al_roethlisberger

Sorry to hear about your shop's not being the most critical thinker ... I know how frustrating that can be From the information you've provided in regard to wheel/brake drag, I would guess that one caliper(probably the one that you low-sided onto) is bent, and/or the mounting ear on the fork lower is bent. The caliper on that side may have taken a good hit when you went down. I would suspect that the lower fork caliper mounting ear is what is bent, as that's more likely than the caliper itself being damaged This is all a guess of course, but that's my thinking. Who knows on the lower triple being bent, but based on your description I don't think that is likely the issue. It could be bent, but I'd be surprised as the forks would probably bend/deflect well before the triple itself could twist. Who knows though, stranger things have happened. Good luck and let us know though al P.S. BTW, Max if you are buying Greg's front fairing, lemme know what's up with the headlight. It doesn't sound like you need a headlight, and I think he was selling the fairing/headlight all in one bundle.... and I want another LeMans headlight assembly/harness/bucket for a future project. P.P.S. ...on taking the lower forks off for painting, first I'd recommend checking into hard anodizing, not powder/liquid coat(paint). The black LeMans forks are anondized, and it's a much more durable finish than paint(which is in the end all powder coat is). The forks take a lot of beating out front like that, and I suspect that painted legs will get knicked up pretty quickly. Regarding the difficulty of removing the legs... well, they're cartridge forks, so unless you have the tools and experience, it's something slightly beyond what I'd recommend for the shade-tree garage mechanic. A good suspension shop however would probably take them apart for you for a hundred bucks or so. You could even get them revalved and sprung while you are at it for $300-400 total.

...sounds like a good "lesson learned" Glad to hear you have it figured out. That's always a relief versus a mystery

....and oh BTW, let me just add that I HATE these horns OK, some background Well, remember how I was complaining that I was having some issues getting a consistenly solid, clear, and loud honk out of these guys?? At first I believed it was a grounding issue, or perhaps some other issue with a good clean circuit. So I fixed that. Nope... It was very frustrating because I could hook the stock horn hookups, or my new harness, to the horns when unmounted, and they were like freakin' banshees. But bolt them up, and tighten everything down and.... "wonk"... sounds like they have cotten shoved down the horns Well, I'm going to cut to the chase.... after much tinkering, I discovered something I didn't realize, and wasn't mentioned in the instructions. It turns out that if you look at our stock horns, or the aftermarket units, they are mounted at the end of two strips of "spring steel". I thought these were simply "brackets", but it apears that these brackets are instead tuned to work with the horns. It seems that if one mounts the horns without these, or like in my case mounts them in such a way that a significant portion of their length is "damped"... say by clamping them between something(fairing and oil-cooler supports) or letting it rest solidly against something along it's length... then the horn and this bracket will not resonate correctly... ergo: "wonk" It's very weird, as they seem quite sensitive to this arrangement. So what was begun as a quick job, has turned into a weekend project If i were to mount them just where the stock horns were, there would be no problem, but I wanted to relocate them ...and there ya go. So I'll be tinkering with them in the morning again heh

Ahhhh, heya Mike.... yep that was me Time flies eh? I remember chatting with you and telling you about the forum. Glad to see you found us al

The V11 Sport/LeMans fuse-block has an extra unused terminal/slot at the rear, that I used for my heated grip installation last year. I just tapped into and used that for the new horn installation since the harness I built has power from the relays, and a return all the way to the battery ground. The power comes from the signal lights power lead into the fuse block. I was using a 5a fuse in that slot, and promptly blew it But I expected that, so no big deal. The stock horn circuit is going through whatever fuse/relay it always was, but now is simply powering the new relay for the new horns. al

..... yeah, I had talked to the fella at Motostrano last Summer, as the owner is a friend of a friend.. and someone on the board had asked about reverse cones and my friend with a Monster had shown me the Sil photo for the Monster. The answer back then, is the same as now AFAIK.. no officially supported products al

.... a shame, a nice bike, and would have competed well with the Monster and the new Ducati Classic Sports just announced... a missed opportunity. But there's no reason they couldn't resurrect it.... if they wanted to. al

....well, this should be the easiest of jobs, but believe it or not this is giving me mild "fits" I hooked up the horns via a relay, and connected them directly to the battery(via my heated grips harness I made a while back) and when "honked" they now sound like they've got cotton jammed up the horns ....hook them directly to the OEM horn wires though, and ....they'll blow your ears off. Sounds like a bad ground to me, so I'll be investigating, but it's just one of those "it figures" moments. BTW, I moved mine up in the fairing, beside the oil-cooler as suggested earlier. It does clean up the front of the engine a bit. And OMG are these things loud, incredible. I had no idea how wimpy the stock horns were until I hit the horn button for a quick test with these("138db" horns) hooked up. Sh#t! I'm sure I'll get it sorted out tonight. And BTW, I don't have a quality meter to test the draw on these, but as mentioned elsewhere, it's definitely somewhere between 5 and 8ish amps for both, as I blew the 5 amp fuse, but a 7.5 seems to be holding up so far.... It's really too bad we can't just use the stock harness without eating up the switch, as that would be such an easy swap ...and it works al

...that's too bad regarding the exhaust QA, that's two we've seen on the forum that have cracked al

Well, I've been wanting the red valve covers from the Rosso series for a while now, but wasn't willing to shell out $300 for them..... Also, I've noticed that on all the OEM covers the coating is very thick, and typically cracks off around the mounting holes.... so spending $300 on covers that are just going to chip up as soon as they are tightened didn't seem to make sense either. .....so thought, hey why don't I just have my gray ones coated?? So, I thought that since the covers are aluminum, that I would take them down to my local plater and get them anodized. I remember my anodized parts on my BMX bike, and finish was quite tough and looked great. I was assuming the stock cover was powder coated, so since it chipped so easily, I thought anodizing was a good alternative. Upon going down to the platers, they told me that the valve covers would not be a good subject for anodization, because they were cast aluminum. Apparently cast aluminum varys quite a bit in uniformity, and also often contains magnesium, and these cause the finish to come out rough "like charcoal" and any tint would end up black-ish. So trying to anodize the covers red would end up with a very odd deep "fuzzy" red/black color, and very inconsistent in finish, showing every defect in the casting. And upon further inspection, they said that the covers were simply painted gray with a clear-coat, not powder coated. It appeared that Guzzi used a standard gray paint, and put it on very very thick(hence the chipping around the holes) perhaps in a misguided attempt to be more durable and heat-resistant. Then the gray(or red) paint was covered with a clear-coat to protect it. Unfortunately, it didn't work too well. So, after all that .... they said they could however powder-coat the covers, and done right it would be much more durable than the original finish In theory, I should have the covers back by Friday, and hopefully the color will be a close match to the red "pork chop" side-plates, after all even the Rosso covers don't really match the red on the side-plates I'll let you know how it works out, and if it works well, it's a relatively inexpensive option at about $100-150 in comparison to $300 for new red ones al P.S. Upon handing the valve covers to the fellas in the shop, they asked what kind of motorcycle it came from. Smiling, with a friendly smirk, I tapped on the cover where "Moto Guzzi" was cast into the cover.... and he looked at me kinda funny, asking the question again He said he had worked with plenty of parts from Suzuki, HD, Honda, Ducati, etc... but had never heard of Moto Guzzi. Kinda fun sharing that with someone for the first time

...we'll see, I'd certainly like to go However, my valve-covers are at the powder-coaters, but that shouldn't be a big deal as they should be done by Friday/Monday. The pseudo big deal is that I don't have a front fender(not the end of the world) and the bigger deal is that I am waiting to hear back from Jet-Hot regarding the small defects I found in the finish, and I don't think I should install and burn them in before I hear back from them Other than the exhaust, everything else can be overlooked or worked around for a quick trip up there... we'll see. al

Was talking with Mike Stewart the this last weekend, and he had mentioned that while chatting with someone else recently in San Diego that they had thought that the fairings on the first-year 2002 LeMans was different than the new 2002+ bikes. One dimension they had mentioned specifically was that they thought the fairing narrowed more on the 2002+ bikes as it came over the cylinder heads than on the 2002 bikes after some folks had complained about their knees hitting the fairing. After I went home, I checked out my fairing, and having just looked at Mike's Rosso Corsa fairing, I confirmed that indeed the newer bike's fairing is a bit narrower, and perhaps shorter as it comes over the valve-cover. Are there other dimensional or engineering differences on the newer fairings? I have no idea, but it's something to at least be aware of. If anyone else has noticed any other differences, feel free to post them

Yeah, I was thinking about that, and hence will probably put in another relay for the horns if I move them and power them off of the battery directly. al

Well, I've got the forks loose fitted tonight. Perfect fit Much thanks to Paul and Mike for all their technical and machine work help! I would have set them up completely, but it was getting late, and I was getting tired, so I didn't want to rush anything and create an oops of some sort So I'll get them finished out tomorrow. But one thing I did notice is that these are exactly, or darned close, the same length as the OEM LeMans fork. So Jaap, you should be able to just put these right in, without any additional length protruding above the clip-ons. They'll look just like those installed on the Rosso Corsa from the top of the triple clamps. I tried to fit the stock V11 front fender, and although I had hoped I would have been able to fit a bracket/adapter as previously shown on another Ohlins conversion, in this case the stock fender just isn't going to fit. So, I'll have to get a Rosso or similar fender after all Ah well... But all-in-all, a perfect fit with no drama That's how I like it Jaap, you have yours fitted yet?? al

Thanks for the tips Docc I'll check the alignment of my levers first thing tomorrow when I setup the forks. BTW, if anyone needs replacement levers, although not Brembo... there seem to be a bunch of Brembo alternative aftermarket levers on eBay usually listed as Aprilia items that are pretty cheap(in price, I have no idea of quality ) They usually go for around $30 al

Hard to say off-hand, but I'd check all your connectors and especially grounds. Your rectifier could be going south I suppose, and you can test that... although I don't know how But I'd check all the other connectors first. Grounds on these bikes are notoriouslhy finicky al

Back on topic.... while installing my new forks this evening, I too noticed that the horns(or aftermarket ones) could easily be installed up in the fairing. As we've mentioned before, there's a lot of room "up there"... and if you get behind the "dashboard" there's even more Perhaps while I'm in the wiring next week to fix the clutch safety switch SNAFU, I'll move them or get it all wired up for some FIAMMs If I do though, I really need to build some sort of junction box/ bar for the battery. As it is now, I've got too many wires going directly to the battery terminals for my taste(even stock it's bad) and if I add a horn feed, that's just one more al

How awful, best wishes to him.... Poor folks

Hrmmm, hard to say. But some thoughts... 1) Make sure the threads on the fasteners and threaded hole are clear of paint and debris 2) Make certain that the mating surfaces of the engine case and timing chain cover are also clear of paint and any debris 3) New gasket 4) Perhaps a THIN coat of silicone gasket sealer?? Mine failed within a month of owning the bike, but has so far held up since it was replaced. I had heard that the surfaces hadn't been properly prepared, and had some paint on them. But I had also heard that in many examples, the fasteners simply weren't tighted Good luck

..... damn straight!! Don't make me pull this car over

.... I dunno, but I still need to get down to the dealer in Livermore and check out the new '04 Mille to see if those cool integrated signal mirrors will mount up to our LeMans fairing without surgery

....we have to make sure this makes it into the FAQ section That's great, even my GF was cracking up!

UPDATE: Recent Michael Moore Interview on Guerrilla News ************************************************ Gosh, tell us how you really fell John ....sorry you found "Bowling for Columbine" so upsetting though I found it to be a an excellent and provocative film I recommended it all the time, especially when it was still relatively unknown and making the indie theater circuit... and still do. It's certainly opinionated, but then again is that a surprise? My only major issue that left me somewhat uncomfortable was the final segment and ambush confrontation with Charlton Heston. I don't care for the NRA, but I felt empathetically uncomfortable for Mr Heston. But then again, I think that's a sign of effective journalism... ...that the film can make everyone feel a bit uncomfortable and off-balance at times regardless of whether you agree with the message or not... making you think I particularly found the segments with Terry Nichol's brother humorously disturbing, and the inteview with Marilyn Manson refreshingly surprising... and reassuring. And all nit-picking aside, I believe that the holistic message of the govt, media, and popular entertainment potentially driving increased violence in the USA was spot-on. The statistics regarding gun violence, ownership, and laws were particularly interesting. And in the end, Moore simply posed questions... again per the definition of provocative.... making one think. He rarely answered any, just instead posing the question: "...if other countries with similar levels of gun ownership don't have similar gun violence rates, what is different in America?" That question after all especially in the conext of tragedies such as Columbine, and not simply how terrible guns are, etc (after all Moore was raised with guns) is what he leaves us with... and I think it's relevant. Unfortunately I've found that many have let specific buttons get pushed by the film, which of course is one of the film's many effective devices.... but then get so wrapped up in those nit-pick issues that they miss the larger message, and relevant questions Moore leaves us to ponder. ... instead run off track by red-herrings Is Moore a genius? Is he 100% infallable, or prescient? I don't think so, but I do think his film was especially relevent in these troubled times. And I'm particularly interested in his next film which will be focusing on the Bush family's close relationship with the Saud and Bin Laudin family(which BTW, in the days after 9/11 when nearly no American could fly, the President supposedly had 18 members of the Bin Ladin family flown by chartered jet back to Saudi Arabia) Fun huh It should guarantee no Christmas White House invitation for Mr. Moore Interesting link you provided though, and because I am a critical thinker and often considered a contrarian and somthing of a conspiracy theorist(especially when it comes to big business, and the military industrial complex that is our country) .... I took the time to read the entire link. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and that's one of the great things about our nation, but from a critical point of view, I can't find that Mr. Hardy makes much of a case beyond focusing on the Willie Horton example, which Moore responds to here: Michael Moore's Wacko Attacko Page Mr Hardy otherwise doesn't make much of a case proving that the rest of bulk of the 2hr film is fictitious or otherwise without merit. Apologies, but alone with his two primary examples of the Willie Horton error, and his nit-picking about time and place of when Mr. Heston uttered "from my cold dead hands".... Mr Hardy doesn't meet the burden of discrediting the bulk of the film, it statistics, nor it's overall message. And even then, several of the cited issues are debatable or answered by Moore in the post above. The nature of their being debateable certainly being true in the case of statistics, which we all know can be manipulated as needed But there are bigger questions than the year the NRA and KKK were founded, and I think ultimately Mr. Moore doesn't attempt to answer them, and instead leaves us with to ponder and draw our own conclusions.... which is how he closes the film. And I find that constructive, and appreciate the approach. Again, I'm sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy the film, but I would invite you to give it another chance from a different perspective versus focusing on the red-herrings in the film, as Mr. Hardy as done. By doing so, he misses the point, and it's to his loss IMHO ...or of course, he is simply welcome to his opinion, as you are certainly as well al Some fun Columbine quotes and trivia

From the "Moto Guzzi" Yahoo Club: UPDATE: It's on the second Monday now, not Tuesdays