new owner questions

[waustin]

Hi All. I am the proud new owner of a 2002 Lemans. I am convinced after two weeks that this is the finest motorcycle made, plus everyone checks you out. I was hoping to get some info on the noises. This bike makes some crazy noises, moans, hums, coughs. When I am in the city it occasionally coughs loudly, almost like a .22 being shot. It seems to be the left side as I feel a gush of air on my left leg. Is it missing a fire or needing new plugs or backfiring? The clutch is also noisy, when I engage it at a stop it sounds noisy, is this just what a dry clutch sounds like? Having a resource like this is awesome. Thanks, WMG

[dhansen]

Hi Waustin.

 

Congrats on the new ride but you are preaching to the choir here.

 

As for the noises, yes, these old tractors have their fair share but I don't recall anyone here saying they could feel a blast of air from a backfire. You sure? The popping could be a bunch of things from throttle body balance to cracked intake rubbers to fouled plugs. Maybe some of the more insightful guys will add their thoughts. A dry clutch, as on this Guzzi, does make a bunch of noise and is perfectly normal.

 

Have fun and take the time to do a search or browse through the technical section and look for subjects describing your bike's trouble.

 

DEnnis.

[Guest slowpoke]

Ditto on DHansens observations. You could have an air leak in your throttle body manifold which would definitely do what you describe. Have you checked the small inlet valve on your intake manifold; whether it is hooked up to your AIR or has that been changed to just a rubber/vinyl cap over the inlet that is missing? That will cause some of the symptoms that you relate. And, I hate to tell you this: the clutch makes a lot of noise in neutral or in gear with the clutch lever depressed. That is normal. Once you get going, nobody is going to notice. Happy motoring!!

[Orson]

My Tenni doesn't seem to like city traffic as it coughs occassionally as you described.

 

I chalk it up to the engine getting hot due to lack of air flow.

 

Guzzis love to be cut free on the open roads. Once outside the city limits, it seems to come into its own.

 

I find mine to be wonderful as a sport touring bike.

 

If I needed a bike for city riding though, I'd probably buy something else.

[stormsedge]

WMG, mine will occassionally pop and generally misbehave at or below 3K rpms in traffic...following the advice of many here, I try to stay more up and around 4K rpm which mitigates the problem. Clutch is noisy, valves are a little noisy, gearbox is a little noisy, air box (if you switch to open box) is really noisy...it's all good and all fun for both the owner and onlookers (small children, little old ladies and cranky dogs excluded). I once heard a story about an Italian Guzzist that commented to concerned onlookers "That's not noise, that's music!" but I forget all the details ((I skipped trying to do an Italian accent in deference to our overseas comrades and because my southernese does not permit the proper inflection)).

 

wrt the air blast...check to see if any of your exhaust pipe joints are blackening from an exhaust leak, if you have one, that may be the source of the air blast when the bike backfires. ALso check the rubber boots between the throttle bodies and cylinder heads...if you have a one that is badly cracked, it may be causing a lean condition in the motor and the backfires. Enjoy. k

[ferguzzi]

I was at an Italian track day recently, me and 50 ducatis. About 4 aprillias.

I started the tenni up in the garage, and sat at Idle for a few seconds. Only then did I realise I was being stared at by some of the ducatisti. the clutch was doing some of it's usual jiggery pokery, and one of the guys comes over to me looking worried, and asks me if the bike was ok? Was it supposed to sound like that?

'Course it is!

[waustin]

so it ended up being a cracked rubber intake gasket from injector to head. fifteen dollars from the online parts place. thanks.