Garsdad

Noise is increased with a lower idle- perhaps your mechanic dropped your idle speed a bit?

Hey! No more trashy Tenni pics!

If you move the pick-up back, then every time you nail the brakes it would suck air, and let's face it- these things will brake a lot harder than they will accelerate. I have never seen the light flicker on my Tenni, but then again I took it easy on her after reading of the problem here until I had my Roper plate installed. It's cheaper than a set of bearings, and easier to install. Garsdad

Wear on cam=opens. Wear on seat=closes. See which way yours goes, and plan repairs accordingly.

Welcome! There can't be too many Guzzis in China. I think you will find us an OK lot, although once in a while we get cranky about oil and tires. Look forward to some ride reports out of your country, but you must remember to go heavy on the pictures for those of us who will only see China via the Olympic Games broadcast this summer.

Remove the battery cables and clean them. Shiny lead conducts, but once it gets a patina of oxidation on it it may not. Make sure when you are checking voltage you are checking on the wires, not the terminals. You won't get a good reading of what your alternator is putting out if the output can't get to your meter! It would also be good to put your battery on a charger and get it fully charged. Unless your daily commute involves a lot of highway, where you can keep the revs up for more than a couple of minutes, your system will have a hard time running the bike and charging a seriously discharged battery, too. Garsdad

or blown the TB out of the boot.

I bought mine in California and rode it home to Portland, Oregon. Great way to get to know your Guzzi. On a sporting machine, you will be more comfortable at speed if you lean forward just enough so you "float" on the wind blast hitting your chest and shoulders. On the Tenni, I will sit more upright and taller on the highway so more wind hits me and supports my weight, allowing my hands to just hold the bars without supporting my body. There should be a balance point you can find by leaning forward and back until your arms feel little pressure. I was told this 25 years ago when I bought my first Interceptor. The faster you go, the farther forward you lean or the lower you sit (slouch a bit, but don't tell your grandmother!). Also, if your jacket puts pressure on your elbow, that can cause numbness in your hand and wrist as well. Welcome to the madness. Garsdad

Very nice. I hope to someday visit Italy and see the beauty for myself.

In twenty-six years, I have never ridden off with the stand down. It is just part of what I do- grab the front brake, pick the bike up off the stand, retract stand. That said, there is always a first time, and I am now probably cursed!

Mine had a ping problem since I got her. I re-set the TPS, balanced the TBs and it still pinged. I took it to the dealer, and it still pinged. I rode around it. This year, I set up my TPS and balanced my TB's again, and she pings so much less. I get a little pinging if I am aggressive with the throttle off the line, but I can run WOT to red line and not have a single ping from 4500rpm on up. Last year, she would ping when I blipped the throttle for a down-shift! The biggest difference in my set-up was raising the idle to an indicated 1250rpm and setting the TPS back to 525mv at the elevated idle setting. It idles smoother up there, shakes less, and the clutch plate doesn't rattle on the splines nearly as much as it used to. Make sure the boots are good, and the manifold is bolted securely to the head. Set your valves and set up your TBs and TPS. It made a world of difference for me. Of course, it is still cold here- I may have a bigger issue in the summer when it warms up. Garsdad

I started riding when I was 18 (I am now 44) with an old Kawasaki triple 2-stroke. Loved that bike, one of two I regret selling, although at the time I couldn't wait to get a new one. I traded it in on a 1983 Honda Interceptor, and rode the crap out of that bike. It got stolen, so I replaced it with a CBX, the only other bike I regret selling! One day, I was at a parts shop in Portland buying a chain and sprockets for the Kawasaki I had at the time, and there was a LeMans parked there (don't know what series it was) and I thought "Wow, that's cool... but it is only a twin..." Another interceptor, a Katana, a GS750, and a Suzuki GS1100 (another dream bike from my youth) later, I was walking across the Costco parking lot and I heard the most magnificent sound. A green V11 Sport rounded the building. I was smitten. I went to Cascade Moto Classics and started learning what I could. It took another few years (two kids in college will suck the life out of any fun budget) and I was looking again. I narrowed my search to a GS BMW, an Aprilia Caponord, a Ducati ST3, and a Guzzi. I read everything I could find on this forum and wildguzzi. Mark West posted a link for a Tenni on Craigs List in CA, and I clicked on it. I was driving my wife nuts about getting a bike- I emailed the pic to her work and she called me- "Just get it already and leave me alone!" WTF? I had the deal made, the airline ticket purchased, and my new riding gear on the way from New Enough before I left work that day. No way she was going to back out of that! I flew to Sacramento, the PO trailered her up from Fresno, we met in the airport parking lot and I rode my Tenni home. She is alive. I can ride to her limits; I could thrash my older sport bikes to the edge of their envelopes, but the new ones laugh at me- "Come on, little man, I am so much better than you will ever be!" I like my bike to work in concert with me on a ride, not to mock me! I can do all of my maintenance, and due to this and other forums, and Pete Roper, I fear no repairs. Every time I start her up, I am rewarded with a living, breathing riding partner that is up for everything I will want to do that day, be it a blast through the twisties or just a drive on the slab. At some point, I may get something better for two-up, probably a big trail bike, but the Tenni stays. The looks, the sound, the way she handles- on paper there are "better" bikes out there, but in reality this one is a perfect match for me. Garsdad

Throw a meter on it and see what it is doing. Charging normally, look for an issue in the indicator circuit. Not charging properly? Look at the regulator or alternator. I was on the third alternator in 52,000 miles in the Ford Fucus when I traded it in... they do crap out sometimes. They are not cheap- they ran $186 just for the part!

Steve, I think it is due to a couple of things. When I first got her, I balanced the throttle bodies and synched them, set the TPS, and she would ping every time I abruptly opened the throttle; even when blipping for a down shift. It bugged the crap out of me. I tried closing the air bleeds down, re-synching the TB's, running FI cleaner through just in case the injectors were clogged. I eventually figured I had buggered it up and paid to have it all done again. It all checked out, and she still pinged. I couldn't hold more than about 3/4 throttle for more than a second or two before she would ping, at all RPMs right up to red line in every gear (well, not quite every gear- I have not run her up in 5th or 6th). I rode around the problem all last year, and figured I would have to get a PCIII and remap. A long time ago, I sent Mr. Roper a request for some help. He made a couple of suggestions about setting up the TBs. I didn't attempt another run at them last year; I was a little snake bit I think. In reading other post over the past year, I realized I was causing damage to the splines on my input shaft by having my idle too low (I showed 1000 rpm on the tach); that clutch rattle was not just annoying. I had been using the fast idle lever to raise the idle a bit all the time. I finally turned the little screw on the linkage and raised it permanently (here is where the purist will tell me I need to raise it with the air screw adjustment, etc. I did that the first time, and it was as good as it was going to get) and when I checked the TPS it was at about 619mv. Following Pete's recommended methods, I reset the TPS voltage to 513mv (that wasn't the target, just where it ended up after tightening the hold-down screws) which was in the "acceptable range" and re-synched the TBs at 2800 rpm (within 1/4 inch on my carb sticks, over a 1500 rpm range). It took a couple of tries, but I got it. Funny thing is, barely turning the adjusting nut would bring the mercury up or down a significant amount, and the sound and smoothness of the engine would change noticeably. While fine-tuning it, I moved the knob about 1/16th of a turn, and it was too far and I had to go back a hair. She does not ping when I blip the throttle for a down shift. She will still ping at larger throttle openings under about 4500rpm, but over 5k she just rips to redline without a complaint. Love the sound. I had to make adjustments to my riding position on one of my favorite on-ramps because I needed more lean to hold my line with all the extra acceleration. I did get a couple of "cough back" moments just off idle, I suspect I had a valve tighten up a bit since my last adjustment. I will reset the lash and should be done for the year, except for oil and filter changes. One more thing- I put a new UFI filter in with a hose clamp... don't suppose the clamp had anything to do with it, do you? Garsdad

I finally did some much-needed maintenance on the Tenni this weekend. Got the Roper plate in, changed out the lube in the bevel box, and raised the idle and re-synched the throttle bodies. Holy crap! I was laughing like a maniacal fool. The ping at WOT is gone. It pulls so hard right through the redline, and accelerates like never before. I was never able to hold the throttle open before- it would ping and I would back it down. I hit speeds I have not seen in a long time. Still have to check the valve clearance (maybe today) and I am done. The vibes will go away to a great extent with a TB synch... just the good vibes remain. I can't wait for next weekend when the rain is supposed to go away and I only have to work on Saturday. Sunday is looking good. I am very jealous of your weather and schedule that allows for mid-week fun rides. Garsdad

Finishing nail is a tiny hole, and you have the tire off the wheel- why plug it? patch it from inside and party on. I don't think you have done enough damage with that tiny nail to render the tire unfit for use. I am a little squeamish about using a tire that has had a bigger nail, and especially if it went near the sidewall. To each their own, I guess. But for what you described, I'd patch it and go.

I thought of that, too, and searched the web for connectors that would work. I found nothing suitable. I have to go to Cascade Moto Classics tomorrow for an upper sump gasket or two (finally installing my Roper plate) and I'll see what they can tell me. Garsdad

Rode a Fat Bob. Liked it OK. Hate forward controls, but with mids I could cruise on that one. It does slow you down to see the sights.

Nice, Al. That ought to keep you from riding off on mine by mistake. I wanted PRKY JGS but figured everyone would think I was some porn star chick.. that wouldn't work too well for a middle-age dude.

Duh!

Change your pawl spring in the warmth and safety of your garage... you know, near the beer supply. It is an hour well spent versus having to fix it roadside at an inopportune time. Shockproof Heavy in the gearbox, too. Shifts like butter!

I slide a sewing pin into the back of the plug and pick up the voltage there. There are lots of references as to which wire- my copy of Guzziology is in the garage and it's cold out there, so I am not going to look it up right now. As long as your meter reads millivolts, you are fine. If the smallest increment is a tenth of a volt, you are screwed. They are less than $10 for a decent one... invest. Also, it is much easier to use leads that have little clips or hooks on them them. It is a SENSITIVE little bitch, so move it slowly, but even if you move it way out of whack it isn't that hard to put back and start over. Me thinks your mechanic wants to scare you into having him do your work for you.

Welcome home. And at the risk of creating a political thread, thank you for your service.

My son's Suzuki developed a small crack or two. We cleaned the boot well, coated it in the plastic crap you dip tool handles in, and it sealed up nicely. I don't know how long it would last- he sold the bike a few months later- but it was cheap and effective, and really didn't look too cobbled together.

I kinda like them, too. Anyone have a link to a sound file? Dyno charts? Weight?