dlaing

I did not know there was a difference!. So, I use Silicone Dielectric Grease which is made of silicon and oxygen and or silicon and carbon molecules. Silicone is probably more stable than raw silicon. But, yah, no need to investigate, just stay away from WD40, use silver conductive where safe to do so, and Silicone dielectric grease or spray where safe to do so when silver condutive won't do or is not available. For example the fuel injector terminals should be undone and mating surface and threads coated with silver conductive, and then bolted down and coated with silicone dielectric or maybe battery terminal coating such as http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-bat...rminal-cleaner/ I have never used the stuff, so I don't know if it is might cause over-insulation problems when re-clamped down, so I stick with silicone dielectric grease.

Yes, the connector's mating surface needs metal to metal contact. A thin layer of dielectric compound increases resistance, but only very slightly, and it greatly reduces arcing and oxidation. The silver conductive compounds are much better solutions at the mating surface because they reduce arcing, oxidation, AND resistance. Silicone Dielectric Grease won't make bad connections better, it will only protect good connections. Silver Conductive grease will make bad connections better, and protect them. The only drawbacks are the price and conduction where you don't won't conduction if you are sloppy, so use conductive grease sparingly if connections might bridge from oozing conductive grease. But realistically bridging would be difficult to occur on a motorcycles connections. Still the ECU connector is a place you would not to put a big blob of silver conductive paste. Here is a pretty good write-up on Ox-Gard (a conductive protectant) compared with Silicone dielectric grease or lube. http://www.olypen.com/craigh/oxgard.htm One nice property of silver that I just learned of is that silver oxide is conductive unlike other metal oxides, so a silver conductive grease should theoretically last longer than say a copper conductive grease. I really don't know if silicone compound breaks down into silicate, it is something that I have heard, but have been unsure of. It makes sense, IMHO.

It depends on how it effects my bank account. The BMW might get about 20 more miles per gallon, which over the life of the bike could be a lot of money, but the power and weight of the Aprilia should make it one of the funnest bikes on Earth. The GS is a both a great touring and capable off road bike, but I am not sure I would like the Aprilia as much for the long haul. YMMV

Much nicer than a V50III, and I'll bet it will be more reliable, too. And way much nicer than Breva which is way more sweet than a crappy lookin' Arizona.

But where is the MONZA?

Not the most beautiful, nor most powerful, nor best handling, but just about the most perfect compromise bike.... picture from http://www.motoblog.it/galleria/bmw-f800-gs-e-g450-x-2008/

The outside of the connector is part of the terminal. Battery teminal Insulating goop should not be used on the mating services, so no need to get your arms around that. When the bolt is clamped down, embrace the idea of gooping it with battery terminal protectant. Works much better against corrosion than rubber caps that only prevent shorting from loose wrenches. I used to use silicone dielectric grease and lube for bullet and spade connectors and it helps for a while, but I believe eventually the silicone becomes silicate and connection problems start, so now I just use it on the outside of bolt down terminals. Spend the big money on a silver conductive paste and you will be much better off, but I use it very lightly where it might bridge connectors that should not be bridged. The ECU connector being a good example.

Just thought I would add the Tyco V23074-A1001-A403, that is known to fail, although many are still working, into the comparison. If I had not done the headlight modification, I would be concerned about about the NC numbers, (but the testing standards between GEI and others, are not consistent), otherwise an excellent relay: weight 16-20g terminals tin plated Contacts AgSnO2 max switching current ON NC 40A NO 120A max switching current OFF NC 15A NO 30A Limiting continuous current at 23C NC 15A NO 25A Limiting continuous current at 85C NC 10A NO 15A voltage drop at 10A 20mV Increase in coil temperature at 10A load 5C power consumption at 12VDC 1.4W ambient temperature range -40 to +125C Coil resistance 124 OHMs Must operate Voltage 7.2V (important for keeping ECU etc. functioning during starting when battery is weak)

2 Valves RULE! Water cooling makes a lot more sense (IMHO) than Guzzi's move to quatrovalvole. Better emissions and better durability, but I'd like see a more creative radiator design enhancing the V Twin rather than blocking the natural cooling design of Guzzi twin. Dual radiators under the jugs or maybe a radiator between the jugs with air flowing clear through and out into the rear fender area. A perimeter frame could help that happen.

The LA Guzzi riders are great at coming down to San Diego many times in a year, but we San Diegans are mostly a bunch of tender rumped 200 mile day riders. While that is fine, I will certainly encourage Felix to also ride up North with RacerX and crew. No finer bunch. Just yesterday I had a great 360 mile day riding up to Hansen Dam and seeing RacerX's sweet new ride amongst a plethora of fine British bikes. I did not get to ride with Todd and Company, but I heard him blaze by the little tijunga lookout. VERY nice sounding mufflers! Here is a thread with pics from the event http://socal-guzzi.com/PHPBB/viewtopic.php...mp;highlight=SS They are pretty fast riders but are always hospitable enough to wait for a slow poke like me at the crossroads. For list of SoCal rides and events http://www.socal-guzzi.com/Events.html For details and discussion http://socal-guzzi.com/PHPBB/

Why, was he planning on marketing such a bike? In any case, Guaro should be getting discounts from Big Bore for marketing the engine, if not, MillePercento should pay Guaro for the promotion!!! Guaro should be proud that his fine riding and engine choice have helped to lead to this.

AHAHHH! So, if you had replaced the relays at 13,499 miles you never would have known about this problem!!!! If Quasi and Ouiji let us know their mileage, we might find a pattern. Any others with GEI relay failures? I don't think amp load is the problem when the relay is rated twice as high as the fuse that is rated twice as high as Ryland's amp ratings for that circuit. Or did you do some funky wiring for that heated vest? Not likely. Or maybe it is a switching current problem and 25A rating is not enough???? Probably not on the ECU relay, but the fuel pump may require more than 25 switching amps???? Vibration plus a relay built by a disgruntled employee, could be the problem???? The cover pops off of my fuel pump connections all the time. I just coat the terminals with silicone dielectric grease and I don't think they have been a problem, and I may have added silver conductive to the contact points, but I don't recall.. Bolt down eyelet connections, or whatever the proper term is, should be the most reliable, atleast compared to blade and bullet connectors. Coating with battery terminal protector goop would be ideal.

Why not replace the relays before they blow? I guess because mileage may not be good predictor of failure. How many miles were on Docc's GEI relay? Quazimoto and Ouiji Veck both had GEI failure. How many miles were on their's? My Bosch and Siemmens failed quickly. My GEIs have lasted since December 2003, about 18,000 miles, but the past year (~5000 miles) the current for the headlight has been bypassed. Also, I replaced the voltage regulator which could have been killing the earlier relays, but the GEIs survived 24 months with OEM regulator that went bad, and 23 months so far with Electrex regulator. I suspect many of the relay failures are related to other electrical problems, but it is near impossible to quantify. We do know the GEI has been much more failure resistant than the Bosch. From reading the forum it also appears to be more reliable than the Tyco A1001-A403, which might not look bad on paper, but the NC is still a potential issue. http://www.semitek.cz/tyco/rele/ec/v23074.pdf

I interpreted it to be an imbalance between cylinders. For example if you stuck an oxygen sensor and a CO sensor in the muffler of a two into one system, you would be reading both cylinders at the same time. If O2 and CO were both high, this would indicate a stagger problem because one cylinder is likely too lean and the other too rich. Stagger is caused by many things like the timing of the 90

Isn't that the same thing??? Obviously not... Please elaborate. I meant completely replace the small relay with a larger relay, probably with blade connectors in existing socket wire to larger socket with larger relay, and the 85 and 86 would be swapped so that polarity would be reversed. As for the numbers, I really don't understand the difference between switching, steady and 'rated' rating. On the GEI NO the 'switching' and the 'rated' are both 25A and the 'max carry' current is 30A with maximum switching power of 350W(25A*14V), while the NC is 20A rated at 14V.

The dyno evidence suggests Mistral has best midrange, Stock and Stucchi neck and neck for high RPM, and Stucchi in between stock and Mistral for mid range. Evidence on low end seems to be impossible to decipher, but Mistral seems to have the edge. Most will prefer the Stucchi because it fills in the hole while keeping the exhilaration in the acceleration, but the Mistral is better for those that want grunt. Early Quat-D had Stucchi like midrange, but lost out at high rpm. Later Quat-D performed did much better at high rpm.

This thread has info on shock length. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...88&hl=shock For Centauro, etc., look at the data on WP. Ratchet and I got different measurements on the Sachs shock, so if someone could clear that up with accurate measurements, that would be appreciated. But the answer to your question is that the Sachs is shorter and has less travel than the WP. I tried to order a new WP from Lindemann, but he could not provide one for my bike, HyperPro and Wilbers would not do the dimensions I wanted, so I got a Penske and made it 2mm short of Ohlins' stroke. More stroke is more better!

What are the specs on the Omron NC connection? The GEI is rated at 20 Amps at the 87a terminal. When Dan and I searched for relays years ago, that was the number that we could not beat. Regarding the Starter Solenoid Load, if it is too much, than a standard size relay would be the best fix, as it could easily triple the Amp rating of both the NO and NC (normally open and closed contacts). If someone offered a plug and play kit to convert the relay size, that would be an excellent solution for the starter relay, and if the polarity could be reversed for diode protected relay use, it could be an even better solution, but bulkier.

This spec sheet does http://www.geirelays.com/acrobat/AR4.pdf

While I too have prejudices towards products from specific nations, my personal experience has been that I keep hearing crap about certain countries and that I should buy from other countries, and then I listen to the bullshit and still end up with crap, whether it is made in USA, China, Japan, Europe, Indonesia, or some fallen block country, it is all a crap shoot. I have had good luck with NEC, Koni, Ohlins, Pirelli, Marelli, Norelco, brother, Hyundai, Toyota, Panasonic, Kenwood, Toshiba, Aiwa, Sunpentown, Onkyo, Denon, Bates Leathers, Lexmark, Apple, Xerox, Motorola, Amana, Bell, GE and GEI. I have had bad luck with Guzzi, Oster, Ford, Mercedes, Honda, Conti, Mazda, Isuzu, Epson, Sherwood Mitsubishi, and especially bad luck with Sony, but somehow I keep buying their crap. YMMV!!!!!!!! Even brand names don't seem to mean what they used to. Many established a good reputation and then moved factories to where it could be made cheaper and quality suffered. China is the number one country for that syndrome, but it does not mean everything from China is crap. Siemmens and Bosch used to be good names, but I am no longer impressed. People have had trouble with just about every brand of relay except for the GEI relay, until now. My GEIs have far outlasted all my Siemmens and Bosch. There are exceptions to every stereo-type and the GEI is one of China's finest products. http://www.geirelays.com/ RANT MODE OFF That being said, if you can find a relay with better than 20A switching rating at the 87A and better than 25A switching rating at the 87, then I think you could make a lot of people happy. Even if you can find a better quality 4 pin relay there is a market. I would not worry too much about competition with Dan, as he is not doing it to profit, but it would be nice to give him a heads up so he does not order a hundred relays and get stuck with them, after all the people he has helped.

I had missed it too. A good point, but is it 'much tighter' or a 'little tighter'? How much tighter? How does it compare to the how a fat tire allows a greater lean angle before parts grind? IF a wider tire only allows 'slightly more' bike lean angle before bits touch, and a wider tire requires 'much tighter' lean angle, then for the same speed, a wider tire will grind more bits at the same speed!!! Tell me it is not true!!! At the very least, the wide tire is putting the suspension at a worse lean angle if the rider does not lean out further. But is speed actually reduced at the grinding bits bike lean angle??????????????? If so, how can I switch to a 120 rear tire? Alpina rear hub with Alpina front rim??? Who is going to be the first kid on the block to do what everyone appears to agree is the right thing to do? Guaro? Possibly too much power??? Ratchet? If you have 120 front and rear, you could even carry a spare tire!!!!! But you might lose out on the BOGO free deals.

The current flow is the same, the problem is that every available relay that I know of is rated for lower amps at the 87A than at the 87. The GEI has the highest known amp rating at the 87A. If Ryland can delve beyond the relay catalogs on the web, he may find a relay that fits with a higher amp rating on the 87A and possibly of higher quality, although the GEI does seem to be of very high quality, so it will be tough to beat. Maybe he can find a relay with diodes reversed from what is commonly available???? You have a very light load at your 87A. Although the GEI relays should be fine for you, you don't need the amp rating that the GEI offers. Instead your ultimate relay would the highest quality relay, not the highest amp rated relay. The frequently recommended Bosch and Tyco relays will probably work as well as the GEI for your setup. I am not sure when the change occurred, it may have been in the 2003/2004 bikes with the front exhaust balance pipe, but I think it occurred even before that, after Guzzi realized that they had overloaded the 87A terminal on the starter relay. On the early bikes, the 87A terminal of the starter relay carried the current for the headlights, horns and more. The total current was close to the maximum amp rating of the 87A terminal of the OEM relays. After they 'fixed' the wiring, the same 87A terminal only carried the current to activate the lighting relay, so the problem was essentially solved but relays still fail for other reasons, like possibly vibration and sub-standard quality. Bad connections seem to aggravate the situation...

If that is the Monza, that is indeed aesthetically disappointing But I guess it makes sense that they would have it match the Stelvio, and it is a trendy design.

I agree that +0.5 mm would be fine and that lateral pre-load is what you must avoid or greatly minimize. I made my own spacer for the rear out of an unknown quality aluminum tube, it held up OK , but when I got one made of tempered alloy, I tested both on a work bench and the tempered alloy showed little compression while I was able to CRUSH the cheap aluminum with very little torque. I did not measure how much the tempered alloy compressed, but I probably got the axle bolt to turn in closer, so either the solid steel rear axle was stretching or the tempered alloy was compressing. Was this enough to create too much lateral pre-load? I don't think so. My bearings are doing fine years later... On the front you need to torque the axle nut enough that it does not fall off. Safety wire may be a good option.

If the ECU relay is going out, like in DOCC's case, it probably has little to do with the load rating, and more to do with the quality of the relay. IMHO the Bosch 0-332-207-307 and Tyco V23074A1001A403 are perfectly fine for all but bikes with the overloaded NC contact on the Starter relay. For the bikes with the overloaded starter relay condition, the GEI may be the only relay up to the task that fits the socket. For all other relay needs, there should be no need for the GEI with 25A rating on the NC terminals(Normally Closed / terminal 87A) The bikes that have the overloaded relay are from about 1999 to about 2002. I am not sure when Guzzi fixed the issue, but the 2004 wiring diagram of Carl Allison shows that the fixed it. Some people buy just one GEI relay to use as the starter relay, and then run Bosch or whatever in all the other relay sockets. The other sockets are all 4 pin sockets and they don't require a 5 pin relay and NC current. The best way to fix the overload is to run the headlights through dedicated relays. This also results in brighter headlights. Dedicated horn relays would also help take a load off the starter relay on the early V11s. A headlight off switch can also help extend the life of the starter relay, assuming you rarely use the headlight. Perhaps Dan could be convinced to sell relays other than GEI to fit the 4 pin sockets and just sell the GEI as the 5pin starter relay??? But maybe that just confuses the average customer???