68C

Before doing too much work, crack detect the barrels. An easy way is to leave them soaking overnight in diesel, wipe dry and cover in chalk dust (grind up your kids blackboard chalks), any cracks around the ports will be obvious. Cracks also show up when you bead blast, after you have spent money on the blasting of course.

Hi, is it a five or six speed gearbox? I ask as the RD250 sold in the UK had a five speed box, folk soon found out it actually had a six speed box but Yamaha had blanked sixth off. It seems that at the time the UK felt six gears gears was a sign of a machine with a narrow power band which would have affected sales, no problem thought Yamaha and fitted a wider blank that normally stopped the drum rotating from top to first gear. Once they started to get requests for the narrow blank (off the previous year bike) they soon moved onto six gears. I did the mod and added the new part along with with fitting a smaller gearbox sprocket. I heard of folk who just took out the old blank but did not fit the new part and.........soon forgot and shifted from sixth to first!

Aha.

Does anyone know why the oil temp sensor screws into the cylinder head and not the oil sump?

Docc, love the 'Remove before flight' tag.

Hi Chuck, about 500miles ago, 18 months. I think it is probably a dynamic unbalance as altering throttle seems to make little difference. I tried tying the sidestand up with an elastic bungee, no difference. I had been on a funeral run, about fifty miles cruising around 3000rpm, on the return trip on my own I noticed this band of vibration. After SwooshDave saying his vibrates as well I'm beginning to think it is just normal and that I had got used to the lower vibes when on the run. As I am feeling it through the footpegs I expect it is a secondary lateral vibe. I am probably comparing it with my old T3 and Triumph 900. I will just learn to ride around it.

SwooshDave, thanks for putting my mind at rest. While I was riding half of me was thinking just avoid that rpm, the other half was imagining a noisy explosion of metal.

Took the Rosso Corsa out for the first time in a year, I could feel a distinct vibration between 4000 and 4500 rpm, I don't remember that from the past but it is possible it was always there. It comes in quickly as I accelerate into that region felt mainly through the footrests/rear brake master cylinder guard. It also returns as I decelerate into that zone with a closed throttle. Is this vibration normal?

I have often wondered about that. After all it is not like a 360° parallel twin where the even pulses help extract the exhaust from the other cylinder. With our V twins we may be able design a system that helps with one cylinder but it will then hinder the other, perhaps uneven pipe lengths would work. I tried making seperate pipes for my T3, in truth I did not notice any difference, refitted the original as it was prettier than my bodge welding.

Nice to see the Snap-On duck billed pliers, the black red handled ones are OK but I still miss my old octopus grip pair a co-worker 'borrowed'..........Oh, wrong thread.

I remember seeing a California with the square barrels machined to round of the corners with round rocker covers, not sure if the covers were custom or standard early covers sitting on an adapter plate that doubled as gaurds. I thought it looked much nicer than the square motors. My main complaint with the visual aspect of the V11 LeMans is how the motor looks like it is tilted back, due to the need to get the drive shaft lined up I expect. Pity they did not sort that with the 6 speed box. The Norton Commando looks like it is doing a hundred stood still thanks to its inclined motor.

Some stick pins through the insulation and into the wire core then attach a multimeter to the pins. I do not like that, seems a good way to get water into the wire and future corrosion. I stripped a part of the wire back and soldered on two permanent test leads then sealed with paint and overlayed with self almalgamating tape. A more expensive way is to buy the special lead however it is difficult to unplug and replug the TPS connecter as it is behind the RH throttle body, I was scared of damaging the plug or the TPS. I supposed most folk leave the lead attached. The ignition must be turned on so 5v is applied across the TPS by the ECU. There are three wires to the TPS, ground/neutral, positive and the lead from the TPS wiper arm. As the TPS rotates from zero to full the voltage on the wiper arm raises from zero to 5 volts theoretically. In fact it rarely goes as high as a true 5 volts. We will adjust the TPS to approximately 0.15 volts (150mv) with the throttle cable and the link rod disconnected. Once reconnected expect about 0.45 volts (450mv).

Interesting, suprisingly small engine.

I have not seen a Nero Corsa personally. However this set me off wondering how many Guzzis there are in the UK. Our Department For Transport recommended looking on: http://www.howmanyleft.co.uk It not a government website but is based on DfT data. Only goes back to around 2002. Just type in your vehicle, several charts available. To help, SORN, is the Statuary Off Road Notification. For the last ten years or so, all vehicles in the UK must be registered, taxed, insured and have an MOT certificate (annual safety check) unless it is not being used on the road i.e. in your garage being rebuilt etc. In which case SORN must be raised. The idea was to stop tax dodgers saying "I forgot to tax it". As an aside, the DfT recently came up with a cunning way to get more tax revenue when vehicles are sold between individuals (not a dealer). It used to be when you sold a vehicle any Road Tax carried by the vehicle (on a paper disc - now discontinued) would stay with it to be used by the new owner. Now the seller MUST cancel and get a refund for any Road Tax and the buyer MUST retax it before they can take it on the road. The clever part is the seller can only claim a refund of a complete months tax, the buyer must buy tax from the beginning of a month. So, if you sell on the 14th, you lose two weeks tax and the buyer has to tax the vehicle from the beginning of that month. One month tax fee to the DfT! For this reason many vehicles are sold as SORN which makes a road test difficult. The one good thing is you can now tax/untax a vehicle online so unless you are sure you will use the bike in any month SORN it. If you look at Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans you will see how many are currently taxed or SORN. I am embarressed to admit mine is one of the latter, but not for much longer.

Brilliant. And not quite so scary as all of those US 'wrong side of the road' vids.

So that's what caused Wat Tylers Peasant Revolt.

Thank you, really enjoyed your video. I liked the shot by the sea with the large rocks and white waves.

Good reply, I knew what the squish band was but never thought of checking or adjusting it. How do you know how much the head gasket compresses by, feeler gauges in between the head and barrel after it is torqued down? Edit: Just found this on a GasGas forum. http://www.gasgasrider.org/html/measuring_squish.html, I should have researched this first I sppose.

Please tell me more about getting the squish band right.

Did not know Bruce but enjoyed his posts. All I could think of was to donate today to the forum. Done.

All you need now is cash. Have you tried Nik's Euro Bits on 07980639289, also on Ebay as nik-w. Based near Chichester. He has a wealth of Guzzi knowledge and specialises in Guzzi bits, you may have met him at Autojumbles.

I bow to personal experience, also got myself well confused with Motoguzznix and Motoguzzimick! Glad to hear plug failure not a problem, it would be an easy mod on my old T3.

I wondered about that as well, I remember folk did it with old Tonti models. I was told one problem is if a plug or one coil fails the cylinder is then running retarded with possible overheating and piston and exhaust header damage. You don't know the plug has failed, as the drop in performance will not be great, until you see the header glowing cherry red. I found this earlier thread by Motoguzznix. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18850&view=findpost&p=201788&hl=%2Btwin+%2Bplug

Hi gstallons, Sorry, could not resist recycling an old joke. "Deze'l fit 'er" = UK dialect for "These will fit her". "Diesel Fitter" = A diesel engine mechanic. "HUH" = The usual reaction to my attempt at humour. Now back to the thread.

My wife asked what job she could do in a garage, I looked for a spare set of overalls then thought "Ah, deze'll fit 'er"