Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Mwether on August 08, 2025, 08:09:11 PM
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As I know many of you are, I'm happy to do routine maintenance or work on motorcycle parts that are worn out, broken, misadjusted, etc. It's gratifying to address these issues and improve the bike's longevity, performance, and/or safety.
On the other hand, when I CAUSE the problem myself and lengthen the to-do list through my own mistakes, it makes me nuts.
The most recent "unforced error" occurred when I was changing the position of the EVT's control levers, which also changes the locations of the mirror mounts. With the mounts in the new position, the mirrors were at the limit of their travel and showing me lots of elbow, so I unscrewed them to adjust the angles and check for corrosion. As I took the left hand one off, unaware of the spacer, the spacer fell down into the bike and disappeared. I was almost positive that it never made it all the way to the floor and was trapped somewhere between the cylinder heads, maybe within the fins. Many bad words followed.
After looking all over the ground, I fished around with an extendable magnet from both sides of the bike for a long while. No joy. I left it alone for a few days, stewing. I figured I would have to pump the tank out and remove it.
I came back to it today and looked VERY closely. (Time away and looking again without preconceptions both help, at least in my case.) Where this arrow is pointing, below the bottom fin, I saw just a few degrees of arc that looked out of place.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Ride/Maintaining-the-Goose/i-SzjDjSN/0/Kv59tvcst4QbzZvF3fmxzDbTsJXhvwpsbXvWngsKv/X2/PXL_20250808_215300189-EDIT-X2.jpg)
I sent the magnet back in and was blessed by the Guzzi gods. Oh, joy! :thumb:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Ride/Maintaining-the-Goose/i-mH6pCx7/0/LbqgTTpS2jCZ5kx5rxrjRts4QGwzGjN3vCnbWbhMZ/X2/PXL_20250808_214953896.PORTRAIT.ORIGINAL-1754690619799-X2.jpg)
This is a small example, but it was frustrating enough. I know these sorts of mistakes are inevitable, and I suppose I should be more patient when my lack of knowledge causes extra work; it's just learning after all.
Any amusing unforced errors lately? Ideally with a happy ending? (With experience, you likely have far fewer examples!)
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I would have bought a replacement mirror so I'd have another spacer, taken that mirror apart and dropped it in the same manner I dropped the first one, while carefully watching where it went ... so that then I'd have neither of them.
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I would have bought a replacement mirror so I'd have another spacer, taken that mirror apart and dropped it in the same manner I dropped the first one, while carefully watching where it went ... so that then I'd have neither of them.
LOLed at that!
What is it with gravity?! After replacing the high beam idiot light and starting to reinstall the plastic "chromed" dash lamp cover, I dropped it and then grabbed at it on the way down. I didn't catch it, but I DID hit it, so it flew across the garage with MORE force before landing on the concrete floor. (Thankfully, no damage that I can see.)
In the end (for me), this comes down to poor assumptions and lack of care. If I didn't assume, and observed closely instead, I probably would have seen the spacer, instead of blithely unscrewing stuff, thinking I already knew what I would find. This is part of taking a careful and methodical approach—at least when you're a Guzzi noob.
Open mind, slow hands. :thumb:
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Chalk it up to the infamous saying; “Guzzi’s, making mechanics out of riders since 1921”
inditx
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I think I'm not the first one to have used gorilla hands to fit the
timing hole plug and shoved it into the clutch bell housing.
Luckily I found it with a borescope and pulled it out.