust. Curse me for being some sort of Harley, all-about-the-noise freak but there are times I find I like it. Then there are those other times like when I’m leaving the house at 5:30 in the morning to commute to work and I’m cringing about waking the neighbors…or I’m riding like a pig and my shift points are wrong, my clutch work is shite, my choice of gears atrocious and the WHOLE WORLD knows what’s going on because I’m SO LOUD…or, as was the case during this trip that the doing 400 miles plus over the course of the day and find I’m just sick and tired of listening to that NOISE. Sheesh, it’s exhausting. So anyhoo, I don’t know what I’m going to do about the exhaust yet. Wait and see is my plan at the moment. My suspicion is that I’ll either grow to like all this “storm and fury” more or to simply find I hate it…either way; my decision should become obvious at some point further down the road. Rereading this posting I realize I’ve spent all my time bitching about a bike I truly love and may have given you all the wrong impression. The Le Mans is ALL that I hoped it would be and I’ve never ridden a motorcycle more exciting and it has totally ruined me for riding/owning anything else! I continually feel like pinching myself as I’m riding down the road, feeling the bike, feeling the road, feeling the vibration, worrying about “what the hell was that noise?” and just being amazed at how good it all feels. I’m hooked. Ok, I should give you some “high points” here. One came when I was registering the bike at the California DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) here last week. The person I was dealing with, a rider herself (although a “Harley” rider) was a bit taken aback when I showed her the Guzzi…now understand that this is her job, she’s seen thousands of bikes and is an enthusiast and she asks me: “what kind of bike did you say this is again? Yes, it is beautiful but I’ve never EVEN HEARD OF IT!” Second was when Becky (wife) and I rolled in to fuel up at a gas station in Oregon. In Oregon it is apparently state law that they must at least personally hand you the nozzle if you decline to let them fuel your bike. The young service attendant stared at the Guzzi as he came over and approached it somewhat timidly (I told you it is loud). He was all slack jawed and obviously curious/in awe of the bike. Becky, noticing this winked at him and said, “It’s Italian.” This seemed to satisfy him somewhat. Thirdly was a small private moment I had as I was coming home from work last week. I was sitting at a traffic light waiting for it to change. As I sat there on this rumbling beast, vibrating so badly that I can’t see anything out of the mirrors and in my mind resembling some sort of drag-bike at the track, I happened to glance at the car next to me that contained two young men. Both were perched forward in their seats to get a view of me and the Le Mans. The one nearest me, all big-eyed, mouthed the words, “MOTO GUZZI” at me. Judging by the VERY round shape he was making with his lips he was pronouncing the name just right…it’s a GOOOOOTSIE!

Tom...I have been incredibly busy at work lately and between that and going through the stuggles of purchasing a new bike from out of state while living in this rural area I haven't been paying the attention I should to this site. I just today "tumbled" onto this thread. Glad you continue to have no after affects from your get-off. I've got my fingers crossed that there is still hope for your lovely black Le Mans. Steve G is totally right about that stretch of Hwy 1. I personally have several, friends, both local and non-local, experienced riders who have had that road reach up and bite them. It is a delightful road to ride and having been repaved in the last year it is all too tempting to ride it quickly. It's pretty much of a toss up which of our two local, legendary roads (Hwy 1 and Hwy 36) gets more riders and bikes hurt. I hope you get the Guzzi back on the road and if not there is always the excitement of buying a new bike to look forward to...believe me, I speak from recent experience.

Awww, I can feel the love here! I just got an email from a Guzzi owner who swears he will never own ANYTHING Italian again! He owns an '03 and it has apparently done him wrong. He ranted about living in the sticks and owning a Guzzi. He played to my most basic fears. I was shaken...but not stirred. I, however am hooked. Every day more I ride this bike I love it more and more (and this is just the beginning). The Le Mans IS what I was looking for in a motorcycle and there is no looking back. If it takes an expert mechanic to ride one then that is what I'll become! However, I don't think this is really the case here and thank you all for giving me a VERY positive "there, there, it will be alright Gil" feeling. It does help. I'm glad I own a Guzzi and I'm glad to be here.

Jeeze...the pressure! Ok, here (with only owning it for 4 days and having put like 150 miles so far) is my take on this bad boy. Impressions so far Gil