Goosed Again

The +1 and + 2 on the instruments got me taking another look and sure enough, it was the lamp socket on the speedo side. I had taken off the tach before but the speedo was holding tight so I didn't bother. This time I attacked it more aggressively, prying little by little with a flathead and sure enough it came out and exposed the culprit - the busted lamp assembly. That's the good news, I even put in a new fuse with the lamp disconnected, turned the key and no POP! The bad news is that when the speedo came out I heard something fall into the bike. It's that little brown wafer at the bottom of the socket I guess, everything else seems to be there. I looked around... nothing. Took out my compressor and gently blew around trying to scare it out... nothing. We have a Ducati dealer in town, sure hope they have that lamp assembly and it's a painless purchase. Thanks all!

Still baffled, no offense Kiwi_Roy, I still haven't tried the headlamp hook up yet cause it makes no sense (the physical act) to me. And I'm really not electrically inclined. I jiggled wires, cleaned and reseated relays, cleaned terminals. Pulled the starter and checked/cleaned terminals, cleaned and reseated bullet connections where i could find them. I don't see any exposed wires, is there anything I'm missing? Anyone have any other ideas? Again, this isn't when I hit the starter button, this is when I first turn the key the 5 amp fuse for the rear tail light. The brake light works fine, headlight's fine, turn signal work, bike starts and runs. I've disconnected the tail light assembly and the fuse still pops.

"replace the fuse with an old headlamp bulb" I'm not quite understanding you on that one. I'll open the headlight housing tomorrow and take a look there. Thanks

Well, it's not at the tail light assembly, I disconnected that, replace the fuse, turned the ignition key, and POP goes another 5 amp weasel. Anybody got any good recommendations on where to check next?

I have a seat for sale, from my 2000 Sport, and another member wanted to find out if it would mount without problems on a 2003. I'm not sure and couldn't find anything during a search, will they swap out from year to year? Thanks

I have it listed on Fleabay with a starting bid of $75, BIN of $99. If anyone here wants it, I'll stop the auction and sell it for $65 + actual shipping cost. Just do an ebay search "Guzzi 2000 V11 Lemans Sport Seat" and you'll see it. Cheers Bob DROPPING IT TO $50 + SHIPPING

Looking for a set of good clean bar end weights, my bike didn't have any when I bought it. Anybody got a spare set they'd like to sell?

Didn't want to go the route of rigging a charger to accommodate, went the easy way and just ordered a Yuasa, with shipping $89. Excellent reputation from other riders, years of making a quality product. Thanks all

Thanks!

I really don't want to buy a new charger and a few on this board mentioned their PC545's leaking. Was wondering about some other options, thanks though!

I'm looking to replace my Interstate YTS15L-BS. This was the battery that came with the bike (2000 Sport) when I got it, haven't been wildly impressed. I've seen some threads here recommending the Odyssey PC545 but it looked like I would have to modify the battery box if I'm not mistaken. There are also probably some new better then ever designs with excellent cranking power, charge holding, etc. Anybody got any recommendations on a good drop in?

Had a great time yesterday, went and rented a couple of Guzzi's with a friend (Heike) who's thinking of picking up a V7 Stone but wanted a real ride instead of a dealership "once around the block". I kind of knew about Rent-A-Guzzi's Todd Eagen from the GuzziTech site as I had ridden with him years ago when I was living in SoCal full time, riding a '73 Eldo. Great guy, is the MGNOC SoCal rep these days, and had put together the national rally when it was in Southern California a few years back. He also makes performance upgrade hardware and is a highly respected Guzzi tuner. What we were after were a couple of V7's but he only had one Racer so we took that and a Griso. I felt bad for my friend as she was the one with the Griso as it's a tallish bike and I'm a shortish rider: she could flat foot and I was on my tiptoes. With a bike that weighs in at 550+, not being able to touch the ground it is a bit of a predicament when not rolling. She somehow managed the tuned 113 HP beast after a bit of a cautious start. What could have been intimidating, and for some is, is Todd's Rent-A-Guzzi location. If BumFuck was an actual location, his place would be right next door. Located out on Piuma Canyon Rd, he's practically at the peak of the Santa Monica Mountains. I remember going up there as a young punk and drinking beers not too far from his place at a location known as Top Of The World. Basically, it's an area where the local broadcast towers have no line of sight interruptions. From his house you can practically see Mexico, Canada, and maybe a bit of China. It's definitely up there and the route to and from is nothing but twisties. With the V7 Racer under me, I proceeded cautiously. That lasted less then 30 seconds. It's such a lite bike you can just toss it every direction and bam, there you are. I'm not sure what the upgrades were performance wise, but with Todd's exhaust, ECU and suspension upgrade it was definitely a hoot. I'd launch ahead and then back off and wait for Heika to catch up. Was kinda surprised but almost every time she was mere seconds behind me, maybe 1 turn, never more. I gave the V7 a good work out. We went down Piuma to Malibu Canyon, over to Mulholland and down to the world famous Rock Store. She had never been and I had been talking it up ever since this idea was hatched. Damn, it was closed! Apparently during my absence they dialed back their days and were now only open Friday, Sat, Sunday. Bummer. Still, we stopped, stretched, and I offered to swap bikes. Nope, she was OK for now. I thought she was feeling sorry for the short guy but we'll get into that later. Back on the bikes we had a quick sandwich just down the road at Rustic Canyon General Store. Good Pastrami for sure and it took the edge off just fine. Back to the bikes, she still wasn't ready to give up the Griso. No problem, I was enjoying the Racer. We headed back up Mulholland, crossed Kanan and went down to Encinal Canyon. We had talked about going up Decker to grab a coffee up in Westlake Village but I F'd up and went the wrong way. We ended up taking Decker down to PCH, right next to Leo Carillo State Park where the National was held. From there I decided that maybe coffee up at Neptunes Net (county line) would be just as nice so we turned right on Pacific Coast Highway and did the 3 mile jaunt in what seemed like seconds. The road was pretty empty so we were able to open them up a bit. OK, this is not the V7's strong suit. I got the nimble little beast up to 75 mph but where on my V11 I would feel like I was riding at 35, this bike felt like I was over 100. It just felt light and not really squirily but just lacking stability. Luckily there was no crosswind otherwise the feeling may have been "like a kite". We had our coffee and it was time to start backtracking. She still wasn't willing to give up the Griso and I still had no problem with that. We did however decide that when we got back to the Rock Store we'd stop and swap. The ride back up Decker, Encinil, and Mulholland were uneventful and very fun. It's a steep ride from the coast so we were able to power through the turns we had been cautious with on the way down. The air was warm, skies clear, hills green and Guzzi's under us: really a perfect day. We stopped at the Rock Store again, stretched, and this time we finally swapped steeds. As mentioned, Heike is interested in getting a V7 so she really had to give it a whirl and now was her turn. Me, I threw my leg over the Griso and exercising caution, got out onto Mulholland. You know, once your feet are up off the ground a big bike ain't so scary. In fact, it was a fricken blast and I now understood why she was hesitant to give up the Griso. As mentioned earlier, Todd had it tweaked to 113 HP. The bike had an incredible sounding exhaust and he had upgraded the suspension, braking and had created one of those machines that would put a grin on a toothless hillbilly with lockjaw. Damn I had fun and was sure sorry we were on our way back. The machine really packed a punch and I didn't even get a chance to open it up. Just the same, I did get to enjoy the Griso for about 15 miles of twists and turns and got both bikes back to Rent-A-Guzzi without incident. I'd sure like to take the Griso out again but I'll be heading back to Southern Oregon in a couple of days so maybe next time. My conclusion is if you're in SoCal and don't feel like spending $150 to go to Disneyland and want to have a real California Adventure, get hold of Todd. For those of you that can remember that far back, Todd's bikes are an E Ticket ride for sure!

Nice bike! One of my "what the hell was I thinking???' when I sold it" bikes. Right there with a R69S I sent off to Japan in the '80's but way more fun.

Dirt cheap in the bay area... $2800 for a low mile 2000 with a slight amount of rash http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/mcy/4906575288.html

I'm still in SoCal for another week, been here 2 months. I'll take a look at everything when I get home and then plan how best to attack these little personality changes. I've had the bike for a couple of years now but due to a flakey previous owner that got me the wrong "lost title" paperwork, wouldn't come through with the correct transfer documents, and persistence by myself at the Oregon DMV showing emails and text messages, it's FINALLY in my name. Now I don't feel so bad about dumping some quality time and money into project x. Thing to do: Repaint / decal the tank Repaint pork chops Repaint the rear hangers Might try to use my fiberglass skills of yesteryear (used to make surfboards in my youth) and work on a new seat cowl Wrap or replace the forks Install a rear hugger Change the taillight for a strip with blinkers or find one I can inset in the tail piece

So your bike is like this one in the gallery? So much potential for darkening... Yep, just like that but the previous owner stripped the pork chops so I'll need to repaint them as well.

Yea, anodizing would be nice but the finish would mis match in nothing flat. I guess one other way to go would be a "wrap". Probably go on easier and not have to rip the front end as much. May not be super durable either, first time I hit a June Bug at 90 MPH, the wrap may be toast.

My bike is a 2000 Red Frame Black Body Sport and I wouldn't mind seeing my forks (uppers) in black as well... plus the rear hangers. Has anyone here tried this or have some sort of experience in the field? Recommendation of paint brand would be nice as well.

I like the directed by Ritchie thought, let's call it "lock stock and two smoking cylinders". We'll need to figure out how the bike ends up in the hands of an innocent farmer, but I see Vinnie Jones as the incarcerated thug, broken out of the clink and in search for his loot. Diamonds in the brake light assembly, not drugs. Bike bought at police auction by the old coger with the thought of taking the modern V Twin out and placing it in his 1940's tractor where the previous Guzzi twin had FINALLY given up the ghost?

Thanks for the article! Great read and super informative on an almost mythical machine.

A nice day near Table Rock in Medford Oregon mixed in with a bit of photo magic

No they're not actually. The early 1999-2000ish like my bike have a heavy tail assy made of some sort of composite material with internal walls on the side for want of a better explaination where the later versions 2003 and later (maybe) are a light and quite flimsy (more modern style) of ABS and just a single skin on the sides. I have both at home, the latter off a Balibio and it looks like it will fit on my 2000 year model spare subframe without any issues. The later type also uses an additional removable bracket at the rear for the rear mount positions. Ciao Thanks, need to have it in hand to make sure I reckon

Just was watching this video, cool bike, a modified Griso.

Personal favorite is Langlitz Leathers out of Portland. Been around since the '50's, '40's if you include their introduction as Speedway Togs, and the quality has never diminished. Still a family owned shop that knocks out only a few pieces per day. Custom work not a problem but you will pay through the nose for their stuff. I've currently got a Columbia Jacket (for the extra back support) with a Cossack Collar as well as some padded pants. A lot of their clients are geared toward the cruiser look but they also have some nice race gear. Check them out and it may be the last set of leathers you'll ever have to buy.