dbdicker
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Posts posted by dbdicker
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I don't know much about the mechanics of it, I just figure the less graunching & snatch going on the better the change. Like John, I find the quickest upshifts are without the clutch. The bike feels like it just wants to do it that way. The change, for someone coming off a 5 speed is unbelievably slick, done as John describes.
To those who predict destruction - have you upshifted the 6 speed without the clutch, quickly & firmly as John describes? How can anything that feels so good be so bad
???The single plate models may be more suited to clutchless changes cos the lighter flywheel drops/picks up revs quicker like Pete says.
KB
I'm slow as molasses but use clutchless upshifts frequently. Just feels right on this machine. I've got no bias, not looking to make great time. I actually figure I'm just a lazy s**t, if I don't hafta move my left hand for a while, all the better --- and it DOES feel so natural, the bike moves from one gear to the next absolutely seamlessly, without any lurching, noise or nuttin'. Kewl. Try it, I bet you'll like it.
Dan
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EEK! That musta made a helluva mess. Lookin' for the 5 gallon drum of S100 under the tree this year? (for you, a bar of soap will have to do).
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welcome to the club -- but in support, a dry clutch has yet to fail in North America, and never in a Tenni. Whether this is just the luck of the draw or a cultural schism in the way some Europeans use (abuse?) their bikes I don't know ---------
I own a Scura and have read all I can about this issue. But, after having spoken to 2 very, very long term, world famous dealers of Guzzis who I trust about this issue, they've reassured me to not worry about it. (and I've never bought a bike from either of them). Even without relying on their opinions, I am convinced that the bike will show very clear symptoms long before the clutch fails, if it ever does........which I now very highly doubt, considering the way I ride.
Read the entire thread carefully and you will glean valuable information, about the nature of the riders involved and the symptoms the bikes exhibited before failure. This doesn't mean I'm not still interested in reading all about this. No clutch should ever fail, not this spectacularily, no matter how it's used. Perhaps more will fail and prove their universal inferiority, although most of these bikes have been on the road for 3 years or more already. Additional examples seem unlikely at this point. Perhaps with continued pressure and research, MGNA will own up to whatever engineering fault has caused these few failures and educate us all. But I'm not losing any more sleep over it. IMHO, neither should you, riding in LA.
Dan
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they fold so that when you touch them down when cornering, they wont impale themselves in the ground and high side you................
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Scura just turned 6000 miles and not a whisper of peeling or bubbling paint to be found anywhere on the case (No jinx) (also no bad clutch noises, or spring noises, or any other unwanted noises) [NO JINX] --- just loverly V-twin noises !
Just a lucky one to come out of the Factory? A particularily slow old man underrevving a very quick sport bike? Dunno..........but it works for me.
Dan
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Hilarious ---
I think it mirrors quite a lot of our own experiences too.......... I suspect the V11 will be perfect for you, but only for a short time. You'll lust after something else, surely. Do yourself a favor when you do ---- something I should have learned a long time ago ---- DON'T sell the V11 when you ache for something new. You'll regret it.
Dan
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one day indian summer today, went into the garage to start up the Scura, small oil pool under the bike -- only perhaps 15 drops or so, accumulated since last week. Definately motor oil, the pool has formed under the point where the frame connects to the bottom of the left (gearchange side) porkchop, where the shop stand goes. Clearly the oil has dripped from somewhere else and collected here to drip down. In addition there is some blowback on the crossbar of the swingarm, mostly on the left side, where some dirt is clinging to where the oil shot back. some signs in that area of blow back on the exhaust pipe as well.
Did an oil change about 1500 miles ago, everything seemed fine. Changed tires about 300 miles ago, I can't imagine what I could have done to cause an oil weep from that but what do I know? Of course, I've looked as hard as I can but there's a lot in the way, can't imagine where in the back of the crankcase this could be coming from??
Is there a breather somewhere that might be clogged? this seems to be happening whether running or sitting idle. anybody had a similar experience? Ideas for analysis, seriousness, methods of diagnosis? I'm still under warranty (provided I can find out what's wrong and convince my local dealer to honor it )
Bike running great and the oil level hasn't dipped enough to worry me ( I think.....that dipstick is really unFATHOMABLE, if you ask me)
HELP! (at the very least, tell me it's not serious........)
With these italian bikes, it's always SOMETHING..............can you say R1150R? I shoulda NEVER sold my beemer................
Dan
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Oh my.
And the symptoms would be? ..... Reading through this thread, I'm hearing that there would be increased rattling at idle, some unknown flywheel noises that sound like whining or chafing or what?
Now I'm concerned, even though I don't ever really shag my motor or ever approach top speed on it. If it's gonna happen sometime, I need a good idea of what it looks like before it fails on the highway, no matter if MG is acknowledging the flaw or not.
Dan
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Put EBC sintered pads on both front and rear. Much quicker bite in the front, which I was looking for.
Dan
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Adding late to this thread, just put on a pair of the Avon 45/46 tires after running the Bridgestone 020's. Officially, then, the Avons are DA BOMB. They have a triangulated profile in front, which makes them much quicker steering than the Bridgestones. I think this is key to their favor for V11's and other Guzzis. Our bikes are fairly long and (relatively) heavy, making them fairly slow steering machines, if very stable. I can't imagine these tires on a Honda CBR, but for my Scura, they seem to work beautifully. They also seem to me to have better grip than my Bridgestones, or at least feel much more planted at lean than my others did. Very confidence inspiring.
I'm no racer, can't say that I'll ever get to the very ends of these tires, but I'm really, really happy with them. They'll be the set of tires I stick with for this bike, for as long as I own it and Avon continues to manufacture them.
Dan
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Just to add a fly to the ointment, I had the MPH-cycles' modified CRG hindsights on my Scura and removed them in favor of Napoleon mirrors. No LeMans fairing on mine, so the mirrors are mounted in traditional V11 fashion.
I found the CRG's to give me very little information, the convex mirrors are very tiny and cars would 'sneak up' when using these mirrors.
Of course, others would argue that cars should never be 'sneaking up' on you when riding a V11!!
Good luck.
dan
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Wow. You've got a beautiful woman there. I've felt guilty putting anyone back of my Scura for any distance. High pegs, yes. Since the poster already owns a Jackal, I don't see the problem.......he should get a quality 2-up seat for that with a backrest and bags and buy the new LeMans for HISSELF...........
Dan
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OK!
All finished!
I cleaned and regreased the spindles, put fresh (heavy) grease on the drive gear on the wheel and light spray grease all around the splines in the drive shaft. All looked well. KB, I held the spacer in place with some grease while reinstalling, a cupla bangs of the rubber mallet and it all went on pretty well
With new brake pads in place, bolted it all up nice and tight and took it for a spin . Yee hah! Brake pads have really nice feel, much more responsive to the lever than the stock stuff. Can't tell much about the new Avon rubber yet, certainly turns in a lot quicker, but that may just feel that way because they're not as squared off as my Bridgestones were
But about these Avons..............the rear wheel needed about 4 (!) ounces of weight to balance it, this after trying it at one spot then rotating the tire 180 degrees around the wheel...........my guess is that these tires missed the 'first rank' of QC at Avon and were sold in quantity to the mail order houses. Not blems or second quality of bands ( I think), but it may prove again that you get what you pay for. No big deal, they balanced fine, but I'll be more wary of mail order tires from now on. This pair were purchased, BTW, from Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse (www.mawonline.com)
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!!
Planning for 5 hours in the saddle tomorrow morning..........oh YEAH!! (don't worry, I'll give the tires 50 miles to run in before thrashing them! ) Thanks to all.....I love this forum!
Dan
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thank you all.......thank you KB......
I had removed the axle completely in the rear, and the bevel box had extended away from the axle along the drive shaft.......
I've supported the box by reinserting the axle partways, and the bevel box realigned with the axle by just pushing it back towards the front of the bike. I had thought it was not aligning because the suspension had released.
*should* be smooth sailing from here. Pretty pathetic performance so far from me, although everything looks strange the first time you do it, I guess...............
Dan
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uhh, one more question......
When removing the rear wheel, it allowed the rear suspension to fully extend, misaligning the axle space. How will I ever reinstall the wheel, inserting the spindle while compressing the suspension enough at the same time?
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Thanks KB,
Got it sorted. Both wheels off and ready for new rubber. Gonna change the brake pads to KBC sintered for more bite. You're right, not much room to get those calipers out. Had to enlist my son for an extra pair of hands...........
how do all you guys do it? I've got neat piles of bolts and tools everywhere...........
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whoops, my bad........
a little liquid wrench and it came right out.
I'm ridiculously pathetic, aren't I?
On to the front.......
Dan
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Proving once again that I wasn't born to wrench my own bike.........
On trying to remove the rear wheel, the axle nut is moving with the axle. I know this must be simple, but I can't seem to find a place to hold on to the spindle while undoing the bolt. There seems to be some sort of collar washer around the spindle inside of the nut, but I don't know how to remove it, or if it actually is intended to be removed. On reinstallation, I'll seemingly have the same problem, isolating the axle while tightening the axle nut.
What a dope I am, eh?
Dan
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All previously discussed. Run a search using "scura" where all the previous and current owners (including me) chime in on the pros and cons of this particular model.
Only thing to add is I'm not sure if this price is 'suspiciously cheap'. Many Scuras were sold new as leftovers at many thousands off their retail prices. A resale at about the price you quote then would only represent a 30% drop from what they probably paid. The bike could/should be fine.
Good deal for you, for him, nice bike, buy now........................
Dan
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All I can say is it's good to have guys like Pete on this forum. The guy knows freakin' everythin'!
Dan
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In planning for my w'end trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway starting t'nite (good weather forcasted, woohoo!!), I've been searching for a nice pair of leather motorcycle pants. Previously, I'd been a jeans-wearing rider 'cuz I liked the comfort and have found the leathers look a bit........well.............young and affected, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, I figured that my skin is worth more these days than it used to be, and, at least for touring and all day rides, I'd bite the bullet and offend some people and wear some leather pants. Checking around, I found that the big name makers (Alpinestars, Dainese, Vanson) all offered products that seemed mighty expensive for a pair of pants. Most ranged from the mid $200 level to well over $400 bucks!!!
Came across this guy on Ebay and saw his offering of "V-pilot" leather pants for $100 and thought it might be worth a shot. I know, I know........"Leather Paradise" sounds like an outlet for x-rated lingerie. However, I got the pants yesterday and boy, am I impressed!! Double stitched in all the right areas, fully lined, solid 1.3mm leather and with strong-looking zippers at the ankles and expansion sections on the back and sides. Unbelievable quality for the money, if you ask me. If his leather jackets and race suits are as good, his stuff represents a major bargain over the 'brand name' manufacturers out there. I'm so impressed with his pants, I put my (slightly worn) Alpinestars mega-buck vented jacket up for sale on Ebay and will buy his matching jacket with the profit and bank the extra..............
Is it possible that this guy buys from the same sources as the big names? (all this stuff seems to be made in Pakistan anyway) I know that Vanson is American made, but clearly there is a lot of slippage from race endorsements and advertising, as there is for all the other brand names of products out there. In any event, thought I'd let you know about the find and would like to hear an endorsement of the product. No relationship to the provider, of course.
Now, on to Virginia!!!!!!!!! (drool, drool)
Dan
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found the BT-20's actually decent in the wet, although they're not the most inspiring in grip, either in wet or dry. Have tried (on various bikes) the dunlops, michelins and Metzelers, of which the Michelins felt grippiest to me, although chewed themselves up fast. The Bridgestones are lasting a good long time, I've got 4500 miles on them and they look like they've got a few more thou' in 'em yet.
I've got a set of Avon 45/46's on order based on the raves from this forum..........I'll be trying those next. good luck!
Dan
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"nicht mehr lieferbar" = no longer available.
If you can't get 'em, it doesn't do you no good, no matter how nice they look.
Dan
rossopuro sliders
in Technical Topics
Posted
They're Fugly.
one man's opinion.