big J

Wild stab in the dark,Al, is the flywheel pick up ok? Could it have been moved or damaged when removing/refitting the engine? Is the ecu reading crank rotation?

And whaddaya hold them in...........? Anyway your first one isnt a power tool anymore,just a bulky sanding block. I'm curious, if the first one blew up after minutes, why did you buy another? AAAh, the Moto Guzzi frame of mind, soon you'll have it more powerful and better handling than the stock mouse, tho you'll have to use it for a while before the vibrations calm down.

Black and Decker: IMHO the Moskvich of the hand tool world. Martins quiz points were of course gifts from a friend, unfortunately this means that he is unable to produce receipts for them, and he can't remember his friends name just at the moment,but they are definately his all right.

And for those on a budget,a couple of flags. As traditionalists, we shouldn't let the semaphore system die, surely. Wave them arms,baby!

This is of course the M.G. grease filter to ensure that only the very cleanest grease gets into the joint. Jeez,bfg s'obvious innit.

Nice to see you bearing up against adversity,bfg. Do you hang about in bushes often?

Well, the sun was shining today,went for a wee burn on the Guzzi with the better half to try out the Triboseat cover[a rear seat cover that fits over the seat with a grippy texture,stops the passenger sliding about]. Couple of hours bombing down backroads,stopped for a pint in Lusk,had a dice with a GSXR on the way home [very funny,the guy was so tucked in he looked velcro'd to the tank] he must have been a crap rider cos I was faster, and I'm slower than treacle. The bike never missed a beat,ran great tho I wish the post service hadn't lost the Mistrals I bought,far too quiet stock. Anyway,just wanted to post something that wasn't a tale of woe or something breaking down. These V11's are brilliant bikes,every time I go out on mine,I'm so glad I never bought anything else.I can sympathise with Brian of course, but for me,right now right here,they are the finest.

Hi Brian,could you tie both "arms" of the swingarm together with a ratchet strap looped around them to keep them square then belt the f*** out of the spindle with a sledgehammer to shock it free? I realise that if the bearing has welded itself to the spindle it wont move easily, but even a little movement could be introduced that would allow the axle to be worked back and forth to maybe get it moving. Incedentally, I'm not talking about mushrooming the end, just a few right clatters to give it a fright

Certainly sounds suspiciously like bearing fit,doesnt it. Sorry I was unable to help more, as I said, mine just slipped out pretty easy. Would it be beyond the realms of possibility that Belfasts' housing was machined slightly oversize and they've used the bearing fit to locate the bearing? Anyone got any info?

Hi Belfast, dunno if I can add anything, my bearing slid out pretty easy with very light tapping either side to keep it square on the way out.Try pulling out all the wee needles and just knockout the cage. Hope this helps.

Oh, yes. Tartan paint, sparks for the grinder,a new bubble for the spirit level,a skyhook, a long stand, watchspring screws"so small you cant see them, and dont drop any", a bag of half inch holes............apprenticeship was a time of great learning all right.

And of course the lads from the Joe Bar race team

I'd worry about the transmission,surely a large increase in torque is going to upset it a bit?

Hi Easto, welcome to the fold,you wont regret it. I was the same as you, any problems and you're looking at a van and the ferry and a load of bloody hassle. I've had a few problems with mine but nothing I couldn't fix myself. These are about the most maintainance friendly bikes around today. Even with standard pipes[bought Mistrals advertised on the forum and they're lost in the postal system somewhere ] the boom at 6000 up never fails to raise a smile. I will never be without a v11 ever again.

Look up.............can you see a fella called Jim? Sorry,not much help

Gaun yirsel'

Sorrry,misread you post.Personally, if I'm replacing wheelbearings I do both at the same time. I've not done mine[yet, tho the way things are going...]. Is it possible to knock out the other side maybe using the spacer tube erm o bviously not, or you'd have done it. Ok, cut the outer diameter like I said, then get a small punch and hit it as if you were trying to rotate the bearing outer round the bore it sits in. Be careful, try to hit at as much of a tangent to the diameter as you can, this will hopefully collapse the ring sufficently for removal,for grinding hardened steel an emery band on a rubber bobbin works good,but its pretty slow. The bearing ring will heat up, let it get good and hot, and when you're finishing the last channel, douse it with cold water,it may crack.It wont take much of a reduction in diameter for it to come out, a few thou will do it. Good luck.

Belfast, the needle roller as mine was dead easy.Take off the drive housing cover and pull out the crownwheel assembly. If you look kind of through the housing you'll see it from the inside if you know what i mean.I had a wee pin punch I bent in the vice to roughly about 15 deg from vertical and just drifted it out, mine wasn't tight, just a nice sliding fit. Popped right out.The punch was placed against the diameter of the needle flange towards the outside of the bearing bore,broke the needles but they were bolloxed anyway obviously. This isnt making much sense.....Look down thru the bevel housing, the furthest away flange where the needles are, drift against that. Like Nogbad said, new bearings in the freezer for an hour, straight from freezer to location or they'll expand again. Plenty copaslip in housing and it'll slide right in.Maybe a wee tap with a plastic mallet to make sure it's seated.

If you have a dremel type grinder,grind 3 small channels equispaced round the circumference, obviously taking great care not to damage the wheel.Grind to as close to the full depth of the bearing sleeve as you can,then when you punch it out from the other side, it will collapse enough to be removed;fingers crossed. Or get a sledgehammer and a size 10 blowtorch.Is there a Machine Mart in Belfast? They sell blind bearing pullers cheaper than anywhere Ive found and the quality's not bad for the price.

Nogbad, the needle roller butts against the swinger in the drive housing, absolute doddle to get at, just take out the back wheel,remove the bolt holding the torque arm and draw out the drive housing. You'll see it on he right of the housing, where the spindle goes. I know how you feel, I've only had my bike a short time, already I'm down a battery, two self deflating tyres when its[ but fine when parked;strange its got new valves] bevel drive leaking, exhaust leaks, handlebars at different heights,engine revs up when you turn the bars to the right. IMHO the dealer I got it from is a complete tosser. I ordered a handlebar conversion end of January when I got the bike;still waiting. I love my bike but Ive only done 1000 miles since I got her due to fixing/fettling/waiting for parts. Wouldn't swap her tho, not fir anything. It's all character forming.............

Yeah, unfortunately so am I.

Dont know if I'm off the mark here, but couldn't you just fit a shorter spring?

Sorry, Alex I dont know how to get a picture on. Tried following the "attachment" instructions but it wont work. I'll assume that it's the same as a V11. Remove the rear wheel, leave the spindle inside the drive to support it as you do so. Unbolt and remove the rear drive after draining it of oil. Take out the 8 bolts retaining the cover plate and GENTLY pry it off. It will resist movement due to the 'o' ring on the locating flange.Lift it out and use a plastic mallet to tap the crownwheel out of the bearing. If you look inside the crownwheel, you will see the sealed bearing that was leaking on mine, tap it out with a drift. Replacement is reverse, pop the bearing in the freezer for half an hour beforehand, makes it go in easier. Make sure you dont hit the seal part of the bearing when you tap it back in, only hit the outer race on opposite sides, one side then the other.Check and replace any seals if required. Should go in fairly easy, dont force it.Tap the bearing and cover onto the crownwheel, put it back into the housing, bolt it up and you're done. Reassemble drive and wheel onto bike.

This might help anyone whose rear bevel drive is leaking.Mine was throwing oil out onto the tyre while riding. I ordered what looked to me like the most likely culprits, the large 'o' ring round the outside of the outer housing and the lip seal that backs onto the double ball bearing in which the crownwheel rotates before stripping it down. Turns out the seals had gone in the bearing inside the crownwheel. It is SKF 6304-2R51/C3. 47mmo/d 20mmi/d 15mm thick. Mine only cost a tenner from a bearing factor, it might be as well to have one to hand as well as the seals if your drive housing springs a leak. Check it is the sealed type with end seals both sides, the bearing factor I used had both open and sealed with the same part no.