docc

A "Griso Cup" sound like an attachment for my gas grill for those really drippy Bratwurst . . . And everyone knows that *things* are faster with a bikini.

Look at the 2004 versions: more "wrist friendly" than the evil, twitchy early RedFrames , but still entirely *elemental* and that fine Italian ghost-in-the-machine soul! "Last of the real Guzzis" . . .

Huh, something similar happened to me with my 2000 sport in October 2008 ordering 1117530 from MI in Seattle, but receiving 1117590 instead. They were able to locate and ship a more correct cable 1117560

Ok, I've been bracing myself for the potential ribbing that might come my way for wiping gear oil off my rear wheel a second year in a row. After changing the outer (easy) big seal in the rear drive, the drip reduced to more of a splatter. The shop I found to change the inner seal had the main man out for six weeks with medical issues. Tuesday, he told me he couldn't guarantee getting the thing back together in the next couple weeks. In the meantime (is this sounding like a long, drawn out alibi?), I ordered my drive shaft from my local Moto Guzzi dealer in Seattle, Washington ( like 3000 miles from here) who ordered the piece from The Netherlands (like 10,000 miles from there). They said to expect a month, but after six weeks, there's no word on a delivery time. So, I packed an extra rag instead. The short answer is . . . no.

Sorting the rest of the relay bases is a good idea. As is grounding the regulator. Look also at the 30 amp regulator fuse. The contacts on this mini-fuse are rather undersized for the load and many of these fuses have melted or the contacts have burned off (without "blowing" the fuse!). Cleaning the contacts in the ignition switch is not difficult and will be worthwhile. Check your battery voltage and charging voltages with a digital meter. A weak battery is trouble for these systems. Look for battery voltage 12.7-12.84 and charging over 14 volts. Best of luck and keep us posted!

Bad news on that: Starboard is the right side of the ship. The Italian "S" is for "sinestra" (left) aka Simon Bar Sinister "S" is not for "starboard."

Pirelli makes no mention of dual compound; only a high silica content. I do like the Angels in the cold and wet. Really, they impress me as Diablo Strada with a gimicky tread pattern (the angels) that only lasts a few hundred miles. Kind of reminds me of a girl I once dated. She was a real angel, but only for the first couple rides!

My Angels and Diablo Stradas have been roughly equivalent, both in handling and mileage. I wonder if speeds, here in the USA, are somewhat higher than the continent and the UK. That's a hard measure to pin down. And even with that, the roads here in the southeast US are coarse and temperatures are often high - something I've long called the 90-90 wear pattern: 90 degrees Fahrenheit/ 90 mph: 3500 mile tire life!

I've a fellow rider coming along from Middle Tennessee who's booked a room and would like to split costs. If anyone is interested, pm me and I'll get you in touch with him.

"Dis side" - ha aha haha ! That's some precious eye'talian'merican stuff!

Hi, Ajonen, Apologies, but I thought we could address your timing question in this thread without a separate one. There is a rubber plug on the right side of the bell housing used to see the top-dead-center marks for valve adjustment ("D" for right and "S" for left). I don't think the flywheel has any actual timing marks. You may be able to make a mark, visible with a timing light, that would tell you if the timing is jumping around indicating a bad cam chain tensioner. Otherwise, there are some simple things to try first: -set your valves to "world spec" (0.006" intake/ 0.008" exhaust) *apologies for quoting "world spec" in inches, but I see you are in SoCal/USA* -Increase your idle to 1200-1500 rpm. Some of the tachs read 300-500 rpm low and no well cammed Guzzi likes a low idle. -Balance your throttle linkage very carefully. The fluid devices (like Mercury sticks) are more effective than the electronic devices (like "TwinMax") -be certain your air filter is clean and up to service and there are no air or exhaust leaks. Certainly some of these motors have suffered from needing valve and guide service, but let's try the simple stuff first!

Hmm, that appears to be the airbox drain. The bright red wire is the spark plug wire and the two should not be allowed out on a date by themselves! The center hose leaking before indicates the tank was not venting normally. I wonder: what did the shop change? Did they actually change the tank? Or did they reroute or plug off the vent lines? Normally, that airbox drain only captures incoming moisture. In order for it to be dropping fuel, raw fuel must be kicking back into the airbox.

This is the first I've heard of one going down. Is it mechanical or a pressure switch?

Cleaning the ignition switch per KiwiRoy's advice has been a real help to my "hi-mile" Sport. But, what is a good point to "anchor" the harness, and can I get to it without any dis-assembly?

Gene, I promise I will not tell that you polished your pipes with kitchen sink cleaner. The promise is good til the third beer. . .

Now we're riding the ragged edge, taunting the storm Gods, and smuggling home brew! I love this ride!

That's a pretty nice looking clock! I'm on my third Veglia (earlier than yours) after 76,000 miles. I use my Garmin ZUMO as a back-up. Is that unit cable driven or electronic?

I don't think it's the bolts themselves or even the U-joints. After several remove/refit operations by several, um, technicians, I don't think the collars retain the fasteners well any more. The factory change interval on the shaft is worrisome, and I can only be sure I've got grease in the front U-joint a couple times, even after trying, over the last ten or eleven years. I've got to remove the rear drive for seals and I just can't trust the shaft at the typical speeds I might approach (90-100 mph). Sure, a new shaft is six or eight hundred dollars. New bikes are ten or twelve thousand and an MRI or CAT scan ranges 600- 5,000 USD. I'm looking forward to the confidence of having a fresh new drive shaft.

After 76,000 miles, I'm replacing my drive shaft. I know I've gotten grease in it twice for sure. Trouble is, it's been removed and replaced four or five times for other reasons and I don't trust the pinch bolts and collars anymore. Apparently, Teo Lamers in Holland has replacements for much less than $800 USD.

Steve, Has your original gone missing? (I'm afraid to take my tank bag off that the cover might blow away!)

Good replies on checking the bearings versus the brakes. It is really common for some of the pistons to begin sticking. Bleeding the brakes while freeing the pistons, all, will improve the braking and reduce any drag from sticking pistons along with the uneven movement of the pads against the rotors.

Good advice so far. With the Sport-i so similar to the V11 variants, I think we're in the right forum for this discussion. We might could all learn a thing or two from it. You say when the bike is off, the throttle snaps back closed? No chance the cable or linkage is rubbing (have a look)?

+1 on the basic tune up including servicing the air filter. If it's an "oiled foam" job, there's lots of concern about their effectiveness. I clean and oil mine religiously once a year (no, really, I burn incense and make incantations, face the bike east - all that). Even though the service interval for tuning is 6000 miles, I've found my Sport craves the attention and often has shown response to 4000 mile tune ups. Don't neglect battery and charging voltages. The ECU gets unhappy with suboptimal voltage. "Optimal" is 12.8 resting and 14.2+ charging.

I'd like some way to follow that trip. Are you going to keep posting on that same blog? Maybe you could keep us updated here on our "travel" forum.

G-meister, good advice from Raz on valve lash. Also, to check: melted 30 amp regulator fuse, and nefarious advice on modifying the temperature sensor (helped me!) Hey, go to your "profile" and show your location. It helps us all know better how to be of help.