Dan M

Done nice Vincent though...

When did they switch to a sliding caliper? I've never seen it on a V11. Oh yea Darryl, If brakes are an issue with you, don't buy a KLR. I remember squeezing as hard as I could (both the brake lever and the seat vinyl!) and that bike just doesn't stop.

I was thinking it was washing machine white on the Norge I like the Griso's look in ant color... if it wasn't for that muffler

Check your tires & fluids then go ride.

How does a technical forum drift from sidestand switches to a political science debate?

Right with ya Pete. The most important thing about oil is that it is clean. Modern oil is not going to break down unless conditions are very extreme. When there is engine damage ususally it can be traced to contaminated oil or no oil.

Can't add anything to this other than it should be every rider's routine on any bike. Soon you will know what tools are needed to go around the bike and it takes virtually no time.

I have a 2610 as well. really great unit. Garmin is the brand to buy and if I were shopping one the Zumo would be it. Like anything else, more capability=steeper the learning curve. I'm one who loves paper maps but there is no flapping around at 75MPH with the Garmin

Hey, I'm just hackn' at the ratchet. It's been a brutal couple of weeks here so maybe I'm feeling ornery. I was referring to Pete's first post: To answer the questions. 1.) As Orson suggested if you stick a strobe on it and watch the timing mark on the flywheel this will give you a pretty good indication of how worn the chain is. If the mark appears to jump about, (A phenomenon known as 'Scatter' then it's a good idea to do something about it. 2.) Ypu don't have to remove the engine to do the timing chain. Just pop off the fron't cover and everything is easily acessible. Pete

Yea, but, but, in Pete's initial posts on the matter he states that the scatter you are observing is a sign of a worn chain. The soft tensioner can give scatter on the overrun, but as Pete put it, that doesn't matter a tinker's cus. Pete also says that the tensioners can go 200000 miles. good luck!

It's all OK by me. Have fun and share your findings, we'll all benefit. Did you buy a chain and gears too? If you need them once things are apart, are they available? ...just thinking about down time, best laid plans and all of that.

I don't think I have ever switched the kill switch. 80% of the time I leave the bike in gear and kill the motor by deploying the kick stand. Otherwise it's the ignition switch.

I'm still thinking his problem is a lean misfire. I had a similar symptom, seat of the pants made me think lean, I confirmed it being lean just off of idle at low throttle opening on the EGA. Bumped up fuel slightly in that zone on the PCIII and problem reduced, I'm thinking more time to fine tune it and that will be the end of it. Impossible to say if he has the same trouble without diagnosing. I wouldn't recommend he does the same because lean can be caused by several things. The root cause of the trouble should be identified before he's is sent off chasing anything, let alone pulling the timing cover. I respect Pete's experience with the MG mill, and he's likely to have most all of the answers, but I'm sure he'd agree it's tough to diagnose a problem over the internet. If you open up enough engines you learn not to say that anything is impossible. Seems you've got your problem diagnosed, parts bought and ready and you haven't even opened the case yet. You may get lucky my friend and I hope you do, but buying parts on theories is usually the wrong way to go about it.

Let's look at a medium-short length chain say like in a small block chevy. There are only a few to several links between gears. When new there is virtually no play in the chain. When worn I've seen as much as 20 degrees in ignition timing variation at idle. This, is as stated above is 10 degrees of advance and 10 degrees of retard. When run up to 2000 rpm or more the slack is pulled out of the chain and what is netted is a very close to a 10 degree retarding of the cam timing. Hell, I can't tell you how many cases I've opened and put the crank at TDC and viewed the cam as several degrees retarded. Have all of these been illusions? Now the guzzi is much shorter and I truly don't know the number of links but even if it is half we still have retard along with advance. It is just to a smaller degree. Unless, of course you are saying that the MG chain & gears don't wear, and the only slack is due to faulty tensioners.

I hadn't seen this particular post of yours before Ratch, it would be nice to know what 6-7mm converted to in degrees of rotation. Simple to figure with a degree wheel. With the engine off one can "feel" the amount of chain slop by rotating the crank slightly back and forth and feel when the slack is out of the chain by the additional load of turning the cam. It takes a light touch but you can get an accurate read of slack / slop / play / cush (oops, sorry, not trying to start a fight) Anyway, Lets say you have 5 degrees of slack in the chain; that would mean 2.5 degrees on either side of what would be tight. The most the cam will be advanced or retarded is 2.5 degrees. Not much effect on running. Obviously, if you get up around 10 degrees of play (5+/-) you may perceive a slight power loss or somewhat uneven idle. It's pretty hard to say how much timing variation it will take to give a drivability problem but more than 5 degrees of cam retard, I'd be considering opening things up. edit: if a loose or worn chain or gears (or tensioner) will allow the crank to move some degrees independly of the cam you are indeed getting retarded cam timing.

Sounds like a lean misfire to me. Check the boots like Jaap & others suggested. Also, if you still have your canister installed check those vacuum hoses. What mods have you made?

Fantastic bike Ben. Be sure to give us a report after a few miles.

I'm with John on the RKA. I've had a couple of their products over the years and the quality is terrific. Never any paint damage and the underside material they use grips the Guzzi's tank pad so it doesn't slip around. I use the mini on this bike, I see it has evolved into an expandable bag since I bought mine. http://www.rka-luggage.com/A02%20Tankbags/...ld%20Sheet.html

Should have posted this earlier. Sunday August 12th is the Chicago Norton Owners Club a16th annual antique bike show. There is always nice stuff to look at, including Guzzis. It is in St Charles at a (gasp) Harley dealer on the corner of Rt 64 (North Ave.) & Randall Road. http://www.cnoc.org/

Outstanding idea! Although... with its inherent twisitng properties I believe a more accurate name should be the "Guzzi Fusilli Crank" Preproduction deposits will insure early delivery. Perhaps Pete wants to get in on it and we can offer a package deal for a complete kit including the sloppage sheet, gaskets, oil, filter and a Seattle filter locker, er, hose clamp.

Agreed, this bike is extremely stable at speed.

I love this, everyone should do it, you know, less reciprocating weight = higher red-line. Hell, grind down the stems & rockers to lighten the mass. Don't forget to polish the push rods. Just think of the added horse power! Now don't start taking a microscope to this operation, just get out to the garage and start the weight savings today. Oh yea, for our entertainment, don't forget to post pics of the carnage after wards. Maybe we can earn points identifying mangled parts.

You would have to know the piston sizes of the master and the calipers, ratio of the hand lever (which is pretty big, maybe 10:1 and then do the math, but as Ratch said the PSI is in the thousands, although I doubt it is much more than a few thousand on each rotor. Really? Now you are saying that?

That looks like an 02. Same paint scheme as mine when I bought it. Somebody added the chin spoiler and red bar end weights, painted the seat cowl and removed the rear fender. Nice looking bike. Is there a production date on the head stock?