Lucky Phil

There are a few parts that would be worth buying, but other than that it seems pretty far gone. I've heard that even after fairly low speed crashes, spine frame Guzzis don't recover well. Pretty far gone???? That my friend from the photos is a very lightly damaged motorcycle.Please call me if you ever fall off your bike,I'll buy it off you for a song. It looks like some clown that doesnt know the trick to undoing the fuel couplings has used wire cutters to snip the fittings but apart from that most of the damage looks cosmetic and fairly minor. Me personally,I would ditch the fairing and replace the broken bits with good SH stuff off ebay and have a nice Naked version. Ciao

Ok,soaked the large pinion ring nut in wd40 and managed to loosen it with a hammer and alloy drift a little.Just to get it moving.Couldnt get it to tighten any more than it was previously,so the original play still exists. Ciao

Was checking the drive shaft on the V11 sport the other day and noticed some play/movement in the pinion shaft.I removed the bevel box/drive assy and I have approx .4mm total radial play and approx .075mm axial. Reading through some old posts I came across Peter Ropers thread on this from 2004 which was very interesting. I tried to tap/drift the large ring nut tighter and looser but it wouldnt move,so I guess I need to make a tool. Question is.....is the play/movement I have excessive for a 40,000klm old unit? I know in an ideal world it should be next to zero but I dont fancy pulling the whole unit apart to check bearings that may not be new but stll quite ok to continue in operation. I also drained the oil to check for metal contamination but the previous owner has obviously used some sort of Molly additive and the oil is as black as tar and its almost impossible to see anything in it.The mag plug came up fine with just some black paste I would expect to see.So apart from the noted pinion shaft play there is nothing else I am concerned about.....thoughts? Ciao

First ones ok,the second 2 are pieces of sh*t. Ciao

... that's why they call it death-wobble I guess But no need to argue here. When I checked lorry wheel bearings on a weekly basis once this was the proper method. Screw in the bearings until you feel the wheel going locked, then loosen 45° and fix the nut. Easy thing. Some good time ago we discussed here what adjusting method the fellows down in Mandello would use for this task. Besides avoiding any grease in this process they obviously get the rest of it working astonishing well. One had the idea they might use a spring balance attached to one fork leg and then torque the bearing down until moving the fork shows the proper force (or responding hinge moment). I mean, you normaly can't tell a badly paid line worker "just make it right", they need some objective guideline. hubert There is a definite difference between the adjustment of a tapered bearing when used on a lorry or automotive wheel application and that of a steering head bearing on a motorcycle.When adjusting for a "wheel" application then slightly loose is preferable to slightly tight.This is because of the heat generated by the spinning bearing in that application. On a motorcycle steering head heat generation due to rotation is not an issue and the focus is on zero play or slack without to much drag or tightness. So to sum up tapered bearings....for automotive wheel....er on the side of play and for motorcycle steering heads......er on the side of zero play or slightly tight.Steering head bearings should be adjusted so they "never" have any play Ciao

They sound nice apart from a slight tendency to whistle at some points on the over run like an old Norton Commando.Just fitted a set of Mistral Titanium cans and they sound quieter and more mellow with no whistle at times.(see recent thread) Prefer the sound of the Ti cans and the look of the Megaphones. Ciao

No they are standard.I'd actually like them a little higher and back,right about the spot the swingarm pivot is.Looks like I will have to make my own solution for this. Ciao

Got a great deal on these Mistral Ti pipes just recently.They sound nicer than the Mistral megaphone style I usually have fitted but I dont like the "look" as much.Bike seems to fuel slightly better with these as well. Ciao

I'd rather stick to the 90mm cylinders.Power isn't the priority and boring cases is a lot of hassle.Yes I'm waiting with you for the pump and gears from Joe.I'm talking to Dynotec now.Thanks for the leads. Ciao Phil

front jackshaft flange wear and cam drive gear wear.

Cam wear

Well as promised here is an update on the conversion so far.The Centauro engine has just arrived and I've stripped it down to the crank.It has a few issue to deal with. All lifters are shot and need replacing. One rocker pad worn where it bears on the lifter and will need rework or replacement. Cam drive gear is heavily worn Oil pump is actually not to bad and could could be reused,but I have a new aftermarket one on the way along with a set of Joe Caruso gears both cams scuffed but probably saveable.Why do Guzzi NOT have the cam oiling hole on the base circle of each cam lobe.Totally silly design. Cam tensioner pulleys both worn and req replacing The timing wheel has for some reason tried to chew its way through the cam retainer flange,requires replacement. Both cylinders worn,pistons are actually in good condition,ring end gaps around .42mm.Could run a flex hone through the bores and re ring it but would rather renew.Problem is getting piston/cylinder assy's.A business close to me will re nickasil the cylinders but its not cheap.Any contacts and options for cylinder and piston kits would be appreciated. Havent yet checked the valves for guide wear or pulled the crank.Will of course renew all the main and bigend bearings as a matter of course.Will also lighten and balance the crank significantly. The fun has just begun,this could take a while. Ciao

Looks like the std cans may be just a carbon skin over a SS body. I've never seen this before.All the carbon cans I've ever worked on are a perforated tube surrounded by fibreglass packing and a carbon sleeve only.Works well but you have to be dilligent with the assembling and maintaining of the glass packing because any direct leakage internally onto the carbon skin will burn it in a short time.Some carbon skins have a type of metal flame spray on the inner surface to help with this.You will see this by brown marks and eventually it will burn through. Ciao

Something people may have overlooked is that wrapping the headers also makes life hard on the mufflers as it puts a LOT more heat into them.Probably not an issue with general road riding with Ti or alloy cans but if you have carbon skin cans then I'd recommend you stay away from the wrap. Wrapping the headers on a Ducati 996 superbike a friend used to race back in the 90's saw the carbon cans last about 10 laps before failing in spectacular fashion. Didn't just happen once and they were new cans. All that insulated heat has to now go out the mufflers and at the very least even on a road bike it will make life a lot harder on the carbon skins and glass packing if thats what you have. The other factor is that the Guzzi is an air cooled engine and in most cases needs all the cooling help it can get.Why would you add to the impost on its marginal ability to cool by wrapping the headers with no real benefit to performance? Add to that the fact that it will eventually look tatty and require replacement and it starts to look more like the "i'm bored and need a cheap project" thing to me,or a conversation starter at the pub. Ciao

Thats because every time you cycle the ignition switch on with the kill switch in the run position the fuel pump runs and the ECU fires a shot of fuel into the inlet manifolds.Its a pre charge to help starting. Ciao

Seems like cracking a walnut with a sledge hammer to me. Ciao

Nice video but by and large not the story.I purchased a used fuel pump and plate assy complete with the connectors still in place and no hoses.Spent 30 min trying to get the connectors off and went to the internet for some clues before I broke something. Found the solution there but i can tell you now it had zero to do with relieving fuel pressure. I've been an aircraft engineer for 35 years as well so it wasnt an issue with mechanical skills either. All I can say is congrats on your current situation and methodology,just dont get used to it because it wont last. ciao

Of course: that is one way of viewing and one way of engaging. It can be a good & useful approach, but it doesn't mean that other conversations can't be had. Ignoring things is sometimes ok and sometimes not the best thing. I wish that the motorbike dealer who owes me parts wouldn't keep ignoring me or the issue. Sure, he's got the bit he digs (the sale, my money) and he's ignoring the rest. Good for him - but short sighted. That's why Piaggio Guzzi is down the tubes in many places. To me, ignoring the state of things and always slapping on more gloss emulsion isn't gonna hold the wall up. Mostly we enjoy and enthuse. Sometimes it's worth a slight poke to see what's under the paint, don't you think? The hard reality of modern life is that you have to put on a "show".Motorcycles are a luxury and leisure item and you have to appeal to a certain degree to the "lifestyle" and as most buyers will have a partner, them as well. Doesn't matter how good the product this is a necessity or you will be dead in the water with the leisure/luxury market. Once apon a time you could rely on the quality selling the product and generating a certain image,now its the other way around. Not saying I like it this way just that's the way it is. As for the show I would just love to be back in Mandello again an have a look in the factory.The rest would be a bonus. I have principle when it comes to the majority of dealers......Once I leave with the bike they never see it again unless I have a major warranty issue and then I keep them on such a short leash its better for them to treat me well than mess me about. Minor warranty stuff,servicing and tuning I will deal with myself.Generally better to keep things away from the "oil change specialists" that 90% of dealerships claim are technicians. ciao

Jeez what a sorry arsed bunch MG riders can be.That looked like a fantastic thing to go to. Ever heard of the concept of taking out of it what you dig and ignoring the rest. Sorry I missed it. Ciao Phil

Excellent! I remember reading somewhere that it would be a good idea to ventilate the cam belt covers [maybe with some fine screen covering the holes?] on the old 4v, as the engine heat otherwise trapped in them tends to bake the cam belts, and the extra airflow thru the belt housing helps keep these very hot-running heads that little bit cooler. Best of luck! OK thanks will check that out when the engine arrives.Will try and do a pictorial story on the process if I can.This is my starting point.I will also convert to the later tank with the internal pump and filter which I have as well for neatness reasons.Cant tolerate all that external plumbing.The object is to be able to return back to original without any difficulties if I wish. Ciao

I would change the filter again and see what happens.I know it has a bypass if its restricted but its an easy and cheap t/shooting first step. After that i'd check the oil pressure relief valve.May have not seated correctly the last time it bypassed oil. Ciao

Sorry,yep thats right,Centauro engine. Ciao

Just Bought an 8 valve engine to fit into the V11 sport.Will use a RAM clutch and 15m ecu (jefferies my15m)any advise and or suggestions would be welcome. Ciao

Not trying to get into a "who's got the biggest d*ck" thing here but believe me an ST4s is a nice quiet little tourer compared to an 1198s.Not bagging the ST but the 1198 (mines got a full Titanium system and Microtech ECU)is a bit of an animal and to much for a road bike really.The ST would be a much better thing to ride day to day. I love riding the V11,cant really explain it but I do. Ciao

some manufacturers sell rebuild kits with the glass material and rivets etc.Personally I have always just wrapped the center perferated tube with 1 wrap of 50mm woven glass tape without adhesive and then packed the rest with fibreglass wool from roof insulation batts. Ciao