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po18guy

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Posts posted by po18guy

  1. Since the seat is applying upward pressure at 90º to the latch, I give a good push down on the seat at the strap (or the passenger section if the cover is off) and then turn the key. Once the load is removed, the mechanism can ("should") work as intended. As to springs, I switched the idle spring out, but I think I used one of the stainless springs from my collection. I never throw a spring away. All pump bottles, from medication to hand soap to shampoo, have stainless springs in them.

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  2. In my '04 Ballabio, I had some air in the clutch line. Thorough bleeding (including a bleeder banjo bolt at the clutch master cylinder) reduced the false neutrals to near zero. Air tends to return to the master cylinder, as it is the high point in the system. So, where did MG put the bleeder? At the bottom! I do need to adjust the shift lever, which is the rest of the problem.

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  3. The later V11s do not have that compact, "integrated" appearance of the early bikes with quarter fairings. However, Aprilia cash appears to have sorted many of the pesky details of the earlier bikes. The steering might be just a bit slower, but stability cannot be faulted.  My '04 is but one example, but the electrics are well sorted and the bike has been trouble free - excepting some air in the clutch line. The trans mount is a "good thing" and there is little of the "kit bike" aura surrounding the small bits and electrics. The speedo should be electric instead of the grotesquely "bent" cable drive that is sure to fail - but it must have at least some personality quirks, right? As time went on with the V11, less 'owner involvement' was absolutely required, although some certainly remained. The late bikes are slightly more wife than mistress, shall we say. Although mistresses rarely need a diet.

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    • Haha 2
  4. 1 hour ago, p6x said:

    I got it out using the "jam nut" technique. I also understood why the head broke. I purchased stainless replacement M8 x 30 mm long CHC screws, but the passenger foot peg holding bracket is not in line with the threaded hole. I need to untighten the other screw to align the hole with the thread. I need to remove the seat skirt to access the other screw though.

     

    NGMY0887

     

    Time permitting, a spritz with Kroil or other penetrant and patience will help extract broken bolts. As well dad taught me decades ago to use anti-seize compound on fasteners which might suffer from electrolysis or road grime.  The plugs on his Continental C85 were so treated.

     

    Bolts that protrude out the backside can also have their threads covered with the small vinyl caps that are sold with children's toys etc.

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  5. On 5/7/2022 at 10:47 AM, Weegie said:

    I've been debating if I should purchase one of these Lithium minature jump start packs or the Super Capacitor version just in case.

    Could be attached to the lead from the battery to the starter, at the starter with the neg onto wherever on the engine or gearbox

    @Tomchri idea is a good one too, just make sure it's quite a beefy wire, I've used a wrench and a screwdriver in the past and the spark it makes on connection is impressive.

    Oh and stating the bleedin' obvious, FFS make sure the bike's in neutral by wheeling it to check, NEVER rely on "The gearbox is in the vicinty of neutral" warning light

    Was just going to suggest such a device. Used one to start my son's car after the battery suddenly keeled over. About the size of a smart phone, these remarkable little devices might even fit in the monkey paw trap.

  6. 10 hours ago, BillyB said:

    he is willing to sell some  V11 rear rack.
     

    Let's parse his verbiage. "Sell some  (plural)  V11 rack (singular).

    Sell some rack. And note the space before "V11" A cut and paste with the want ad item filled in.

    Hmmm. 

    I am on a couple of firearm forums. There have been chronic shortages and scalping on ammunition for the past two years. Literally hundreds of scam websites have popped up and are popping up as we speak. Amazing prices, all in stock, and no limits! They offer a 15% discount for bitcoin. Imagine that! But wait, there's more! Don't have bitcoin? Click their handy "Buy Bitcoin" button and buy the bitcoin to get your 15% discount! Redefining brazen.

    Due diligence is overdue.

    • Like 1
  7. 8 hours ago, Chuck said:

    The guy that sold me the first bottle of S100 told me, "No need to leave it on."  What he should have said is, "Don't leave it on.. spritz it on and rinse immediately, or it can do bad things." :rasta: I still use it for a quicky clean up occasionally.

    Not as good as Stoddard solvent on grease and harder on paint. A quandary. I spent some time R&Ring the muffler brackets and compounding the paint back to where it was. So, S-100 gets used on metal, basically.  

    • Like 1
  8. When I got my bike, the inside surface of the lens had a smoky film on it. That could not stand. So, I took a cotton 'shooter's swab' and made a wire extension for the handle, then soaked the cotton in Windex. Looking from the front, I made sure to clean the entire inner surface of the lens. The result was that it is now clear as it was supposed to be. The film came from??? Maybe the assembly worker was smoking... :rolleyes:

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    • Thanks 1
  9. 12 hours ago, PJPR01 said:

    The reflector/diffuser on my headlight on the Scura has broken off and is rattling around inside the headlight.  It's an octagonal piece of grey plastic, clearly has broken somehow - old age?  Has anyone ever taken their headlight apart to get inside it, or is it a fairly extensive "break the seal and reseal" type of operation.

    Alternatives to stock headlight in case anyone has replaced the OEM one with an aftermarket or "new" old stock?

    Many thanks in advance!

    Just had my headlight out and for the life of me cannot remember if the reflector is crimped around the lens or not. If it is bonded, the adhesive may be sliced open and the "shield" epoxied back in place. Any number of adhesives would then bond the lens and reflector, with a high-temp silicone perhaps being ideal.

    • Thanks 1
  10. On 4/29/2022 at 2:25 PM, Guzzijens said:

    No, it is not too bad, it is rideable,  but difficult to find neutral. As soon as the weather is getting better I will take her on a ride 😀

    I developed this exact problem on my '04 Ballabio last year. It occurred after a particularly high speed burst on the motorway.  In my case, it was indeed air in the system. I bled the slave cylinder but also installed a bleeder banjo bolt on the master cylinder at the high point of the hydraulic system. Made of titanium, it is of excellent quality and not all that costly. A good addition in any event. 

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  11. Many EU parts are labeled as to plastic type. However, this may be a small part that is not labeled. Basically, if acetone or ketone will melt the surface, it is bondable by various adhesives (J-B Weld, various epoxies etc.) If it is one of the slick "Polyethylene" plastics, virtually nothing will bond to it. It is a thermoplastic and some form of heat welding is the only manner of repair. For small cracks in non-polyethylene plastics, a drop of the horrendously dangerous methylene chloride/dichloromethane will almost instantly bond it. It is a very powerful solvent, thinner but considerably heavier than water. It is so dangerous that it is used to decaffeinate coffee beans! It "used to be" in all of the good paint strippers. So, beware! Just last evening, fixed a freeze-cracked polycarbonate Gardena garden hose manifold ("Hergestelt in Deutschland") with a drop or two. Repaired the tiny crack instantly and saved me $50.

    Priced at $199/5 gallons, it is barely more expensive than gasoline. :rolleyes:

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  12. I have a couple of pairs of Israeli made Brosh riding jeans, and two pair of their "cool pants" cargo pants. Brosh uses removable Kevlar panels in the hip/buttock area and T-Pro knee armor. Unless you are really tall, they fit nicely. The jeans are armored jeans, simple enough, but the cargo pants are more useful and cooler in the heat. They really believe in the Kevlar and are great folks to work with.

    https://brosh.com/

     

    • Thanks 1
  13. On 4/25/2022 at 9:19 PM, VtwinStorm said:

    ...probably the finest sounding V twin ever built?

    I love the Ducati desmodue,  but I'll be damned if the big Guzzi doesn't match, or at least rival it for sound and character!

    I'm loving mine more by the day.

    Well they seem to have learned the art of machining quieting ramps and other changes into the cam lobes and valve train. The early Guzzi's valve trains sounded more like VW Beetles than a motorcycle. Actually, I have a '73 "Super" Beetle (Ha!) that would sound much better with a V11 motor! Hey, wait a minute...

  14. 21 hours ago, VtwinStorm said:

    Had a Shorai in my Daytona 1200. Electrical system, carbs, plugs, wires, all were on-point.

    Thought I'd save a few lbs. on a 556lb. bike.

    Nope. Lithium is useless for my applications.

    After 2 weeks dancing and praying for it to work, bought a heavy AGM Yuasa. Started 1st time at 46 degrees...with a set of four carbs and a heavy 1200cc to turn over.

    That lithium battery would have blown my sprag clutch if I kept trying until it decided to start my bike.

    Clack clack clack...that was my sprag getting destroyed one attempt at a time. That's an engine out job...no thank you!

    I will say, that lithium battery was a very light paperweight!

    Having had a disturbing number of PC545 "clicks" when far away from home - even after conditioning - I recalled that my Kawi had a Yuasa AGM that worked just fine for 9 years. So, what's a couple of pounds on a 550 pound bike? I can skip a meal or two and lose more than that. So, the AGM is in and works as expected. If one has an aversion to Yuasa, say because a Yuasa let them down back in the 70s, there is yet another battery maker in Reading, Pennsylvania: DEKA (East Penn Mfg.) They also make an two or three AGMs for Guzzis.

    • Like 3
  15. They are unbelievably inexpensive. I bought 5 for less than $5, but had to wait for the boat from China. Surprisingly, the first one is fine at the 2-year mark. They have a blink-rate adjustment screw between the pins, and a tab so they will pop into the OEM rubber mount. These at the Amazon link are horrendously expensive - almost $3 ea., but you get five of them tomorrow.

    https://smile.amazon.com/Adjustable-Electronic-Flasher-Relay-Signal/dp/B07JYY6H3W/ref=sr_1_13?crid=1E2W3F33YJIFM&keywords=adjustable+led+flasher+5x&qid=1650760934&sprefix=adjustable+led+flasher+5%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-13

    IMG_3289.JPG

    So, a monkey paw trap full of spare Osrams and flashers for the journey!

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 2
  16. I have the adjustable blink rate unit for the signals and will use one of the strobe flashers for the 2nd brake light. Unsure which. Would like one that strobes three times then solid. But anything that will stop the horrible Seattle-area "drivers" from killing me is OK with me.

  17. There are many LED strobe units available - all somewhat different as to flash rate and number of flashes. They are less than $2/each if you order from AliExpress and are a bit patient. Somewhat more from eBay and Amazon. The second LED brake light was a snap to wire, as the OEM tail light connectors are the "flag" type and there is plenty or room beside the crimp to solder (or de-solder) the small gauge LED wires alongside.

    Rather than drill holes, I routed the wires through one of the grommets under the license plate and behind the middle inner fender plastic and to the tail light connection. I ran them inside a silicone rubber hose so that the 1-inch exposed section is well protected.

    As to the narrow focus of the typical LED beam, I aimed the lower brake light where drivers' eyes would be in the bright spot.

    • Like 2
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