Bruno

Well, it's that time in life when I must part with one of my favored possessions. I am selling my 2002 LeMans on Ebay. I bought it new and have never dropped it. It is champagne color, well serviced and maintained. It has 10,229 miles and I recently completed the oil/filter change as well as changed the front brake pads and bled the lines. It is essentially stock except for the windshield, which is an MRA (www.mra.de) and the mirrors, which I replaced with the Buell version - same thing, longer stem... and cheaper. The original RHS mirror unglued itself from the support inside. Go figure. It can be viewed at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...em=180339482525 Let me know if you have any questions,

Too funny - that's exactly what's happened. I'll have to look at this. And yes, I've had to turn the bars many times to start the engine. Sometimes I would straighten them only to have to turn them back to the left (primarily) so that it would start thereby likely providing enough movement in the connectors. Other times, wiggling the wire at the tie would be the only way, again likely to provide the required movement. Note that I will get the front seal as well. As much as I like working on the bike... time is short.

Great, thanks very much - I'll have to plan this out and do the fix soon as I'm riding the wife's scooter. Interesting about zip ties on this bike, every so often, the engine won't start. Turns out the factory over tightened the tie securing the clutch release sensor wire to the handle bar. Looks like it may have contributed to a partial cut in the wire since is was so tight... might have fatigue it a little while turning the handle bars or something. I have to wiggle it a little to make the contact.

So to recap - I should be OK in keeping the timing cover gasket w/ silicone gasket sealant or using hylomar, but should be sure to change the front crankseal. Is there anyting else I should be aware of that should or could be changed while in this area?

I came back home from work today and got off the bike. I noticed there was a little oil on the back tire, so I looked around and noticed that there was a significant amount of oil on the left hand side of the engine and that it was still leaking. After wiping off the excess, I re-started the engine and found that the oil was streaming out of the joint between the flywheel cover and the case at the location shown in the picture. In fact, it was spraying onto the ground. Does anyone have any idea as to how long it would take to replace the gasket and how much trouble? I see this gasket as costing nothing, but the price might be high considering the location. Any ideas?

OK - I don't post often because there's so much information available so I've been mostly benefiting from the postings. I do thank you all very much. So anyway, here's my small contribution: Obviously, I've been suffering from the loose cluster syndrome. Sometimes the upper portion of the cluster mount would come loose, but more infuriating was when the lower mount would come loose since this half is only bonded to a flat surface. I tried everything to no avail so I finally got tired of it so decided to do something about it. I removed the three mounts and took off the remaining brass portion from the rubber using a utility knife. I then took a nail, heated up with a torch, and by holding the rubber mount with a pair of pliers, and of course holding the nail with pliers as well, melt a hole through the center of the spacer. It’s a bit stinky so make sure you do this part outside. Obtain (3) bolts, approximately 1” long, of the same diameter as the original, with corresponding washers ands self-locking nuts. Install the bolts in the cluster graphite plate and insert the rubber mount on the other side. If you used a nail of a smaller diameter than the bolt, the rubber should retain itself. Re-install the instrument cluster and secure using the washers and nuts. Torque lightly until the nuts are fully engaged. Don’t need more. Works great. I’ve not had a problem since.

Has anybody ever had a little mishap with the kickstand and failing to deploy it completly? I've had a few bikes before and always found that the kickstand is relatively accessible with the left foot immediately behind the foot peg. But the Guzzi is a little different. It's in front of the gear shifter. I usually put the bike in neutral and then reach over to bring the kickstand down. More than once now, I've stuck my foot on the shifter and engage the tranny in first gear. No big deal, it simply kills the engine and then you reach a little farther forward and put the stand down. You feel a little embarassed, chuckle and move on. This time, I'm bringing the bike in the side yard and I was trying to avoid running over my dogs. They're really good dogs and pretty much stay out of the of the way but I was being careful nevertheless. So I reached over with my foot and I guess the stand slipped off my heel, although I didn't realize it. I heard the sound and though that the stand was extended and started to lean the bike on the stand. Like I've said before, I've had a few bikes before and I must admit, in all but one, I always had a little mishap where I would scratch the bike one way or another. This trend broke on the Ducati I had in France. Not a scratch. Maybe I'm a little superstitious, because I usually don't fix the scratch... kinda like a reminder. But this time, it's payback for not having anything on the Ducati. The Guzzi leaned over, and over, and over. I was right beside a stucco wall and I barely caught it in time before the engine was on the floor. But the windshield is toast. It bent the mirror and the little frame holding the fairing. I can bend the frame back. I can probably live with the mirror the way it is. But I do have to replace the windshield. How much do those things cost anyway?

Well adjusting the valves really isn't a big deal, and doesn't sound like the idle would be any trouble either, but how do I set the throttle body sync? Amazing how simply changing the valves clearance, the idle should go up nearly 30%? Any idea why?

I have a little problem. I adjusted the valves last weekend, after torquing the heaqds... this was essentially the first service. I set the valves to .004" and .006" and everything seemed fine, that is until the engine got to operating temperature. Now it simply stalls every time I stop at a traffic light, unless I keep the throttle open a little and slowly reduce it. It idles at around 750 RPM. It will start right away, but if I keep going this way, I'll end up shmokin' the starter. I read some of the previous posts but can't find the ones talkin about this. Obviously, I'm missing something. Should I be adjusting something on the throttle bodies?

So I left the tire pressure as is. I have been riding this way since I got it. That was only 604 miles ago. The bolts are 6 mm (I believe) hex recess heads. There's 14 of them. The size is OK I guess, but the fine threads (in aluminum) are going to get me eventually. Bruno

Hello, I am in the process of doing the first service on my Guzzi. I changed the oil, which I should point out that I had to destroy the oil filter in order to get it off because it was so tight, and checked a few other things when I finally got to the tire pressure. The front checked at 34 psi while the back tire pressure was about 35. I know from past experience that on a car, changing the tire pressure can greatly affect the handling characteristics. I assume that this is similar on a motorcycle. The max pressure, as suggested on the tire for both front an back is 42 psi for the maximum load rating. The question is, does the maximum load rating equate to the best handling capability of the tire? If not, what would be the optimum tire pressure? Understandibly so, everyone has different riding abilities and depending on the requirements, i.e. whether driving in competition, touring, sport riding, etc. one wound expect different pressures. Anybody have any thoughts on the subject? I spent some time searching for information on this site, but did not find any. I also checked the Guzziology book. There's is a lot of information relating to load rating, but I didn't find much in terms of recommended pressures. Maybe that's quite the right book for this type of information. FYI, the tires are the stock Bridgestone 120/70ZR17 Front and 180/55ZR17 Rear PS: Would anybody know the torque values for the oil pan bolts? Thanks very much, Bruno

Hello, I've been reading through the posts and have a few questions. Although I do not have the any of the problems which started this thread, I have found that the engine on my 2002 LeMans quits on occasion when hot. Based on Al's input, I'm wondering if the valves may be set to tight. I've only 470 miles on it and will be doing my own servicing next weekend. This being the case, Al, you mentioned that the clearances should reflect the Raceco specs. Could you, or anyone, post them? I should be asking if doing this is a good idea too! Bruno

Hello, Yes, this is it. This is my first post on this forum. I've recently purchased a new 2002 LeMans (I couldn't pass it up, is was such a good deal) and found the same problem as everyone else. Of course, after reading the various suggestions, I just had to try it myself and, not surprisingly, got similar results as others in that it started nearly right away. It didn't take 5 seconds, but it did turn over for 2 to 3 seconds. BTW, the method I tried was the 1/2 throttle position This is a 300% improvement over the standard (as explained by the dealership Thanks for the information. Great site too! Bruno