VR6Dave

I bought my Ballabio used and I got some Amsoil in the deal. I am about to run out and am interested in either continuing its use or an alternative. If I remember the Castrol Racing 4T in 10W40 is SG rated, I used that in my SV. I am using the Motul 5100 in the Bonneville and if I remember the bottle it is ester based. I love it in the Bonneville, it comes out the same color as when it went in. I also looked at Honda Pro 4M oil with moly, its SJ rated and JASO MB. Will the moly be enough to offset the lower zinc/phos of an SG rated oil? The reason I ask is the Honda delaer is a couple of blocks away. Dave

Could you take the motor apart? I have seen the CAD drawings but would like to see thebits in the flesh. Better yet, section the motor so you can see the internals working! Never mind, I see luhbo has done it. Your motor is safe!

I am looking for a good set of leathers and I like the look of their Stealth Jeans, especially the fact that they can be worn over boots. I'm not as crazy about the Stealth jacket preferring the Hawk instead. Does anyone have any insight to fit, quality, service, etc? Thanks.

More please!

A friend of mine runs Metzeler Marathons on his Sprint RS. HE rides 2-up a lot and will run away from a lot of squids in the twisties. The only downside is that they suck in the rain. He frequently gets 10k -12k miles per set and that is from side to side. Dave

My stock M1s were shot after 4500 miles, the M3s went another couple hundred miles beyond the M1s, and the Z6s have about 4k on them now and are just beginning to show some flattening down the middle. They aren't as sticky as the M1/M3 but good enough for me. I also dropped down to a 170 rear profile. It really lets the bike lean quick. Cheapest thing you can do to improve handling. Sorry, I only have experience with Metzelers so far. Dave

I dropped by the dealer today while I was in Tulsa. They were a nice bunch of guys, they let me ride a 1200 Sport. It was a real nice bike that starts easy and doesn't have the dip in the power that the V11 has. I didn't think the seating was quite as sporty as the V11 but a nice compromise in comfort. I spoke briefly to donny across the street as well. I hope these guys are here to stay. Dave

Ratchethack, I didn't notice any pinging, but the exhaust note did sound flat in spots. It made think that I might be a bit rich. I got the map from Todd Eagan, he loaded it onto the PCIII prior to sending it to me. We discussed my mods and he loaded a map accordingly. I will take the time to have it checked out on a dyno, the one in Tulsa is run by a certified Guzzi Tech and there is a new Guzzi Dealer across the street. The other side of the ceramic sleeve is almost clean and white. The right hand cyclinder had the brown speckles, the left hand did not. I ran 89 octane the whole time except when we stopped at a small country station, they only had an 87 pump working. Although my odometer is caput I noted what mile marker/exit I got gas and verified the mileage when I got home with Mapquest. Slabbing it 150 miles on the highway between 80 and 90 I got 34 mpg. We did about 160 miles in the twisties with the RPMs up around 5-6k, I got 31 mpg. On the way home on the highway doing what I estimated to be 70, my speedo cable went caput on this trip, I got close to 40 mpg. I tried to maintain 4k in top gear and if memory serves me that is around 70 mph. I'd like to have the dyno center go over everything with a fine tooth comb and get the A/F optimized as well as smoothing out anything in the map. It may or may not need it but I think the peace of mind is worth it. I am happy with the mods, it likes to rev and pulls pretty good. Dave

I did about 500 miles this weekend. I had just put on Mistral cans, Mistral crossover, the cross-over-less from headers, PCIII and K&N filter. About half of the riding was steady speed on the highway and the rest was twisty Arkansas backroads. I pulled the plugs when I got back and this is what I saw: One side has a dark tan color and the other is pretty clean. There is a little soot on the end of the threaded shank of the plug and the curved anode has a grayish tint. How much impact will the octane of the fuel have on these colors? I'll reinstall them and check again in another 500 or so miles.

I just got back from a short run on the Ballabio after installing the Mistral x-over, Mistral cans, PCIII, K&N, and a set of headers w/o the crossover. I am very pleased, I could not detect the dip in power it used to have. I still need to balance the TBs and more time and riding will tell if I truly feel a difference. Unfortunately I haven't had time to ride it in a while as its been in various states of assembly/disassembly. I was going to wait and install the Hyperpro spring kit while I had access to the rear shock but the weather is turning too nice to not ride. I should get it on a dyno in the next month or two to get it tuned. Dave

I agree, its not designed to be maintenance friendly. I take the rear wheel off as well as the bevel box and then let the cursing begin. I don't fit too well in the space teh wheel occupies in the first place nor does my hand fit easily into the tunnel to snap on the hose. I place the zerc facing up, I'll have to try facing down next time. Otherwise the rest of the maintenance on the bike is simple and straightforward. I can do the valves in 15 minutes per side and that includes spinning the motor a couple times and rechecking the clearance. Gotta love that. You don't have to pull the tank either. Just sit on a comfy shop stool and wheel from one side to the other. Its the little things that make a bike endearing and have character. Dave

I experienced the same, I went from stock mufflers with the night/day look to the plugs to a nice tan when I fitted the Mistrals. I've done a few more mods since and will install new plugs to check on how its doing from time to time.

I'm up in NW Arkansas, I've been thinking of taking a road trip somewhere. I'd have to see if I have the vacation time though. I can also think of 2 more Guzzi guys in AR that may be interested. Dave

Good to hear it, I hope they are better to deal with than the previous dealer. I need to schedule some dyno time at the Kinetic Playground for my Bonnie and Ballabio so I'll take that as an opportunity to swing by. If any rides/events are planned shoot me a PM, there's a couple of Guzzi guys over here in AR. Dave

Hard to say if the clutch switch clicked, I usually wear earplugs. Before the trip I replaced the speedo cable with the new updated one, that may have upset the connections on the left side of the spine like you mentioned. I will look there forst. I have a lot to do this winter, a complete once over. Thanks. Dave

I inquired about the Wilbers 641 and was told that the Hyperpro 461(Play on name like Ikon/Koni I guess) will be out soon. It will feature a larger rod(larger than both Wilbers and Ohlins), air bladder between oil and nitrogen, no floating piston to reduce stiction, high speed and low speed compression dampening on a remote resevoir, and feature a progressive spring. Since suspension upgrades are on my list this winter I have some time to figure it out. It looks like either the Hyperpro or Penske. Dave

Anyone have a clue as to the drive ratio on the ITI speedometer used on a '04 Ballabio? I was looking at some speedos on ebay and thought if I could match the ratio I could swap the faces and install a new speedo. Then fix my old one properly. Thanks. Dave

docc, The starter would not fire or turnover, I would push the starter button but nothing at all would happen, bike in neutral, clutch in, lights on. When I rolled it back and forth in neutral and tried iagain it would fire the starter and the bike would start. Dave

While returning from Alabama this weekend I started to experience a no start situation. We rode from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa and made a quick pit stop. I shut the bike down for maybe 5 minutes. When we were ready my bike would not start with the kickstand up or down in neutral. I tapped the kill switch for the stand a couple times, no go. I clicked the kill switch on the handle bar a couple of times, no go. When I rolled it back and forth a bit it would fire up. Is it my neutral sensor giving me problems? I had to do this at two or three stops if I remember. Thanks. Dave

The oil level reads a bit high on the dip stick but is well below the Roper plate. I removed the bolt, cleaned it and the hole, loctited it and retorqued it. When I got back from my 1300 mile roundtrip to Barber's Vintage Motorcycle Races there was no sign of a leak. Now if I could only get that darn odometer working. Dave

I found the problem, the worm at the back of the housing is chewed up. Where can I get a replacement? Dave

I was putting her on the rear stand to change the tire and the stand got stuck cock-eyed. While fiddling with it I felt the bike lean over the opposite way and I was able to slowly let her down with my left hand on the bar. I just couldn't hold on bent over like that. She landed on my Craftsman motorcycle jack. Luckily the rubber padded rail prevented a lot of damage. The right hand valve cover is scuffed as is the paint on the tank just above that but on the underside of the tank. There is also a nick just infront of the seat on the side of the tank. What is the best way to fix the tank blems? I was going to have to repaint the valve covers anyway, the previous owned had scuffed them in his garage as well. I still can't believe it. Dave

Mine seems to roll over a little at city speeds but above 60 or so it stops. I'm hoping that something has worked loose or out of alignment. I'll tear into it tonight or tomorrow. Otherwise I'll see if someone can repair it. If not I guess I'll buy a new one.

I took a factory tank bag off my bike. Its in good shape but probably needs to have the dust vacuumed off. Are you interested? I replaced it with one from SW-Motech. Dave

Greg, I am interested in taking a peek myself. The quotes I have are a bit pricey. PM me some of the details of what's involved. If you have pictures and some of the things to look for I'd appreciate it. What has been the most common reason for the failure? Thanks. Dave