Greedyfly

I sheared the stop on the lower triple clamp and broke my steering damper in an accident. I finally have everything, I hope, to fix it. I have removed the upper triple clamp based on info in another thread and am ready to replace the lower clamp, but I am at a loss of how to proceed. I know I need to loosen the 4 bolts holding the clamp to the forks, but where to go from here? It doesn't appear to be as simple as lifting the frame off the tree. Anybody got some advice on where to go from here?

Where can I get a shop manual for the V11 Lemans? I am assuming it lists all the torque specifications also, so that would come in handy. Greedyfly

Yes your're right. I need to get the triple tree also. I figure with the two turns, the footpeg, and the triple tree. The bike is road worthy. I use it to ride back and forth to work everyday, or was anyway. How hard is it to replace the triple clamp? I have looked for a howto, but haven't seen one. Greedyfly

Since the fairing wasn't cracked, I am going to take it to a body shop and see about having it filled and repainted. I might be able to do the same thing with the front fender too. It is cracked but there isn't any chunks of it missing. Its more like a hairline fracture. Greedyfly

I am considering replacing the footpegs on my 2002 Lemans with Oberon footpegs. Does anyone have these on their bikes? Mine bike is Red/Champagne and I was wondering if the Oberon red matches the fairing color. I was also considering the gold colored pegs. Would be interested in seeing pics if any are out there. Greedyfly

Ok, I jacked it up and put the front wheel between my legs with the bike level and with the triple clamp and steering head bolts loose there was some slight play. Adjusted the steering head so it was aligned with the frame and front tire. Then I put the tank back on, tightened the triple clamp and steering head bolts back up and put the bike on the ground. Even the forks look straight to my untrained eye, but will have that checked. I took it for a ride down my side street and in a big parking lot and the steering is definitely straighter if not perfect (just used my eyes to align everything). So I am pretty sure the damage was only cosmetic, which is what most said here and what my friends said after seeing it. So I am much happier now. I do have collision on the bike, with a deductible of $500. the parts list I gave to the dealer came back at $1619. I am not sure if I want to pay increased insurance rates so will probably buy the parts and put them on myself. Only need footpeg and two turn signal lights to be on the road with it, along with a mechanic aligning it better than I probably can. Also am thinking of getting a set of cylinder head guards from jkenny since I need one anyway. Here is the list he gave me, if anybody has bought this stuff before, please alert me if I am getting something too highly priced. 01941030 Left Cylinder Head Guard $32.25 01434361 Front Fender Section $195.74 02750600 Turn Signal Housing $39.20 X 2= $78.40 01530230 Steering Damper $323.32 (that seems high to me) 01575363 Fairing one piece $744.38 30441805 Foot Peg $48.39 01605760 Clutch Lever $117.25 (also seems high) 01769861 Left Mirror $79.53 If this is all it needs, then I will count this as a learning experience that cost me some money and gave me a chance to learn a bit about my bike. Greedyfly

Here are two picks from the front. I have noticed that the front wheel has definitely moved more inline with the rest of the bike since loosening the triple clamp bolts. Have yet to jack the bike off the ground and it is starting to rain so don't know if I will be able to do so today. Also have bought me a laser level so I can use the tip for checking alignment. Thanks. Greedyfly

These are three frameshots. I am much less worried about the frame being bent based on what I see here, but what do you guys think? The only thing that caught my eye is the the cylinders do not appear inline, but that may be a characteristic of Guzzis??? Greedyfly

JRT, Callison et al. Thanks for responding. Tonight I removed the front fairing and the mirror mounting portion, along with the fuel tank (Thanks to Al's description of how to do it in the howto forum). I also loosened the 4 bolts on the triple clamp and the 3 bolts on what might be the steering head) The ones beside the clutch lever, the braker lever and the one that is directly south of the ignition. The front wheel looks noticably straighter now, but am not sure how to determine if its really straight until putting it all back together and riding it. It looks like it might be slightly turned to the left, but that could be due to the bike leaning on its stand, I plan to buy a jack tomorrow and get the front wheel off the ground and see what it looks like then. How do I check steering head and wheel alignment? (Also exactly whats a steering head is it the upper "triangle" sitting on the shaft of the triple clamp where the fork adjustment bolts are? What is the difference between a twisted fork and a bent fork and is there a way I can check either? Callison, I took the tank off and don't see anything obviously bent. Can you give me some guidance on what I should look for or perhaps some items to take pics of and post here for further advice? Also for anyone else listening, I have read elsewhere on the net that if the frame is out of alignment, the bike will pull to one side or the other when you take your hands off the handle bars while travelling in a straight line. If the forks are bent would this also cause the bike to pull to one side or would it be more of a wobble? After jacking it up and looking at the front wheel vs the line of the bike are there any ways to roughly check if its aligned? I plan to put it back together after checking anything anyone posts here and riding it to see what it does. Greedyfly

Final ones, showing front fender damage and clutch handle damage.

Few More... These show the cocked steering or the position the handlebars/dash are in to go straight, and the front fairing/turn signal damage. Below is the footpeg

Some pics... These show the sheared steering stop, the rear left turn and muffler damage.

Slid on some sand while cornering in a dark parking lot, brought the bike straight up as taught in safety course, but then I locked the brakes because I was fast approaching the curb and panicked. Next thing I know I am lying on my bike with the bike next to me, still running. From the marks on the curb, one of the tires hit it. Shut if off, picked it up. Started it and tried to assess damage. Drove the bike home, parked it then looked it over again. Here is what I noticed and am looking for advice on where to get parts or if there is something else I should check out before ordering parts. First bike ever owned and only 3 months experience so any advice is good advice. Damage noticed. 1. footpeg on left side dug into asphalt and snapped in half. 2. Cylinder guard scratched up 3. Both left turn lamp assemblies need replaced. 4. steering damper bent and arm assembly snapped 5. steering damper mount bent slightly 6. Steering stop on triple tree sheared off. 7. 2 inch section of fairing scraped off (need a new fairing or could a body shop fill and match paint?) 8. some of the fairing mounting bolts sheared. 9. Rear section of front fender (the champagne section of the red/champagne paint job) has fracture. 10. Minor scrape on Mistral muffler (enough to snap the ring on the front of the muffler) 11. Minor scraping on left side mirror and clutch handle. Ride handling on the way home, about 10 mile ride. Rode at 40 mph and bike went straight, but much more than that I noticed the front started to wobble some (because of steering damper? or perhaps me unconciously trying to straighten the handlebars..) Although the bike went straight, the handlebars and dash are no longer aligned. They are aligned with each other but I would say the dash is about an inch off center when holding the bars in a position that allowed traveling in a straight line. Engine ran sounded fine. Noticed no fluids anywhere on the bike or beneath it after parking it What of this can I just order parts and replace? lights, cylinder guard, clutch handle, and mirror seem likely candidates My biggest fear is frame damage, but I don't know of a way to check it. Was hoping the bikes ability to go straight would be a good sign that frame is not bent. Adjusting handlebar alignment sounds simple but is it? My biggest worry is that the shaft is keyed or something and I sheared something off. Can the rear portion of the front fender be purchased separately or do you have to spring for the complete fender? Am going to take some pics of it and if any want to see them to help me assess the damage I will post them if asked to. Greedyfly

Thanks, Made my dealer happy by ordering the rack and bag for the rear. If only I could find a cage to hold an 80 lb labrador that fits over the rear seat, I would be all set. Seriously, I was wondering if I made a cage where she couldn't move side to side or turn around, but just sit on the rear end of it, how that would work. Al the cages I have seen aren't made for large dogs I am sure she would love it. Scarf, Goggles, ears flapping in the breeze. Shawn

I have the Tekno saddlebags on my 2002 Lemans and am wondering if it is possible to attach the rear cargo rack to the bike also for some addional carrying capability. I have a tank bag and a backpack so this would completely round out my luggage capabilites if it is possible. Shawn

Hello, I bought a 2002 Lemans about a month ago. The only experience I had on a bike before was a Honda 350 about 20 years ago. I am 36 and had always heard about the dangers of biking, but where I work there was a bike buying frenzy. I work in Carmel, IN and live in Zionsville, IN. The guys had a couple of BMWs, a couple of Hondas and bunches of Harleys. I was looking at a Yamaha 1100 VStar at the time, but I asked Jerry one night at work what other kind of bikes to look at. He was a BMW owner, but after going through all the Japanese sites and the HD site, he suggested looking at moto guzzi. I did and thought they were the ugliest of them all with the exception of the Breva. I found a dealer in Tipton IN and knew my supervisor lived near there. He said "ah yeah I have been in there a couple of times. He sells Carhardt clothing but I have seen two or three bikes there." So the next day we went for a look see. All I had to do was see and sit on the Lemans once and I fell in love with it. Sometimes pictures do lie. In two days I had bought the bike and knew that no one else would have anything like it. In 5 days I had put over 300 miles on it and in a month have put over 1200 miles on it. If I wasn't working 60-70 hour weeks at work, I might already be at teh 6000 mile service interval. I love the thing. Hope to meet fellow Guzzi owners out there someday. Shawn

Tightened the clamp and she is running like new... Did notice the oil light come on once during rapid acceleration from a stop. It also went out after a second or two. Rode the bike to the dealer and he said the oil level is fine. I have read somewhere on here that the oil light might come on when you really goose it and I wonder if that is what is happening. Shawn

Yes, the oil light only came on when it the bike was about to stall and went out immediately after giving it some gas. There is oil above the min line on the dipstick, but it is not at maximum. After reading through the forums though, it seems that many folks aren't keeping the oil at the max level anyway. I read a lot about the oil "finding its own level" Am going out not to re clamp the rubber coupling and take it for a test spin. Shawn

Hello, I just made it back from a 50 mile ride on my new to me guzzi. IIt is my first motorcycle and I am not the most mechanically inclined person so forgive my descriptions. I usually do all my car repairs with a chiltons manual in hand. Have done tune ups, routine maintenance, changed half shafts, and some clutch work. That is about the extent of my technical knowledge. I have a decent set of hand tools and hope to learn how to work on my motorcycle. The Problem: For the last few weeks I have noticed a hesitation around 3000-3500 rpms. It was an intermittent type thing, but today became almost constant. It also started to backfare, not loudly but noticable. When starting from a dead stop I killed the engine 3 times, which is something else I haven't done since the first day I got the bike. In order to keep the engine running when starting from a dead stop I was having to use a lot of throttle. That was when I decided to come home. About 6-10 miles from the house, after coming to a stop, the engine oil light came on briefly then went off as I was shifting into 2nd gear. So I pulled the bike off the road and started wondering around it. When looking at the bike from the right side, I noticed a trail of smoke croming from the fuel side of the cylinger around where the rubber piece clamps between the throttle linkage and the cylinder. AFter the engine cooled for a bit I used a key to push on the rubber clamp and was able to sliide the key inbetween the rubber coupling and the pipe opening. I drove the bike straight home and the engine oil light never came on again, nor did the engine smell hot when I arrived. So my quesstion is ....is the fix as simple as re clamping the rubber coupling and checking the oil or is there something else I could have damaged? Shawn

Thanks Ratchet, I am a total noob to motorcycling. Is this oil refillable/checkable in anyway, or do you just replace the piston when there is a change is the "feel" of the steering? I haven't noticed any roughness in riding, but I am always looking for leaks of any kind before my warranty runs out in July and am wondering if I should have the part replaced or if its even under warranty. Greedyfly

Hey, I have a 2002 Lemans with what appears to be a leak on the left side of the forks. There is a small deposit of oil on the black plastic piece underneath the steering piston. It appears to be coming from the steering piston. Is this a life threatening problem? What exactly is the purpose of the piston? Could it be a fork leak in this location? Thanks for any help/advice. Greedyfly

Because I am sure that I will hear someone say I am wearing a womans jacket since iwhere I live, the zipper side convention is different than it is in Europe evidently Greedyfly

Yeah I tried the jacket on and felt like I was wearing a woman's jacket...now I will know to say it's "European style"!! I am taking the MSF. Last time I rode was 20 years ago on a Honda 350. Until I get comfortable on a bike, I plan to just ride on county roads and subdivisions. Greedyfly

Helmet, jacket, saddlebags are all brand new.. Here is the breakdown: 2002 LeMans Bike $7999.99 with 1950 miles Motto Guzzi Racing Jacket $319.99 new, just like the one in your picture. Expandable saddlebags w/ quick release brackets new $ 347.99 Nolan Helmet New $199.99 Motto Guzzi Tank Bag (used and included in bike price) Total $ 8867.96 Tax $532.07 Out the Door $9400.00 The warranty on the bike runs through July. Any advice would be appreciated. And recalls. What recall work has there been for the 2002 LeMans? This is my first bike purchase, I don't want to pay too much because of lack of knowledge. The bike appears to be immacculate. My friend thats been riding for quite a while thought it looked in great shape for an '02, but he is a HD/BMW guy and not a Guzzi Guy, however he did tell me to ask on these forums. From what I have heard on WildGuzzi, the price might be 600-700 too much, so if I go tthe bike down to 7300, would that be an acceptable deal? Greedyfly

Looking at a 2002 Lemans with 1950 miles. Cost of Bike is $7999.00 A nolan helmet (100E ??), the one that is full face but you can flip up either the visor or the whole front portion of the helmet. A Moto Guzzi Leather Jacket. Moto Guzzi Tank Bag. Collapsable saddlebags w/quick release Plug for heated gear . The pipes were non-stock, but I can't remember the brand. Cost out the door (taxes and everything included) $9400. Would you guys consider that a good deal? Greedyfly