Desdinova

Well phase one completed. Two days went by... started at 11.2 Volts, then two days pass.... down to 11.0 volts as predicted (for my bike anyway.. .1 volt / day loss). I removed the #1 fuse, and we'll see if it continues as usual. I know what is said about volts and amps, but at this point it's acedemic. The battery is draining faster than it should. Amps, volts, schmamps, smultz.... you should be able to leave a bike sit for a week or two between uses. Yes, I realize if should just ride it more... but that's not really the point.... or is it...

It may be academic, but I'm going to go about this from a different angle. I'm going to record the voltage drop at the same time every day over a couple of days, then pull the #1 fuse and check it at the same interval. That should at least isolate the problem.

I get about 6 volts, but the bike hasn't been started in two weeks so I'm guessing we have at least similar problems. I recalculated and it's about .1 volt loss per day. It's down to 11.7 now which from it's normal 12.7ish would be about 10 days which is just about right... or wrong as the case may be. When I ride the bike, it charges right up and I have none of the other tell-tale charging issues. It just drains when it sits. I hadn't really thought about it much until this thread, but my Vic can go about a month without being started before it starts turning over slower. Lisa's silverwing can go about two months. I assume EFI is an issue across the board as my Convert and the Bonnie America, neither of which has EFI can sit for months and pretty much fire right up. Having said this, the LeMans seems to have a bit excessive battery drain.

I am VERY interested in the outcome of this thread. I have given up and just assume if the bike hasn't been started for 10 or so days, it's going to need to be on the Tender. I actually have a voltmeter on her, and it drops about .2 volts per day. I got the voltmeter (clock, temp etc) just to measure it and see if I could see a pattern. Anyway, I just figured that's the way it is.... but now that I see others NOT having the same issues... I am curious.

You know you hit the big time when your site is used as a ploy to spread malicious software.... congrats...

For a 2nd bike, think about your riding. I have mainly two bikes I ride. Neither is first or second as they have their purpose. The Guzzi is a fun ride for me for day trips and errands. I have done longer and used it for camping, but mainly the more "fun" rides. My Vic is for distance. Another V-twin with lots of personality. 13 and 15 hour (one way) trips in 35 degree weather would be a little tougher on the goose. I have taken the Vic into the twisties at times, but that's not what it was made for either. So like some others have said... if you already have a sport bike, get something completely different. Heck, even a scooter, motorcross, etc etc...

I took mine to Frederick Harley Davidson as the main Dyno guy there really knows his stuff. They got it close, but I spent a few afternoons fine-tuning it myself. Now having said that, I have a suggestion. Take the bike to a Guzzi dealer (or do it yourself) insure the bike is in tip top shape before you take it to be Dyno'd. Unless it's someone that knows Guzzi's, you could end up masking a minor (or even major) issue, and the bike will seemingly be fine, but not up to peak. This is what happened to me. I had a strange intake leak that was hard to detect. It made it past me, my dealer and a few others before I figured it out because of the intermitness (is that a word)...and the fact that the PC was compensating for it to some extent.

I used the saeng/tz microswirl on my Ballabio, and it worked wonders. I'm 6'4" so it wasn't the perfect solution... for that I bought a LeMans with an MRE Windscreen, but the micro-swirl really helped the Ballabio a lot. It actually looks nice too, at least I think so.

Mine fit real well, and don't move around at all.

I like the saeng/ta micro-swirl. I have it on all my bikes. http://www.saeng.com/

Sorry I didn't see this question earlier For day-to-day the tank and tail bags are great. I have already worn one set out (the zippers went). But for long distance, I highly recommend the Nelson_Rigg RTB-500 Rear Tote/Tail Bag and the DLSB-500 Deluxe Saddlebag System http://www.nelsonrigg.com/products/classic...sb500_combo.htm I still use the tank bag, but these are a breeze to put on and take off, and hold a TON of stuff.

Yep, it's a Sport Chock.. best invention since sliced bread. I've tried MANY others, and this is the simplest, safest in my opinion. It even has a kit to use it on a trailer and it's easy to take on or off. It fits any of my bikes with zero modification. I was just going to PM you as this thread title sais "no words" but it seems that we aren't totally sticking to the rules... So while I'm at it.... Thanks for the compliments on the bike from those that did. Much of the original mods were done already by Gene Hunt who owned the bike before me. I just added some creature comforts and got it tuned up. Actually now that I have all the kinks worked out, I may take it back for a Dyno run, just to see final results. I was at the IMS show in DC, and although the Breva 1100 and Griso are cool bikes, I really can't see me on either. I like the LeMans the best. Now when the Norge comes over here.... that's a different story. I'll keep the LeMans, but I think I have to have a Norge.

I have the FBF CF cans with Stucchi crossover as well, and really like the tone and most importantly the performance. I wouldn't even consider them loud at all, but they do sound great. I guess the best description is they sound like they belong on the bike.

My 2002 LeMans

I am 6'4" Have the Argal adjustible pegs from Guzzi and a Rich Maund seat. I can ride for days... Some additional things I added are the Buell mirros so I can see something besides my shoulders. The tseng micro-swirl lip on the windscreen to blow the air and rain and such over my head. The Verccelli (sp) bars which enabled me to place the Lemans bars the same place I had the Ballabio bars. Also I replaced the grips with those big generic Cruiser grips that are usually chrome and have rubber slats in them. I just dipped the grips in this rubberized finish you can use on tools to add grip where there was just metal. Each grip weighs nearly two pounds, so that basically removed all vibration from the bars, and they are big so they are comfortable also. I'll upload some pics soon.

After much delay, mostly due to the fear of the unkown, I decided to celebrate the new year by getting my 2002 Le Mans up to speed (excuse the pun). I had some issues with it recently, but as to not confuse this article, I'll cut to the chase. I needed to balance the carbs and in the process found some extra tips not covered in the guide I was useing. This How To article http://www.obairlann.net/~reaper/bmw-bike/guzzi/balance.html by Ian Johnston is excellent. It's straight forward, simple and works. Here are some additional notes that I found useful. Before you get started: - If you don't have any other external tach, or have a PowerCommander on your bike (like I do) go ahead and hook it up to your laptop or whatever and use it as your Tach. I do not find the bike's tach as accurate, and I like to deal in digits. - Again, if you have a Power Pommander, go ahead and Zero-Out the 0% TP if it isn't already. Do not Zero the whole map, as you balance the carbs at 0% throttle at idle (less than 1500 rpm). - Spend the $35.00 (or less) and get a cheap set of Mercury tubes for JC Whitney or wherever. If this is the only time you use them, it's worth it. Tips for during the balance process: - The "choke" or fast-idle lever and mechanism can really screw things up especially if you have made any modifications like a lighter spring. Use a twist tie or similar to lock it against its stop. ANY freeplay can make this whole job and nightmare, and if you use it to hold the fast idle speed during the second part of the process, you can't insure it returns to where it was. DO NOT JUST DISCONNECT IT!!!! If you do, when the throttle is open, the fast idle mechanism is flopping free and will just stay open when you come off the throttle. Trust me on this one. DO NOT DISCONNECT THE CHOKE MECHANSIM !!! - Although getting the right-side carb idle adjust is a little but of a pain, do this one first. Get the mercury as close as possible using this one, then go to the left side, which is easy to access and dial it in. - For the part of the second half of the process, let me qoute the article so we are on the same page as this was critical to this tip. " Now that the idle settings are balanced, use the throttle to rev the motor up to around 3000 RPM -- the actual speed doesn't matter, you just need to be using the right grip to set engine speed. Note the balance you see on the manometer. If it's not close to balanced, you need to adjust the balance knob on the left side of the bike. Release the throttle grip, make the adjustment, and rev the motor up to the same speed. Note the difference in balance -- if it went the wrong way, adjust the knob in the opposite direction. " I would say the "the actual speed DOES matter," at least on my bike, because when I rev'd the bike up to about 3000 rpm the left cylinder was off a bit, consistantly all the way up to 3000rpm and I could never get it to match, using the knob, would just come close. However, if I went up to about 3400 rpm, there was a drastic change in the balance (in my case left Mercury level went way up). After some experimentation I realized I needed to adjust the high rpm balance at or higher than the rpm point where this change occurs. When I adjusted the white knob below this level, although the merc tubes got close, the left was always higher, except at idle. When I took the reading at about 3400 rpm and made my adjustment to the knob... repeated a couple of times, I was able to dial it in dead even. When done... the Mercury level is side-by-side from idle all the way up!!!!! Remember, as the article states. Bring the revs up, look at the tubes, drop back to idle, move knob, repeat. It takes very little movement of the knob to make a change. Try 1/4 turn intervals, the first time to see which way you need to go, 1/8 turn adjustments or less to dial in. Only took me about four or five tries to get the mercury dead even. As was later explained to me by a Guzzi tech, the ECU has a low rpm and high rpm range, hence the reason the balance needs to be done at idle and at a higher rpm. The ECU transitions to the high range at about 3000 RPM. For my bike it seems like 3400rpm it's fully in the high range. With no load on the bike, it's pretty obvious to know when it's in the high range as it is near impossible to get it to idle at one speed without it wanting to speed up. I really think finding the point where the ECU is fully transitioned into the high rpm range is critical to getting a proper balance across the whole range. I no longer have the little hickups that I and many other experienced at around 3500rpm. It's just smooth sailing. As soon as you get it even, shut the bike down and let it cool off a bit. Remember to not overheat the bike. - After it cools off a little, re-start and check to make sure they are still balanced, then shut down, disconnect everything and go for a test drive. - I would only return any of the PowerCommander settings AFTER the test drive. In my case, the Dyno tune I had done was compensating for the carbs being out of balance at idle. Now that they were balanced, the fuel numbers at idle needed to be a little different. I hope you find this useful, and my thanks to Ian for a great article. My final comment is that my Carbs were not all that far off. However, after following this procedure, where they are now balanced up'n down the rpm range, there is a HUGE difference in the performance. The improvement was noticible immediately on the test drive.

I just wanted to bump this and add that these Buell mirrors are FANTASTIC!!! Thanks for the tip. In one of the posts there is an error in part number.. They correct part numbers are: LEFT = N0161-2A8 RIGHT = N0162-2A8 The mirrors, when mounted are about 2" further out than stock (not just 1" as one of the posts claims), which is PERFECT!!! What a great $40.00 fix. I didn't even remove the mounts from the bike. Just pulled back the boot, and undid the mirrors from the mounts. Did the same on the new ones. Whole process took maybe 10 minutes. Took longer to adjust the mirrors than to replace them. Again, thanks for tip!!!

The sensor was only on one pipe, so I assume just one.

I did a lot of research and I think the key is the Stucchi X-Style crossover and the FBF pipes. That combo seems to result in the highest numbers. Also, it wasn't just put on a dyno, it was tuned / custom map generated on the dyno. Took about 2 hours plus test drives.

Hi Guys, I normally just lurk, but I posted this over at guzzitech, so thought it might be of interest. 2002 V11 LeMans, K&N Open Airbox, Stucchi Crossover, FBF pipes Dyno Tuning performed at H.D. of Frederick, MD 82.37 hp / 67.18 ft-lbs torque

Ok, well no Breva 1100 OR Griso at the DC IMS Show. They do have a couple Nevada's and Breva 750's, and Cali EV and the MGS-01 with some nice eye candy. When I asked where the bikes were, the rep relayed that he was expecting them, but they got sent back to Italy for some reason that he did not go into

I am selling my Ballabio, but not for any reason other than I found a LeMans with all the goodies already on it..... the most important of which were aftermarket handlebars that allowed me to setup the Lemans, just like the Ballabio!!! The Ballabio was my first forey into the Eurosport styule bike and I just loved it. I have a bad back, and I found it very comfortable. By the way, if you are interested in a good deal on one, I have it listed in the classifieds section, or just email me. I only put 1800 miles on it before I stumbled across my dream bike at an even more dreamy price. I was ready to keep the Ballabio forever.

Moto Guzzi has decided to be at the DC IMS Show. In addition to the Nevada and who knows what else on such short notice they will also have a Breva 1100 and a Griso there. I will be there, mostly at the Guzzi booth on Friday (5ish to 9ish) just hanging out. I'll be there on Saturday morning too but roaming the floors. Hope to meet some of you there. I heard that this was not an attendance driven decision, but rather based on 2004 sales of new bikes in the surrounding areas that determine if they are going to attend. Appearently sales in the metro DC area (which for those not familiar is Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia as DC is the dot that sits in the middle) was high enough and is historically high enough to make trip. Personally I think the places with the worst sales should be where they go to generate buisness, but that's another type of stratagy I guess. I'm glad they will be in DC

Well as Rosanne Rosanna Danna would say.... "never mind." I found out today that appearently the previous owner already opted for the jacket option. So re-paint when the time comes is my plan. Wow 39 degrees today with a light drizzle... a wonderful day for a ride... a couple of hours worth anyway.

Thanks for the input so far... keep it coming as I am learning a bit here that I did not know, and I will add a few notes that make a difference.... My paint, although bubbled a lot, all over the case, has not started coming off. I hadn't thought of that possibility. Heck if it came off, I would think hitting the case with heat-resist engine paint would be a simple task. A nice flat crinkle-finish would look cool. I am leaning more toward the accessories 'cept for a couple details.... I have I think all of the accessories they made for the bike, and none of their ridewear is in my size. the bike already has all the performance goodies on it too except for new pistons, which frankly, I'm not all that interested in. I guess I could get replacement accessories, but that seems like a waste of time too. Keep the input coming, I really appreciate this... although I do seem to be falling deeper into quandry.