Scud

Only $40 - and you can do it all through your local AAA office if you are a member. Then $40 more per year on your renewal. I've been seeing a ton of the "legacy" black plates on cars down here - especially on black cars - but I've only seen a few other black plates on motorcycles. I liked the black plate on my Scura so much I had to get one for the LeMans.

Today I put on a new license plate.

I'm a big fan of our parks - and an annual pass holder. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the US National Park Service. On this trip, we also got into Kings Canyon National Park, which is adjacent to Sequoia NP. While Sequoia and Kings Canyon are best known for the Sequoia Groves, it's a large park system that also has Crystal Cave, which we visited, and huge granite domes and waterfalls, similar to Yosemite. Bryce Canyon is like being on another planet. "The mountains are calling, and I must go." - John Muir

Big Trees. Sequoia National Park in the Southwestern part of the Sierra Nevada range, in California, boasts that it is home to the largest living thing on earth: the General Sherman Tree. It's something like 3,000 years old and it is huge... really one of those "you have to see it to believe it" kind of things. Here's a group of "little" ones. I had to use the panorama function to take the picture - you simply cannot see the whole tree unless you are very far away from it. Here's one that fell across the road in the 1930s. The Civilian Conservation Corps decided to cut a tunnel through it. I think the trunk was about 14 feet in diameter (for comparison, the General Sherman tree is over 35 feet in diameter). And here's an average-sized Sequoia. The black cavity is a fire scar, which the tree is in the process of healing over. Research into Sequoias demonstrated that they needed fires to sprout and that mature trees went through a period of rapid growth for several years following a fire. While this was predominantly a family trip with lots of hiking and sitting under waterfalls, I did a few nice rides. Here's a tasty 6,000 foot drop, along with a picture of the road taken from the top of Moro Rock. This is looking East, over the foothills that lead to California's Central Valley. Many roads remain unridden...

I haven't reinstalled the exhaust yet. I've been waiting for a set of used, no front crossover, pipes from an '02 bike - which I got yesterday. That picture is a little deceiving. The rusty ring and the next, smaller, black ring, appear to be on the same plane - I cannot even feel a lip or raised edge between the rust and the black. Do you think I should let it soak in penetrating fluid for a few days - then try again? Or is it not worth bothering with, since two gaskets apparently don't make a difference?

That's just a bit less than what mine weighed, but I think I had the bolts on the scale with it. Are you going to put that in your Greenie soon?

Maybe a lot of bikes didn't get exhaust gaskets. I wonder if that could be a factor in some coughing/sneezing. I was reading about head re-torque after new gaskets - like many things, there are differences of opinion. But it seems that some of the issue has to do with how the gaskets are made. Some materials need re-torque, others don't. I'll probably call MG Cycle next week and ask about the gaskets I got from them. I need to get a copy of Guzziology. I did step 2, but not step 1. But I did torque, loosen, and then re-torque in 5 lb/ft increments starting at 15. I'm running the valves looser than the loosest factory settings already. Retorqueing takes a fair amount of time, since the rocker arms have to come off to access the head nuts, which in turn mandates a valve adjustment. Thanks for adding step 6. With my new clutch, Roper Plate, fresh gaskets, fluids, plugs... I hope the next wrench is nothing more than oil and tires. I'm hell-bent on riding the Sherman Pass over the Sierra Nevadas on the LeMans this summer.

Thanks guys - I got it all torqued down (31 foot-pounds or 42 newton-metres), new head and rocker cover gaskets, O-rings, washers. Valves at .008" Intake and .010" Exhaust. I'm pretty sure I caused the oil leak shortly after I got the bike. It wasn't leaking at the time, but I decided to re-torque the heads during a valve check - and that's when it started leaking. At that time, I must have de-stressed one of the O-rings (4 per side around studs - between head and rocker support) just enough to cause a leak. I swear, the hardest part is getting the throttle body boots back on. But I figured out something - if you start with the RH side it's much easier. That's because the RH cylinder is further forward. With the RH boot on, the angle of the LH boot is close to the intake port. If you put the LH on first, the angle is way off and it's damn near impossible to get the RH boot on. ...and another question... since I put in new head gaskets, do I need to re-torque the heads after a heat/cool cycle or a break-in period? I didn't see anything in the manual about it.

The gasket is about the same size at the face of the pipe that it's supposed to seal - it doesn't protrude. It's fairly soft - I think it's supposed to compress a lot to make a tight seal.

Czakky - did you then use gaskets when you re-assembled? Here's a close-up. New gasket hanging on the stud. Does anybody think there could be a gasket in the head? I feel like I've been trying to remove something that doesn't exist.

It may be difficult to get past the starter ring with a magnet. If I were you, I would operate under the assumption that your Scura has an aluminum flywheel and that it is deteriorating. From what I can gather, OEM Scura flywheels fall into one of these categories: Failed catastrophically. Replaced preemptively - and found cracks starting around mounting holes. I have not heard of any flywheel that was replaced without finding evidence of deterioration. Still in use; ticking time-bomb that makes owner apprehensive and not want to put too many miles on the bike. Here is my new RAM unit with steel flywheel, next to an aluminum flywheel and clutch assembly that did 180,000 miles in a BMW K75s. The clutches use the same basic technology. However the aluminum flywheel on the BMW is attached with 12 rivets in a bigger circle. (FWIW - there is no starter ring on the BMW, the starter engages elsewhere and the flywheel rotates in the opposite direction of the crankshaft.)

Re oil gauge - Unless you suspect a problem, or just enjoy monitoring gauges, you're probably fine with an oil light. I had a concern about oil pressure on my LeMans, and a gauge helped me monitor till I finally found the problem (two missing bits of a gasket around internal oil journals). I have no concerns on my Scura and don't feel a need to install a gauge. Might I put one on anyway? Probably someday... just for fun. Re lights - It does seem unlikely that 3 bulbs would go out at the same time, but it's worth verifying that you have good bulbs before fussing with all the other stuff. I've spent many hours trying to get burned out bulbs to light up.

Yesterday was the first time in my life that I ever applied a grinder to any part of a cylinder head. I am not remotely tempted to grind out an exhaust port. I've cleaned out all the angles in the steps with a pick (got a lot of black dust). But I still cannot identify anything that looks like an exhaust gasket - or anything that looks removable. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it was assembled without. This is my LeMans, in which I have discovered a number of other unpleasant surprises. So - maybe I spent a lot of time fussing with tuning to overcome a lack of exhaust gaskets? Still waiting on delivery of a set of used pipes without crossovers. Then we'll see how she runs.

Perhaps the impact caused some filaments to break in the bulbs. Have you verified that all the bulbs are working? Maybe this would be a good time to install an oil pressure gauge?

Good advice. I got the heads back on and the rocker support to slide back on smoothly - no hammering needed. I need one more tip: how the heck do you get the exhaust gaskets out? I have new gaskets, but if there are gaskets in there now, they must have compressed a lot. I've tried a screwdriver and a pick - there is only a very small lip, which I think could be the gasket - but I am starting to wonder it there is any gasket in there currently.

Thanks Marty. I tapped it back down and removed a small semi-circular metal shaving. But I still had a hard time getting it loose. I use gentle leverage, rotating to all four corners - meanwhile wiggling the head to try to move the studs a little. Here's what I found: The top right hole is the problem. The washer probably didn't seat correctly. Now I'm not sure what to do with the rocker support. It's kind of hard to make out in the picture, but there is raised lip on the upper RH stud hole - it goes from about 10-o'clock to about 3 o'clock. I suppose I can grind that down. But I can get a replacement part from my spare engine if needed. Keep or replace? The thread seems good - the nut goes on smoothly. As for the leak, I think the problem was not the head gasket, but the 4 O-rings that go around the studs on top of the head. They were very brittle and some broke when I removed them. Here are pics of the RH head and piston. LH looks the same. I'd appreciate an experienced eye on these. Does it look like I should do anything besides bolt it all back together with new O-rings and gaskets? I was satisfied with the way the bike was running - this was motivated purely by an oil leak.

I can't get the RH rocker support off the head. The LH came off easily, as did the head. Why am I doing this? The LeMans had an oil leak from the RH head (misting my boot and the RH porkchop with oil) and figure I'd just replace both head gaskets, since I already had the exhaust off. The problem - three of the four holes move freely over the studs. The top right is stuck. After about 30 minutes with soft mallets, rocking it back and forth, light leverage (wide screwdriver), and even trying to tap in a wood shim... I managed to get it to move only by the little gap in the photo - and it will not settle back down by hand either - which means if I do get it off, Ill probably have to pound it back on. I'm tempted to go in there with a lot more leverage - but I'm nervous about damaging the threads on the stud. Any advice appreciated.

No... that tire is maybe a little more than half worn. But the nail went in at a weird angle. It poked through a groove in the tread and the tip lodged in the adjacent tread. I pulled right out without any repair needed.

OEM Part Name: Clutch and Brake Levers Moto Guzzi Part Number: Clutch Lever 01605640; Brake Lever 01605760 Replacement Part Brand or Source: Pazzo Part number or other identifier: Clutch DC-12; Brake DB-12 Differences from OEM (if any): 7 adjustment levels, superior feel, available as shorties that don't touch bar-end mirrors Other Compatible Vehicles: Many Ducatis that used the same master cylinders Monster M400: 1999-2003 Monster M600: 1994-2001 Monster M 620: 2002 Monster M750/M750IE: 1994-2002 Monster M900: 1994-99 900SS: 1991-97 748: up to 1998 916/916SPS: up to 1998 ST2: 1998-03 ST4/S/ABS: 1999-02 Other Comments: If you're looking for cheap, used levers, this increases your options on eBay. If you want the Pazzos (which I really like) they are available from many sources, including member FalcoLion's store, Moto World Online. Website link for source: http://www.motoworldonline.com/ http://www.motoworldonline.com/V11-Sport-Ballabio-LeMans-Coppa_c_947.html

Why not try the Ti ECU (without Power Commander) before changing anything else?

OEM Part Name: Exhaust Clamp - front of crossover to header pipe Moto Guzzi Part Number: 01123430 Replacement Part Brand or Source: Moose Racing Part number or other identifier: MOA004A, 1.81"-1.99" Differences from OEM (if any): almost identical Other Compatible Vehicles: Other Comments: far less expensive for same quality

Since OEM parts are sometimes: unavailable, too far away, too expensive, prone to failure, or otherwise inconvenient, can we build a reference of compatible replacement parts? These could be maintenance items, such as filters; electrical parts, such as relays; or any hard part, such as wheel bearings. Some might be aftermarket or slight modifications, but others might be direct replacements because the same parts are used on other vehicles. This forum has a nice search feature: you can search only within a specific topic. Therefore, if we can build this list, we should be able to search this topic easily, instead of searching the entire forum for a thread where somebody happened to reference a compatible part. Here's a template you can copy and paste into a post when you add a part - just add as much as you know, and feel free to modify it if needed. OEM Part Name: Moto Guzzi Part Number: Replacement Part Brand or Source: Part number or other identifier: Differences from OEM (if any): Other Compatible Vehicles: Other Comments: Website link for source: Link to Further Discussion or Tips: Upload photo and add to post - don't link to external photo-host.

Thanks Jaap. I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of this week's Economist magazine. I'm sure the Brexit issue will be covered in some depth - including the "undo" options.

She got an unauthorized piercing. I scolded her and made her promise to never get another one - until she's 18 and can legally make her own decisions.

Yeah, i'd say that's A significant difference! ...probably the most important difference between old and new RAM. That flywheel should never wear out.