The Monkey

Where do ya suppose Ralph Werner is? or Savage Henry? Ralph probably got rounded up on some internet innappropriacy and is serving time. Hank is no doubt his room mate caught defiling local speed laws and attempting to bribe the court reporter.

Hi Andy, I have had success with the Electrosport direct wired to the battery bypassing the loom altogether, I have been through a lot of regulators and one stator on this ride. If my white faced Vaglia stops working I know my reg is out. 12.4 don't cut it, you need high 13volts. I relayed my headlight got the reg out of Colorado that direct connected to the battery. No issue since though I am riding less and working more these days. This year I am going to sort the warm start issue I am having. I too miss the adjustable regulator, at least there was some metal in there! good news is there are a lot of choices out there its just that todays electronics don't have 40 years of service in mind. Cheers

Try relaying the circuit as per Kiwi Roys advice, before putting in a powerful light. I agree the lemans light is shite but this did help me.

Too true, some mass not only gives us confidence but it does tend to stabilize easier. Moto is right though ya cant be eatin pie (unless it comes in a vee). If we didn't have testicles then we would just accept things as they are. More power to modifying your ride, it makes it yours even if in reality it is no quicker. Ultimately its not the point.

California 1400 Ben, comfortable and sexy. What was the old Guzzi ad "long legged and easy to live with". Urals are urals and if you live in an undeveloped country and do need a water pump, make sense with 2wd. Here in N. America they canter along at 55mph getting almost 16mpg boiling tyres off like a funny car. If you want no nonsense then get a Triumph. It is interesting though how a site goes through its development. The instant information and constant barrage of communication when just slightly reduced almost have a vacuum effect of uh.... where is everyone? Telling in its reflection of how we on this world live or have come to accept life. I prefer to recall the oddballs who were on custom rides, when repairs were done with inadequate tools following suspect instructions and mans cruelty to man was exceeded only by mans cruelty to machinery. Those bikers were only too glad to speak on a myriad of topics and didn't suffer when the conversation lapsed, just related to the break that was peace. They actually were independent. Go to the garage, look at your scooter and think about it. Thanks Jaap and the rest of you for this place.

Fingerless gloves are handy for clearing the nose of insects, small birds etc due to no helmet. Engineers boots are de rigueur for balance cause while the Harley does have a low centre of gravity the pilots equilibrium may be handicapped. Course the Sidi boot fits well under the Guzzi shifter but does make one ponder the purchase of a bow-tie or a sailboat, while the fingered kid leather glove keeps creeping under my (or any nearby) shirt to check nipple response, the full helmet always welcome to handle the potential slap or punch. the difference is quite small

That explains the frequency of my lemans at the pub

Happy New Year to all here on this site. Thank you for all the info to keep us on the road. @#!#$# 2013, may next year be easier on the soul. Cheers, I don't care how much you've had, be sure to toast that machine .

Fibre Wheel bearing grease is available in any parts store and some hardware stores, its about 5$ a tub and is a great lube for the cush drive, spindles, spacers, etc. wherever you want to keep water off steel. The needle bearing in your bevel drive housing can be protected from water by using the stuff during insertion of the rear spindle.(use a lighter grease for little needle bearing though). Sounds like a good scoop on a great bike Dan, have fun

Its a good idea to take the cush drive apart to free it up and lubricate the steel surfaces that rotate on one another. They are typically dry/rusty and not operational on a lot of bikes due to lack of maintenance. I use a high fibre wheel bearing grease here due to its tenacity, (it doesn't take much). There is a whole lot of info on the cush drive in this section (technical topics). Correction on my previous post- there is no graphite in MoS2 evidently- my bad. Stuff is dark enough on its own but is comparable to graphite as a dry lubricant. (from Wiki)

Use a Lithium based grease regularly on the aft two grease fittings (u-joint and cardan). Don't get all wrapped up in corporate hustle regarding saponification or drop point. That info just reflects that AGIP has a high detergent grease of particular specification they want you to use. The point is to get a lubricant that wont gum up like Molybdenum disulfide, has some shear potential and isn't so thin it flings away at ambient temperature. Your cardan shaft requires smooth operation to reduce jacking, Lithium based grease gives it this ability, Moly will collect and gum quicker than lithium potentially disturbing the flow of the cardan. Lithy is lite colored (red is fine), Moly is black colored due to its graphite content. The front U-joint is an adventure requiring a decent amount of rest prior to undertaking, best left to the autumn when you remove the rear wheel to address the cush drive. (this is an annual event too). Removing the rear wheel allows the front half of the shaft to drop lower allowing you access over the top to the grease nipple, zerk, quirk, fiddle, whatever you know it as. Grease, rotate a couple revolutions, grease again and you're done. Be thankful you've got a Guzzi. what the hell else were you going to do today?

Thanks for the connection SP. I wish guzzi would just stamp a paint code onto the registration number. Or a company like AKZONobel would offer example photos of the finish. I've been riding up beside vehicles that are close to the same paint as mine. Nissan so far is the closest match. Eventually I gotta paint my fairing and it would be great to have the stock color as it is pretty unique. Anyway, cheers I will pursue the MOT9015 a little further.

I installed an electrosport direct connection (battery) regulator and it has been working just fine. Having struggled with the regulator issue with the V11 for several years I was relieved to have found a reliable working unit at last. Kiwi Roy and Luhbo in this to and fro have explained most if not all the reasons for the struggle relating to the regulator. It, in stock format is a bizarre application, giving credence to the historic vagaries and frustrations of Italian electronic design. Thanks and respect to the both of you for giving us all something to deposit into our personal Guzzi Banks.

I bought one, seems like good gear just haven't put it in yet. Thanks for the ultrasonic tip.

Seems to me that the tach is the sensitive one. any voltage trouble Ive had has been indicated through the tachometer and the culprit has been the regulator every time ( in this case the tach stops working altogether as the voltage fades but I have seen the 0-2000 rpm jump). Make sure your instruments are soft rubber mounted so the vibes don't trash the internals, check your regs. 4 chairs in a living room wrapped with wire paints a great picture though. Kinda demonstrates the reality of ownership.

Have fun down there. I remember the heat, tried a run to the NC coast oughta the Blue Mountains... way too hot, cooked me and the bike! I turned back, the rear cylinder could not deal with that temperature. BBQ is the worlds best though. Its been 30 yrs , but it feels like yesterday.

Just fired her up got a 13.99 volt reading. Battery was down. Regulator is positively happy

Any idea how much voltage the new regulator is putting out? en Mid 13 volt as I recall (healthy battery). The most I measured coming from the old style (through the harness) was a high 12. I tried to locate the reason following the instructions posted here but this bikes loom would not show a voltage drop. The only indicator is this new direct connection reg getting another half volt or so to the battery.

Thanks for passin that one on Jim! winter aint bad at all when you've got things of beauty in the shed. ridin might be working through a bottle of 12 yr old singleton while you figure the next step or paint scheme. Cheers, here is a couple shots of winter killin fun.

I installed a 510 a year ago and have had no issues at all. Bypassing the stock harness seems to be what my regulator needed.

I'd try a furniture importer for a broker reference. brokering/export isnt difficult and all you need is dependable local help. Congratulations though on using reliable and Italy in one sentence.

respect to you and yours Slav, ride in peace

:lol: Damn funny! I forgot to throw in the length of gangion twine and a file. It aint just for you, how bout the other road folk out there caught unaware. I got a nice round couple from Alberta going again with gangion, (their rear caliper anchor bolt had departed on the gold wing). Saved a couple dudes charging system in a '63 Austin Healey one cold New Mexico morning with spare generator brushes from the panhead, no file we had to use the road to bring em down to size. (Good thing I didnt show a picture of that tool kit, Jaap wouldnt have recovered)! Tuned a boxer (check out them wurth guages)that dude seemed to have the most issue with the fact that not all was right and that he did need a hand (turned out to be water in his fuel). Still cant come up with reason to purchase a multitool, I look at them and marvel but to be honest..... That's a hell of a thing to take to an apple. I'll stick with my lockblade, my pliers and multi tip driver. Good call on the hacksaw blade Docc. Cheers

We all roll down the road on machinery unknown to the masses. Ergo, one has to be prepared. Heres what I pack, what do you carry for backup? No, a cellphone or some bailout card does not apply here, this is for those moments of character. Just you and this Italian bitch stuck out in the land of Nod.

Belfast has updated the FAQ nuff said