Broke down.

[Chuck in Indiana]

AND do as I did and drop a donation on the forum. Far cheaper than shop rates and lots more entertaining to get remote support from you folks.

:1: :1:

[normzone]

Very cool .... I will never make legendary status .... I'm still working on " almost weird enough ".

[rodekyll]

There are only so many ways to say the same thing for the zillionth time.  When you are as right as Pete is as often as Pete is and as willing to haul the crew along in your wake as many and often as Pete does, and you still care enough to answer the SAME question month after month after year as often as Pete does, you can give your advice any way you want to.  Until you get there, be happy that Pete takes the time out of his busy day to bring you along.  He could be off making money or pigmy porn.

[oldbike54]

Very cool .... I will never make legendary status .... I'm still working on " almost weird enough ".

 Wait , hold on just a moment , all of this time we thought you were our roll model for the weird part, now who do we look to 

 Dusty

[pete roper]

Depends on your definition of "fine" I suppose.   I've never met another 09 - 11 Stelvio owner who didn't have to replace their spark plug caps.   I'm the only one I know who went as many miles as I did.   And many of us are perfectly capable of not snatching the plug caps out with pliers and a crowbar, and they STILL failed ....

Lannin

So how do you take them out Lannis?

[Lannis]

So how do you take them out Lannis?

Lever them up from the bottom with a thin screwdriver (maybe even the same one as in the Roller Conversion video to control that spring), and guide the top out with two zip ties looped around one zip that clutches the middle ...

Learned that from an unimPEACHable source on WG!   

Lannis

[Huzo]

I'm fine with the grouchy. I'm young and famously grouchy in real life. If I didn't know better though, based on posting history, I'd think Mr Roper wouldn't want anyone to buy a Guzzi.

It's just blood and guts honesty with the piss weak gloss removed.
I'm not gunna piss in his pocket just 'cos I know he'll read it, but it's like cod liver oil or some other rancid medicine. You won't want to take it, but I guarantee it'll do you good. It's just rollicking good fun mate, I promise you. I do know......(Now).
This isn't an African Violet forum, we're not delicate flowers, come to an Aussie rally some time. Bloody Roper was once mistaken in low light for Mother Theresa's PA at one...!

[oldbike54]

 That' enough fellas , seriously  Good grief , there are people dealing with REAL problems , put your egos away please . Thank you .

 Dusty

[Hymes Inc.]

Sorry to start a Pete is grouchy thread. But I do appreciate the help he gives, got me home last night no trailer involved.    Something about putting your bike on a trailer or in a truck that I really don't like. Now back to the original task at hand. Are these the correct numbers? XD05F for the caps and C8E for the plugs

[pete roper]

They should do the job. There are several ways to skin this particular cat.

Over here NGK don't bring in some of their products so I've had to play mix and match a couple of times.

The most important thing is the caps fit under the plastic covers. This presents a bit of an issue here because of the type of plugs that are available, Perhaps other manufacturers will make plugs that solve the issue I'm about to describe but I have always been happy with NGK so I stick with them.

This issue is to do with the tips of the center electrode. Basically there are two types. The skinny, threaded type and the fatter, waisted type. Some plugs are ambi-typestrous in that they have the waisted type but it is removable by unscrewing but some are not.

Obviously this presents a 'Square peg-Round hole' type conundrum if you can't get a suitable cap for the plug or plug for the cap that you have. The type of cap, (Suitable for 'Fat' or 'Skinny' electrode is denoted by the E or F suffix at the end of the cap designation from memory.

Now if you can only get one type of cap and it has the wrong type of electrode connection you'll need to fit different plugs with the correct electrode for the cap. The important things are that the plug has the same reach, the same projection of the hot end of the center electrode and the same heat range. How many ground electrodes it has, whether it is a resistor or non resistor plug or whether it is made of some fancy material are all relatively unimportant. As long as they fit, have the right heat range and fit snugly in the caps that's all that matters.

Yes it's a bore that Piaggio supply such shitty caps, nothing new under the sun though, those of us who have been around a while will remember the awful Bosch caps used in the 1970's and '80's. They were unspeakably crappy! Any time the humidity got over about 2% they'd just short out! Thing is its just a typical case of spoiling the ship for a ha'porth of tar and it's driven by bean counters at the factory and constant whining from some customers who always want things cheaper! It's just the Walmart philosophy applied to motorbikes! I personally can't see how they turn a profit on a lot of their stuff but even so I'd prefer to spend a couple of hundred bucks more for the bike in the first place and have higher quality crap on them simply to save me having to fix it before I can ride! I'm strange like that though and have bought my bikes new and usually at recommended retail rather than waiting until they are deeply discounted a few years on and still whining about things.

Pete

[Mr Pootle]

They're shite.

Also before you decide to go poking about with your Stelvio do a bit of research on removing the plug caps on it because butchering them is easy and it will elicit no sympathy if you bugger it up. The info is available to anyone with a computer and Internet access.

Straightforward advice given in a straightforward fashion.

[Ncdan]

If I may offer a thought on one of the members in question here. As a newer guzzi here I have ask some what would appear to be real dumb questions in the past and yes at time got some responses that were less than sugar coated from a couple of old salts here. That being said being a thick skinned old retired cop their experienced answers and help was well worth the assertive responses and they always hung with me until they seen I understand the answer to my question. If it weren't for these old and some young guys here, I would not be brave enough to own one of these odd creatures known as Guzzis.

[Chesterfield]

Unless spark plug caps have a manufacturers name on them Like NGK, Magnecor, Denso and such. they are all junk.

[blackcat]

"I'm not gunna piss in his pocket...."

The very original story of this saying is probably lost to time, but it must be hilarious.

[Huzo]

"I'm not gunna piss in his pocket...."

The very original story of this saying is probably lost to time, but it must be hilarious.

I could guess, but so could a thousand others.
The meaning  behind it is to pass a compliment, under the attempted disguise of a an off the hand chance comment.
It's supposed to sound like you paid the compliment without meaning to (therefore boosting it's effectiveness and engratiating yourself to the recipient)...All very complex in definition, but can be spotted from a Bull's Roar in Australia (There's another one) Also known as "crawling" or in it's full incarnation "crawling up someone's .... !Ummm, can't quite remember