1989 Mille inquiry

[Triple Jim]

So the newer model is 3 mm shorter?

Could easily be.  If the spring is stiffer, it might not need as much preload.

[arveno]

Here is a link to a video of the bike from a cold start and after its been idling a few minutes. The bike was purchased from NC Steve about a year and a half ago.

Walk around / Cold Start - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoEgflk_6cI

Idling for 3 mins - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZTO_vBjCY8

 ;-T I LIKE IT !!

what kind of " windshield " is that ?
Love the low bars too .

How it is for two up riding ? ( maybe with a proper made seat ) ?

[redrider90]

Could easily be.  If the spring is stiffer, it might not need as much preload.

But they are both Wirth progressive springs. And they are listed as Mille series 1 1987-1990 and Mille series 2 1990-1993. So the listing it as a Mille GT series 1 and a Mille series 2 is a Guzzi thing and not a Wirth nomenclature.  Now when I have bought seals in the past they have 2 seals listed in the book for the the Mille.  A 38 mm and a 35 mm. I was sent a 38 mm seal and had to return them.  Now I have never seen a 38 mm fork on a  Mille. So my guess is the moved to a 38 mm fork in 1990 and some 90's have had the old series and the later 90's had a 38 mm hence a short spring?  I do not believe the Mille was US imported after 1990?

[charlie b]

The Mille was probably like the T5.  Depending on what day it came off the assy line depends on what got installed.  Mine has some parts that are later type and some earlier type.

[tobydmv]

Lets say its the clutch pushrod seals.  Do I have to pull the rear wheel, swingarm, and crab the frame?  I cant see where those seals are in the service manual.  Does the gearbox case have to come off?

[Kiwi_Roy]

Heres a bit more info,

"little bit of oil weeping out of the flywheel inspection hole...Looks like gear oil"

Seller is a really nice guy who is being honest.

asking price is $2800

If that's the same bike as in the video jump on it, it's a beauty  ;-T

Really, only $2800 that's stealing.

[twhitaker]

Lets say its the clutch pushrod seals.  Do I have to pull the rear wheel, swingarm, and crab the frame?  I cant see where those seals are in the service manual.  Does the gearbox case have to come off?

The seals are in the gearbox rear cover. You can get to the seal without all the above although it's probably easier after removing the swing arm.

[arveno]

Lets say its the clutch pushrod seals.  Do I have to pull the rear wheel, swingarm, and crab the frame?  I cant see where those seals are in the service manual.  Does the gearbox case have to come off?

If the clutch is slipping due oil contamination the gearbox need to be out of the frame.
Anyway DO NOT get scared , when i bought my first guzzi , a sp1000 , i overfilled the gearbox...and i had to dismantle everything to clean oil off the clutch .
The first time it took me 4 hours to have the gearbox on the ground .
It was easy and i am a slow wrench . I like to take my time .
So if i did it , you can do it .
Not a big deal.

A shop will charge you 8 hours to crab the frame , if you take it easy you can do it in 12 , save money and be happy .
no special tools needed beside a couple of tools  : to align the clutch and hold the flywheel when assembling . but you can borrow them from forum members like me .
Crabbing the frame will give you also the opportunity to the the rear ends , u joint , bearings etc .  Big piece of mind .

If you need help , just ask .
if i were you i will get that bike , try to offer 2500 .and you will be golden.

Ciao
Marco

[fotoguzzi]

you don't need to crab the frame these seals go in from the rear of the tranny.. Moto International has an O-ring kit instead of the plastic cone seals, your choice but you simple push them over the clutch push rod into the recess at the rear of tansmission. I use a piece of an aluminum arrow cut to about 6", it's hollow and fit perfectly loose around the push rod and I coaxed the o-rings passed the lip into the tranny.
pretty easy once you have the swing arm off.

we're not talking about the transmission input seal. these are seals on the push rod itself. the gear lube migrates up the push rod to the clutch if the little cone seals are worn out.

[fotoguzzi]

Lets say its the clutch pushrod seals.  Do I have to pull the rear wheel, swingarm, Yes and no you don't crab the frame?  I cant see where those seals are in the service manual.  Does the gearbox case have to come off? no

[fotoguzzi]

page C3 item #7

http://www.thisoldtractor.com/mg_manuals/spare_parts_catalog_california_aluminum_special_sport.pdf

[NC Steve]

Yes, that was my Mille GT, and I just this thread.
Unfortunately, I'm going out the door now, but would like to watch Robert's You Tube videos when I get back in a few hours, and add or answer anything I can. Milles are nice bikes, and are very often undervalued and unappreciated.

[tobydmv]

Yes, that was my Mille GT, and I just this thread.
Unfortunately, I'm going out the door now, but would like to watch Robert's You Tube videos when I get back in a few hours, and add or answer anything I can. Milles are nice bikes, and are very often undervalued and unappreciated.

Any thoughts on the slipping clutch and oil leak?  I'm interested but wondering what the dealer is going to charge to fix.  I have a herniated disk in my back and am not up to the repair job.  If someone else in Charlotte is interested in helping out and making some cash lmk.
t

[NC Steve]

With the Mille GT, I bought the bike around 4 years ago, and was the 2nd owner. The 1st was a fellow living near Greenville, SC, and when he died the widow had it stored away for several years, then married a guy who ran a body shop. He did the repaint, a nice one, but not factory correct.

When I got it the sellers had installed a lawn mower battery that was weak, but it did crank over and run, roughly. An old guy at the local Honda shop works on everything, so I bought a new Odyssey 680 battery and sputtered it up to him. Got new Bridgestones, got the carbs somewhat in sync, checked the fluids, then back home to change the oil and sump gasket. Over the next few weeks I installed new Hagon shocks, replaced a cracked headlight, replaced the starter solenoid, and replaced the rusty add-on signals with some Buell knock offs that looked better and worked fine. Also somewhere within a month or two, I rode the bike up to Joe Kenny in Meadows of Dan, VA, for a good checkup. I left it with him for a week, where he drained and replaced all fluids, put a finer tune on the carbs, went thru some relays, etc. then rode it about 30 miles per day for a week to check things out. It definitely ran better. Still leaked a little oil around the sump, though it never seemed to burn any, but it did leak just enough to leave droppings and keep things a bit messy. I thought the shifting was typical clunky Guzzi, especially compared to the Japanese bikes, but it felt okay to me. I didn't notice any clutch slippage either, but I'd been used to riding my tall 8:33 ratio Jackal and was used to revving a bit before getting into 1st and upshifts.The MPGs were excellent, couldn't believe I had an accurate calculation at first, as I was getting 50+. There was also some oxidation, not rust, on the aluminum pieces, like the Akront wheels, but it looks like he's polished that up.

I installed brand new SP mufflers, not Calis like I'd planned, but they look good and sounded great. I added an MG Cycle H-pipe as well. I also had a local guy build a brand new seat, pan and all. He mostly does high-end work on custom show bikes, and I wasn't disappointed in his work. I also bought a left frame rail with the lug so I could add a big police side stand. The windscreen is a National Cycle, ridiculously expensive, but it's adjustable & works to take the blast off the chest,

One of my biggest headaches had been the 1 into 2 throttle cable design, and I was into the right throttle & switchgear a few times. I'm told that the Cal III may have had the same design? I replaced the cable splitter under the tank and installed 2 new cables just before it sold, but never got everything adjusted fully, although it ran good. There was a problem with the starter button in there too, but it worked, and it appears Robert fixed it.

I rode to the Ohio Guzzi Rally, appx 900 miles round trip, 2 VA rallies when being held in Buena Vista, appx. 500 miles round trip, twice to the NC rally, appx. 400 miles round trip, and numerous rides to Willville. I did have a relay issue when leaving Zanesville, OH, but luckily Wayne Orwig came by and saved the day. Other than that, I did many miles on the freeway at 75+, as well as lots of mountain riding, and it served well.

Robert is a good guy, and honest, and won't steer you wrong. I believe he will answer all questions, and I'll try too if I can.

[SISU Printer]

Inspect those Akront rims for cracks at the spoke nipples ! ... I had a bunch of them on my old Mille and MG USA actually replaced the wheel under warranty after the bike was over 10 years old.

[tobydmv]

After a test drive I couldnt resist and brought her home.  Look for another thread to tidy up the loose ends.

[redrider90]

After a test drive I couldnt resist and brought her home.  Look for another thread to tidy up the loose ends.

I cannot wait to hear how it sorts out.

[tobydmv]

One of my biggest headaches had been the 1 into 2 throttle cable design, and I was into the right throttle & switchgear a few times. I'm told that the Cal III may have had the same design? I replaced the cable splitter under the tank and installed 2 new cables just before it sold, but never got everything adjusted fully, although it ran good. There was a problem with the starter button in there too, but it worked, and it appears Robert fixed it.

Steve or Robert, quick question for you.  I went into the console and dashboard last night since the red ig. switch wire kept falling off its terminal.  I noticed the redwire from the ig. switch had a brown wire spliced in.  This was preventing the ig. boot from sealing up the back of the switch.  Any idea where that wire goes?  I'll trace it down but was hoping you'd save me the trouble.  Otherwise, the bike is sorting out.  The gauges are no longer zip tied to the dashboard.  It does appear that the clutch push rod seals are leaking.  The back of the gearbox under the clutch arm is wet.  I cleaned it off last night and will see what weeps out.  I'd hate to pull the gearbox since its spring and the bike runs great.  It does seem a little slow to warm up and i'm guessing its lean on the pilot/idle jets.  Thanks for the history and hope to run into you guys again some day.  I'll be at the Bull City rumble later this year and Rockers vs Mods in Charlotte.
Toby

[redrider90]

Steve or Robert, quick question for you.  I went into the console and dashboard last night since the red ig. switch wire kept falling off its terminal.  I noticed the redwire from the ig. switch had a brown wire spliced in.  This was preventing the ig. boot from sealing up the back of the switch.  Any idea where that wire goes?  I'll trace it down but was hoping you'd save me the trouble.  Otherwise, the bike is sorting out.  The gauges are no longer zip tied to the dashboard.  It does appear that the clutch push rod seals are leaking.  The back of the gearbox under the clutch arm is wet.  I cleaned it off last night and will see what weeps out.  I'd hate to pull the gearbox since its spring and the bike runs great.  It does seem a little slow to warm up and i'm guessing its lean on the pilot/idle jets.  Thanks for the history and hope to run into you guys again some day.  I'll be at the Bull City rumble later this year and Rockers vs Mods in Charlotte.
Toby

I took a quick look at my 90 Mille. I have the wires all taped together leading into the ignition switch so unless I pull the switch I cannot see if the brown wired is spliced into the red. If you are desperate I'll pull the switch but this is what I have leading out of the switch.  
4 wires: 2 large gauge 10/12? wires, one red and one brown, and two smaller wires 14/16 gauge. One green and one white. They lead back into the harness and get lost after that. BTW the purpose of all the electrical tape is to keep the ignition boot from sliding off. It was a never ending battle keeping the boot in place: hence I just taped the wires together at the end of the boot.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

It does appear that the clutch push rod seals are leaking.  The back of the gearbox under the clutch arm is wet.  I cleaned it off last night and will see what weeps out. 

A leak from that location isn't the clutch pushrod seals, it's the throw-out bearing outer body o-ring.

[Chuck in Indiana]

A leak from that location isn't the clutch pushrod seals, it's the throw-out bearing outer body o-ring.

And.. easy to fix without pulling anything.

[tobydmv]

A leak from that location isn't the clutch pushrod seals, it's the throw-out bearing outer body o-ring.

Good to know.  I'll add that to the pushrod seal order.  Should I replace the throwout bearing as well?  Not sure if you caught my other thread.  There is oil weeping out the flywheel inspection cover and the clutch slips at higher RPM's.  The clutch did not slip last night when I rode it though.  I kept it under 5k rpm.

[tobydmv]

I took a quick look at my 90 Mille. I have the wires all taped together leading into the ignition switch so unless I pull the switch I cannot see if the brown wired is spliced into the red. If you are desperate I'll pull the switch but this is what I have leading out of the switch.  
4 wires: 2 large gauge 10/12? wires, one red and one brown, and two smaller wires 14/16 gauge. One green and one white. They lead back into the harness and get lost after that. BTW the purpose of all the electrical tape is to keep the ignition boot from sliding off. It was a never ending battle keeping the boot in place: hence I just taped the wires together at the end of the boot.

Thanks for the offer but dont go to any trouble.  I can trace the wire down.  The fuse box is broken and i'll replace it and the core wire harness soon.  I'm sure i'll find the brown wires purpose and re route it inside the switch cover.  I need to sort out a few other things.  The center dash and gauge cluster is in sad shape.  I was actually afraid that the speedo would fall off during last nights ride.  Both gauges need new glass.  Gearbox is low on oil.  Lots of random wires hanging loose.  Carbs need some love.  Headlight seems inadequate..  But i'm very happy with the ride.  I've never been on a tonti frame before and it feels great.

Anyone have experience with this mgcycle dash kit?  Might need some silent blocks and a bracket to isolate the vibes.
http://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=276&products_id=2459

[Two Checks]

The hadlight IS inadequate. It's a 45/55 watt incandescent lamp and the alternator doesn't keep up with the lights until after 3k rpm.

[redrider90]

The hadlight IS inadequate. It's a 45/55 watt incandescent lamp and the alternator doesn't keep up with the lights until after 3k rpm.

I just replaced the dash with a new stock dash last year. I think they are available. I also got a new set of cans for the tach and speedo. I got the dash either from MG
http://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4514  and the cans brand new OEM from http://www.rebootguzzispares.com/spares.htm
As for the statement about the headlight being weak, I changed mine out to a Bosch from a BMW unit and using the same bulb and increase my nightlight by 25% on both low and high beams. Thanks to Stan Friduss's for fixing me up with that one.