redhog

Taken off the market temporarily. Thanks.

When I first started lurking on the forum I noted that Guzzi owners were advised to grease the electrical connectors with silicone grease. I did all the ones within sight on my Le Mans. Since most major car and bike manufacturers have been using water tight connectors in recent years (some with slicone grease applied), I wonder if Moto Guzzi has joined the crowd.

Thanks for all the replies and I know that there must be hundreds of different opionions on tires, handling etc. out there but as I stated before, at my age I only wanted a tire to fit as I don't ride that aggressively anymore (I used to do it) and I was overwhelmed by the huge array of tires out there. Look, I hate to admit this but I also have a Harley Electra Glide as I have also have had Moto Guzzi's for the last 30 years. I like them both for what they are. They are both at opposite ends of the spectrum and I don't think you will have to think twice about that. Both have taken me all over the Country and have always brought me back, though the early Harley's made me do some improvising. I am just a bike person and have been since I started out on a Cushman Eagle in 1956. The Guzzi's have a special place in my heart as I rode the 850T3 for ten years before ever buying anything else and that was what prompted me to keep buying Guzzi's. I was an active member with the MGNOC for all this time and had no other bike . I keep abreast everything Italian on the market (especially Moto Guzzi) and the Guzzi name has a special meaning to me. I still want to go to Lake Como and visit the factory and see those machines come out of the door for a few laps around the track. When I bought my brand new 850T3/FB (foodboards) in 1977, my dealer told me, Jerry, if it comes in with only a few miles on the odometer it will be OK but if it has lots of miles on it they had to work out some problems. Fortunately, my bike only had 3 miles when it came all covered with cosmolene as they shipped them on the top deck in those days. My dealer washed it off with gasoline. Some memories. Sorry about the nostalgia but that comes with age. I am headed for Kansas on the 31st with my brother on his bike and hope for good weather. Jerry

Thanks to everyone for all the hints and help following a piece of 1/2 inch steel going through the rear tire of my 2003 Le Mans. The motorcycle/transmission jack that I have lifted the bike OK with the help of lots of wooden shims. The best advice that I received from the forum was to have a professional install the new tire. For $25 US the guy did a great job with only a few nicks to the rim. Does anyone know of an auto paint to match the gray rim? I used a tube of touch up paint from my wife,s Toyota to hide the scratches but it wasn't quite dark enough. I have been warned not to talk tires and oil brands here but I have a salient question. I replaced the original Bridgestone BT 020 with what I thought was the closest match from a web dealer and it was an OEM tire made specifically for a 2006 Ducati. It seems that the web dealer had 4 versions of this OEM tire, one for Kawaski, BMW etc. and although they were all BT 020/180X55R tires the widths varied from 6.9 inches to 7.2 inches. Apparently the original tire on the Le Mans must have been narrower than the 7.2 diameter tire that I replaced it with as we had to physically force the new tire into the axle opening but once installed it worked OK. In the future I need to know the maxium suggested rear tire width for a Le Mans. can anyone help me out? Also, I read reports of people running a BT021 tire with good results. I am really lost here and am trying to figure out the differences between a BT020 and BT021. Back in the old days I always replaced tires on the 1977 850 T3 with Conti twins and never had a problem. You guys have been great and I enjoy lurking on the forum. Now if someone can just tell me how to get a grease gun fitted onto the front U-joint of the driveshaft........................................Jerry

Beautiful machine. Brings back memories.

This is a follow up on an earlier post. I ordered an OEM tire from a reputable on-line dealer. There were 5 tires in this size available in 180/55ZR17 but they were all made to each bike manufacturers specs. (Kawasaki, Yahmaha, Suzuki, BMW and Ducati. The tire width for each tire varied from 6.9 inches to 7.2 inches. I chose the Ducati tire which had a width of 7.2 inches. It came shortly and the local defunct Indian/Ducati dealership's shop installed it with only a few minor scratches to the rim. I used a dark gray Toyota touch up paint to hide the scratches. The problem came when trying to install the tire into the wheel well. Apparently the original tire was narrower and we had to physically wiggle and force this tire past the axle bolt holes. Once installed, everything worked OK with good clearances. Does anyone know the maximum width for a tire for the V11 so that I can make a note of it? I greased the splines and all the driveshaft fittings except for the front fitting which is a cage. How do you lube this one? We torqued the brake caliper bolts and the axle bolts by feel and the result was that all bolts/nut came back to the original yellow paint markings applied from the factory. I am now a happy camper except that I haven't tried to take the bike out for a high speed test run to see if the wheel was balanced properly due to the weather. Hope to do it on Thursday when the rains are supposed to stop. Any info on tire width and front driveshaft lubrication will be appreciated. I love this motorcycle.

Hi: My brother and I used the Canadian made bike/transmission jack that I used to use on my old 94 Electra Glide to raise the bike. We used lots of 2X4, 1x4 and 4X4 pieces to shim the Guzzi. The tire came off exactly as you guys said that it would. The local Harley dealer (with whom I have spent thousands in the past) refused to change the tire citing warranty problems as I bought the tire off the web. 10 years ago they would change any tire for me no matter where I bought it but now they are geared to high profits and more business than they can handle. We ended up taking the new tire, old tire and rim to a now defunct major Indian/Ducati dealer who still maintains a repair shop. Surprisingly his business is bursting at the seams. The new tire and old rim will be ready tomorrow. I lubed the splines and the rear slip joint and U-Joint but the front one was impossible to be a grease fitting onto. I may have to leave it ungreased but then again the bike has low mileage. I am now going to search out the guy who makes deflectors on this web site to try and keep a lot of the road crap from ending up in the rear mono shock etc.

Ratchethack: That is about the most elequent reply that I have ever gotten telling me to leave it to the pros. There are BMW dealers in the area and I will search one out after considering all my options. Brings back memories of me trying to change out a steel belted radial on a Pontiac Grand Prix. I eventually tried to cut the tire off with tin snips but the steel cords were too tough. Bummer. This is turning out to be an adventure. I have touched up all the cosmetic damage from the steel bar tumbling past the inner fender workings and have salvaged the rear mudguard using washers and shims for strength where the mudguard was torn from it's anchor. The drive shaft took a few hits but nothing serious. A good time to lube it while I have access. At the risk of more controversy, I have used only Amsoil full synthetic in the sump since I have owned the bike. I have no idea if it works but it makes me feel good. Gawd, that flat tire looks ugly!!

I love this bike! It seems like it will run up to 100 MPH (indicated) in no time from a roll on in 6th and has all the basic attributes that I like in a motorcycle plus the updates like FI, oil cooler, etc. Didn't intend to start any controversy over tires as at my age I am not that an aggressive rider and wanted an OEM replacement. I have changed lots of tires using a Breezer tool, tire irons and teflon or nylon inserts to keep from damaging the rim. I have also used the axle bolt on jigs to balance a tire by spinning it and adding weights until it never stops in the same position. Can I do this with the Le Mans tire? Since there are no dealers within 200 miles of here, I have thought of taking the tire and wheel to a Japanese shop. Has anyone had any experience doing that. Any help will be appreciated since the last tire I changed was on an 82 Suzuki GS 850G.

Thanks to everyone for the tips and pics. I have a Bridgestone Battalax BT020 on the way. Looks like I came to the right place.

Hi: I am new to the forum and hope this is a proper place for this post. Today my front wheel kicked up a 1/2 inch L-shaped piece of steel rod that promptly went into the rear tire and was carried under the rear mudguard damaging about everything it came into contact with. My bike is a pristine 2003 Le Mans that previously didn't have a scratch. Can anyone direct me to a thread or FAQ detailing removing the rear wheel, supporting the bike, precautions etc. I have am 67 years old, have been riding 52 years and I guess the odds caught up with me. Luckily I have another bike to ride in the meantime. Thanks.