Pleasantville

My concern is that the flushing oil will react with the R40, turning it into sludge and blocking vital oilways, leading to an almighty BANG! Is there a special flushing oil for Castrol R?

I have just bought a 1990 Moto Guzzi Le Mans 1000cc V-twin and lovely she is too! But, she is running on Castrol R40 (castor oil) which every Guzzi person/dealer/specialist I talk to says is totally the wrong oil. I want to change to the correct semi-synthetic 15/50 mineral oil, but am told this is frought with danger as castor and mineral oils do not mix at all and the engine might congeal up. My local Guzzi specialist has today said I would need to strip, clean and rebuild the engine before changing over to mineral! Anyone got any experience on this, either with cars or bikes? Is flushing oil the answer? Is there a special flushing oil for Castor oil? Or, as the bike is running fine (no rattles, leaks or smoke) do I leave it on R40? What do you think I should do? HELP PLEASE!!!

I have for sale 4 IK01-27 Denso Iridium Racing Spark Plugs. These things are a work of art and almost too pretty to screw into and engine! I bought them for my R500 (now sadly gone) for track day use, but never got round to doing the track day! I did try them out once, but they have virtually no use. Still in their individual green and clear plastic containers and presentation box! Over £100 new. See: http://www.spark-plugs.co.uk/pages/technical/iridium_spark_plugs.htm and: http://www.ferodo-brakes.co.uk/pages/pricing/applications/Denso-Iridium.asp Offers please?

Standard size and fits like a glove! Email me if interested on ray@webbscom.co.uk Thanks.

Full tailored Covercraft waterproof cover for sale. The Rolls Royce of car covers! In as new condition, comes in its own waterproof bag (same material as the cover itself). Offers?

Tim Neil - could you email me again. Deleted your email by mistake! Thanks.

Reluctantly up for sale. First class condition, low mileage and new MOT. Please email me for details and photographs - ray@webbscom.co.uk Thanks.

No.42. Low mileage and fantastic condition. Everything you would expect. Please email me on ray@webbscom.co.uk for full details and photographs.

Old topic I know, but how much do I need to do the primaries on the R500? Is 2" best? Best make/supplier? Are the benefits worth it? Thanks.

The throttle cable on my R500 was a little stiff yesterday so I disconnected it from the pedal, held it vertical and poured oil into it. Seems OK but still stiffish when put back together again. It strikes me that the cable is too long, because it runs from the pedal box, down past the washer bottle, beyond the roller barrel linkage, back round and then curves up under the roller barrels to the linkage. Why is it not shorter and running in one smooth curve to the roller barrel linkage? Have I got the wrong cable? A friend mentioned teflon lined cables. Where could I get one of these that would fit? Thanks.

An oil leak (now rectified with PTFE tape) from the top of the conning tower on my R500 has caused oil to run down on to the clutch. I now get clutch slip when under full load at 6000 rpm+. During normal driving it does not occur. Will the oil burn itself off over time or can I flush the clutch plate with a water soluble degreaser? Ideally I do not want to have to strip it down. Any recommendations?

Why not spend £5000 more and get my R500? You know it would make sense!

Work was carried out by QED before I bought the car, so not sure about which crank was used or why. I guess I could call them and find out. What are the options for whose crank?

The car was registered in June 2001 (No.42 made) I am the second owner - bought it in February 2004. The mileage is 11,500 (7,286 when I bought it). It had a full engine re-fresh/build (plus a steel crank) at 7000 miles in late 2003. The 3500 miles I have done since the rebuild have all been normal road miles and no track days. In fact I have been pretty gentle with her really. She runs excellently, (mechanically) quietly and cleanly. Starts, goes and stops like it should. Overall, a top car. It has lots of extras, all the weather gear, full hood, half hood, half doors, full doors, large aero fuel tank (good for longer distance road work), brake bias control, Momo cut away steering wheel (plus full round Momo), tillet seats, fire extinguisher, Powervamp red-top battery, triple core radiator, re-packable titanium exhaust, Reverie induction system with front scoop under nose cone (worth extra 5-10 bhp), full outdoor all weather cover (although she is permanently garaged in a carpeted garage - people think I am mad hoovering my garage carpet!), lots more I can't think of etc.etc.etc and a nice R500 number plate. It is vivid yellow and black. I also have a cat by-pass pipe and race roll bar brace if you want to get serious. It has been run exclusively on Mobil 1 Motorsport and premium petrol. All that for only £23,000. I can email photos if you let me have your email address.

Still thinking about selling mine. Anyone looking for a good one?