JRD

Well the bike is SOLD! New owner flew in and picked it up this morning. On its way to the great north(almost to Canada), then headed west for a few months in the California sun. The garage suddenly feels like something is missing.

LowRyter-yea that is my bike doing the fly and ride thing. As far as the injury/recovery, 16mm tear on the rotator, tendon torn 90%, and when they got inside they found the cartilage was pulling away from the bone. Something about a fracture repair also. Rehab has been going well, I can raise my hand up to shoulder level now.

CONTRACT PENDING- Buyer flying in Sunday for possible fly/buy/ride. Spent the day giving it a bath, changed oil and filter and going over it from one end to the other as it may end up in California. Glad to see it going to another Guzzi enthusiast

What's up with that Seat? Sure looks like a ball crusher forcing your privates into the back of the tank. Maybe they are looking for more weight bias on the front wheel? I like the exposed swingarm

Nobleswood- After serious consideration decided to keep the LeMans and Aprilia. I am going to physical therapy twice a week but they are adamant "DO NOT GET ON A MO-CYCLE!!!!!!!". I hope to make it to SSR this year, not sure if I will be riding by then but I still might cage it. I miss the Tech Sessions. Czakky- Yea it was a tough choice as to which bike to sell. They are both such great bikes, just kills me to see them parked, sitting in the garage. The main reason for selling the Norge is it is down here in Florida while I recuperate and I can always use the LeMans if I ever decide to do another long trip like last years ride to Canada.. The LeMans is tucked away at our place in Georgia. Hope all is well up in snow country.

Thanks Bill. Did some pretty serious damage to my rotator and tendon working at our place in Hiawassee. My Wonderful Wife finally got tired of hearing me moaning every time moved and made an appointment with the doctor. All downhill from there. This is killing me! Keeping the LeMans but I wont be able to ride till late this year. Hope all is well, looking forward to seeing you at TWO.

Due to a recent shoulder surgery I will be selling my '08 Norge as the doctors dont want me riding ANYTHING for the next 6-8 months. I am the second owner having purchased it last spring with 10,000 miles on it. Mileage is now at 15,601. Just over 5,000 miles on new Michelin Pilot 4GT's which were installed and a complete tune up before we rode to Canada last May. Bike comes complete with optional black chin pan (installed), factory hard bags as well as color matching Givi top case, Throttle Mister cruise control, and cover. Bike has always been stored inside and is in excellent condition. Feel free to contact or email with questions. $4,800.00

Hi guys. I would suggest you read up on Startus interruptus here on this forum as well as over on the Wild Guzzi Forum, lots of information about electrical gremlins with these bikes. I would also recommend checking all your ground connections. Don't fret these are minor problems and we will be lad to help you work thru them. Dad parent, welcome to the forum

Remo, my oh my how I wish I could take you up on your idea. My wife's grandparents were all from Italy, Naples and Palermo. I told her I will do everything possible for us to get over there next year. I wish I could sit down over a cup or glass as I have hundreds of questions. Jerry

Are you guys with the DR's concerned with all the talk about the 3rd gear disintegrating and turning the engine into a paper weight? They have a dedicated thread about it over on "another forum". I have been considering buying a clean used DR for the dirt and fire roads near our place up in Georgia, but the thought of having the tranny eat itself while I'm out in the woods, or worse yet, on the highway going around a fast curve really makes me re-consider. I really had settled on the DR until I started doing the research.

I wish I had deep pockets. REALLY, REALLY deep pockets filled with those hunert dollar bills!

Hi Marty, is there a failsafe circuit to prevent a total meltdown if the fan should stop working?

There is nothing wrong with our bikes being on the portly side. I think their robust construction is a contributing factor to their longevity. How many liquid cooled CBR's, R-1, or GSXR's do you see with odometers showing mileage readings over 100,000. And even fewer air cooled bikes achieve that. I for one am perfectly satisfied with the useable power and rail like handling of our bikes.

"After a little unscheduled slide on chip and seal, the only injury I had was where a knuckle was ground off a little from the glove burning through" Shaving grams instead of pounds eh Chuck?

Since our engines are pretty much limited to any power gains by their cylinder head design, we can probably optimise it's performance by doing a few little things to maximize engine output. Lighten and balance the crank assembly, Piston skirts, flywheel, and valve train. Hopefully someone who has actually raced one of these bikes can offer inexpensive suggestions

You can certainly tell it's winter giving us crummy weather to ride and too much time to ponder. With all the previous discussions in the " EXHAUST CROSSOVER" Thread about the benefits of different exhaust systems and cam shaft replacements, has anyone besides Knumbnutz given thought to the performance gains just by putting our bikes on a serious diet? One of the first places to gain performance is reducing the rotating mass starting with the wheels. Has anyone here checked the difference in weight between our cast wheels and a set of aluminum rims with spokes (disc brake models)? Being shaft drive makes it more difficult but it can be done. My Aprilia has a set of OZ forged wheels that save something like 2-3 lbs. on the front and almost 5-7lbs. on the rear wheel compared to the standard Showa rims. My pockets arent deep enough to even consider carbon rims. Do you check the difference in weight between the various brand tires? And the difference between our standard brake rotors and the scalloped/drilled rotors? Working our way up the bike, how about the difference in weight between our standard Showa front forks and a nice set of Ohliins? or even fork tubes off something from Japan, say R-1, GSXR or Kaw? Czzaky- Did you ever weigh you headlight/fairing assembly when you removed it from your LeMans? What kind of weight saving did you gain by going to just the headlight bucket? Any weight you can remove from the top of the bike will lower the center of gravity and improve handling and performance. And last but not least, does Jenny Craig ring any bells

I agree completely that the mechanical sound of these bikes give them their "character" and sets them apart from other bikes. My first Guzzi was the 2000 Sport (a greenie) with the Mistral "Off Road Only" carbon cans. Set the hook as soon as I started it the very first time. My second Guzzi is the '02 LeMans. I was sooo disappointed after it was delivered and I started it for the first time. "We definitely gotta do something about this!". Bit the bullet and bought a new set of Mistral carbon cans. Much better! Then bought the Stucchi crossover from one of our forum members (Thanks once again Ken) and installed that with the carbon cans "NOW WE'RE TALKING. This thing sounds AWESOME!!!!!! Puts a big a$$ grin on my mug every time I ride it. I only wish my Aprilia even with the Akrapovic titanium cans sounded as good as the LeMans. Still trying to decide what to do with the Norge. The valve train noise makes almost more noise than the exhaust. Sorry guys but looks like the sun just popped out, Think I'll go for a ride instead of just talk about it.

You will know if there is chain/swing arm issue when hear a funny vibration and grinding noise

"With all the speculation about different cams, it looks like a crossover might be pretty important by comparison." Exhaust systems have an enormous effect on engine performance. BUT, it needs to be matched and work with the piston dome shape, valve size, cam profile and fuel injection mapping to achieve the desired results. And the big ringer, meet the ever restrictive EPA pollution/noise standards and still be COST EFFECTIVE for the manufacturer. How long does it take to stamp out and weld a standard cross over compared to cutting, matching and welding a custom cross over? Time is money for the manufacturer. The standard exhaust systems on our bikes are pretty much a big compromise. And as much as I love my bike, our engines are pretty close to being prehistoric by todays standards.

Hi Bill and Happy New Year to the family. By any chance when you had the jugs off did you match the openings on the sides of the Piston skirts to the cut outs on the cylinder sleeves? We would also blend the steps between the sleeve and the aluminum on all the ports. Not sure if we gained more power but the bikes always ran sharper☺ Also, clean up the intake ports and mirror polish the exhaust ports. You Will notice a difference!.

I always ask "who's lifetime does the warranty refer to?".

Correct- I looked all over my '02 LM for an extra plug for the petcock and was unable to locate one. Pretty sure I was going to use it as a power source for my GPS. Happy New Year guys, looking forward to some great rides!

Sounds like your bike has developed the "Startus Interruptus Syndrome". Lots of threads and info about this here and over on the Wild Guzzi Forum. Basically it amounts to wiring that was minimal at best when the bikes left the factory. Over the years the resistance increases until the bikes start blowing fuses when you tr and start the bike. If your bike has not started blowing the fuse, it may also be the grease hardening inside the ignition switch. Either way, not terribly difficult to remedy. Give a shout if you need more info or help. Jerry

Thanks so much for the upload! Especially since I own the same bikes, only off by one model year but basically the same bikes. '02 LeMans, '03 Aprilia Haga Replica. I couldnt agree more with these two guys. The LeMans steers slower, not as quick but just such a blast to ride. And the sound with carbon cans! The Aprilia takes a few miles to get comfortable on, much more aggressive riding position, but accelerates like a rocket and steers much quicker and better brakes. I keep telling myself I should sell the Aprilia due to age (64), and lack of use but just cant bring myself to place the ad. Thanks again, very enjoyable.

Doesnt look like any dealership I have ever been in