po18guy

Funny, isn't it, that methylene chloride is used to decaffeinate coffee beans and tea leaves? I have a quart can, but no idea if I will be able to replace it. I do use a respirator and nitrile gloves with it nowadays. Usually, that is. The new paint strippers? I use the orange oil based stuff, as it has that lovely citrus scent as it does nothing to the paint.

Well, we'll find out! It looks like the Michelins currently on it were a 'wheels off-wheels on' event, with nary a look at the fasteners, axle, etc. Well, the next bloke who turns the bolts and pulls the axle will not need leverage or a dead blow hammer. Who knows, I might even have done myself a favor. Interesting that the bearings in the rear axle are Polish. The Italian bearing makers must have been on strike that week. As to the mercury manometer (what a name!) I see that Motion Pro has done pretty much the same thing with their current unit, albeit at a substantial price premium.

Being somewhat of a bush mechanic, I've had to improvise many of my tools. Upon awakening Big Red from slumber with a new battery, I know that I had to set the TPS, bleed the clutch and other small (i.e. BIG) tasks. So, I bought a bleeder banjo bolt a few years ago for my Kaw. But they sent the M10X1.0 for Euro bikes. They replaced it with the M10X1.25 for the 500, but let me keep the other (which fit a Guzzi that I did not yet have, wink wink). So, time to break that out and place it at the high point in the clutch hydraulic system. Topped with a vinyl cap and we're (almost) ready to roll. I had already posted the TPS breakout harness/VOM adapter. But I had a Motion Pro mercury carb balancer that was still in the box. They are nice tools, but rather fragile things - I broke one of the glass tubes years ago on another unit. What to do? I glancing around, I spied the package that a 20" wiper blade had arrived in. Hmmm...clear plastic, and seems to be the right size and shape. Well, whattaya know? Perfect fit and the hangtag on top of the package is ready-made to hang overhead or drape off the side of the bike. The cushioning aspect works, as fumblefingers me already dropped it. So, after pulling the mufflers and rear wheel so that I could hope to access the clutch slave bleeder nipple, That bit is now officially done. TPS set, a throttle body balance is next up. Oh, as it turns out, a lot of dry or even rusty bits associated with the rear axle, spacers and caliper mount are now well greased with high-temp synthetic grease. Since all of that did not kill me, I am apparently now stronger(?) and potentially ready for some so-far unannounced warm weather sojourn.

Thank you. If anything, the Guzzi has maxed out valve sizes, as proportionately they are a larger percentage of the chamber than the vaunted hemi of lore.

The V11 combustion chamber and piston are very similar to the 1964 Chrysler 426 Hemi. Advantage to the car engine for liquid cooling. Disadvantage for iron which tends to hold hot spots more than aluminum. At Guzzi's claim of 91 BHP, size-for-size, it would make 600 BHP in 7.0 litres, whereas Chrylser's 426 made a 'claimed' 425 gross HP. Some sources claimed that it made more like 550 BHP, but those were claims only.

I would shoot him an email and see what he thinks - since he does not repair them for free. Say, do we have pics of your Coppa?

My 1966 305cc YM1 has a crossover hose connecting the tank "halves." Oh, those inscrutable Japanese!

Well that makes two Ballabios in King County and another in Vancouver. Got confused as Phillarsen has a Ballabio up in B.C.

Oh, B.C.'s weather is not that nice... Wait! I thought Bbennett was in Vancouver...???

There was a class action law suit against Honda for the filter orientation on Elements and CRVs. You can barely see the filter boss from undeerneath and some filter gaskets were sticking during changes. Oil squirted around the double gaskets and onto the adjacent exhaust header and many vehicles burnt to the ground. All because the quick lube dude (or SAE-certified Honda tech) did not check to see if the gasket came out with the filter.

Fair enough. 122 rear wheel is not likely at all - or the motor was tuned to the edge thus making it a grenade. And, since the term bragadoccio is Italian, one can figure that it was at the crank, on a cool day, with avgas, on a slightly out of certification dyno and with refreshments from nearby Peroni. Never seen a dyno run of an MGS. For comparison (the same caveats apply) the 1187 liquid cooled Morini is rated at 140HP in street form. Can either figure be true? Or just true conjecture.

Oh, probably the way my brain is (mis)wired, among other things. Bear in mind that in high school I drew an engine with solenoid valves and another solenoid-valve engine with no crankshaft. - never mind that one. Too many ideas, too little time and money. Were I born Malcolm Forbes, I might have acted on some of those ideas, but the down side is that I would also be dead now. I'm close enough as is. Primarily, I was musing, which seems to be my occupation of late. As to the HP, anything is possible and many figures have been claimed. Air cooling was limiting on compression, but 100HP/Liter is not an outrageous claim. The valve train is curious to my eyes. I know that it works and it is all academic now, but I wonder if they considered stealing Honda's CX idea which was more compact and allowed revs to nearly 10K. Or a raised gear-drive cam in the V or side-by-side raised cams with shorter pushrods. Without rotating the heads as Honda did, or going 90º with intakes up as some others have done, it was probably the best they could do with rather few Lira. Primarily, I'm miffed that Morinis are not sold stateside. Now there's one that needs very little work at all.

1. 122HP is certainly possible in race form. 2. 110 HP maybe in street guise. 3. Still no idea why an 8000 RPM engine needs such an incredibly complex and clearly added-on valve train. All of that monkey motion and they could have stuck with pushrods (which they still have!) operating those 8 valves. The 8V small block was a disaster, but that seems not to be the case with the long rockers on the MGS-01.

No go in Washington State. 30 years minimum. They want that additional 15 years' licensing income. And you thought the BC government was money-hungry! Kinda nice to know I have one of 223. Wonder how many made it to the US.

One in a similar state had migrated to Seattle, WA. As of last year, it was advertised for $55,000. I see that they still have it and have deeply discounted it to 50K asking. It has apparently been serviced and ridden a short distance. https://seattleusedbikes.com/motorcycle/2004-moto-guzzi-mgs-01-corsa

Any good independent shop should be willing and able to handle all of it, but they may freak when they see the filter in the sump. Fluids? Maybe a Duc shop might risk it, as they do Brembo hydraulics. As to tires, Cycle Gear will do the tires if you buy them there. Arizona Mesa(480) 969-5555 Peoria(602) 313-6371 Phoenix(602) 971-1630 Surprise(623) 474-3335 Tucson(520) 882-8111

Pirelli 45.5% owned by ChemChina. Bias ply Sport Demons are made in Brazil. The others...???

Michelin Pilot Road 3s came with big red. I get the feeling that the tire profile is not that well suited to the bike. It definitely corners better on the gas than neutral or overrun. Might be the tires, the Guzzi or the 180>170 thing. I see folks raving about the Conti Road Attack 3. Certainly not an inexpensive tire, but what price confidence?

It appears to be a little-known factory special: the Bella Russa.

Worked on the Boeing YC-14 prototype tooling. It had to make (2) parts. For some of the autoclaved tooling, quick repairs were made with bondo and lamp black to match the black epoxy of the tooling. Can only imagine what McDonnell-Douglas did on their YC-15.

If the rod ends are sunk in holes (like the mount holes) and welded, it should be OK. I'm trying to adapt the springworks from an Italian switchblade to the sidestand so I can have push button deployment.

Water? It could well have been intended for use as a beer pump. As to Hondas, here is the nicest CX cafe I have seen. 53 Motorcycles in the UK.

Listening to this now. A little known (EDIT) Edinburgh group. Epic sound.

I was thinking "eventful"

Ever raided by Garland Bunting? He was a 'Revenuer', busting up stills in the backwoods. According to Mr. Bunting, you did not want to get caught alone near a still, because if you did, the owners would ensure that "You might get better, but you'll never be well." .