al_roethlisberger

I hope the switch back fixes your problem I know you mentioned that you were careful not to overfill the transmission when you switched to the Redline, but just to stress this point.... it has been suggested by more than a couple old-skool MG wrenches that many of our various transmission leaks are due to the tranny being a bit sensitive to being overfilled So, just something to be aware of as well. al

Nope, at least not "normally"

Sorry... yeah I know. I waited over a year for some body parts one time al

...you can't Heh, OK... that wasn't very helpful But all kidding aside, there really aren't any that we've found from the consumer perspective. We did have someone post a link a long while back, to a very large paint/coatings conglomerate in Italy that purportedly made the paints for Guzzi, but I don't think anyone was ever able to really track down true "codes". Everyone I've known has just had to take their bike down to their best local paint guy, and he's custom matched it.... which depending on the color(like the antifreeze green) can apparently be quite challenging. In my case, I just had a 2003 black tank repainted to match my 2002 champagne colored LeMans, and although the shop(which specializes in painting just bike bodywork) had several Ducati and Moto Guzzi paint chips/codes, in then end they just has to custom tint it So, I'd suggest calling around or pinging any local motorcycling forums about who is good at matching custom paint in your area. Sorry I don't have better news than that... even for my "touch up" jobs, I have a handful of "close" colors from my local auto-shop, that aren't even quite perfect. al

Are you talking about the valve cover gasket, or the cylinder base? I am assuming the valve cover gasket, and if so, it's not a big deal. As mentioned you can get some new gaskets next service, and of course just check to see if the valve cover is indeed tightened down. Several of us have had great luck with "Real Gaskets" that are silicone, and seal up very well. Check into them if you have continued problems with your valve covers. al

I haven't talked to the Cycle Cat folks in months, but the last time I checked in with them, they very kindly apologized and said, "don't hold your breath" According to them, other higher volume bikes just kept taking priority, and the MG poject kept getting pushed back further and further on the R&D list. Again, although very apologetic, it seemed clear that they weren't going to deliver a product soon, if ever al

No, it is not... it is a fixed rate cartridge regulator much like the 2002 and earlier version. The new regulator is a smaller cartridge, that appears could be changed if one wanted to, and I assume other pressure ratings are available.... but it is not inherently adjustable, nor would kits like Evoluzione's conversion kit work, as this new cartridge is much much smaller.

That's an excellent question, one I don't think anyone has answered yet I'd like to know as well..... just out of curiosity at the least. al

Steve, They are Jet-Hot'd, with their Sterling ceramic coating. It costs about $160 for the whole system, inside and out. And it significantly reduces radiant heat, and will never fade or need polishing. They have a variety of colored coatings as well, and several members here have had black or gray coated instead. More info at: http://www.jet-hot.com/ And a Forum search should return one of the several threads on "exhaust coatings" and "Jet-Hot" There are some decent shots of my bike and the full exhaust at: http://www.pashnit.com/bikes/V11-Lemans.htm Hope that helps! al

Another angle, still need to actually install the filler cap... it's just sitting in the hole in the photo

Well, I picked up the repainted 2003 tank today and it looks great They did an excellent job preserving the 2003 decal, and matching the "Champagne" color. Just need to rip-out all the "old" 2002 plumbing, and put on the emblems, and all done

I agree completely Jeff However, I have to stress that while I'm sure there are other spine frame designs that are similar and predate even Tony's design, Tony's was effectivley our spine frame, almost exactly.... before Dr John applied it to Guzzi. It was uncanny al

Good luck with the GS.... always loved those bikes One of my best friends graduated with his Phd in Econ from Auburn about a year ago, which I helped "finance" al

You mean '03 Lemans Rosso Corsa, I'm sure. The '01 Rosso Mandello (only year) has the soft tank pad like the rest of the sports that year. ...yep, typo I usually catch such things on my proof-read, but it was late I will correct. Thanks So, for clarification, it sounds like only the Scura and Tenni have the CF panel instead of the "pad" ? I wasn't certain. al

From what I can tell, and is rarely mentioned is that Dr John actually was "inspired" by the spine frame design from Tony Foale ah hem I was as a suspension seminar presented by Tony last year, and as he was going through slike after slide of various frame projects he developed over the last 40 or so years, he showed a photo of what was CLEARLY a MG Spine frame, but years before MG/Dr-John developed it, and applied to a Honda or somesuch. After asking Tony, and a few others in the community, it seems that one day John Witner and someone else from Guzzi came to visit Tony, chatted about designing a new frame for them, looked around the shop, and they spotted Tony's work on what we now call the "spine frame".... and lo and behold... about a year later, the great Dr. Witner designed MG spine frame debuted. They never came back to Tony for a design, nor credited him in any way Tony was a bit miffed(according to Tony when I asked him), but not enough to really worry about it as he had moved on to other projects, which at that point the "spine frame" design was a decade old. Not a big deal, but interesting. I have nothing against Dr. John of course, but I think credit is potentially partially due elsewhere. Anyway, I looked at these Japanese frame parts when I first bought my 2002, and it looks like these are all really for 2001 and earlier bikes, as for the most part(at least in effect if not exact execution) all the braces being sold are what was included in the 2002+ bikes from the factory. So I don't think any of them would offer much benefit, if even possible to fit, on the later bikes. Other than major re-engineering, or maybe including the transmission bracket that some early sports had, there's probably not much one can do to make the spine frame stiffer. It is interesting that you mention that the Tonti frames felt stiffer in your experience though, as this is typically the opposite I've heard, and was one of the reasons the spine was developed.... to be more stiff I dunno though, as I've never ridden a Tonti, nor have the skills to push my spine frame hard enough to tell the difference... I'm quite sure al

IMHO, I think the stock "Ducati Monster" style light is fine, and easily as good looking at those pictured above There are kits out there that let you keep the stock light, and eliminate/reduce the rear fender to some degree. The only benefit of using the kits above from my perspective is perhaps just "being different", and there's no problem with that of course But if one really wants to change the looks of the rear, I think the only real alternative is something like Paul's integrated tail/light solution. There are a couple out there, but even though it's pricey, Paul's seems to be the best finished. And of course, the small indicators like the ones pictured above are nice in combination with Paul's tail too. al

I think the 02 Tenni, Scura, and *maybe* the 01 Rosso Mandello?? .... have the CF tank pad replacement CF panel. On those models, I believe the CF panel uses 4 bolts to bolt into the threaded inserts that the brackets in the photo above attach to on 2002 and earlier tanks. But, the 03 Rosso Corsa, or other late model "limited editions", certainly don't have the CF tank panel, as beginning in 2003 the tanks no long have a "pad" on top, and were redesigned to accomodate the internal fuel-pump. These newer tanks are actually a bit longer at the nose, and now have a solid, taller, and narrower top, festooned with a contrasting color decal stripe where the old "pad" used to be. al This is a 2003+ tank:

Just to add to that, sometimes it easier to remove the pad with the fuel cap assembly removed first. That "ring" of rubber around the filler is tough, but still fairly thin... you woouldn't want to rip it Not a very good photo, but you get the idea:

Since people were chatting about the Evoluzione kit in the other thread, and Centauro controls were mentioned.... I went looking for some good photos of them installed on the LeMans.... but was unsuccessful. Dave, it looks like both of your albums with LeMans photos are broken?? Do you(or anyone else) have some good photos of the controls installed, from both sides? I think that would be very helpful for people. Thanks! al

That would be Carl Allison.... I'm sure he'll chime in on the status of that aspect of his various rebuilds Here's the main thread: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...hl=transmission al

Well, it depends on one's definition of "normal" I would guess It is "common" normal behavior for new(tight engined) and poorly tuned Guzzis to exhibit this behavior, but it is not the 'correct' normal behavior I would suggest you check the following, in order of simplicity: - Remove or double-check the orientation of the Tip Over Valve(see FAQ) - Throttle Body Balance - Valve Lash (If a new bike, and if heat sensitive, loosen from OEM spec to something like Raceco Specs) - Fuel/Air Map in ECU checked by dealer ....and last, but least likely, if none of these solve your problem, you could be having intermittent vapor lock issues(see FAQ). But I suspect this is unlikely. I suspect it is the second and third issues above, in combination with a tight new engine making smooth idling once hot difficult to maintain. In the long run, this shouldn't be a problem. And BTW, the rattling of the clutch on your Scura is normal. That clutch rattles that way normally, and isn't necessarily a sign of any trouble. There are several threads on this. Good luck! al

..naw, it's just that his 2003 transmission speedo drive is the wrong ratio when used with the 2002 drive that he has from before his tranny swap.... such that it is overdriving his speedo. He needs the 2003+ cable without the angle drive. al

I remember a discussion that seemed to indicate that the internal transmission speedo gear ratios were different for the 2002 and earlier bikes, and the 2003 and later bikes. It seemed that if one tried to mix an angle-drive with one of the "smooth" finish 2003+ transmissions, your speedo would be "off".... at best One apparently must use the newer 90-degree bent metal speedo cable housing as delivered on the 2003+ bikes with that transmission. At least that's what I recall hearing al

Roberto, Did you have the transmission replaced at some point? You mentioned having the clutch replaced a while back, but it appears in the photo that you have the correct 2001/2002 textured("fuzzy" bubbling) paint on the engine case, but have the smooth satin finish of the later model bikes on your transmission. These wouldn't have normally come together. I can't imagine it came from the factory that way Did you get the bike that way, was it a used bike, etc??? Maybe theres more to this story than just a replaced clutch a few thousand miles ago, that you might not even be aware of?? al

See two posts above Unfortunately the answer is: "...we don't know" As noted in the Transmission Spring FAQ, it seems that this is predominantly a 2002(2001 Europe) problem, but we have heard of at least one 2003(2002 Europe, like your Rosso), and a 2001 or two. So, it seems that this may have been a supplier "parts bin" issue, and may be hard to know exactly which models/years have the issue until a spring breaks. Sorry I can't offer something more specific. But I will say that with a 2003(2002 Europe) bike, it should be much less likely that you received the defective part. al