Dr Gil

Hmmm, Whereas: -mine does shift a bit like a '65 Ford Tractor -it has the "clunkiest" tranny of any bike I've ridden (not that my experience is that great) -it is a "hockey player" and is all about "getting the job done" -it's no "FJR" Japanese tranny -it only has 16K on the odometer -the transmission should be well broken in and is as good as it's going to get -I get no false neutrals with my riding style -I get the "clack" and lurch when going to first when not warmed up And on top of this the bike has decided to sometimes make coming out of neutral and into first gear difficult. Of late it has become more frequent for me to, from a stop in neutral, go for first and get no change so I slip the clutch and it engages. I suspect that if I wanted to stomp on my shifter it would go to first without me engaging the clutch but I wouldn't do that to the poor girl. So am I good, bad, normal...or is it a matter of adjustment?

Congrats Tom! ...and I like the "unlit" propane torch check for the boots. I'd never heard of that one before and it makes great sense. I have made or had all the adjustments that you mentioned done recently to my bike...I guess it's time to ride the dear Le Mans over the mountain to the dyno shop and get it dialed in...hopefully achieving the same results that you did.

This seems an opportune time for me to ask a stupid question. I too, have a similiar pinging (or pinking) issue. I too, have a PC III with a map that Todd at MPH Cycles installed in it for me after I gave him my bike's specifics when I purchased the PC. The bike runs wonderfully with the exception of that ping. I have a motorcycle dealership (Honda) 150 miles away from me that will dyno and set my Power Commander. Can I expect this to cure the ping problem? Will this give me the "perfect" setting for my bike?

Thanks to all who took the time to reply...I'm feeling MUCH better about my clutch/transmission now. I really, really didn't want to have to deal with tranny problems.

LOL! Taste, it's such an individual thing. I love it that everyone's is different. Ah, the options are almost endless. I say, "hurray for you Enzo" for what you have done to your bike. I've never seen the like. And I must also admit that I am never quite so sure of my personal visions or tastes and I applaud you for having the guts to hang your's out there. Don't pay any attention to these naysayers here. But do understand that of course my taste is actually the "ultimate taste" and all others shall be judged by it. You did good my friend.

I've been reading lately about new Japanese bike's "butter smooth shifting." This is some worlds away from what my '02 Le Mans offers. It requires slow, strong, determined shifting with quite a bit of "ca-chunk" between gears. This being my first Guzzi and me being still somewhat unsure what to expect of it I don't know if I need to take action or simply learn to live with it. I'm not a racer. Slow shifts are not really a problem and I appreciate that gear changes are "felt" and positive. I recently let a friend ride my Guzzi (he was VERY enthused) and he came back with questions about "false neutrals" (a problem I've never had but understand my bike's need for VERY positive shifting) and his enthusiasm seemed a bit dampened. So is "less than subtle" shifting the norm for these bikes or are there adjustments to be made or do I need to start worrying about my clutch/tranny?

...and we're at the other end of the state (California). If you do decide to follow Orson's good advice (and you should) to ride up the PCH north of San Francisco do plan a night (or two) on the northern coast, in the heart of redwood country in Eureka. My wife and I live here and would be happy to put you up in our spare room (double bed, private bath, laundry facilities, etc.). We live in the heart of some of the best motorcycling roads in the world and our guest room is yours for the asking. So do it.

Yep, they're a bitch...but, My crash last July on my beloved Le Mans was caused because my sidestand switch had been disabled by a privious owner and I neglected to put the stand up after a brief stop. First left hand curve and BAM! Down she goes and we're both off the road for 6 months for healing and repair. I too know the kill switch's are a pain, I too dislike stuff being inflicted on us that saves us from ourselves and I too hate bits that hang out and catch all sorts of crap and then fail but...and yet, one of the first things I did after my crash was to re-install my sidestand kill switch. Sure a checklist would be lovely but...that one little mind fart can carry such consequences.

I don't believe I've ever read a review/test of a sports motorcycle before where they called the stock seat "comfortable." All the way through the review they seemed kind of underwhelmed about the individual components of the bike. Not fast as some, clunking noises at low speeds, etc. I love that at the conclusion of the article they simply rave (and all the individual testers do also) about the total bike! After reading the review my wife now wants a Guzzi 1100 Breva...and that's saying something.

Even after having plodded through the 100's of x-over postings I admit to still being a bit confused (well, maybe more than "a bit"). I "thought" that I knew that the x-over would give me more mid-range torque...and since in reality that's where I spend most of my time I thought that would be a good thing. Have I got it wrong or are you simply talking about the brand of x-over I was considering. Mostly I'm thinking about the Mistral simply because I'm interested in the Mistral exhaust and figured "Mistral pipes then naturally Mistral x-over." I am not so far along in my decision making about this that I don't pay close attention to the "voice of experience."

Thanks guys, your replies have put me on the scent. I've got an email off to Todd at MPH and will contact Mistral directly. Now if I only had the money...perhaps later this summer.

After much agonizing about exhaust I've pretty much decided that I'm interested in putting some Mistral Oval's and crossover on my '02 Le Mans. I've slogged through many of the online links and have yet to find a satisfactory site for purchasing. If anyone has a link for someplace offering Mistrals at good prices would they please let me know.

I simply used some hose that I had hanging around in the garage. 5/8th inch, fiber impregnated w/rubber coating. One could probably find something more "tasteful." I just ran out and snapped a shot of my finished "project." Please understand that what you are looking at is focusing on the footpeg and that when someone just looks at "the bike" they are not going to really see this mod at all. The bottom line for me is that this is a viable, at virtually no cost nor hassle, alternative to totally replacing my stock pegs and that the increase in rider comfort and control is significant.

If you're at all interested Al (and of course anyone else) I created a video in .wmv format of the WCRM III using some of the pictures posted on ST.N and putting a soundtrack to it. I think it worked out quite nicely. It's HERE.

Yup, nice job! And I wouldn't have gone with them if it looked too funky! They look good. And now I'm glad to report, after taking a 100 mile ride with the rubbers in place today, that they do the job wonderfully! I'm not the most sensitive of riders and I noticed a huge difference. There was much less vibration and most importantly for me, my boots didn't slip nearly as much as they did with the "untreated" pegs.

Just a quick post to let you all know that I just completed the "Barnyard Hose-job Conversion" on my Le Mans and it worked out wonderfully. 5/8" hose cut to fit (2 1/2") and well lubricated with hair spray (an old grip installation trick...lubricates for installation, drys sticky and holds your work in place) and tap it on with a rubber mallet (aided by a spark plug socket for the last 3/4 inch). Total cost: nada. Total time: maybe 10 minutes. Effectiveness: 100% better feel and adhesion on the pegs.

Yes Steve, much of the Lost Coast road is still a mess with washboarding and potholes. Litre sport bikes are probably not the weapon of choice for it. The group I was loosly (the only way to ride this road) riding with included a BMW R1100RSL, a Triumph Speed Triple, a Buell, a VFR and three BMW GS's. The GS's were the perfect bikes for this road and traveled it much more quickly that the rest of us. The problem that freaked me out the most was the washboarding in the tight (10 mph) corners that taken, trying to maintain good speed, made the front end on the Le Mans hop in a most disturbing way. The bulk of this road cannot be riden quickly but is more of a scenic ride in my book.

Yeah, that is rather embarrassing. Being it's a "European" bike I couldn't decide whether to use the left or right lane so I was just "splitting" the difference and riding the centerline. Actually there is no traffic to speak of on this road (saw maybe two cars all day) and the site line is extensive in this section. I was safe...besides didn't want to run over one of those pesky paparrazi.

The online motorcycling group Sport-Touring.Net (STN) had its West Coast Regional Meet this last weekend for its third year in a row in Humboldt County California. My wife and I live in the area and have acted as unofficial hosts for all three years. This was the first year I've owned and attended on the Le Mans. I'm trying hard not to brag when I say that the Guzzi was certainly one of the stars of the meet. Hundreds of pictures were taken of it. Any time I stopped the bike there was a crowd formed around. At one point I came out of the restaurant to find a member actually on his knees, fondling my valve covers (I subsequently let him take it out for a ride). Several people told me that they were immediately going home and buying a Moto Guzzi. The bike ran great, looked great and sounded great. I'm a slow-ish rider and curiously I often had much faster riders following me over the roads. I was told later they just liked listening to the bike pull through the curves. Here is a picture taken of the bike and I during a group ride Saturday on the Lost Coast Highway (Hwy 211). There was also a short video taken by a fellow rider that can be viewed HERE (be sure to turn up your speakers)!

Holy Moly, those bad boys aren't cheap! 116 Euros plus shipping. I'd also like to see a photo of them mounted on a bike.

What about a rear Stucci rack? Will it interfere with the mounting? I really like the looks and locking/quick mount features of these bags but can't discern how they actually mount to the bike. Does anyone happen to have an explaination or even better some photos of the mounts?

I saw no mention of pricing...what's the cost? From the trailer it looks like a good 'un.

Might it be because the brake reservoir is working both sets of front brakes whereas the clutch and rear brake are only working single items?

As someone who crashed his Le Mans last season and had to deal with the consequences I feel I am qualified to state that "that truly sucks, Rick." There is always the "it could have been worse" thing but it still "sucks." Take a bit of time off, heal, regroup, form a strategy, then move on it...and don't look back.

Aw Pete...this is awful! I feel yer pain man. ...sounds like I'm going to have to find and try out one of these bad boys.