dlaing

I thought it might of been Captives of Your Majesty's Royal Union, kind of like a POM, prisoner of her majesty, but I was wrong... Here is a hint, Cymru am Byth

I bought the muffler, loved it, but traded it for a pair of Mistrals. I traded it because I wanted more peak power, which may have been a mistake, as the bike has lost some character. The muffler can only be experienced by riding a bike with a muffler that growls under you like it is part of the engine, rather than behind your back. You can read the thread with HP numbers, etc. here: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...c=420&hl=quat-d

Even better they sell the parts that SHOULD fit our bike...possibly with modifications. http://www.ghezzi-brian.com/tuning_MG.htm Note the Paioli forks are shorter than ours assuming you would get them to simplify brake installation. The rear OZ wheel does not have cush drive which can shorten shaft and transmission life.

The trick now is to get the right spring rate. Lex and Mike Stewart could probably give you a good estimate of what should work.

It is nice not to bottom out so much. I am a bit of a hack and to lazy to remove the airbox so I took a long drive to the adusters and whacked the drive with a hammer. Tedious, as it takes many whacks to move the rings the half inch of threads that you probably need. Be sure to lube the threads and unlock the lock ring first. Some rings are loose enough to turn by turning the spring....not mine.

The only places I know for sure have the right spring are Linemann Engineering: http://www.le-suspension.com/ And Computrack: http://www.gmdcomputrack.com/ Here are some other suspension related links: Lex's excellent site: http://www.geocities.com/motoguzzi1064/Guz...ensionSetUp.htm Here is a good thread: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...p?showtopic=739 I am still waiting for Mike Stewart to complete the thread... Some of the many sag threads started by Captain Nemo: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...?showtopic=1588 http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...?showtopic=1596 http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...?showtopic=1429 http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...?showtopic=1421 Ohlins Prices http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...?showtopic=1302

Persistency pays off. I probably would of just settled for an over sprung short travelled shock. Way to go Mike, and glad to hear Penske backs up their product so well. So let us know how it compares to the Ohlins on the Rosso Corsa, and to the stock Sachs. So I guess you'll have an LE tuned Sachs up for sale soon....

Ian, with your weight and those sag numbers, you are definitely bottoming out and need a stiffer spring. Temporarily you could improve things by cranking the preload until you get the sag right. Some other suspension threads indicate that you may fair well with about a 500lb spring available through various sources. FWIW your rear shock is most probably a Sachs and not a White Power. I weigh about the same as you and have the preload heavily cranked up. There is no bike only sag and a bit over an inch of rider sag. I too, need a heavier spring, or better yet, another shock, pending $$$$. Good luck!

Like what sort of whay cool stuff? Shimming?

Dan got one batch of relays from one company that had higher apparent ratings, but from what he can tell, they are no better than the Bosch. I think he did not send them for that reason. He has another batch on order from another company that appears to have truly better ratings....we shall see. Al, FWIW your 2002 only has the potential starter problem, which is better alleviated by an additonal relay like John O'Sullivan has planned. In John's case the relay is not the problem as it is rated for 20A. The wiring and fusing is the problem. Of course, better relays are better relays! The Bosch are still excellent quality, and there is more to it than just amperage capacity. I imagine the changes in the wiring diagrams changed when they modified the relay block.

OK, so I have another wrench to throw into the equation... I had been looking at the 2000 wiring diagram. I just took a look at the 2001 and 2002 wiring diagrams and they are very different from 2000. Fortunately, the lighting is now fine on later models, but the current to the starter's solenoid is another problem. They appear to have routed the current so that there still be some excessive loads passing through various switches, or atleast the key switch. (the 2000s have a better routing to the starter solenoid, but the demands of the solenoid can exceed the 15amp fuse rating for all year bikes) John Sullivan's mechanic was going to run a bypass relay to the solenoid so that the high current goes directly from battery to solenoid. A perfect and easy solution. But for the 2000 models, there is still a load problem on the starter relay as it powers the lighting, that could be fixed with a heavier duty relay....if we can find one the right size... The question now is, when did the wiring changes take place? It was probably not right at the 2000/2001 year change...

Callithrix, How do you like the convertibars? What did you do to alleviate bad vibrations? (I hope they don't raise the price....)

"Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION " is just a category used by NHTSA that includes manual transmissions. I hope this does not put anyone out of business. Atleast it does not effect thousands of bikes.

from: http://www.safetyalerts.com/recall/a/02/v00842.htm SafetyAlerts November 3, 2003 Metzeler Has Recalled Motorcycle Tires (SafetyAlerts) - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced. Make : METZELER Model : SPORTEC M-1 P Build Dates : JAN 26, 2003 - FEB 08, 2003 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 03T003000 Component: TIRES:TREAD/BELT Potential Number Of Units Affected : 53 Summary: METZELER SPORTEC 120/17 ZR17 M-1 P MOTORCYCLE TIRE. DURING PRODUCTION, AN EXCESSIVE BELT TENSION WAS USED CAUSING HIGH COMPRESSION BETWEEN THE BELT AND CARCASS. Consequence: AS A RESULT, THE TIRE MAY CHANGE SHAPE AND A BUBBLE MAY APPEAR IN THE TREAD AREA CAUSING THE FRONT TIRE OF THE MOTORCYCLE TO VIBRATE. SUDDEN VIBRATION OF THE FRONT END COULD CAUSE THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL, POSSIBLE RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH. Remedy: METZELER WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE TIRES FREE OF CHARGE. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING NOVEMBER 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR MOTORCYCLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT METZELER AT 706-368-5426.

I took a look at the battery cage this weekend and it looks like it can be safely lowered about a half inch. Lower Center of Gravity

So was Mike Rich knocking(pun intended) the drop in kits that raise compression, and suggesting that his will drop in and work better than stock, without problems because he already took everything into consideration, or was he suggesting that his too, would need carefull attention to squish, detonation, etc. when installed. Also, I did not understand Pete Roper's comment, "Lighter pistons obviously impose less stress on rods and bearings but with weight eduction also tends to come a reduction in service life." I thought an increase in service life would be the result.

Cool site. Check these pods out with aluminum horns. I wonder if they make the right size??? http://www.piercemanifolds.com/airfilters.htm These are for a double barrled carb, and they don't list our size.... but hey you never know.

I hope not. From the "MG Cars Enthusiast's Club" web site ( http://www.mgcars.org.uk/MG_Elec-Tech/body...wire_sizes.html ) size 10 wire 32 amps size 12 wire 24 amps size 14 wire 20 amps size 16 wire 15 amps size 18 wire 13 amps

Please trailer it home. (or atleast duct tape it ) We don't need to lose anyone else from the list. Sorry about the damage.

FWIW Dan Prunske was looking into how current his solenoid drew and measured 17A on his California's solenoid. Which is still within the rating of the relays, but barely. And just outside the range of the 15A fuse. I may be considering thicker gauged wiring, a 20A fuse, and a heavier duty relay. I thought the relay alone would do the trick, but what Dan suspected in the solenoid being too demanding, may be evidenced here by John and Roberto's fuse popping problem. Of course it would be a good idea to clean out the solenoid, and the fuse blowing is a good indicator that it may need servicing, but a little more amperage may keep it starting. As a general rule, you are not supposed to replace blowing fuses with overrated fuse, but with a proper re-engineering of the wiring, it may solve the problem. Atleast, until the solenoid is really messed up.... But the trick is, how to rewire without setting a booby trap for toasted wires. I am curious if 20A fuse would blow, but I can't recommend you try it.

I think you got your terms mixed up. I have heard many people use the terms engage and disengage one way or the other. I think we get it mixed up because the word engaging implies that an action is taking place, and we thing that our hand is engaging, but the term refers to what is happening with our clutch plates and not with what we are doing with our hand. I could be wrong but I have understood the following: Disengage means that the clutch lever has been pulled in. Engage means the clutch lever has been let out. So unless I am mistaken the guide is: Single plate clutch - noisy when engaged, quiet when disengaged = normal Dual plate clutch - quiet when engaged, noisy when disengaged = normal

What size pingel valve would work? adapter???

So if there is a difference of plus or minus fifteen percent, I can see why someone would want the plus 15%. Bulb engineering and quality does make a difference, especially in the quantity of light many hours down the road. The less oxygen in the bulb the better. When halogen bulbs first came out and 99% of the cars were still using incandescents, I remember being offended by the whiter light, but they were clearly more efficient, everyone wanted them and everyone got them. I cannot imagine going back to incandescent vacuum bulbs. The HID is the next logical step, but the price is too high, so we are left with the "HID like" bulbs that burn at a higher temperature to produce an arguably brighter light. People who buy the PIAAs that I have heard are happy. Personally I'd rather just aim my low beam higher. But I did buy some squirrel chasers. Just not sure when I'll get around to mounting them. I want to wire them through the high beam flasher so that they do not draw to much current away from the battery, though I might give them a shot full time, as they are only 25watts times 2 lamps. EDIT 02.16.07 brackets broke on the cheap squirrel chasers before I ever got them wired

I am of the opinion that xtreme white, and blue lights, can actually reduce your night vision, because they make your pupils smaller. But in a dog eat dog world, you have to face the Xeon and HID lights and your pupils may have already shrunk anyway. I can't believe the DOT ever approved of HID at its current lumens level. But now they are after aftermarket HID, because they are too chickshit to take on Mercedes and BMW. HID especially suck for oncoming drivers in the rain. I am of the opinion that the yellow tinted bulbs are the best as they illuminate better without blinding oncoming traffic. Does PIAA make a yellow xeon? Also, I like the idea of mounting squirrel chasers (lights that aim up in the trees) that as you lean into turns, put the beam where you need it. (not good for fog)

Are you sure about that? Mine has been rattling with the clutch pulled in from day one. The dealer said it was normal, and my mechanic has never commented on it. 21,000 miles on it now. I suspect it wiil eventually grenade or slip someday.