Gmc28

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.

I’ll take any well-deserved abuse for not working hard enough to find an answer within existing threads, but my initial search for “vibration reducing grips” yielded me nothing so far, and I don’t want to crawl through a million threads. So... you have a favorite grip you use to mitigate some of the vibes that come through the handlebars on the v11 (‘02 lemans in my case)? For the short distance I usually ride the v11, I’m fine, but maybe it’s age or maybe it’s in my head, but my hands buzz for a while after riding, and it’s not a pleasant buzz.... And also, I have larger hands, so something thicker would be good, so probably worth killing both birds with one stone. Just looking for recommendations.

But a neat one to have in the garage...

Hmm. FWIW, I would strongly differ with your friend who had the GC and said it was Challenging for maintenance, of course with all my requisite caveats of “with all due respect” and all that.... i’ve had 2 Gran Canyons, one was/is meticulously maintained both before I got it and when I had it (my close friend now owns it after I had it for a number of years and many miles), and the other one I bought in rough shape with a lot of miles. The 1st now has about 30k miles (~50k kilometers), and the second one passed 100k kilometers a couple years ago. Both run excellent with little effort or headaches, and other than the one time I tore them down for a good going-through early on, both have proven very reliable and easy to work on. we’re on a v11 forum here, so i’ll Refrain from an overly long post here regarding the GC (or did I already cross that line 😳) but all I can think is that maybe your friend was referring to tank removal with the swollen tanks they mostly all have from ethanol, and access to the rear cylinder for valve check/adjust. Both of those things are quite reasonably mitigated imho. And then there’s the typical Italian “gift” of the crappy charging system, which is also easily mitigated with a one time fix (remove the lousy and multiple connectors and replace with a clean run of quality wire to the VR). And, I have yet to need to adjust a 904 or 916 duc Desmo valve more than once. Some owners have had to, but after that initial adjustment mine have all always stayed within spec up through about the 50k mile interval. I’m just a true fan of that whole setup, from 15+yrs of putting miles on 2 different GC’s, both of which are still near to me and in my garage now and then (my son has one, and my good friend has the other). I am guilty of evangelizing too much regarding the Gran Canyon. I laugh at myself for that, but I am fond of them! What else can you buy that does so much, so nicely, at that price, while holding value, and having just enough of a dose of unique-ness. Ok, i need to get off my stump :->. Just stay Italian!

Well, I can’t help but put in a plug for your original plan.... gran canyon and ST2 options can’t be beat. Obviously 100% subjective, but in the spirit of this thread I’ll chip that in. My favorite motor of all time is that 2v duc. Well, ok, it’s tied with the 4v 916.... slightly prefer the 4v in some ways, but ultimately when hair splitting I gotta take the simpler and reliable 2v over all others. Sounds like u think similarly. Sounds great with right exhaust, torquey with the smaller valves on the gran canyon (more powerful feeling than it’s specs would imply), and for the most part simple to work on. But don’t pigeon hole the GC into the adv category.... most owners I know use them as long distance touring machines, including LT in Florida (one of the duc gurus), and they don’t bother with the adv tires and all that. At 6’3” it’s just a smidge small for me to be an ideal fit for long haul, but not bad. As a fellow Northwest’r, it’s great to hit the super slab (26, 84, I-5) in decent comfort, then hit the twisties in the cascades or coast range, then peel off the tarmac onto some of the great forest service roads, and enjoy all those riding types without wishing for a different bike. It’s truly a street bike in my opinion, but handles the non technical off-tarmac with great ease and comfort. Just add the engine guards and bark busters as insurance to protect the un-obtanium body parts. I’ve had my GC down once on its side (in the Yukon) and it was unscathed. Like any bike, it has a few gotchas, but they are easily addressed proactively without great cost or effort. And it does give up a bit on pure Adrenalin throttle use as compared to a properly tuned Lemans, but it’s more flick-able and handles beautifully to where I’d say it ultimately holds its own against most machines in the twisties. Part of that is the contrarian part of the brain.... I came off an ST4 assuming the GC would be a big step down in handling, so that was my mindset, but I very much changed my mind after riding the GC for a bit and getting comfortable with it. But of course no one has suggested the best option: buy both! [emoji41]