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Pressureangle

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Posts posted by Pressureangle

    Triple clamp musings.

    in Technical Topics

    Posted

    Metric 150mm scale - check
    Magnetic angle meter - check
    Digital caliper - check 

    Ride height also plays a part in rake, a little less in trail. We'll have to find a way to assure ride height is a standard; the easy way would be to measure the top of the spine with the tank off. 

    • Like 1

    Right side exhaust support broken ChC screw.

    in Technical Topics

    Posted

    Living on the Seacoast myself, I have to admit it's a constant battle to keep the brown menace at bay- 'Rust never sleeps'. 

    I replace anything I can with 316 Stainless and what I can't get in stainless I get in a phosphate black and coat it with Cosmoline RP342, either sprayed or applied with Q-Tip. Once dry, you can wipe away any excess you find distracting and it will remain in the pores for the rest of eternity. I haven't seen a spec on anything I've used it on, ever. Shouldn't be a surprise given that was it's purpose from day one, but nobody thinks about Cosmoline except when they have to clean it off a WWII relic.

    • Like 2

    What did you do to your V11 today?

    in 24/7 V11

    Posted

    I've been waiting to fill my rear drive until my Chevron Delo Gear ESI 85w140 came in. Today was the day. First thing I noticed is that considering the labelled viscosity, it seems pretty loose in the container. Far sloshier than a heavy conventional gear oil. <wary look>
    Visually it's darkish golden, not much different than other lubes. No particular smell. I added ~255-260cc to my dry, clean gearbox. While hard to see through the fill hole, it's quite obviously far above the 'level plug' on the back of the box, and someone has probably figured out before that the level hole *might* be correct if it was horizontal to the ground with the axle. 
    Turning the wheel, the oil appears thinner than the Redline heavy shockproof I had in it, as well as the Lucas/moly additive just lastly. But it also carries up the gear well and leaves a heavier coat than I expected. 
    All my research says this should be as good as it gets, and has alien magical properties unknown to lesser oils. 
    I'd say 'we'll see' about how well it works, but truth is there hasn't been any shortcoming in previous oils to compare to. <shrug> I feel good about it, which is about all we ever get to say about gear oils. quart-224504-delo-gear-esi-85w140-311x31

    • Like 6
    • Haha 1

    Origins of V11 colloquial nomenclature

    in 24/7 V11

    Posted

    40 minutes ago, GuzziMoto said:

    I remember racing against Pete Johnson on a Raceco Guzzi in the AHRMA BEARS and Twins series. I don't think it was "the" Raceco Guzzi. As I recall the two Guzzi's Pete Johnson raced in AHRMA BEARS and Twins were not spine frame bikes. I believe they were based on LeMans chassis'. But they were fast. As I recall, Manfred Hecht was the guy tuning the Guzzi's for Pete. But I don't think they liked us and our Ducati much.

    While everything has limits, you could likely extend the limits of the spine frame simply by making the spine larger. Another thing that would improve it is making the spine round instead of making it out of a rectangle. Or an idea I have played with in my head is to use a pair of round tubes one above the other going back to a larger diameter tube above the swingarm pivot.

    If the engineers spent the time to design a spine via FEA as they have with perimeter frames and swingarms I'm certain it would be magnificent; the problem is it would only be applicable to Moto Guzzi, I think. 

    Tire Pressure Gauges

    in Technical Topics

    Posted

    Just now, KINDOY2 said:

    Sadly, I havn't had much luck with any of the Blue-point stuff I have purchased over the past 10 years, I used to think it was very good.:huh2:

    I haven't had much luck with *anything* I've purchased over the past 10 years. I assume anything new is Harbor Freight, regardless of the label. The Chinese Conspiracy is pervasive. 

    • Like 3
    • Sad 1

    Tire Pressure Gauges

    in Technical Topics

    Posted

    I have a Blue-Point made by Jaco that's about ... 40? Years old now. Doesn't have the safety relief but has been reliable, accurate, and consistent across time. I did have to replace the plastic disc in the pressure release button once about 15 years ago.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 2

    Origins of V11 colloquial nomenclature

    in 24/7 V11

    Posted

    Aermacchi-CRTT-Frame-Render.jpg

    On 3/1/2022 at 10:16 PM, docc said:

    Let's face it, we are a tight and dedicated community. We have our own vernacular. Some of it may not be "web-searchable."  (I am often stymied that I search for V11 answers and find = V11LeMans.com !)

    "colloquial?"  I reckon so. :mg:

    There are the traditional V-twin frame monikers (Loop, Tonti, Spine) that have, now, gone by the wayside. Yet, who first coined "Spine Frame?" :huh2:

    Not sure that is what Tony Foale called the original?

    tonyfoale_guzzi.jpg

     

    Tony Foale was (is) a mad scientist racing Aermacchi, which all had from '61 until '73 a single-tube frame which looks and mounts *very* much like the MG 'spine' frame. Lightweight and apparently sufficiently rigid torsionally- but it's plain if you've watched the '95 BEARS Raceco bike weaving and wobbling everywhere staying in front of the Brittens that the limits were found. The term 'frame backbone' goes back farther than I can remember.

    • Like 1

    Front wheel bearing spacer

    in Technical Topics

    Posted

    58 minutes ago, Speedfrog said:

    That’s what I needed to hear, thank you @Pressureangle and I appreciate your offer to have one made for me.:notworthy:

    I found some 1” id wheel spacers in different length, actually an HD part that’s readily available and cheap. I have a good friend machinist that I can tap to have it cut to the right length. 

    I read on this forum that not all wheels have the exact same dimension between the shoulders were the bearings outer races sit, hence the pursuit of a custom made spacer.

    https://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?/topic/1201-hollow-front-axle/

    On page 8 of this excellent FAQ thread @Paul Minnaert writes: “The spacer in the wheel, has to be measured on the wheel, the length is different on each wheel.” “And because all wheels are different, you need to measure the length first. Guzzi makes the spacers all equal and there we see people’s wheel bearings break.”

     I measure 104.5mm pretty consistently on my wheel and I already knew it’s better to err towards a bit longer, but how much longer?

    I never thought of the H-D spacer, probably a good start. Also, because the H-D uses tapered rollers instead of ball bearings, they make a great selection of spacer shims to get the precise bearing clearance they want. Not a bad option for us, perhaps to be explored. If you have a short spacer, which is the real problem situation, just add the correct H-D part number to it. 
    Ball bearings in our bikes do not tolerate a great deal of axial load- there are ball bearings made with that more in mind; so the perfect situation is that the outer bearing races are perfectly parallel, and the inner races are held at the distance which holds the balls dead neutral in the outer races with no preload in either direction. Neither of these conditions are likely present in something as mundane as a motorcycle wheel, but they don't die early so the dimensions are adequate for reasonable life. 
    So to make a new spacer, I'd drive the bearings home in the wheel and measure the distance between the inner races, then make a spacer that's exactly the same length to no more than +.010". On my Sport, with the bearings driven home hard in the wheel, the spacer is tight enough between them that you can't move it by finger but you can move it with a screwdriver. It's as close as you can be certain about unless you get crazy about measuring the wheel bores. Again, 'sufficient' is good enough for wheels, with only the worst offenders reducing bearing life. The problem with a short spacer is that the bearings take the entire load from the axle nut, rather than the bearing race; if the spacer is a tiny long, the outer races can relax against the wheel bores a couple thousandths which limits the force they can be subjected to. 
    Don't overthink it with me unless you have a bunch of measuring equipment and like self-flagellation. If you drive the bearings against the spacer and it's tight between them, it's ok. I always give the inner race a light whack to be sure the opposing bearing has moved the outer race if it has to before installation. 
    I noticed just today that my '89 Mille spoke wheel has snap rings on the bearings, at least on one side; that may change the metric a tiny bit. I'll stop now, I'm falling down the well again.

    • Haha 1

    Front wheel bearing spacer

    in Technical Topics

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Speedfrog said:

    @Pressureangle yes, a pretty simple thing once you’ve got the proper tubing stock to cut to length. I need a tube that’s 104 mm long with a 25 mm id. It has to be smooth inside, but how close in diameter to the axle OD? The oem is steel but could it be made of aluminum? It would be lighter but would it be strong enough? 

     

    I wouldn't make it of aluminum for a street bike, though I'm sure certain grades of aluminum are more than sufficient. Steel won't compress or fret away, and the weight difference is meaningless.
    I.D. doesn't have to be a slip fit, 1" = 25.4mm so an inch is pretty close to perfect.
    Give me an ID from the wheel hub for the rings, or measure the sample and I'll ask about getting one. Even then, you should fit the new one very carefully with the idea that the spacer is precisely the same length as the distance between the outer bearing races, to hold the bearings centered with no preload. With that in mind, it is always better to have the spacer a bit long (a very little bit) than to have it at all too short. That way, the bearings can relieve any side pressure by moving a few thousandths out in the wheel, which you'll never know about elsewise.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    Replacement steering damper for Lemans version

    in Technical Topics

    Posted

    53 minutes ago, GuzziMoto said:

    I have ridden motorcycles with aggressive steering geometry that needed steering dampers. I used to race a TZ250, and that bike was near impossible to ride without a steering damper. It had something like 22 degrees of rake. I also had an FZR400, and that really needed a steering damper, but it did not come with one stock. You could ride it without one, but It wasn't nearly as stable feeling as a V11 is without one. To race it you really needed a steering damper. That bike met its demise in a tankslapper. I also raced a TL1000R a few times. That bike had a steering damper and yet still met its demise in a tankslapper. It seemed like that thing wanted to kill me. On the other side, I had a Buell X1 Lightning, it had aggressive geometry and yet did not need a steering damper. I even raced it and didn't need a steering damper in spite of having something like 23 degrees of rake. Only one degree more than the TZ. That was a well engineered bike handling wise. It shows that steep steering angle alone doesn't mean it needs a steering damper.

     

    There must be some nuance that makes certain bikes deadly and others Sublime. The worst bike I ever rode for regular tankslappers was a '75 Kawi 500 triple; no surprise there, and I still have the lump on my collarbone to remind me. I put 2 dampers on it, though the factory dampers were...weak. I raced an FZ400 chassis with a 600 motor in it in a 4 hour endurance race, probably had a damper but I don't recall any trouble; was at E. St. Louis, not a particularly fast track tho. 
    The absolute worst tankslappers, though, were on H-D 883 Sportsters. They were dead stable and slow handling- until the front end went to Mars. We put high-end dampers on them and if you couldn't do 3 sets of 50 pushups you could barely wrestle them around a track. Loose (or neutral) steering head bearings were a lurking suicide. I raced a tube-frame Buell for half a season, never had a stability issue but the front end had zero feedback and tucked in every corner unless you had the throttle on. I didn't get a chance to drop the rear enough to discover if it would help. <shrug> I'm sure smart guys have the answers, and I'm equally certain they don't publicize them conspicuously.

    • Like 1

    Replacement steering damper for Lemans version

    in Technical Topics

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, GuzziMoto said:

    ... We found it steered better without any steering damper (an early red frame V11, one of the ones that has less trail so it is supposedly less stable). So we just left the steering damper off and have run it that way ever since. The V11 does not have overly aggressive geometry, and really shouldn't need a steering damper. If you prefer the heavier, slower, steering that a steering damper provides running one will give you that. But the wife decided she prefers the lighter quicker steering it has without a steering damper. She really doesn't need a 500 lb motorcycle to feel even heavier.

    Now, insert the standard disclaimer, your mileage may vary.

    I'd wondered about that myself. My '97 Sport has never given even the slightest sign that it needs a damper of any sort, not on rough 2-lane nor 90mph sweepers. I hit some sort of diagonal groove coming down the mountains of Idaho on the way to Spokane in a very fast, very leaned-over sweeper and was dead certain it was the end. I felt a single boomp, the bars never twitched, and I rode on from then with the certainty that I could trust it always to be so. I can't imagine what situation could produce a tankslapper on this bike, and I've not even put it back together since I discovered that the steering head was loose on the bearings giving a suspicious and anxiety-producing 'clunk' occasionally. Although my rebuilt Bitubo is capable of tightening to land-speed strength, the lightest setting is hardly noticeable and I keep it there. 

    • Like 2

    Front wheel bearing spacer

    in Technical Topics

    Posted

    8 hours ago, Speedfrog said:

    Anyone familiar with these spacers or fabrication in general have suggestions as to having one made?

    In a previous life as a poor kid racing flat track bikes, I've made more than a few axle spacers. At it's simplest, a piece of steel water pipe, a hacksaw, sandpaper and a caliper will get it done. For a more ... precision ... application such as this, a proper lathe would be nice. The rings around the spacer are for no other purpose than to facilitate assembly- it takes a bit of wiggling and fishing from the opposite end to get the spacer in front of the axle without them. So, pretty much anyone with even a small benchtop lathe can make the spacer and rings. Your only real concern is for the proper length and proper diameter so the bearing race is supported around the entire surface. If I was at our shop, I'd say send along your sample and I'd pop it out, but I can't say how long it would take them to get at it if I had you send it there. 

    • Like 1

    Replacement steering damper for Lemans version

    in Technical Topics

    Posted

    My '97 Sport came to me with an empty leaking Bitubo. I have a WP and an Ohlins damper on the shelf, neither of which could be made to fit the MG. Being a cheapskate and easily annoyed, I took the end cap off the Bitubo, cleaned the seals and internals, refilled with power steering fluid (with leakstop) and it's been righteous ever since- ~15k miles. (Edit-on review, I took the PS fluid out after a bit and gave it Motul fork oil) Smooth, great adjustability, and leak/weep free. Costs nothing to try. If you do, be sure to get all of your cleaner out and run the shaft up and down a few times in the oil with the cap off to release any bubbles. Then fill to top and let the excess run out while you thread the cap on. Clean up and go.

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 2

    Early Sport fork seals

    in Technical Topics

    Posted

    You know I do all my own work (usually) but I was quite happy to let the local WP service center give them a mechanical rebuild and facelift for only a couple hun; replacing bushings is something best accomplished with correct tools- which requires in my experience either time and money to acquire the 'official' tool (which lays unused for eternity after) or 3 trips to Home Depot for the correct (?) size PVC pipe to cut into a tool. What broke the camel's back and drove me to outsource it wasn't that WP is literally a half hour drive, but that I couldn't find online a way to be certain of what fork I have and educate myself on the process before I took them apart- or halfway apart. FWIW here's your nearest WP service center;

    WOOLY'S CYCLES OF ATLANTA

    Address

    • 1581 Cobb Pkwy S

    • 30060 Marietta, GA

      There are few things I hate more than taking something apart and being stuck for parts or tools while I forget where I was and how it fits back together. Like my Sport with no TBI linkage. Or my Mille GT waiting for spoke nipples from Sweden. Or my Aermacchi starter needing a register bored for the Suzuki upgrade. 

      I have nothing that works properly today. :bbblll:

      • Like 2
      • Thanks 1
      • Haha 1

      Greenie refurb

      in Technical Topics

      Posted

      My Sport came to me from the oilfields of Southern California, with every nook and cranny filled with basically dirty, seasoned road tar. I've used everything trying to rid it of these evil dark bits, and it's clear that until it's stripped to the core I'll live with some of it. That said, the best two cleaners I tried were Westley's Bleche-White (do not let it linger, it's quite caustic) and WD-40. As an act of desperation trying to find something to clean the front wheel and fork ends, I used 'like dissolves like' and it worked. That said, I never got everything returned to new and eventually had the wheels stripped and powder coated and the forks rebuilt and vapor blasted. 

      • Like 2
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