docc

The vibes do quiet a bit as the break in develops. 4500 isn't many miles. That said , the state of tune is a huge contributor to smoothness. Certainly letting the valve lash out to world specs is helpful. As is a caring and meticulous approach to synchronizing the intake tracts. I believe the typical spec is to have them within 5 mm Hg, but it's easy to et them closer to 1 and makes a lot of difference. Jeff in Ohio gives us this procedure for a reliable tune-up.

This is good medicine, removing the terminal stack. I did this by using junction blocks zip-tied to the frame. The positive side uses the mount point for the flasher and one zip-tie. On the early Sport the flasher has to be relocated over near the relay block. This requires relieving the seat pan with a Dremel and reseealing with black RTV silicone. The photo shows the juncton blocks as well as fuses for an accessory port and separate horn circuit. The headlamp circuit has a breaker in place (thanks again,Gary!) After having the melting 30 amp regulator fuse, I added the outside fuse holder for that circuit and put that terminal feed directly back on the battery. [ EDIT/ March 27, 2019: the outside fuse holders all melted or burned up. Even the Maxi-fuse holder. In November, 2016, I worked in this aircraft grade circuit breaker instead of the "fuses" and fuse holders that repeatedly failed on me. ]: A better view of the junction blocks. Periodically checking tightness as the connections settled in was necessary:

Er,yeah, me and the Bonnie Blue just needs ta 'no.

the procedure really needs to go in the FAQ since this has cropped up more than a couple times . . .

Ryland, how many turns again to seat the UFI filter?

I thought the thread was about a 1991 1000S getting some powder coating . . . It all makes the Hooter's thread seem pretty tame. Quiet lately, but tame.

Well, ok, I voted. But like so many democratic processes, I'm not sure what I voted on. Moto Guzzi will always come out ahead of BMW or KTM and the redhead looked better to me than the 70 year old.

Jens, Thank you for your reply and this effort. I had thought that tritium is phosphorescent and emits light whereas the typical material for watch dials is luminescent and must absorb energy from another light source?

This is a very beautiful design! I'm teetering . . . I had hoped that my next watch would have a tachymeter. No hope of that for this project I don't suppose? ( I know everyone would like something different.) Also, I searched and read and didn't see anything of the dials or numbers being luminous.( Is that the correct term for 'glow-in-the-dark?')

Two men, two up with a grenade launcher looks to be all the suspension travel an XL 650 has available!

I have been thinking of adding a chronograph to my small ( very small) collection of two watches. Both are quartz and both Swiss. Wearing three watches leaves two in the drawer much of the time. How critical is it that the mechanical watch stay wound and running? I've seen those automatic watch winders but wonder if that is necessary?

Having looked at my ride record, I see the Guzzi went out once for 30 miles in the last 7 weeks. Ignoring that one ride, the voltage loss was about 1% per month and consistent with the 1-3% range per month expected. Also, I'm interpreting the temperature data as saying to expact to charge at a higher voltage if it's cold. So, perhaps it was OK to run the charger at 16v in the 50 degree garage? Just think . . . pretty soon we'll have our batteries charged, fork oil replaced and we can go riding and talk about tires and oil again!

Your lazer beam spreads to 10 cm (that's 4 inches) in a meter? The one I used was mounted in a 12" level and spread to maybe 3 or 4 millimeters next to the front tire which is a distance of around 1300mm. Certainly any variance in the mounting surface would magnify the error. Better stop using those Cheng Shin seconds on the Guzzi . . .

My Sport sure seemed to track better after aligning the swingarm. I'm sure I got it closer than the factory. A couple mm is no big deal , I'm sure. But when it's a couple mm on the swingarm, a couple cm in ride height, a couple psi here, a couple mV there, 4 or 5 mmHg between the throttle bodies it all adds up to a bike that's merely decent and one that is magic.

Ah,this is true. I forgot there were some 4-pin relays floating around out there. In this case a four pin relay would not put power to the starter solenoid, so no start. Make sure the relay is a five-pin. ( Sounds like you have those on the way.) And try the new relay with the headlamp bulb out. I've seen bulbs short when their filaments break. Sharing eternal optimism, we'll keep looking for something simple ( and cheap).

I used a lazer and markings on the floor. I think Ratchethack has a thread on this procedure.

Thanks for the good input. Looks like there won't be a 0.25 volt difference in charging target voltage within 40 degrees F of the optimum temperatre. And, Gary, is 'deeply discharged' 50% or lower? From what I recall 12.3 is about 50% and 12.05 is 25%. Or would you go with readings after a 3 minute load?

Long a fan of connector maintenence and dielectric grease for the Guzzi, I recall Gary Cheek's good advice, "Use copper anti-seize paste." It displaces moisture and increases conductivity.

It was at 12.79 this morning. It's probably 50 F in the garage. I probably shouldn't worry but usually the AGM batteries don't drop voltage while sitting and this one is only a year old. I put the 1 amp charger back on and it started charging at 15v, went to 15.5 in one minute. I unplugged it when it showed 16v at 5 minutes. Maybe all is well, but it sure is reassuring to put the VOM on and see that "12.84."

We can always pile on Bill's Norge and bomb down to the Athens Super8 for the usual festivities. Otherwise, we'll have to settle for the babes on the waterfall . . .

I was surprised to find my year old Hawker at 12.56v. I have a 1 amp charger that I put to it for a short time ( an hour or so) but the voltage quickly rose above 15v. I then discharged the battery with the headlamp on high and recharged to the 14.8 v level. I hope I did it some good but it's a black art, this battery thing . . .

I'm taking on the midwinter struggle with my seven batteries. Is 14.8 vDC the target charge for both conventional 'wet' cells and AGM?

SV, Glad to hear the road is still open across the mountain. You can ride whatever you like and only have to bring one of the acoutrements in your avatar. Since we moved the rendezvous from the Athens Super8 this has become strictly a BYO affair. I was in mortal fear Bill would not bring his new Nor-Gey in the same vicinity as our collection of under-seat toolkits. But, hey, maybe Nor-Geys don't get exhaust rattles like those old clunky-funky V11s.

Whatever your choice you love the bike even more! Let us know how it turns out.

I can tell you when your wife is a Chiropractor, it takes more than an appointment to get an adjustment . . . I did go back and read the thread linked above and remember that getting the fasteners in was really difficult. One of those projects that will double your vocabulary.