P3GA

Has anyone contemplated heading to Daytona for Bike Week? I'd be most interested in the AHRMA portion / dates, especially if there will be M-G's participating in Battle of the Twins. Phil Atlanta '02 Le Mans

I've found that the best source for info on GPS & motorcycles is at advrider.com In fact, Baldy just added a sub-forum catering to just this: http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=37 Have at it..... Phil Atlanta GA '02 Le Mans

Bill, have you talked to ol' what's his name at Blue Moon? His shop was a bastion of the old & odd, not just the customers, but some of the artifacts / merchandise too. They might be able to provide you with some leads, probably in Upper Mongolia. The folks over at the Barber Museum might be worth a shot as well. Phil P Atlanta GA '02 Le Mans

I have the Avon 45/46 combo & am pretty satisfied, with one caveat: They are very sensitive to inflation pressure, more so than the Bridgestones & Dunlops that preceded them. I'll take a w.a.g. that this is probably due to the Le Mans' (substantial) weight, weight distribution, and suspension compliance. I'm running 36 lbs front & 38 lbs rear right now, but during the summer months the I bumped the pressure up. Just my Hope this helps, Phil Atlanta GA '02 Le Mans

Heck, between yourself, Carl, and me, we compromise 75% of the [former]Seca 650 owners in the US!!! We rode the wheels off of ours, I finally sold it with some really obscene amount of miles on it - 130k + or so. Phil Atlanta GA '02 Le Mans

Thanks John, looks like we're on to something. Does anyone know / or can someone measure the female end of their angle drive to determine the diameter of the coupler & pitch of the threads? I was prepared to make some calls today to ferret out additional information, but left some notes at home. I think it's 16mm, but not absolutely certain. Thanks, Phil

Sometimes I latch onto something like a rabid pit bull & won't let go. Having just gone through the angle drive / speed cable replacement cycle & the inherent nonsense involved, I started looking for alternatives if the speedometer continues it's rather erratic behavior or just plain shits itself. Palo Alto charges $175 just to crack open a Veglia these days, the sky's the limit after that. Although I think it's really neat that the trip odometer measures in kilometers & the odometer in miles (or is it the other way around?), I could really do without. On Oct 31, Skeeve threw out the idea of using an inductive sensor to replace the cable, maybe even the angle drive too. Searching around, I found that there are a number of vendors that offer magnetic / inductive sensors like this one for VW's: http://www.egauges.com/vdo_send.asp?Sender...GM_Cable&Cart=1 (Some priced lower, this had a good photo to work with) So what disasters await if one were to fit this into the angle drive & feed the electrical signal to an electronic speedometer (VDO, S-W, etc., you pick)? Seems like the initial calibration for electronic speedometers is based on user input when starting a measured mile (hit the calibrate button, when complete, hit the button again). I keep telling myself it's too simple, too uncomplicated, there must be a catch. Ok, your turn, shoot this idea full of holes. But not the messenger. Please. Phil Atlanta GA '02 Le Mans

Traxxion did my forks & rear shock earlier this year, huge improvement, highly recommended.....somewhere there's a post where I expounded on the virtues of their work. Phil Atlanta GA '02 Le Mans

If you pop the hood & the sticker on the starter sez "Valeo", we're going to have to start addressing you as Lord Vader.

If it's one of the ex M-G display / show demo bikes, I doubt that the extras would be included, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

However, Al Gore is.

Approx $125 if you can find one. Add $5.00 for JB Weld to glue the bottom brass to the plastic housing.

Heck, let's go with something proven & just drive the Veglia off the front wheel, like Ducati's of a few years ago, or as most of the Japanese manufacturer's have for the last 30 years.. in any case, there's got to be a better way. Any speedo shop worth a grain of salt can calibrate an exisitng speedo to account for changes that one would make, as long as the changes brought results that were consistent and repeatable.

Eh gads, looks as though they bought the mold for the Rifle Superbike fairing, just like the one I had on my '82 Yamaha Seca 650...come to think of it, after the crap fell on the bike while in the garage & weighed the windscreen down, the angle of the fairing is almost identical, with the headlight pointed upwards, searching the heavens for signs of intelligent life.....

Congrats, welcome to the club. Sean & Co. a great folks: Interestingly enough, one owns a Triumph, the other a Guzzi Sport 1100i, they're franchised for Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, and now (!) Guzzi.

Why, that photo bears a passing resemblance to the old angle drive, as a matter of fact...... Both ends of the cable were snug after replacing the angle drive. The cable moves freely within it's protective sleeve when disconnectd & off the bike. There's a speedo shop here in Atlanta that has a pretty good reputation. I'm going to inquire about making up a longer cable, an additional 6" - 9" of length should ease the bends the cable has to make, or at least I hope so. I'll also check on the possibility of replacing the Veglia speedo with something a bit more reliable. Film at 11.

Thanks for all the points. I'm happy to report that the new angle drive went on without a hitch. The old unit had shit itself, the gears inside were pretty torn up. Now, like many others, I'm back to the same spot I was 4 months ago - a speedo needle that bounces with forward progress, and produces an audible click when wheeling it backwards (to position it in the garage). I hear speedo cables are enroute from the old country - maybe just in time for the spring '07 riding season. Anyone have a lead on longer speedo cables? Might make a nice stocking stuffer for myself. I had heard that a cable from a Suzuki DR-Z would work, haven't chased that down yet. Thanks, Phil

After a few months and a hearty sum, I have a new speedo drive for the Le Mans in hand. Before installation, I was going to generously coat it and the speedo cable with Red Line assembly lube which of course I can't find in the garage & local sources appear non-existent. Can anyone reccommend / know of a comparable prodcut? I'll mail order if necessary, but why is it I cringe to pay $7.50 postage & handling for a $6.00 tub of left-handed abino possum lard? Thanks, Phil Atlanta GA '02 Le Mans

I believe the concensus was that Racecraft spring was of a higher grade of material & that the radius of the bends were less severe than of the OEM piece. In any case, the springs are readily available & inexpensive, which cannot always be said of the Guzzi part. Mine has been in for at least as many miles as the original, so (to quote Bill Murray) "I've got that going for me". As far as the actual work, put the bike in neutral & try not to move the shift dogs when you remove & replace the cover. Also, the large gears should have some sort of an index mark on each gear wheel to identify when they are in neutral. Mine have a detent on each, so that when properly lined up & reassembled, the box is in neutral. (Please don't ask how I discovered that) Lastly, I found that a thin coat of the Yamaha gasket sealer does a fine job between the cover & the block, and is removable if you need to remove the cover, see comment above regarding lining up the detents on the gear wheels..... Hope this helps, Phil Atlanta GA '02 Le Mans

First part of last month I had the folks at Traxxion Dynamics set up my '02 Le Mans...best $$ I've spent on the bike. There's a riveting exchange of posts that I contributed to, do a search for Traxxion, just might present you with a few options for upgrading. Phil Atlanta GA '02 Le Mans

Yep, one of Rich's seats.......

and yet another....

"I have some verlicchi clip-ons coming and for those of you that have done this install I am looking for some tips" Rob, I'm in Roswell, & have installed them on my '02 - shoot me a PM with a phone number I'll be more than happy to help when they arrive. Really isn't that difficult, but a second set of hands / tools comes in helpful. Phil Atlanta '02 Le Mans

Damn think looks about 8' long; I think I'm going to have to see one for real before passing judgement.... Got to give Guzzi credit, the video was great The blue is growing on me, don't know about the yellow, but would gladly take the model in whichever color she happened to be attired in.... Phil Atlanta GA '02 Le Mans

Highly recommended, worth the price of admission. Phil