Tom M

Is there a trick to getting to the clutch bleed screw? I removed the shock reservoir & bracket but there still wasn't enough room for my hand to get in there. I had a hell of a time getting the locknut back on the screw that held the reservoir bracket too. No room for my mitts in there. What's the secret? Find a little person? I have two of those ( http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showuser=2315 ) but they aren't worth a damn with a wrench...

Nice bike there Pete. Sorry for all that damage but be glad that whatever hit that header didn't bounce a little higher and hit you in the kneecap. Headers are a whole lot easier to fix or replace.

This one blows away google earth for my area. I can see aerial photos of my house from 4 different angles. http://local.live.com/ edit: I plugged my work address in and one of the aerial veiws clearly showed my boss arriving late to work . We had fun with that

I wonder how much that show cost Piaggio? It was essentially a Moto Guzzi commercial, but then most of the Speed motorcycle shows are basically commercials. I still liked it though, and the TV exposure has to be good for Guzzi. Did anyone else catch the Guzzi exec comparing Moto Guzzi to italian fashion designers Armani and someone else? Whatever it takes to generate sales I guess, but personally I'd rather that Guzzi not become known for being a "designer" bike.

Nice write up Paul. I enjoyed the article and the pictures. I love reading about Guzzis on the track. Too bad about Guareschi on the MGS-01... Do you know the story behind the pink exhaust tips on the Zanzani "La Sex Bombe" Guzzi? That's one cool old Guzzi! (except for those tips) http://www.guzzisti.it/saloni_eventi/TTass...es/DSC04376.JPG

I believe the MG Ti pipes can be installed in either the stock position with the stock passenger peg mounts, or in the raised position with the shorter passenger peg mounts that come with the Ti kit (as shown in my avatar). Based on the "bags" link in Guzziriders post above I don't think the bags will fit with Ti pipes installed in the raised position.

Heh heh. Isn't she magnificent? Sorry but have don't have any more pics to offer right now

Oops! Sorry for my previous "not office friendly" post. Please allow me to make up for it....

Here's my bike with Ti exhaust and stock signals: http://img276.imageshack.us/my.php?image=misc0114nm.jpg

Thanks Mr. O'kie. I got the bike home 10 days ago and I've burned 3 tanks of gas through it so far. I love it! I like your sig too That's a very nice looking LM that you found for sale. I definitely would have checked it out if it was closer to me. I will order the relays soon but I'm not so sure about the battery because I use Deltran battery tender which apparently doesn't work with the Hawker? I took a few crummy pictures of the LM while I was snapping pictures of my old Honda for its for sale ad ( I think the Sabre will be sold this afternoon). Here's what I have for pics of the LeMans: http://img276.imageshack.us/my.php?image=misc0071rn.jpg http://img276.imageshack.us/my.php?image=misc0062ca.jpg http://img276.imageshack.us/my.php?image=misc0109up.jpg http://img276.imageshack.us/my.php?image=misc0114nm.jpg (I got an error trying to post the images) Regards, Tom

Beautiful bike there Jock! You may want to reconsider your break in regimen though. Ride it like you stole it to get those rings seated nice and tight I'm sure MotoMan's break in recommendations have been discussed here before, but here you go in case you haven't seen it: http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm

About $20 each for the long ones, about $25 each for the short ones.

I searched the forum looking for mirror extenders so I could see beyond my elbows and found the Buell solution. I found the part numbers but also saw that some people found the mirrors were an exact match to the stock Lemans mirrors, not longer. I think I know why... The long story: I called the local Harley emporium and asked if they had N0161-2A8 & N0162-2A8 in stock. They said they did so I went there to buy them. Once my eyes recovered from the glare of all that chrome in there, I spotted the parts counter a couple hundred yards away through a sea of Harleys and one lonely Buell. The parts guy had the mirrors on the counter for me, they were exactly like my LeMans mirrors. We checked the part numbers and realized that he had N0161-02A8 & N0162-02A8. Note the extra zero after the dash. He went back to his keyboard and punched in the numbers that I gave him over the phone and found that those were available too. I ordered them and expect them in next week. The short story: Buell part numbers for extended mirrors to fit LeMans= N0161-2A8 (left side) N0162-2A8 (right side) Buell part number for standard LeMans mirrors= N0161-02A8 (left side) N0162-02A8 (right side) I hope this clears things up for the next searcher.

Thanks guys. Maybe the pressure washer wasn't such a great idea. I already bought the Harley paint so I think I'll just scrub the flaking areas with a wire brush as suggested and just paint those spots. Here's a pic of the bad side of my bike. The flaking paint is too easy to spot http://img129.imageshack.us/my.php?image=misc0070jn.jpg

Hi guys, I have an 02 LeMans with flaking "fuzzy" engine paint. The previous owner took Guzzi swag instead of getting the cases replaced under warranty. I was thinking of masking off everything around the engine and blasting it with a pressure washer to get rid of the loose paint, then squirting it with the Harley crinkle paint. My only concern is will the driven water get behind the alternator cover and cause any electrical issues? Anybody out there have any experience with this? BTW, I just got the bike last week, burned 3 tanks of gas so far and I love it! Thanks for any help. Regards, Tom

http://www2.ultsoftware.com/avatars/image001310.gif

A friend of mine had an old GP boat very much like this. After blasting across the lake at full throttle a couple of times it got boring real quick. You can't ski behind it, can't fish from it, can't putter around in it drinking beer with your buddies, and it burned incredible amounts of gas. He sold it after one season.

Thanks again for all the comments, suggestions, welcomes and congratulations. I'm very happy to be joining the group. Nobody has mentioned Guzziology yet one way or the other. Is this something that I should put on my Father's Day wish list?

Thanks for the welcome and the advice. Much appreciated. Hal, I'll keep an eye out for you if I get out towards the Mohawk Ouiji, I'm a bit east of the Quabbin but I do ride out that way now & then. I can't really tell you how much I like the bike yet since I only took it on a test ride for a few miles, but those few miles were cool . VERY different from the '84 Honda V65 Sabre that I'm coming off (1100cc V4 shaft driven standard). The Honda is about 100 lbs heavier and 30hp stronger than the LeMans. I think I'll learn to live without a gas gauge, auto-canceling turn signals, etc. I'm sure I'll learn to live with the modern brakes, suspension, handling, and character! I bought the LM privately from a guy in CT for a lot less than blue book value. He must be taking a beating given all the extras that he added. He has a BMW and a Mille too so I guess he just needed to move the slowest bike out of the garage. I was waffling between a Guzzi or a big Monster and the Guzzi won. This one was just too sweet to pass up for the money, even though it was a little more than I initially wanted to spend. Monson sounds like fun but I'm usually pretty busy in Sept coaching my sons hockey team that's just starting up about then. If I have a day free that weekend I'd definitely be interested in taking a ride out there. Please keep me posted. Thanks again, Tom

Hi guys, I'm a long time lurker who's finally bought a Guzzi. I'll be picking up my 02 LM this coming Saturday and I'm thrilled! I would appreciate your thoughts on the following: I asked the previous owner if he had any problems with the gearbox spring or the relays, he said no problems at all with them. Do you advise new owners to replace all of the relays right away? Should I buy an extra gearbox spring as insurance? I would rather not tear into the gearbox as soon as I get the bike to check the boss diameter. That seems like a good winter project to me. I try to do all of my own wrenching and I have the shop manual. Do I need to buy a copy of Guzziology? Is there a lot of useful V11 specific info in there? FWIW the bike has 8000 miles on it. It also has MG ti pipes with "race" ECU, power commander with custom map, Ohlins rear shock, CF fender and side panels, MG tank bag, new rubber, ceramic coated header pipes, and probably some other stuff that escapes me right now. I'm really looking foward to putting some miles this beast! Thanks, Tom