docc

The bleeder is on the slave cylinder attached directly to the back of the clutch / back of the gearbox. It's probably easiest to get to with the wheel off. And, it's just far enough from the lever to require assistance on the squeezing and releasing.

So, after 40 years with this engine architecture, it has never been successful? I'm not sure Moto Guzzi hasn't been "essentially bankrupt" since their inception in 1921. That they haven't disappeared or been "resurrected' is a phenomenon indeed; quite apart form engine architecture.

I suppose it would be most common to recall that "eight or ten" were at the meeting. That you would recollect "nine or eleven" is most telling. The bottom line, so to speak, is that Guzzisti are, well, not common. It is absolutely amazing that this brand is still being produced. No MBA graduated in the last twenty years would think it possible. Well, okay, maybe the left-handed ones . . .

I was concerned more for the foot lever and all its associated pivots. as the pivot gets dirty and loosens up, shifting can degrade. The hand levers are pretty wobbly, but the play to engage should be pretty minimal. When my hand lever engagement play increased too much, I found the master cylinder spring had broken. Into four pieces.

The two simplest things (besides fluid that Gene already mentioned) that contribute to degraded shifting are: 1) cruddy, grabby, loose shift lever... quite easy to remove, clean, shim, and lube. 2) diminished clutch function - bleed the clutch and be certain there is not excessive play at the lever which could indicate a broken spring inside the master cylinder. Otherwise, I would assume your gearbox has had the nefarious gearbox recall performed?

Early Sports were mounted connector up. And their seats are bad about mashing on the battery, cutting into the battery hold strap, and pushing on the relays. I thought they flipped the ECU over in 2002 for better cooling. Come to think of it, cooling is probably better with the fins down . . .

I guess I'll need to protect the line at the top area of contact also. In other places on the bike I've used "zip-ties" as contact guards: (There, done! Just in case . . .) Thanks, again, Mike!!

Okay, then, it's here: Mine was in contact also. Just loosened the fitting and rotated the line for clearance. Thanks for the tip!

[posts moved here from "How To" for discussion.] TD, any good gear oil will serve well. Adding a moly additive to the rear drive is "recommended" if you are not using "Shockproof." I use "blue" RLSP in the gearbox and Heavy (red) in the bevel drive. The trouble I've found is that it is quite easy to overfill and build pressure leading to leaking seals. I'll bet some 50 ml clings inside the rear drive even draining when hot. There's this brief discussion to view: Gearbox and Rear Drive - What Oil

That's not that hyper-zoot synth left over from your SHO that's, like, thirty bucks a quart? If I had some of that stuff, I'd use it , too!

The failure was here?

So, after cleaning the (original) starter and installing the new battery, charging remained 12.56, Although the cranking voltage was up to 10.9. With the new regulator grounded to the engine (The other mounting bolt has a ground through the harness back to the battery), she idles at about 13v and charges at 14.25 at anything over 2000 rpm. Woo-hoo! The old battery was about 70% and the regulator at about 50% capacity. Not entirely bad, but not good either. I probably shot my Odyssey in the foot using too low a charge voltage both by the regulator (at 13.5) and my 1.5 amp trickle charger which tends to operate below the 14.1 volt optimum for the Odyssey. I suppose I'll break down and buy the correct charger. And then there is the warning in the literature for the battery saying the battery should be kept on the charger if the bike has anything less than a 40 amp 3-phase alternator. And the warning on the regulator saying the regulator should be disconnected during charging.

I have my new Ducati Energia regulator from John at EuroMotoElectrics and my new Hawker Odyssey from West Coast Batteries . Interesting, some new instructions accompany each: On the regulator, a sticker saying," BEWARE: DO NOT charge or jump start without disconnecting Voltage Regulator/Rectifier from the battery." And another stating, "NOTE: This unit is earth/groundes thru aluminum case. Additional wire ground(s) direct to battery and/or engine strongly recommended." So, we knew about the added grounds being a good idea, but pulling the regulator fuse during charging? News to me. And the Odyssey manual has a new statement. Get this! " SPECIAL NOTICE! - CUSTOM V-TWIN MOTORCYCLE INSTALLATIONS USING ODYSSEY . . . PC545 . . .BATTERIES If your V-Twin motorcycle is equipped with a standard 32 amp single phase stator/alternator, the appropriate ODYSSEY battery may run out of charge after about 150 miles of riding. To avoid this situation we strongly recommend the ODYSSEY Ultimizer charger model OMAX-6A-1B for existing 32 amp equipped bikes, with the charger being operated continuously during the non-use of the bike and/or installing a 3-phase 40 amp or higher stator/alternator, especially in new bikes." This statement does not appear in the book for my last Odyssey from 2006. I'll bet the situation does not improve with a 25 amp single phase alternator . . . Perhaps these are the keys to long life and battery/regulator happiness?

"Purists" post here!? I feel nekked.

I do love the way air cooled cylinders ring in the cool crisp air of the morning. I would hate to damp(en) them with a jacket of water. Of course, this is the same tune of aging aficionados everywhere. The "corporate" Moto Guzzi experience reminds me a lovely curvaceous thing I dated (briefly) before the Aging Aficionado thing set in: "Of course I'm not giving you any. But you're, like, out with me , right?" Where will MG go from here? My goodness, imagine the blog traffic (that would have been) when MotoGuzzi ditched 46 years of outside flywheel horizontal singles for this new-fangled V-twin thing? If they shift gears now, I can still keep my hottie V11 Sport, even if she doesn't always 'give me any.' Really, I'm looking forward to fueling up one day next some young bucks on those new age Guzzis. "Whoa, fellas, those are some of those spectacular Italian water jacket buggers with the laser-plasma rear drive! Who's your dealer?":oldgit:

"(Tom M): How do they expect "aging officianados" to mount a Windjammer and ammo cans on this???" Ah, yes, we "seasoned (pickled?) Guzziomos await the Mandello answer to the Ural Patrol. Something tells me Terblanche has not jacked up his Jeep Cherokee yet.

It does make me a bit sad to hear Galluzzi say, "The older crowd is going to go away at some point." Ouch, I "resemble" that remark! And then there's the guy who says something about "aging aficionados." Hey, at least that makes me an aficionado! The idea that bikes have become too heavy is very real. I keep trying to get 40 pounds off my Sport, but it runs out of gas!

"Quite easy to uncover" is an intriguing statement. Do you mean once the potting material is removed and the circuit board is out of the case? The Hawker does not seem happy with mediocre recharging voltages (under 14vDC). It would be encouraging to see charging voltages in the specified range. I didn't get my starter apart today for cleaning and lubrication. But, it is a 'must do' as the voltage cranking drops to about 9v. Don't get me wrong, she fires right up and reading that nine volts is fleeting. Yet, I'm taking the Sport on a rather challenging Sport-Tour in eight weeks where I cannot afford a start-charge failure. Like aviation or marine craft, the well prepared motorcycle must be entirely and completely reliable. Where my Sport is showing 9v cranking, 12.5 at rest, and 13.6 charging; I will be more confident with 10 v cranking, 12.8 at rest and 14.2 charging. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :o"Look at you! Where ya goin'?" . . . "Goin' to the moon!":ninja:

You don't think maybe a fresh valve adjustment, and exacting throttle body balance with careful air bypass screw adjustment might affect those temperature readings? Beyond that, the autos I own need period "fuel system treatment." Techtron, and SeaFoam, make great ones and worth trying before launching your injectors off for "intervention." If your 70,000 kM are high, my 116,000 are scarin' me!

It looks like I've launched a simultaneous thread without realizing."Regulator Rebuild" Tom, I think your findings and mine are pretty much the same. I've ordered a new Ducatia Energia regulator form EuroMotoElectrics and a new Hawker from West coast battery. It will be a wonder if my charging voltage comes up to 14! But, hey, one can hope! Perhaps KiwiRoy will have a proper regulator upgrade for us now!

(Moved here from "How to.") So, Nano, do you have a manual petcock or electric (it's on the left side of the tank)? After fitting my manual, I find it takes some firm winding to be sure the thing is fully closed which prevents very much leaking as the lines are disconnected.

I've always thought the '04 is the best of the breed. That black LeMans . . . belissimo!

At this point, I would say my 4 1/2 year old Hawker, the 5 1/3 year old regulator, and the 10 year old starter are all "suboptimal." None of them are "bad," but none of them are really good either. I'll try to pull the starter tomorrow for a refurbish and try to check the integrity of the magnets. I have a new reg/rec on the way and I think I'll replace the battery as well in order to restore maximum reliability and stimulate the economy. Then I can tear down the old regulator and have my way with it!

I'm thinking I don't know how to use my diode tester. The display reads 1564 with the leads free. One yellow shows 448 and the other 428. Reversing the leads, the 1564 read out stays unchanged checking each yellow to the red. If the 1564 is the meter's battery voltage (1.564 vDC), then the readings of 0.448 and 0.428 are "about" 0.5vDC? Haven't checked the starter yet, but what about these readings?

Groaning crank over again this am in spite of the long ride yesterday. What do you suppose is a reasonable service life for the regulator and for the Hawker Odyssey? I'm thinking five years (+/- 6 months) for each would be "normal."