Greg Field

A friend of mine sold his Stone and got one of the GTs. I think it's very nicely done. It is satisfyingly fast, looks great, runs really well, and is even easy to work on (I worked on it successfully, even though I've never worked on any Duc before). I judged it to be as nicely made and well though out as any motorcycle I've ever seen. Ducati has come a stunningly long way in a relatively short time. It's Guzzi's turn, now. We've just got to get TPG to up their percentage of ownership in Piaggio to over 50 percent and kick a few asses, as they did with Ducati.

Ratchet: I like your method

Dave R. and many others would tell you to give the springs the flotation test. I routinely re-use them. I have never come to grief for having done so, but that doesn't mean you won't. You can get the plates from a number of suppliers, including MPH, MG Cycle, Harpers, or my employer, Moto Intl.

I don't know about the price difference, because MI no longer carries the Surflex plates, except for those for single-plate clutches. We had too many problems with them. There can also be problems with the factory plates, such as rivets loosening, but we found that this was less common than the problems with the Surflex plates. Others may have experience that differs with ours, of course. I think the best plates are the current 0508 plates as in your Griso. The 2908 plates are almost as good but are a little cheaper.

Yes, someone was in there before. Measure the thickness of the plates before you re-install them. If they're even close to 7mm, get new ones. Check the steel intermediate plate for warping. Check for both "wavey" warpage and "cone" warpage.

The first question you need to ask them is, "Was the new clutch assembled from all-new parts, including the flywheel and clutch input hub, everything?" If the answer is, "No," my guess is that they installed an assembly that had worn splines. If the answer is, "Yes," then likely one of the components has failed or was installed incorrectly. The lining may be chunking off one of the clutch plates, for example, or the plates may have been installed backwards or the spring plate may not have been indexed properly. Someone needs to go back in and look. I would find an independant someone to have that look.

Not to get in the way of jens's efforts, one of which i've committed elsewhere to buy, but I've gotten and paaed on two of those pictured watches in the last moths. They are available. EDIT: By pictured, I mean the red-dialed watch. Sorry!

Really, I'm sure the Norge's lights are good. But when I turn on my Eldo's high beams and piaa 1100x spotlights in the country, it's like being in that old movie "Tron." Shoot, Guzzi now uses basically the same alternator that I use on my Eldo. That's progress, I guess.

I think we're all understanding and sympathetic to your situation. Just please let us all know when you have time to make some more. GF

relays are a big help. FWIW, I use the piaa Xtreme White bulbs in all my bikes, even a 1967 V700, and in each case the bulb produced noticably more light than the bulb it replaced. The light from the Billy Bob's little headlight has now imporved to be pretty good. The light from my Eldo headlight is astonishing. It's like riding through a tunnel of light. Part of that is because it's seeing 14.5 volts (that's what its add-on alternator regulates at). Halogen bulbs like voltage.

+1 on the M4 cans. We have gotten several sets for customers, and everyone who sees and hears them is positively impressed. Carbon cans get looking horrible fairly quickly if you leave the bike parked in bright sun. Carry a cover or park in the shade.

Yes, you could. I did it to my Eldo wheels. As for beads, the beads on my ELdo differ from the latest tubeless beads, but I bet any set of modern tube-type rims have the latest bead profile.

Yes, get off your butt, Slug!

Full set for me, too.

Take it to the steepest hill in your area. Select the first or second gear beyond that which you would normally use for the speed at which you are riding. Watch the tach as you give it full throttle. If the revs rise faster than the speed, that's clutch slippage and a strong clue as to what's happening.. Usually—usually—when the plates unrivet the symptoms do not come and go. they show up and stay. Suspect also something in the clutch master/slave system.

It would be unusal that there's a problem in the clutch at 20,000 km.

Doug: First, be careful. If you break the male fittings off the pump, you'll have to get a new pump because the fittings are not replaceable separately. So, the first time, be prepared for it to take 15 minutes to get the first one off. Be prepared to be patient and tey to "feel" for the release, or go do something else until patience returns. Then, grab the fuel line and push it toward the fitting. Push pretty firmly. Then, while still pushing the fuel line toward the fitting, grab the movable ring of the female fitting and wiggle it fore and back to make sure it moves freely. It doesn't move much, so that's where the feel comes in. Once you can feel it moving, pull the ring backwar toward the hand that is grasping the fuel line. If all is well, you'll feel the faintest release. Pull back with the ring hand and the line hand simultaneaously, keeping the tension. The femal fitting should pull backward off the male fitting. After you've done it a dozen times. it take 3 seconds each.

It's what's called a two-plate clutch, meaning two friction plates separated by a steel intermediate plate. Absent a soaking in oil or mechanical malfunction of one sort or another, these clutches last 50,000-150,000 miles, depending on how they're used. I work in a Guzzi shop. We sell a lot of clutches. In my opinion, the latest two series of Guzzi plates are superior to others, in that they last well and offer very smooth engagement. The friction material is riveted to the plates. On very rare occassion, these rivets come lose. I have only seen it happen once in the last 4 years. Bonded plates won't ever have that problem, but in my experience are harsh all the time. The symptoms you describe can be caused by notches worn in the splines of the i.d. of the flywheel or on the o.d. of the trans input hub. Check these carefully.

I believe it's basic black paint with satin clearcoat. That seems to be the Aprilia mode for creating their flattish paints.

On a new bike, if it were mine, I'd re-torque and re-set the valves after the first day or a few heat cycles. I'd check it again at the 600-mile service, and then I wouldn't worry about it again.

Motorex 10w-60 in the motor. Shockproof heavy everywhere else.

Or if you ride everyday and need to pick up groceries and stuff. Or if you need to take parcels to the post office as part of your work. Or, if you lead rides and are expected to carry enough tools to fix whatever might go wrong on anybody's bike. Or if you live in an area with wild swings in weather and temperature, such that you need to carry extra gear to be safe. Or . . . there're lots of good reasons for saddlebags. Most bikes look better without bags, but it ain't all about looks, is it?

Thanks, all. The bags are off a Honda CA-160 Touring model. Thy're made by the American company Buco, which also offered them for Guzzis and BMWs. I'm thinking a set might look OK on the Billy Bob, too.

If you get the ones from a Cafe Sport or Coppa Italia (hollow axle), the forks will bolt right on to yur bike, but you will also need the axle and spacer from the donor bike. If you get the ones from the Scura (solid axle, if I remember right), you will need its axle and spacers and maybe have to change a wheel bearing (I forget all the details. If you get the Olins from a pre-04 Milled R, I think the forks will bolt right up, but you will likely need a Coppa/Cafe axle and spacers.

Ratchet: I think he has the later forks, which have adjustment for rebound and pre-load only. These are what I originally had on my Billy Bob. FWIW: I went with 5w fluid in my set, and they were still harsh. That doesn't mean they can't be tuned to work well. I just was offered a set of Ohlins for relatively cheap, so I went that route. I'll be putting the marzocchis on my Eldo pretty soon, so I will be playing with them a bit more then.