po18guy

I know I will come across as pedantic here, but please bear with me. Friction dampers are similar to the ancient friction shocks we see on early 20th century cars and mid-century bikes. 'Steering brakes', if you will. But they have no brain, no valving. Actually, to some extent I imagine that they work the opposite of what is intended. Max friction in such dampers occurs at zero steering speed - forks straight ahead. It takes some effort to overcome that static friction, which to some degree is good. However, once the initial resistance is broken, it cannot resist movement to the degree that it did, as the force of a tank slapper can break that friction and keep the damper moving until the fork stops are hit. Then, it simply repeats in the other direction. What they resist best is the initial rapid deviation of steering angle that is associated with wobbles. But what after the forks are swinging? Sliding or rotating objects are much easier to slide or rotate once the initial static friction is broken. Sliding a sofa to a new spot in the living room is a practical example. Tough to start it sliding, but much easier to keep it sliding. This is the beauty of hydraulic dampers. Their brain is crude, but they are be set to provide progressive damping of steering oscillations, which is a very good thing when at high speed. They provide low oscillation damping at low steering velocity (not to be confused with vehicle velocity) and high resistance to high velocity steering inputs from either rider or tire - it goes both ways. I have a 1966 Yamaha that has a friction steering damper. It mostly just makes the bike ungainly at low speeds, when rapid steering input helps maintain balance. Road racing bikes make good use of dampers but trials bikes, on the other hand, rely on quick and undamped steering movements so as to retain balance and negotiate seemingly impossible terrain. Something like that.

Properly adjusted, it should have little to no effect discernable by the rider. It is intended to offer minimal resistance to normal velocity steering inputs, but resist those which are too rapid and not seen in normal riding, i.e. wobbles. Consider a bucket of putty or any thick, but fluid substance. You can slowly move your fist through it from top to bottom. But try to punch through it and it becomes almost solid - fluid dynamics at work. And just so the damper resists rapid, potentially dangerous oscillations in steering input.

Brake before the corner, then corner on the power and notice the difference. Shafties like to be cornered on the gas.

It will be fairly soon that I need tires. Will have to watch the Road 5. The 170 vs. 180 rear has some substance to it. Undecided at this point, but the Road 3s do not seem an ideal match with the long frame geometry.

I had no idea when I signed up that I would be conversing in such rarified air.

Maybe bragging rights under a transparent timing cover...

How's that 939? That was one of the bikes I went and sat on. It fit me well, and I can say that about precious few bikes. Shortly after the bike's intro, financial woes, lawyers guns and money swooped in and closed both local Duc shops, chaining the door shut. Bummer for those having their bikes serviced that day.

For major work, I think a block and tackle, chain hoist or ceiling crane to lift the motorcycle, then a heavy duty transmission jack beneath to lower the engine.

My bike came with an aftermarket centerstand. Well made but poorly engineered. The pivot point is about 2-3 inches too low and you pull the behemoth up more than you do back for the first several inches. My chiropractor can explain... Anyway, I roll the back tire onto a 2 by 4 laid flat and that allows the stand to swing down enough that a mere mortality can lift it.

All I know is that "never the 'twain shall meet'

This explains the LeMans-Airhead dichotomy.

As regards the bike at hand - it is a parts bike. If it was an "S", had the limited production Krauser 4-valve heads, and a Reg Pridmore heritage, OK. A garden variety /6...not so much. "Used" bikes that are incomplete but "ran when parked" are often either 1) stripped as they barely ran even decades ago or 2) stripped by the thieves after they thrashed and crashed the whole mess.

If you are: 1. Older, 2. Skinny, 3. Have long stringy gray hair, 4. A matching wispy beard, 5. Wear small wire-rimmed glasses, 6. Wear waxed cotton/ancient full leathers, 7. A pudding bowl helmet and goggles, ...it might be just the bike for you.

And to think that the springs were given so little thought back in Mandello. But - that's exactly why we are having this talk! The one thing they should have copied from Ducati is a desmo shift mechanism.

The aging human organism is not the only thing that doesn't work like it used to.

Pretty easy to make something that goes after only the soft targets. So, Stoddard solvent and a parts brush?

buy quick before Mopar fires the seller for lunchboxing those relays!

There may be hope. From the listing, which is a little confusing, but he is selling lots of 5 for some reason (heh heh...)

I have learned that a full turn is a good basic setting. Works fine in my case - but the ECU has an unreadable sticker over the OEM label, so was probably re-flashed, but how or by whom I cannot say.

More like a ducktail, was it not? The 1972 H-2 750 may have been the first, styled after road race bikes of the day.

The sad question is whether a Chrysler part will make a Guzzi more reliable... EDIT: OK, look at this: Omron-labelled relays from China marked "MADE IN USA" eBay item 123718429330 Therefore, disregard the above.

It seems that Mopar uses these in a lot of Jeeps and some of their cars. Omron? Made in USA? 5 for less than $30? Hard to believe. High Current Relays

You are setting idle with the left TB stop screw? Brainstorming here.

Which raises the point that the bypass are for idle! (or is that tick-over?). Before disturbing the injectors, you "could" try a good clean of the bypass needles and seats (throttle body or carb cleaner, and Q-tips up the passage to clean the seats. Set them to 1 turn and see what happens. Easy enough to undo. EDIT: OK, 1:1,000,000, but could there be a blockage between filter and throttle body? Could the TB shaft bush be worn out of spec? Do yours have the vacuum hoses leading from the intake rubbers inward? All are "potential" sources, even if odd. Could pull those vacuum hoses and put a cap on the intake rubber spigot, or simply hold your finger over it.

I know that's supposedly a good map, but to eliminate the air bleeds?