Scud

I just ordered a roller from Harpers. They didn't have it in stock; they show it as available, but "low inventory" - and not sure how long it will take to get one. Craig, if you do find a compatible part, please advise.

Now that's a compression fitting.

Looks like a blast. Great pics - keep 'em coming.

LeMans got an O-ring on the cam position sensor... and a bath. But the Scura got naked. I removed the flyscreen because she needs the mounting hardware powdercoated. Paint was coming off the little support arms... and that just won't do. She also got a new pair of Napoleon mirrors. The prior pair had some lane-splitting scars (and an oops on the RH). The scarred mirrors found a new home on the K75s, which got to shed the nasty lollipop mirrors. And happy news... it appears that my speedometer works. I assumed that it broke earlier this summer and I just assumed it was the speedo - but it was the cable. When I turn the input by hand I can see the needle jump. So I guess I won't be buying Speedhuts just yet (I nearly did).

Reviving thread after a couple years dormancy... I was almost discouraged from even trying to remove the swingarm bearings by reading this thread - and I'm posting to say it can be done. I was able to get the bearings out with heat on the swingarm (not directly to bearing) and a slide hammer that I bought today at Harbor Freight. There was absolutely no movement without heat. After I applied heat they came out with about 20 impacts. I did bend the slide hammer shaft - so I'm taking it back tomorrow for a refund. I will buy a higher quality tool next time I need one. I'm going to take the swingarm in for powdercoating.

My shifting is much improved, but I still have occasional difficulty getting into third gear - it is most common when I want to drop from 4th to third to accelerate. It's pretty smooth on engine-braking downshifts, and I missed a 2 to 3 upshift (at the time, I was just seeing how little effort I could apply and still get it to shift). I think the extension on the external shift-linkage arm will amplify the effort. Craig - good explanation of how the 2 springs work together/against. When I first noticed the difference in effort I had a new pawl spring, but a tired selector spring (so perhaps the new one overpowered the weak one). With two new springs, the difference was much less. This now makes me think I should replace the third spring (on the roller arm), and that it's probably a good idea for anyone doing this job to just plan to replace all three springs at the same time. I also noticed that my roller had some wear (new roller is $5.00) - but I did not inspect the surfaces that it rolls against. I am encouraged by this - and will get into it one more time (when I get a new spring and roller). Will polish some more contact surfaces then.

The new lever spring is wider, and much stronger than the one that was in there. All my filing and smoothing and shaping almost worked with the weak spring, but after replacement, it shifts perfectly on the bench - ups and downs - quick and crisp returns. My ThreeBond 1194 didn't show up yet. I have some 1211, I suppose I can use that today - for filling and riding tomorrow? And here's a close-up photo of how the pawl spring fits - so MartyNZ can engineer a better one.

Did the oil line seat fully before you tightened the nut? I suppose it's possible that the little O-rings are damaged, but I think they're pretty tough.

How many miles can you get out of a rear tire on a Moto Guzzi V11? I believe it's the same line of questioning as in this video. Let's find out when we ask Docc, the wise owl:

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/mcy/5767484371.html Here's a low-mile champagne LeMans with a $4,750 ask price.

Haha. I feel your pain - having experienced some of that recently with the Roper Plate shipments. Thanks for the hard work. I await payment instructions (total with shipping and fondling).

But officer, I just improved my shifting and needed to run through all the gears. 5th and 6th are illegal in every state...

Good to know - I think I'll try the Michelin PR4s on the LeMans when it's time - or maybe pair the rear with a softer, grippier Michelin front.

Thanks Docc. I just placed an order for a 180 GT rear and a 120 ST front. I've run two GT 170s on the rear (about 5,000 miles each). I read a review, some guy claimed 9,000 miles on a GT on a ZX-14 Kawi. To that I say either "no freakin' way." - or - "the throttle is on the right." Rear: I'll try the OEM size rear along with the slightly softer front. I suppose the 180 will last a bit longer than the 170 (5.9% more tread). Front: I really just want to watch the Angel on the ST turn into a devil as the tread wears... I'll scrub those nasty little halos off in no time. No tax, and free shipping on Amazon - and 5% back with the Amazon Store card. Net $250 for a set of tires. Those guys are dominating e-commerce... and now they're opening "brick-and-mortar" bookstores. I like new tires.

So you see no significant difference in tread life between Angel ST and GT? Looking at Pirelli's website, they still list Angel ST and Angel GT as current tires. About the GT, they say "longer distances" and "the new reference for mileage." That would imply the STs wear faster (and would therefore be stickier). Could you notice any handling difference between the ST and GT?

But Docc, that cycle conveniently gives you the winter to change tires, fettle brake calipers, etc..... and start your next season off fresh. Do you also find that there is some life left in the front when the back is worn? I'm running mismatched brands on my LeMans right now (Michelin PR2 rear and Angel GT front) and it's fine. Mismatch of type within the Pirelli Angel family seems like it would be no big deal. I do like the idea of a stickier front and - just maybe - wearing out both tires at the same time.

Tire talk time. I'm looking at tires for the Scura. I generally replace them as a set, even though there is typically a bit more life left in the front when the rear is done. Which got me into my dangerous habit of thinking... Assumptions: GTs are generally longer wearing than STs - and therefore STs are a bit higher performance. I was thinking of using Pirelli Angel GT on the rear and Pirelli Angel ST on the front. Then maybe I'd have better performance, wear out both tires at about the same rate - and the ST is $30 less than the same size GT. Good idea? Bad idea? Experience?

Loaner used TPS on the way for testing porpoises. Keep it as long as you need to in order to isolate your problem.

Those look cool. Good job taking a picture, since we all hope to never see them again after assembly.

Thanks. I am getting really good at taking this apart, and I understand how the shift mechanism works now (which I never did before). Supplies: I've got some engineer's blue and some Three-bond 1194 on order (also some more Redline Heavy Gear Oil). Selector arm straightness: I checked with a steel straightedge and I can certainly see some variance - which I suppose is from how the part was stamped. How did you straighten this part? I tried bending it by hand with it clamped in the vice, but I don't think I did much. Selector arm friction surfaces: Here's how I smoothed out the parts that slide over the pins. I used a broad hand file, then 220-grit sandpaper on a block. I got the two angled edges really smooth, but let a few marks inside the hook. The shiny area at the pivot was significantly worn (see pic in previous post), I could feel a bump-up to the unworn surface. I can slide a .010" feeler gauge between the arm and the gear with the pins (left gear in photo below) - but there is friction between the darker, RH gear and the arm. When I put in my smallest gauge (.0015") it's still tight (as pictured below). It lifts the gear a little when I force the gauge in. I'm tempted to grind that whole area of the arm to make it thinner - but I will wait for the spring first. Lever Spring: I think I will order one of these tomorrow. When the selector is in first and I move the lever as though I am downshifting I need to use a lot force to move the lever (the external one that the linkage connects to). But when it's in 6th and I move it as though I am upshifting (looking for the elusive 7th gear) I can move that linkage lever easily with my littlest finger - there is not much resistance from the spring, and it does not pull the arm back every time. This lever also had some wear and burrs - I cleaned it up. Current Situation: Downshifts are flawless. The arm returns correctly every time - didn't stick even once. Upshifts have some problems, but not every time. The lever does not fully return.

I think I have a used one that you can try - to see if that fixes the problem. PM sent.

Novice transmission worker in need of assistance... Parts diagram at Harpers for reference below: http://www.harpermoto.com/parts-by-motorcycle/2000-up-moto-guzzi-motorcycles/v-11-cat-1100-2003-2004/gear-box-selector-en-v11-cat-1100-2003-2004.html Here are some images of the wear on my LeMans. You can see where the arm rubs on the gear - because it does not ride in the center of the channel (between the teeth and the semi-circular notches). I also noticed that selector spring (#25 on parts diagram) was bent out of shape (compared to a new one) - so it was probably on the way to failure. I've filed and polished all the friction-surfaces and installed the selector new spring. Some of the notchiness/resistance is gone and I can get it to flow correctly through all gears, up and down. However, it occasionally does not return all the way from upshifts (this happens maybe 1 out of every 10 shifts - enough to be annoying if that continues when on the bike. I suspect three possible causes: 1: The lever still rubs on the gear. The part is very close to being straight, but it still rubs at the pivot as well as the part that slides over the pins. I'd have to put a noticeable curve in it to get it to ride in the center of the gear's channel. 2: I wonder if the lever spring (#28 in diagram above) is weak and should be replaced. 3: The eccentric adjuster - I have not touched this yet, because I can run through all the gears correctly sometimes - I don't think moving this will help the arm return after upshifts. The shop manual is not much help here... it says things like "Check that the hook works correctly." And finally, what's a good sealant for this? It appears to have been put together with black silicone - and the shop manual only says "3M sealant."

Well, there goes the "never dropped" line from your ad if you ever decide to sell it. The low speed drop is humiliating (I'm in the "club"). But we pick up, inspect, learn the lesson, and move on... There's a spot on one of my favorite roads where I dropped a BMW R100CS with my girlfriend (now wife of 20 years). I look at it every time I pass and remind myself not to pull onto soft shoulders with front brake applied.

Thanks for coming out of retirement for this. They look like little soldiers - all dressed up in olive-drab, ready to be deployed to the shift-improvement wars. Mine will probably visit the powder-coater, along with some other bits for entertainment value.