Lucky Phil

Hi Phil, I agree that Mobil 1 is good oil, but is it a "group 4" these days?I see ExxonMobil make this claim on their website about Mobil 1: "A synthetic lubricant contains more highly refined base oils than conventional mineral oils". This is very different to their claims years ago, when they were very specific about their chemistry being man made, not made from crude oil. When Castrol reformulated (downgraded/cheapened) their group 4 Syntec to group 3 mineral oil in the mid 90s, and still called it synthetic, Mobil sued Castrol over misuse of the word synthetic, but lost. Now everyone sells synthetic oil which is actually Group 3 mineral oil, rather than Group 4 synthesised oil. The word synthetic now just means "premium" for lubricating oil. I'd be really interested to know what Mobil states on your drum of Mobil 1. Does it say Group 4? The only group 4 oil I can find in NZ is Penrite 10Tenths, a good Aussie product, which specifically says is made of 100% PAO (polyalphaolefin) & Ester chemicals. My next oil change for the upcoming summer here will be to Penrite, now that I know the temp of my oil, thanks to a dipstick thermometer Scud sent to me. Well it depends on who you talk to and many believe its irrelevant anyway. I'm aware of the 90's Mobil/Castrol legal squabble and the outcome decided by a Judge (oil expert apparently) I suggest you consult the excellent "bobistheoilguy" site and while away the hours reading all the points and counterpoints on this. Its a great site. My 20l drum is hemmed in by the lathe and parts washer so I cant see whats written on it but I doubt it will have that info anyway. I've never seen an oil container with any genuinely detailed info on it. Ciao

Excellent work Chuck. Try the shift lever arm extension mod ( I mean its an hours work to a bloke with your skills and equipment) and it will be another giant leap in performance. Ciao Thanks Phil, maybe this Winter. I'm perfectly happy with the way it shifts now. I've been thinking about this. My CNC mill is tied up for the foreseeable future with a production job, but if there's enough interest, I could knock some out. We could call it the "Lucky Phil Extension mod.." Great Chuck, my future fame is in your hands

Oh good an oil thread. I run mine and just about every vehicle I own on Mobil1 0W-40 full group 4 synthetic (ZDDP levels are adequate for a flat tappet engine with this oil) Although admittedly the old runaround car that leaks like the Exon Valdese gets the drainage from the others. The guzzi seems to like it with no usage or oil into the airbox at all. Buy in bulk like i do and its cheaper. Ciao

They are aluminum, and *are* nicely made. Yes they are Chuck, and hard to get these days. I was lucky enough to get a great second hand one a few years back Ciao

Excellent work Chuck. Try the shift lever arm extension mod ( I mean its an hours work to a bloke with your skills and equipment) and it will be another giant leap in performance. Ciao

The photo shows the destroyed bearing with a metal cage. Ciao

I've often found myself thinking the very same thing docc. couldn't describe it better. I'm thinking that the hangy down bits at the rear that resembles two, too big ear lobes, is the culprit. I wouldn't give up the extra fuel residing there for looks though. I've wondered, does the 1100 Spoti tank fit? Is it nylon too? PreV11 Sports have metal tanks. I can see that the "skirts" or "panniers" of the tank shape contribute to its visual mass. Taking the V11 as a whole, especially with monochromatic body parts, I think the design looks like a giant, molten flame being blown by an intense wind from the front. Makes me wanna wrap myself around it and feed it high octane fuel! Why aren't the 2 tank types interchangeable docc? I have 2 of the new type ( 1 second hand and 1 brand new) and a brand new version of the old type, plus the original on my V11 greenie. The new version will fit very easily requiring a small modification to the sub frame mount. I've tried both my new versions on my bike and will use one of these when I fit the Daytona motor. Although I like the old one the new version has much superior and simplified injector plumbing. Speaking of the Daytona engine project, just got my Carrillo rods back from Carrillo after a factory referb, new little end bushes, closed and honed big ends, checked for twist, bend and crack tested for $240us. Good deal for anyone considering. Ciao My over-simplification. They are, indeed, interchangeable, but will require adapting the fuel pump, fuel filter, regulator, and plumbing between the two versions (internal and external pump/etc). What had to be modified on the rear subframe mount to fit the later (internal) tank to the earlier frame? Oh OK, yes can't wait to junk all that external stuff and neaten up the area around the engine. The subframe mount needs to be slotted ( fwd from memory) a little as the tank isn't exactly the same length due to a slight variation in the later frames being longer. No biggie though. Ciao

Hi, Phil.. do you have a part number for the kit? Yes Chuck, p/n 01 20 16 41. About $120US from memory around 18 month ago Ciao Harpers wants a mere $344.37 Gulp. I'll make do with what I have. Chuck I bought pretty much all my stuff from Pro Italia ( now re-branded AMS Ducati ) and some from MG cycles. Yes at $344 its not worth the expense.Having said that I think Guzzi in the US have had a rethink of their parts pricing for older bikes. Around 18months ago I was buying stuff so cheap out of the states it was awesome. Awesome like 1/4 of the price for the same stuff from Europe. Seems its stopped now. Ciao

Move the shift mechanism through its travel and adjust to the gap at its closest point. I rechecked my notes and I adjusted mine to 0.035" or 0.9mm its not too critical unless its too tight which will be obvious when you run it through the positions on the bench. 1mm or 0.040" would be acceptable I should think. Ciao Ciao I wish I understood better where this gap is set? If you look at the photos docc and see the small adjustable eccentric pin that the later versions have ( as opposed to the earlier fixed roll pin) you adjust the eccentric so that at any point during the entire shift movement between gear selections the gap is 0.035-0.040. To do this you have the mechanism on the bench and operate the shift lever shaft to select a gear position while providing some resistance to the shift wheels so that it moves slowly and doesn't snap into the next gear position and also observe the selector fork as it moves back to the return position after the mechanism movement. Find its closest point in that process and adjust the eccentric to give clearance at that point. On the earlier selectors you dont have the facility to adjust as its a fixed roll pin. Ciao

Why aren't the 2 tank types interchangeable docc? I have 2 of the new type ( 1 second hand and 1 brand new) and a brand new version of the old type, plus the original on my V11 greenie. The new version will fit very easily requiring a small modification to the sub frame mount. I've tried both my new versions on my bike and will use one of these when I fit the Daytona motor. Although I like the old one the new version has much superior and simplified injector plumbing. Speaking of the Daytona engine project, just got my Carrillo rods back from Carrillo after a factory referb, new little end bushes, closed and honed big ends, checked for twist, bend and crack tested for $240us. Good deal for anyone considering. Ciao

Condolences on the engine damage, but lets turn to the lessons learned particularly with regard to oil pressure gauges. With the oil filter lying free in the sump you have been riding around with no oil pressure for quite some time. The filter doesn't' unscrew and drop off in the 30 seconds you rode since you filled up. So either you missed the oil pressure warning light that was on for some time or it wasn't working. I think you mentioned when you tried to restart the LOP light wasn't on when you turned on the ignition'? ( bulb out?) If your going to miss an LOP light then you'll probably miss the gauge that's reading zero as well. As for the information a gauge gives you well I think there's more people worrying about oil pressure readings than anything else on the board. The truth is if the LOP light comes on you will have just as much time to react as a gauge reading zero all of a sudden as would have been the case here. It wouldn't have shown LOP for a while and given you any warning and even if it did for 20 or 30 seconds you probably wouldn't have seen it anyway while concentrating on the road. There's a reason NO mass produced motorcycles are fitted with LOP gauges and thats because they are basically a waste of time and create more concerns than they are worth. Despite what people think an engine wont immediately run it its bearings when the LOP light comes on, it has a lot to do with how the engines is operating at the time, but lets be honest, how much time do you spend or want to spend looking at a gauge or light. Check before every start that the LOP light is on, put a hose clamp on your filter and make sure there isn't 2 gaskets fitted, keep the LOP wiring connectors in good condition, replace the LOP switch when it shows signs of leaking and all will be fine without silly gauges. Ciao

Move the shift mechanism through its travel and adjust to the gap at its closest point. I rechecked my notes and I adjusted mine to 0.035" or 0.9mm its not too critical unless its too tight which will be obvious when you run it through the positions on the bench. 1mm or 0.040" would be acceptable I should think. Ciao Ciao

As far as I know, all V11S are susceptible.. True that, although the 2002 seem over-represented. Maybe we need a poll? Remember around that time there was an issue with pawl arm bosses being incorrectly machined over size and causing the spring to bind. Earlier and later didnt suffer from memory, just a batch. They got around it by making the spring ID larger or you could remove .5mm off the boss. Ciao

Fettling and adjustment as per my post. Pull the cover off and make sure the large and small eccentrics are adjusted correctly, esp the large, its quite sensitive to adjustment. Ciao

Hi, Phil.. do you have a part number for the kit? Yes Chuck, p/n 01 20 16 41. About $120US from memory around 18 month ago Ciao

Nice work Chuck. When you reassemble adjust on the bench the eccentric stop. You will probably find that the trans will under shift in one direction and over shift slightly in the other. Use your hand to keep some load on the selector gears to as you shift and you'll feel it. I adjusted the eccentric until It was a good as it could be and then added a spot of weld to the stop faces and dressed back until there was little or no over shift. I tiny bit of over shift wont hurt but if the adjuster is a long way off in one direction you will get a fair amount of over and under. You'll see it. I still think the stop lever return/centering spring could be a little stiffer and I was contemplating a 1mm wall thickness sleeve locktited over the stop pin to give it a bit more preload. Ciao

If you have ever had a Centauro/Daytona motor apart you wouldn't. Ciao

Yes Chuck, replace both springs. The detent arm spring doesn't usually give much trouble but while you're in there and ordering stuff. Glad it was something so simple. You have the earlier shift plate assy so check the dia of the boss on the shift pawl arm and compare to the ID of the pawl spring and make sure there wont be any binding. I suspect it would have broken by now if its the too big 16mm dia boss, so it should be fine. Ciao PS make sure you get the centering/return spring installed the right way up Chuck, if you dont one of the arms rubs on that crescent shaped land just behind the stop pin in the photo. Thanks, Phil. I have a spare pawl spring in my tool kit, so I'll just install it and keep the other for a spare. Maybe I should paint it red? A tasteful red Chuck Ciao

Yes Chuck, replace both springs. The detent arm spring doesn't usually give much trouble but while you're in there and ordering stuff. Glad it was something so simple. You have the earlier shift plate assy so check the dia of the boss on the shift pawl arm and compare to the ID of the pawl spring and make sure there wont be any binding. I suspect it would have broken by now if its the too big 16mm dia boss, so it should be fine. Ciao PS make sure you get the centering/return spring installed the right way up Chuck, if you dont one of the arms rubs on that crescent shaped land just behind the stop pin in the photo.

Yes not really enough detailed information, but I would be looking at whether the starter didn't disengage after the last start and eventually lunched itself by being back driven from the engine. Don't go straight to the WCS. Ciao

I'm an A and P mechanic but after 45 years of replacing plugs I have the feel for it Torquing isn't a bad thing though if you don't do a lot of it, but unless you're in the habit of leaving plugs loose it wont make any difference to heat transfer. And if you do leave them loose then you're biggest worry will be ruined threads in the plug holes. Ciao

You sure are making a career out of a plug change:) One point, if you read the NGK literature you will find that the plugs come with anti seize plating and they recommend NOT using anti seize grease. Ciao

Nice fixture on the cylinder head but overly complicated. A piece of scrap steel 6mm plate bolted to one of the valve cover bolt holes and a magnetic base/stand with a dial indicator attached to it will do the same thing for about $60. Yes the full stop method you outlined is the best way to find TDC. Just about any cheap dial indicator and magnetic stand you can find on ebay will do. Set to zero valve lash with a feeler gauge and measure the valve timing at 1mm lift. Ciao

It will be in the shift mechanism internally Chuck and without knowing the version of shift mechanism it has its hard to say. Cant se it being a big issue to fix though. Ciao