twhitaker
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Posts posted by twhitaker
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One of the primary reasons I chose to ride Moto Guzzi instead of Harley was the theft factor. Nobody wants to steal them. Most people don't even know what they are. "Who makes that? Honda?"
I had a Honda stolen. Same bike twice. From the sidewalk in front of my apartment. Had a Yamaha parked in the same place for less than a year before it too was stolen. Parked my first Ambassador in the same spot for 2 years. Nobody touched it.
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Could use the saddlebag as an oil pan.
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I do not know if the bike must be vertical to do the spring replacement. If not, you could lean the bike over on your HB saddlebag and leave the gear oil in the box. The bag is tough enough to support the bike. Don't ask me how I know this.
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I can vouch for the return spring being a common problem. Mine went out at 6,000 miles on my '02 LeMans. There has been a lot of discussion about that spring on this forum. My bike was stuck in third gear, fortunately, and I was able to ride it the last 40 miles to the rally. I carry a spare spring. If you have any problems getting one I can loan you mine. It hangs on the bike like a karma bell to ward off the evil spring spirits.
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The Mobil 1 filter has 14 flats. The socket I bought back in '96 was under $5. Prior to that I had been using a strap wrench. Sometimes the filter would be so tight I would have to resort to a screwdriver. The first time I used a socket I thought, "Why did I not do this 10 years ago?" I had a Convert for 10 years prior to buying a California in '96. When I removed the first UFI filter on the LeMans I went to Auto Zone and bought a socket I thought would fit. It spun on the filter. Out came the screwdriver. It was still a pain. Laying down on the garage floor working under the bike. And that was after I removed the pan.
I was thinking about buying the "Bob Villa" lift but I think I would get more use out of the lift described in the Feb Guzzi newsletter.
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Here is another picture.
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Did you remove the caliper from its mount first? Also remove the screw in the swingarm that secures the caliper bracket in place. Watch out for that spacer sleeve that goes on the right side.
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My God! That socket looks expensive. Let me guess. You work in a maintenance department and you made the wrench in your spare time. You should be making handlebar riser kits.
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Mobil M1-102 fits fine. It's about $10 and one of the highest rated. The M1-103 fits shallow sump bikes like the Covert and G5. There is a socket that fits the filter available at most auto parts stores for under $5
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I sent out the pipes from my California for the ceramic treatment. The material looks a little frosty compared to the new LaFranconi muffler. The clamp is what the pipes looked like before they were plated. Both pipes, both exhaust flanges, and the crossover cost me a total of $160. www.afipowder.com is the company and they are located in Piqua Ohio.
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There is a thread in guzzi-tech about cutting some 2x4s to fit the shape of the pan and spread out the load. It clears the man hole cover.
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You don't need a stand to change your oil. The pan comes off without removing the side stand. I only removed the pan for my first oil change. At that time I swapped the filter over to a Mobil 1 filter for which I had a socket that fits. By the way an M18 hex nut fits that little manhole cover. You should have one of those on your rear axle.
I'm thinking about buying that Craftsman lift Bob Villa has been advertising.
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I bought some fat grips from MG Cycle. They're the same as you would see on an Eldorado. See my picture in 24/7 under the Krauser bags topic. I cut off the ends to install the bar end weights. I then wrapped brown electrical tape around them to smooth over the ridges. The grips are a lot fatter but not any softer.
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During the summer of '02 while riding back from a rally on the Interstate in 100 degree weather my Bridgestone cupped badly. I guess it was from the hot road combined with underinflation. Though not nearly as severe as Pauls' I quickly replaced it with a Michelin.
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Your flasher unit should be available at most auto parts stores for a mere pittance. www.signaldynamics.com sells modules like self canceling flashers, headlight modulators, and taillight modulators.
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Gustaffsen provides a specially ground bit for this purpose plus a piece of plastic with which to practice. The cutting lips on the drill are ground for a negative rake. This causes the drill to burn through instead of grabbing as it breaks through.
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Take a look at the nut that fits on the front brake lever pivot shaft. I THINK they are the same.
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No comprehensive Italian motorcycle spare parts kit would be complete without a.....corkscrew.
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What would you recommend for spare parts for a trip with that thing?
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Not sure if that's a DOT 4 or a DOT 5 clutch cable. Should not take up too much space.
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This sounds like one of Fords better ideas. Used to be you could replace a rotor or a wheel bearing separately. Now adays the front wheel is a sealed system. In order to replace a worn rotor you have to buy a complete spindle assembly. An over $300 per side fix. Sure the wheel bearings last a long time. They are made foolproof and expensive. Darn pads are no good.
Guzzis better idea is to just replace the whole fuel tank assembly every 12000 miles instead of just the filter.
Makes sense to me. 
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This topic was discussed in the "How To" section under Brake/Clutch Bleeding. www.speedbleeder.com has a picture of all the bleeders they make. Yours would be the SB6100 nipple.
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Response to: THE BEAST RIDER
You could take the part the o-rings fit on to a bearing distributor with the damaged o-rings. They would match them up for just a few schillings.
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For a while I thought my timing chain cover gasket was leaking. A closer inspection revealed it was actually the ignition timing pickup.
Great Prices on Polishing Aluminum
in Technical Topics
Posted
I had the valve covers and alternator cover on my California gold plated. I first had to take them to a shop known for polishing HD parts. They polished them and then sent the parts to a plater. The plater started out with a copper plate upon which he nickel plated. This nickel was the surface to which the gold could be added. You can go with chrome instead. The three parts cost $240. The gold added another $220. Looks great but the cadmium on the valve cover bolts left an oxide residue on the covers.