Tom M

You need to give us more information. At what rpm and what gear does it occur? At what throttle opening? Is the bike stock or modified? If modified, what was done? How old are the spark plugs? Are the relays stock? Some here have traced hesitation or stuttering under acceleration to a bad relay. The stock relays are notorious for causing problems. Most people here replace them all at the first sign of trouble. A very cost effective source for reliable relays is http://www.dpguzzi.com/relay.htm. A source for higher spec relays is http://www.motratech.com/MGR-C20.html.

In case anyone missed it, they announced the V7 cafe classic without the rubber tank pads that I saw pictured somewhere around here, and with clipons. That's a nice looking little bike! Big pictures here: http://press.motoguzzi.it/press.asp?idpadr...7&idliv=376 I think it's interesting that they show the MGS-01 as '09 model too. The pictures still show the old 8v engine. Are they really still making that?

Here you go Foto, some nice shiny Staintunes: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Moto-Guzzi-...d=p4506.c0.m245

Here's another option for a voltmeter plus clock and thermometer: http://www.compacc.com/prod.cfm/cid/1119003/pid/19348 The same part is available from most big mail order houses.

Forum sponsor Rossopuro at the top of this page carries Quat D products. I know other US forum members have bought parts from them. The Ghezzi-Brian exhaust is a Quat-D. Lots of info including dyno results here: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...c=7749&st=0 Here's one of many exhaust option threads: Muffler choices

Damn! You'll definitely be missed around here Ouiji. I wish you the best of luck in Hawaii. What kind off gig did you land out there in paradise? Those are some smokin' Guzzi deals you're offering. Please PM me the info on the SP.

Right you are Bob.

If anyone is going for that lot with the rear rack make sure you find out if the mounting brackets are included. They aren't in the picture or description and probably aren't available separately.

It was clearly a fat American stereotype joke. It's probably as popular as the brits with bad teeth stereotype over here. I liked this: "However, many people are making the switch because they imagine that having a small motorcycle will be cheap. It isn’t. Sure, the 125cc Vespa I tried can be bought for £3,499, but then you will need a helmet (£300), a jacket (£500), some Freddie Mercury trousers (£100), shoes (£130), a pair of Kevlar gloves (£90), a coffin (£1,000), a headstone (£750), a cremation (£380) and flowers in the church (£200)." I forgot to factor in the Freddy Mercury trousers and the funeral costs when I bought my bike!

I thought this was pretty funny. Hope some of you do too. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/j...icle4963194.ece

Nice job Doug. That looks great! Like KB I'm interested in hearing how it rides too...

...and the Guzzi doesn't look like a discarded prop from a sci-fi movie . I'm sure I'd love the Tuono's performance but it isn't what I'd call a really good looking bike.

I guess this, like the ugly bike thread, just shows that everyone has different tastes in motorcycles. $20k??!! You'd have to pay me to get me to ride that thing. On second thought, I'd give him $800 for what to me is a parts bike.

There's at least one other possible cause for some bikes pinging and some not that isn't related to fuel quality or what you mentioned above; squish clearance. It was discussed here, and there's a great web page that shows how to set it on an air cooled Harley motor here.

Keep in mind that I'm not an expert or even a mechanic, just an owner who has messed around with this a bit. That said, after you've adjusted the valves and balanced the TBs I'd recommend moving your TPS setting up 10mV because I've reduced pinging by moving mine that amount. If it still pings move it up another 5 or 10mV, but don't be surprised if acceleration starts to suffer because you're now too rich. See the TPS setup post that pinned in the how-to section on how to take the readings. Make sure you document what your idle and base (disconnected) TPS readings are before messing with any adjustments. The post says your base TPS setting should be 150mV but my bike wouldn't run at that setting, I needed a much higher setting for some reason. If you're below 150 I'd move it up to there as a start. Lot's of folks here use a Power Commander to adjust fuel mapping after modifying their bikes. While it won't let you adjust the ignition curve, it will let you add or reduce fuel exactly where you need to. There are lots of maps for various bike setups floating around, and there are lots of PC tuning centers that will create a custom map for your bike. If you buy from Todd at Guzzitech I believe he'll provide a map for your configuration.

Your description sure sounds like detonation to me. Time for a valve adjustment (world spec), throttle body sync and TPS check. Hopefully that will cure it. Is your bike modified at all? Aftermarket intake and exhaust parts can make the engine run lean and ping. Here's a thread on the subject that I instigated a while back. A search will turn up many more. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...&hl=pinging

It's a V8. The middle cylinders share the middle exhaust port.

You shouldn't use the idle stop screws to adjust TB balance. I believe you should back the right (when sitting on the bike) TB idle stop all the way out and only use the left side to adjust idle speed. If you use both stop screws lash in the throttle linkage can complicate the adjustment process. The white knob should be used to adjust balance above idle. Some say use the bleed screws to adjust balance at idle. I used the Micha method, 1 turn out on both bleed screws and balance TB's with the white knob at 1800rpm, and I'm happy with the results.

I'm with Skeeve on the new Guzzi vote. I'd love to see them all come to market, but a new LeMans or Sport is what I'd buy if I was in the market for a new Guzzi. I can't imagine that even a member of the Village People would want to be seen on this new BMW monstrosity. This thing should be part of the FUGLY definition in Wikipedia. Hideous!

Change your oil before you put it away for the winter. Any condensation that may form in the crankcase over the winter will evaporate when you start riding again in the spring. What I've read is crud can settle out of dirty oil over time and form sludge deposits in your motor, and there are acids in old oil that are a byproduct of the combustion process that can damage bearings. (This is what I've read on the 'net so I don't know if it's completely accurate, but it makes sense to me) I put stabilizer in the gas, ride for a while, then shut off the petcock and run the bike until it stalls. After that I drain the fuel tank and run the gas in my snowblower. There will still be some gas in the fuel pump and filter. If you really want to get rid of that turn the key on with the fuel pressure regulator line disconnected and pointing into a container. Old gas sucks and stabilizer doesn't seem to work so well with the newer fuel formulations we get here in the northeast USA. IMO there's no need to keep any gas in your tank through the winter.

Who'd a thunk Tex would go for a bike with a tampon compartment built into the gas tank?

Those are nice! I don't think they'd work with the stock rear fender and turn signals though. Panniers are out with those too. Here's the Giannelli exhaust. Not the same unless they changed their design.

My guess is it's picking up some pulses from the other cylinder because the sensor wire isn't insulated well enough.

You don't have a pawl spring failure. When that spring fails your shifter will move up and down but the gear won't change. The transmission will be stuck in whatever gear was last selected when the spring broke. When you say it jams do you mean the shifter won't move at all, or does the shifter move but the gear doesn't change? If it's the latter you may be able to adjust the shifting mechanism with the screw under the acorn nut on the shifter plate. I haven't messed with it but others here have. A search will turn up info on adjusting it, or hopefully someone with experience there will chime in...