Scud

My first guess is fuel starvation. Maybe replace the fuel filter as a quick and cheap first step. Then look at the condition of fuel lines and pump. My Greenie had similar, but more severe, symptoms (also got her in exchange for a song). It turned out that the inlet to the fuel pump was partially blocked by decayed bits of the fuel line. The Greenie is external pump, and your 2003 LeMans has internal - so the pieces are different, but the principle should be the same.

The failure point for the stock ones and the Joe Kenny's will be where the guards mount to the heads. I saw this on my crashed parts-bike. One guard had failed on two of the four mounting points, leaving the equivalent of a washer between the bolt head and the rocker cover. They are designed to fail at that point to dissipate the energy of impact. Joe Kenny's are a bit thicker in that area. I can't say whether that's good or bad for the head. But what is good about Joe Kenny's and other aftermarket guards is that they stick out farther than the OEM. With the OEM, the guard and spark plug boot will hit the ground at about the same time. A bigger guard reduces the risk of damage to plug boot or the plug itself. When I dropped my Scura at 0MPH on the right, the spark plug bent a little, but didn't break. I had OEM guards on at the time. Now I have some from MotoBits.

Corey - I have the ones in your picture on my Greenie. They are expertly machined with attention to detail. Even the eagles both fly forward on the bike (or I suppose you could make them both fly backward if you were so inclined.

Great shop, I must go visit one day. You could hide the Silver Sport at my house for a while...

I took this pic at the recent San Diego (Lake Henshaw) rally, which Groundhog helped organize. It shows much (but not all) of Groundhog's bike.

Make sure to get all the O-rings too. Six small per side on the studs - and one large per side for the cap in the head that gives access to the top head nut. Are you doing the timing cover gasket "while you're there"?

I thought y'all might like a few more pics of the Eastern Sierras. No V11 this time, just the Husqvarna. This was a hike to Dog Lake, in the Tuolomne Meadows region of Yosemite National Park (at the top of Tioga Pass). And here is the Husky staring into the Ansel Adams wilderness above June Lake. Riding around the Obsidian Dome one must be careful... the black rocks are quite literally like riding over chunks of broken glass. But there are lots of big, open spaces. Mammoth Mountain (the ski resort) is in the background. This is probably all going to be white next week. This was, undoubtedly, my favorite discovery. New single track... and properly marked. Did I mention single track?

...if we didn't scare him off with all this airbox/pod debate. FWIW, my LeMans had what seemed like "dangerously" undersized pods when I got it, but it ran well. I have since removed them and installed the stock airbox with K&N filter and no snorkels - and it still runs well. I like a little induction noise and I don't really care if it adds or removes 2 or 3 peak HP. More pics of the new greenie - show off those red wheels. Are they paint or powder-coat? Are they a good color-match to the frame? I would like to find a perfect match powdercoat red for a few bits.

Where else did you go that day?

It can be difficult to find radial tires in "vintage" sizes. This is an issue on my K75s as well. Some have solved it by mixing and matching brands to get a pair of radials on the bike. Weirdly, the cheap Shinko tires work well on it. The K75s is a 1992, but introduced in late 1980s - so I'm assuming wheel sizes are similar. (BMW is Front: 100/90-18. Rear: 130/90-17). Handling is surprisingly nimble, yet stable, on that bike - and will improve after I get the forks done right.

Groundhog, a member here and on WildGuzzi, has a 1980s LeMans that looks stock, and it's all I can do just to keep him in sight on the twisties when I'm on my Scura. I think he's done some of the mods (especially suspension) that you are considering. You might pose the same questions over on WildGuzzi - many more members there with experience with that model.

I had a Yamaha FJ1100 and when I first rode my V11 it brought back some memories of the "Velvet Sledgehammer." But unlike the V11, the FJ never seemed to run out of breath - at any speed. I think the Guzzi is a better handling bike though - and more fun to ride under real-world conditions.

Congratulations... and welcome. A couple suggestions for you: Consider adding a supplemental ground from the voltage regulator case to engine case or frame. Based on my experience with a slipping clutch, you probably have 1,000 miles or so until it starts slipping from standing starts. If you're going to have someone do the clutch work, you should have them install the brace between the top of transmission and frame at the same time. Check all the rubber boots and vacuum caps on the throttle bodies for air leaks - those can cause problems at idle.

That's good, and I found 12mm hose easily on Amazon too. I just figured that auto parts stores or speed shops would have it - but not the case. I think you can probably other sleeve and end-cap solutions too. Somebody must make a roll of braided stainless sleeve that fit over a 20mm OD hose - and you could use the same heat-shrink end caps that I used.

I received the extra heat-shrink ends, so I made the rest of the lines, installed one on the champagne LeMans project, and have three more available for whoever else wants them.

In my experience, diesel fuel was a good solvent for the congealed mess, and it should be even better with RL Heavy that's still in serviceable condition. Keep in mind that there are lot of gears between the rear cases - it will take a while for the red stuff to work it's way out. Assuming you're doing this with the tranny still on the bike - and that you're anxious about it being lumpy, you might flush it with a full liter (or more) of diesel and ride it slowly in your neighborhood to give it a chance to go between all the cases and into the shift mechanism. It's crazy sticky... but that is what makes it so effective.

FWIW - even though I had to spoon out the blood pudding, split the cases, and flush with diesel fuel, I would still feel comfortable using RedLine heavy. Just do the oil changes on time. Back to oils, I'm using Maxima synthetics in engine and tranny now. I'm changing engine, transmission, and final drive at 5,000 mile intervals.

Life would be pretty boring without opinions or egos - everyone should both (in my not so humble opinion).

^ Back by popular demand... my shockproof heavy encounter session. This is probably not fair to Redline, because this tranny sat idle through a couple winters before being transferred to San Diego. But it does raise questions about whether one should use such a thick oil in cold climates. The Redline heavy seems to be quite good. I think it made a small improvement in my K75s transmission. I bought a gallon of it and am going to at least use it in final drives until it runs out.

Consensus on oil? I think we can all agree that it's good to keep oil in all the places it's supposed to be. FWIW, I'm just following the owner's manual specs as closely as possible. I was using RedLine heavy in gearbox and final drive. I may stay with that in the final drives. I remain confused about all the letters and friction modifiers and motorcycle vs car oil - since most motorcycle oils are for engines with wet clutches and that doesn't apply to Moto Guzzi. You didn't ask, but I like using DOT 5.1 hydraulic fluid, which typically has a higher boiling point than DOT 4.

If it doesn't have to be about motorcycles, re-discover a classic, such as John Steinbeck's East of Eden.

I enjoyed Honda: The Man and His Machines, by Sol Sanders. It was written in the 1975, so you need to find a used copy. The appendix lists all American Honda products, it takes 2 pages: 31 motorcycles and 5 cars (5 variations of Honda Civic). Total Control, by Parks is also good. I just typed "Motorcycle Biography" into Amazon and got a pretty nice list, including a 2017 book on Steve McQueen, which I decided to buy. McQueen's Motorcycles: Riding and Racing with the King of Cool

When I reassembled, I set valve clearances on both sides to .006" Intake and .008" Exhaust. I did it exactly as you described using the Moto Guzzi shop stand. I think I must have adjusted the valves at least 5 times in earlier efforts to solve this. I've got a busy week ahead and a possible road trip this weekend. I'll get back to this when I can. At that time, I think I should probably drop the sump and pull the heads, barrels, and pistons - and maybe the camshaft, depending on what I find.

Sadly, you win nothing. I just fired it up and the noise is the same. I think she's going to have to sit in the corner for a few weeks.

Jeez Chuck, do you have to park that thing next to a big pile of dirt just to make it look good by comparison?