Gmc28

Touche. that's the thing with these. The one i bought from my friend he now would like to have back (so i'm buying another). But they hold value well at this point (loaded statement), so keeping them around isn't such a bad thing, unlike a new bike that if it sits in the garage is costing money in depreciation.

Interesting. So sounds like something i'd especially like to look at more for the bikes that i put a lot more miles on away from home area, and that i ride outside of cell phone coverage.

wow. i'm not a "signer-upper" usually, but docc's suggestion of the AMA seems like a good way to go, despite me chucking their constant junk-mail to me... For comparison, AAA has the add-on option for family, so i could mooch off my wife's membership and pay less to joing, but then you need to upgrade to the higher level of service for it to cover bikes ($135?/yr?). ok, data point. But since i've never had to get trucked out of a bad spot to this point in my life, thats many decades of service i would have paid for, so therefore many thousands i would have spent in dues. So touche.... i gambled and have "won" so far to this point in life, since now i could pay cash for a tow and still come out way ahead. But the AMA deal... $49 and includes the 35 mile roadside towing/assistance, including canada and alaska. Not going to usually find that 35 miles will help much in Alaska, but still not a bad start. My old KTM up there is not the machine that i have the most faith in, and it doesn't get as much attention from me because it doesn't live in my shop each winter for some annual coddling, although i love it, .... so a tow option is a mildly comforting notion for the beast up north every year. Then, I'm usually on a bit of time schedule when i'm on my longer road trips and away from work/family, so its also comforting to know that if i can't fix something efficiently, then i could tow to a nearby town and shop, and airline home for work, then sort out things from there. Never has happened yet, and not planning on it, but again, mildly comforting. But then the AMA deal includes RV's and trailers? Crazy. The RV option from AAA as i recall is considerably more than the standard AAA deal, so seems like helluva deal from AMA. probably some catches in the fine print, but if the price is that low for something i hope to never use, then its a win.

good question. in "middle aged" aircraft (80's & 90's) i can think of a couple setups where a thermal CB will trip, and a warning light illuminates, and you either see it or a checklist directs you to look for it, and it can reset itself with time (which i assume is usually cooling), or you manually reset it once its cool enough, which in that case is more or less like a standard CB, but still physically a little different. Of course my 1938 T-craft did not have that kind of equipment :->, but the later jets do. Maybe these automotive cb's give an indication... that would be interesting. Mikko presumably knows ?

aviation also uses the auto reset CB's for some things, especially on the larger circuits.... they just cool off, and/or if the fault goes away they "can" reset.

AMA web site is down. i'll check it out. if its that cheap, could be slick. I've always tossed their membership marketing mail, as its just more stuff i don't need and another little recurring bill, but for that cheap if it includes towing, not too bad. Isn't that large 30A under the seat the maxi fuse size? i've got the gold Lemans out in the shop, so i can go pull the seat up and look, but easier to just ask here from the desk at work... Mikko - i've not done the circuit breaker conversion. i've always been a believer in the notion that finding the "smoking gun" with a maintenance issue is a good thing, as at least then i know what to fix, and a burnt fuse helps add clarity perhaps to the troubleshooting issue. true that if the headlight (for instance) stops working, then theres not a lot of confusion over which circuit is problematic, but with some issues the burnt fuse can be a "stake in the sand" to help narrow down an issue, at least a little. Have you had good success with the circuit breakers?

Tulsa to Dallas, then to Durango, then hopefully home (oregon) via whichever route fate (weather) would favor... and there are several very good routes. google maps says Dallas to portland is around 2000, plus the other legs and side routes.

Thx all. docc - can u confirm if the 30a though, in its current stock form, is the typical automotive style? To get her home, i’d Just like to have a spare for the trip. Dave - good point on the stock tool kit... i always forget about that. I have a tool kit for each bike, based on how and where i use the bike. For my Alaska bike, its got a large-ish, well thought out tool kit, whereas for my street machines here at home its usually some spare odds and ends (fuses, relays, zip ties), a tool or two, and a credit card. But this bike is low miles (good), but by definition has been mostly sitting for 17yrs, and its not had a chance to sit in my shop to get looked over yet, so i’m Doing a little more doomsday prep’ing for this 2300+ mile run. Though i very well may just leave it at my brothers place in Durango, if i get there and decide that there’s not enough massage therapists and decent hooch to get me the rest of the way home. Went out to the shop tonight and grabbed my back country tool kit, and just pulled out select items, and placed them in a much smaller little case (an old Aerostitch canvas zip bag of some sort i had laying around). Its a “celebrity lineup” of the faves from that larger bag, minus the chain tool stuff and larger wrenches, which ends up also representing a decent cross section of what Docc shows in his serious equippage/setup. I don’t plan to do any big maintenance, but will be on some back roads where i’d Rather not have to try and call for help, so electrical stuff will be the main concern, after a basic tire plug and fill kit. pressureangle - i may actually consider upgrading my wife’s AAA subscription.... i’ve Never had it, but via a promotion they offer she can add someone in same household for free (1st year), then the next level up from basic it says includes motorcycle coverage. Hmm. Its a thought.

roger roger.... how about the 30a maxi fuse... that just the typical automotive version? I see that my long owned but seldom used Cortech soft saddlebags fit nearly perfect on the Lemans. Just will get some protective stuff for the paint so it doesn't get messed up. Now just need verify that my little "go cruise" throttle lock will work. no reason it wouldn't, as its pretty much universal, but gonna check that key element. No way i can hang on to that throttle very long with that stretch, with my jacked-up shoulder, so that's the lynch-pin "tool" for this trip. sure has been nice doing the longer trips on the Duc with the cruise control... something i used to scoff at!

i just ordered from onlinemicro. so far so good. says UPS ground will ship out today for $8, in US.

very good.... make for some good lunch reading! PO says he replaced them with Bosch relays, but i'll look to see if there's one or two in particular which are more problematic, and will grab a spare or two.

Looks like i'll be heading out to bring home this next Lemans later this month. Done plenty of these longer road trips, and much longer, but never on a Goose, and especially not on a goose that i haven't had in my shop first to go through. The seller has replaced all the relays, and a few other good but important details like that, and its got fresh tires, etc. But i'll be needing to travel very light, so looking at building my smallest possible but decent travel tool kit. Most of it is straightforward enough, but any suggestions that are Guzzi specific from this hoard of experienced owners and road-trippers? already planning to bring a jack hammer, backhoe, and tig welder (:->), but what else in the way of James Bond like stealthy and light but functional stuff is suggested?

I keep a stack of sticky notes in my tool kit. Good for fixing flat tires as well.... "please re-inflate".

well then that settles it.... i'm painting my Lemans frame red, so it'll go faster! can i just use touch up paint, or maybe some nice, hot, red lipstick? :->

Putting this into the category of “i don’t really care”, because i like the way the bike rides regardless, but the talk of the quicker handling of the red vs black frame..... seems like just the wheel size would more than explain all of that. The 3/4” of extra frame length of course should be a factor too technically, but i’m Assuming wheel size much more so. its been alluded to here, but seems like the frame length element rises to the top of the handling differences discussion still?. Even with the same wheel, and the same tire size, just changing brands/styles of tires can yield a big change. I went from a worn pirelli diablo to a new Shinko 705 on a Ducati, both same advertised size, but the Shinko was much more rounded in shape, and the change was freakishly apparent. In that case i assume it was the front tire causing most of the change, but not sure because i changed front and back. On another bike i just changed the rear tire to a slightly smaller size (i think i went with a 160 instead of a 170, cuz I happened to have it on the shelf), and with only that rear tire change the bike handled very different. But a change in tire size, and then also a change wheel size, like with the 4.5 to the 5.5, and you’re going to realize some real handling (turn-in, etc) changes. The “hot rod” larger rear wheel/tire is just going to give that bit more ponderous handling (which is what i have with the Lemans). I’ve got bikes with longer wheelbases but which handler quicker/lighter. Not a bad thing, just a thing.

Umm, I bought another one. The good friend who sold me his champagne lemans, dropped a few hints that he thought he may want it back. That was sort of our deal, where he got my beloved cagiva Gran Canyon and I got his beloved V11. But swapping back someday was a protected option. I’m always looking at what’s out there for sale, being a typical Motörhead, and found a nice looking V11 in OK (from David, who I think is on this forum). Has the dropped foot pegs, which intrigues me, and some of the other common-good mods, but I’ll likely pick up a mistral crossover, and a couple other odds and ends this winter for it. First, a long ride back from OK to OR to be figured... My buddy who’s getting his champagne lemans back from me has volunteered for some or all of the ride. I love a good buy-and-ride, but the V11 is slightly tortuous for my 6’3”+ frame (and a messed up shoulder, etc), so am spooked by the thought of 30+ hrs of riding it. We’ll see how it plays out. I’ve done that ride, more or less, a few times over the years, and have always had a great time, just barely beating the jaws of mother nature’s season change in October (week before was 70’s, in the 50-60’s for me, then rain and cold the week after I went through). Will see how this goes.

I think i’ll need to keep that quote... “assimilate the heathens..”. Love it! but I also don’t use a horn. I inherited a Denali (?) aftermarket unit on another bike, and it’s loud. About pissed myself when I tried it. I find that when I alarm a cager (like with a horn) they get unpredictable, and that’s one of the things that I fear most on the road.... unpredictability. Like the “fast and furious” fanboys who change lanes like they’re riding with Vin Diesel. That’s where I would use a rocket launcher, and skip the horn.

I ride the V11 way too fast. The HP number means little to me. It has not much more than half the HP as my latest generation multi, but I ride the v11 like a punk kid.... it just loves that “power band” where it goes like a scalded monkey, so I end up racing around like Vale. Bad behavior, but delicious.

Hey, it’s been entertaining! does sound preposterous to me to convert to carbs, but I love the curiosity of it all.... just on someone else’s bike. and the desire for improved wiring is a natural one, and shared by most of us with Italian bikes of all kinds.

Must be some kind of speed mod.... mini vortex generators.[emoji41]

Drop 25 lbs by converting to carbs? Sounds all kinds of whacky.

Correct... holes in the fairing.

Those of you who have bar end mirrors on your Lemans (if there are any of you), what is done with the existing mirror mounts? Am assuming bar end mirrors are only really for sports and bikes without the fairing?

Now we’re talkin’.... also looking for some kryptonite, but having a tough time sourcing it.

Bar end weights are the throttlemeister units on mine. No bar end mirrors at this point. Certainly open to that, but would have to look at how to cover up where the stock mirrors mount.... i’ll Look closer at pics and see what others have done. My grips are good, but very thin. Bought the bike from my good friend, and he liked these, but I’m used to a thicker grip, and could also use some vibe cancelling wherever I can get it.