docc

You Greenies all hang together, yeah? And you're all handsome and well spoken!

One of the great past-times at motorcycle events is to gather about the bikes of an evening and chat it all up over a pint. Little goes unnoticed by the enthusiasts and at Barber Vintage Festival some keen lad noticed a wee drip on the ground under the left rear corner of my sump. Engine oil. Groan . . . wet alright, the entire back corner. Arriving home I found this: But felt a glimmer of hope finding the dip stick O-ring all flattened out: Cleaned it all up and applied gstallons' tried and true spray foot powder to see this at the weep hole of the bell housing between the engine and gearbox below the clutch: First thought, of course: Bugger! A rear main seal . Thank goodness for this forum. A little search time brought up this post by The Lovable and Cuddly Pete Roper: "1.) Almost always leaks from the bell housing can be traced back to the breather hose that comes off the pipe from the top of the bell housing. Guzzi, for expediency clamp this with a shitty clamp like the sort of thing that they use for ringing birds! they also use really crap hose that tends to perish quickly and crack. When the clamp loosens or the hose cracks or collapses the hose leaks, it then runs down through the hole the pipe pokes through, through the bell housing and dribbles out of the drain slot and people who should know better say, "Uh! You've got a blown rear mainseal mate! That'll cost you a zillion dollars to fix!". If you're lucky while they are pulling the old tart apart they'll notice the pipe is a bit ordianary and replace it and then the leak will be fixed. If not then the leak will recurr within a few days, you'll get the sh!ts, the dealer will get the sh!ts with you, you'll sell the bike and then spend the rest of your life saying Guzzis are awful sh!theaps. Simply replace the hose first, make sure the ball valve is there and not gummed up and use decent clamps to secure it." A quick look, and the top of the engine and gearbox junction are all nasty and wet. The clamp on the oil hose tightened about a turn and a half or more. Cleaned it all up and had a ride. Dry on top. I'll expect a little residual from the weep hole for a time, but it certainly not the Exxon Valdez which gives some hope! Thanks very much to Pete Roper for all his contributions. How much I appreciate having this forum to turn to! Wish me luck then! Sometimes you can keep searching the internet til you get the answer you want whether it is right or not!

All of the spine frame bikes have coolers from the Daytona, Sport 1100, Centauro, and the V11 series. I've never heard of anyone draining one unless there was concern that some kind of debris might have gotten in it from engine damage. As long as you are changing the oil regularly, there will be no problem with the small volume of oil that remains in the engine. I think it will make it more reliable on start-up after the oil change. More important: make sure the oil filter is absolutely tight!

I am surprised their table of common operating loads states electronic ignition draws 50 watts. Is it really that high? And the computer 25 watts? Seems high, but I have no way of knowing. (These are both separate from the 60 watts they claim for the fuel pump.)

Are you concerned there is something in it besides a small quantity of old oil?

Nein. Andersrum. I had never heard this. Perhaps it is I who got it 'andersrum.'

What are the odds his 2000 Sport is green? Heh, for that matter, what are the odds his V7 Sport is green!?

All of my Pirelli say "Made in Germany". We know Pirelli is owned by Metzler, ja?

Tank Off Maintenance Checklist

You're callin' your kid a 'moped?' That's low, man . . .

That's a good article gs linked to Motorcyclist. Honestly, we can't pay too much attention to suspension set-up. My forks came up 5mm in the triple clamps. Fresh springs front and back. I'll have to look back at my set-up notes, but I shot for 25% rear sag and 30% front. I generally keep some weight in the Teknos (tools, air compressor and such . . .). Getting the right springs is the key.

You should have me over one day with some solder and heat shrink . We'll corral the Magic Smoke and make the sparkies proud!

That's an interesting explanation. I suppose there are solid state flasher that would simply plug in and eliminate the delay?

On my busted up side covers I use stainless finish washers to spread the load. Looks like they would also work on the fender:

So, I've really never thought about this or noticed it, but yes: activating the turn signal switch doesn't instantly light the bulb. A fraction of a second and it begins flashing. I'm not convinced there is a fault.

Had to toss my old V11LeMans shirt Andy York gave me back when. Time to get a new one! I like the Guinness knock off, but not fond of the "Extra Grunt" phrase, preferring "CON BRIO" or something suitably Italian. Agreed with DanM, the rendering shows a dot com which is not V11LeMans.com? At this point, it would be neat to see this move ahead. Merchandising and shipping can be a lot of work, so maybe not worth the hoops-lah?

The guys from Revival Cycles are using these. Looks to be the real deal. Nicely made, kind of pricey and, reportedly, very bright.

Yes, the early Sport (1999-2001) including (I believe) the Rosso Mandello have shorter, steeper raked unbraced frames with a 4.5 inch rear wheel width. Easiest way to tell if a frame is the later "more stable" frame is to look for braces spanning the bottom of the gearbox. My understanding is that the swing-arm length did not change (?) Reports of high speed weave and grip vibration on the introductory V11 led the factory to make numerous changes for 2002. My weave experience was typical of early reports: above 90 mph in disturbed air (as in passing trucks on a freeway). Ditching the squirming Dragon Corsas with their more triangular profile, firmer tire pressures, and backing off the steering damper all made a good difference. Of course, the final answer was getting the correct spring rates and setting the sag to load the front. I still eat up tires. And fuel. And brake pads. And still won't ever catch Andy York, The Perfesser His-self, as he slips away all so smooth and fast. There is nothing quite like the visceral sensation of rolling sedately along the Cherohala Skyway on a crisp sunny morning when three (3!) V11 strafe by at full chat. Once again, swallowed by the Jabberwock!

Wear bars for sure. I thought the ST had them also, but like you, the cord always appeared first. Those are pretty high pressures (I'm at 35/40) but always better than too soft. I seem to recall the Sport's original Dragon Corsa recommendations were 33/37 - another contributor to it's squishy weavy nature as delivered.

At least now we know what caused it . . .

Having lived in Bavaria as a youth, I've always wanted to like the BMW motorcycles. Sadly, they have always disappointed. I am somehow sure the engineers have been told to make the engine "un-noticed," and the steering to be as stable as the Bismarck. I find they have succeeded, but I've never ridden a BMW, even the sport models, that rival the Moto Guzzi for liveliness. "Brio," if you will. I danced with a Bavarian girl once, though, and she could have changed my mind, if we'd had more time . . . Oh, wait . . . she was Dutch!

You're not admitting much about the ten hour clock . . . I would like one of about fourteen or so and maybe catch up over a few years . . .

So, that relay bypass would delete both the Side Stand Switch, the Neutral Switch, and the relay?

My rear tire average over 22 tires is 3538. The original Pirelli Dragon Corsa went 2772. IMO, they were one of the major contributors to the early Sport's tendency to high speed weave. The difference I saw with the GT is that it gave me more time at the end without getting critical.

As Steinbeck had said, "The world was, once again, spinning on greased grooves." (Cannery Row, 1945)