Greg Field

It is also possible that the tank is swelling.

Dan: Can you remind me of what wheels you fitted?

You'd be remiss if you did not consider the THERMAL INERTIA of the pucks. Also the diffusivity of the vanes on the cush plate. Maybe copper plate them?

Most of the Aprilias that we actually sell here in the US are made in China.

QUote Ratchethack from 2007: "Getting back to the topic of the thread, I've started to focus on this because I think I've got some symptoms of less than accurate sensor operation, per this thread and many previous posts on this." You are saying there's a problem. I have provided no context. Therefore, I cannot have taken this out of context. QED. Shall I find another? Probably, you have gone back and "sanitized" your other posts but missed this one. Bloviate on, though. We need 90 pages!

Good luck with it, Belfast.

Bastard's good. Loved the soundtrack, too. I wish Band of Horses would move back to Seattle.

BTW, just to add fuel to the flames and confirm the foolishness of the square-tire, boxed-in-by-need-to-be-outside-the-boxism on display here, a customer with a Quota called today wondering what he could do to get his brass temp-sensor holder to retain more heat to return better fuel mileage. The sensor holder on his Quota was consistently 25+ degrees COLDER than even the fins on his bike's right head was. I pointed out to him what is so obvious to those who understand what is going on here: "Wrap some duct tape around it. Brass is a really good conductor of heat, and it has cooling fins." One of those asinine and smarmy winky emoticons is justified here, but I'm just not wired like those who so routinely over-use them.

Good advice for us all. Onward to 90 pages!

And the BQ curve goes vertical yet again. I have already pointed out where you said you had a problem.

As you have said so many times, you didn't have a problem to solve. Has that changed again?

I think it looks good.

Luhbo: I don't mean to be argumentative. I'm just trying to help Belfast. I do have direct experience with this stuff through working at the busiest Guzzi dealership in the US and through working on them in my home shop. Here's clarification of what I'm saying: 1) It's impossible to clean steel fragments out of the main, rod, and cam bearings. Once the steel fragments're embedded in the bearing material, you could flush a tanker full of oil through there, and the fragments would all remain. 2) How do I know there are fragments in there? I don't. But my experience with the hydro engines that had similar cam/tappet wear is that the ones that fragmented as bad as Belfasts almost always had ruined oil pumps, rod bearings, main bearings, and if run long that way, the crankshaft. THe hydro EVs use the same filter as the Griso does. When enough fragmentation has happened, the particles fill the filter, which cause it to bypass, and all further fragmentation and even some of the frag already in the filter, gets pumped through the bearings. Then, those bearings become a high-speed grinder that will take out the crankshaft in a relative hurry. MANY hydro EVs were fitted with the cam update but were not checked for damage to the pump and bearings. Several times a year, I get a call from a guy who suddenly has very low oil pressure, and I tell him where to look. Always, the pumnp and bearings were damaged, and now he has to rebuild the engine at his own expense because it is out of warranty. I believe Belfast has a strong case for inducing Guzzi to authorize a look. As for the older engines without a filter, they universally look horrible inside if they have any miles on them. Everything is scored and worn. THey may still be running, buth they're running in pain. Better to have a filter and change it. If the cam in you non-filter engine failed like Belfast's did, the motor would be completely ruined in 100 miles or less.

Ray R: If it runs well, leave it alone. If it starts getting horrible mileage, consider looking into faultyb readings to the sensor as the cause. Often, the holder will crack as soon as you begin messing with it. If it does not crack, I'd recommend re-using it. If it does crack, you can either replace it with the stock plastic one or something else. I use the brass one because it won't crack. From there, you can add goo or not. Also, you can insulate the holder or not. I do both.

The filter doesn't deform when it goes into bypass. Rather, a valve opens, dumping the oil around the filter element. It's non-destructive and repeatable without consequence to the filter.

Sounds like fun.

Also another person with a sincere interest who can't wade through all the bloviation. Are we to 60 pages yet?

Ah, so you leaned the mixture to cure the non-problem with it being too lean when hot, making it run even more perfectly than perfect? Singular brilliance, Commendatore. Singular. Bravo! I'm telling you, if you used pre-global-warming low-CO2 Italian air in the gap that it was mapped for, it would be even more perfect.

Belfast: It is impossible to inspect the pump from inside the sump. At very least, have them flush the cooler system. This requires removing it because the thermo valve will be close until the engine gets hot.

The rivets failed. It happens sometimes. Replacement plates are available on which the friction material is glued to the plate, rather than riveted. The trade-off is that these have much harsher clutch engagement than the riveted plates. I have them at Moto Intl. if you cannot find them locally.

How again does richening the mixture result in better mileage? I must've missed the explanation to that mystery.

Cast iron is not hardenable.

Remember that it was mapped with Italian air inside the sensor holder. For Ratch to attain Uber-Perfect ™ running requires filling the sensor holder with Italian air, circa 1999 (lower levels of CO2), as the designers intended.

Found out today that the original tappets were made of cast iron. The recall tappets are of hardened steel. I am guessing, but my guess is the real problem was more related to the bottom profile than the material.

Is my timing not once again impecible?