Ryland3210

Correctiion: it is not illegal IN GENERAL to make a profit without a business license. Individuals and other entities can do so as long as the activity is lawful. It IS illegal to fail to file a tax return (assuming the amount is above the minimum threshhold under which a tax return is not required) to report the income, costs, profits, etc., and pay whatever taxes may be due. I share your principle of rewarding those who deal with integrity and shunning those attempting to engage in copyright and/or trade secret infringement. At the same time, I'm also an advocate of free enterprise and entrepreneurship, so long as it's done legally and ethically. I respect your right to an opinion, and that of others who may differ. The best defense against being disappointed by someone is to check references and ask questions.

1. My dealer used a simple male to male brass hose barb connector, and didn't bother with clamps of any kind. I recommend using clamps. 2. According to my test results, you have it connected properly, same as shown in the workshop manual, but it needs to have the connection to the tank pointing straight down. I can see that the hose to the tank is too short to do that, so it should be replaced with a longer one. I cut the hose to the canister and spliced in another hose barb connector with two hose clamps near the throttle bodies. This was so the next time I wanted to take the tank off, I would not have to go through contortions to detach it from the valve up under the tank.

I did some interesting testing just now, using a clip on ammeter as calibration back up to a storage oscilloscope. Here is what I found: The starter solenoid draws a peak of 24 amps for between 20 and 45 milliseconds, and drops to 7.5 amps steady as the engine cranks. This peak is about half of what's implied by the coil resistance, so evidently the back emf caused by the motion of the solenoid keeps the current well below the theoretical 49 amps. The sudden reduction to 7.5 amps indicates that there is very likely a limit switch which cuts the current down to that holding current. I saw no voltage spikes, so there is also likely to be some arc suppression installed. Peak current might climb as high as 49 amps if the solenoid got stuck or was sticky for some reason. As I tested it several times, I noticed the time it spent at 24 amps decreased from the initial 45 ms down to 20. That is probably due to the increase of temperature with each trial. This explains why there is only a 15 amp fuse protecting this ciruit. It will probably blow very quickly if the solenoid sticks for any reason. If battery voltage is low, the solenoid will take longer to pull in, which will cause it to spend more time in peak current mode, increasing the likelihood of blowing the fuse. It's a good idea to keep a spare fuse on hand. I keep several of different values in one of those little fuse boxes, under the rubber strap holding the tool kit down. I replaced the spare, which was rated at 15 amps, with a one-size-fits-all 30 amp'er, in case I get stuck somewhere. I can always replace that with the correct rating fuse later on when I get the chance. Good news: Omron is trying harder to get me a sample of their heavy duty version. If that comes through, I'm confident it should provide long term relability, assuming it passes my vibration test. I'm waiting for docc's donated GEI to arrive to do that one last test. More to follow.

Why not the direct approach? Look up dealers in the Atlanta area on the Guzzi website, and send them an email, fax, or phone call.

On a clear and present danger from within: "[The natural right to be free of the debts of a previous generation is] a salutary curb on the spirit of war and indebtment, which, since the modern theory of the perpetuation of debt, has drenched the earth with blood, and crushed its inhabitants under burdens ever accumulating." --Thomas Jefferson to John Wayles Eppes, 1813. ME 13:272

There is no reason I can think of why ordinary worm clamps cannot be used. In fact I have been doing that with no problem. There is a tool for the cheap clips, but personally, I wouldn't bother. It's a nuisance to get them off as well. According to my test results, the valve as shown in your drawing is connected properly. However, it must be oriented upside down relative to the drawing. I would have been glad to supply a picture, except that my dealer took the valve out.

Neither B&M, nor a license ensures the integrity of the seller, although those collecting fees for licenses like to assure us otherwise. Personal character determines integrity, and competence determines performance, not the form of the enterprise. All of us know of reputable and disreputable dealings in both forms. Fortunately, we still have the freedom to chose whether to operate a B&M business or not. Even more important is our right to do buy and sell as individuals without asking permission or obtaining a license to do so. In fact, it seems to me that only the frequent exercise of that right continues its existence. Use it, or lose it.

This topic has been discussed at length before, but I thought it worthwhile to share something I learned just now. When I had my bike in to a dealer for service, he did me the favor of taking off the tipover valve. It had earlier caused the dreaded "tank suck", even though tie wrapped in the correct position, although it was better. Out of curiousity, I tested it by finding which way it would permit flow into the tank to prevent a vacuum from forming. I could only get air to flow through the valve one out of four possible ways. That is with the end which has the hose barb farthest from the valve body upwards, with air going downwards through the valve. It means that not only does the valve have to be held vertical with the long end upwards, but the tank connection has to be to the bottom of the valve, and the vent hose to the top, the opposite of what my intuition would have told me, and nothing like the way the bike was delivered to me. This valve's designed orientation is very strange for its application. Now I know how to put it back on so it can do its job. That is, assuming it is working properly.

Greg, Do you have a map for my '04 with Staintunes and airbox cover modifications?

That's too bad. Based on some of the maps I've seen while doing the TPS/Synch method development, there are some suspicious anomalies in the mapping.

It turned out to have somewhat lower ratings than the GEI, as I recall. That's what motivated me to look into Omron to see if there was something better out there. I had a long term satisfactory track record purchasing their components, so I didn't look any farther into the Tyco's. John

Great! The Sussex, Sullivan, Ulster and western Orange Counties are filled with great roads. Spur of the moment rides are fun when I can make it. I don't mind short notice. That's better than not asking. I'm in the process of putting on Staintunes and airbox modifications. Next step is dyno tuning. This may take another week or so. I'm waiting for parts. I'm reluctant to ride the Guzzi for fear of lean conditions until I get it remapped. Meanwhile, I'm glad to join you with my Venture. You too, waspp.

The danger is that if dyno tuning with a Power Commander is done with skill, it is likely to make up to some extent for baseline setup deviations and produce some improvement. The rider may be led to believe that's as good as it gets. That's why I encouraged John in Connecticut to get the baseline right first. BTW, I thought the Power Commander also provided for adjusting the ignition timing.

I think your dissertation covers the issues, advantages/disadvantages quite thoroughly. Whether silicon grease (it's different from "silicone") breaks down depends on what its compound is. I don't know what it's molecular structure is, but it is used in relatively high temperatures, such as spark plug boots, so it must be pretty stable. On the other hand, a 12 volts difference over a small distance is enough to cause chemical reactions with many compounds. Without the facts on this compound, however, you and I are just speculating on this issue. Personally, I don't feel any need to investigate in this case.

Funny how that works. When I'm looking for something, it's always in the last place I look.

Much obliged, Greg.

I'm curious: Which type of mechanism drives the starter pinion into the flywheel in this engine, and what type of mechanism ratchets or automatically withdraws the pinion when the engine starts? On the topic of lubrication, Suzuki markets a lithium soap grease the lable says "must" be used in universal joints. I've been using Lithium grease out of the same tub for 30 years, so I can certainly vouch for its stability. No separation or change of any kind. I've only used it for sliding applications with minimal contact pressure, so I'm wondering how well it does in a bearing joint.

Read through all of the previous posts. I think you will appreciate that.

Thanks for the clarification, Dave. We are on the same page, with a minor exception. While I have used corrosion protectant on the outside of battery terminals for car and boat batteries, it has not been my practice on motorcycle batteries. I haven't ever seen the kind of crude caused by battery acid which eventually seems to wick up the battery terminals on car batteries. Probably motorcycle batteries are better sealed. Of course, there is no harm to doing it on motorcycle batteries as well. Even if the silicon grease never became silicate, it's still an insulator. Imagine if the connector's mating surfaces vibrate relative to each other. If that happens to any degree, the silicon grease can work its way between the mating contacts, reducing contact area and increasing contact resistance. Moreover, relative motion is undesirable, and grease facilitates that.

I would take that advice, Greg, but I want to keep the original of every part I replace in pristine condition, in case I ever decide to sell this great bike. Know where I can get replacement airbox cover on the cheap, preferably used, even slightly damaged?

They may have no choice if they want to keep selling here. They have been quoting a list price of $999, but the US dollar is sliding against the Australian. At least they are close enough to Taiwan and China to travel there without too much trouble and attempt to maintain quality control.

I suspect not everyone has the skills to be riding around 90% of the time at 3/4 to max throttle, as I suspect you might.

A piece of advice, in case you haven't thought of it: Even though I only had about 1300 miles on my '04, I did the valve adjustment and then the TPS calibration and throttle body synchronization procedure. It ran fine beforehand, but afterwards, better idle, and economy improved from 38 to 42mpg. The main reason I'm suggesting you do this before you have the dyno tuning done, is not only to improve things, but to avoid the risk of dyno tuning the bike with offset TPS and unbalanced throttles. Later on, if they are recalibrated and synchronized, you would actually be detuning. If you think the valves may need adjusting, or the plugs need changing, do that as well before the dyno tuning.

That was yesterday. Today, it's $20,500 US!

Nice job. It looks real professional. I could easily handle the fabrication, but your 20 minutes to result in such a nice job would take me a lot longer. Fast by Ferracci sells the rings for $33. No way I could justify DIY at that price. I'm surprised its sound is so objectionable, given that the tank is surrounding it.