mznyc

Whooooo!!!!!SHE LIVES!!!!! Changed the starter solenoid,and boom she starts right up!No blown fuses and boy does she purr with the Ti ECU. Cant wait to get her tuned and PC III'd. Thanks to anyone who gave suggestions. Couldn't have done it without Carl's,dlaing and Dan's help. They all zeroed in on the problem and went above and beyond ,to help.I owe you all a drink or two ,a few good meals and a place to crash(ooh,err,..sleep) if your ever in the Catskills. THANKS again!!!! Michael

Has anyone replaced their starter solenoid,or rebuilt their starter,that would know if I should grease the brass/copper plunger that engages/disengages the starter gear?It seems like there was grease on it at one time but a bit tacky now.If so,should I use dielectric ,lithium or any ole monkey grease? Thanks, Michael

Hi Greg, I PM'd ya.

Anybody know where I can get a Guzzi CF fairing cheap?

Hi J, I'll give it a look see when I get it off the bike and let yall no what it looks like. Did a few Highland Cows swim over to the Emerald Isle from Scotland or is it the other way around?

Hi d, Yes they do sell them separately.Harpers has one for $78.Unfortunately there's nothing in the Guzzi shop manual about the solenoid :angry:I'm used to the Honda manuals which have every piece of the bike covered and how to troubleshoot them. From what,you,Carl and Pyro Dan have suggested,and from the little Ive learned here,it does make a strong case that the solenoid is the guilty party. I also forgot to mention Dan suggested jumping the two large connectors on the starter to see if it turns over,which it did,which hopefully proves that the starter is probably good.Dan also suggested to directly power solenoid from battery to lead where solenoid blk/brn wire connects,I did and nada.Another piece of evidence that the solenoid is kaput? Hopefully this will be the fix,at $78 it would be a bargain to me. Thanks again,solenoid should be in next week,I'll keep you updated,but in the meantime if anyone has a suggestion or wants to trow in their ,please do so! Michael

Update, Took dlaing and carl's advice, Pulled solenoid wire,try to start and fuse does not blow,re-install wire and fuse blows. Checked continuity,between 87 terminal and sol wire,got it. Checked for continuity between ground and terminal 85,dont have it. Do we feel that it is safe to assume/believe that the solenoid is the culprit? Thanks !!! Michael

Hi Gary, This may be the only time Ive said that I wished I lived in Detroit . Now your really scaring me about getting into the harness. The main reason I'm looking for advice is that I don't want to damage anything else because I am admittingly clueless in the bike's electrical system. You don't agree with what dlaing is suggesting to check the starter solenoid.The fuse blows when I hit the starter button,clueless me asked ,aren't those two things related?Unfortunatly the bike is in a remote area in upstste NY in the Catskills.100 miles from the city and a good 60-70 miles to the nearest dealer so I think I got to figure this out,unless any locals will work for food(Im a hellava cook) and beer or good bottle of wine or two. Thanks, Michael

Hi Raz, Thanks for the words of encouragment and advice.The reason this has taken so long is my own fault and not the group.Got a lot of great advice from everybody,but with the lack of multi-tester(airline lost it during the Valentine's day storm) and being busy with work,I can only blame myself.I'm not a 100% sure the problem didn't move,just assumed I was wrong.I'll try pulling the relay tomorrow and see what happens.The fuses always blew when I hit the starter button.I did pull the starter relay and checked for continuity between treminals 30 & 87a and there was continuity,which there should be but aparrently doesn't prove that the relay is good.After flipping around relays and not marking them I'm not sure which relays were in which place when the problem started. I still haven't made all the checks that have been suggested so I don't want to give the impression that Iv'e given up yet,but wanted to give everybody an update,incase someone sees something Ive missed. Thanks, Michael!

Hi Guys , Here's an update on problem. I may be crazy,blind, senile,dyslexic but the switch fuse #4 is blowing not the Headlight fuse #5 as I stated in the original post! All relays were GEI 5-pins,got new ones from pyro Dan repaced one at a time and still same symptoms. Checked battery voltage,=12.8. All lights,turn signals,horns work,fuse blows and all dash lights go out when I hold starter button down for second.I do hear the fuel injection start up sound before I hit starter button,but everything goes silent other than the click of the fuse blowing after I hit starter button. Just replaced multi-tester and haven't checked continuity between starter solenoid and starter relay socket as dlaing had suggested but will try tomorrow. Hope the new information helps in the diagnosis! PS I put brand new Ti ECU in and no difference.

Thanks guys,I started a thread here ,http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9961,which will expain the problem.I'll put an update on that today.

That's the fuel pump,still looking.

Tryng to trouble shoot an electrical problem and several people suggested checking solenoid.Cant find picture or location of it in shop manual or owners manual. Sorry for the stupid question,hopefully will have an update to original thread soon!http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9961 Thanks, Michael Looks like I answered my own question. The big cannister under the feul tank?

Hi Lex, Glad to see your not anti-Honda.As Guzzi could learn a thing or two about QC from them.I was also a victim of the VFR regulator.But at 70K on the bike at failure,and about $70.00 to replace I wasn't about to complain,and certainly not enough for me to slag them.Rode that bike for years in the rain,below freezing,110 degree heat and never thought twice about doing a 2-3 k ride with the fear of breaking down.That was the only part to ever fail on all my Hondas other than normal wear and tear.The GL Ive heard about a couple of minor problems,along with the ST1300,and VTEC VFR.But as far as I know most or all have been resolved.The long term reviews have also been excellent on them.The GL forks are the first Ive heard of a poorly engineered component,not a failing one. Hey my Scura listed for 14K in 2002 ,with no frills and several problems,for a loaded tourer at $19,299 in 07 $, the GL looks like a good deal.Add $200.00 in aftermarket springs ,an option that makes sense for most bikes direct from the factory,and you should be good to go. I went X-country on the ST a few years ago,of course without any problems in 10K,and a few times wished for a rolling couch in the flat states.I did a little research and it seemed that the K1200LT had an edge over the GL,so I don't don't have blind faith for Honda ,just good luck I guess. My dream bike would have Guzzi design a V11/MGS sex machine,and let Japanese engineers build it.

Hi ratchethack, I wasn't making any comment about Max,In fact I believe and agree with everything he says about this problem.I also stated that this under engineered suspension is unacceptable.But from my experience with Honda,they will not let this go uncorrected for very long.They make far and few mistakes and when they do, they usually correct them pretty quick.I wish I could say the same about Guzzi.I just didn't see how Lex could use this as an opportunity to bash Honda.He starts out by saying,for those who think Hondas engineering is brilliant.This problem is not proof that their designs are second to anyone ,overall,they are the best engineered bikes on the road today and have been for a long time. They also readily admit when they have a problem and will perform a recall at no expense to the owner to fix the problem.A serious safety issue is an even more rare occasion and i assure you is something they do not tolerate.I don't believe this falls under that category,a Gold Wing rider wouldn't and shouldn't be pushing his bike that hard to get him to get himself in trouble because of the suspension,but more towards correcting for the next model upgrade.It's also an easy and relatively inexpensive fix for the owner.Guzzi hasn't even admitted to a problem with the Scura clutch,a potentialy lethal screwup.Forget about making it right,replacing at no cost to us,the loyal owners. Hey Anna Nicole Smith was a unique beauty RIP,..but ultimately would she have been worth the trouble?My Guzzi is making me think.... Michael

Well at least it's not an exploding clutch! Upgrading suspensions for almost every motorcycle made in the last 30 years is almost like a right of passage for most bikers.Changing springs re-valving,changing fluid wt,level are all common upgrades regardless of make or model.Ive seen people change RC45 suspensions as well as SV 650's.Dosen't mean they're crap bikes or poorly engineered ,just owners tweaking them for their needs. I agree 1 inch of remaining travel is unacceptable on the Gold Wing.But as someone who has owned 8 Hondas,with 100's of thousands of miles on them I NEVER had any major problems.Change the oil,basic maintenance,and RIDE.Honda has very few recalls and they make many models, not a few.Thats a great track record,(they also have great record on the track),that almost any company including Guzzi would envy. Take a close look at a Honda.Look at the beautiful welds on the frame,the un-exposed to the elements wiring,work the high quality switchgear and you will see why Honda is the benchmark that manufacturers strive to be.Are they bland to some,yes.Is their engineering sub quality to anyone,NO!! One of the reasons this great forum exists and thrives because of problems us owners have to resolve ourselves,and also the lack of support from Guzzi .Go to a Honda forum and the bulk of their threads are,what type of tires should I use,seat choices,where do i put my Sirius Radio mount?How many of us have had our bikes laid up for long periods because of poorly engineered parts,lack of dealer/Guzzi support or unavailability parts.Few of us only have our Guzzi as our everyday ride to-work-bike because of their er,ah,..character.I'm not saying their unreliable ,they're just not boring like those ,start every day in any conditions,Hondas. If this rare ,under- engineered spring in the Gold Wing gives us the bullet to take Honda off it's high perch ,it's a blank! I love my Guzzi!Even though it hasn't run in a month,and still have to replace the clutch before it blows up.The one that Guzzi has yet to acknowledge till someone gets hurt.Oh well at least I still have the ST1100 in the garage so I can get to work.....

Hi Gary, The thing that perplexes me is the fuse wont blow and the idiot lights stay on with the,probably,good relay.? Spoke to Dan and he said he's never had a failure with GEI in this type of situation.So this leads me to believe you are correct. But Ive never had a Battery Tender not being able to charge a LOW battery.Ive found that dead ones usually stay dead,and the BT cannot bring them back.Which is what's happening here.Left the Tender on the battery for a few weeks the tender does not go to maintanence mode ,like it should. Also dont know what the previous owner did for battery maintenance.I dont think he rode it a regularly,dont know if he trickle charged it.It's also several years old.(I know a, battery if well maintained ,should last a long time,my Hondas always did)This is what started this whole problem ,I was trying to charge up a VERY low battery. Once I get my tools back I'll see what kind of voltage the battery has.If it's dead I'll replace the battery along with the relay and let cha know what happens, Thanks again for your input Gary and et all!! Michael

Hi docc, Did what you suggested and in fact fuse does not blow and idiot lights stay on .Unfortunately bike wont start,I think I fully discharged battery because it wont take a charge fron Battery Tender.Oh well guess I got to break down for an Oddessy. I got an email to Dan in to for a full set.According to the diagram on Dan's site,it looks like there should be continuity between terminals 30 and 87a.But once again,Im an electronic novice so I may be way off base.Unfortunately volt-meter is in airline baggage purgatory with the rest of my tools. Baggage handler> Anyone know how to check a relay? Thanks, Michael

In the "do I have to draw you a picture?"category,could someone post a series of pictures of the proper way to mount and raise the bike on the factory or copy of shop stand? Thanks, MZ

Caio Franco, Do you know which race they're in?The 200,BOT Twins,etc.If it's the 200 it should be televised and I'll see what I can do about getting you a copy. Michael

I think he's enticing you Jim,to get to your MGS!

Damm,Ive been tossing around a Lime Rock Day(Great roller-coaster, natural road course) in my head for a while for 08.Maybe an option for right-coasters'.

Bravissimo! Great the basic advice that I'm looking for!I'll try it next weekend,will be the soonest I can get to her,I'll keep ya posted. Grazie d!! Ciao,Michael

Hi docc, Thanks,sounds like an easy check,I'll let you know what I find out. Michael