al_roethlisberger

Just wanted to update that I installed the new "Real Gaskets" gaskets the other week, and they seem to work like a charm. No leaks, and the fit was perfect. The instructions called for no sealant, and clean dry(no oil) surfaces. I followed the instructions, put them on "dry" and so far no leaks Someone really should send him an oil-pan gasket so he can make those available as well.... al

The horns are relatively light, and along with being mounted to the fairing stud, they rest lightly on their wiring harness against the fairing. So there is little stress on the fairing or the mount. So I don't expect any damage or fatigue from this approach. When installing, one has to fiddle with the bend of the bracketry to get it just right to clear the tank and fit "just so". But a little diligence eventually pays off. And of course, these are wired with a relay using the horn circuit as the trigger, and direct juice from the battery via the spare fuse holder in the block. Right side....

Left side, closer look...

Here are some photos of the finished job. With the tank installed, the horns are just barely visible when peering straight down. Otherwise, they are very stealth.... unless of course you HONK them

Which seals are we concerned about "blowing out" ? ...the round ones pressed into the "end" of each u-joint shaft? I ask because I just greased my back joint, and these "caps" never bulged, leaked, or anything, but a small amount of grease did ooze out down around the arms on the "cross" in the middle of the u-joint. That's when I stopped. I got a 360-degree swivel, but still can't get to that front joint... sheesh Maybe the Sears model is slimmer. I'll try again another time when the wheel is off. I also greased the spline on the shaft via the shaft zerk, and although no grease escaped past the o-ring, I stopped when grease began to ooze out from three or four small gaps in the weld right above the spline collar. I hope those gaps are supposed to be there al

Here are some fender eliminator threads after searching: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...9&hl=eliminator http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...0&hl=eliminator http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...4&hl=eliminator

I concur. I haven't taken the GF on any long distance rides, but at 5'2" and a very short inseam, she still complains about the high peg height over time. My opinion is that the Sport/LeMans is best for a single passenger in the Sport Touring segment, with the occassional pillion passenger for short jaunts. Since the Le Mans is based upon the Sport chassis, which is ostensibly a "sport" bike first, this makes sense. Other than the cruisers, MG needs to make a Sport Touring/GT bike that is designed from the outset to comfortably accomodate a passenger if people want a true long distance bike in that regard. al

www.guzzitech.com mailto:todd@guzzitech.com Todd is the resident PCIII/Guzzi guru and works directly with Dynojet developing PCIII solutions for Guzzis. He is also on this board frequently and may chime-in on this thread. ...choose the map that best fits the modifications on the bike. Be careful not to randomly pick a map that doesn't fit your configuration, as you wouldn't want to overly lean out the fuel. And yes, if you've got Rich's bike... congratulations! It's probably already got the best map possible short of an actual Dyno run as Todd provided that map for Rich. al

I don't know much about this but I did run my 950 tonti w/o any balance pipe for a while & it killed the top end. I think it's about scavenging. they were wide diameter headers too which probably didn't help... Captain, I still think you were good on the white ....blue??? KB, Cymru ....that's correct, and is the humorous fallacy of most American HD riders that immediately remove the "restrictive" stock exhausts and go with individual "straight pipes" only to find that they've actually lost power in holes all across the band.... although they think it's more powerful bacause it's now so damned loud Exhaust tuning, length, diameter, and crossovers are a complicated affair. Crossovers are tuned for scavenging(hence different locations on the headers as needed for a particular power goal - compare the '02 and '03 bikes), and in combination with header length tune exhaust pulses to clear/charge the combustion chamber. Of course, I don't pretend that my exhaust is so precisely tuned, or that I'm an expert exhaust tuner myself.... as I haven't taken the time to so closely design and evaluate my own ...but at least it's based on standard products that are supposed to have been to some degree I would be leery of "straight pipes" as there is a reason manufacturers and racers include collectors and crossovers to maximize performance.... and unless you are drag racing ... well... al

hrmm, maybe, maybe, and maybe... that is, especially on the "lightest exhaust issue" As you say, it will be something of a game of "hit and miss" Depending on the stock steel he uses for can, it could be quite heavy to get a durable design Comparably, my Leo Vince exhausts are super light. I can easily hold one straight out with one hand while holding the end of the lead-in tube... which would have been impossible with the OEM LaFranconis. And the Stucchi isn't too terribly bad either. Sure, if well executed, the under-slung exhaust is bound to be lighter, but it might not be so much as one might think once it's all said and done, as it's bound to be a good bit larger than the crossover. And you are also right to continue to stress getting the mixture analyzed as he modifies the exhaust, especially to avoid any lean issues. ...because as he is doing this "seat of the pants" and apparently being driven more from an aesthetic perspective, there indeed will be a lot of "maybes" that probably won't be realized until after measuring the results But it's very likely he'll get unpredictable and inconsistent results on the initial attempts, as mentioned before, exhaust design is actually relatively complicated to get correct(unless just terribly lucky ) It'll be interesting to see how it goes al

So while I had my rear wheel off, I liberally washed the rear caliper with generic brake cleaner... and so far the brake groan is gone. Now who knows how long this will last, but I washed a ton of brake dust and grime out of the caliper. The rear wheel rolls free for now, not that it seemed to drag before(beyond the groan when rolling backwards). The pads didn't seem very worn, so I don't think it was dragging enough to wear or induce any rolling resistance. Maybe just regular cleaning is the best medicine..... al

You will find that engine changes or modifications will ALWAYS affect one end or the other of the power curve. Usually it decreases low end torque while making more peak horsepower. The catch is, how often do you operate your motorcycle at that "peak" RPM. The only exception you might find to this is an increase in displacement. ...except for dynamically variable exhaust and intake systems like VTEC and EXUP But yes, generally a given static exhaust design will make compromises at one end or the other of the performance curve. So designers of exhaust systems try to tune an exhaust for the type of riding the bike is intended for most often... which certainly makes sense al

...exact-u-mundo But you could use the available switch location to add other functionality like a switch for heated grips, accessory lighting, etc... but it would take some minor surgery in the switch houseing, but it's very 'do-able' An example of a similar application is where one of the guys on the Sport Touring forum installed their Heat-Troller PWM controller for his heated grips inside his FJR control housing. al

That blue bike with the burgundy accents looks really sharp..... BTW, looks like he's either relocated or pushed his regulator up under the oil radiator a bit? My regulator hangs much lower over the alternator cover... which looks nice red on his bike as well BTW. Can't decide if I'm going to polish mine, coat mine, or just leave it alone... al

Well, although indeed our OEM crossover is nothing more than an empty expansion chamber(discussed elsewhere in the forum at some point) and is basically nothing more than a simple baffle/muffler itself.... keep in mind that crossovers and headers are generally tuned to time the exhaust pulses to scavenge and/or provide back-pressure pulses that tune the engine output accordingly. Although admittedly our stock ones seem not to be tuned very well ) Generally speaking, a particular design will(although not always) sacrifice either top or bottom end, rarely maximizing both. I guess you'll be able to have some success through a degree of "butt dyno" results by just shooting from the hip exhaust design, but finding the correct response by trial and error would best be combined with a dyno and an air-fuel probe to make sure you weren't running overly rich(not the end of the world) or dangerously lean as you made your changes. BTW, when you say .... I don't get it From the rear? From the side?? Where will the exhaust exit? al

hrmm, possibly. But to answer your question, "I don't see why I can't" ... well it depends Depending on the length of the Buell headtube, corresponding space between the triple-clamps, length of the fork, correspondingly derived rake and trail, etc... all of which can be complicated to replicate on another manufacturer's frame. It might work, but you'll need to do quite a bit of measuring, and you may have to fabricate some adapters/spacers for various bits to get it to fit. I would be very surprised if it would be a bolt-on affair. It'll be interesting to see how well it works if you give it a try though... al

I guess it's "damned if you do, damned if you don't" .... A lot of people had trouble with the angle drive "exploding" because of the stresses on the plastic shell. But then again, many have been fine... including mine(knocking on wood) Personally, as I am a fan of the KISS(keep it simple stupid) principle, I would prefer a single cable run though, as long as it worked fine. al

I don't think I'd win, or want to try Zeb and Paul are way ahead in that game I think....

So, here's a brief update... I still haven't taken the time to setup the forks with appropriate sag, and rebound/compression damping(I know, I need to get the GF out in the garage to help me measure ). But dang, still.... what a difference But even with the forks "stock" and "untuned"... I can tell a world of difference. A good test was my ride back from the Guzzi Dinner Monday night, down Hwy 280. That hwy has a section where the expansion joints have all "heaved" in a rythmic pattern over the years such that on a bike(and I guess a car to some degree) going 60-80mph, it feels like the vehicle is jumping like a pogo... bang, bang, bang.... for miles. With the old Marz forks, this was like riding something that was a combination between a rocking horse and jack-hammer. Although with the new Ohlins, that "rocking" action was still there(I don't think anything short of a hovercraft would ever *eliminate* it), it was much less pronounced, and the jackhammer effect was gone. And although my pace up and down the mountain was snail paced due to the weather(near freezing and wet) and it being dark(...watch out for DEER).... the front end felt much more "relaxed" and under control that with the previous forks. I can't wait to see how it feels once I have the suspension setup properly I know that many have said that changing out to the new forks just highlighted how bad the rear shock was, but man.... this is so much better, I guess I haven't noticed so much I still plan to get the rear shock though, especially if it does for the rear what these forks have done for the front. Big difference, and although certainly expensive, something I'd recommend (.....although I wish they weren't gold ) al

And I won't have a lightened flywheel

I have no idea, although perhaps when I talk to Mike Rich again, I'll ask him if he's had a chance to inspect any '03 valves I have however heard that on the '03 bikes with hydraulic lifters(cruisers, not the V11 Sport/LeMans AFAIK) that there have been some reliability issues with the cam itself. That's the only '03 valve-train issue I've heard of so far. al

Yeah, we had one fella... I think it was John and his Scura, that had the torque arm bushings(well the rear one) fail. He had it replaced under warranty. His whole arm had a lot of play after the bushing failed. I don't think this is a regular problem though, as I've rarely heard of it on other bikes(yours is only the second). Perhaps you just got a bad bushing, or otherwise defective assembly I suspect the "melting" is probably just because once it started "moving around" abnormally, it tore up the rubber surround. It may have also seized at some point, and that could have "melted" the rubber much like an eraser comes apart under vigorous use?? I wouldn't worry too much about it unless it does it again once you have the bushing replaced. al

Yes, but do they really have it in stock(esp the USB version)?? If so, that's great, but I'd double-check. When I bought my USB PCIII from Todd, he was the only guy in the USA that had them, and had Dynojet make them for him as a special run. While Dynojet had a part# for them as referenced on the vendor's site above, Dynojet only manufactured this small run for Todd as the demand was so low. I bought one of his last ones back then, and he said he didn't know when they'd make another run until he could make a minimum order. Perhaps this situation has changed in the last 6 months and now they have them in stock for any dealer. ...but I'd call the vendor before placing the order, and also check with Todd to see what his current pricing and availability is. You wouldn't want to order one just to find it's indefinitely backordered All the connectors/PCIII for the Guzzi's from 1999 and up are the same... as long as they use the 15M computer. So that's Quotas, V11 Sports, EV/Cali/Jackals, etc.. it's just the map that is different. You can find the appropriate PCIII map for just about any combination of modifications on www.guzzitech.com However, the PCIIIusb uses a different file format than the PCIII, and since it is so new... finding a premade map might be a bit more difficult if you've deviated from stock. If you are spending the money on a new USB version, it's really worth your while to get a custom map made as a certified Dyno Tuning Center. It's only $200-300, takes 30 minutes, and makes a huge difference. al

Yep, I got mine in the mail yesterday I'll shove it in there today. But Monday's "SF Bay Area Dinner" will be my last ride for about a week, as the construction guys will be pouring my new driveway today or tomorrow. And what with the cold wet weather, I won't be riding/driving across it for a few days. al

...my guess?? He's probably doing what I am and installing the new USB version. It has twice the data points by tuning per 250RPM versus 500RPM on the old PCIII, gets its power through the USB(versus an adapter for the old PCIII), and has the expansion slot for future upgrades like the potential for an ignition module. al