dlaing

...and let the dealer re-post the ad as a 2002...maybe you'll get it for less money Or, I just looked at http://www.nadaguides.com/ and found the price difference between a 2002 and a 2004 to be about $500US. Maybe the dealer will sell it to you for the difference???????

$5000 US?? That is a steal! Go for it. The V11 sixspeeds are fine for taller riders. If you are not too agressive of a rider you may want to lower the pegs an inch or so. I find the Guzzi Quota to be a much better fit for my 6'2.7987636" frame, but the Quota is not as nice for Canyon Carving.

If you had to ask, don't do it. But I recommend you practice tightening 6mm threaded bolts on your neighbor's honda when he is asleep. You can quickly learn what the breaking point of bolts are. I made the mistake of learning on my own motorcycles. I do however recommend you ask the dealer to spend two minutes tightening every easilly accessible bolt that could effect leaking. They will probably do it free of charge to reduce the chance of having to do warranty work...or not.

thank you? Seven Seals failing is a Guzzichondriac's worst nightmare

I say get out of the deal. That was a fair price for a 2004 but less so for a 2002....Not worth the hostage taking trip to England. If you are looking for a St. Patrick to bring back from the land of angles to convert the heathens of Ireland, I don't think this is the one.

Because I had so much trouble reading the PDF instructions, and because you guys gave such excellent help, here is my work in progress instructions: (PLEASE IMPROVE ON IT) Changing the fluid 1 Loosen the upper triple clamps. 2 Using tool 797-04 (or a 17mm wrench on the preload adjuster) Loosen the top nut assembly about two turns 3 Loosen lower triple clamps and Remove the fork leg from the motorcycle. 4 Remove the top nut assembly from the slider and drain much of the oil. 5 Remove the top nut assembly from the rod by doing the following: Undo the nut under the fork tops that retains these. 1st remove forktop then nut - you will need to make up a tool to hold the tube down against the nut whilst you undo it - a washer to the same width as the tube but with a slot cut in it (so's it'll slide onto the rod). Then you can remove spacers. 6 Remove the slider 7 Remove the Pre-Load Tube. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO LOSE SMALL NEEDLE VALVE THAT'LL POP OUT OF END OF LONG SMALLBORE DAMPER TUBE WHEN IT EXTENDS AS YOU PUMP FORKS NOW. 8 Extract remaining oil by inverting and pumping. NOTE! Discarded Öhlins products should be handled over to an authorized work shop or distributor for proper disposal. 9 Clean slider and grease fork seals with appropriate grease 10 Replace slider 11 refill with 13901-01 to the proper level (somewhere between 80 and 110) Compared to conventional type of front forks, the upside down front forks are very sensitive to variations in oil level. Therefore, adjust the oil level with special care. A change in the fork oil level will not affect damping force in the early stage of fork travel, but will have a great effect in the later stage. When the oil level is raised: The air spring in the later half stage of travel is stronger, and thus the front forks harder. When the oil level is lowered: The air spring in the later half stage of travel is lessened, and thus the front forks are softer. The oil level works most effectively at the end of the fork travel. Air spring characteristics shown, refer to the chart description in the PDF Manual to facilitate understanding of the difference when the oil level is changed. It is best to measure oil with fork compressed and springs in place because it better describes the real life air gap. 12 Replace Pre-Load Tube 13 Replace Topnut assembly on rod 14 screw topnut assembly on to slider 15 Reinstall fork 16 tighten everything properly

FWIW The fourteen ounces (411ml) resulted in about a 300mm airgap with spring and spacer installed, but not compressed. Compression will raise it by the length of the stroke, 120mm. So if I had gotten rid of the air(I doubt I got it all out) and the uncompressed displaced about half as much as a compressed spring(a gross assumption) then the theoretical compressed measurement would be about 80 mm. More air expelled would raise that number. A compressed spring would lower that number. So, guessing is pretty pointless. But it seems to work well, and give me a little softer ride compared to the sixteen ounces per fork leg. Could it be that some are blowing seals because their fluid level is too high? (air gap to small) Fear of seals blowing is one reason why I went with the 14 ounces. The other is because on a good hard ride I was an inch away from bottoming. Sorry about the speculative conjecture. I really need to measure it properly if we are to compare notes.

It might be worth getting even if you have the html version. I know that the paper version I have is higher resolution than the html version. A PDF SHOULD be as high of resolution as the printed copy.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, than a video is worth many times that, and that video, more concisely than a thick novel, explains why many of us choose a Guzzi! Bellissimo!

Thanks Baldini! I finished the job, ignoring measuring the level. 16 ounces out, 14 ounces in, so, it won't be any worse than it was, unless I miss some of the stiffness of the air spring, but it was nowhere near bottoming with 16 ounces in each leg. I had trouble because I don't know which instruction to follow and my measurement increased when I pumped the fork, presumably replacing air with oil. INEEDAGUZZI probably had he same problem with trapped air. I did not remove the spacer tube. One PDF says to measure with spring in. Another PDF says to measure with spring and spacer out (therefore making full compression doable) If it is fully compressed, does it force the air out? Or do you have to pump all the air out? Does taking the spacer off allow effortless full compression while keeping the spring in place? (I imagine removing the spacer might have made draining it go more quickly and easily.) Thanks in advance....but I am not going to do this again, until next year.... Has anyone asked Ohlins for an FG-313 manual or the "mounting instructions"?

This made a bit more sense, even though this is not a Gold Ohlins R&T, but a Black "Conventional" R&T This image is a little big, so I am only providing the link http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6799/fghondavo9.png It is from the PDF with the Honda on the cover 07283-01L.pdf

I finally got around to changing my oil, but I found that measuring the level was too difficult. The PDF manuals are nearly useless, unless I am just not following them correctly. They say to refer to "mounting instructions" but I can't find such a thing. Our forks are FG313, but there is no manual for them. The manual with the Yamaha on the front says Yah, right! How the heck am I gonna compress the fork AND then actually measure the level?!?!?!?!!!! What am I doing wrong? I pulled the forks, popped the top, then drained by inverting, uninverting, pumping, shaking, inverting, repeating, etc. for about 20 minutes per leg, until I could get only the slowest drip. I measured the waste to be 16 ounces per leg. I replaced with 14 ounces per leg. Trying to measure the level, without compressing the forks, at first the oil level was about 10 inches from the top the O-ring, pumping about 20 times got it down to about 11 inches and then 20 more pumps got it down to about 12 inches below the O-ring. I wish I had measured before replacing the fluid. FWIW, I used my car's dipstick. Also, after I threw the waste in with my used motor oil, I read Give me a break! Do I have to ship the quart of waste back to them!?!?!

The manual recommends 3.5 liters = 3.7 US quarts = 3.08 imperial quarts, which I believe all accounts, puts us over the apparently incorrect, manual recommended, threaded in, high mark. FWIW the 0.69" = ~17.5mm which does not equal 14mm, but is close enough for me. Keep in mind the sloppage sheet will probably lower the pan but not the dipstick, so the 17.5mm will become about 15mm with 3.5 liters. Unless there is other evidence, I think I'll add 3.5 liters at oil change (where I drop the pan and change the filter, and then to make sure it does not drop too low, go with Greg's previously mentioned method of not screwing in the dipstick, and just make sure it stays about the high mark.

I wonder, if you cut the stroke in half and raised it up in the frame until you got good clearance Sure is purty for a cruiser

The "proper" oil level will always be subject to speculation. The beauty of Pete's tray is that it extends the range of "acceptable" oil level. Greg suggested the proper level is at the sloppage sheet. I suspect this is too high, unless popping wheelies is your thing. More importantly I suspect, and I think we all can agree, that the low mark with the dipstick screwed in is too low, and so low that the sheet might not help. I suspect the proper level is somewhere between the high mark screwed in and the sloppage sheet. I suspect the proper level is near Ryland's adding 3.5 Liter measurement, assuming he measured on flat ground, with proper sag , changed the filter, and didn't double dip the dipstick

Years ago I used to a product called an apple warmer. It worked great, but fogging was a problem. But with daily anti-fog treatment, I guess it would not be so bad. I think the product might not be available today because many motorcyclist are too vain. The product you link to is much better looking than the Apple Warmer. These days I just use ear plugs and a velcro on leather scarf, that blocks no wind noise.

Upon Bush signing this Bill that appears to supercede the Bill of Rights http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.6166: disagreeing with the President could subject one to a life of torture, Ooops, I mean Interrogation, and incarceration. The fascists have won. Of course you can still disagree with the President on simple issues, but if say you have evidence that the President is lying about a Terrorist, and you dare present that evidence, you could be considered to be aiding the enemy, and could be subject to martial law. Think how neatly Joe Wilson (Valery Plame's husband) could have been handled with a law like this in place.

Looking at the body language that looks like reaching for the handlebars, your family look like natural motorcyclists.

You should also get a sloppage tray for you passengers to put in their stomach If I were you, I'd be sure to keep the fluid level up and to not pop any wheelies until you get the sheets, but I fall into the Guzzichondriac category.

"Put simply, a squish band is the area or areas where the piston comes in close proximity to the chamber as it passes through top dead center (TDC). Fuel trapped in this space gets squeezed out at high velocity and generates turbulence in the chamber. Turbulence in the chamber promotes better atomization and less separation of the fuel and air, encouraging it to burn." While I kind of buy the squish it till it turbulates as the piston reaches TDC theory, I was thinking a more important reason for it helping combustion is when it leaves TDC, the tighter the squish, the greater vaccum is left behind, suckin' the flame front to where it is needed. I ain't know engineer, but that is my patented and copylefted idea, and I am stickin' to it. But I do like the idea they mentioned of having the squish angle towards the spark plug. :

Damn you, you psychic copy cat! I was thinking the same thing!!!!!!! I was going to share the exact details, but since this place is trolling with greedy capitalist pigs Since the term 'sloppage sheet' is spoken for, I have come up with the heretofore copyleft term, "Anti-Reversion Thingy" aka, "ART" The concept is not to sandwich something with the gasket, as that just ain't brilliant, but to bolt something to the rear of the sump that will displace and or block the reversion of lube juice ("lube juice" is also hearby copyleft). It should have a lower risk of leakage, it won't do a jack about windage or nose wheelies, and it will be really really easy to install....the only problem is all that R&D crap of paying someone like Greg Field to "field" test it. And then off the plans go to the Godless Chinese Commie Industrial Complex, and within six months from now you should be able to buy it at Walmart

When the lady in the car ahead of you throws her bra out the window, the wave is there to catch the under-wire and throw you into a scary front end lock-up. Or maybe it is just to look cool Either way, the bra-less lady will be un-impressed as she has other things going on

I figure I am worth less than minimum wage when not at work and I am nowhere near retirement. Once I hit retirement, I'll walk a mile to save a nickle I guess that makes me CheapButNotOld

Excellent So, if that is at the half way mark with the stick inserted and threaded, it seems that the full mark with stick inserted and threaded should be fine, and that the full mark inserted to the top of the threads might be overkill and potentially cause problems. Although to be sure, you might have to drain it to the lower mark and test it...and that test might not pass And if you like popping wheelies, I guess you might want to fill it to the top of the mark, stick screwed out.

Here is another possible solution to the filter unscrewing itself: Instead of lubing the filter gasket with super slick sythetic oil, how about using rubbing alcohol? It will lube it long enough to get the filter on, and then maybe the seal will stay lube free enough to resist loosening. Or maybe instead of alcohol, a thinner lube like WD40 or ATF with less film strength Whatdyathink?