dlaing

Could we please replace Antonio's bike with the first photo, as ride of the month? The Guzzis may be tail heavy, but the 1100 jugs are more substantial than these 749s, as fine as they are. Ducati was wise to upsize in their latest models.

Supercharge it and then watch out all yee other twins! But it might not meet the BOT rules An interesting Poll might be: Where should Guzzi head with engine design? Two valve water cooled? Four (eight) valve air and oil cooled? Bigger bore? Supercharged? Turbocharged? Before the 2007 BOT results I would have chosen multivalve over water cooling, but now I am less sure. Whadyathink?

Mine leaked...I was using Redline Shockproof Light. But I don't think it was the lube that caused or promoted the leak. Regarding disassembly: The manual says, When I removed the cover N, the crown stayed with the cover. Fearing damaging anything, I took it to my mechanic who with rubber mallet, wacked on crown from the cover side (where the splines from the wheel engage) It popped out no problem and I simply replaced the 'gasket' "S", reassemled, relubed, and all is well (aside from the grease that now sprays out because I over-greased the splines. ) The gasket "S" did not need to be unscrewed, as was not threaded in.

Interesting analogy. So I guess it boils down to whether the resistance to ground blocks more of the flow than the effect of the control signal. I don't know the answer for sure, but I suspect the control signal has a greater effect. We should also keep in mind that the control signal and charge also flow through the positive side, so theoretically a bad connection there can do as much damage as a bad ground...YMMV, as some bikes are prone to bad grounds and some to other bad connections. I believe the Ducati regulator on our bike gets its positive reference from the problematic lighting wiring, so a problem there can manifest itself in the charging system When my regulator went, I also lost a path of little resistance between regulator and positive terminal of battery, so the problem could also be that wire and not the ground. I did not notice any high voltage, just low voltage. The Electrex regulator rectifier that I replaced it with, gets its reference from between battery and ground as opposed to between lighting wiring and ground. I think that is a more reliable design.

Excellent! So, I guess you are keeping the bike On my previous diagnosis, I did not consider that you might have the fuel filter inside the tank. So, maybe your mechanic and Hercule were correct Or maybe it was electrical all along?

Guzzitech will also be offering YSS shocks. YSS offers more choices in mono shocks with with a wider range of prices than Wilbers. Are they a better deal? I don't know. But I think they are worth investigating. Before hearing about YSS, I would have gone with Wilbers, but went with Penske because I wanted more travel. For about the same money I traded High Speed compression adjustability for a few mm of travel. Was it worth it? I'll probably never know for sure. But now the YSS are looking like an excellent choice. Some of the models have two way damping adjusters and some three way. Some are milled billet. Some are available in 10mm length increments and some can come any length. If I had not ordered the Penske, I would have taken a good look at the billet models with any length availability. Here is my list of lengths that I think will work well...in MY order of preference. eye to eye 286mm and shock travel of 70mm (This is what Ohlins specifies for the Guzzi V11 spine frames) eye to eye 284mm and 68mm travel eye to eye 282mm and 66mm travel eye to eye 280mm and 64mm travel eye to eye 286mm and somewhere between 64 and 70mm travel, with me favoring more travel. eye to eye 284mm and somewhere between 63 and 68mm travel, with me favoring more travel. eye to eye 282mm and somewhere between 62 and 66mm travel , with me favoring more travel. eye to eye 280mm and somewhere between 60 and 64mm travel , with me favoring more travel. eye to eye 278mm and somewhere between 59 and 62mm travel , with me favoring more travel. (278/60 is about what the Sachs is) I think most people would be happiest with something around eye to eye 280mm and somewhere between 60 and 64mm travel...YMMV. I suspect that if you get outside any of these ranges you may risk the suspension binding, the shaft angle could be too much, ride height could be wrong, and comfort could be compromised.

...or are you talking to DaBen?

Here is link to an essential PDF guide to fork fluid. http://www.hrpworld.com/client_images/ecom.../pdf_3119_1.pdf Generally I say go with a weight that makes you happy when the damping adjusters are about one third of the way out. The beauty of the Marzocchis with compression damping adjuster on one fork and rebound damping adjuster on the other fork is that you can put different weights in each fork, if needed. You are at "Front Rebound - 9 clicks out Front Compression - 12 clicks out" Assuming that is 10W fork oil, you will probably want to go with something a little thinner like 7W, but as you see from the PDF, one makers 5W can be thicker than anothers 7W. Look for a fluid with not much variation between viscosity at various temperatures, a cSt of around maybe 15-25 at 40ºC Excellent choices might be : Maxima Racing Shock Medium Silkolene Fork 5w (Penske) Ohlins (stock) Penske Lightweight Shock Fluid Torco MFO 10w (VI 260) Bel-Ray HVI5w Redline LightWeight 5W (Yellow) Other good choices may be: Spectro Cart. Fork 85/150 Motul Fork 5-10 Bardahl Fork Oil 5w Bilstein Shock Oil (stock) But as always, YMMV Also, from your latest description, you might try raising the fork fluid level about 5 or 10mm from what it is, but paying attention not to stray too far from Ratchet's recommended level. But once again, you need a stiffer spring on the rear. Maybe about a 475-500# spring Maybe even 525# if you ride motocross in NYC But seriously, if you face a lot of pot holes, you might consider an Ohlins shock. The stock Sachs shock is known for the aluminum eye cracking, and it has 60mm of shock stroke vs. 70mm for the Ohlins. For nice twisty roads you don't need much travel, but for potholes, the more travel the better. I ordered a Penske Shock with 70mm stroke. Note that rear wheel travel is roughly equal to twice the shock stroke length. I had tried a 475# spring on my Sachs and it was just a little too light for my 210 lb plus leather, boots, helmet, etc. For the Penske, I will try a 525# spring. If it does not work out, I may try a HyperPro progressive spring for the rear. If I lived in NYC, I would go even heavier. New Jersey is more variable... Ratchet is a lot closer to your weight than I am, so he will have a better idea what spring weight to go with.

The important details

No, we are talking an 18 year old pretending to be a 13 year old, so that would be about a 1989 Lemans V pretending to be a 1994 Daytona and baiting some old geezer The sucka deserves humiliation!

Dutch boys are always full of such bright ideas

Hmmm, apparently I am getting many facts wrong here. Ed Milich apparently finished 10th place where I had copied and pasted him into first place. And from the same source that corrected me, this MGS is in fact water cooled and a 2 valve!! PS http://socal-guzzi.com/PHPBB/viewtopic.php?p=6551#6551 shows pictures of Ed Milich, Ken Nemoto, Mike "Top Gun" Curtis, and Chuck Norris.

Hot headed, right? That's gotta be a bird he's flipping the 00 duck there, yes? Re: water goose? So, since it ain't U.S. road legal production and it is over 900cc, it would not be elligible for BOT if it is water-cooled. So maybe it is CinZano Cooled

For those that have NOT watched dateline NBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15066391/ Of course I only looked at this thread because I am a moderator

Thanks Antonio Yes, I suppose there is a reason motocrossers use spokes and GP racers use "mag" wheels. Spoked will probably suck up pot holes better without denting, but won't be as rigid, which MAY cause problems at high speeds. Did Alpina put heavier spokes on Guzzi wheels than they use on 150KG supermoto bikes? I hope so. I don't think I have heard Behr spoked tubeless wheel owners complain, but their wheels are pretty heavy, right?

Good question. Rossopuro's website says, "La principale caratteristica del nuovo kit è il sistema per ruote tubeless A-System brevettato da Alpina. Grazie e a questa nuova tecnologia è possibile installare pneumatici tubeless sui cerchi a raggi, garantendo velocità superiori ai 180 km/h non consentite con pneumatici con camera d'aria." Non capisco Does that mean you'd no longer be limited to 180km/h because you could use Z rated tubeless tires? Or you'd be limited to 180km/h

WTF?!? ...but yah, I'd probably go with silver anodization.

I had no idea what the difference between the BOT race is , but this is from the rule book BATTLE OF TWINS® 1. BOT FORMULA 3: Pushrod OHV machines to 1000cc, OHC 2- or 3-valve to 800cc, OHC liquid-cooled 4-valve to 650cc. Pushrod OHV machines over 900cc must run under Supersport specifications See page 46. 2. BOT FORMULA 2: Pushrod OHV machines to 1250cc, liquid-cooled OHC to 750cc, aircooled 2-valve OHC to 1000cc and air-cooled 4-valve to 1000cc. See page 46. 3. BOT FORMULA 1: No displacement limits and no limitations to engine modifications, with the exception of water-cooled 4-valve twins over 900cc. See page 46. 4. OPEN TWO-STROKE: Air-cooled two-stroke motorcycles to 500cc; water-cooled twostrokes with tubular frame to 400cc; and modern 250cc GP type machines. See page 46. 5. TRIUMPH THRUXTON CUP CHALLENGE: A spec class sponsored by Triumph Motorcycles (America) Ltd. for the Triumph Thruxton 900. For rules, visit www.ahrma.org or contact the AHRMA office.

Gary does great work, with top quality fittings. You should take him up on the generous offer. I owe him a dinner and drinks when he makes it out to the SW US.

It scares me, too.

COOL! ...and guzzitech.com's Ed Milich places first in BOT Formula 3: 1. Ed Milich (80 Ducati), 2. Jonathan Glaefke (06 Kawasaki), 3. Robert Gregory (99 Suzuki SV) ...but on a Duck, Here he is last year with trophy girls, AHRMA at Miller Motorsports,UT and Sanida, NM September, 2006 damn! He is the man! http://guzzitech.com/UTNM06/edgirls.jpg

That is tough one to judge. The rider gets 0.35 of which .2 for style and .3 for daring, His passenger gets an 11.0 +10.0 for fabulous altitude - 1.0 for a lousy landing and plus 2.0 for limbing away from the gendarmes with a broken leg. Police get a 2.3, lazy lazy lazy. Taxi driver(that was a taxi, right?) gets a 10.0 beautiful performance....I could almost here him shout MERDE!!!!

I agree completely with Ratchet The vagueness in the front will probably be improved by a heavier spring on the rear. Hypercoils are less than $70 US. A new shock would be an even better solution if you can afford it. I finally bit the bullet and ordered a Penske 2 way today I hope I don't regret not getting a 3 way damping adjuster shock. But I could not justify the price for my budget. Still I suspect your fluid level in the forks may be too high and your spring rate not enough....but it is just a gut feeling based on the sag numbers, vagueness, and no bottoming. How close to bottoming the front are you if you put the brakes on in a road dip or over a speed bump? If it does not bottom, the fluid level could be restricting your travel. If it bottoms, your front may be fine, as those are not bad sag numbers. I would be sure to measure your fork fluid level before changing out the oil. Balancing the front to rear is important, and you will get great benefits just by getting the right spring weight at the rear.