al_roethlisberger

....sounds like classic vapor lock to me, the "air" being vaporized gas Although, yes, technically if air is getting into the line/pump somehow, you would have similar symptoms. al

I told you the karma would come around.... but you wouldn't listen ...but honestly, sorry to hear about this. In my opinion, based on a handful of these experiences over the last few years, always call the police and have them write a report. Otherwise you'll go to try and find this fella, his insurance is cancelled, his DL info is fake/wrong/expired, and you'll either be out the $$ yourself or have to claim uninsured motorist. Good luck, and again, really sorry to hear about this. I know it can ruin your day. This year, I've had two brand new Honda Pilots wrecked in... oh... about 10 months, neither our fault ...which is another reason I am leaving CA. I've never lived anywhere else where people seem to run into eachother's cars so frequently. I mean honestly... al

...well, that explains the "conflicting" reports of the FBF crossover's construction by those that have purchased the FBF crossover these last years. Good to know

Your forks are the same Marzocchi(sp?) forks as on the 00-02 bikes *except* they have the gold TiNitride(sp?) coating on the sliders to reduce friction. I think this was unique to the Tenni, although the RM may have had it?? I don't know. You can certainly retrofit Ohlins, or others, if you like.... although I am not familiar with Koni forks for this bike For more info than you'd probably ever like to see on retrofitting Ohlins to a 00-02 spec bike, check out: Hollow Front Axle Thread al

Yep, have the latest greatest relays. I have the Dan's newest heavy duty relay in the #1 slot, and newish Bosch units throughout. They guys at the shop have assured me they have swapped relays around al

OK, the latest news/discovery.... they can get the ignition to spark, but not if the fuel-pump is connected. I don't know if they mean the fuel-pump & and the fuel-level sending unit, or just the fuel-pump. But succinctly, the ignition fires with the tank(pump) off the bike, but not with it hooked up. Keep in mind that added a 2003 fuel-pump to the bike, but it hooks up just like the external unit, and I had been riding with it for quite a long while with no issues. And the pump does run/pressurize normally, so it's not shorted out. al

I think everyone is.... but "it is what it is" ... but at some point I plan to retrofit the HID package we talked about a while back, but after we move. It won't be any easier to perform maintenance upon, but at least it has two bulbs al

Yeah, we thought of that, and it supposedly tested fine... but who knows. I'm sure that fella will check that, and yes... you should feel dirty

Yes, they have done all of the above, please also see thread: No Spark They have swapped ECUs and the results indicated my ECU is not at fault. Further, my ECU has had the ignition remapped by TLM to support my dual-plug application, so I can't just have them give me another ECU from another bike. Also, keep in mind that I am not asking for the wiring schematic for the bike(I have that), but the internal pinouts, etc of the ECU itself. We're just trying to get as much info as possible, and yes, the dealer has already tried to find this info through their contacts as well, but so far with no success. Hubert, I understand your perspective, and believe me.... we are all very frustrated. I am friends with, as well as a customer of, the owner of the shop.... so in his own words "of all people, I would not want to disappoint you Al". I have offered to also look into whatever info I can find on the issue, as we all want to get this resolved ASAP. Hence my questions Thanks al

...yeah, I had the same experience a couple years ago But as an aside, I am extremely disappointed in the "headlight maintenance implemention" on the LeMans. al

heh, Carl's house is too small..... and no offense to Carl, but Modesto? If I have to move to Modesto, I might as well move to North Carolina. Modesto is hot and dusty, Central Valley.... not exactly what the desire to live in "California" is all about IMHO Although to be fair, Modesto is in short striking distance of excellent riding, and more interesting geography/weather. I can get a MONSTER house in NC for $400k, but don't plan to spend that much al

....you know, the right shade of pink might not be too bad now that I think about it, hrmm Back on topic, although I wouldn't deign to tell you what type of bike to buy as your "first bike after returning to ridind in 20 years", but I concur that if it were me, I would buy some el-cheapo beater and ride it for a year. Buy one that is "pre dropped" so you won't feel bad when you drop it, and there's less pressure worrying about doing so. That way you can keep your focus on sharpening up your riding skills again, not worrying about crashing. Also, bikes have changed a LOT in 20, heck even 10, years. You might be surprised in regard to performance, weight, handling, etc. So again, I'd say go get some 500-750cc bike, like an old Yamaha Seca II, Kawi EX500, etc... and ride it around, then sell it for about the same amount of money you have in it(they hold their value, $1500-2000) a year later. Then you'll probably know more about what kind of bike you really want. Although you probably mentioned it, I didn't notice where you were from. But in my neck-of-the-woods, we have some used bike "warehouses", and I've found that these are an EXCELLENT resource for folks just starting, or getting back into motorcycling after several years absence. If you have that resource available, head down there post-haste and sit on every bike they'll let you... even if you think it's a bike you would never like. I think you'll be surprised. Every person I have known, including myself, has gone down there with a preconceived notion of the type of bike they want... and walked away with a modified outlook once they tried out several. Anyway, hope that is all helpful. If you end up still going with the Guzzi, I would negotiate the bike separately from the accessories. You can get the accessories at any time later, and maybe for better prices. I'm not slamming the dealer, but just like with autos, accessories is usually high margin, and where they try to make the deal sound better by making the package more complex. Simplify the sale, stick with just the bike(or close), then afterwards spend a little time figuring out which accessories you really need, and save some $$. Good luck! al

Related to my electrical problems, the guys at Moto Italiano were curious if anyone in the community had a schematic and/or detailed pin-outs(and their functional relationships) of the Marelli M15 ECU? Even the official MG info doesn't include this data, and it would make troubleshooting the electrical mystery much easier to know which pin is related to which, and how they interact. Thanks! al

So, since this has been a quandry a couple of times.... I just wanted to confirm, that while we were diagnosing the electrical problem with my 2002 LeMans, we found that there was indeed a diode installed inline between the ECU relay, and the ECU itself. So, for those considering installing the old "diode mod" to protect your ECU from overvoltage, it *seems* that at least 2002+ models do have the diode installed from the factory. If you don't know what I am talking about, see: http://paaat.guzz.free.fr/diode_transil/english.html The point is that in some instances, such as "bump starting", odd short-circuits, or other scenarios where high current could be sent to the ECU and "frying it", the installation of the diode offers some protection. The issue only seemed to present itself on older EFI Guzzis that had the older ECUs than the new M15. And a few of the older bikes have had their ECUs burnt in these scenarios. But the concern has also been mentioned here, and no one knew for sure if the new bikes were protected from the factory. So, if you want to check, just undo your relay block, and check under the ECU relay. You should be able to just "feel" the little diode through the heat-shrink. I don't know if 00-01 models have this protection, but I bet they do as well. Again, now knowing where it is, it should be easy to check. al

Yep, houses are NUTS out here in CA, especially in key areas like the SF Bay area, although the "effect" has spread out to almost any city of a reasonable size in the last few years as well. My house, which was built in 1941, is only a 2br/1ba, not quite 1000sq ft... nice, but nothing "special"... will easily sell for north of $550k. A smaller "not as nice" house 3 doors down, and closer to the busy street just sold for $550k even. Heck, a house literally just a few blocks away, almost same house, but in a slightly better neighborhood, just sold for over $699k. It's nuts. I tell ya though, I sure wish I had bought 2 or 3 houses when I moved here 8 years ago. Wow. And forget trying to get into anything bigger, which is what we need(5br/2+ba). Even if we could afford the mortgage(s) on what would be a literally MILLION $+ house, the taxes would eat us up, even though as a %, the property taxes here are low(thank God). I too am worried that the honeymoon has to eventually end as well though, so we're heading out in July. I'd move sooner if we could, but school, work, etc... July it is. So if the market can hold steady for just ~2 more months, we'll be fine. Historically in CA, the real estate market moves in stair-steps, and the last "crash" was around 1989 I think. But typically, the market goes flat, with maybe a 15% drop, then it creeps back up over the next decade again. But we'll see. This last expansion was pretty extreme with people putting all their money into RE following the Stock Market "crash" in ~2000, and the ultra-low interest rates of the last few years. The Fed just bumped the rates again by 1/4 point yesterday, so the pressure is ratcheting up. Again, only time will tell. We'll know when the downturn(or at least stagnation) starts probably only in hindsight... like most things. But, once we do sell, we plan to rent for a year for two reasons. 1) We want to figure out where we really want to live. I've learned that rarely can one figure out right away what area of town, etc... one really wants to be in, until after having been there a while. 2) In reference to the RE 'crash' comments above, we are going to wait and watch the market to see what happens over the next year. Rising interest rates, high oil prices, RE speculation.... and the fact that everyone and their dog says "buy real estate, it's a sure thing"... makes my spider-sense go off Now... can we get back to diagnosing my bike's electrical problem Heh, but seriously, Moto Italiano has brought in an "outside contractor" type-guy to work on the bike today. He's an EE, builds custom bikes for a living, and is supposed to be a whiz at finding electrical problems, regardless of manufacturer. Jason sent him home with schematics, a printout of this thread, and the official MG training CDs/Videos/Manuals to prep. So maybe today we'll learn something. This is apparently the guy that deduced in about 5 minutes that they could at least get spark by grounding one of the leads from the ECU. ... and that from just walking up and asking what was going on. Anyway, we'll see. Cross your fingers. al

Wayne and Garth would get a kick out of this one:

I don't know... I think $7999 is in the "ballpark" but definitely on the high side Although accessories don't really count for much, if the bike is in very good shape, and seems to be low mileage, then that in combination with the accessories listed, $7999 or a bit more "out the door" might be OK. But I do agree that $9400 out the door is too high. Even at an average 8% sales tax, and adding $200 worth of "DMV processing fees", $7999 only comes to $8800. How do they get $9400 from the $7999 selling price? That seems unreasonably high The fit/finish and general QA of the 03+ bikes seems noticeably better, especially the 04 models with which few owners have had any issues. If your heart is really in this bike, ditch the accessories, and make an offer you feel better about. al

A theory.... Usually the "hand engraved" or blank serial number engines are ones where the cases were swapped for the paint recall. If you have one of the models that have the "fuzzy" black textured engine paint, and the case was replaced by MG, the replacement warrantee cases came with the serial number plate blank. Some shops manually etched in the old serial number, while most are left blank. al

No need for paranoia, but to your question, please see: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...hl=soft++valves http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...hl=soft++valves ...and the same info about halfway through my "dual plug" thread: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...hl=soft++valves I don't think this is a "widespread" problem per se or one to fret over. Just check your oil consumption over time, and if something seems unusual, then consider it just one of the possible culprits to inspect. If for some reason you are already doing a top-end rebuild, I would recommend changing the OEM parts out for something a bit better, but only because you are already "in there". al

...incredibly loud, like NASCAR loud some have described, while others described as "HD straight pipes". If you like that sort of thing, you'll like 'em BTW, the Bubs weren't designed to fit the V11 Sport per se, but the Sport1100. They were never made for the V11 Sport specifically AFAIK. There is a subtle difference between the bikes such that you'll probably have to do some bending, and I've heard even "dent" the inside of one of the megaphones(don't recall which side) so that it won't hit the swingarm on the V11 Sport. The one set I saw on a V11 Sport were a very very tight fit, and the right? megaphone was hitting/rubbing the swingarm. ...but they do look neat Get some earplugs al

Good luck Carl! al

.... aaaaaaaaaactually, yes Well, their Santa Cruz branch is just a few miles away from it. And yes, it is lame, but the kids love it al

...can't give you one near Fresno(although there may be a good one ) but here in the SF Bay area, http://www.hareracing.com/ is tops on my list. They are a great bunch

Well, the problem is that in some cases, its not working properly can create a frustrating case of "no start i-tiss" since it is part of the safety circuit. BTW, I agree that these behaviors are odd, for the very reason that the switch is so darned simple. I guess the design is flakey though, as it indeed is simply a plunger switch that rests in a dimple on the selector wheels when in neutral. I guess it just sticks or gets gummed up at times al

This is true of a lot of the aftermarket pipes too. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just clamp them down tightly, and maybe use some exhaust high-temp silicone sealant if you are worrying about leaks. Also, you can work on the brackets/straps with some washers/spacers to get them to fit just so, and you can get them relatively tight. al