So we have had a rather depressing few weeks.
First the Noggie misbehaves rather. As in insisting on idling at 2k. I know it's done that before, and usually calms down after it's been turned off for a bit,.
But leave work and it's doing it again!
Then about 2/3 of the way home and the motor stops motoring. Not in a seize and cease turning way but a "spark, whassat?" sort of way. Indeed, in an "electrical power is nonfunctioning" sort of way.
Pull over to the side of the road, turn key off, turn key on, light display happens, push starter, lights and dash and all turn off. Repeat, and repeat.
Hmm... starter pulling too much juice? All fuses intact. We are at the top of a hillish thing, we are also pulled over in the bus lane of a busy 3 lane road with no shoulder or exits. I think I'd like to be elsewhere, especially as buses are big critters and would exert right of weight.
So I whack the hazards on, and start rolling in neutral. "Hmm.. " thinks I, change up to 3rd and drop the clutch. "Vroom" it goes! Yes!
I keep the revs up, hoping that will keep the bike moving, but traffic starts to bank up, the rear wheel stops followed by the motor.
I had the brains to stay in the kerbside lane, so a few paces up into a convenient driveway (now we are off the bridge) and then push it along the path and into a side street. Remove seat, check all fuses (OK) check battery connections (OK) wriggle and push and reseat everything within reach, no change. Meaning no start.
Call the friendly bike movers who can't be there for hours, leave the key under the rear wheel, and head off in search of one of those buses.
The bike movers take it to Dave Ward (who knows his stuff) and he reports the battery is fairly knackered. Well it is 5 years old so I suppose it is allowed to be. While he's at it he also replaces the alternator belt.
I pick up the bike a few days later and it seems fine. I didn't use it the next day, the following day I was due to ride about 80km to a big campsite down a few km of winding steep dirt road and enjoy meself over Easter.
Bike hard to start in that it catches immediately then dies. Have to rev it rather energetically. Not as good as one might like. Pops a lot on the overrun, which for a Norge means A Lot. I sound like a machine gun.
Get to the campsite, park bike, go to do the enjoyment thing. On Sunday I say I'll run an errand, go to bike, try to start...
The bike turns over once and everything's dead. Dead as a very dead thing. No lightage at all, not even the immobiliser light.
There appears to be a nonfunctional 40 amp fuse. hmmm.. I draw the line at dismantling the bike in a muddy paddock and confine myself to checking every bit I can see without removing the fairing. No obvious shorts, but it blows the spare fuse too. Right... text message to Dave and back to the enjoying part. Can't expect anything before Tuesday given it is Easter and there's a lot of drinking, dancing, singing, and mud wrestling to be done.
Dave arranges to pick up the bike, and a couple of days later I pick it up again. Apparently it was the regulator which is a Nippon Denso part and available from the nearest car shop, so that's good. Head back on the 70km ride home. (You take your experienced Guzzi tech where you can find him!)
Alas. About 20 mins later, we have no power or lights. At dusk on the outside lane of a freeway in 110km/h traffic. Oh joy.
Sticking my left arm out in an "I'm coming, so deal with it" signal I steer over to the breakdown lane and nestle myself as far away from the traffic as I can. A quick check shows that the bloody 40 amp fuse has joined the choir invisible. Dave's not answering his phone which may mean gone home or may mean busy so I text him, pull a book out and wait.
Eventually he rings back (ah the mobile phone, saviour of owners of Italian Exotica with dodgy Japanese electrics) and after a bit of time the ute turns up and the Noggie goes back to its home away from home.
Couple of days later and it looks like the alternator has a heat related short. Took 15-20 mins at freeway speeds to make it lie down go foom, so the 10 mins up the hill and back they did as a test didn't trigger it.
Dave thinks he can find a 2nd handie for me, which is good because apparently a new one is a grand!
Pity it isn't a car part like the regulator is....
Am I just unlucky or has anyone else found their alternator has karked it after 60,000 km or so?
First the Noggie misbehaves rather. As in insisting on idling at 2k. I know it's done that before, and usually calms down after it's been turned off for a bit,.
But leave work and it's doing it again!
Then about 2/3 of the way home and the motor stops motoring. Not in a seize and cease turning way but a "spark, whassat?" sort of way. Indeed, in an "electrical power is nonfunctioning" sort of way.
Pull over to the side of the road, turn key off, turn key on, light display happens, push starter, lights and dash and all turn off. Repeat, and repeat.
Hmm... starter pulling too much juice? All fuses intact. We are at the top of a hillish thing, we are also pulled over in the bus lane of a busy 3 lane road with no shoulder or exits. I think I'd like to be elsewhere, especially as buses are big critters and would exert right of weight.
So I whack the hazards on, and start rolling in neutral. "Hmm.. " thinks I, change up to 3rd and drop the clutch. "Vroom" it goes! Yes!
I keep the revs up, hoping that will keep the bike moving, but traffic starts to bank up, the rear wheel stops followed by the motor.
I had the brains to stay in the kerbside lane, so a few paces up into a convenient driveway (now we are off the bridge) and then push it along the path and into a side street. Remove seat, check all fuses (OK) check battery connections (OK) wriggle and push and reseat everything within reach, no change. Meaning no start.
Call the friendly bike movers who can't be there for hours, leave the key under the rear wheel, and head off in search of one of those buses.
The bike movers take it to Dave Ward (who knows his stuff) and he reports the battery is fairly knackered. Well it is 5 years old so I suppose it is allowed to be. While he's at it he also replaces the alternator belt.
I pick up the bike a few days later and it seems fine. I didn't use it the next day, the following day I was due to ride about 80km to a big campsite down a few km of winding steep dirt road and enjoy meself over Easter.
Bike hard to start in that it catches immediately then dies. Have to rev it rather energetically. Not as good as one might like. Pops a lot on the overrun, which for a Norge means A Lot. I sound like a machine gun.
Get to the campsite, park bike, go to do the enjoyment thing. On Sunday I say I'll run an errand, go to bike, try to start...
The bike turns over once and everything's dead. Dead as a very dead thing. No lightage at all, not even the immobiliser light.
There appears to be a nonfunctional 40 amp fuse. hmmm.. I draw the line at dismantling the bike in a muddy paddock and confine myself to checking every bit I can see without removing the fairing. No obvious shorts, but it blows the spare fuse too. Right... text message to Dave and back to the enjoying part. Can't expect anything before Tuesday given it is Easter and there's a lot of drinking, dancing, singing, and mud wrestling to be done.
Dave arranges to pick up the bike, and a couple of days later I pick it up again. Apparently it was the regulator which is a Nippon Denso part and available from the nearest car shop, so that's good. Head back on the 70km ride home. (You take your experienced Guzzi tech where you can find him!)
Alas. About 20 mins later, we have no power or lights. At dusk on the outside lane of a freeway in 110km/h traffic. Oh joy.
Sticking my left arm out in an "I'm coming, so deal with it" signal I steer over to the breakdown lane and nestle myself as far away from the traffic as I can. A quick check shows that the bloody 40 amp fuse has joined the choir invisible. Dave's not answering his phone which may mean gone home or may mean busy so I text him, pull a book out and wait.
Eventually he rings back (ah the mobile phone, saviour of owners of Italian Exotica with dodgy Japanese electrics) and after a bit of time the ute turns up and the Noggie goes back to its home away from home.
Couple of days later and it looks like the alternator has a heat related short. Took 15-20 mins at freeway speeds to make it lie down go foom, so the 10 mins up the hill and back they did as a test didn't trigger it.
Dave thinks he can find a 2nd handie for me, which is good because apparently a new one is a grand!
Pity it isn't a car part like the regulator is....
Am I just unlucky or has anyone else found their alternator has karked it after 60,000 km or so?