jrt

So, my pet theory on rubber deterioration is based on pollution. I couldn't find a map of NOx and ozone dispersments over the US, but this map sort of demonstrates my point. Most complaints of rubber deterioration are from the coasts, particularly the west. I wonder if it's a combination of ozone and NOx, both of which are extremley reactive, and sunlight (depending where you park your bike). I've not had any major deterioration in the rubber bits on my bike. Maybe it's all the corn pollution around here? Just a thought. J

Not an '02/'03 difference. Untreated iron bolts for the intake is just plain wrong. If you have the Zn plated fasteners, that's fine and there's no need to replace them (unless you just like stainless...nothing wrong with that). One note- if you plug the vacuum port with a bolt, make sure it's not so long that it occludes the intake. That's probably obvious, but it should be mentioned. J

Definitely not education...

If they are set right, then don't worry about it. Guzzi's have noisey valves, it's just a fact. You want to hear some noise? Listen to my Eldorado- it absolutely wails so loudly that I don't drive it at 60. I go 70, so I can't hear it. Loosely set valves are much less prone to damage than tighter settings. Don't overtighten the valves. And you may just want to commute in 5th or 4th gear. There's no commandment that says you have to use 6th. I just try (when cruising) to keep my rpms in the 4000+ range. 5500 and up is fine for acceleration, but I find it fatiguing on longer trips. J

Doesn't anyone make custom speedometer cables? That would seem to me to be the way to go- make one 3-4" (8-10 cm) longer so the bend is not as acute. I had a long cable made up for my G5, which had a habit of breaking them. Never a problem after that. BTW, I haven't seen the newer style, but it sounds a lot like the old (Tonti) style- straight out of the transmission. Everything old is new again. J

Have you no modesty?

Use a moly containing sticky, high temp gear grease- just a little of it. It improves the wear characteristics of the splines. Dry splines rust quickly and wear a lot faster. Venting the rear drive on the old tonti frames was usually done because pressure build-up would force oil out of the box and into the driveshaft housing- the vent is a way to prevent that. I've never had the need to do that, but I use pretty tall shocks (shorter shocks seemed to aggravate the problem). J

You're not one of the bad guys- you're workin' undercover for the GOOD GUYS! I bought my first Eldorado from a Harley mechanic. That bike was kept in better shape mechanically than a lot of new bikes. As far as oils- I use plain oil in the sump, and synth in the gears. Seems to work. J

You can download a parts manual and workshop manual here: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/v11manuals/ And then burn it to a CD at your convenience. It requires a little knowledge in web page setup, but it's pretty easy. I bought a hard copy workshop manual from sportcyclepacific.com, and then burned a CD of the online stuff and I keep them together. J

Are you talking about the crossover? It's not catalytic, that's for sure. It's just a 'third muffler'. It's a good idea to have one, but you can replace it with a tube crossover (the stock one looks more like a loaf of chrome bread). With the stock Xover, you need to remove the muffler system to change the transmission oil. Aftermarket: http://www.mgcycle.com/exhaustcrossover.html J

Aluminum bars are much thicker than steel bars. The ID on an aluminum bar is about 1/4-3/8" instead of the normal 5/8" on steel bars. BTW, I'm pulling those numbers out of my a$$- I haven't measured. The point is that he ID is considerably smaller on alu bars. J

Try the easy fix first- check all the bolts holding the timing cover on. OK, that's too easy. Next is pretty easy too. Remove alt. cover. Remove alt. stator. Remove rotor (you need a piece of hardened rod for this- read up on this part in a manual or Guzziology). Loosen all the bolts holding the timing cover on- whack with a rubber mallet to pop it off. Clean both sides- make sure there's no paint on the mating surfaces- put on a new gasket and a light coat of oil, and assemble everything back. Probably 3-4 hours work if you really take your time. The only tricky part is removing the rotor. J

Put a wrap of electrical tape around them as either a temporary fix, or a check to see if that's the problem. J

OK then, is there a suitable application for aluminum bars? J

What about whale blubber?

Ooph. In the last paragraph- does this say that the Ippogrifo had different pistons/heads than the 'normal' 750? Interesting. J

Check the plugs- that'll tell you straight away. J

Nice bike. You're probably looking at spline grease, but wipe some off just to check. Oil is oily, grease is greasy (I'm a master of the obvious). Or wipe off the rim to clean and check occasionally for more stuff being flown up on it. But 'high speed' makes me suspect grease. J

A shot of Julio, with an Englebert Humperdink chaser?

Not by Cassandra, I hope. Well, be careful with the girlfriend. sheesh, I've been reading belfast's posts too much

Dude. put down the That makes no sense and it makes my head hurt. The snake gives it snakepower. That's a one snakepower amp. Actually, it's divided between two monoblocks, so it's two half snakepower amps.

Dealers are different when it comes to warranty claims. But to answer your question- I run castrol 20 50 in mine...no problems with it. J

I was thinking more along the lines of the intake manifolds. On the metal intake clamped to the head, there's a port; usually a brass nipple _or_ it's blanked off with a bolt. If there's a nipple, then it will have either a rubber boot on it or a hose. So many choices. If it is blanked off, then fine, but if it is not, then make sure whatever rubber tube or boot is sealed. I'm pretty sure it's not that, since it would cause rough running at all speeds. J

Ummm, "gentle" maybe? I don't want Antonio to get excited (so to speak). Seriously, I agree Lex- this is an interesting thread. I don't often go over 100 mph anymore, but even when I do the bike is stable in a line or a smooth bend. I wonder if the chronic instability that some feel is due to 1) more aggressive riding than I ever do and/or 2) maybe the frame jig was not set properly straight when they welded up the frame. Just something else to throw out to the paranoid. With a small fairing on my bike, it does feel more stable than before, but that may be only my impression. It's certainly a lot easier to drive without the air blast. The frame stiffening (it always comes back to stiffening, doesn't it) bars are available in Japan, I think. Somewhere in here: http://www.guzzisport.com/ Guzzi Sport Jingushi. J

OK, it's been a few years since I've been there. Maybe I'm thinking of someplace else to Milan. I'll have to look on a map. I know I drove a couple hours from somewhere along the lake down to Milan. 30 minutes, eh? I can drive fast if I gotta, but I don't usually gotta.