docc

The most common seems to be the connections to the battery itself. Make sure they are snugged up well.

After a careful disassembly of the hand levers I am finding the cadmium plated pivot pins suffer a good bit of wear, and are commonly caked up with dry crud. There are three pivot surfaces in each lever and you will find them much happier all clean with a light coat of, say, Bel-Ray waterproof grease. Be aware of the coil springs and the little bearings that activate the microswitches (don't take them apart in a dark gravel driveway). And note that the stamped nuts that hold the main pivot pins are often loose. From an ergonomic standpoint , levers are often aligned more horizontal than would be ideal. The angle of the levers down from the bar should be along a line drawn from the shoulder through the wrist. This will angle the levers down substantially and take out the angulation of the tendons in the back of the wrist and hand.

It occurred to me while polishing the frame welds on the sport ( yeah, you're lucky if you can ride yours) that many cannot fathom that everyday people are allowed to own motorcycles. And that without a substantial dose of moral responsibilty these evil conveyances of carnal desires ( well, the Sports anyway, maybe not the serene and mature LeMans) are a scourge of society and should be banned.

That's not actually paint, but enigma.

I'm glad Max didn't ask anything emotionally charged or controversial like, " where should I put my turn signals?"

Who needs a horn when you've got a Spandau mounted between the clip-ons? That would lend a real retro look and harken back to Carlo's early days with Ravelli at the stick.

No, but I, er , made this digitally remasterd sketch:

Many thanks to Pete Roper, down-under Guzzi guru from the Wildgoose board. My dealer assured me the procedure to change the gearbox is to sling the bike to the ceiling and lower the driveline out of it. Pete had put me on to the technique of tipping the frame forward ( "crabbing") for access to the box and the clutch. I chocked the front wheel in a 'sport chock' and strapped the frame to the ceiling. After releasing the rear frame elements and loosening the front frame bolts , the engine could be supported on a broad support under the sump while the frame is tilted up to expose the gearbox, and thereafter, the clutch. Once the new gearbox was in place the frame was tilted back down and buttoned back up. Much less hassle than splitting the frame off the driveline and disconnecting all the harness, lines and cables.

We've all been so respectful to one another on this board. Here we are from all over the world, in so many different cultures and political climates and yet we come together to enjoy these motorcycles and help one another enjoy them to the maximum! Here in Tennessee there are so many armed that if it were that great a threat we would all be dead already. Opening fire on the neighbor (or his dogs) is not very commonplace. The pepper spray in the tankbag is surely a good 'training method.' And the subject of horns will probably always bring up the subject of dogs. I know of riders killed or injured by fur magnetics. The stock 'squeekers' just seem to cry out, "here boy! Something fun to play with!" The black Fiamms in the stock location don't seem too obtrusive for the added safety and effectiveness.

No question, those of us who like to toss these rides around need to be serious about getting some bite on the front. KB, maybe a "FAQ" on this topic?

Well, Al, me neither. The guy's homeowner's insurance immediately took care of the gear and the bike. But when it came time to settle on two months of rehabilitation on my shoulder they went cold. So I figured I would go with whatever the Judge decided. Of course now dogs in the road kind of freak me out. One of the things I'm really missing about the Sport while it's on blocks is those Fiamms. I've seen 'em singe the hair right off a canine's ears!

I just went to court yesterday over tripping on a dog 18 months ago.. They tried to get a dismissal but the judge said, "$7500." That's in addition to the $3300 to fix my GB500 and $1100 for my scraped up/ bashed up riding gear. If these people only knew their stupid, loose dog might cost them 12 grand!

I'm anxious to hear how your treatment holds up to chipping. That cover really takes a beating up there!

Very astute! I predict many beers to be consumed late at night reading through all the old suspension threads. I'll be looking forward to more of your good observations as you and the Guzzi get to know one another.

What should we say, primary sag and secondary sag? Regardless, david is right about 2" being on the high side. One inch would certainly be on the low side and may allow the suspension to 'top.' A bad thing while cornering on a rough road and the suspension runs out of 'reach.' Just like Goldilocks we want it 'juuuust right.'

I recall a thread on horns in the FAQ. It's more about Fiamms and relays which i found desirable for impressing dogs that I may be a one ton truck instead of something to play with. :!:

Pretty exciting , wheeling home a new ride! Congratulations! And you have the good fortune to be on this forum right from the start. So far we haven't heard of any changes for '04 except for paint. As for the upgrades, my advice would be to ride it for a little while and settle in to it. Then when you make a change you'll have a good feel for what it does for you and the bike. You'll definately appreciate the pipes! That'll give you time to search the board's archives. There is so much discussion on exhaust and ECU upgrades to review. ride well.

After experiencing my shift quality degrade to the point the dealer demanded guzzi-US replace the complete box, I intend to shift the thing like it has glass springs and hope it lasts forever.

At anything more than four beers per hour make sure the job gets done in the first 1/2 hour.

There'll be 2% difference just from the time a tire is new to the time it's shot.

I've run out of beer reading suspension threads. A couple observations: 1 Kg is 1 Newton. (there's more to it than that) The spring rates must specify a weight and distance (Kg/mm, N/mm, Lb/in) The rear spring rate of 85 must be Kg/cm. (475 Lb/in) a 550 Lb/in spring is 98 Kg/cm It does seem awfully stiff for a 500-550 lb bike and , say 200 lb rider. Some percentage of the weight is on the front ( anyone know how much??) and some of the weight is unsprung (wheel, tire, brakes, bevel box, and part of the swingarm and shaft).

I got a reply from my dealer today on my swingarm I ordered three weeks ago. I had asked him if it was going to take four months to get it . To this he says, "who knows?" I guess I' m assuming it'll take 3 months since they are apparently not stocked in the states. Very frustrating not knowing. It could be the dead of winter before I get the thing. Well, you asked for it. I'll try the knock on wood thing to see if that helps.

Al, all I could find in my Sport manual were the standard values by diameter in mm: 4mm 3-3.5 Nm 5x0.8 6-7 6x1 8-12 8x1.25 25-30 10x1.5 45-50

You've got a great helmet and you've had your head examined? We should all be so lucky.

600 grit wet-dry sand paper gives the surface a really uniform shine. follow this with "semi-Chrome" polish or "mother's" for the polished almost chromed look. Immediately they will begin to color again based on your tuning and riding style. I agree with John on the 'honey' color. That uniform bronze is a sign all is well. Any bluing makes me think the exhaust valve may be turning blue as well. :!: Worse yet when one is more blue than the other.