Scud

...and then real-life got in the way... But today (finally) the pressure puzzle is solved. A piece of the upper sump gasket was missing. It was one of the two tabs that goes between the housing for the filter and the block - it was metal to metal contact at that point (where the oil was supposed to pass through under pressure). The lack of gasket created a substantial, pressure-robbing, internal leak. After finding that problem and installing a new gasket, I have much higher oil pressure - about 40 PSI at 2,000RPM and holding steady at about 60 PSI under normal riding conditions. Thanks again to everyone in this thread.

Have you read The Everything Store? http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Store-Jeff-Bezos-Amazon/dp/0316219282/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454773145&sr=1-1&keywords=the+everything+store

Ken - in case you haven't done powder-coating before: take some time at the shop and make sure they have masked all the places you don't want coated - and especially that they plug threaded holes. I've missed something every time. Since powder is thicker than paint, it can cause clearance problems - I've had to take some off with files or dremel to get things to fit correctly. It can be challenging to remove powder-coat... (especially if it gets inside threads). So think carefully about any machined surface and what joins to it. Example problem: I had them coat the entire brake lever (which is the aftermarket one from Harpers). The only part I asked them to mask was inside the bushing (where it pivots). But when I reassembled, the lever was binding. The pivot pin is supposed to hit a stop and allow the pedal to move freely. I had added four layers of powder to that junction: porkchop, 2 sides of the lever, and the underside of the pivot pin (the bottom of the head). I had to file the powder off the two surfaces of the lever to get it to move freely.

There wasn't a lot of thread, but they worked. They've stayed on for two sets of tires and they hold pressure. SUPER convenient too. Just yesterday I went to put air in my tires and the valve stem was behind the front brake caliper - and I was still able to check pressure and add air without rotating the tire. Aim them to the right of the bike, so they point up a little when the bike is on the sidestand.

I've had a set of these 83 degree, 8.3mm valve stems on my Scura for a while. I'm happy with them. http://www.amazon.com/83deg-Aluminum-Racing-Angled-Valve/dp/B001P51EZ4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454718731&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=8.3mm+83+degree+angle+valve+stem

Got home from Minnesota today, where I almost got to meet FotoGuzzi - but it was the worst snow storm of the year and schedules didn't line up... (next time). Changed planes in Denver, and for some reason a lot of people there were wearing Broncos jerseys. You'd think there was some sort of important sporting event coming up... I have hardly been home at all for the last month, but I'm hoping to get her all back together this weekend - cuz it is killing me to not know if my oil pressure issue will be solved or not. Bit of progress today: Newly powdercoated porkchops are all snugged up (and eagles back on) and the swingarm and pivots from my parts bike, which (along with the swingarm bearings) were in better shape than the ones on the LeMans. Painted the ends of the pivot pins (satin black, of course) so they won't get rusty. Also powdercoated the two driveshaft collars Lubed the driveshaft splines with some Staburags grease (the kind that is specified for the BMW brick) Lubed the seat lock (cuz I already had it apart to get the housing powdercoated) - it works much more smoothly now and there was very little grease in there originally. Other new powdercoating: brake lever, bump stop and hardware, rocker cover and plug guard, footpeg and bracket. Previously done, but still in this picture: master cylinder guard, passenger peg and brackets Found an extra washer... where does it go? Figured it out, but that means I'm getting sloppy and tired (been up for 20 hours.)

Have a great time in the land of the long white cloud. I've been to the North Island a couple times and vowed that someday I would tour both islands on a motorcycle (still on the proverbial bucket list). Driving on the left side of the road is a bit intimidating though... That'll be late summer down-under - with really long days on the South Island. May your brick prove steadfast and true and return you to your point of origin, like a Koru.

If the little screws are spinning, you will need to remove the plastic cup that covers the gauges so you can access the plastic T-shaped lamp holder from the other side. You may be able to force a drywall screw into the back of the brass threaded inserts to stop them from spinning - this will do less damage to the lamp holder than the pliers will. Or you could order a new plastic T (with threads included).

From what I gather, the OEM oil pressure sender unit is not highly reliable. A basic mechanical gauge can be installed for not much more cost than a new sender. Then you will also know how much pressure you have under various conditions - such as whether the bike is getting oil-starved on hard acceleration or steep inclines. Some people just prefer gauges over warning lights - because gauges give you more warning. @JB - I have an external gauge that you borrow if you just want to test pressure and are not concerned about a full-time reading.

I do like the Cafe Sports... This black, red-frame has been on and off Craigslist for a while. Asking price of $2,400 - I think it was higher before. https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/mcy/5427412417.html FWIW - I paid about $1,400 for a wrecked 2002, quickly sold $1,400 in parts, kept lots of spares for myself, and still have quite a lot to sell later.

There are electric and mechanical types. I have an electric gauge on my LeMans; it's by Speedhut. The benefit is that I got the gauge face to match the other gauges I bought at the same time (also speedo, tach, and volt). However, this was more costly than a mechanical gauge in two increments: The electric gauge cost more than a mechanical one, and I ended up upgrading to Speedhut's next level, in part because the pressure sender unit for the basic model was huge - while the sender for the next model is quite small. I replaced the OEM sender (thereby disabling the oil pressure warning light). While I like the look of the four matching gauges I ended up with, I'm not sure that I would do all four again. I'd probably go with a simple mechanical oil pressure gauge and leave the warning light connected.

The 33 North of Maricopa is not fun. I remember thinking "this place is shit." -- then the next sign was for "Brown Material Road." True story, true street name. 33N>58W (fabulous small mountain pass) >some minor roads (La Panza and Creston) NW to Paso Robles>101N>exit at King city to join 25N (but you better fill up in King City) per your plan above. I can't join any time in the next month. Another time though. This is expert-level thread-drift by us!!!

Congratulations. Looking forward to a full report... I just drove through LA and Orange Counties on the way home today - raining hard in spots. Good call not to ride it home today. Regarding the fast idle lever: I find it quite useful, now that I've got a correct rate and length spring in there (at the throttle-body end). I think a lot people find the fast idle lever useless, which it can be with the wrong spring. The front brakes are good!

...and yesterday's conversation (in Pismo Beach) after I let her drive on the beach: "Dad, what makes it four-wheel-drive?" So we lay on the sand to look under the truck and discuss transfer cases, driveshafts, differentials, and locking hubs.

243!!!!! One the best ascents around. When are you doing LA>SFO?

Try turning your damper to the loosest setting to see how that feels. I have mine in about 2 or 3 clicks. I was thinking about a tank bag too - but that carbon fiber tank pad makes it a challenge. Ended up with a BMW K75s instead of V11 luggage.

Is it possible to have too many Scura pics? I think not. Despite some claims that red-framed silver, or red-framed greenies are sexy, the darkness speaks only to we special few... and when it calls, we must answer. Should we expect to see any modifications/personal touches soon?

Glad to hear it worked out. I noticed you posted elsewhere that it's not a 30-minute job. Well, it might be a 30-minute job for someone who's done it before, and if there is no gasket glue. Removing that damn glue adds a lot of time. Now you can whack the throttle open with reckless abandon while you ascend steep mountain passes.

Disconnect the oil lines at the front. They will swing forward. The "plumbing" (which includes oil filter connection and pressure relief valve) can be removed separately - and if I recall correctly, it can also come out with the upper ring. When you remove the plumbing, there will be two small metal pipes (they look like little dumbbell weights) with O-rings that go between the plumbing and the upper sump ring - where the oil lines come in. You can remove this with or without the oil filter. It may have bonded to the gasket, or someone in past may have used some type of adhesive (which is not needed). A little tapping with a soft mallet will be OK - but first run your finger around the upper ring to make sure you have all the bolts out. If you tap the plumbing from the front, toward the rear, it will free itself from the O-rings. Or you can just tap the upper ring downward. Consider putting something underneath to catch it in case it lets loose all at once.

I agree: "just buy it" Don't pay too much attention to my oil-pressure issue (although I would be happy to lend the gauge). My LeMans had all kinds of stuff done wrong by previous owners. If the seller knows the history and everything looks original, you'll probably be fine. It's a "buyer's market" in winter - demand goes up in spring.

Got a little play-time today. Here are some recently powder-coated (flat black ) bits: Alternator cover Valve cover Plug guard Pork Chop Shift lever (if you can't see it, that's the objective...) Footpeg (and bracket) (previously powder-coated: sidestand and bracket, passenger peg and bracket) I may not get it going this weekend - and I have more business travel over the next two weeks. I am soooooo curious to see if my oil pressure will be higher with the new gaskets (due to missing bit of old gasket posted elsewhere). Note ubiquitous and obligatory mallet in photo for tapping connecting rod through lower sub-frame (bottom porkchop nuts). Thanks to Goose/Zoup - you made me remember that I need to install a speed-bleeder on the clutch slave while the swingarm is out of the way.

You americans definitely blur the lines between car / ute / truck! I look at my humble triton ute - a 98 model with a diesel that feels more like an elastic band than an engine. That Tundra is , er, overkill. Or impressive? I can't quite decide. The Tundra is a girl-truck compared to this 1997 Ford F250 4WD with 7.3L turbo-diesel: I found it in Idaho and drove it 1,100 miles home this week. It's got some nice add-on goodies: double-overdrive/gear splitter (makes it like an 8-speed); Jake brake (exhaust compression), air-adjustable rear suspension, on-board air compressor... Best feature? The bed is 6 feet, 10 inches. Long enough to accommodate a motorcycle with the tailgate closed. It's also the last year of non-regulated diesels in California (no SMOG-checks). And on the topic of girls... my middle daughter (who impresses the neighbors by being able to parallel-park the Tundra) is very excited about the bigger truck. First day home she says "Dad, can I see the engine?" After opening the hood, she asked "What does all that stuff do?" ...and she listened to the answers. I'm raising her right.

Original size was 44mm - no change from soaking in brake fluid or brake cleaner. I've been thinking about the implications of this. Even a little swelling of the seals would cause the pistons to get sticky - which might require more force to activate the brake, but more importantly (I think) it could make it very difficult for the pistons to retract, which in turn means overheating, excessive wear, or maybe worse.

This turned into a two-week test, because I was away on business travel and snuck in a little adventure, which involves a diesel truck and a snowstorm on a mountain pass in Idaho. So today (finally) the results are in. Brake fluid - seal has 44mm OD Engine oil - seal has 52mm OD - this is an 18% increase in the OD. Brakleen - seal has 44mm OD - it should be noted that the Brakleen evaporated, even though I had covered the jar with plastic wrap. Therefore, I have no idea how long the seal soaked in the fluid. WD-40 - seal has 59mm OD - this is a 35% increase in the OD. The measuring caliper on the engine oil seal is set to 59mm so you can see how much more the WD-40 caused the seal to swell - compared to swelling caused by the engine oil. Conclusions: Cleaning calipers with WD-40 is even worse than cleaning with engine oil. Despite the WD-40 "secret recipe" and some mystery about whether WD-40 includes any petroleum, it seems reasonable to assume that WD-40 does, in fact, contain petroleum distillates. If brake cleaner has any negative effect on seals, it probably won't stick around long enough to do any damage.

I think you're looking at this bike, which has been for sale at that price for a while: http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/mcy/5354629286.html For comparison purposes: My Scura sat for 12 years didn't even have 200 miles on it. Literally, the break-in service had not even been done. That was only about a year ago and it has 9,000 miles on it now. I have only just recently noticed an oil leak in the timing cover that I could not fix just by re-torquing the bolts. I was worried about all manner of problems from sitting, but other than a sticky throttle return linkage and a small oil-seepage that was corrected by tightening bolts, I had no issues at all. My LeMans had a broken odometer and an uncertain, multiple-owner, past. She's been giving me some persistent challenges. However, I enjoy the process (most of the time) and I've been riding it a lot. Compared to your price range, I paid quite a bit more for the Scura (dealer) and a bit less for the LeMans (private party). I'd guess the condition of the silver sport is between the starting points of my two V11 - so it seems reasonable. In retrospect, I should have tested the oil pressure on the LeMans before buying it. I now own an external oil pressure gauge and would be happy to lend it (I live about 50 miles from that silver sport). Or you could probably rent/borrow an oil pressure gauge from a local shop. Here are a two easy things to look at as age/wear indicators: Tire date codes: If the tires are old, then you can be more confident in the low miles (and add new tires to your budget) Footpegs and foot levers: If these appear worn down from boots, then the bike has a lot of miles on it. If you can't see any wear at all, then the low mileage claim is probably true.