GuzziMoto

Funny thing though, my near stock Buell(the closest I've come to owning a Harley) made almost the same power as his stuff. And the same kind of mileage as well. Interesting stuff reminding us there's more then one way to do it. I think the first line of the last paragraph summed it up well. I'll take flow and squish over turbulent flow, personally.

I'm not the expert on this that the others are, but copper plating it the base coat for chrome plating. The problem would be corrosion without some sort of protective coating. You can also copper leaf parts as long as they don't get to hot and again you protect them from corrosion with a top coat.

Thanks GuzziJack. You da man.

Take care of your Guzzi and it should last longer then most bikes.

The "5" is the low temp viscosity. A low number means the oil will flow better at lower temps. It does not affect the viscosity of the oil at higher temps(i.e. operating temp) And to through my two cents in on filters, I've had no problems with the UFI's. They're good filters, well made inside(where it counts). I have recently switched to WIX filters because they are cheaper and better made inside. There is an excellent web site where a gut cut apart a bunch of different filters and shows how they're made. Forget the site name but I'm sure someone else knows.

I love flat slide carbs, but on a street bike I prefer well sorted F.I..The buttery smooth feel of a F.I. throttle compared to the feel of two flatslides. Not to mention the ability to compensate for alt., temp, etc. And F.I. will be on dirt bikes soon, probably within the next 5 years. I'm sure I'm in the minority on this one, but thats okay with me.

The issue may be even more complicated then just setting the correct air/fuel ratio. Other people on other brands(Honda VFR800's come to mind) have simular issues and the source is believed to be the computer sensing steady state cruising and changing the target value for the O2 sensor. Whether this is true or not I don't know but it does make sense that a manufacter would do that to improve emissions and/or mileage. Their answer is to jump out the O2 sensor with a resistor to keep it from leaning it out. This would not stop the computer from advancing the timing in the name of emissions if that is what Guzzi is doing. All I know is that my Griso knocks and my wifes V11 knocked until I got a Power commander for it. The power commander may have been a band-aid fix, covering up the problem instead of really fixing it, but it doesn't knock now.

Statement retracted humblely.

I think you may be confusing thru with into. When I wash out my K&N's a lot of dirt comes out. You can tell if you use a wash bucket by how dirty the water gets. The one big disadvantage of K&N type filters is that when they get wet, the water can carry the dirt that is trapped in them right on thru to your engine. I remember reading way back in the before time about Mt. St. Helens blowing up, and that the only way you could safely drive a car around with all the ash in the air was to have a K&N type filter. Of course at the time K&N was the only major player in the market.

I believe the original post was not just about peak power but also about the shape of the power curve. Dyno's don't just measure peak power but how much power all the way thru the rev range. They are a useful tool to anyone interested in improving the way their bike(Guzzi or not) runs. Whether you focus your efforts on peak power, peak torque, or size and shape of the curve, is up to the individual. Like any tool, it is up to the user to decide how they use it. I thought the original post was interesting because it did not give the results I would have expected. I would be curious to see if others get simular results.

And I would double check your valve clearences. Doesn't take long and can screw with the way it runs if they're too tight or too loose. When you make a change and the bike doesn't run right after, I go back over the changes I made. If it ran well before, there's no reason it should need a pc to run well now.

Thanks all. I have no doubt I would like the bike. My only concerns/Questions are what issues can I expect. For instance the aforementioned relays or the recall we have yet to have done to the transmission on my wifes '00 Sport. Thanks for the info. The only question left is what will the price be. As long as it's not too high I expect to buy it. One cannot have too many Guzzi's.

Currently I have a Griso and a Suzuki Super Moto(DRZ 400 SM). My wife owns a V11 Sport and it has been very reliable except the relays. I've loved Guzzi's ever since I rode a buddies Daytona back in the early 90's.

Anybody have any comments, pro or con, about a '04 Cafe Sport? I'm thinking of buying one and I didn't know if it had any special issues to look out for. Any recalls? Does it use the same crappy relays as the earlier bikes?

I'm guessing he meant speedo cable. I know someone with a Ballabio and it tends to break speedo cables. Bad angle coming out of the trans and bad routing.

The only parts in the rear drive train I'm worried about are the universal joints. Lube those on a regular basis.

From my experience with a more accurate type compression tester that screws into the plug hole, 140-160 would be good for a stock motor. Yes heat makes air expand increasing pressure. But think about it, tyres only increase 10-15 percent pressure wise with a 100+ percent increase in temp( not trying to start a big debate). Anyway, back to my experience. I've tested my wifes V11 sport and my Griso and got readings in the 140-160 range. Have yet to test my wifes bike with milled heads and shaved cylinders, though. Also, I had a Buell X-1 that blew 170-180 psi. It shows you what higher compression(11:1 or thereabouts) means. Keep in mind that just like tyre pressure gauges, each one will have it's own accuracy tolerance. Some are more accurate then others so comparing two different readings from two different gauges must be taken with a grain of salt. It's a very relative test, most useful to someone to compare two different cylinders or two different motors tested by the same guy with the same gauge.

Don't listen to him. There were allready people here when the pioneers showed up. It's all about perspective.

Elkridge, near Speed's.

Be sure you do not store the battery directly on a concrete floor. Wood is best. If you need help with any future issues let me know. I'm local.

Keep in mind that tyre size is general. A 180 tyre is not exactly 180mm wide. It can be anywhere within about 10mm either side. Dunlop, Avon tend to be wider. Pirelli and Metzler tend to be narrower. Michelin in the middle.

Sorry but I gotta say it. There's no maint work a Guzzi needs that you can't do yourself. In fact they are easier to work on then most bikes. I will also add that while yor local dealer may not be as bad as some, my experience with them is that you can do it better yourself. You can take your time and lavish the love. But, to each his own. If your 5 minutes away, are you in Elkridge? I am.

Pad material has more to do with how long your discs last then rotor material. I prefer the feel of organic pads and as a plus they are kinder on your rotors. If you go to an aftermarket disc you ashould be sure to use pads that are recommended for that disc.

That's a good point. I do believe the regulator references off the head light circut.

All that really matters is does it stop the bike. Yes that smells of salesspeak. Do they rust and does a magnet stick to them(I know it's really more complicated then that but that will do for now). I know Brembo has different materials that it uses for discs. I have seen and felt the difference between the stock brembos for a 916 and the top of the line brembos on a race track. That was a feeling I don't need to repeat. Once your used to racing quality brakes the plain jane stuff feels like Fred Flintstone.