Dr Gil

After having the paint separate from my fuel tank on my V11 LeMans's plastic fuel tank and replacing it with another used (but not yet gas soaked) tank, I am hoping to use a sealant/liner product in the replacement to avoid future problems. Does anyone have any experience with this process? I have checked into the "Kreem" website and it is recommended for use in used/older tanks but am wondering about the "plastic-ness" of the Guzzi tank and its chemical compatibility with this product. Are there better products for our tank's chemistry? Is there anything specifically available? Does Kreem work for us? As always, all thinking is welcomed.

My problem is solved but I still have no clue about the cause(s). Bill Basset (thank you Bill) here on the forum has a used, champagne tank for sale and I'm purchasing it. First order of business with the new/used tank is to coat the inside with Kreem or some other fuel tank liner in hopes that it prevents future problems.

The champagne colored paint on my '02 LeMans is bubbling and lifting something awful. I was told by my mechanic that it was caused by fuel seeping through the plastic tank and that other bikes (Ducati's) have similar problems. He doubts that it can be stripped and repainted because the tank is now gas soaked and the same problem will quickly reoccur. Has anyone else had this problem with the LeMans tanks? Is there a fix? Replacing the tank with new will be prohibitively expensive and used replacements seem hard to come by.

Apparently gas has seeped through the plastic fuel tank on my '02 LeMans and bubbled the paint something awful. I've been told that new paint will no longer stick on the gas-soaked plastic so I'm looking to replace it. Champagne would be preferred but I realize they may be hard to come by so tanks of any color would be welcome.

I replaced the original Guzzi turn signals with the Buell equivalent after crashing my Le Mans. I can't remember the parts numbers but I just hauled my broken one into the local Harley shop (they're everywhere, damn them) and the parts guy was able to match. I also opted for the smoked lenses. The difference in pricing between OEM Guzzi and the Buells was breathtaking.

Damn, I sure hope you're making enough of them so that I can purchase one too Joe.

I think I've got it guys. I've now had numerous "electrical glitches" happening on the Le Mans. Sudden battery failure (2), failure to start (3) and occasional (reliable) misfires. I recently had the honor of sharing a house with a legendary Moto Guzzi mechanic and 4 other Guzzi owners much more knowledgeable than myself. Of course I put my ongoing problems to them...every single one came up with the same diagnosis...relays. I had just replace my relays 2 years ago but I bought in. I ordered up a new set of GEI's and installed them. I've had no problems on any of these fronts since. I'm not saying that this was the answer or that the problem is solved but will say that I've not had a problem (knock on wood) since replacing them. Be forewarded that all my problems were "intermittent" and that they could raise their ugly heads unexpectedly sometime in the future. Simple, easy, fingers crossed.

Just an update. After having the Le Mans apart for a couple of weeks I finally got it back together today. I installed the all new GEI relays that were recommended to me and fired her up. No immediate problems. I've started it about 10 times with no glitches. I rode it around our bay (20 miles), no problems. Other problems that I have been experiencing (stutter in one cylinder @ constant 4K rpm, sudden electrical loss draining battery leaving me high and dry), gone (at least for now). I'm hoping this one, simple fix may have taken care of all the electronic gremlins I've been experiencing over the last year. On my "concerns" list is that I replaced all my relays less than 2 years ago with the same GEI relays and that one (or more) of them has failed. They're not supposed to do that. I'm still somewhat concerned about the reliability of my bike but will happily proceed with my testing (read as "riding").

Thanks Guys! I had the unique opportunity to spend the last few days staying with Chris Galardi near Daytona Beach for the past few days. One of my "roomies" was Ace Malott the legendary mechanic for Jackson Cycles in Jackson, Missouri. Of course I told him about my recent trials and tribulations. There is little doubt in his mind that my problems (both my current non-starting problem and my recent electrical draining problems) are actually all the same problem and it is the relays. He feels even if the relays are good (recently replaced doesn't mean they are still functioning properly) that when pushing the relay in he has seen time and again where that pushes the wires on the backside away...it's a Guzzi thing. He suggests holding the wires on the backs of the relay in place while re-inserting the relay. Back up thought was that the wire to the regulator is extremely fragile on my bike and if the new relay's/new install technique doesn't work then check out the wire to the regulator. This is both an easy fix and possibly fixes multiple recent problems with the bike. I'm just back from Daytona (WOW!) and won't get to the bike probably for the next couple of days but will keep everyone informed on my progress.

Ah, I see where you're going with that and I agree, I'm pretty sure it's a fuel problem. Thanks to all who've offered help. I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to get back to bike for a few days...I'm off to Daytona to watch the Guzzi's run. I'll sort it out upon return.

That's helpful. It's nice to be able to eliminate some of the possibilities. One question though, what do you mean by "ignition problem?" What sort of things might this encompass?

I'll do that Brent, it's an easy one to try. I did replace all my relay's with "the good ones" just last year...but still.

I don't believe it's related to the sidestand kill switch. The fuel pumps starts up (at is supposed to) when I turn the key...sidestand either up or down. Nice one though...I hadn't even considered that as the potential problem. --------------- I just checked the bike just now and the damn fuel pump is coming on (and sounding right) every time I turn the key (or course it has no fuel in it and I can't tell whether or not the bike would start).

What's with all these non-starting V11's all of a sudden? The problem with my non-starting '02 Le Mans is different than GED01's non-starting Scura. My bike turns over just fine but will not fire. I cranked and cranked her yesterday and it did finally start and then seemed to run fine. I took it about 10 miles down the road, shut it down, ate lunch came back out and it did the same thing. Crank, crank, crank and then finally fires and runs fine. While poking at it back in my garage I just happen to notice that I'm not getting the sound of the electric fuel pump when I turn the key. I turned it on and off several times then finally the fuel pump finally goes on...but it's erratic. After that the bike fired up. This morning I went out to the garage to look into this further and got the same thing. The fuel pump is only firing up once in a while...and the bike won't start at all even when the pump does work and the pump sounds somehow different than it used to (that part may be my imagination). I pulled off the seat, checked the pump fuse, listened to the relays click and then removed the tank. Everything seems fine. So I guess my question is how common is it for the Guzzi fuel pumps to go bad? Is it possible that it's something else? What should I be checking, looking for? All help, suggestions and advice gratefully accepted.

I've thought about that "overheating" quite a bit. I do admit to worrying now about taking the Guzzi into very hot areas where I may be forced to idle the bike for any time. What happened was that it was a very hot day (100+ degrees Fahrenheit), idling and waiting to cross over into the U.S. from Baja. Just after I crossed into Calexico the bike started miss severely. I was traveling at maybe 10 m.p.h. After a final belch it quit altogether. I wheeled over to an empty parking space and tried to restart. It wouldn't. After letting it cool for about 1/2 hr. and pouring bottled water over the heads it fired right up. I had no more problems on that trip but avoided hot areas where I might be caught in traffic. However, in re-thinking the incident I'm not now 100% sure that the bike overheated. I had been running for 2 days on Mexican, "regular" gasoline and had just filled up the bike a few miles earlier. So a fresh tank of "unknown" gas. Could have been dirty, could have had water in it, I don't know for sure. I haven't returned to any hot climates since that happened so I can't really say what really happened or if my concern about hot areas is reasonable. I am encouraged that most Guzzi owners have not had many problems with heat.

A shame, still it's best to know. The search continues for the "perfect" tank bag for my Le Mans. Thanks for the input.

Will the leather "chin pad" on the top of my '02 Le Mans tank interfere with the bag or the installation of the mounting ring?

Darn tootin' frogonwheels...it's time we all started displaying that group solidarity that Guzzista worldwide are known and respected for. Hey, we are family!

Hooray, now we have two members living on the IOM who are obligated to put us up for the TT! Seriously, congrats on the Sport Molly, I'm on my first Guzzi too (3 years now) and love it! Also, I'm seriously jealous of where you and Ballacraine live...perhaps someday I'll retire there (if only I can convince the wife).

I had my '02 Le Mans dyno tuned in Santa Rosa at Moto Meccanica this last spring. Moto Meccanica just installed a new dyno in their shop within the last 1 1/2 years and sent all their guys to Power Commander training back east somewhere. I had installed a PC on my bike about 2 years ago and had never had it dialed in...just went with a generic setting. I've attached the dyno sheets below and as you can see I gained almost 6 HP! It's a noticeable difference. Ack, now that I've posted I can see that the image is a bit tough to make out. The graph on the left is the "before tuning" and the one on the right is "after." I started out with 70.72 h.p. and 57.53 max torque. After tuning I have 76.50 h.p. and 61.58 max torque.

Cliff...I agree there should be heat. Dave...this sort of electrical work is probably beyond me but if I can't sort this out with "easy answers" I may well drag it down to a local electrical shop and put your ammeter idea to them. Phil...I have now tested the battery twice. Once on the bike and once out. We loaded up the battery for the "out of the bike" test. I replaced the battery about 2 months ago with an Odyssey. While testing the battery out of the bike I also tested the old, original MG battery. It was quite weak. Also I have replaced all the relays on the bike within the last year with those made by that fellow in New Zealand. Greg...I don't loose the dash lights when I loose the tach. At one point a few weeks ago, before the bike started dying but after I started loosing the tach on my morning commute I noticed the tach pulsing about 2K in time with my turn indicators. I removed all my accessories yesterday, topped off the battery and covered my commute route (middle of the day, dry) both ways without incident. I then parked it in the driveway, running and using a squirt bottle started soaking different areas of the bike. I used two full bottles of water on it (even under the seat) and could not get the tach to fail. Something my brother-in-law (Dan Kalal) suggested got me thinking. What are the variables between the testing done at the dealership where everything tests ok and my morning commute where the bike dies. The thing I've pinned on is the moisture. Two mechanics now have told me they don't think that would do it. Another thing Daniel suggested might be weight on the seat. My weight might be causing contact or pressure on something to cause it to fail or short. I'm going in and give that a better look today. Both my 12V outlet and my GPS power cord were tied in directly to the battery with their terminals sticking up and excess wiring tucked into (tidy) corners. I'll give them both a closer look and see if I can find any indication that one of them was the culprit. I hope it turns out to be something as simple as this. Fingers crossed.

Lovely pictures/lovely trip! I wish I'd been able to meet up with you guys on your adventure to "my part of the world" but I was just too busy trailering my own Guzzi up and down Hwy 101 to my "local" dealership in Santa Rosa and was preoccupied with electrical problems (still am). Schedule this ride again next year and perhaps we can lure a few more of the Guzzista up and I'll throw in a barbecue at our home here in Eureka. This area truly is motorcycle riding nirvana.

This is the same story that started out with my tachometer quitting intermittently (see the thread HERE). The problem has since worsened. Two weeks ago I trailered my '02 Le Mans down to my "local" dealership 250 miles away. It has left me stranded on the roadside on my morning commute. The battery had drained to the point that I suspect it no longer had the juice to run the fuel injection. The dealership (Moto Meccanica) completely checked the grounds, the charging system, the battery and for any shorts in the wiring. Nothing. Everything was as it should be. The only suggestion they could make was that I was running too many accessories for the bike (it is wired for heated grips, 12V outlet and GPS mount but none have been used for quite some period of time). I trailered the bike back home last weekend, fully charged the battery and rode off to work on Monday morning. It again died 10 miles into the ride (after loosing the tach again). It had a completely dead battery. I took the battery out and had it tested and it is fine...just drained. I am a dunce about electrics. For the life of me I can't imagine what would drain a battery so quickly other than a bad ground. The only difference in when it was tested in sunny, hot Santa Rosa and my morning commute (in the past the tach would quit on my morning commute and then "heal" up during the day and was fine going home) is the weather. The mornings here on the coast are damp and cool. Could something moisture related cause this sort of drain? Today I plan to disconnect all my accessories and take a spray bottle of water to different areas of the bike and see if I can recreate the problem. I'm also thinking of installing a voltmeter (any recommendations?) on it to see if I can get a better information about exactly when this drain is occurring. I'm stumped and without a bike until I get this worked out.