Greg Bender

Hi Hubert, I agree that the likelihood of these particles getting to the mains or big end bearings is pretty unlikely. At the same time, I'm a bit of a Nervous Nelly about particles getting splashed around onto surfaces where they shouldn't be (cam lobes, cylinder walls, etc). Plus, I don't like them up on top of my cylinder head where the oil return lines from the breather deposit the flecks with enough "force" that some of them stick to the valve cover. Surely some of those flecks get where they shouldn't be. The bottom line, IMHO, is that those particles belong no place inside an engine. Regards, Gregory Bender

Yes, the darker particles is what I was seeing in my Quota's sump/valve covers. I did not see the lighter colored material. Regards, Gregory Bender

Hi cycles4fun, I'm very sorry to hear of your troubles. I loathe the in-frame breathers because they are nearly impossible to thoroughly and adequately clean. My Quota's steel frame (with in-frame breather) worked perfectly. But, I started to notice small flecks in the sump during oil changes and the same small flecks in the valve covers. The flecks were attracted to a magnet. The source? Rust from the inside of the in-frame breather. I tried creating a number of breathers to replace the original, but none of which worked as efficiently as the original in-frame breather. I finally gave up trying to replace the original. I now run clear filters in the breather lines to prevent any of the rust from getting back into the sump. A perfect solution? No. But at least I'm keeping it out of my engine. Regards, Gregory Bender

Hi all, It was recently brought to my attention that I ought to do more "advertising" as not everybody knows about the Moto Guzzi Technical Training Videos I have on my website. So, here is my advertising. Please do not take this as a plea to purchase the videos on CDROM. All of the videos can be downloaded for free. Enjoy! http://thisoldtractor.com/guzzi_training/

Here is a product that may be of use: http://www.eclecticproducts.com/sealall.htm If not a permanent fix, at least something that can be used in an emergency to get you going. Available in a lot of stores (Wal Mart, etc.)

Hi all, Just a quick note to let you know that I've changed the videos a bit and they now function equally well on both the PC and the Mac. Enjoy! http://thisoldtractor.com/guzzi_training/

Right now the downloads are really tailored for the PC...download the full set of files and run the "start.exe" program. This is the way Guzzi produced the videos. Macintosh users will experience problems. In the future, I plan to make the downloads work equally well on both platforms. As Carl has suggested (as well as other posters on other forums), QuickTime Pro is one way that you can overcome the "babel". Thanks for your patience...rest assured that I'm working on it :>

You are most welcome :> I just discovered some challenges with "StuffIt" being able to open self extracting zip files (at least the version I have on my PC won't do it). I'm now switching back to standard "zip" files...which "StuffIt" handles just fine. Thanks for your patience.

For your viewing pleasure...Official Moto Guzzi Technical Training Videos: http://thisoldtractor.com/guzzi_training/ Enjoy!

Hi Bill, Sounds like you already got it taken care of. But, I'll post the Buell info here that I used for my Quota...very close to exact replacement: http://www.thisoldtractor.com/gtbender/quo...al_replacements

Give http://www.sonicsprings.com/catalog/ a try. A few guys have used them for replacement springs for the Quota and they report that Sonic Springs seems very willing to work with low numbers, get you what you want, etc.

Hi Eric, I don't know of a replacement mirror source...but then again, I've got a Quota and not a v11 derivation. Mirrors are mirrors, but the styling is pretty different on the Q. I've seen a lot of variability in HD pricing for the Buell parts...anywhere from 5 - 8 USD. Only 3 bucks difference, but 60% higher one place than another. Not enough for me to fret about when it comes to a complete turn signal :> You might want to stop by your local HD dealer and see if the Buell's have mirrors that you like and if the pricing is good. Personally, I can't believe the turn signals are as cheap as they are. Best of luck!

Here are the Buell lenses that I used on my Quota: http://thisoldtractor.com/gtbender/quota.h...al_replacements

Hi Greg, That IS very good pressure! I'm especially impressed with the idle pressure after your interstate run. On both my Quota (35,000 miles) and my Ambassador (~90,000 miles), I get the following values: Idling cold: 60 PSI Revving cold: can jump to 75 PSI...has really taught me to let things warm up first Idling hot: 10 PSI or thereabouts. This is on a hot day (95*F +) at an interestate exit after I've been running 75-80MPH for 20 miles or more. Running hot: 45 PSI or thereabouts. Again, this is on a hot day, interstate run, etc. Revving hot: the 45 PSI will jump into the mid 50's or higher if I punch the throttle and wind up the revs. Quota uses Mobil 1 15W50 fully synthetic. Ambassador uses Castrol 20W50 Dyno. Neither have oil coolers. I'd be really interested to hear about your idle pressure after an interstate run on a really hot day.