stefano

congratulations to you & your wife czakky, daughters are a blessing. i hope you're passin' out cigars.

ah shit, that really sucks, i intend to have a beer in his honor, godspeed.

i used to get parts from the dealer in beaverton (portland oregon) my (then) closest dealer. no problems. haven't dealt with the new dealer in portland yet. you have the premier dealer moto international in your backyard in seattle. couldn't be better.

try turning the bars left then right while thumb on the start button next time it won't start. this remedy is for the barrel connector problem, very common. rode mine for a few years like this. and the advice from fotoguzzi & bsmarble has merit. if you have a foam pad on top of the tank, it is a re-badged '02, there were a few changes in '03..

ya know on further thought i think docc's advice on moto international is a good one. they are experts on anything guzzi. if you want someone to go over it & check it out i'd also recommend them as you're (relatively) close. i'm about 125 miles south of them, but the traffic from olympia north is a dealbreaker for me. seattle traffic is the shits. if it was me (and it's not) if the bike runs good, i'd change all the rubber parts, fuel lines, throttle body rubbers, for sure the breather hose, (they're all 12 yrs old regardless of the mileage) fluids & filters adjust the valves, (this is simplicity itself) i've just done all this on my '02. docc also has a thread *while the tank is off*, easy to find.

i think there's a few members in your area, i'm sure you'll hear from someone. i notice you have a commando, i suspect you're fairly adept with tools, as i had an 850 commando for many years. enjoy the guzzi, steve

replaced the original spark with a PC545 couple years ago. very pleased with it.

if the keys work in the gas cap i suspect they're the correct for the ign. also. have you tried them in the seat lock? its on right side of bike a wee bit higher & in front of the right footpeg. the only advise i can give is not to *force* the key, but you already knew that. i didn't know your father, but i know i'd like my ashes shot out of a cannon, i think he's probably smiling at the prospect. i wish i had a larger cannon, i'd help you out. screw the red tape. steve

a beauty for sure, love those two-tone paint schemes. yeah, your clutch sounds pretty normal. noisy, but fairly bullet-proof. my rubber parts were getting cracked also, i've just replaced the throttle body boots, all the fuel lines & the breather tube, filters, etc. etc. etc. i did find the tank R&I a PIA, but i guess if ownership was simple, everybody would be riding one. they should be so lucky.... good choice,have fun

thanks for this. i'd never seen my build date, didn't know it was there. kind of easy to see now as i've got the fairing & tank off for some maintenance. interesting, my '02 red & grey Le Mans was built in july 2001. cheers, este

sorry about the bad luck. but you know, it's really about riding. put together a few more bucks, get a new bike with a japanese name on the tank and enjoy the summer.

Thanks you also for your good words! Actually I do also notice more wind buffeting with this windscreen, although it did remove the squealing that my Shoei RF1200 was creating without the screen in place. But the buffeting is slightly more annoying and certainly more damaging to the ears. I did not think that this screen would be able to be modified by cutting! Can you explain further how the edge trim is finalized after cutting away the un-needed area? some folks lower them with a jig saw, but i found it easier with a 4" grinder with a 50 or so grit sanding disc. maybe draw a line with a marker. it shapes fast, and be careful, one slip, well you know... i did my MRA in stages, then would go for a ride, it didn't quiet down 'til it was nearly standard height & shape. then smooth the edge with a file or sandpaper or whatever. BTW my avatar is before i cut it down, was very wind noisy for me (yes i wear earplugs) YMMV

very clean looking conversion, you've done a good job. you mentioned that the MRA screen is taller than you thought it'd be. i have one on my Le Mans, it was so much noisier than the stock screen (guess i need clean air) ended up using a 4" grinder with a sanding disc & shaping it almost back to stock height. then draw filing edges smooth, works (& looks) great. just a thought. keep up the good work

ya know, i don't get huge front tires, or torture saddles but i kinda like it.

thanks docc, think i'll try couple speed shops for this, may end up using what i bought, it's not on the hi pressure side of the pump, & it's pretty tough looking stuff,but no shielding. the big breather hose was kinda fun to replace, but the throttle body sleeves were pretty easy once they were lubed up. with the tank & aircleaner box off, guess i might as well put in the shift pawl spring spring that i've got in the spare parts box it's pretty easy to get to now, & it's probably due. so it goes...thanks

i'm replacing the fuel lines (and filter, petcock etc, etc.) on the '02 LM, was able to source the 5/16 FI line & FI clamps, but no luck on the petcock-to- pump 12mm FI line. this line is not under hi pressure, so i purchased tough regular 1/2" fuel vapor line, but no steel braid around it. any thoughts on this? i know i've read something here about this recently, but can't find it. thanks, steve

got the tank off now (for all the usual suspects) and the rubber mounts are all fine. maybe because they were covered in sticky goo that i suspect came out of the steering damper. which no longer leaks. do i really need this? oh...wrong thread...

czakky, thx for the heads up on this. it seems like i'm constantly oiling the dogbone & the pivot bolt. always looks like they needs it. and chubby mistress's can be lotsa fun......oh... gstallons, i remember paying $799. for my 1st new MX bike, a '75 KX250, of course first thing you did was aftermarket shocks, fork kit, boyson reeds, yada, yada.....

there's a 2CV near the town i live in. it's really old (how would you know?) or it was imported in pieces, i think they were outlawed in the US years ago, not crashworthy or some such, can't remember. those things are about as funky as it gets, if parked at a store, it always draws a crowd.

if you can source one from harper's for $24 i think that's a good deal (speaking as a machinist) they're kinda special,& they don't seem to be problematic, but i'll be sure to check mine. the stand arm itself is what i've always wondered about, but it seems to be robust enough. and i enjoy the rube goldberg look of the dogbone double spring linkage lash-up, & it works.

had a Mk.1A commando for many, many years (that i loved dearly despite it's flaws) but it wasn't nearly the bike my '02 Le Mans (that's never stranded me, knock wood) is. just my experience, mind you..... i've thought about a thruxton to add to my stable though but i only have room for so many bikes....

i was in south sound BMW (tacoma wa.) yesterday & they also sell ural. they had 3 that were all over $14,000, but hey, they all had sidecars. i didn't look to see if the hack had a driven wheel. would be just the ticket in the snow. but i was watching lilyhammer the other night, seems the outlaw gang there rides in the snow. every time i've ridden a 2 wheel M/C in the snow it seemed to end badly.

joe, there's a formula for how many bicycles a person should own, it's the total you already have, plus one. i think this rule also pertains to motorcycles. cheers, steve

so all the tanks are the same dimensions, the only difference is the internal fuel pump & the chin pads? i've often wondered about the folks who have the fork tubes hit the tank at full stop. my '02 has 11/16 (or 14mm) clearance. is this an ethanol problem or does the short frame cause the fork tubes to be closer to the tank? or is this just a red herring? and i suspect i'm getting fairly close to hijacking this thread, & i apologize for this. steve