al_roethlisberger

I'm not concerned about the serial number, but asked just out of curiosity. As mentioned, they said they have a punch kit and will replace the number on the new case. We'll see though.... it's not a big deal to me... although I guess I'd "prefer" they did al

Thanks John ....and I hope some of the local Guzzisti will drop by and particpate in the activities. WRT to the Guzzi Dinners... still not sure what will happen there. Obviously it's previous incarnation is no more, but depending on various things, there is still the possibility of resurrecting it later in the month for a smaller gathering of MG owners. We'll just have to gauge the level of interest. I was up at Moto Italiano last night for a hour or so chatting, and they felt bad about the MG dinner meeting it's end, as they had always intended to make a showing themselves, but you know how those things go sometimes. Mike said that everytime they thought about it, they had "just missed" it. He had some good suggestions though, and one of the main ones was suggesting a "better" location. It's not that Alices isn't a nice location, but it is something of a trek up into the mountains, and a location that many local riders had probably already ridden the weekend before. And plus, for some riders, they may have preferred that evening to just ride to the event, eat, and get home the easiest and most direct way possible... being full, tired, etc... and running back down the mountain may not have been attractive for some in that regard. So, I guess if the MG dinner is to be resurrected at a later date, two things will have to be determined: 1) Does anyone care? I mean honestly The Ducati night may prove to be enough 2) Find a good location that works well for people spread between the North Bay, South Bay, and even the valley. Although not as inspiring, probably some Italian restaurant with some feel of "heritage" along the Interstate is probably the best bet. ...and if people want to take a scenic route to or from the dinner, they are still perfectly capable and welcome to do so, but this allows those that just wanted to sit down and chat, and then high-tail it home... can do so Anyway, all TBD... so we'll see. In the meantime, yes, I hope to see some of the folks at the Ducati night get-together, and if Ducati ends up buying MG/Aprilia, well, the event will be even more "meaningful" al

I'm hoping I can make the next one, although my warantee engine rebuild may conspire to have the bike in the shop during the next meet. Scheduling is TBD. I may just have to hoof it down there without a bike since I live down the street if so, we'll see But yep, I hope some of the local guys here can drop by al

... oh sure, probably 10hp per plug Like most things, I doubt it. I have "heard" that they do give a better spark due to reduced resistance, and are more durable, yadda yadda yadda When I was having various issues last year, a very reputable shop(Hare Racing) said they had luck with the iridium plugs cleaning up some rough running bikes, and seemed to last a long time. So I thought, what's the harm since I needed one step cooler(if I recall) plugs for the dual-plug conversion anyway. I have no idea if in fact they made any real difference though, as other variables were in play at that time affecting the bike's not idling, etc... I have them in the bike, and YMMV... al

The headlight on the non-faired models(i.e. *not* LeMans ) should be a relatively easy swap/replacement if one so desired. As pointed out, it's a standard size, and is interchangeable with the Ducati Monster headlight(more or less, some fiddling probably required)... with the added benefit that the Ducati bucket actually has a slot for clearing the speedo cable that the MG doesn't have Now with the LeMans, it's an odd size(7" I think) and just an odd animal all together. So yeah, you could probably find another light that would fit, but I don't know off hand. What would be neat would be to find something from another manufacturer, that incorporated two projector beams in that 7" diameter, sorta like the headlight shown on the Breva1100 prototypes we've seen. Dunno if there is anything out there like that though. I haven't looked. Since I don't do a lot of night riding, by choice, the headlight is a minor issue to me. It's at least as "good" or "bad" as my old FJ headlight, and I lived with that for years al

Bwahhh Haaa Haaa... yessssssssss (...and other evil megalomaniacal laughter inserted here)

Get yourself some of the newer iridium plugs from NGK or Denso, and they'll probably last the life of the bike, or thereabouts..... al

Well, as mentioned elsewhere, Moto Italiano in San Mateo finally received my replacement case last week .....and I went up there this afternoon to inspect them. It appears that Moto Guzzi is shipping some of these cases in a haphazard fashion, with minimal packing, and some are arriving damaged.... in some cases actually broken. Mine arrived damaged as well, but I was told that it was minor and cosmetic, and they wanted me to inspect the case first before accepting them, which I really appreciated. In the end it turns out that there was indeed a small knick in the paint on the starter bell, but it's a minor nit that the starter cover will obscure, and a little black touch-up paint will make invisible. So since I don't want to wait forever to receive another case from MGNA, perhaps even receiving a case more damaged , we plan to have the case swap taken care of within the next couple/three weeks depending on scheduling. I'm in no great hurry, but they said they'd work me ASAP, and it should take a week, maybe two max to get the work complete as they have a whole "recall" lift/bay dedicated to this warantee work and the trans recall. So they can focus on working these issues in parallel with other service work, and just get it done and out the door ASAP. So, how does it look? As noted elsewhere, the finish on the new case is a bit different hue of black and maybe the "fuzzy" is a slightly different texture, but basically is "close enough" when I held it up to another 2002 bike they had in the showroom. I think that once installed, one will be able to tell the difference, but it won't be a standout unless one is looking for it. Once it's all done, I'll update the thread with "after" photos. BTW, MI said they plan to reapply the engine serial# with some punches they have, but we'll see how that works out. I tell ya, it's funny.... the engine case sure looks a whole lot smaller when it's out of the bike

...yep, it's got a "state of tune" issue Check the TB balance, TPS, and if possible check to see if it's running lean or rich..... Mine used to do the same until I had the bike "tuned", including adjusting the valves to a looser spec. al

I really can't say WRT the valving, but my forks felt plenty "supple" in comparison to the old Marz units once I had my springs changed out to fit my weight. al

...and just what "home keys" does your thumb occupy pray tell Mine is the space-bar

...that's a good question I too would like to know. My forks are from a Cafe' Sport(2004+) era bike.... Copa Cabana al

No really, the best film.... ever... http://www.badmovies.org/movies/coolasice/ All kidding aside, it really is good for quite a few laughs

Yeah, but that's just too much $$ for my budget. Better brakes to be sure, but with new rotors, and probably a new MC/lever.... too much Perhaps unrealistic, I was interested if the fork bottoms/calipers went for maybe under $500, but even then had to "think about it". I'm sure someone will get them eventually But for $950+, it won't be me al

Glad you got it worked out, but many dealers, even local to OC are quite upset about the prices OC is selling the bikes. It seems that MGNA made a special deal with OC to unload a huge stock of older bikes at a great price, but didn't make that deal available to any other dealers(this is what I've been told anyway). And the prices that OC is selling some bikes is below cost of what other dealers paid, so they just can't compete. It upset Mark Etheridge at Moto Guzzi Classics(a well known and respected local dealer/competitor to OC) that among other problems such as warantee snafus, etc.... that he finally just gave up and resigned as an authorized MG dealer, and now only focuses on repairing bikes and selling accessories. It's a shame. He also got miffed that most folks that bought at OC, ended up bringing the bikes to his shop for repairs/warantee, as many weren't so impressed with the customer support aspect OC offered. YMMV of course, but that's what I've read on other boards. Since you are in TX, this latter issue is moot though for you.... Glad to hear you got a good deal though, and hope the bike works well for ya! Congrats al

Possibly the best film ever made

If I recall, Mike Stewart ran them before the Diablos, prefers the Diablos. That's all I can really say though from memory. You might want to ping him. al

I have no personal experience with them, but have heard that they are indeed the "go to guys" for this sort of thing Please let us know how it works out if you give them a try though. It would be great to know for certain of a shop on the West Coast that can repair these instruments. al

It is my opinion that "sinking the valves" is not an effective way of gaining piston to valve clearence. Basically, this operation will hamper your intake flow due to the decrease in curtain area of the valve to seat. I'm surprised that his was reccomended to you. Maybe it was not. How much piston to valve clearence do you have? How much do you expect the lift to increase? I would consider a custom piston or machining the valve relief pockets for your needed clearence. As a side note: I would strongly consider (while you have the engine apart) setting the piston deck height to ZERO. If you are currently running a negative deck height, a zero deck height will promote better combustion and more importantly, help prevent detonation. Even with a increased static compression ratio, your detonation will be less or possibly eliminated. Yeah, Mike is aware of all of this. The sinking of the valves for the x10 cam is not to accomodate valve/piston clearances, it is to keep the valves themselves from tangling. His pistons are engineered with many of the issues in mind that you point out, as well as an improved squish-band and crown to reduce detonation and encourage a better burn. I could go on, but then I get out of my depth to some degree. Mike does this for a living, headwork, etc for race cars, bikes, and Guzzi's are near and dear to his heart apparently. After all, he does the work for the "Cooked Goose" LSR team If you have more questions about his work, he loves to chat, so just give him a call: http://www.cookedgoose.org/sponsors/richmotorsports.htm al

Well, definitely let us know what you find when you do get a chance It's such an easy installation, and if the benefits are there, well.... I'd go for it al

So Pete, would your windage tray help these issues in any respect at all? I'm not real clear on all the advantages of the tray.... al

....understood, and I'm not looking to make the bike into something it's not, just a little more oomph since I'm already "in there" But I don't want to throw good money after bad if the benefit is negligible, hence my question about other's experiences, and thoughts about the "correct" application for these rods. WRT to the FJ, you may be right. It had about 80k miles on when I sold it, and I never put it on a dyno.... so who knows how much power it was producing at the end But the ~90rwhp(maybe around 100 on a good day) figure was based upon what I'd read on various FJ reviews over the years http://www.visi.com/~charlesr/fj/cycle_89.html Anyway, I just set ~90rwhp as a goal a while back... no real solid reason, just a general target al

6hp at the rear wheel is not modest.... that's huge if accurate, nearly a 7-8% increase over stock al

I'm sure it's fine if it's still running and sounds OK However, if the light "winks" every so often, I would assume your level is a bit low.... maybe not critically, but it might be a good measure to just check the level. al

OK, well it sounds like you guys have just about got me convinced to "save some $$"... which is a good thing Thanks for all the feedback al