jrt

First carrots, now oranges. What's in your water?

Their cousin also wrote a book.

If you bake it in an oven, do so for a short time (10-15 min?) at high temp- the aluminum expands and grows faster than the steel bearing cages. If they are a loose fit, then the might just fall out, but I wouldn't count on it.

beautiful- that should be on a tshirt!

I use a nozzle on the hose that causes the water to be at low pressure, but good volume- get one (for watering plants) at a garden store. Rinse to your heart's delight. S100 worries me because it is so aggressive. I use it, but sparingly on the cases. (Dilute) simple geen is a pretty reasonable agent.

LOL. maaayyybe. It IS Wisconsin after all.

You said you had the tank off? When the PO removed the sidestand switch, he probably tucked up the wires under the tank. Did you accidentally jostle them...or some other wire? I'd pop the tank off and give it a look.

What part was black? The stuff in the reservoir or the stuff you pumped out of the line? Ratchet may be right in that you have a bad seal. Better to go ahead and fix it- the costs of neglect here are pretty high. You could try tying back the lever to allow a bubble to migrate up. At the very worst, nothing happens and you are out one night of waiting. However- if it's a seal, no amount of waiting will help- it will never feel right. Damn, this reminds me I need to change my fluids out too....Clutch and Brake that is...you guys get your minds out of the gutter. There's other threads for that.

Dammit, there's precious few hills in Iowa!!!

hydration is important, as is temperature regulation- a long sleeve light cotton workshirt will keep you cooler than a short sleeve t-shirt. Also take a bandana to soak and keep you cool around your neck. Sunburn can also be an issue, so be prepared to deal with it. Take bike shorts, cause that many hours in the saddle will give you saddlesores. aspirin credit card find a point (a dealer) about 2-3000 miles in your trip where you can do some maintenance if required. If you are a member of MGNOC, take the contact directory.

I took this photo in Wisconsin.

Jaap, think you can pick me up an Airione? btw, here's the real pictures. I'm not sure- or

In my case, there was a change in the handling- the front end definitely got a bit lighter and the wide bars makes pushing around corners a bit easier. I guess the lighter front is the downside. The upside is that it is a lot more comfortable. It's worth it to me.

Here's two: IT'S HARD TO MAKE A COMEBACK WHEN YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ANYWHERE. I USED TO BE INTO NECROPHILIA AND BEASTIALITY....BUT THEN I REALIZED I WAS JUST KICKING A DEAD HORSE.

It's quite a different bike than the Breva, but that's not a bad thing. My wife has a Breva that we've toured extensively on (she on the Breva, me on whatever I happen to be riding). I really like the 750's. Great bikes. The Sport or the LeMans are great bikes for brute force riding compared to the Breva. I would rather ride the Breva in town, but I'd rather ride my Sport on the highway. Also, I have to agree and expound on RJ's comment, but it's purely personal- a red frame and black bodywork is definitely faster and better handling than any other variant. Stay away from the Scura and Tenni variants unless you're either an alcoholic or comfortable with your manliness respectively. Just my opinion. Seriously- I posted some differences in various Sport models over the years in the 'FAQ' section. You might want to look at that. Also, the big blocks are completely different bikes. The Breva and the Sport both have great strengths and I hope you enjoy them.

looks great!

My thoughts were with txrider's, but if you haven't repacked the head bearings, don't worry about them. First off- smell it. Seriously. Different oils smell differently, and they have different 'slickness'. You might get a clue on it from that. Secondly, clean it off and keep an eye on it- you might be able to backtrack it to the source (the big banjo is sounding pretty good to me now). Oh- on that banjo fitting- check to see that the vent tube is still attached. One time, when I removed my starter, I managed to pinch the vent tube and then I subsequently blew it off at the top fitting. I didn't blow oil, but I could see it happening.

Someone is passing up a perfectly good bodge point opportunity here.

Martin's advice about raising the calipers above the resevoir is a good one. It helps air bubbles migrate up the line. It also helps to rap the line with a bit of wood or rubber hose to loosen the bubbles that may stick on the sides. Also- I have speed bleeders but haven't installed them yet- usually, I run a hose from the bleeder valve to a cup with brake fluid in it. Open the relief valve, leave it open the entire time (pumping), and just keep an eye on the reservoir. You don't have to worry about sucking air back up into the line because it would have to pull the fluid in the cup and it can't do that. Cheap person's speed bleeder.

Depends on how much you like to fab stuff up, I guess. Or bodge it up.... I have to agree with the aforementioned- don't burn your bridges doing modifications, as you might want to undo them someday and the parts are going to be stupid expensive.

I'm sorry Leo, I thought you were referring to putting them on a Le Mans. One other place to call is Munroe Motors in San Francisco. When I lived in the bay area, I stopped by there and they had a couple Mikuni sets for sale (for Guzzis) and had been doing some racing work with BMW's. This was 10-15 years ago, though.

The phrase "pot calling the kettle..." comes to mind.

The Illinois Moto Guzzi Rally is May 19,20,21 in Oquawka, Illinois. Hope to see ya'll there. My lovely wife has a Breva also- they are wonderful bikes, as is the Le Mans.

The soda sounds like a splendid idea. Whatever you decide to use, when you are finished, you can seal up the case with silicate to preserve all your hard work. I've got a block in about the same condition (you're right, they're gutless this way...but the gas mileage is wonderful). I just took mine to the car wash and did the degreaser thing. It's got some slight discoloration, but I decided I would live with that rather than tempt fate with blasting media. I consider that it has battle scars.

ether or chloroform...I'll have to look on the back.