guzziart

I added headlight relays to both my '87 Lemans & '03 Lemans primarily to reduce voltage drop and improve hbar switch longevity. More recently I added H4 LED's to those bikes to reduce charging system load and improve daytime conspicuity. I'm reluctant to ride before sunrise or after sunset anymore but was caught once last Fall after sunset on the '87 with the new LED H4 and was please with the performance. Although I have no idea of how long the bulb will last ...amazon $17. So, I guess we'll see.

Were/are all the Roper plates engraved? ....just curious, it's a nice touch! I have one in my Lemans that was installed by the original owner, I haven't ever taken a close look at it.

My 2¢ ... In the past I've used contact cement/trim adhesive with success but more recently I did the McMaster-Carr thing (as Doc mentioned) for my Eldo dash. Ty-raps sounds good for redundancy.

Hi All. Hey Deadpen.... What is the upper gearbox bracket about? I don't know if I have one or need one??!! '03 v11 Lemans here. Hey activpop.... I found the driveshaft on my v11 Lemans to be out of phase too, someone had neglected to phase it with factory alignment marks that were properly marked. And, the same character that fuzzed up shaft alignment probably was the one who installed the large i.d. washer that normally resides between the rear drive & swing arm installed it between the wheel drive splines and rear drive drive splines. I'm glad I realized what was going on there because it resulted in only half of the wheel splines engaging into the gearbox splines. Crazy, eh??!! Art

WOW, I like it! I put a brand X ($15 ebay) style h4 led in my V11 Lemans last Fall. It fit fine, base was thin metal like the oe h4 and dimensionally (lengthwise) was the same, I encountered no clearance issues. However, after I installed it I realized it looked a little crappy. The light was bright white (nice) but the pilot light was the old incandescent (kinda yellowish) and my lens appeared a little hazy (from age??!!). So, if this Cree brand actually fits/works I think I'd be game to spending the money for one. It would resolve the haze & pilot bulb issue. And, imho, Cree make a quality product, 5 year warranty is nice too. FWIW, Walmart sells Sylvania 194 LED wedge bulbs for about $6. Also, I picked up another 0.2 to 0.3vdc to overall charging system voltage at idle by going to an led headlight bulb. I should probably swap out the S & T bulb with an led too. On another note, I installed a plug & play led sealed beam into my '72 Eldo, has no retro appearance but I can certainly be seen, I'm pleased with it. It was marketed on ebay for Jeeps & motorcycles, $42. Art

Yeah, swing arm spools would be great but don't know if it would be any easier for me than the "factory" style contraption that has me sweating every time I use it. My forks are up into the clamps about 8mm more than stock because of the hbar risers, I wonder if that is why it is a chore lifting up onto the stand??!! To aid in lifting my Lemans (and center stand bikes) I toss a 1"x6" under the rear tire, it helps. Plus the factory style stand allows a greater multitude of rear end tasks to be performed if needed vs. spools...imho Anyway, the headlift thing looks too for tire & fork oil changes. It won't work on '03 lemans, lower fork clamp is covered...some sort of air dam and not easily removable, brake line runs through it. Art

And, then there's the recommended "updates" ...indestructible shift spring, etc.

Chuck, Get well soon! Art

Yeah, I have the same question! Also, the forks on my '03 Lemans are 2xR and starter cover bracket is held on with hose clamps. Art

Hey, @Tom in Virginia, Thanks for posting, I like your bar risers, they look like Convertibars. I presently have DAS Mototec risers on my red '03 Lemans that were installed by the original owner and I'm a little less than comfortable with them. Plus, the Mototecs required raising the forks 15-20mm higher into the clamps and it slightly countered the benefit of installing them. Whereas, the Convertibars mount underneath the top clamp so oem steering geometry can be maintained...imho. I think I could a lot more comfortable with the Convertibars so I was happy to see your post. The Convertibars website has installation instructions for their v11 risers but their sales page doesn't list them so I guess if I want a pair it might require further inquiry. I realize hose, cable & wiring mods or replacement might be required but don't see it as a big problem. Just glad to see those risers on a v11 Lemans before I go further. Art

FWIW..... http://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=131&products_id=4603 Also, checkout Wildguzzi.com Art

Hey Audiomick, FWIW, I spotted this on ebay... https://www.ebay.com/itm/144886423387?fits=Make%3AMoto+Guzzi&hash=item21bbe75f5b:g:0qwAAOSw6q9jtcl8&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAsOFx%2B4i9E9BlpYJjXyybNjHuBZL2%2BNmzpoDr3HR9mICx5YDVyjvkamPG4CYaaGE4%2B3qY36IFis1Zq0E67ij8jFa8%2FpqsB7QgwXIEkuX%2BSVQ0L8c7%2B9cHMhV8s3rfXI2D3WRGrz9BeNT9eMdt9F80bJ1SS01Trku8T%2BlzFGsIh7IRjRBJ%2F%2FI%2Fez4YBCZ9T989cDGWBNr%2B7R4LhmK5MZ%2FTGivt%2B3sFowp2CGd9fGygSTTq|tkp%3ABk9SR7zSlLiwYQ Art PS - I have no conneciion to seller.

Hi Audiomick, Yep, those are H-B's. I know it looks odd but if you think about it, they couldn't go lower otherwise they'd hit the mufflers or further aft because they would hang too far off the back. I don't know how comfy a passenger would be back there but my son in law has had it out with my daughter on the back and didn't register any complaints. I bought the bike in 2014 from a friend of mine who was the original owner. I made the mistake of riding it in 2007 and told my friend if he decides to sell it, let me know. Happy New Year! Art

I use a combination of idiot light and trip odometer to determie my fuel needs & range. I've run out of fuel on my Eldo twice last summer cause I'm an old fool and that bike has neither trip odometer or idiot light and l ran with both fuel taps open versus one open/one closed so I'd have some reserve fuel. Glad you made it to a gas station. Yeah, riding boots ain't made for walking. Art

Same here!!! Northest Ohio, USA

Apparently, you got the fancy upgrade model!

I would take the Advanced Rider Course every 2-3 years when offered by Goldwing Road Riders Association. I found the lead up to training day caused me some anxiety. I would take the course to improve my riding skills and lower my insurance rate but didn't want to drop the bike in front of my peers, get hurt, break expensive plastic that envelops the bike, etc. At the end of the day, about 2hrs of classroom and 6hrs of parking lot, I was cheerfully exhausted. I felt I had improved my riding skills, my poor habits had been pointed out to me as areas that need improvement and mainly, I didn't fall, get hurt, damage the bike, etc. I could hardly wait to send a facsimile of my course completion certificate to my insurer so my rates would be lowered accordingly and the the tremendous savings realized by me by taking the course, this scenario played out about a dozen times over the years. Well, the GWRRA has recently closed it's doors so, I don't know when, where or how I'll go about taking another ARC in the future. And, what will that do to my insurance rate reduction? So, I called my insurer and asked what my rate would be because I don't know if I'll ever be taking an ARC again, my insurer told me to hold on while they look at my policy list of discounts, I replied that if it listed in my policy I'll look it up myself and then I hung up. The policy discount for training is $1.00. Yeah I thought I was saving all sorts of hard earned cash by staying current with training! Oh well, not such a big savings moneywise but all that training probably helped me survive the "mean streets" over the years. Anyway, I advocate taking an ARC if you're able to, I was never successful selling the benefits to my riding buds, they were always too busy, didn't feel they needed it, etc. Art

Fusion breakthrough!

Not my thing but think they coulda left obnoxious looking plate & bracket off for photo shoot, imho. Art

Yeah, I had Craftsman beam types for decades and then gave them away decade ago for click type, it began too get difficult focusing on the reading & too bulky. FWIW, brag, brag, brag, I have a genuine AC Sparkplug ratcheting flex head click type 3/8dr. torque wrench I bought in the '70's for my short stint as an A & P mechanic in general aviation. My other click type ratchet heads are: Proto 1/2"dr.ftlb, Precision Instruments 3/8"dr.ftlb, Snap-on 3/8" dr.inlb. My Precision Instruments TW looks exactly like a Snap On but for a 1/3 to half the price and it is a flex head too. There was a time where I used to think I had the "feel" and most of the time I didn't need the use of a TW, but not anymore since arthritis and other ailments. I see HF is selling some pretty fancy looking TW's, I wonder if they're as accurate as they are good lookin'. Also, at this stage in my life, I don't see myself going for one of those digital jobs either. Art

Hey ScuRoo, on MG Rider! Art

Been using BT Jr's (non-selectable) for over a decade on Yuasa's, Odysseys' & Motobat without problems. Art

Hey Activpop, FWIW, American Motorcycle Tire is showing inventory on 170/60 zr17: https://www.americanmototire.com/bridgestone-battlax-sport-touring-t32-170-60zr-17-72w-rear-motorcycle-12675/ Bridgestone Battlax Sport Touring T32 & GT Michelin Road 6 Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart 4 Conti Road Attack 2 Several Pirelli & Shinkos My '03 Lemans has the 5.5" width rim, 170/60 r17 v-rating rear tire and it is old too. I wonder if there is any difference in price or availability of the V rated versus the Z rated tires. I'm kinda thinking v rated replacement tires will be ok, I don't think my Lemans will do anywhere near 149mph+ but I've been wrong before. Good luck! Art