pete roper

There are many different methods of running in a bike, the important thing to remember is that running in is a controlled wearing out. What you are trying to achieve is two things; 1.) Knocking the high spots off bits that slide against each other, (Pistons, rings, bore, valves and guides.) and 2.) work hardening hard faces that carry loads, (Pinion teeth, dogs in the gearbox and to a lesser extent splines. Lets look at your Guzzi motor. For all it's major bearings it uses plain, 'Slipper' type bearings. These require ZERO break in, they either work or they don't, the whole point is that in service they should never touch as the hydro-dynamic wedge in the oil film will keep them apart. Bores are Nicasil. although they carry a hone of sorts the fact is that the real *hone* is on the rings. The bore itself is many orders of magnitudesmoother than any cast iron bore ever was, in real terms rings will bed in within the first 200Km and the pistons are unlikely to get hot enough to seize if they have been cam-ground correctly, (Something Gillardoni have usually got spot on, and they make all the OE stuff for Guzzi and BMW.). If you haven't bust a ring yet you won't. Work hardening is trickier and depends far more on heat cycling than anything else. If your first 1,000 miles weren't undertaken very gently and at a constant speed without stopping then the chances are that everything will be fine. If the engine and transmission have heat-cycled a few times the process will be well started and I don't think you need worry. I know there is a school of thought that says that heat cycling and work hardening are irrelevant to surfaces like gear pinions and dogs, cam lobes and followers etc. it isn't one I actually subscribe to. I do think it makes a difference. The 'Thrash it from the word go' school is all well and good with race engines and anything that you expect to rebuild on a tediously regular basis. For my money the best bet is simply to ride it *normally*, (With a new bike one tends to be carefull so that's fine.). Don't lug it, (Under 3,000rpm.) don't thrash it, (Extended periods above 6,500rpm.) and do lots of up and down the gears and slowing down on the over-run using engine braking to draw oil up into the bores. Most importantly DON'T change the oil too soon!!!! As I said at the beginning the running in is a controlled wearing out. As particulate matter gets knocked off the high spots in the engine's componentry it turns the oil into a very fine grinding paste. The particulate matter is far too small to damage bearings, (It simply passes through them.) but it does help with knocking off further high spots. Changing the oil too soon is far more likely to lead to problems than leaving it in a bit too long. Most manufactuirers recommend between 800 and 1,000 KM before the first change. Adhere to that schedule. At the first oil change DO drop the sump and check it for crap left over from the machining of the cases and DO change the filter. Swap the gear oils and use a bit of moly in the bevelbox. Then go and thrash the tits off it!!!!!! Other's opinions may vary, that's fine, but that break in has stood me in good stead for 25+ years on Guzzis. The race bike gets caned from the moment it has oil pressure Pete Pete

It's nice to see that *someone* reads the owners' manual Unfortunately, as Martin sez, that's just plain wrong. Modern tyres are designed for front or rear use, the carcasses are constructed so that the rears have greater strength for accelerative loadings and the fronts for dealing with the braking forces. Both will be marked with directional indicators and should be mounted on their respective wheels using those as the guide, not the ramblings of some antedeluvian half-wit in the Mandello Print-works and Pizza shop where Guzzi get the books made!!!! Pete

The bimmer is a 4 valve Hi-Cam engine, it would be a sad and sorry thing if it didn't make more power! I personally don't care about HP figures. As long as a machine has enough for me, and the Breva does, abundantly, the fact it makes more or less than the *opposition* is irrelevant to me. Any speed over about 100-120 MPH is also useless to me, there's no road I can ride at that speed safely for more than a couple of miles at a time and to be truthful I preffer to ride a RACE bike at speed rather than a road bike and we've got one of those I can take for a flog if I feel like it . The Greaso is geared lower than the Breva and weighs less so that should give it a bit more stick through he gears and a slightly lower top speed, sounds fine to me! Like you I also think that there will be ample opportunity to improve output by using one of the aftermarket 'pooters, maps or accessories like a PCIII, My15M, Tuneboy or whatever. The nice thing is that it still feels like a Guzzi and, surprisingly, sounds good, at least when you're riding it. If it's just going by it sounds like a parson farting in the bath but so does any modern motorbike so it's not alone there. Pete

If you're interested in a brief ride impression I've posted one up on WG. I think it looks hideous but it's a lovely ride. Pete

Do they speak English???? My German is non-existant! Pete

The RD350LC is, without a doubt, one of the most important motorcycles ever built. Regardless of whether you like stink-wheels or not it has to be admitted that they raised the Fun-Per-Unit-Of-Currency bar to previously unheard of levels. I even tried racing one back in the early '80's, with precisely ZERO success I might add . If I could find one now that hadn't been bashed, crashed and thrashed to within an inch of it's life I'd snap it up in a trice!!!!! Pete

Has anybody heard of any, prefferably superior, valve guides for the Hi Cams? I've got a Daytona RS in at the moment with shagged guides and I'm having trouble finding some in Oz so I thought I'd ask if there was a supplier of superior aftermarket guides or do I order some in from Ago's? Pete

To do it properly you have to take the legs out and invert them and pump 'em a bit to empty the cartridges before you turn 'em back up the right way and fill 'em up again. It's a fairly time consuming job. I haven't done one lately and can't remember how much it cost but the time figures are ball park I'd suggest. Pete.

The huge jerry-can is the bit that houses the catalytic converter Into the bin with it, instantly!!!!!!! Unless I'm very much mistaken Paul's bike and most of the other V11's that have external filters are using the 'V' sump which is the one with the filter at the front. While i can see people being a bit concerned about that lets face it, an awful lot of Jap 4's have had the filter in just such a position for years, (Or at least they did the last time I looked but I don't look at them very often!) and I can't ever remember there being a problem with them getting holes in them from wheel flung debris. There have been a number of changes to the pick-up and delivery system on the *new* motor and the sump is positively full of pipes and crap to the point it amazes me that there is enough room in there for sufficient oil . At least they have admitted that there IS an oil starvation problem on the V11's under hard acceleration, which begs the question that if they knew about it why didn't they install some sort of baffling system or windage tray Pete

Gotcha, my apologies. I've never had any problem with taking the sump off to do the filter. It's only 18 little bolts, it's scarcely arduous and you only have to do it, at most, once every 15,000 miles, (Incidentally I've cut open *small* earlier filters that have been on for much, much longer than that and never seen any indication they'd been by-passing.). Both of my *everyday* rides, (My beloved 'Vert and my LeMans engined SP) have Harpers 'Outsiders', not because I was particularly worried about taking the sump off but because the 'Vert was purchased with one on and the SP needed a sump extension and the cost for the Harpers unit wasn't that much greater when compared to a *standard* sump extension bought locally. They work well and are very convenient but do mean that you don't get to look in the sump to see what's dropped off once in a while. I wasn't aware there was an 'outsider' for the V11 series? Certainly apart from anything else I'd expect that slipping in an extra spacer betwixt the factory spacer that holds all the oil cooler thermostat and filter munt and the block would lower the sump to a point where cornering ground clearance would be sorely effected, (It's fairly easy to chamfer a 'Broad Sump' at the best of times! ) and gutter-jumping could be troublesome too! Also Harper's units have the filter at the rear, all the exhaust systems I know of siamese in the area where the filter would sit and the factory system has the 'Pong Box' there. Pete

Not a recent improvement, in fact it's the only way you can make an oil filter work successfully. You cant have the filter on the pick-up side, it would be too restrictive. Remember, there is no such thing as 'Suck', all the oil pump does is create a low pressure area, oil is pushed from the sump into the pump by crankcase pressure which is atmospheric and a bit, (due to the pumping action of the pistons and blow-by past the rings etc.). Any restriction on the intake side will encourage the oil pump to cavitate, if it does that it's pumping *nothing* to the bearings, and you don't want that as it tends to make the engine make funny noises. Once the oil has passed through the pump it is being mechanicaly pressurised and it's flow is restricted by the small gaps in the bearings through which it can escape back to a lower pressure area, (The crankcase.), unless there is some sort of pressure regulator installed, (an oil pressure relief valve.) it is very easy for the pressure to become too high, bursting the filter and/or damaging bearings. A few years ago I saw a pic on one of the other boards of a home-brewed 'Oil Filter Kit' a bloke had come up with for his 850T, (A model sold without a filter.) He'd cobbled up a filter system based on a spin on filter mount on the intake side. It made me cringe, but since he wasn't going to be selling it commercially and was obviously as pleased as punch with his efforts I wasn't willing to enter into a long and acrimonious debate about it. He did stop posting on uzzi boards shortly thereafter though and I've often wondered if the two things might of been related???? Pete

Yup. Pete.

(Gurgle!) Errr. No. The oil delivery system goes like this, Pick-up, oil pump, oil filter, pressure relief valve, delivery. If the filter comes loose the oil just vents back into the sump, result? zero delivery or pressure at the bearings and rapid 'Dogga-Dogga' noise. Have you seen the sytem on the Breva/Griso? The poxy filter now sits in a recess in the sump casting. Brilliant! So rather than like the V11 where the usual proccedure goes something like. Manufacture 27mm key to undo stupid plate in sump after draining oil. Use bucket type filter wrench to trty and undo filter. Curse because filter wrench slips off filter. Remove sump and use strap wrench to remove filter. Clean mating surface for filter ad wash out sump. Install new filter. Replace sump and drain plug and fill with oil. Collapse in frustarted heap and swear you're going to get something sensible. With the Breva/Griso when the bucket wrench slips off the filter the only way to get the sod off will be to punch a screwdriver through it and wind it off. What a pox of an idea!!!!! Pete

Cliff, I've got a Daytona RS in at the moment, the one I told you about, it's got it's heads off at the moment, (It bust a belt and the people who replaced it didn't think to do a leak down test ) 4 bent and leaking valves on that side but it still put out 94RWBHP on the dyno ) Anyway, it's still a bit of a pig around town so the bloke is interested in one of your units. We'll see how it goes once the valves are right and I've dialed the cams in as we tend to think they're out as well. Pete

Huh???? I'm not 'Bitter' about the Breva or Griso at all, in fact I'm going to buy a Griso ASAP. as for the CARC technology? It's simply an enclosed version of what has gone before and to be honest the exposed V11 driveline is actually MORE reliable than the earlier UJ system because it IS exposed and therefore lubricatable. I don't see the CARC setup as being retrograde or, necessarily, poorly designed. Ugly? For sure! But that seems to be what people want nowadays, everything that might be so uncouth as to be mechanical hidden from view. I think that's weird but that's just me. I don't expect the CARC system to fail extravagantly early at all and using a shaft coupling with a bonded rubber insert is a long established technology that, although I was initialy skeptical of it when I first saw it on K series bimmers, (although I'm sure it predates them.) has proven it's worth and has to give the Couplings in the driveline. not to mention the splines and gear dogs and teeth, an easier time. I do rue the fact that greasing the couplings will be a lot harder, and like it or not I'm afraid mechanical parts like this DO need lubrication. It's not a matter of hoping that, as if by magic, because it's *new* and *modern* the laws of physics don't apply to it or that *modern* materials mean that such things are unnecessary. If it appeared that I was putting sh1t on the system I was misunderstood. If I want to put sh1t on something I can do it far more effectively by pointing out the many and manifest failings of most technology that comes from BMW, that's far more fun too Pete

Brilliant! An on-board reliqury (Sp?). The market will be immense! Bits of the true cross are only the beginning! Bits of bones of saints! Arrowheads used on St. Sebastian! Where's my Oxford Dictionary of Saints? There must be any number of martyrs we can manufacture relicts for to celebrate their demise. I wonder if i can get a government grant to set up a business! Pete (no offence intended to any Catholics who might take this stuff seriously. We had a priest for a while in Bungendore who had a huge collection of such stuff he'd collected on his travels and called it his 'Trivia collection of God-Bothering nonsense.' He was a good bloke actually and was fond of a beer or two )

Bingo!!!! Sorted!!!!! Thanks blokes, not having the manual handy I thought I'd ask first and the pawl adjuster is dead easy to get at. it sits adjacent to the actual selector shaft and has a sodding great 19mm acorn nut on it. Remove the nut and you can see the end of the threaded pawl adjuster and the 19mm locknut tghat keep it locked to the case. On this bike it was as tight as buggery on the adjuster, the adjuster turned in the case OK but I had to use a BIG screwdriver, (Flat blade.) in the end of of the adjuster and push really hard to exert enough force to stop the blade slipping out as I turned the adjuster in relation to the lock-nut. I would certainly NOT recommend trying to do it without the bike on a paddock stand as there would be a good chance of pushing the bike over in your enthusiasm! In this case I just had to turn the adjuster clockwise about 3/16ths of a turn and it's cured the problem completely. It took a couple of tries, I over-corrected at first then had to go back before finally finding a *sweet spot*. Note that although I had to turn the adjuster clockwise this may not be the same in every case as it will be entirely dependent on what position the eccentric on the internal end of the adjuster is stitting at in relation to the selector mchanism. Thank you very much all those who offered help and advice, when you're dealing with something you haven't done before it's always usefull to be able to access info from the more experienced and knowledgeable. Pete

At the moment I'm loath to actually pull the cover but I'll cerainly have a fiddle with the pawl adjuster this AM, I take it this is external??? Pete

Well, the BMW swingarm and floating bevelbox thing is, if anything, even uglier and heavier than the CARC hideousness . Really though you may of noticed that I was in fact expressing a kind of shocked surprise that Guzzi should start using a driveshaft cush and was really pissed off that they have addopted the Belville stack spring system for the face cam shocky in the box as it really is crap. Look, I don't like BMW's but what I really hate is their advertising which is lapped up by the gullible and mentally frail. "The complete driving machine.". What? A German Taxi? Gimme a break! I also have trouble accepting that having an engine's oil pump driven by it's alternator belt is a particularly brilliant idea! As for their bikes I've seen enough buggered BMW gearboxes to last me a lifetime thanks. They are over-rated and their owners are generally insufferable. apart from that I have nothing against them Pete

Replacing a rocker cover gasket costs about three euros for the gasket, (Maximum.) and about three minutes a side. Remove the eight 6mm allen bolts that hold the cover and rocker protector bar on tap it lightly to loosen the cover, lift off, remove old gasket, apply grease sparingly to new gasket, place on head, replace cover, reattatch cover and RP bar with eight bolts, go ride. I never use sealant on RC gaskets as it only tends to make 'em rip when the cover is removed and usually you can re-use 'em several times. I would advise fixing it though. Dirty/oily cylinder head fins can't dump waste heat nearly as effectively as clean ones and besides looking ugly it can promote overheating of the head and exhaust valve. While this is more of an issue on smallblocks which will shed their exhaust valve heads at the slightest provocation it's not a good principle to allow any air cooled motor to get oily on the outside. Pete

A-HA! Thank you Mr Laing and BFG!. My V11 manual has gone walkabout, (I think I lent it to John Y. in Yass.) and going from memory I thought that the pawls were non adjustable on the six speeder! My guess is that it's the pawl adjusting eccentric which should be easy enough to find. Can I get to it without removing the starter motor, (My 'pooter is at home, not at the workshop so I can't look for myself right now so if anyone is on-line who can let me know it would save me some time. Pete

Errr! Tex, I was going to send a C-note to Todd but since Guzzitech and WG went down I haven't been able to conquor all the computer nonsense to get through to 'em. Anyway, if you want some aussie beer money it's on it's way, as soon as I can sort out the F*cking 'pooter shit! Glad you're OK. BTW an Oz C-note just *might* buy you a new friction wheel for the Solex Pete

Thanks Paul and Bruce! I am suggesting that the owner leave it for a bit, I'm not entirely sure there is a *serious* problem as the box shifts fine most of the time. The biggest issue is at lower RPM's especially if you don't try and spin up the engine to match the dogs. The only other problem I can see is essentially poor cutting of the cam plates, coupled with/or a weak detente spring. We'll leave it for another 5,000 and see what eventuates. Thanks again blokes. Pete

But that has always been the case. Tonti and Loop Frame machines have used a belows for ever and it is one of the least failure prone things on the bike. I can't see the uglied up back end being a problem per-se. I do agree though that the enclosed nature of the system will mean that it will be aright frontbottom to service, I don't eben know if Guzzi have deemed it necessary for the poor old trunnions to have grease nipples on? What I do know is that later, replacement, UJ's for Tontis now seem to be assembled with grease!!!!! Praise the Lord! I know people who have done over 150,000Km on *new* UJ's without issue so we can only hope that the same folks are making the Breva/Griso units. I also know that before my Griso goes anywhere NEAR a road it will have the whole arse end pulled out and examined. Looking at what pictures I have seen of the system it looks as if the driveshaft now has a BMW-esque, ( ) rubber cush drive incorporated in the main section of the shaft. Since the *new* six-speeder seems to keep the pathetically useless belville washer stack/face cam input shaft shock absorber this can only be a good thing as late model five speeds will munch the foreshortened splines on the shaft itself like it's going out of fashion because the Belville stack DOESN'T F*CKING WORK!!!!!! I dunno if there will be readily available info on the *new* driveline by the time I pull mine to bits but you can bet your bottom dollar that if I pull it to bits and find anything that needs addressing I'll post it up on the web somewhere and while I'm not the cleverest bloke in the world I do have a long experience of Guzzis and what the factory tends to do to stuff up an otherwise wonderful product Pete

OK, heres the plot. 2002 LeMans, 7,500Km. Bike runs fine BUT. It has this weird *thing* with the gearbox. On downshifts, most noticeably 5th to 4th, it will seem to select a false neutral and then throws itself into 4th or sometimes 3rd. Now to me this would indicate that there may be a problem with the detente spring and/or plunger but I'd like to pick the brains of those more knowledgeable with the *old* six speeder as to if this is a known problem with a known cure. I've never had to have one apart, not even the plate to do the return spring, so I'm flying blind here. I tend to think that maybe it will 'Ride up with wear'. I don't think the owner pushes it particularly hard, he also owns an MV and a couple of other bikes so I'd think the Guzzi is probably not the *Thrasher* bike. It did ave some horrible sort of snot in the gearbox, certainly not a top grade lube, it now has Mobil Synth 75-90. But this doesn't seem to have cured it. Engine seemed to have fermented possum piss in it, and the factory filter, so much for 'First Service' at my local dealer! Now has Mobil 1 Racing in so it will probably leak from every seal Pete