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Rusty Bucket

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Everything posted by Rusty Bucket

  1. Your summary seems well thought out, Rob. The Cafe Sport/ Coppa and Ballabio perhaps won't need you to fit different bars, and won't require a lot of fuss/cash if you do. The newer bikes (Breva, Griso) benefit from a better sump design and dual plug heads, and the Norge presumably does what it looks like it would do, which is a whole different vibe from the V11 series. The new bikes don't quite ring my bell like the older ones, but I think the 1100 Sport and Sporti owners would say much the same thing. You'll have to follow your personal tastes, but you seem well up to tracking the variables, so I would be optimistic your choice will be the right one. Absolutely.
  2. Some familiar issues that can come up on both the early and late bikes are tank suck (tipover valve creates a vacuum seal as fuel leaves fuel tank, in severe cases damaging finish), headlight shroud can break off inside reflector and rattle around 'til noticed, scarring reflector, speedo cable breakage (at the tight bend under the throttle linkage). and the oil in the sump can move backwards enough to uncover the pickup, allowing the oil system to starve (run low on oil, ever had the oil pressure warning light come on?) Late V11s can suffer from poor assembly (not much lube used, or none at all, on bearings and splines), fuel tanks that ride on the sidecovers, damaging them, and the crossover on the exhaust system (the one at the front, just behind the front wheel) moves around enough to create a leak. I have an '04, and so far none of the above have troubled me, except for the headlight shroud, which might be due to the very rough roads hereabouts.(Marz suspension on mine) and the tank suck, which was a noticable 'whoosh' when opening filler cap. Sump baffle, inspection and lube, look for a smooth-running speedo (I took a couple of degrees out of mine, at the bend over the tranny, what I felt the throttle would allow, and it has held up so far), and you should be all set.
  3. I have the same bike as you, and, of course, the same signal lights (in the same country, with likley the same, or worse roads). Haven't really had any problems with mine, except when they hit the ground. After my father put a rope across his cabin driveway without mentioning it to me I also needed electrician's tape to hold a front on, but replaced the lenses with the Buell ones. I have to agree that the mounting seems a bit flimsy, but unless the screw-post gets stripped out, they should hold together ok. What part is failing you?
  4. Did you have the throttles open? These results are low for a four-stroke engine at operating temp. Your valve clearances won't make a measurable difference unless the valve isn't seating. The 20% difference side to side is a bit of a worry, but I would re-do the test on open throttles, with a warm engine, fully charged battery (faster cranking means higher readings, an unwelcome variable here) and see how it comes out. A leakdown tester is only slightly harder to use, and provides steadier, less varaible and more specific information, so if you are inclined to add tools, that's a good one.
  5. Very grateful to Dan for posting this; should be helpful for those of us with the 43mm forks. The factory manual has very little on servicing the later forks if they aren't gold. I know I feel much better about my impending fork strip.
  6. Thanks very much! I'm relieved that SOMEBODY's forks appear to be built per my manuals specs. Was it your fork strip I was following before? Further, does this mean that there are 2 different iterations of the 43mm Marz. fork, an earlier ('02) fork retaining the adjustable compression and rebound damping, and a later ('03-04) fork with externally adjustable preload, but only rebound adjustment?
  7. Wouldn't a set screw have to be listed in the parts catalogue? The late supplement service manual I have only covers an Ohlins strip, not, sadly, the Marz 43, but the parts manual claims to cover it, and no screw is shown in that area. I haven't opened my '04 forks yet, but it is on the to-do list for tis winter, so I am watching your progress with interest Your '02 forks are apparently different in one area from the illustration in my service and parts manuals, your spacers are ABOVE the springs, mine are shown under the springs. Someone else had pointed out that the spacers were on the bottom before, I believe he was also working on an '04, though. At any rate, good luck. Since the manual doesn't cover a strip of the later forks, YOU are writing the definitive how to guide.
  8. Agree with this, I love my red sport; but these polished alloy tanks are beautiful, too. Nothing says 'cafe' like a beaten/wheeled plain aluminum tank. Have you seen that ad for, I think, Davida helmets with a model named Katrien astride an alloy tanked Guzzi cafe bike? Extremely agreeable models, both bike and rider. Perhaps someone might post the image...
  9. That looks fantastic; much, much better than it was. If I find myself with the parts to get a decent start at this project, I will certainly take advantage, as the aesthetic payoff looks well worth it, though I guess my lower bars might present more problems with space and angularity. I wish the stock parts looked like this. Thanks for blazing trail on this!
  10. I think Nog hit this one. The 'big' benefits of pure nitrogen may be in the superior compression equipment that YOU the consumer are paying for. Getting the moisture out of compressed air is a problem in high volumes, and that moisture is what is harmful to your rims. You can never get all the air out, or all the moisture, unless the tire was changed/beaded up in a sealed vacuum, but as far as moisture goes, some effort in keeping it to a minimum is well justified. I don't favour nitrogen over dry air, but compression equipment at a tire store is one of the big battles/expenses they fight. The nitrogen equipment has excellent drying capability, and tends to be new (for the time being) and in good repair, as the shop bills directly on the output. If you live in a humid environment, it might be worth it for you. If not, you can save some money.
  11. Thanks for the pics/write-up. I am grateful you have a V11; I had just put my sump back on when I saw your earlier posts on filter 'insurance'. Your logic appeals; I went down to the shop and pulled it back off again and banded the filter. Here's hoping the baffle-plate succeeds in maintaining your pressure even at the lower oil level, surely everyone would be happy with that result, not least of all you.
  12. I hadn't noticed the stems when I took a brief look at a Griso awhile back, good to know the small things are being addressed as well as the large. I have been coveting the angled stems off a Ducati Monster ($30 CDN apiece here) It would be great to be able at get a gas station air hose on the front valve. Yep, sounds the way to go
  13. A 'near collision' (.024-.040") between the piston and the head at TDC cools the piston (by proximity), drives the igniting mixture into a smaller area (hopefully into an area with a centralized ignition source for a faster burn), induces a shockwave that helps keep mixture in suspension and helps eliminate unburned mixture in crevass areas, and will, when everything is correct allow the highest possible static and dynamic compression ratio, which makes for a clean combustion chamber with a high output and excellent fuel efficiency. The downside? Careful assembly and tedious fitting required as 'hopefully close enough' can be worse that not attempting to get things right at all. At some point, your near collision between piston and head becomes a clear miss, and you have added crevass area to the chamber, and provided area where carbon will have an easy time adhereing as we are far from the flame front; the surface runs cold, unburned mixture lurks waiting for a chance to start an abnormal combustion event. See a low compression BMW R-series chamber from the early '80's to see how badly the same basic parts can be arranged. Cold, dirty-running, poor atomization in slow moving ports, low output and weak mileage, and VERY octane sensitive. The substitution of a thicker gasket in a chamber that been optomized for a thinner one could make the engine ping worse, in theory.
  14. Innovate sells a very nice mounting spud and bung kit. I bought an M18 tap and make my own tubes of varying materials and thicknesses, but the bung that comes with the LM1 is a very nice piece and the ones I end up using (lightened M18 oil drain plugs, mostly) suffer by comparison. If I could find a bunch of old used spark plugs of this size, I might try to knock the ceramic out and use those as a basis for a bung.
  15. Glad it went ok for you. It started raining (hard) in Prince George in the wee hours of late Friday/early Saturday, and rained pretty steadily the rest of the day. Sunday wasn't great either. I was wondering if you had come through without a thorough drenching. I guess being from Seattle would indicate a certain resiliance in the face of inclement weather.
  16. You would know your capabilities best; if you can make PG from Seattle in 12hrs, add 1 hour to get to Vanderhoof (that's at the speed limit) and maybe 2 hrs for sundries, and you can still do it all in daylight. I transit PG to Vancouver in about 8 hrs usually, but I am tired at that point. I always wondered about how it would be to have to push on...just not an ironbutter, I guess. Been hot in BC over the last little while, but PG has cooled off to about average, 75° mid-day and low 60's at night. Showers in forecast for weekend, but nothing serious. Jim's advice about fuel and water should be heeded Good weather forecast for Vancouver for the week. The ride after Vanderhoof is nicer than the one before PG scenery-wise, as you get towards the mountains (Houston,Smithers), so if you are pushing on in fading light, you aren't missing much around PG. If you stick with the plan you've made, my opinion is that you have a schedule well matched to the terrain. I hope the roads aren't too crowded.
  17. The two most troublesome spots (in my experience) for cops are Cache Creek, and between Rpince George and Vanderhoof, which you will be travelling at night, so it shouldn't be a problem. Just beyond Hope, there is a bad spot where the road widens and the speed limits fall, but if you go Duffey Lk (Pemberton to Lillooet) both these are by-passed. (That is, Cache Creek and Hope/ Yale) Sadly though, speed traps are common everywhere along the main highways (follow the road-the only road...)as the cops are the enforcement/billing arm of the provincial insurance company. On the bright side, I am unclear on how they would make you pay, as you don't buy your insurance here, and even if you did pay, you wouldn't get the infractions noted in your abstract, would you? Average fines are 125-200 dollars, with the forbearance of the cop on other matters. BC travellers, as noted above, tend to travel in short trains behind people who either know they aren't/don't care if they are going to get a ticket. Seems cowardly, I know, but as long as you are willing to take your turn at the front...I would say that you are fine to 65 miles an hour everywhere, but my brother got one in June between Yale and Hope with the cruise control set right there, so...you will have to speed on the highways, but sometimes you can do this whole run without seeing a cop, others it will seem like nothing but cops,truck and motorhomes. If you are travelling in a group, and get the lights, consider having only the lead guy pull over, the rest continuing on their way some distance to wait. If they pull all over, everyone gets a ticket, that has been my experience. A lot of cops have motorcycles here, 'wings or Harleys, and being older, American, and civil MIGHT save you a ticket, even as a group, but remember, the revenue generation is the goal, and writing the ticket is their part of the circle of life. Maybe the lousy odds they can collect from you might discourage them? No, I guess not, they write the bills, collection is a different division. Your choice of Vanderhoof is fine, nothing very wrong with that place, except it is a long, long way from Seattle. There are also genuinely rural places to stay along this road, places where you park your bike in front of your cabin, and there aren't any durn cityfolk around to mess with it. 30 miles out of Prince George, halfway between PG and Vanderhoof, there is Bednesti Lk. resort, they have fuel, what used to be a decent restaurant, and a pub for the locals/travellers, that place might be worth a look if the hour is getting late and you haven't booked something farther down the road. The highways get quiet at night,(that's why the deer come out) so you can make time. Watch that you don't park your bike under a pine tree in the summer, as that stuff is hard to get off. Most pines you will see will be dead or dying (warm winters have caused Pine Beetle infestations that will eventually kill 'em all) until you get west of Prince George, towards Fraser Lk., but parking lots have 'em.
  18. You would know this already, I'm 99% certain; going north on a weekday, early in the day, even the worst border crossing (the Peacearch on the I5) will be no trouble. Headed north, if you are going past Prince George in one day (480 miles Vancouver to PG, plus Seattle to Vancouver, plus Prince George to ?) I don't know if you have time to do the sea-to-sky highway Vancouver to Squamish/Whistler/Pemberton, as they are working on that road intensively. If they are actually STOPPING traffic, then you're ok, as you can filter to the front of the line in most places, and you will save time overall. That's the way I would go. Pemberton to Lillooet is the best mc road on the mainland of BC, though the pavement is bad by American standards. At least it's all paved now, wasn't that long ago... well, I digress. On a weekday traffic should be light. Slow down before the bridge decks, they are wood, cam be slippery, and are often followed by tight 90° corners. The road north at Lillooet has one kink at an elevated railway crossing, watch for this, it's a tight one. You come out just north of Cache Creek, and you might want to go south for fuel about 10 miles, though the next town to the north, Clinton still has two gas stations (no Chevron, though) and is only 25 miles (all uphill) north. Then it's pretty much like South Park says: "follow the road-the only road-it's straight and wide and up to code". You've been to Prince George before, so you will likely know this. There are some pleasant-enough side trips (Quesnal to Barkerville) but soumds like you will need to move much faster than that. Vancouver to Cache Creek via the highway (Van-Hope-Cache Creek) takes about the same amount of time, but the Fraser and Thompson canyons are not what they once were (curves-wise)and the road is very heavily used by trucks and motorhomes, if you think you can deal with the construction on the Sea-ip-Sky, go that way. (Big saddlebags can be the difference filtering wise, with 'em you sometimes don't have the room that I would want, but then, I'm a pussy.) Devise a way to clean bug guts off your faceshield while you are riding (I use a miniature paint roller refill, works well, though somehow after you run water over it, it smells even worse) or you will need to stop often north of Cache Creek. Moose are less of a problem than regular deer, you will see both, but it's the deer that congregate around the roads in the evenings. The warning signs will tell you the suggested speed (at night), but nobody ever drove as slow as that. Watch for glinting that moves, the darker it is the more there will be. Try and be aware of rivers and lakes, as these are what cause the deer to move back and forth across the road. If you hit a bear, don't be a hero and chase him into the brush to finish him off- like my brother-in-laws friend Stu 'the Bearkiller' Boyce did back in the '80s. (bears built tougher than RZ 350)
  19. Rusty Bucket

    What the...

    Agreed, I have been trying to change it back to red for ten minutes, thinking it was my settings. Just not the same in washed out blue.
  20. Like airplanes? The Tillamook air museum is worth seeing, even if just for the hangar, which was built for dirigibles and is both large and interesting. The Victoria to Port Angeles ferry has ties that hang down from above (a good idea) but you need to have something high and solid to tie to to make the system work well. Coast roads down the Olympic are great, the bridge at Astoria in heavy fog made an impression on me. Took the Rupert Ferry to Hardy, down the island, across to Port Angeles and down the coast with my brother last year. A good ride, even had pretty good weather, and no issues except flats on his Triumph, and having to go and get him gas on three occasions. (more of a problem on the Island)
  21. Yup, that's right, anything manufactured in N. America, like a Vanson jacket (pre Mark 3, anyway) as long as it has a makers tag stating country of origin, is duty-free. (Still taxed, though) There are some other favoured nations for duty, too. Israel is one, can't remember others. Pakistan, Indonesia, China aren't on that list, so most gear is subject to 17% duty. Helmets are safety equipment and are duty-free. Leather clothing isn't. You can get a list of goods and rates on the Government web site under 'Tarriff codes'. Most of the things I have brought across have been taxed and dutied. but sometimes the totals are so low they lose interest and let it go. One important tip, HAVE THE PAPERWORK when you go down to pick something up, the Americans will want to know what you are picking up, and the Canadians will want to know what it cost. Good paperwork makes the border guards jobs easier, and they will be moree pleasant and much faster. Don't rely on the bills being included with the item, fine if it's there, but a problem if it's not. Good Luck!
  22. Recommend 'Ship Happens' 115 First Street, PO Box 1477, Sumas WA 98295.' They just raised their rate per package to 5 cdn or 4 us, they keep it for up to ninety days for that price, they are a UPS store, and they are an easy walk from the border. (Under the big cowboy on the left going south) Been using them for about two years. Generally very happy with them. This border crossing works fine, and most of the guys in Canada Customs seem to have motorcycles, though not Harleys, as you might expect, so they are interested in what you are bringing through (but not in the bad way).
  23. Abbotsford to Sumas is a pretty short trip, you could get whatever you want shipped to Sumas, and then go down and pick it up. I do this all the time, very helpful for eBay purchases; there are businesses there that serve just this purpose for a modest fee. Just don't go on a sunny Friday afternoon, unless you are walking across.
  24. I built my own stand too, after looking at the factory stand I thought I could do one as well, and address the faults I thought it had. I cut two 18mm sockets in half and use them as cushion blocks for the lifting/twisting, then made bolt down cap covers for them on the top of the stand, so they couldn't drop or get prised out. Works well, but would try the patience of a lot of people, as it is a bit longer process locking the lift points on. I made my main crosspiece a bit high, and had to notch it a little to clear the lines at the rear. The wheels I used were metal framed polyurethane bogie wheels from Princess Auto. These are fantastic; they bear the weight well and make moving the bike around silent and very easy. They were $10 apiece. They use a huge 3/4" trunion, though, so if you wanted to use a more modest bolt you'd have to sleeve it up. Princess has lots of other choices, of course, but these ones work great. I wold try and enclose a pic, but I am in Hawaii, and not back in Vancouver until next week. Good luck with the project, I like mine a lot.
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