Guest Le Man Posted June 3, 2003 Posted June 3, 2003 Just finished adjusting the valves in my new LeMans tonight and here are a few comments.. You need to undo the back two bolts on the fairing in order to skooch it out of the way enough to remove the covers..the fairing has plenty of flex in it for this. I found the clearances to be quite loose (2100 miles) about .012 ex and .010 in. The bike did not sound bad at all and it ran great. I set them at the US Spec of .006 and .004. Bike does not seem to idle or start as well..we will see (much quieter) The inboard valve cover bolts, the ones that support the fairing mounts were real loose, just about finger tight. No leakage, just an observation. Another thing..I run a tank bag all the time and I am starting to scuff the paint a little in one spot..any bright ideas? Mike
Mike Stewart Posted June 3, 2003 Posted June 3, 2003 I adjusted my valves as well this weekend! With the new crossover on the 03, removal of the alternator cover is a pain. I gave up because I did not want to remove the header pipes. I removed both sparkplugs and put the trans in 5th gear to rotate the engine over with the rear wheel. What a pain! I retorqued the heads at the same time. I found one cylinder was just slightly loose and the other at .010 intake and .004 exhaust. I adjusted the valves to .006 intake and .008 exhaust which is just two thou. larger than spec. I resyncronizied the throttle bodys and the bike runs great. One problem I did see was the RED valvecovers that I thought were anodized turned out to be painted! Paint is already peeling off around every bolt hole! The clear coat on the fuel tank always seems soft on Guzzi's. On high wear spots, you would be better applying a clear plastic overlay to prevent wearthrough. I need to apply some where my knees rub the tank. Mike
Guest Le Man Posted June 3, 2003 Posted June 3, 2003 Clear plastic overlay..a good idea. Saran wrap too thin or is there a cycle specific product out there? Like you I noticed that the alternator cover would be tough to remove. I used a straight slot screwdriver in the flywheel teeth to move the engine. Worked well but a little slow. Depending on the results of a ride I may change my valves to .006 and .008 although it shouldn't make that much difference. I'm disappointed to hear about the painted valve covers, who would have thought. Maybe getting them powder coated in the future would be the way to go. Mike
Guest Jaap Posted June 3, 2003 Posted June 3, 2003 Every signmaker has transparant selfadhesive vinyl foil. After heating with a hairdryer you can mold it a little.
Guest PAULSMART Posted June 3, 2003 Posted June 3, 2003 The american spec for valve adjustment is to try and reduce engine noise to meet US emissions regulations. You are experiencing the problems of your tight adjustment - the engine will have trouble ticking over and running cleanly at low revs. Raceco in the Uk (Well respected Guzzi tuners) recommend Inlet 0.20mm Outlet 0.25mm Cheers Paul
Guest edusinowicz Posted June 3, 2003 Posted June 3, 2003 Mike, Take a look at http://www.thetankslapper.com/. They make a clear non-adhesive film that will protect your paint. I've installed the kit they make for a V11 and am very pleased with the results. Regards, Ed
Guest Jaap Posted June 3, 2003 Posted June 3, 2003 Hi Ed, thanks for the tip. Looks like a good product. I ordered one. And "incidentally" asked them if they were interested in sponsoring this site...
Mike Stewart Posted June 3, 2003 Posted June 3, 2003 Raceco in the Uk (Well respected Guzzi tuners) recommend Inlet 0.20mm Outlet 0.25mm I have used Raceco's specs. for valve adjustments on my 00 V11Sport with wonderful results. The 00 seems really pickey on valve lash adjustments. On the 03, I don't hardly find much difference on what lash I use. I guess Guzzi's are getting better! Mike
Guest Le Man Posted June 3, 2003 Posted June 3, 2003 .008 and .010 ...I can do that! I really don't like the .004 and ,006 I've got on there now but I'll try it over the weekend. It stalls at idle sometimes! It didn't do that when the valves were loose..well we will just see about this. Tankslappers looks good but I could not get past past the intro on my office computer (which has about as much memory as I do) and not much Flash either. I'll try it from my wife's new rig at home tonight. I need to get a set of soft bags (Tekno?) real soon and a nice rack to hang them on. I am not looking for a pizza box rig and anything big. Just enough to throw some jeans, socks etc. in for a five or six day ride. Any thoughts? (I know you do!) Mike
al_roethlisberger Posted June 3, 2003 Posted June 3, 2003 I love my Tankslapper.... It takes a couple/three tries to get the "technique": - CLEAN bike - CLEAN tankslapper(bucket of clean water nearby to dip it in a must) - CLEAN smooth wet rag ...and about 15 minutes of working the bubbles out, and "holding it down" until it dries a bit. Although it may not want to conform and stretch to the shape of the tank at first, once you work out the bubbles and let it "dry" and stick to the tank, it will fit perfectly. It just takes a couple attempts to get the technique down. But once it's on, it's there "forever"... invisible... and fairly durable. I just wax it every so often to buff out scratches. I actually didn't use the side pieces supplied with the kit. I cut a larger and taller center from them for additional protection, and that's worked out well for me. I just wax the sides of the tank, and that's worked out fine so far. We'll see over time if I need to put the vinyl on the sides too. If so, I'll just order the "blank" material and cut it myself. It's easy to work with once you make a template. Tankslapper sells the material in sheets too... al
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