al_roethlisberger

Hrmm, maybe I didn't make myself clear... If it breaks at the cutout, it does protect the whole assembly and the lever itself by dissipating the energy of the strike, as WELL AS leaving a nub(shorter lever) behind so you can still get down the street back home. This is the typical design of most street levers. If it bends, the result is the same. And in either case, the lever should be replaced ASAP. But design and best intentions aside, many levers will still break at the pivot, as that's just a weak spot. I'm sure some "better" levers may fare better with regard to bending further before breaking anywhere, but regardless, if I bent any lever.... it would get replaced for safety's sake. So the end result is the same, the cost of a new lever.... and that's my point. So indeed, I use bend/break interchangeably, as the reslult as designed is the same.... preserved ability to ride away, but one still has to buy a new lever ASAP. I understand that perhaps your point may be that a "better" lever might survive a crash better, bend instead, and not break at all at the pivot as often... keeping the bike rideable... getting you home, and that may be true But again, with the material used, and the cutout in the end, our OEM levers are designed to snap off near the tip, for the very reason of preserving the pivot and providing a limp-home ability as well. In either case, both levers should normally provide the same "limp home" ability.... but crashes are dynamic and variable affairs, so no guarantees can be made no matter what lever is used. Depending on luck, a cheapo lever(which our OEM is not BTW) may survive better than an expensive lever in a given crash, or of course vice-versa. Even with a "higher quality" lever.... it should be replaced ASAP as it's integrity is compromised once bent or broken. I suppose, if I had the $$ and desire, I would opt for a "better" lever that more than likely would bend before breaking.... but I just wanted to make it clear that there's really nothing wrong with the Brembo levers our bikes come with, and BTW also come on some pricey Ducatis, and other makes. Like fin guards, pegs, and other "breakaway" stick out bits.... these parts are often really designed to be replaced as "disposable" and "single use" if crashed al

is spelled heterogeneous ...unless we are talking about a very smart English straight guy P.S. I know the Brits don't spell it that way, but they sure do love to throw an "extra" U here and there in "or" ending words... sooo

Well, ideally, by designing the lever to bend/break at a prescribed location, the engineers are providing for at least two favorable outcomes. 1) By allowing for them to bend, this protects the bars, switchgear, master-cylinder, etc... from themselves getting damaged as likely. If the lever were designed to be super stout and not break/bend, then all the energy from an unfortunately perfect end-on strike would be transfered directly to those aforementioned components, to disasterous and probably ride-ending effect. 2) By designing the lever to more often break at the "cutout" near the tip of the lever, this helps fulfill #1 above, but also increases the chance that along with still functional bar components, you might even be lucky enough to still have a "nub" of lever left with which to still be able to actuate the clutch/brake Of course, in many cases, even with the "cutout" designed into most levers, they can often still break at the pivot since the metal is so thin there. And in fact, many people I've known to have hit a lever hard enough to just bend(not even break) it, have ended up having the lever just "fall off" later from cracking at the pivot. So the moral? ...if you really whack a lever, enough to bend/break it, replace it ASAP, for safety's sake al

Ah hem .... ummm, yeah.... well there ya go

... heh But all kidding aside ... keep in mind that our levers are by Brembo, not Guzzi, and the same as they supply to several other makes of motorcycles. And they are intentionally designed to break, not just bend, thus saving your bars and other bits from damage Sorry to hear about your tip-over though Go get some new ones from Ducati. They're much cheaper al

My "review" on Pashnit.com reports the similar mileage, as well as on here in past MPG threads ... High 20s around town, low 40s under "ideal" circumstances... such as down-hill, tail-wind, or highway-droning ... on average, probably low-mid 30s I think most folks have been "honest" al

I believe ya Dan Again, just having a bit of fun after Gary's various "OHLEENS" comments in several other similar threads No worries either way Glad to hear you've got it sorted al

Well, if it's never done it prior to the trip in the mountains the other week(when you first reported this), then I'd say it's something that just happened, and isn't necessarily a fatal flaw such that you can't "trust the bike" long term I mean, you've been riding the bike to work for over a year now almost daily, right? I bet the bad fuel has got something clogged up, or maybe a sensor or other connection has gone bad/come loose. I bet it's something minor. At least I hope so Heck, even your PCIII might have died... it happens Well, just let us know what happens al

I believe ya ...but here you go: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...=3039&hl=ohlins http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...=2238&hl=ohlins There are several other threads as well after a search for "ohlins" in the title, but these two are the most extensive. al

Again, IMHO.... succinctly... it's all about keeping the $$ local.... If OC is local to you, and they will be doing all of your service work, then this is less of an issue. But the resale/value issue is still a partial concern. Every dealer should have had an equal opportunity to take advantage of this "deal", and apparently they did not. al

chicken

...yeah, a steam cleaner .... or anything stronger than a gentle fan spray... will just about blast the bubbling paint right down to the pumice looking crap under the crust al

See, this is what I like about the Ohlins equipped bikes... the added "exclusivity" of their requiring professional tuners to get it "dialed in". This keeps the poseurs at bay (Just poking a bit of fun at Gary's expense ) Glad to hear you got it all tuned for your needs. I'm sure that made a big and satisfying difference al

See.... "told ya" ....now, here's one further suggestion.. I'm not sure how you made the "S shaped aluminum tube" to reroute the fuel supply line, but take care here if you sorta "shade tree engineered it". I can tell you from experience that if you did not make it from fuel/brake line tubing, and used the correct tools to bend it... and here the critical part.... made the appropriate ends to transition to the hose portion... you run a very high chance of the tube itself breaking from metal fatigue during bending, and caused by the vibration, and/or the end of the tube cutting into and breaching the hose at their junction. I only mention this, as I've had this happen. If you made the tube with a flare kit, and have an actual fitting, or similarly made the correct roll at the end of the tube along with crimp, then you will be fine. But also be sure to isololate the aluminum tube from vibration as much as possible, because even in a best case, if it's left to move grossly, it may develop fatigue at the bends and crack. If you didn't do the above.... then you can take your "prototype" down to a local hydraulic hose shop and have them make the "real thing" and it will be indestructable, or you can just go down to your local automotive "speed/hotrod shop" and buy some XRP/Earls/etc... "AN" fittings and make up the needed bends with the correct hose, and these will also be "indestructable". These are the red/blue fittings you see in my Fuel Pump Relocation Thread. Anyway, great to hear our past experiments made this fix much easier for you to implement. I know it gave us a lot of grief, and were only able to "test" its efficacy to some degree. Your feedback provides even more validation al

Well, first off..... much like my Lockhart Phillips admonishion in a previous thread regarding "flush mount signals".... my humble opinion is that one should run like hell from aluminum fasteners. From personal experience, other than "bling" factor for the color matched units, one is asking for BIG TROUBLE using then for anything other than cosmetic applications, and even then, when the strip out(and they will), you will be cussin'. And they tend to gall, cross-thread, and just generally perform poorly. Of course, not all aluminum fasteners have to be crap, but I've yet to see a kit from any vendor that is made from some higher grade aluminum that is less likely to strip or break. They all do. If you are looking for colored fasteners though, aluminum really is your only option though. If you are looking to save weight, and yes I concur that this is a waste of time on any but the lightest race bike, titanium is the way to go. But if you looking for some nice, relatively lightweight, relatively strong, and "long term shiney" bit.... go for stainless, which incidentally is already what your fairing bolts are made from Also, no matter what you decide(except of course perhaps for the anodized aluminum fasteners), I would also suggest sourcing the bolts from a local "bolt shop" as they'll have higher quality/strength parts, for more reasonable prices.... and you can buy as many or few fasteners at a time... and not have to buy some overpriced "kit" from some aftermarket or dealer stock. It's up to you of course, and your priorities, but in all seriousness I really would recommend not using aluminum fasteners anywhere. I've learned my lesson on my first bikes, and it's just not worth the grief, and saving a few pennies. al

I had mine dynoed. Does this method change the mapping or delete it? Also when it says turn on the ignition does that mean start he bike or just turn the key to activate pump? Still wary.... I am under the impression that it adjust the current map. I uploaded my map after adjustment and it was only slightly different. If you save to your computer the map you have downloaded you can always revert back to that map. You do not need to start the bike just turn the power on. (Igniton switch too on position.) I did this 8,000 miles ago and no problems. It all depends on what mapping you have and how much you adjust it. Mine was based off the Raceco map. I hope this info helps I did have a friend show me how to do this 2 years ago. Cheers, JJ Yes the ignition and kill switch need to both be "on", just as if the engine were running, but of course not. You'll know whether you have it all turned on, as the PCIII lights up when on. As far as the map, the tuner may or may not save your old map.... although IMHO, they should. If it's important to you, ask them to make sure to save a copy for you. Once you tinker with the map on the PCIII itself, whether a whole new map uploaded "en grosse" or you just adjust a few cells... once it is uploaded, it gets saved, and "that's it". There is not a backup on the PCIII itself. So if keeping old revisions is important to you, be sure to keep them on your shop PC. al

I hear ya, that's one of the reasons I'm not heading down to Monterrey for the ST.net CA meet this weekend. But to be fair, in this case it's not really my bike's fault. I haven't put enough miles on it this Spring/Summer after "tinkering" to develop said confidence. I suspect it would do OK once I shook out the few bugs... that *I* probably introduced through my various tinkering. So, is your bike STILL acting up Dave? al

Hrmm, yeah that's never been asked before http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...pic=42&hl=break http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...c=2515&hl=break http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...c=3075&hl=break ....it just depends on who you ask. "Racers" often say that there's no substitute for a dyno/track break-in, conservative owners swear by the factory recommendations, and many say "just go out and ride it like you plan to use it".... and then there's the "heat cycle" folks versus the "RPM" folks Me? ...I went by the factory recommendations, but have no real religion on the topic I think as long as you don't "flog" it right away, generally you'll be fine. Keep in mind that they run the engines up for a few miles at the factory before you even get the bike.... for whatever that's worth al

Well, first.... never ever for the love of God buy anything electrical from Lockhart Philips You think classic English and Italian electrics are dicey?? hrmph.... buy any set of signals, etc... from LP and you may as well just buy a couple sets for spares. I bought several in the years past for other bikes, before I learned my lesson. Junk Junk Junk Now, that being said ....and it really HAD to be said Yes, there are at least three tail pieces/kits that I am aware of that incorporate the light into the tail. Two of them are in Germany I believe, and I don't have the URL for them handy, but I bet someone here does. One has dual round "frenched" lights, and another has a big oval light worked into the rear if I recall. The dual round treatment is the better looking of the two though. But the best looking is made by one of our forum members Paul Minnaert, and you can get them through TLM, our forum sponsor. All of them are pricey though, as they are low volume, but Paul's is especially well made and everyone that has one really likes the results. You will also have to get any of them painted yourself, so factor in another $300-400 for that. Here is a link to Pauls website: http://guzzi.daytona-it.com/ Good luck! al

So, I was wiring up the relays for the headlight wiring retrofit the other day, and in the process of NUMEROUS on-off cycles of the lamp, you guess it... the high-beam filment in the bulb blew out Now, even though all of us LeMans owners have learned the "easy way" to get the fairing off of these bikes, it's still a PITA... and as an aside, a completely STUPID design that the WHOLE FAIRING must come off to change the bulb(and don't tell me how one can take the little bottom part of the fairing off, and somehow get the bucket out... hogwash, that takes thrice as long, if at all ) Anyway, I can't believe MG designed it the way it is. I feel sorry for anyone with a single bulb bike that has to disassemble a major portion of the bodywork just to change the bulb... sheesh, it's embarassing So anyhow.... since the bulb blew out, and my original reflector has somehow oxidized just a little bit... making it not quite as shiney reflective as in days of yore... I had a UK spec bucket that I got from a breaker lying about that I thought I'd fit and see how it goes. Of course, the reflector is different for the UK bike, so I realize the issues there. But actually after looking at the refectors side by side(US versus UK spec).... it's interesting. First, the reflector "channels" in the UK bike are a good bit wider. Also, although the US version has equal cut-off for right AND left, the UK version only has a cutoff for the right, leaving the left side to shine much much higher. Now this isn't a surprise with regard to the UK version, but I am surprised that the two reflectors simply aren't mirror images of eachother given our inverted driving positions on the road. Well, I went ahead and installed the UK bucket(for a couple other reasons such as wiring SNAFUs from past projects, and just being lazy about pulling the bulb ) ... and rode around. Even at night I didn't get any nasty honks or flashes(so far), but the UK reflector does seem to light up a broader swath on low beam for sure... and this is with the lower output stock lamp (60/55W) that what I had before (100/55W). So I guess I'll keep it in for a while, until I see a plethora of angry high-beam flashes, or get a ticket ....but here's another observation, and my real reason/question for posting this. The other difference in the UK bucket, is that is it not "sealed"(more or less) like the US version. The UK version has a gap around the metal ring, to allow for side-to-side adjustment of the lens(the US version is only up-down) within the bucket, and as such can allow water to enter the bucket itself. There are drain holes in the UK bucket trim bezel to allow any accumulated water to drain. My question is, for those that have this style of bucket, and live in wet climates, wash their bikes a lot, or otherwise just get the bike blasted by water from the front...... do you have any issues with water damaging the wiring, bulb, and/or silver of the interior of the bucket? The US version has the metal bezel wrapped tightly over the edge of the lens, drastically reducing the chances water would accumulate. I don't know how much water could enter through this gap around the lens and between the bezel, but it looks large enough that riding at speed through a heavy downpour could allow a significant amount of water to enter Anyway, just curious about long-term durability of this style bucket/reflector. al

I wonder what the fuel capacity and range is.... yeah, that's important .... and I'm thinking color matched red bags would go best, versus the stadard black ones HB has for the Sport Ones that compliment the lines of the tank would be good. What do you think? I hope the alternator is up to auxilliary lighting and heated clothing as well

Well now, let's not bash the customer for finding a the "best deal" .... in that respect, especially if we are talking a couple thousand $$ difference, I can't say I blame anyone for taking the better deal. In fact, I had this same conversation with the guys at Moto Italiano, and when a customer comes in and plops down the "OC price"(which has been happening a lot lately)... the guys just say, "well, that's well below my cost, and no I don't blame you if you drive 6 hours to get that deal. I would, and understand if you do " But the problem for the dealers, and customers, is that the local $$ are being sent out of the local economy when this happens, and that hurts everyone. Dealers make NO MONEY(and even sometimes lose money) on warantee work, and it's a huge hassle. And one's buying a bike remotely does nothing to keep $$ local, and the shop in business. So if one would like to see one's local dealer stay around, continued "programs" like the one that OC apparently participated in only serve to undermine the long term health of local dealers. And for the customer, the deal may be great, but then resale drops like a rock for everyone else that bought the bikes at more "reasonable" prices. Perhaps one might simply say, well "thems the breaks" ... but strategically it is seen by potential customers as a negative, and in the long run also costs Guzzi, and the local dealers. Anyway, kudos for those that got great deals, but IMHO, "sweetheart deals" as this appears to be(even if indirectly, say by having requirements most dealers cannot meet, like huge minimum purchases) only serve to hurt the marque long term. So I hope that in the future, MGNA(or whoever continues in their stead after any sale of the company) will treat dealers more equitably, and also get the warantee system setup to be less of a negative impact for said dealers. But that's a whole 'nuther problem from what I've heard I guess it would have been nice if "the Guzzi community" had the fortitude to boycott these sort of deals, but that's just not reasonable to expect.... and many of the people buying these bargain bikes were new to the marque anyway. For those that bought bikes from a dealer(s?) that got in on a sweetheart deal, don't take these complaints personally. Your announcement was simply the catalyst for this discussion. Glad to hear you got a great deal on the bike, and welcome al

....very cool So I wonder if Hepco Becker will make some hard bags available, and if there will be some bar risers and lowered pegs availale soon after the release of the MGS?

...is that why I've heard that there is a dealer initiated lawsuit in the works? Good luck to OC, and I'm glad they are selling lots of MG product, I honestly am. I have nothing against them personally, and I wish them the best luck and prosperity. But when died-in-the-cloth MG dealers and enthusiasts like Moto International, MPH, and Moto Guzzi Classics make it clear that this was not an egalitarian arrangement... and the subsequent systemic negative impact it has had, well, that's too bad, and it makes one wonder why. That's the impression I have received al

when did harley's get an oil pan ? With regard to the oil pan on the MG supporting the bike, there are photos(somewhere here on another "stand" thread) showing the bikes in production at Mandello, running down the assembly line sitting on thier pans, so... Now, of course, the factory may have a special cradle/jig for supporting the bike via the pan to reduce stress, but it's certainly do-able at home too. I've jacked my bike up via the oil-pan several times with no ill effects, but the lift I used was for a huge computer... and as such is a large flat plate. I just add some padding on top to distribute the weight, and all seems fine. I'm sure if one does the same for the "Sears" type hydraulic lift, it will be fine. Of course this type of lift does nothing to help with oil-changes though(it hinders them), just "other" work that you'd like lifted a bit higher For more casual work that would normally require a center stand, I use the MG shop stand. It's awesome. al