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Thanks for that, Docc..

The noise from gear drives varies depending on many factors including engine harmonics but also mesh clearance cold and hot. I've had engines that wine when cold and have a slight clatter when hot. As the alloy crankcases heat up and the bearing centers that support the gears move away from each other the whine caused by tight clearances dissipates and is replaced by gear backlash noise. depending on many many variables is the volume of noise in hot and cold conditions. I was in the pits back in 1988 at Oran park round of the WSB talking to Robert Dunlop who was riding a Honda RC30 that year as a privateer and hung around to hear it start up before the first race. That was the first time I'd heard an RC30 with the backlash gears removed and it was quite noticeable. Although Honda would have run a decent amount of tooth clearance and relied on the backlash gears a fair amount as it was a production engine system. I owned an RC30 at the time so was interested in what modifications he was running in WSB. The list of engines that have used cam gear drives is like a who's who of brilliant engineering. Manx Norton, bevel drive Ducati, Guzzi V8, ahem...the Guzzi big block V twin and of course the venerable Rolls Royce Merlin. If anyone needs any more convincing after reading that list I cant help you Hears some engineering art to ponder. Ducati Desmosedici V4RR Ferrari V12 Ciao

Just ordered a set from: https://www.onlinecomponents.com/omron-electronics/g8he1c7trdc12-42670683.html Mouser, Digikey, and Amazon still say unavailable.

Nice find!

I will never forget the first time I heard a gear drive set-up in a engine …. Yeow . I thought George Thorogood was inside of that V-8 !

As I have said, the V11 has a busy rear axle. L-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> R: locknut-washer/swingarm/caliper carrier/brake side wheel bearing/wheel spacer/driveside wheel bearing/inner spacer/reardrive carrier bearing/reardrive/needle cage-race/right side swingarm/torque side of the axle

So, they are 5mm but the pitch is fine: 0.8 mm The stand-off is 20mm long from the tach case, then 8mm of threads (28mm overall). The hexagonal "stand-off" is female threaded at its base and screws onto (loosely fitting) studs that come from inside the case. While you may be able to unscrew the stand-offs, it is common for the studs to get loose and just spin. Mine are JBWelded.

Hi Al, I used the Harley texture paint back in '07. It matched the OEM finish pretty well and it's held up well. Here's a picture that I took after I applied it.

I can't wait to hear that whirring sound

Gears are better than chains in every way but one- noise. Gears are noisy, chains are quiet. So any bike that has to pass any sort of noise test (EPA here) benefits from using a cam chain instead of gears. Even HD went to chains in their big twins, because they trade the cam noise for exhaust/intake noise. Functionally? Probably not noticeable, if the chain is good and the tensioner is adequate. Still, I'll have a set in mine eventually, because riding an Italian motorcycle and asking why something makes sense is a silly thing.

My wheel spacer was too short and chewed my bearings in my OZ rear wheel. I had my brother make me a exact fitting spacer from a heavy steel tube. Easy job if you have a lathe.

As I recall, make sure your headlight is properly lit when the engine is running. There is a relay that can cause the headlight to not lit (watch out, there is a secondary light, a running light, in the headlight bucket that may still be lit). If the headlight doesn't have power the charging system won't charge correctly as it senses the state of the battery off the headlight circuit. Relay issues are a common issue with these bikes. There are better relays available then what comes stock. Start the engine, measure the voltage at the battery. It should be over 14 volts. By the way, as I recall 12.84 volts is fully chared for an AGM battery like the Odyssey.

Ooo well that was lovely. Only got sprinkled on for about 5 minutes too. Damn but the sound of those cans on the overrun.... Bike running like a watch🙂

$483 for 5 liters??? cough cough "It's the big one. I'm coming to see you, Lizabeth"