roberto

It was the sliding dog part which shattered on my Scura, resulting in the entire gearbox being replaced. The part exibited a brittle fracture consistent with a heat treatment issue.

Tyres provide the suspension (spring rate, damping, etc) for the unsprung weight. Changing the tyre pressure affects this "suspension" and possibly the way the tyre copes with some bumps. Thus incorrect pressures can require the fitted suspension to do more work. I don't recommend running pressures more than a couple of psi outside the manufacturers recommendation. e.g. I experienced a repeatable low-frequency weave at around 110mph once and found it was due to 34psi in the front tyre, as an increase to 36psi cured it. The tyre was part-worn at the time.

I think I may have shattered the selector and destroyed the gearbox during a clutchless change on the Scura - since I got the new gearbox I haven't been doing clutchless changes.... Odd thing is: the new gearbox seems to be making my speedo read very high (almost km/h) - what's that about???? btw, the old LeMans is fine with clutchless changes.

Tip: remove the idle screw from the right hand throttle body - it is not required. Set the idle with the left hand screw once the linkage is connected. Only one screw can ever be in play when the linkage is connected. Removing the RH screw means that the TPS can be checked without touching any idle settings.

I had this sticking throttle problem early on with the Scura - pretty scary I eventually traced it to the plastic ball joint in the linkage between the throttle bodies. I would recommend prizing apart the ball joint and giving it a clean out - maybe a tiny spot of oil would be OK. I did this last year - I have had no problems since. The ball joint is supposed to be dry, but since the cup is facing upwards I guess it is susceptible to rainwater and dust ingress.

My dealer has said that Guzzi are sending a "paint kit" to effect a repair to my engine cases. Anyone had this done? BTW, and off-topic, the gearbox recently expired on the Scura. I've not seen it yet but the dealer says that the selector fork shattered. 10.5K miles. Entire gearbox replacement cost £3,000 - there's a hole been punched through the casing. ah well.... The old Le Mans was pulled out of the cellar after a year and a half of gathering dust - and started first time on the button! Given time, I intend that the Scura will have this sort of dependability, but it's gonna take some work... later...

Just a thought. Are the small US tappet clearances contributing to valve seat wear? BTW, my '88 Le Mans is only just starting to show signs of valve stem oil seal wear after over 120,000 miles (bit of blue smoke on startup). Have the valve/head materials changed significantly since then? Roberto.

I don't think you need to worry... There were no parts to fly off in the clutch - it was just really noisy when in neutral with the lever disengaged. I checked the fit of the parts and there was quite a bit of slop between the friction plate and the central gear - that could be it. Otherwise, everything looked OK. My theory, for what it's worth: The single clutch friction plate runs on a central splined gear. When there is no load on the drivetrain, (when in neutral or sometimes when cruising at low speed), the plate can rattle on the splines. As the clutch plate is in the same position when you are not pulling the lever, the wear on these splines gets worse at this point - and the rattle gets worse! Of course, when you pull the lever, the plate is pushed on to a less worn part of the spline and the whole thing is under more tension from the spring - so the rattle disappears. I now put the bike in neutral while sitting at lights (for safety), but keep the lever pulled in - I guess is, when it's not making the noise, it's not wearing the spline at that point. It may last a bit longer this time. Anyway, don't worry, if it gets really bad see if you can get a replacement. I could see no danger - it's a very simple clutch.

I got the clutch replaced at about 7000 miles. It was so noisy by then that even the dealer thought we should immediately investigate in case something was going to fly out through the casing! I got it replaced on warranty but I can hear it going that way again though I won't worry about it so much this time - it's just going to sound bad, that's all (if it gets intolerable I'm sure I could fit one of the standard clutches.) The gearbox selector spring went at 9500 miles - at about the same time as the torque arm drifting off and one of the Ohlins fork seals leaking. I have got warranty claims in for these now. BTW, I'm running the bike with an O-ring instead of the selector hook spring - the gearchange feels even lighter! I may consider leaving it that way!

Funny this topic was started now - I've got 11K on the Scura, and when I was washing the bike after the weekend run I noticed that the torque arm (stay-arm) has partially slid off the rear bush (towards the wheel) and is wearing a groove in the final drive casing. I'm not sure yet but the front end of the arm looks like it has slid in the other direction! - This may be due to wear as suggested but I'm leaving it until I can let the dealer see it. At the moment there does not appear to be any play but this could be due to the arm going out of line. Roberto Scura #222 88 Le Mans V

I got the PCIII, crossover and mufflers last year. Gas milage was 120-130miles before warning light and is now around 150miles. The interesting thing was the fuel/air mix BEFORE I lost the 4500rpm dip in the torque curve. The fuel/air was actually RICH in this region with the stock map - as this equates to normal cruising speeds, the stock map was actually contributing to higher fuel consumption - depending on your riding habits...! later... Roberto. Scura #222 LM V '88

'02 Scura, 9,000miles in Scottish Highlands and through Alps, both solo and two-up. The Ohlins supplied settings are great - very stable on all road surfaces. However, I have twice found the rear shock and steering damper "misteriously" adjusted! (steering damper caused a nasty weave around 100mph) I have now marked the adjustment wheels so I can quickly check for signs of tampering. Check your settings (Ohlins manual). Roberto. '02 Scura '88 Le Mans V (125,000 miles! and still great) '83 XR500