al_roethlisberger

....boy, I bet that does do the trick

I updated the FAQ. So I wonder at what mileage one should feel "safe" at if the spring has not gone South yet?? In other words, if it hasn't happened by x miles, can one reasonably assume that it's unlikey they have the mis-sized boss? al

Yeah, but you don't use lead shot - as I said, with the air spaces between the balls it ends up having the same density as solid steel! This point/sub-conversation has sorta "lost" me I suspect I've just missed someone's subtle point. We are talking about loading the bars with shot(balls) of steel or lead. If the gauge of the shot is the same, the density of the lead is higher, so the weight in the bars with lead is greater than the steel shot, period... regardless of "air spaces", as the volume of air will be the same, whether steel or lead shot is used. If we are however talking about comparing a solid steel bar insert with lead-shot, then sure I guess the weight is similar(depending), but the lead shot is easier to make/get and insert IMHO ...and of course, yes the "ultimate" in lead filling would be to pour molten lead into the bar end, but I think that's a bit too much trouble for most folks. I know it is for me ...and for probably incremental difference in performance over lead shot anyway. You really can't get much in there anyway, as the very end of the bar is solid where the bar get's clamped, and a lot of the remaining hollow portion of the bar is taken up by whatever mechanism holds your bar-end in. Although the lead shot I used was very small gauge, I was surprise by how little I was actually able to get in there and still insert my Throttlemeister bar ends. Any bar ends that use similar compressed rubber friction mounts will similarly consume space inside. al

Gosh, I have no idea..... I've always just cut my old grip off and taken it down to my local "Cycle Gear" type store, and held them up side-by-side I don't recal what size I ended up buying, but I think it was the only size they had in stock. I measured mine, and they came out to be 120mm, but they may be squished on a bit, so I dunno I'd say just go measure yours first, but the 125mm would be fine I'm sure. al

Yes, and as far as I know they all have some stainless steel "mesh" welded to the top and bottom surfaces on the inside of the crossover, which no doubt acts as some sort of sound baffling. But there isn't any emissions coatings, filters, or obstructions inside the crossover that I am aware of al

As far as I know, the crossover is the same worldwide.... There are no "emissions" stuff inside the North American version for sure though. al

It does look like Dan has moved his hosting, but the dpguzzi.com link is still available via a redirect: http://www.dotnet.com/~pyrodan/relay.htm

Very cool, thanks for the heads-up and follow-up on this issue! BTW, did you ever determine if the fitting for the clutch slave was the correct size? Thanks again

....yes it is And I don't think you'll offend any of "the ladies", as AFAIK, the only lady member we've got is Aussie Kim(Mike Haven's wife)... and she's Australian, and rarely logs in anyway These V11 Sports seem to not be much of a "ladies" bike al

I don't know the size of the o-ring for that application, but I bet it's metric. So, I'd go down to my local auto "speed shop" (You know, where they sell carbs, intakes, exhausts, etc) and check out their fuel/oil fittings section. Look for brands like XRP, Aeroquip, Earls, etc... the red/blue anodized hose fitting section.... and in there, they should have an assortment of o-rings(usually made of "viton", it's a red rubber color) that are fuel/oil resistant. I bet they'll have the correct size, or so darned close it will stretch/compress to fit. al

There is no "chip" for the Marelli 15M ECU. You either have to remap the ECU or utilize something like a PCIII, or at the other extreme replace the ECU with something like Cliff's "MyECU"..... But, while a new fuel map would be optimal after any intake or exhaust change, if you are only changing the exhaust cans, a remap isn't really required. If you were changing several items such as intake, exhaust, and crossover, there would be more of a requirement for the adjusment. al

heh, I was just using my Dremel the other day

Although I haven't tested this stuff, it looked very interesting when I ran across it at my local auto supply: http://www.duplicolor.com/products/metalcast.html ...might want to give it a try

All great suggestions Carl, but Ralph has a LeMans, so there are some "technicalities", such as mirrors and signals where the Ducati/Buell parts won't quite work I think. But yep, contact Pete in the UK for both the signals and levers. He is currently "breaking" a 2003 LeMans that I've already bought a tank, switchgear, side-panels, and headlight from. He even had a mirror for the bike in an auction the other day. I just "browse" eBay regularly for parts of this type, just in case He currently has a number of other parts from the bike on eBay, including a signal, but it's for the rear.... but I think it would work. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...e=STRK:MEBWA:IT (Click on "View Sellers Other Auctions" to see what else he has listed) I don't think the Buell stems will work on the front LeMans fairing though, as you'd have to drill a big hole to fit the stem with backing nut through, and then you'd leave an open hole behind that where the original syle stem bolted through the fairing It's a weird setup, and non-standard. I don't know why MG did it this way al

Well, on the LeMans.... you can only fit TWO I am going to assume the "little one" in your quote above is the steering damper, making "number three" Unfortunately though, the Ohlins steering damper will not fit any of the faired bikes, due to the wind deflector around the fork legs, and the fairing itself. This is why even the Rosso/Nero Corsas still have the Bitubo steering damper, but bikes like the Cafe' Sport do. I've tried to fit 2 different Ohlins dampers, and Mike Stewart tried an Aprila OEM Ohlins damper that was a bit smaller, but basically any twin-tube design is too wide, and most aftermarket units are too long to work. I'm sure one could find a single tube make other than Bitubo that would fit, or you could modify the damper mounting to the frame of the bike, or similar... to get something like an Ohlins to fit.... but as stock, it won't ...so again, with the LeMans, the only Ohlins you'll be fitting are the forks and rear mono shock. al P.S. ....and on that note, I'd actually love to hear about steering damper alternatives for the LeMans, or perhaps how/if someone has made an Ohlins work(and what part#). Has anyone found a good alternative? I've already had one stock Bitubo "blow up" on me, squirting oil everywhere, so it would be nice to have one that is more durable. I don't think the damper is all that necessary on the 2002+ bikes, as they seem quite stable, but I feel that it "doesn't hurt"... just a little insurance

Yeah, I posted a thread about it a month or two ago... it's supposedly being waranteed(which runs out this month ). I'm not holding my breath

...yeah, I'm probably going to do the same once my 2003 tank is back from the painters. I don't know if the cracked paint on my original tank is from "tank suck", as I never experienced any symptoms as you describe... but I don't want this new(read=$$) paint to crack al

...no, unfortunately I belive it will not It's just the lens that will fit. If you had a Sport, you could adapt the whole Buell signal assembly I believe(although not certain) But if I recall correctly, the stem on the LeMans faring mounted front signal is unique AFAIK, so either you would have to adapt something, repair yours, or get one from Guzzi Sorry to hear about the bike getting dropped though. ...must have been some really strong wind... wow, it pushed it up and over on right side eh al

I mixed my lead shot with SiliconeII sealant before packing it in tightly. I haven't had the bar-ends off since to inspect it for the conditions observed above, but that is one potential option to keep the lead still. All I know is that people have been putting lead shot in handlebars for long time now, so I suspect it's an OK practice al

...you *are* kidding right? al P.S. If not, just "scroll up" about 8 posts (Or clickety on Todd's original post)

OMFG ....please be sure to report back to the shop the real "fix" and how theirs almost burned out the already "fragile" balance the Guzzi system is... sheesh A couple of these relays, especially the first relay, are already suspected to be near capacity, and jumpering between them just exacerbates that problem... as well as creating who knows what other electrical gremlins, as you have experienced. Sorry to hear the shop did this to you, especially upon your first experience with the bike. al

....absolutely Silk underwear/longjohns is very popular with the ski crowd as well. al

Pricing seems to be about in-line with Penske and Ohlins from what I can tell The top-of-the-line Wilbers with remote preload adjuster is about $850, which is about what an Ohlins costs. I've not tried to price the Ohlins without the remote preload(like the OEM Ohlins shock), so that might be an advantage these offer if they are more competitive for that niche... I dunno And the less expensive models, without preload adjust, etc.. are about the same as the less expensive(no high speed damping adjustment) Penske. Seems like nice products though I like how it appears that they have compression and rebound adjustment on one location near eachother ...another great option al

Yep, that's the tube I have my tip-over valve lashed to, to keep it oriented and avoid "tank suck" as well hiding other wiring behind Makes for a tight working area though al

Thanks for the excellent photos! Now, I may actually HAVE to check into these now that I've seen them in action al P.S. And major KUDOS to Evoluzione to using Paypal as a payment method directly from their webpage. That makes it much easier than dragging out my CC from the wallet, retyping shipping info, etc