Scud

Pardon the dirty biological humor. Let's be scientific and sanitary now. Step 1: How it's supposed to look under there. (Don't say "underwear" or you will have fallen for the oldest and worst joke ever.) All degreased and blown out with compressed air. Step 2: spray with foot powder, warm it up at idle... no problem... ride around the neighborhood a bit, possibly seeing first signs of seepage... ride it hard for 1/2 mile... and then we have our evidence: And I happened to notice this oil seeping out of the plug on the bell housing, where Czakky stores his used wine corks. It's supposed to be all dry and sanitary in there - and it was when I did the clutch. I'm assuming a bad rear main seal at this point. Has anyone seen this before - and can confirm my diagnosis or suggest an alternative? She's running soooooo good.... I am not looking forward to taking the engine out again.

It seems to me that the fairing is such a good fit for the tank that it must have been part of the original design. Does anyone know the history? Did Moto Guzzi have both faired and unfaired versions designed from the star - and decided to go to market with only the naked Sports first? The fairing on that Greenie looks very similar to the LeMans fairing with the small side-scoops removed. She needs a green belly pan like Lucky Phil's. A set of mirrors would be nice too...

Batman would be proud

Try the parts catalog from "this old tractor", pages G3 and G5 for Marzocchi axle and Ohlins axle: Here's the link to download: http://www.thisoldtractor.com/moto_guzzi_misc_spare_parts_catalogs___exploded_parts_diagrams___parts_fiche.html

The photos you referenced in post 10 are the same as my Ohlins forks on my 2002 Scura - but the 2002 LeMans came with Marzocchi forks. That suggests that somebody upgraded (good news for you). If the above advice doesn't work, maybe you don't have the correct spacer for the Ohlins. I was just looking at the parts manual to verify that they have different part numbers. I think you would be wise to download a parts manual and compare what you have to the illustrations.

This is for my 2003 LeMans - with the improved paint. The oil return line was still clean, except for the fitting, which obviously had oil flowing to it from above. I think I will have time to clean it really well, and spray the offending area with foot powder before I leave on Thursday. This time, I'll just let it idle till I see the leak start. It's very difficult to see exactly what's going on (and harder to get a picture), because it's all tucked in between headers, crossover, block and transmission. It's the Guzzi's "taint". In one of the threads Marty linked to, FalcoLion said he could get the sump rings for a good price, so I've sent an inquiry.

Good perspective. I'll be away for a couple weeks and really wanted to have it ready for a proper ride on my return. Drain plug is still dry. The engine came out and went back in smoothly for the clutch work - I didn't have any difficulty that would make me think something got damaged. It seems to be weeping out the back between upper ring and block (where the plate goes), and mostly going toward the left - actively dripping when hot and on the sidestand - then stops after sitting a few minutes. I can't see any way that the plate itself could leak, but I think the plate collects some oil on top - so standing oil on top of the plate could reveal a hidden problem like (and I don't want to think about this) a crack in the block. Since problems often relate to the most recently done work or change, maybe I'll try again with the plate removed and see if it still leaks. Plenty of time to think about it.......

Rear wheel spins the same in neutral and in gear with clutch pulled in. It's just that the lever takes more effort than it did before, and it takes a full pull to disengage - unlike my Scura, which takes less effort and disengages with less travel at the lever. I just went for a quick 50-mile loop and missed a couple downshifts when I failed to pull it in all the way. Further update: I installed this sweet black-face thermometer today, which I got from MG Cycle. I can't think of any good reason to have one except it's fun to look at. You know what's not fun to look at? That puddle of oil on the floor. I thought I was going to be alright after a short trip around the block, so I went out and got it properly heated up. Made a mess... The leak is coming from between the block and the sump ring, at the back, under the transmission, where I just installed the Roper Plate. It leaked with dry gaskets, so I cleaned it, used new gaskets and the sealer Pete Roper recommended (ThreeBond 1211) on al four mating surfaces. I carefully torqued every bolt, waited 24 hours and checked torque again. This bike is pissing me off - and it was otherwise soooooo perfect on my little loop. I wanted to go far. To my long list of stuff that was wrong with this bike, I need to add that the upper sump ring has had a too-large bolt forced in for the lower sidestand. I didn't notice that till recently - but that's not where the leak is. I'll probably get a new ring and install that with my next attempt at fixing this leak. Alternatively, I'm going back in time, not buying this bike, and waiting for pristine, low-mileage Nero Corsa. I like working on things - but I like riding much more. This one just reveals a new problem every time I fix a known problem. It didn't leak a drop before.

The clutch is really good. Much firmer than it was before, which I attribute to the new springs. But I have to pull it all the way in to get it to disengage - perhaps some small adjustments will get it to release differently. It hooks up quickly and there's no more slippage. I haven't been on a long ride yet, because I've been fighting that oil leak.

My fender showed up from Italy in a recycled wine box. Very fitting... perhaps a bit telling. It will take a just bit of fuss to fit it - I had to ream out the bracket to allow the shock-mount bolt to pass through - and I upsized the washers to make me feel better about the mount. The belly pan is the easiest thing ever. Add four brackets to the oil pan bolts, screw in four rubber compression fittings. Done. But do protect the leading edge with clear tape. The CF is very sensitive to stone dings. I noticed that after my first couple rides, and have not had any more damage since I put the tape on. http://www.ghezzi-brian.com/en/tuning-moto/tuning-moto-guzzi/v11-1100-sport-daytona-centauro/

Excessive? Who cares? Have at it and keep the stock parts on hand. The powdercoated rider pegs on my LeMans are holding up fine, but I probably haven't put more than a thousand miles on them. I also did the passenger pegs, but they rarely get used. The LeMans is giving me fits... finally fixed the oil pressure problem a while back, discovered a slipping clutch on the very next ride. Replaced clutch, new head gaskets and o-rings (due to leak), and installed Roper Plate at same time... found a bad oil leak on the next ride... hoping to deliver the knock-out punch to the oil leak today... Then I'm going to make her pay for all this trouble. I was unsure about coating the pegs at first, but when I had some excess coating on a few other parts I found it very difficult to remove. I had to get after it with hand files and grinding stones/wire brushes on a Dremel. The stuff if really tough (which made me think coating the rider pegs would be OK). I would swing by your shop and show them the pegs. Maybe they applied too fine a coat.

IMO the Nero Corsa is about as good as it gets (note Marty's offer to trade for a long time...). Personally, I like the fairing on the LeMans. But I also like the fork-mounted headlight/flyscreen on the Scura. I don't care for the frame-mounted headlight on naked bikes - or with a flyscreen as with the Ballabio and Cafe Sport. So if you do want to ditch the fairing, think about mounting the headlight to the forks, not the frame. I like those Red, White, and Green wheel tapes. May have to consider those for my LeMans instead of the red pinstripe tape I have now. And that exhaust... that has got to be LOUD. I know you were looking for Carbon Fiber bits in another thread. Powdercoating is another way to have a little fun with the look - and it's not very expensive. Anyway, here are some things I've done that you could consider: Carbon Fiber from Ghezzi-Brian: Rear Fender - anything that shows off the swingarm and more rear wheel is an improvement in my book. Belly Pan - I think these look fabulous, and have basically no purpose - but they round off the big square leading edge of the engine. Delizioso. If you get one of these, put some clear ding-tape on the leading edge of the belly pan. Powdercoat: Dash panel (instead of buying new CF part), alternator cover, rear brake master cylinder cover (I've always thought those stand out too much). You could also do foot levers, fairing bracket, or any other parts that need a refresh. Your powder-coater probably will have a minimum charge and it takes a few pieces to get above the minimum. Exhaust - you could search for a pair of pipes from an '02 or earlier that don't have the front crossover. I recently found a pair on e-Bay and put them on my '03 LeMans. Bars: Fluid reservoirs - Rizoma tanks and brackets for clutch and front brake. No functional improvement, but so much more attractive than the plastic cups. Levers - Take a look at the shorty Pazzo levers. Crisp, modern look, and great feel/adjustability. Have fun!

Thanks Pete. I got some Threebond 1211 and put it back together. Over $20 for a tube... must be some good stuff. I'll wait at least 24 hours for it to cure, then recheck torque, install the oil pan and fill it up. Out of curiosity, can you explain why the gear ratios make a difference between the Sport-i and the V11?

I've got myself an oil leak at the back of the plate. And I'm talking about a puddle under the bike after I run it, not just a little seepage. I installed the plate and gaskets on dry and clean surfaces, and tightened by hand (no torque wrench). This is exactly how I did it on my Scura and I've had no problems for many miles. After discovering the leak (first time out), I dropped the pan and re-torqued all the upper ring bolts to spec (10 Nm for 6mm bolts). Still got a puddle. I see some imperfections in the bottom surface of the block, but it did not leak before I put the plate in. I can see that some oil sits on top of the plate at the back of the block - same area as the leak and the imperfections. I happen to have some new gaskets on hand and am thinking about using them after coating with Permatex gasket dressing/sealant (which is blue stuff that has to dry for 10 minutes, like Hylomar.) Does this seem like the right thing to do? Any other advice?

I'm not sure about compatibility. Since you have both bikes, maybe you could take a close look to see if the oil sumps are the same - or check parts diagrams between the two bikes to see if all the components have the same part numbers. You need to make sure the internals are the same too - because the oil filter and other dangly bits need to dip through the plate into the pan. I know the plate is different for the 4V Daytona/Centauro engine - and that Pete Roper has a few more of those available. If the '97 sport is the same as the 4V, you can get one direct from him.

Maybe you should consider investing in a small platform jack. You can lift the front while the rear is on a stand - and many other uses. I just pulled the engine out with my platform jack (to replace the clutch).

Thanks guys.

That's an inspiration. Thanks for sharing it.

Your battery may be weak at 12.5 volts - but maybe can be brought back. Here is a detailed investigation of batteries and chargers. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18838

Ghezzi-Brian has some nice quality CF bits (prices are reasonable for new, quality parts). The belly pan is excellent and easy to install. The rear fender is very small, but high quality and very effective at keeping tire spray off the shock - it's more work to mount than the stock fender, and has a kind of weird curve in one spot. They also have a front fender for Ohlins forks - but I don't have experience with the front fender.

I think you might have set the valves to I=0.10mm and E=0.15mm (.004 and .006 in inches). From what I can tell, almost everyone finds that looser settings improve things and reduce hiccuping - especially in hotter climates. There are several threads on valve settings, and I've saved a few recommendations, as follows: Factory Spec: I=0.10mm and E=0.15mm (.004 and .006 in inches) World Spec: I=0.15mm and E=0.20mm (.006 and .008 in inches) Raceco Spec: I=0.20mm and E=0.25mm (.008 and .010 in inches) FWIW, I use the Raceco specs, because that's what my Scura was set to after my dealer did the break-in service and I like how it runs.

My 2003 LeMans doesn't require a special tool - just a big wrench and some hex drivers. What are you concerned about? Can you post a picture of whatever has you puzzled?

I have a few Roper Plates leftover from the group buy I coordinated recently. Here's the group buy thread for details: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19423 Price is the same as the group buy: US$130 including three gaskets, USPS shipping to USA, and USPS $50 insurance. If you want more insurance, I'll pass through the costs. If you want international shipping, I'll pass through the actual cost, less $10 (to account for shipping being included to USA.) Send a PM if interested.

Congratulations on the new bike. All the torque specs are in the shop manual. Try the fileshare section, which has a link to another site where you can download the manuals. Brake rotors will be on with lock-tite - do you really need to remove them?

Welcome hahnda. Sweet LeMans.