P3GA

Heck, I thought it was just me that felt that way - the Griso did seem to be far more work than the LeMans.....

Graham, you may want to reach out to Paul Wright, owner of Highland Park Resort http://www.HighlandParkResort.com (just outside of Atlanta). Paul wrenched for John and Doug; somehow we got on the subject of Guzzi's at georgiaoffroad.com last month. He might be able to provide some insight & would probably be very interested in your project. Phil

I can vouch for the Traxxion Dynamics springs - they used my '02 LeMans some time ago to develop spring rates for the front forks & the rear shock. Best money I ever spent on the bike, especially the rear spring. Hope this helps.

I agree, you may need to educate the insurance underwriter about what you are riding. I pay about $350 per year with Progressive, but there's some other toys on the policy.

I've found that safety wiring the cable to the drive unit has kept everything in alignment & working properly. The coupling / drive is a bastardized design at best. Rather than monkey around with bicycle computers (How the hell do you verify actual mileage when you - or subsequent owners - register the bike?), you may want to consider using the speedo drive unit to power a hall-effect sensor, that in turn will send a signal to an electronic speedomer. Going this route route opens a world of options, however you'll need to purchase a sensor & a new electronic speedometer. But safety wire & pliers is still a much cheaper option .............. Hope this helps.

This past year, I’ve had great fun riding the XR400 with my 7 year old son & watching him mature as a rider. Our weekends are spent at the various motocross tracks in Georgia, either watching him race his KTM50, or us riding trails together, him on his PW80, me on the XR. And I couldn’t be happier, even though I can't keep up with the lil' delinquent anymore. When I discovered after a recent service that I put less than 1200 miles on the Guzzi in the last year, I thought it might be time to part with the Goose. When I backed out of the annual pilgrimage to Barber for the AMA superbike weekend (chucking prepaid tickets in the process) for us to play in the dirt confirmed it’s time to get the Guzzi in the hands of someone that can & will enjoy it. The bike is sorted out mechanically & ok cosmetically, a strong runner. I purchased it used in ’04 with approx 6500 miles & have the records for service I’ve had done. If I’ve changed out components, any originals I have go with the bike. I’m asking $5900 in cash and the bike is located in Atlanta. US buyers only. You can check my feedback on flea-bay, I use the same user name (p3ga). More info & accessories: Mechanical: Freshly serviced with new fluids, throttle sync, efi calibration, etc.. Updated relays & pawl spring upgrade from Cannon Racecraft; Comfort & control: Rich Maund seat with gel insert & Italian flag; MRA windshield (taller); Verlicchi clip ons; Throttlemeister (heavy) bar end weights; Footpegs lowered ½”. Currently on Avons ST’s, a set of new Pirelli Diablos are included; Suspension by Traxxion Dynamics, Woodstock GA – new front springs, rear shock spring, and complete suspension service - bike currently set for a 200 lb rider. Music: Stucci crossover, Mistral round aluminum cans, Powercommander & various maps. Currently, the stock cans are on the bike, the photos show her with the Mistrals. Misc: Oil temp gauge; Carbon fiber starter cover & side panels; FBF fender elimination kit; battery xtender. Shoot me a PM if interested or if additional information / photos are needed. Thanks, Phil

With each photo I see, the new KLR650 is looking better & better. So is the Sherco 4.5, Gas Gas 450FSE, and assuming I live long enough to see one in the flesh, the KTM 690 Adventure.

I was thinking exactly the same thing. You, sir, have restored my faith in Guzzi owners. Phil P Atlanta GA

Joe, welcome back. FYI, Sean at Atlanta Motor World has a Coppa on consignment, really, really, clean. Can't have more than 7500 miles on it. Might be worth a call. If I wasn't in negotiations with she-who-must-be-obeyed to purchase a Funmover type rv for junior's burgeoning motocross carreer, I'd be all over it. Phil P Atlanta GA

That really does look great. If I owned a Le Mans in something other than champagne, I'd be making calls to painters too. Greg, good luck, hopefully I'll see the completed project on my next trip to Seattle. Phil Atlanta GA '02 MG Le Mans '03 XR 400 (dirt slut / Dad's chase bike) '03 KTM sx 50 sr (Robert's #1) '06 Yamaha PW-80 (Robert's #2) Will the madness ever end?

IF (big if) Guzzi ever gives us an mid-size adventure bike, I'd sign up in a heartbeat... Something comparable to the KTM 640 adventure but with the air-cooled twin, shaft drive, and spoked wheels that could run tubeless would be about perfect. Kind of a updated Quota for the new century. Just my . There's probably no more than 16 of us in the whole world that would be interested. Oh well. Phil Atlanta GA

5:22 AM Eastern Standard Time. My 7 year-old just woke me up a few minutes ago, ready to pounce on the mound of preseents beneath the tree - but he can't until Mom awakens........ Opening gifts Christmas Eve sounds a lot better at this early hour.

Bill, that's a great Christmas present you bought for yourself, congratulations. Phil P Atlanta GA '02 Le Mans

Best wishes to all of you for a joyous holiday season & a prosperous new year! Phil P Atlanta GA Go ahead, cut & paste the attached link for a great holiday story..... www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mQHA1lV_Wo

Interesting read, Larry interviews Reno Leoni & he discusses building the LeMans that Balwin rode to victory at Loudon, Charlotte & others during '75 and '76. One quote that should be close to Pete Roper's heart: "I also designed a bigger oil sump and put an aluminum baffle inside the sump to keep the oil from sloshing around too much." Well, heck if it was good enough for Reno Leoni, it should be good enough for you too.

Pete, I may be too late to the party, but after reading the post in it's entirety I'm interested in one of the plates, just let me know. Thanks, Phil Atlanta GA '02 MG LeMans '02 XR400 (dirt slut)

My dad used to say: Tighten it until it starts loosening up again, then back off 1/2 a turn". He was a funny man, god rest his soul. Shit for a wrench, though. Phil

If the Garmin 60csx or 76 csx is available, you should add them to the list: They have many of the good points of the Garmin 276c, but allow you to use standard memory cards, not the proprietary Garmin (re: $$) memory. After blowing my brains out on what GPS to buy, I went for a 276c and haven’t looked back. Now that the newer models are out, the prices are coming down from the stratosphere. Check out advrider.com – there’s a fairly large contingent of the adventure crowd that is using GPS in their travels. Baldy’s set up a section just for GPS, which may be of some assistance. Phil

I worked myself up into a lather looking for a GPS unit, but after numerous discussions with folks that populate the advrider.com board, I went with a Garmin 276c. Couldn't be happier. Now that the 376 / 476 / xxx variants are out, the prices for the 276c are coming down fast. Hope this helps, pm me if you have any questions. Phil

If you're going to travel two-up more than 25% of the time (or more than 100 miles in a day), take the bride / mistress / significant other (preferably not at the same time) & have her sit on the bike with you. From first-hand experience, it will pay really big rewards in the long run - far more than the difference in price between the bikes. Just my , but give it some thought......... Phil

Not a big fan of the video, but after viewing, Janet stated that the next bike must be more comfortable than the Le Mans, so we're going to give the Norge a hard look when it hits the US......forestalling the purchase of a Rxx00RT, or FJR1300, or R1200GS, or 950 Adventure, or ? for touring. There's so many good bikes out today, it really comes down to what flavor one likes at the time of purchase. Hard to believe how many of us traveled far, far, distances on CB360's and the like.

Was a supply of replacement springs ever established? I would love to get in touch with anyone who knows where to get a replacement. 93950[/snapback] Cannon Racecraft in Oklahoma City OK was / is the source for the infamous pawl spring. Make sure you turn down the boss to 15 mm +/-. 405-524-7223 Hope this helps, Phil

I'd see if the dealer could get a fix under warranty. I ended up replacing mine after having some intermittent starting issues, always at the most inopportune times. Problem solved, peace of mind restored. Phil

There's a fellow on e-Bay by the name of A. Herl that sells many, many prints. Great stuff, all eras. I've purchased a few (actually, many) & he was agreeable to making larger prints than just the standard 8x10, provided I paid an upcharge. Didn't ask about 20x24 poster size though.