docc

Here are some Joe Kenny guards with paintwork courtesy of Eastwood "Alumiblast' and Plasticote Ford engine red in the Eagles, all clear coated with Eastwood.

I've spent the afternoon eye-balling the wiring diagram of the 2000 V11 Sport. I have a couple observations and questions: First, the power the the headlamp, brake lamp and horns travels through both the starter relay and the light relay as well as the headlamp current also passing through the headlamp switch. With the standard bulbs the high beam and brake lamp will draw 6.75 amps.( The fuel warning lamp is also on this circuit but only draws 0.1 amp). Given that the Bosch relays are rated for 10 amps this current should pass through them for a good long time. ( The 6 amps going through the switch is another story). Wiring your horns to a separate relay is a darn good idea as they add 6 amps. And it's not unlikely to be using your horns, brakes and high beam all at once! Second, there is a wire from this circuit to the voltage regulator. The only thing I can figure is that it's a 'back door' to the ignition switch in the event of battery failure. *Question 1 * : Will the bike run without a battery? Adding up running current requirements , guessing wildly at their values, it looks like the bike could draw as much as 13 or 14 amps with the high beam and brake light on. If that's the case it needs to be turning 1300 - 1500 rpm to meet these requirement at normal generator output. * Question 2 * : Does anyone know what the bike normally draws to run, with the high beam and brake light on, as if stopped in traffic? ( Elec-trickery for the mind numb - )

Roberto, After asking around, I wonder if your new gearbox has a kilometer drive? You need to check with a dealer on the continent for the part number on the speedometer ( odometer) drive. The mph unit for the 2002 should be 01 76 25 60.

After spending some time with Andy looking at his chewed up torque rod bushings it made me wonder: the torsion on the rubber is obviously enough to eat them up after a while. If the ends were allowed to pivot freely wouldn't there be less restriction in the travel of the rear suspension? Are the torque rod bushings one reason the rear end is so harsh on these bikes?

The guys who seem to be most experienced say blowing the seals on the U-joints is a mistake. The shaft ( yeah, it's that nipple just in front of the rear U-joint) is sealed with an O-ring. I don't think you'll damage anything if you push some grease by it. Of course, I'm not one of those dyed-in-the-grease experienced Guzzi wrenches.

Probably our euro bros can answer more fully. But, I have a friend with Ducati Monster who added euro switchgear which features the 'city light.' This low watt bulb appears to stay lit full time on the US bikes. With the 'Euro switch' you can shut off the H4 bulb and run only the low watt. Here in Lower Middle Mule Town this would be an excellent opportunity to increase your chances of broadsiding a Ford F150, the country's most popular highway obstruction.

getting the collar off means pulling the swingarm. The collar can then be cut to access the nipple ( ooh, I like using that word: nipple. Hah, there I said it again) Nylon tie down straps seem to make nice suspension devices. Check out CRABBING the spine frame

AAARRRRGGHHHH!!! Another bevel drive bites the dust! While experimenting with some shimming to bring the internal shaft of the bevel drive in contact with the gears in it, I noticed that the brass base was visible between the plastic housing and the threaded collar. I pressed the base into the housing with the vise and , voila! Contact. Apparently the base had migrated out of the housing, dropping the internal drive shaft out of contact with the internal gear. If you can see brass between the plastic housing and threaded collar, your bevel is coming apart. If it tries to come out again, I'll epoxy. In the meantime I've ordered a new bevel drive . The mystery remains about the part number changing for the odometer gear drive from '00-'01 to '02-'03.

Andy was in the shop today and we spent alot of time studying the parts and diagrams. Apparently the '00-'01 Sport uses the odometer drive 04 76 25 00 while * '02 * and "03 use 04 76 25 60. My former dealer is sending me the drive from my munted gearbox for comparison. We shall see . . .

I remember getting all sweaty after I greased the Sport with Bel-Ray Water proof grease then seeing all the specification in the manual. I e-mailed Bel-Ray but never heard back. They must've thought " what a . " I posted on Wild guzzi and Pete ( ever the gentleman ) basically said , " yeah, grease is good." The consensus from that board was 1) don't let them dry out ( any grease more often is better than the perfect grease too late) and 2) don't over fill the joint and cause the grease to push through the seals as this will create a leak which then flings the joint dry. Just fill until the seals bulge a little. I think point '2' , overfilling, is the toughest issue because the joint is so hard to see.

Ok,let's see: there is no angle (bevel) drive on the '03. The odometer drive in the gearbox drives the black face ITI directly. The upper end of thet cable looks too small to drive the older Veglia. Can't just change cables. The '03 box is flat black( not the '02 wrinkle black). My replacement box is silver but I can't figure out another reason why the bevel won't turn. It did have a bad gear in it but I replaced it with a good one from my old speedo. I'm hoping to retrieve my old odo drive from the trashed gearbox and see if it will turn the cable. i'll get those part numbers tomorrow. My guy at the dealer was out today.

After studying the parts diagrams I can only figure the 'odometer drive' differs.This is the part screwed into the right side of the gearbox that the bevel drive ( or '03 cable) attaches to. It has a new part number for '03 and is configured to drive the cable directly to the ITI black face speedo ( no bevel drive). I'll get part numbers and post back. It kind of blows my 'no contact' theory since yours matched up and drives the bevel box.

Yesterday the dealer in Nashville seated me at his terminal and turned me loose on the on-line parts site. As Paul says, there is no ( cheap, breakable) 60* bevel drive on the '03. The cable attaches directly but has the angled tube to avoid contact with the throttle rod. The upper end of the cable differs as it attaches to a smaller connection on the ITI speedo versus the Veglia ( which has the same thread at both ends). Also, the gear drive ( screwed into the gearbx) has a different part number. I can only assume the new gearbox Guzzi provided me must have the gear drive for the later cable allowing the short bevel drive shaft to drop in just a little too far and loose contact. I looked at shortening my cable housing to make a direct connection and loose the bevel drive but 1) it's crimped together and 2) it hits the throttle cable. I'm thinking I may have to get a replacement geardrive and see if it will then turn the crappy little bevel drive. Surely we can somehow improve on this little glitch?

After mounting the new tranny in the sport the little shaft doesn't appear to reach the bevel drive to turn the speedo cable. I noticed the new '03 models don't have a bevel drive. Is the cable now longer to drop deeper into the drive from the gearbox? I'm ridin' it anyway, figuring my Veglia speedo will last longer this way.

I've heard these Guzzis have to have the 'bugs' worked out . . .

Beer has never been potent enough to calm the woes of the guzzisto awaiting his recall notice.

Those values are for the diameter of the bolt shaft. Be careful not to confuse that with the size of the driver being used to turn the fastener.

The whole Moody Blues thing has always been "kind of peaceful, yet spooky."

Shimming was done to the shift drum of the 5-speed gearbox. But the 6-speed has plates, not the drum, so shimming is probably not an option. An upgraded spring set in the shift mechanism is becoming a more likely option all the time . . . Sealing the cases with something that is not olive oil based would benefit alot of these boxes that want to share their fluids with their surroundings. And if dealers all over the world are going to tear down and rebuild 680 transmissions, I think we're going to learn alot about these boxes over the next year or so.

I'm relieved that the rod problem is not prevalent. And we all knew something was amiss with the gearboxes. My Sport is now fitted with a new gearbox. I just have to try and find out if it is an early production replacement or, maybe it was built in early '02 with the brittle spring. Not that I'm pessimistic about the 6-speed . . .

Having some anatomy and physiology background on the neurology of the eye, I am not convinced we use a great deal of 'night vision' to operate a motor vehicle in the dark. Consider that there is no color differentiation with night vision: shades of grey. Yet the lamps of these modern vehicles give us all manner of color perception: road lines, road signs, other vehicles, oncoming lights, tail lights , stationary lights and structures. The 'rods' of the eye ( which percieve the low light of ' night vision' ) are so blown by all this input that they contribute very little to what we see as we drive or ride , at night. The exception would be on long stretches of vacant highway with no traffic. This is the case where the red instrument lights of so many German cars or the panel dimming function of some of the Swedish cars may actually be of some benefit. Yet, more to reduce eye strain of long hours driving than actually enhancing visual perception. What we see ahead of us in the wash of our headlamps is all mediated by ' cone' receptors which percieve only in color.

The demonic 'sliding sleeves' are engaged by the shift forks. As the shift forks are moved by the preselector plates they slide the sleeves along the shafts. It's easy to see that the forks would suffer if the sleeves let go. (er, KB, I've thunk and thunk, but . . ."CYMRU" ? ? )

The battery does look substantially lower with the basket mounted under the subframe. I'm certain the seat will not be on it now ( although I haven't gotten that far along yet). The battery does have a pair of closed cell foam bumpers to cushion it from the subframe where it conacts it at the front. I had to peel those off and rubber cement them a little higher. Since the back of the battery is still in the same mounts the terminals are still as easily accessed.

The driveshaft retention bolts are stamped " B - 8.8 OG " and appear to be stainless steel. I wonder if something in that designation refers to the " high retention" capabilty referred to in the manual. I also wonder if high retention means that when you take them out they pull all the threads out of the yoke? You guys are the best! What would I do with this kind of input? I'll go out tomorrow to source some 'normal' hardness stainless fasteners and lock-tite those babies in. This is the only thing standing between a pile of parts and a backroad boogie!

Paul, Thanks for the input. Pete Roper says basically the same. Now to find a bolt shop with the right fasteners. When you say "12.9 quality" is that what we would call " grade 6" or Grade 8?"