Bassa bulb blown, socket slagged - Anybody know upgrade socket & bulb P/N ?

[normzone]

Haven't ridden for a couple of weeks, got it out yesterday, then today again.

Yesterday it sounded fine. Today at lunch I noticed the left plastichrome throttlebody cover is broke off. Oh well, I have the emesis pan to make another pair from. Actually, I've got two. If somebody needs one let me know.

On my way to lunch the exhaust note sounded louder on the left. I chalked it up to a loose earplug.

On the way home from work it got louder and louder - there also seems to be a lessening of throttle response, although I'll be damned if I can define it properly. So I get home thinking things like exhaust baffle burglars.

The back of the pipes look no different than usual. I guess I'll ride it some this weekend and try to figure out WTF.

[oldbike54]

Norm old man , check the nuts where the pipes connect to the heads , and then check the muffler and crossover connections . The "Baffle Burglar" went extinct in the 1930's  ;D


  Dusty

[radguzzi]

Norm,
Yup, as mentioned, check all the exhaust nuts and clamps.  Bet you'll find some loosening has happened.

Intake also, the intake runners and clamps.  Lemme know if you need another set of eyes/ears on the Bassa.

Best,
Rob

[normzone]

The thought plickens.

To see if I could go for a ride tomorrow with [radguzzi], I woke up the bike again to see if the exhaust leak would further identify itself.

Nothing. Gone. I am going to chalk it up to an earplug coming loose. I can't think of a cause for an intermittent exhaust leak. I took it up on the freeway for a few miles and got on it - worked great.

But the headlight is about dead - it comes on, but so dim as to be useless. I have the driving lights to fall back on, but it's not my ideal.

And the brights indicator has been coming on intermittently for a month now, initially going away after a few miles, but now on at the startup  and stays that way, regardless of the switch setting. So the new theory is that the exhaust leak sound may have been a symptom of the headlight going out.

So I'm going for a ride tomorrow. Maybe being around some well behaved Guzzis will be good for the bike - I've seen it work with horses anyway.

[rodekyll]

If you have a busted baffle (is that possible with your cans?) it can intermittently rattle in and out of position and change the sound.

That's all I've got.

[Don G]

you likely have a head lamp ground problem, pull the headlamp and check the plug, I would bet that the plastic plug is melted. DonG  8)

[fotoguzzi]

the new theory is that the exhaust leak sound may have been a symptom of the headlight going out.
 

huh?

[Kiwi_Roy]

you likely have a head lamp ground problem, pull the headlamp and check the plug, I would bet that the plastic plug is melted. DonG  8)

:+1
The sockets have a habit of melting, you can pick up another at any auto parts store, throw away the lamp as well the pins are likely burnt.

[John A]

You can get a high temp version of the headlite connector. Sometimes at Napa or BMW mc dealer. The exhaust may be cracked at the crossover

[oldbike54]

huh?

 Norm inhabits an alternate reality where zucchinis are a source of energy  ;D

  Dusty

[rodekyll]

Norm inhabits an alternate reality where zucchinis are a source of energy  ;D

  Dusty

You HAVE heard of the zucchini battery, haven't you?  It's like the potato battery only greener.  Line up an acre of them and you can power a 3-transistor radio (AM only).

[oldbike54]

You HAVE heard of the zucchini battery, haven't you?  It's like the potato battery only greener.  Line up an acre of them and you can power a 3-transistor radio (AM only).

 Well of course , but in Norm's world the zukes are REALLY large and used kinda like water buffaloes , and not the 2 smoker type  :D My understanding is that they were efficient , but lacking good attachment points , the harness kept slipping off  :D

  Dusty

[normzone]

Actually we solved the harness slippage problem using wasp venom to make attachment points swell up. Unfortunately when the rest of team took the buyout from big agriculture / farm equipment manufacturers to kill the Recumbent Modified Zucchinni project, all that technology was destroyed. We couldn't do it over again any more than we could put an Apollo on the moon today.

But I had a great ride with Rob and John today. I haven't had a ride like that for twenty five years. Those boys are fast.

Or I'm slow. Or both. Beautiful day and roads. I saw a couple of nice raptors, a bunch of sky divers behaving like raptors, a host of old technology in a loving environment. Rob's posting pictures.

[normzone]

Well, this is a confusing thread to read, but a man must find his small entertainments in life.

So many of you told me that the ground contacts would be oxidized, or the socket melted, that I followed the exhaust leak sound up into the headlight shell and guess what I found?

You were all correct.

So, instead of kluging a fix, which I could do with my teeth and some tape, I thought I'd ask if anybody knows the P/N for an upgrade socket, and best source for same.

Or I could skip the socket, go to female spade terminals. The socket is an AMP part.

And is there a more bitchin' bulb I can drop in there without having to add relays, circuit breakers, and flag men to the line? Are additional electrical mods required or just advised?

Thanks all - you guys are so cool that my wife is coming around to the idea of yet another Guzzi in the house.

[rodekyll]

The more bitchin the bulb, the more it's a bitch.  Higher output halogens have a shorter lifespan and are more susceptible to vibration damage.  Other solutions, as you've noted, require more stuff to install and make work.  It's one of those things that you have to throw time, money, and effort into.  I'm not understanding why this is an issue for you though.  You're looking at the same effort to install a new type of light as it takes to repair the old one -- kind of like replacing your old chrome bores with new chrome bores.

A NAPA ceramic plug will do as well as anyone else's.  You'll still need the odd sized female 'flag' connectors, since yours are undoubtedly softened by heat.  You might ask for a pre-wired one.

[Kiwi_Roy]

Personally I wouldn't go for a ceramic, I think it's a good thing to melt the plastic if the contacts starts generating heat, at least you have a warning, yes get a pre-wired one, throw the old bulb away, the contacts are probably arced and will compromise the new socket. Add one headlight relay to the bucket it's the biggest Lumen booster you will get for your $1, use an old one from the bike if you have swapped them out. Make sure you have a good ground to the lamp, I like to run a wire back to the main chassis.

[Carlo DeSantis]

Well, this is a confusing thread to read, but a man must find his small entertainments in life.

So many of you told me that the ground contacts would be oxidized, or the socket melted, that I followed the exhaust leak sound up into the headlight shell and guess what I found?

You were all correct.

So, instead of kluging a fix, which I could do with my teeth and some tape, I thought I'd ask if anybody knows the P/N for an upgrade socket, and best source for same.

Or I could skip the socket, go to female spade terminals. The socket is an AMP part.

And is there a more bitchin' bulb I can drop in there without having to add relays, circuit breakers, and flag men to the line? Are additional electrical mods required or just advised?

Thanks all - you guys are so cool that my wife is coming around to the idea of yet another Guzzi in the house.

NAPA p/n LS6235 is what I've used.  Connector with fairly heavy leads ready to splice into your original wiring.

Best,

Carlo

[normzone]

Sweet! Thank you much.

Is the bulb a special Guzzi device, or a readily available automotive crossover?

[Wayne Orwig]

Sweet! Thank you much.

Is the bulb a special Guzzi device, or a readily available automotive crossover?

Standard H4.
Get a Sylvania Silverstar bulb for a LITTLE more light output. Carry a spare bulb because they have a short life span. Well, and it is a good idea to carry a spare no matter what.

[Kiwi_Roy]

Sweet! Thank you much.

Is the bulb a special Guzzi device, or a readily available automotive crossover?

It may be, but I just use a regular car type, then what do I know?
I try to avoid riding at night otherwise I would likely upgrade the headlight.