MartyNZ

Happy New Year to you "north of the equator, east of the date line" folks too! Good job on the paint, Tim! It looks much better than before. Despite your warning not to, I think I'll do the same to my bike next winter. And now is a good time to put level markings on your thermometer dipstick, while you can see it from below, poking down through the plate. That is if you haven't already (I haven't on mine yet). See also this post from Ryland3410. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13096&hl=%2Bdipstick+%2Bmark

Are there any dyno charts that compare this quantitatively on a single bike? It's just that there are so many parameters between two separate bikes' *feel.* Oh yes, on the controlled environment of Coaltrack Road Raceway, Dangerous used a time honored & proven power assessment tool. That was mostly roaring down the road and comparing the result against a calibration chart that read: Yawn, meh, ok, alright, great, awesome, f?#k. Not very accurate, but improves with the retelling. Ah, technically speaking, then: palliative resolution of cognitive dissonance. And don't ignore the performance enhancements gained from washing your bike. However DD may be able to advise you on pallating dissonance. Of course, I shouldn't joke, it is DD's bike that is stuck in a shed. He won't think it is funny at all.

Are there any dyno charts that compare this quantitatively on a single bike? It's just that there are so many parameters between two separate bikes' *feel.* Oh yes, on the controlled environment of Coaltrack Road Raceway, Dangerous used a time honored & proven power assessment tool. That was mostly roaring down the road and comparing the result against a calibration chart that read: Yawn, meh, ok, alright, great, awesome, f?#k. Not very accurate, but improves with the retelling.

There is a lot of misinformation available on oil additives. Some ZDDP in the oil is good, but more is not better. Any good quality oil, changed regularly, along with the filter, will give your engine a long life. Penrite, an Australian oil manufacturer, has a helpful writeup about zinc / ZDDP / dialkyldithiophosphate additive in oil. They begin by saying: "There is a lot of hysteria over zinc levels in oils, especially in the latest specification engine oils. Many of these myths and stories are unfounded. To understand more read the latest up to date information here:" http://www.penriteoil.com.au/tech_pdfs/1Zinc%20Myths%20&%20Legends%20Nov%202014.pdf Unless you have found a source of leaded fuel, then you don't need the high zinc levels in SG oil. Leaded fuel had scavenger chemicals added to clean away lead deposits, but unfortunately also cleaned away the zinc protection, so extra zinc was added. This was 4 decades ago, but fuel has changed now, and the active scavengers are no longer used. You may already suspect that the "flat tappets need SG oil" is built on a myth. Cams and cam followers need lubrication, but not in any different way than overhead cam follower buckets need lubrication. Poor manufacturing, cheap metallurgy & inadequate heat treatment, are usually the cause of cam follower failures, and there is little you can do to overcome that with an oil additive. There are several interesting write-ups on oil in this forum, everyone has a favourite for their bike, but I don't know of any back to back through life comparison of wear rates of different oils. So pick your favorite, remembering that cheap oil needs to be changed more often than the better full synthetic type IV or V oils. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19575&hl=penrite EDIT: Guzziology makes clear statements, and you won't go wrong with Dave Richardson's advice. He says: 1: Use SG rated oil. 2: Synthetic oils are better but not cost effective for frequent oil changes. 3: Any additional additives are bad for your oil performance. Item 1 is not bad advice, but fuels and oils have improved since SG was a current specification.

That front crossover on 03/04 models is supposed to improve mid range power. Do you remember saying that my bike had a more noticeable power band than yours, with the same top end power. Your bike is helped by that front crossover. It is probably worth keeping, especially since your bike now has a combined rear crossover/muffler. You could try making temporary gaskets using wraps of glass fibre cloth interleaved with red RTV. Let me know if you need some glass cloth. To buy new crossover gaskets GU9113230, two places in USA I know of have them. Moto International has them for US $15 each. https://www.motointernational.com/store/product/GU91113230 Harper's has them for US $17 each. https://www.harpermoto.com/front-crossover-gasket-v11-91113230.html

I've recovered bits I lost in long grass by dabbing around desperately with a magnet.

I have an identical injector cleaning kit available for loan to southern hemisphere Guzzi owners. You just need to send it back to me, or let me know who you sent it on to. Scud, the big question: did you compare spray patterns before and after reverse flushing? Those injectors can be difficult to get out, so was it all worth the trouble? I didn't think to check before I back-flushed my injectors, so I don't know. And just to confirm your Guzzi credentials, the hammer is just out of view in that picture, right? You don't want a moderator asking questions.

Yes, I think so. Anything that keeps water out would be helpful. Especially if there is enough around the head to ooze out as you tighten the bolt.I avoid copper anti seize except on exhaust clamps. For general casing bolts I use Parker thread Lube or LPS500. If you must use stainless steel bolts on aluminum castings, the best product is Duralac (in the UK) http://www.intek-uk.com/duralac_compound_dtd-369b.html or Mastinox (in the USA) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mastinox-D40-Yellow-6856K-160mL-MIL-P-8116B-FREE-SHIPPING-/322109920293 . Zinc chromate and strontium chromate are both quite toxic so wash your hands after using it. Also they are both yellow, so you need to wipe off any excess or your engine will look bad.

Stainless steel is corrosion resistant itself, but if two conditions are present, it causes galvanic corrosion on aluminum. These are:1- electrical connection between the two metals (ie bolted together). 2- an electrolyte touching the two metals (ie salty road spray). A grease like vaseline can keep the electrolyte out from between the metals. Stopping the electrical connection in threads is harder. Durable designs usually use cadmium plated steel bolts on aluminum castings to reduce the chance of corrosion. Zinc chromate or zinc rich primer on the SS bolt under the head will help too. Cadmium plating appearance becomes shabby as the plating is used up in sacrificial protection, so SS bolts look like good replacements at first glance, but over time SS attacks instead of protects. The rate of galvanic corrosion depends on how far apart the metals are on the electronegativity scale shown in this link: http://www.ssina.com/corrosion/galvanic.html My valve covers are attached with ss screws, but are assembled with lots of grease.

This is picture of Joe Kenny's "standard with holes" head guard. There are other versions over in that store in Australia. Link below. (Slow website warning). http://www.motociclo.com.au/products/product-type/general-service/general-accessories/crash-barsengine-protect JesterGrin, Good question on the construction and fastening of the head guards. I can think of two possible answers. 1. The Guards are designed to be sacrificial in a slide, protecting the engine. Bending, scraping or snapping a guard absorbs energy that you don't want transferred to the cylinder head. So you want guards to be weaker than adjacent expensive parts. 2. The valve cover screws are all the same length. If you made a guard that needed longer screws, there is a chance that someone may mix the screws; fit a short screw in your guard and a long screw somewhere else. This could mean a leaky valve cover as the short screw strips the top threads, and the long screws bottom on fins without clamping the cover. BTW, I have an old plug & lead tucked away in the monkey paw trap, just in case...

Nice job Neil. As a minor aside, the shop manual warns against leaving the alternator stator off the rotor for too long, as the permanent magnets can weaken.

I see Scud's suggestion of the diamond pattern on the belly fairing. Your painter doesn’t mess around. Looks good!

Don't encourage him! He thinks he's pretty bloody clever, but he owes me a beer for the velocity stacks that I bought off Scud, but somehow became part of DD's bike.

Wait till you hear her start to sing...

Is that because of Meinolf's map on the 15M ECU, or the trumpets and Pod filters, or the cool looking shark gill exhaust weird thing?And what fuel trim did you settle on, or are you still experimenting?

I think black would be best. If it blended in with the engine, then the engine profile would still look great, and wouldn't distract from the accent colours. That gorgeous paint job you did on the valve covers and pork chops, and the sharp wheel rim stripes are both eye catching enough, I think. Too much bling and people might think it's a Harley. How does it run with those filters & trumpets? BTW, is that the 50 in the foreground that bucked you off and gave you gravel rash?

That stuff has a shelf life of about a year, but only weeks if you open it. It cures on exposure to moisture in the air, so lasts longer if you can store it airtight with desiccant, or in the freezer. One shot applicators are a good idea, but I still find myself throwing away three tubes of a five pack just when I want some.

This Eagle badge is listed as GU02517700 "adhesive label" in the parts manual. If your badge is grit blasted into an unrecognizable mess like mine is, you could replace it. Brace yourself for the price though.

What are you planning to strip Docc? If it is your fairing, is it metal or fibreglass? Stripping metal is fine, but some strippers are just as good at eating resin as paint. You should take care stripping any composite fairing. If the stripper attacks resin, you can be left with a spongy mess of bleached fibre matting. Maybe you could test a hidden spot on the fairing. Stripper can damage painted plastic like your fuel tank too. This is just in case you didn’t know. I'd hate to see a Moderator cry.

There is some discussion about fitting round fin covers here: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15406&hl=%20round%20%20fin%20%20valve%20%20cover Now that would be different.

Relax! Scud is just trying to sell you his parts bike.

I agree with Chuck. I asked Micha at Moto International an oil question, and he said to me "Just ride your bike".I took that to mean "it doesn't matter much, just follow your handbook, and stop fussing".

The compound Zinc Chromate is a dirty yellow color, which weathers to brown if exposed to the weather. If it is used in etch primer then it is immediately covered with pigmented paint. ZC etch primer is applied in a very thin layer and is yellowish clear. ZC is a very good component of primer paints but usually has pigments added for UV protection, and to help the painter check coverage. The pigments can be yellow, green, grey, or even red oxide. If you look at pictures of an Airbus in construction before it is painted, you can see the Spanish, British, French, & German parts looking like a patchwork of different shades of yellow and green. Zinc Chromate is poisonous, and has been restricted in EU since 2004ish, and more recently in USA, but is one of the best compounds for protecting against corrosion. I think that you should select the color shade that you want, and use a good automotive paint. Most primers are intended to be overcoated. You can get a phone app that uses your camera to determine the pantone color that may be useful.

following the complete text of the message I send Marty. Does this clarify things? ummm yeah Marty forwarded me that email thanks.Hello DD, did you try Scud's velocity stacks on your bike yet? Maybe we could do some more adjustments on your ECU this weekend? We could try fuel trim at zero.

Good Plan JRD.Can I partner with you? I'll set up a refugee camp on my back lawn for the displaced US citizens. You can send them over to me, but they can only stay till 'Merica is great again. (Not that USA is not already great; that phrase confuses many people in other countries. All USA needs is to get rid of 1 cent coins, and adopt the metric system). Hopefully that will only take a few months. The downside for my dog, is he wouldn't be able to run around the house anymore. He would only be able to ran, 'cause it's past tents.