jrt

As long as it comes with Daisy as copilot.

Todd H. or Pete R. will probably give you the correct way, but I've read that you can check valve clearance using a layer modelling clay on the piston crown. J

Damn, if you ain't eloquent.

Welcome Jens, Take a look under the 'Frequently Asked Questions' heading of the forum and read Al's FAQ on: Aftermarket and Exhaust Modification FAQ and Intake Kits & Air-Filter FAQ There's also a 'Dual Plug' FAQ. There are several examples of highly modified V11's, but if you are just interested in increased low- and mid-range performance, then my experience is that Tim is correct- pipes and intakes help a little and the Stucchi crossover was a big improvement in mid-range. I don't have a PCIII yet, but I'll bet that helps pull it all together. Jason

So I was watching 'Faster' last night (thanks Wife!)...actually, she enjoys it as much as I, but that's a different discussion. Anyhow, one of the recent changes is that all the machines are going from 500cc 2 stroke to 990cc 4 strokes. The 4 strokes are apparently significantly faster. So why is this? I would have guessed the 4 strokes would have been slower. From just size, then they both fire 1 L (approx) every four cycles. The 4 stroke requires more moving hardware (valves) that I would expect to slow them down. Does the 4 stroke benefit from a scaling factor? Less piston friction per cc or something like that? Or does it have better compression? Jason

Like fringe?

The shifting seems to be real sensitive to dirt/crap in the joints or overtightening the rocker. My bike shifted...ok, and I traded for a while with Bruce while visiting him. His bike shifts great- snick, snick, snick into gear. He advised me to clean out the joints, which I did when I got home- dissassmebled all the joints, took out the spindle, cleaned everything and lubed it up. Now it shifts- snick, snick, snick into gear. What a difference. J

Well, it seems that there are lot's of theories; the first thing to do is inspect the bike. Check the bearings, the rotors, the tire surface- anything you can think of. I was going to suggest that if you hit your head going down, you could forget the crash and lose a few minutes due to a concussion. It sounds like you didn't hit your head, but you might still have experienced enough g-force to suspend your memory a bit. Good luck finding out the root cause, and we're glad you can still walk. Jason

Completely agreed. However, I'm one of those folks that thinks the Griso is hideous and the Breva is cool looking (no accounting for taste, eh?). So if Guzzi ever gets around to importing the Breva, that's the one for me. J

The roller-spacers are available from MGCycle, I doubt the rockers are. I inquired about this a while back and I was told that the roller-rockers were prone to breaking. Jason

Happy and prosperous New Year to you all! Jason

Yes, nice and the MPH price is good too. But it's as David says- I wanted it to be shorter. Plus, I like learning how to work new tools and techniques. I may not be a great machinist, but I'm enthusiastic. That can be a problem sometimes.... J

After putting on the set of Buell footpegs I got from Fonzarelli, I found that the shift and brake lever were way too far forward to reach safely. So, over the Christmas holiday I've been a busy elf in the shop. Here's the brake lever I've made- compare to the original one. The lever is a bit shorter and down more- much easier to 'cover' with my foot. I still need to finish and polish it- it's pretty rough, but fits up ok. I used a brass bushing against steel drill rod instead of the ridiculous aluminum stock piece. Oh, and I busted the original brake lever, so you can see the fix. The shifter is, well, mostly done, but not as attractive. That compound curve is a pain in the butt. J

Roy Orbison 'It's Over' That's cool. I like Roy. Jaap, how's the piano lessons coming?

Daaammmnn, Skeeve. you da' man.

Here's yet another rehashing of what I think is being said many times above this. In any or all situations, idealized free speech may not have limits, but speech does. For example, you cannot shout 'fire' in a theater but you can shout 'this movie sucks'. I'm in favor of free speech, even if I disagree with it or find it objectionable. But the fact of the matter is this is not a forum on free speech. It's a forum on the Moto Guzzi LeMans motorcycle. This forum is made up of a very diverse group of folks and has a very diverse, sometimes headstrong and not necessarily aligned, set of personal biases. It's our own mini-United Nations. If we're to have common discourse, we have to play by some rules that can be generally agreed upon. Since this is a purpose-driven forum, it seems reasonable to follow the general guideline that we talk about the Moto Guzzi LeMans bikes, more or less. That we adhere to this guideline is a credit to us all. And we do for the most part. I think it is entirely appropriate to have moderators, not censors, to help the flow of information and keep discourse within certain boundary conditions (i.e. not letting it devolve into hatred-fueled rants). I cannot imagine how slander, libel or any number of internet psychotic behaviors could have any significant positive contribution. I don't think anyone here is implying that TR is a moron, idiot or bigot. To me, he comes across as bright, but just a little off center, forthright, and I find that endearing. I agree with Todd H here, I appreciate his contributions. More significantly, every time I visit this website and this forum, I think I'm in Jaap's house. It's his domain name, he maintains the site, etc. This isn't a public-owned utility. I think it's every one of us, our responsibility to respect that, whether we agree with it or not. We should play by his rules. If we shout 'this movie sucks' in Jaap's theater, he has every right to tell us to sit down and be quiet or leave. More practically, I don't see Jaap as enforcing much- he's a nice host. In fact, he's shown to be very adaptable in improving this site, incorporating new areas for posting off-topic materials, and partitioning the topical material into logical groups. just my opinion. Jason

Actually, I found the 'are you gay' thread kind of amusing. I didn't take it down, BTW, but I certainly would have if you posted that nekkid guy again. Oofta. Tex, am I gonna have to throw out all my redneck jokes now? I have a good couple of Aggie jokes that I could substitute..... Anyhoo, with regards to the thread title...lemme think about it and I'll post something. J

Or perhaps use an oil-pan heater? Although usually those are magnetic, so I don't know what it would stick to. A better solution is just to take a longer route to work (through wonderful scenic Alameda? LOL) J

Maybe to put into the wallered out seats of the (previously) soft valves? J

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Re: books on Guzzi's Greg Field wrote a very readable book called 'History of Moto Guzzi Big Twins' or some such. It's a nice companion to the history of Guzzi movie that recently was going around recently. I'm not sure Melissa Holbrook Pierson has Guzzi's any more- I remember seeing her V65 for sale not too long ago. Not by her, but someone who had bought it and was reselling it. Don't know why that stuck in my head, but it did. J

No, it was exactly as advertised. A take-off from the 'You're a redneck if....' joke. J

Thanks for the info, Paul. I wish them the best of luck. J

Those are from the US MGNOC Iowa Rally year before last. They say as much on the back. Jason

Pirsig is a difficult read. I read that book when I was 19 years old and living off the back of a motorbike in the mountains of Georgia/N&S. Carolina and Alabama. I couldn't do anything else... I'm lately a fan of detective novels- some of the best authors in that genre are: The Swedish: Henning Mankel (a long series about the career of a dectective- Kurt Wallandar) Maj Sjowall and Per Waloo, they write as a pair, and they put a dose of Swedish social commentary in their novels The Japanese: Seicho Matsumoto wrote a book called 'Inspector Imanishi Investigates' that is nominally a detective novel, but is a very cool read about Japan in the '60's. Martin Cruz Smith is an excellent writer (Gorky Park and a bunch others). His book 'December 6' is set in Japan as well. I like Smith because he really does his background research well. For gritty, hard boiled reading (forget Bukowski- he's just sick), try James Elroy (L.A.Confidential)...or Jim Thomson (Pop 1280)...or if you really want mean, try Andrew Vachss. Other Genre's: Biting social commentary: try Stephen Fry (The Liar). Hell o' funny. Or Tom Sharpe (Porterhouse Blue). Sharpe is very, very, very biting, but very funny. He was expelled from S. Africa for his writing which is extremely critical of the apartheid. Historical Drama: One of the best writers I've had the pleasure to read recently is Robert Harris. Not the 'Hannibal Lecter' guy, although that's repulsive-compelling as well- read a book by Harris called 'Fatherland'. Absolutely compelling. I'm reading 'Pompeii' by Harris right now- it's about the two days just before Vesuvius erupts. I guess these are detective-ish novels as well. If you like literary writers (as opposed to pulp), try Robert Stone. He's a hard read, but you'll improve your vocabulary and learn what sentence structure can do. I particularly liked 'Dog Soldiers' and 'Damascus Gate'. History: I like the blues, so I would recommend Alan Lomax- History of the Blues. 'Border Radio...' by Gene Fowler is a really amusing look at the radio stations that cropped up along the Texas/Mexico border in the '20's-50's (think Wolfman Jack) and all the associated, very weird, people. If you can't tell, I like to read. For most of the above books- If you just want to try one out, let me know- I'll lend it to you. Jason