roberto

Well, the usual rattle from the clutch got worse - significantly worse - with an occasional metallic clang before I stopped. The first signs of it was vibration through the clutch lever and a little more noise while changing gear. On investigation I've found that the flywheel centre where it is attached the the crank has separated from the rest of the flywheel, and many cracks are radiating outwards. This also caused the screws on the ring-gear to gouge a track in the gearbox casing, but no serious damage. This has happened about two weeks after my warranty ran out and about 6000 miles since the clutch was replaced last due to excessive noise. I checked out the cost of a standard clutch with flywheel etc. - £600GBP+! A RAM clutch is £275GBP. I heard somewhere that the RAM clutch used on the special guzzis are copies of the RAM design - anyone know about this?

Yeah, but you don't use lead shot - as I said, with the air spaces between the balls it ends up having the same density as solid steel!

Back to sanity briefly The “battery effect” is known as “galvanic corrosion” and will occur whenever two dissimilar metals are in contact. It’s the same reason that engine bolts seize up easily when steel bolts are screwed into aluminium alloy casings (I am currently knocking lumps out of the front engine mounting bolts on the Scura – it won’t be long before the drill is brought out!). Basically the more electrochemically active metal corrodes before the other one and actually protects the less active metal from corrosion. The obvious example of this is galvanizing (of say a water bucket), where steel is coated in zinc, so the zinc corrodes before the steel and thus protects the steel from corrosion. Several car manufactures galvanize the chassis before painting. Incidentally, the subsea industry uses aluminium-zinc alloy as sacrificial material to protect steel structures – it’s the best for protecting steel! This is similar to the alloy used to make carburettors! I would like to point out that the density of solid steel and lead shot are about the same due to the spaces between the “balls” – it’s just that lead shot is a little more convenient to fill things with. Replacing the lead shot with the right diameter steel bar would give the same result. Melting the lead and forming that into a bar would give you the heaviest result – perhaps pour molten lead directly into the bars for the best result. Most fishermen will know you can melt lead in your own kitchen.

I guess there are many ways to look at this, but my reasoning for removing the RH idle screw is so that if I disconnect the throttle linkage at the ball joint, the RH throttle valve will close completely. I can then take a TPS voltage reading, reconnect the linkage, and everything is back to normal - idle setting 'n' all. If the RH screw is still there I would have to back it out fully, check TPS and then try to find the idle setting I had before.

Thats right... back out the RH idle adjuster screw... then, back it out a bit more... then, back it out a bit further.... and a bit more.... then, allow it to fall to the floor and down the nearest drain. IT'S USELESS.... THROW - IT - AWAY! ok, you could keep it as a "spare"... oh, and replace the LH screw with something that doesn't have a "tamperproof" socket. I just know I'm gonna have to hammer a hex key into that sucker one day.

Antonio, it is possible that the selector sleeve for 3rd & 6th gear has broken - that's what the recent recall was about. This happened to me on my Scura last year. I lost 3rd gear and part of the selector sleeve pushed a hole through the gearbox casing (that was a unusual event that alerted me to it being a serious problem!). Otherwise it was still running fine and I was able to limp home in 4th/5th gear. A simple test for this would be to check if you can get 6th gear (with the bike on a centrestand!). Because of the casing damage I had the whole gearbox replaced.

I noticed an increase in tank range following crossover/cans/PCIII/tuning link addition. Basically from mid 120s up to 145 miles before the low fuel light. The interesting thing is that the gas analyser showed that the bike was running rich around the midrange (4-5k rpm). I must admit that I spend a lot of time in that area during normal riding and was pleased with the elimination of the torque dip following the modifications - the fuel economy increase was a bonus! So, I guess much of the variation between V11s may be due to different riding styles. Perversely, based on my dyno experience, on an unmodified bike it could be the case that a rider favouring a 5-6k rpm range would get better fuel economy than one preferring a lower rpm. The solution to all this is to get the bike set up properly to extract the best performance and economy we can and I highly recommend the crossover and PCIII-with-tuning link route. Replacement cans are not going to give much benefit in economy or power - but they do make the bike sound better and aid in letting pedestrians & car/truck drivers know you are near. Sorry, it's been a while since I posted and I can go on a bit.....

This is the sort of result you want to get from an exhaust replacement...

I'm still not understanding .... are you suggesting that the drive gear inside the gearbox is different, or should I source the new bevel (angled) drive. Note that the angled drive I have is from the original bike, and I have tried another one from another Scura. Although these were both '02 bikes they probably didn't have the updated part. Is the angled drive a reducer gear? (I haven't checked). If so, it's possible I have an '03 gearbox which does not use the angled drive and thus there is no reduction required - and thus I will need a new speedometer and cable to match the gearbox.... I'm not giving up....I've lived without a speedo on the old Lemans for years - but it had a large reserve tank and a range not far off 300 miles. I want my speedo back! I appreciate the help Docc - is your speedo working correctly now? Have you been out for a test run?

I'll attempt to get a photo - give me a few days.

OK, it sounds like I need to get an '03 cable.... - the gearing must be different within the gearbox. I quite like the angled drive - the new version may be getting back to the flawed speedo drive system on the 5-speed guzzis.

The standard seat only lasted about a week on my scura. It was a little too high for me and useless for the wife - she would slip forward onto my part of the seat on braking. The fix is one I've done to most bikes I've owned and takes a couple of hours. All you need is a hairdryer, staple gun, extra strip of foam, and most importantly - an an electric carving knife. With a little more work you can also get the pillion seat cover to fit back on - but I didn't bother as I prefer the look without it as I've got a rack fitted. The seat is now perfect for thousands of miles - I basically lowered the point where I sit by an inch or more (a few deft sweeps with the carving knife), and extended the pillion seat forward with a spare wedge of foam. The hairdryer is used to help stretch the (original) seat covering tight around the remodelled foam and the staples secure the covering in place.

Docc, I've got no idea if my new box is an '03 model. I was at the shop last weekend and swapped the angled drive for another (their idea) just to check if there was any difference within that - with no effect. Does your new gearbox have flat matt-black paint? I've never seen an '03 bike.

I also had the rod replaced under warranty. The rod worked its way off the bushing and wore a groove in the diff as well - I got the diff case replaced also. The rubber was OK, but the bolt that held the rod at the rear showed signs of galling (an uneven, shiny, torn-up surface) due to relative movement and I reckon that the bolt was not torqued up enough - the bolt should be tight enough to prevent any pivoting of the arm on the bolt surface - the rubber is there to provide the required movement. My theory is difficult to explain, but if the arm pivots on the bush, and galling happens at the end of rotation, temporarily siezing the parts in this position, the rubber will be subjected to excessive stresses at the other end of the stroke and may begin to shear. Alternatively, the bush-to- reaction rod interface (a press fit) slips - and repetition of this action can work the bush out (as happenned to me). Note that after I had the rod and diff case replaced, I checked the bolt - it wasnt torqued up at all - just finger-tight.... that's a dealer problem though... I think I go to the same shop as Foxbat.. (and I'm not joking.)

Docc, how does your new gearbox differ from the old one? I had a complete gearbox change earlier in the year and everything was replaced as normal, including the angled drivebox between the gearbox and speedo cable. However, the speedo now registers a higher speed than I am doing - e.g. when travelling at 50mph the speedo reads 80mph, 100mph is off the scale! Have I got an '03 gearbox? (Note that the new gearbox is painted in a flat matt black - not the crinkle crap.) What do I need to get my speedo to work properly again:- ...a new cable? ...a different drive gear? ...a different angled drivebox?.... Help me someone - the dealer doesn't have a clue and my "milage" is rising rapidly....(well it would if I hadn't disconnected the cable).

Baldini, I have no idea why the sleeve shattered - my dealer is not very reliable and I'll be glad when the warranty is expired so I don't have to use them. I don't think the selector forks had anything to do with it, but as I was fairly shifting at the time a bad clutchless gearchange may have contributed - I am prone to do that sometimes....though I don't really remember... The Nurburgring is a very scary place but a complete hoot! For those who don't know the Nurburgring is a public one-way toll road "racetrack" over 14 miles miles long and with over 170 corners - most of which are blind or just after "jumps" on the road! However, the road surface seems to be entirely rubberized due to the amount of vehicles laying it down so if you know what is coming up you can rely on some impressive lean angles. After two hairy laps last year I gave my remaining lap vouchers to my accomplaces who took over an hour to complete the lap due to another bike bouncing off the armco at 130mph and then into the side of my friend's bike - nobody killed, but very messy... I'm studying the videos now so I'll know the track better next year.

Baldini, The Scura had about 11,000 miles on it when the gearbox went. It happened two days before I went to the IOMTT and waiting on the parts spoilt the dryest summer we've had in Scotland for years!! Hoping for better luck next year and planning on doing the Nurburgring again - the Scura was still standard the first time...

It was the shift sleeve which shattered on my Scura - destroying the gearbox. The rear wheel did not lock up and I managed to find a gear to limp a couple of miles to stop. A piece of the sleeve did get jammed between one of the gears and the outer casing and popped a hole through the casing - it was the hissing of oil coming from the hole which alerted me to the real problem - I thought the shift spring had broken again... This was a 2002 Scura, with the crincle paint, etc. It may have been built in 2001 - the serial number probably refers to when the entire bike is put together - not when individual components are manufactured - it is typical for low-volume manufacture to produce components such as gearbox castings in batches and use them over a longer period - my (ex) gearbox may have been an old one...?

I have been having this problem all year. Occasionally the solenoid would click but wouldn't turn over the engine and if I held the starter button in for more than a fraction of a second the 15A fuse would blow. Funnily enough, the first time this happened was outside the church on my wedding day with hundreds of people looking on! Luckily there were 25 other motorcycles there and we quickly found a replacement fuse. I've found that rocking the bike in gear seems to free whatever was getting stuck, and although I carry a couple of spare fuses, recognition of what can happen on first pushing the starter button means that I rarely have to replace the fuse. An application of graphite powder to the starter gear on the starter shaft did seem to cure the problem for a while, but it is doing it again now. It looks like the problem may be within the solenoid itself - I'll investigate this winter. Thanks John for finding the starter article.

My spring broke at the start of the long straight section as it leaves the coil. This suggests a material problem as the break was not on a section that had been bent at all.

Ok, ok, I bow to experience - I was not aware that the twin plate clutch was prone to rattling - I've only ridden fairly new ones which made no clutch noises at all (a 1999 and a 2001). I was really referring to a particular V11 Sport which rattled both with the clutch engaged and disengaged - the dealer tried to convince me that it was normal but later admitted that he had to replace it. So the guide is: Single plate clutch - noisy when disengaged, quiet when engaged = normal Dual plate clutch - quiet when disengaged, noisy when engaged = normal Noises at other times = potential problem?

Scura was '02 only - though I know of one that's still not sold. Same single plate clutch is on the Tenni. Rattling is certain with this clutch - I'm on my second. The first clutch got so bad that the dealer agreed that it should be replaced - we were both afraid something was going to fly out of the casing. On inspection, it didn't look too bad - just play between the splines and plate. The second clutch seems to be holding up better although it started rattling at about 250 miles onwards - I just dont leave it idling in neutral when warm - it's still silent on startup! I recall that there was one single plate clutch that "grenaded", but never heard of that kind failure before then or since. I don't think the rattling was related to that failure. BTW, if the clutch is still rattling when the lever is pulled in something is definitely wrong - this applies to all V11s (probably a warped plate).

I don't think you can do anything without mucking up the CO levels. You can adjust the fuel at idle with the powercommander (0% throttle) and then adjust the CO with the bypass screws. If the CO is ok just now and the throttle stops are backed right out you are getting too much fuel AND air. Note that during a typical tuning link procedure, the powercommander is zeroed at the throttle position when resting against the stop screws. Backing out the throttle stops after tuning would cause a TPS reading to the PCIII that is "off the map" (less than 0%). I don't know what that would do, but it's not recommended. Check that there are no leaks in the intake rubbers, etc - a lean mixture could cause the idle to run higher. A temporary fix (to lower the idle) would be to screw in the air bypass screws while vacuum gauges are attached to richen the mixture too much and drop the iddle speed (better too rich than too lean). As long as you don't spend too much time at idle, the plugs will clean up as soon as you are above 2500rpm. BTW - get rid of the RH throttle stop screw - it is impossible for them both to function - I removed the RH one so that a TPS check could be done without mucking up the idle setting - you just undo the linkage at the ball joint and the RH throttle will fully close. After measuring TPS output, reconnect the ball joint - nothing will need adjusted.

The spring wire diameter is fine as-is. The material should be oil tempered carbon steel to ASTM 229, say 1080. Stess relieving after final forming of the spring may be required, but i'm sure the manufacturer will be aware of this. Stainless is not required. BTW. The spring does not need to apply much force to function correctly. I noticed when I had the side cover off that just tilting it forward was enough to operate the selector (i.e. the weight of the lever provided sufficient force.) This is why I was able to temorarily use an o-ring to restore gearbox function. It's also why stoping and starting the bike can allow you to change gear occasionally following a breakage (perhaps going downhill or during heavy braking). IMHO, the original spring was definitely from a bad batch - the design is fine - perhaps the replacements, if from another batch/manufacturer, are ok too.

No problem in removing the side plate while in gear, and then you can move the selector forks into the neutral position before replacing the side plate (rotate the rear wheel to confirm neutral - if the plate doesn't go on you've got a false neutral.). BTW, my spring broke on the straight section - definitely a material problem.... I was not made aware of any recall on the Scura in the UK...?