bigbikerrick

Are all the valve stems on our bikes garbage, or just certain years?

Hey Bill, numerous times ive thought about getting a tonti "cruiser" to replace my kawi nomad as my touring rig. The nomad is a great bike, and its got the prettiest hard bags of any bike (IMHO). It seriously lacks in soul though, Ive never ridden a Guzzi EV/cali, but the smile my V11 sport brings to my face is second to none. If the EV is half as fun to ride as my sport,I would love it. what concerns me is the ergos, as my wife and I are big folks,and also Ive read that the foot controls on the EV's are downright awkward,plus its a little cramped for 2 riders. Ive always loved the look of a pearl white Bassa......

I assume you tried the racecrafter spring from oklahoma, correct? I have one I was going to install before the original failed, but am hesitant now... maybe we should bring this issue to the attention of "Bonnie in OK." sometimes stronger is not necessarily better!

Will Do! Thanks.

Yes, Ive read about target fixation, but when I ride my wifes honda magna that has a modulator, I notice a BIG difference in other cars respecting your right of way approaching an intersection. A buddy of mine that has one on his white road king notices the biggest difference when he wears his "cop style" white/black 3/4 helmet though...

I would like to add a headlight modulator to my bike, anyone here use one, and /or have any recommendations? I want to make sure I dont cause any problems with the electricals on the bike, but want something to add to safety when crossing intersections with cars waiting to turn left.

Very enjoyable reading, Thanks for the link! Kind of reminds me of our Guzzis,and our reason for owning them. Im going to forward this link to my son who is graduating from nursing school this May,and already has plans(get in debt) to buy himself a new ZO 6 Vette.

Thanks to all for the replys. I noticed from a buell blast the harley dealer had sitting out in his "lemon lot" that had a broken turnsignal, that there is an inner amber globe, but it seemed to be part of the baseplate that included the bulb socket so I just ordered the smoke colored outer lenses.

I stopped by my local harley dealer today, and after getting the agressive salesman off my back( the dumbass said hey we will give ya a great trade on that there BMW) I was on my v 11 sport, when I told him it was a 2003 moto guzzi, he scratched his head and said " they still make them?" I went to the parts dept. and ordered 4 smoked turn signal lenses for a buell blast. they were 2 bucks each! My question is... are amber bulbs readily available to fit our turn signals? as in the local auto parts store, or does the guzzi use special bulbs . Thanks. BTW I did like that new Dyna street bob with the 6 speed in black,but not enough to shell out 13K for a new one.

Thats friggen funny! I like the one pic. with the lips puckerred, Bwaaahaaaahaaaa!

Dan, by any chance did you measure the diameter of the "bobbin" the spring is wound around? remember ,some were found to be 1 0r 2 mm too large in diameter. I think 16 mm instead of 15. I noticed that the spring I bought from bonnie seems to have a smaller hole in the center of the coil, and one winding of the coil is not perfectly centered. Im thinking maybe its binding on thr bobbin,or whatever you call that part. some folks filed that round part down some, Im just "shooting from the hip " here, but its just an idea....

Mine is in the exact same condition you describe, Its my next project, Ive been procrastinating it, Man I hate taking off that bloody gas tank!

Kev, there is no difference in that respect from the LM,and V11 sport. a LM fairing can be put on a v 11 sport naked , no problema. the tank is the same , Im pretty sure. maybe some of the more knowledgable folks like dlaing, carl,ratchethack,mike, ,pete, Al,etc will give you more info.. Rick.

I have also found that Goodyear part # 63318 is the same hose as the "ford hose" it seems to be a perfect shape/diameter match to the moto guzzi hose, the price I was given at auto zone was $25.99 Its the same as the NAPA Part# NBH 10912 hose. both these are coolant hoses , but seem much heavier duty than the moto guzzi original hose.

Hey RH, did you use a straight piece of hose then adapt elbows, etc? what did you use for the elbows? Edit: OOPPPS! I just went back through some of your old posts on the subject and saw that you used nylon elbow and sch. 40-45 pvc,

Do you recall how much you paid for the original, Mike?

I thought the original would not last very long, mine had cracks in the bottom area with 3000 miles, also Ive been waiting since august 05 for some intake boots, I think the ford hose has got to be better than the original, deffinitely easier to obtain, than waiting for guzzi parts to arrive

I just finished doing mine at tire change also took apart the cush hub, replaced the shitty button head allens with some real bolts with deeper heads, the cush hub sleeve was dry, and the splines had hardly any grease, With the shaft dropped to its lowest point, the grease nipple pops right on, Good Luck.

Thank you all, I appreciate the responses. I think that as much of a "murphys Law" person as I am , If anything CAN go wrong for me it probably will, I Think Id better take the "safe" approach that Mr. Roper suggested and remove the bloody sump, and not risk stripping the manhole cover and possibly not being able to remove the filter due to it being overtorqued, slipping flutes,etc. I may as well not be so darn lazy and remove all those little bolts. Theres an old Cuban saying that my Dad used to always tell me: " El Flojo trabaja doble" It looses a little in the translation, but means " The Lazy person always ends up doing double the work"...

Thats good to know Bro. I was a little concerned since the hose isnt designed for oil, but for coolant,

does anyone know what can be used to unscrew the "manhole cover" to remove the oil filter without dropping the sump? I dont want to purchase a special tool, Im sure something has been rigged up by some of the "gurus" here. also Ive heard its real easy to strip/crossthread the manhole cover ,is this true? Is it not a good idea to remove the filter this way? Im just looking to simplify the oil/filter change process but dont want to risk opening up a "can o worms" , Thanks.

Has anyone here lately replaced their crankcase breather hose( the one that goes from top of bellhousing to bottom of front of frame,the one that is known to crack) with one of the "aftermarket "replacements, the ford heater hose or the dayco # 80404 that some folks use on the tontis. I need to replace mine and am wondering if anyone has done it lately and which one is recommended. also looking for any long term reports as to the durability of these replacements.

Hmmmm, Rhino smegma, some folks call it "fromunda cheese" as it comes from under the foreskin. Its pretty hard stuff to get, you have to be real quick, much easier if the rhino is sleeping( latex medical gloves recommended), and wash your hands well before you eat afterwards........

The Lemans will be a great choice for you Im sure. You may also consider a V 11 sport naked, and put a Givi fairing ,or moto guzzi fairing . with a nice tank bag and maybe a tail rack /bag combo makes a great sport tourer. for 1-2 week tours I take my kawasaki nomad dresser,but for anything less than that my V 11 sport is the mount of choice. Ive ridden a 750 breva, let me tell you the difference between it and the V11 is like kissing your sister, or a wild night with Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson,and Angelina Jolie.........

Ben, did you find a cap to fit the smaller clutch fluid reservoir? I like the red for my bike. Bling, Bling!!