mike wilson

I need to be more careful in my writing, never mind anything else. I meant to write "possibly", not "probably". Some interesting information on the relationship between tensile and shear strength hereabout alloy and wrought steel (which _possibly_ includes high tensile) and here about stainless. It seems from the above that stainless' tensile strength is reduced in capacity compared to carbon steel. All conjecture but the second site lists a military spec handbook. Anyone able to get an online view if it?

On the Unbrako site above, in the catalogue pdf (page 48) it specifies testing methodology. Carbon steel is tested on a test piece with a test length 5x diameter. Stainless is tested on _finished product_ with a test length of from 2.5 x diameter upwards. Given the foci for failure on a threaded piece versus a test piece, I am suprised that stainless does so well. Stainless is probably much tougher than carbon steel.

Excellent. Much better than silly pictures and I agree that what you raise is a distinct possibility. However, more than one person has "inflicted" the modification on their rear end with, so far, no adverse effects. It seems that the vanes have plenty of strength in them for quite drastic modification, allowing for the variations possible regarding their varied lives to date. Indeed. But inbetween them is some very interesting stuff. Not that I always agree with it....

Probably not. Motor manufacturers can buy in sufficient quantities to be able to define their own cosmetic requirements. Although stainless is usually dis-specified (is that a viable desctription?) for high strain settings, it seems to me that bits of alloy casting would be more liable to give way than steel bolts. This is certainly true in the case of caliper fixings, where two steel bolts are surrounded by no more than an equivalent thickness of alloy. Maybe on disc fixings the veto on stainless is fair. In that case, I would be heading for the company (whose name escapes me for the moment*) that can provide stainless in 10.9 shear strength. *Bumax/Unbrako http://www.unbrako.com.au/bumax.htm

No you don't. You have exactly the same amount of slack and a different feel to the driveline once that is taken up. Why? If you take a piece of steel, it will have a certain strength and flexibility. Drill it full of holes and the strength and flexibility will change. Same for a piece of wood. Same for a piece of rubber. Blocks of elastic material have been used for decades in vehicle drive trains. Changes in size, composition and form are standard ways to alter the characteristics of them. If you have a rational argument against this, rather than an emoticon, I would be interested to hear it.

But particularly, in this case, the wheel hub splines, which are piddly little affairs seeming designed to fail. If you look at the design of the small block system (which has its own flaws....) the drive is connected in a much more substantial way. Note part 16 here: http://www.isdal.dk/images/mc/lario/rear_transmission.htm Which at one end has the crown wheel bolted to it and at the other fits into the gaps between rubber blocks in the wheel hub: http://www.isdal.dk/images/mc/lario/wheel_rear.htm I haven't been able to find a similar view of the big block rear wheel for comparison but it seems to me that a redesign to the small block system would be time better spent than farting around with rubbers. As it were. Good analogy. If you want to _look_ taller, a bouffant hairstyle does the trick. But you are really exactly the same height. Just the boundary has been blurred. If you could make the entire drive train out of some soft polymer, yet retain dimensional stability, the driveline slack would remain the same as with steel and alloy. But it would feel rather cushy........

Magnifique!!! Rowland Emmett and Heath Robinson rolled into one. I suggest you offer the cut off splines on Ebay for those unfortunates who have worked their own into an imitation of their grandparents' gums. No. Just because you can move it more after contact is made, it does not follow that there is more free play. Free play is exactly that: an amount of non-contact. Softening the cush drive only blurs the boundary. My impression is: 24/7/365/alloted span. I may be wrong.

I love the smell of swarfega in the morning.

That conjurs up mental images that I wish would go away forever......

Surely number three above (standard vehicle) would cover it? It's a basic V11 with cosmetic changes, isn't it?

My V65 has just shy of 90,000 on the originals. I changed the ones on my V50 at about 50,000 just because I could. The small blocks are better designed than others, as there are no splines (the ones that interface between the wheel and drive box) to wear. The crownwheel is bolted onto a carrier (which also holds the disc) that has fingers on the other end to fit in between the rubbers housed in the wheel. Those (substantial, cast steel) fingers provide the drive, not some poxy little splines. It seems to me that the splines in the big blocks are the design flaw. If you wished to remove engine braking from the riding equation, you would have to declutch every time you closed the throttle. As you can't, the small amount of play in the spline/socket assembly is hammered every time you transition between power on and off, even when changing gear. Given the vagaries of production assembly, there will be pairs that have greater clearance from new than others. These will be able to produce a better hammering action than closer fitting parts and, presumably, will deform faster. Lack of lubrication will exacerbate the problem. If you want to design/produce something to allieviate this problem, I would suggest that a new form of the splines would be a better option than the cush drive. Ideally, something along the lines of the small block design.

OK. I have in my garage one decently sized skull cracker and a number of variants. About three that are child (wielding, not using upon) sized. There will be a couple of adult-sized spares. As I cut them during our recent monsoon, they are going to need three or four weeks of drying out before they are in any way suitable for committing to our respective postal systems. Let me know by PM what you desire and your address.

DOTARS = Department of Transport ARS(e)?

Fine until you did something with the clutch at 25 seconds. Then it sounds like a cement mixer......

The endless dialogue is usually due to people (including, most emphatically, myself) not explaining themselves clearly the first, second or third time. Just to be clear: I think overuse (and that pretty much includes _all_ spray lubricants, etc) of lubricant combined with insufficient cleaning afterwards is the problem. Excess lubricant migrates (in many applications - I do not know about this specific instance) into the switch and causes contact damage. This accumulates until the switch fails. Grease is as much of a problem as spray lubricants if it is applied over generously. More is not always the best solution to a problem. Goes against the grain of the American Way Of Life™ but we all have our cross to bear. There are two cures: firstly, do not overlubricate. This is much easier to type than do, in my experience. Secondly, source a better sealed switch.

I once borrowed a car from a friend. When I returned it, I pointed out that there was a roadspeed-related vibration and that I suspected there was a problem with the (remember these?) propshaft. He said he would look at it that afternoon. A couple of hours later, I called round. Sure enough, it was up on ramps and there was a pair of legs sticking out. I heard "hiss, hiss" "hiss, hiss". He then shuffled out from underneath clutching a can of WD-40. _That's_ a believer.......

Once you have them out and are installing the SS, don't forget to use copious amounts of antisieze on them. It's a bit of a pain if you need to torque them but the alternative is unappealing.

When I got my 850T, it was running a little oddly. Investigating, I found that, on each carb, one of the cap screws had been sheared in the head and was held in place with gorilla snot. Thus began my disenchantment with dealers........

The actual problem is likely to be contamination of the switch contacts. On every occasion that I have had to do emergency repairs, I have found that seepage of lubricant from oiling the lever pivots has contaminated the switch contacts and been burned, causing the switch to gradually go bad. This is especially prevalent when the owner is a "spray with WD40 (or whatever else)" type of chap.... Apart from sourcing cheaper versions of brake switches for when they need replacement, I am now also very careful with lubrication. You may also find it helpful to find some way of improving the weather resistance of the area.

Website: http://www.villigerbikes.ch/index.php

ROTFLMAO

185kg = approx 408lbs. So you have about 115lbs to find. Wheels/discs will probably account for quite a few, smaller battery the same. Ti exhaust will add probably the same amount of lightness as each of the previous. I suspect in those three things alone you will have saved the majority of the weight. But then it gets difficult...... Internal mods; bigger holes, lighter flywheel? Helium in the tyres?

Sorry, I seem to have missed this. http://rswww.com/cgi-bin/bv/rswww/searchBr...e&Nr=avl:uk You might have to cut and paste............

This pheasantish behaviour does not become Moto Guzzi owners.

I've seen many warped and bubbled covers from Brembo calipers but this is the first total melt. I think you can award yourself a gold star. Or maybe a thruxton.