New To Me 2016 Eldorado 1400

[TN Mark]

Gotta love a matched set:

[blu guzz]

that's pretty trick.  your bike is really taking shape.  mine is a 10 footer in comparison.

[TN Mark]

The rear passenger peg top, the ‘swingarm’ cover rosette, the floorboard, lever cover, brake pad, head heat shield and the brake reservoir cover make a nice ensemble.

DPM/Moto Guzzi did a great job on these accessories.






I also installed the DPM trapezoid shaped mirrors. They’re quite attractive but I bought them in black so as not to add glare to my forward vision. Same for the DPM clutch and brake reservoir covers. In black, but so far, those covers are not installed yet. I won’t install the DPM front wheel hub trim until I need to remove the wheel for a new front tire.

[TN Mark]

We picked up the fender from the painter, Colors on Parade on Friday. It looks stunning, perfect, beautiful. Technically, clear coat takes two weeks to ‘fully’ cure when indoors. So, I left it out on the deck on Friday and Saturday to soak up that wonderful Tennessee sunshine. On Saturday evening I reinstalled the inner frame assembly brace that also holds the turn signals and the license bracket. The whole assembly looks nice and clean without the US DOT red reflector assemblies.

After church today we installed the fender. We first slid the fender snaps into the shock tower trim and loosely fit the three top mounting bolts. Then we connected all three wire harnesses and ensured they were in the fender clips and out of the way of the tire travel. Sweet. Everything was going fine.

Next up, install the two rear most mounting bolts from below. These two go through the horizontal rear fender/frame and into the inner fender brace assembly.

This is where all forward progress was frustratingly stopped. The issue is it’s difficult enough to see the correct frame hole with the fender installed. It’s even more difficult to get it threaded into the inner fender bracket. The saddlebag bracketry is simply in the way. We’ll take another run at it next weekend.






I wonder how many  Eldorado owners who complained about a ‘bouncy’ or a ‘shaky’ rear fender also had Eldorado saddlebags installed. I also wonder how many dealers simply didn’t reinstall those two bolts that secure the inner fender brace to the frame. Yes, they’re that difficult to install. Especially working off the garage floor.

An 8mm open end wrench can fit between the head of the bolt and the bracket. There isn’t enough room to turn/swing the bolt with an open end wrench though.

The ratcheting end of an 8mm wrench is too thick. It can’t mount onto the bolt head as there’s not enough room/thickness.

I also don’t see a way to mount the saddlebag bracket with the fender installed.

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome and greatly appreciated.

[TN Mark]

I’ll try to replace the stock M6x20 bolt (M8 head) with an M6x20 SHCS and an oversize washer.
Yes, Blue or maybe even Orange LockTite. Using a ball end hex key just ‘may’ work.

[TN Mark]

There just wasn’t a way to secure the rear fender inner brace side bolts with it mounted in the rear fender. So, I removed the brace from the rear fender and installed it alone.





So close now. The SHCS idea simply didn’t work. There just wasn’t enough room to tighten up the SHCS, even using a ball end Allen wrench. So, we went back to OEM bolts. We mounted the two outer OEM bolts as well as the top center bolt for centering. We couldn’t use a standard 8mm wrench though as the saddlebag bracket takes up too much space between the bolt head and the bracket. Thankfully, I bought a tiny 8mm wrench. As without it, we still couldn’t have tightened it up.







After getting the fender brace mounted, we then installed the rear fender, the luggage rack and the seats.





Next up: install the turn signal assembly, the license plate light and wire them up. Then, finally, install those beautiful saddlebags and the matching trunk.

Woo Hoo

[TN Mark]

I definitely like the uncluttered look without the US DOT mandated red side facing reflectors.









Fortunately, these reflector assemblies are very easy to remove. Just loosen the turn stalk mounting nut from the inside of the rear fender and they come right out. The mount under the nut has a slot so no wiring needs to be messed with. Nice.

Yea, I know. I also remove the US mandated mattress tag. Just because, it’s a silly ‘rule’.

Only thing left now is to insert the license plate light and the turn signal wiring looms into the clips near the top inside of the fender. Plus add a couple wire ties for good measure. Then, of course, mount the right side saddlebag.

Yesterday I also put the matching leather trunk bag on. It looks very nice. I’ll post additional pictures with that as well. I need to put some car wrap on the center section of the gas tank before I’ll install the tank bag and its mount. That day is coming as well. Bella, is nearly ready for The Ball.

[TN Mark]

WooHoo


















I’ll get some nicer, outdoor pictures over the next couple of days.

[TN Mark]

I was able to spend some much needed time on Bella last night. What was immediately apparent is the stock forward lighting is quite poor. The driving lights are barely effective at doing anything and the headlight Low beam is nearly useless.

I’ll definitely get some LED upgrades for all three. The High beam is almost what I’d expect from a decent Low beam regarding light output. I drove several miles with my High beam on. Passing several oncoming vehicles on two lane roads and not a single vehicle ever flashed their High beams in a message to turn my High beam off.

So, more searching through posts to determine the best options to get some decent forward lighting on Bella is in order.

[TN Mark]

To get useable forward lighting on the Eldo I’m considering something like this:

•  Low beam (H3): Osram Night Breaker Laser H3 halogen (pair recommended — one bulb needed, spare is handy)
Up to 150% brighter than standard, ~3400-4200K whiter light, excellent beam pattern in the stock reflector, fully street-legal, and proven vibration/heat tolerant in sealed housings like yours. Many California 1400/Eldorado owners specifically choose this for low beam for the same legality and pattern reasons.

•  High beam (H7): Ledperf SimplyFit H7 LED (motorcycle version, 6000K, 1:1 Plug & Play)
Passive-cooled, vibration-resistant design built for motorcycles, compact size that fits the tight Eldorado headlight bucket.

•  Auxiliary driving lights (H8): Ledperf SimplyFit H8 LED pair (motorcycle version, 6000K, 1:1 Plug & Play)
Same fanless, vibration-resistant family — perfect match for the small sealed plastic pods with limited airflow.

There are certainly LED options that offer more light output. They have a built in fan to keep the LED array cooled. The ‘problem’ is the cheap plastic components (reflectors and housings) Piaggio used limit what can be done.

I suspect distortion and damage from heat of the plastic components with more powerful options could be a real concern.

That being said, I have additional reading to do from others who have already gone down this path.

[blu guzz]

I get what you are saying about the lighting. For me, it didn't matter as I live in a rural area and gave up night riding years ago.  I really loved it too and felt it was very special to be out on a hot, humid night with the wind in your face, but too many deer where I live.  In my county there are probably more deer than humans.

[TN Mark]

I lived in Upper Michigan for a couple of years. The deer population easily outstrips the people by 3 or 4 to one. Terribly short summers, beautiful riding except way too many deer.

But, for me, good forward lighting is a must have much more than a strong desire.