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The Monkey

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Posts posted by The Monkey

  1. Rebuilding my Sachs this winter, heavier spring, new oil. going to have to change oil up in the forks too (its been 6 years!) spring time up front too.

    Always entertaining the suspension game. Specific sag, endless fettling. Top end equipment does make a huge difference on the track, however I ride on the blue highway, it takes me where I want to go, it has 6 inch undulations and outright pot holes so a race ready track suspension has no place here. Sachs Boge has been in the game for a long time and currently provides suspension for many manufacturers. The fact that the V11 was sprung for a 150lb human is very unfortunate considering the draft of most North Americans and could possibly contribute to the broken eye issue. Another element is the atrocious quality control at Moto Guzzi in the early V11 years alignment and shimming were virtually non existent on all aspects of suspension and frame. So any replacement will work wonders-  and so will addressing the issue on the Sachs.

     

    Heavier Spring 159 usd

    oil/seals/labour 250 cdn

     

    replacement simple 450-650 usd 

    replacement equivalent adjustment 1100 usd

     

    Passing some poseur over 200km/h with the stock rig= priceless

  2. If the little needle bearing in the nose of the bevel box is shot that could also produce such a clunk. grab your bevel and look for excessive movement. Likewise the needle bearing associated with the drive line itself (inside the bevel) grab your driveshaft and see if it swims about at the aft end.

  3. it is odd isn't it, we want something with less use when we buy (or marry). yet look at our bikes. we maintain them and feel stiffed when confronted with their market value.  Consumption has its price. I think Mitsubishi brought the big 3 up to task with the 10yr 100,000km guarantee up here. suddenly we have better options all around on 4 wheels.

     

    buying used 130-150km is ok but up around 200km is considered long in the tooth for autos. It is entirely maintenance, my pickup has 497k on it, just replaced the headgasket and crosshatch is still visible on the bores. unsellable.

     

    The great guzzi has just 98k on it and really doesn't get ridden enough. it is nowhere near half life, but is most likely unsellable

    my panhead has equitable kilometrage, yet the market remains open despite being (engineering wise) a dwarf against the guzzi. nonsensicle

     

    the market is reality and consumption rules, the first world (N. America anyway) apparently has dropped off the Walmart precipice.

     

    I bet the ceiling for desireability lies about 33-35k today in the M/C world

  4. My ESR510 just packed it in too. Bound to be due to a connection somewhere.

     

    Going to try the Enduralast regulator (like the 510 it hooks direct to battery, I do have a 30 amp fuse in that line) from EME in Denver. They seem to have components and complete kits for the Energia system to replace all charge components on Guzzi and BMW.

     

    Havent had much time for the bike in the last 2 years, this is the only reason the 510 lasted so long. My regs last about 2000-2500km.  I must have a weak connection somewhere that is stressing the reg. Time to replace all bullet connectors associated with the charge system and go thru the complete Kiwi Roy and Luhbo tests.

     

    I am also going to replace Chinese/Taiwan Yuasa battery with an Odyssey at the same time. Never had any life out of the Asian batteries. Not since the Japanese ones anyway and those days are long gone evidently. Looking at the Forum here, that sounds like the way to go.

     

    Thanks again to you electrically oriented members for keeping things bright

  5. Gads there are some neat machines amongst the members.

     

    My other bike is a 62 FLH (used to live on it). Built 3 versions throughout the 80's now am looking forward to putting it close to stock configuration.

     

    We have this oddball law in BC that basically leaves your scooter and license in the hands of the law for a time if you go 40km/h over the posted speed limit!

    So if your in 5th gear on the Lemans your ass is grass should you be kind enough to pull over for the red and blue lightshow.

     

    The Panhead will be happy enough in stock form to align with local enforcement foolishness (the irony is just too much).

    At any rate when I look at the modern bikes and consider hassle free usage I end up wanting the 1200R (2003-2005) Sportster. 

     

    I had high hopes for Polaris when they scooped the Indian name, only to see them produce yet another monster bike (Chief) and now in Cycle World magazine I see the new Scout....... some grade 8 kid made the fenders and hey how original a V twin with a belt drive. Shit, it looks like V-Star.

     

    Maybe I'm a dreamer but why wouldn't a modern bike calling itself an Indian Scout be a 750-900cc Parallel Twin with long suspension travel and shaft or chain drive.

     

    Good news, a 12 over Springer is on sale for half price within 10 miles of me. That onto the Hardtail, work the rake, toss a blockhead into it with a Baker 6 speed, triple chain and ready myself for another endless series of negotiations with Duddley Doorite.

     

    My wifes SV650 is the toughest motorcycle of the bunch and runs on urine, needs nothing but oil changes and tyres and every 20,000k plugs and air filter.

    Truly a good bike.

     

    Back to the drawing board.

  6. Its always a lesson when you look back and see that the 'new" was actually tried decades ago. Imagine working in that factory in the 50's, nothing was impossible!

    Walker claims that 4 cylinder mill was drawn up by an engineer in Rome. My father in law raced for BSA in those days and he would lament the straightaway as the wop multis left them standing (corners was where he made time- they had to) but it was evident the power was in more than 1 cylinder.

    Imagine the throw racing a longitudinal 4. I wonder how the triple giant longitudinal  Triumph copes with that- maybe the bulk of the machine hides it. I found it interesting when the current manufactures went reverse rotation with the transverse 4 to counteract the effect of rotational mass and the traction implications on the power stroke, that to me is what those boys in Mandello were doing all along. Hats off.

  7. Hullo Hubert;

    Seems to directly affect the cast, makes it surprisingly malleable (within a parameter) but you have to ensure the temperature is throughout the material (boil for 15-20 minutes).

    Don't overcorrect the bend you just have to correct the shape to its original form.

    Works a charm on most levers with soft bends, the Guzzi shifter however is almost twice the scantling of other bikes levers plus the bridging.

    but I would give it a go.

    Zakky; sounds like you gave it a go..... propane torch or boiling water?

    a torch focuses excessive heat in a small area while the rest of the cast races to match it- guaranteed to break.

  8. Talk to a few tig guys, that isn't that tricky a job. You can wrinkle paint over the dremel and weld work too thanks to the black cases. Its a leverage point and that is where the brittleness of JB weld may let her down.

    Boil the shift lever for a while in water before attempting to straighten it out. Works on levers

    :2c:

  9. Well Kudo's to the builder, that tank is a home run. Its funny, seats are what we really need yet are so reluctant to celebrate. think of the late 50s early 60's Italian seats with the broad pilot cushion tapering back for the pillion. I think the DM200 had it.

    Nice effect on the group of shots. Belfast in the drops

  10. Nice pics, love the sculpture.

    wonder if he got in?

     

    Factory has some history, look at overhead photos from the original 1921 effort and the mid 30's. Massive growth! Despite a recession.

    il Duce was headed north to escape to Germany as the allies were coming up through Italy from the south. He and his mistress were grabbed in N. Italy by the Partisans and taken and held in a factory beside Lake Como then shot outside its walls. Later they were hung upside down in Milan for ridicule. Anyway there was only one factory beside L. Como. Our bikes come from it. Just a small piece of time. Its a lot more than a motorcycle obviously, its the people.

     

    Dad took my grandmother on a ride from Scotland to Italy, she was 83- the bike a 71 Ambo. Now and then he can remember the name of the old man in the plant. A group of N. European tourists on bikes wanted a tour- "factory closed!" they were sent away. The old guy took dad and his mom thru the place, this was in the late 70s.  Its still the people.

     

    An experienced motorcycle will take you places.

  11. That's true and good advice Bjorn

     

    Looking at the application and the fastener though I would not use Loctite nor leave the threads dry. The fact he had to whack the allen key to loosen the fastener and found grey material on that fastener demonstrates the activity between two dissimilar metals. The tendency is to lock rather than back off. Alloys are great for weight and cooling but even with a cadmium plate fastener the reaction of two metals eventually results in freezing or seizing as you may know it, the Alloy thread being the victim.

     

    If vibration were a concern or the weight of the fastener in relation to its bite or hold surface were excessive then yes I could see Loctite being used. Neither are in play here. Mine was stock and assembled dry I assume, 5 yrs after the bike came out of Mandello it took heat and an impact driver to free those little fasteners. I used grease on reassembly and I have been back in there twice to lube the rotational bearing surface and its only ever required a palm ratchet to disassemble the unit since I have been in it. The fasteners haven't backed off- why would they? they lie close to the centre of the (relatively) slowly rotating, balanced mass of the rear wheel. 

     

    Torque spec sheets are valuable no doubt, more so when material is new, but when tightening small hardware be it 2, 4 or 6mm then experience will get the job done effectively, no damage.  I do marvel at how tightly these bikes are assembled, makes me think they were just looking at spec sheets when assembling, When was the last time you had your torque wrench calibrated?

     

    That's my 2 cents, hope it helps

    Cheers

  12. Out with the dead wood, not worth commiserating over at all, the equivalent to streetwalking, bandying about loyalty and aint it good to own something different. Poseurs the lot, should be shot with a ball of their own droppings. Ive only been here for a few years (07 or 08) but in I World time its an eternity. Just went to Spunky's bike show here on the island and it was a good display. One nice thing about a lot of Vincent owners here is that they are not afraid to replace some shite with something that works in order to keep the bike a runner. There has to be 20 of those here on the Island.  Anyone still here is doing that with their V11 too.

    No other bike will give you the personality of 5th gear at 150k open it up hit 6th at 180. no it aint a racebike but it represents something beautiful, like good food, proper drink, decent company.... Culture for your mechanical soul.

     

    No one else does that you guys, go out and test em, let us know when you find a ride that stirs you like a Guzzi. That's the reason they all left so quietly

     

    Thanks for keeping it real Jaap

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