Jim in NZ

Hi Charley, It just seems to happen regardless of whether you have all the right bits. If the broken bit had gone between the gears you would have known about it, I don't think it would have just been quietly ground up. Did it drain out with the oil? I suggest you use a non-setting sealant on the cover - something that will make the cover easy to remove next time! After being stranded the first time (21,000km), I plan to replace my spring every 20,000km. It's a PITA, but better in my own garage at a time of my choosing, than on the side of the road somewhere. Good luck, it's fairly straight-forward if you follow the guidance on this site. Cheers, Jim.

THAT Michelin Pilot Power will definitely be the last of it's kind under my bike! Hi Lemppari, I have always used Metzlers, but last time thought I would try Michelin Pilot Roads. There was a huge increase in tyre noise similar to what you are describing. On the rough chip New Zealand roads I find it annoying, and will change back to Metzler next time. Cheers, Jim.

I also broke that casting above the sump when I wheeled the bike backwards into the garage with the stand down, and caught it on the raised edge of the concrete floor. The casting was very porous, and there was one particularly large air hole connecting with the threaded hole for the sidestand bolt, which would have weakened it significantly. I'm no metallurgist, but the casting looked like crap and I thought it would not weld successfully. I was also worried about warping the oil-sealing faces and having to get them reground. It could have worked out almost as expensive as buying a new one, and then it could have broken again! So I bought a new one and discovered that it was just as porous as the original, complete with another large air space taking out half of the thread in the hole. No wonder the bloody thing breaks! One problem - the top gasket that I was supplied with (01003650) was just a rectangular gasket that went around the bottom of the crankcase. It didn't have the extra bits that the original gasket had, to provide gasket sealing where the oil filter holder bolts on to the crankcase at the front and rear. I cut through the original gasket to remove it, and didn't remove the oil filter holder. Next time I would want the correct gasket, but I don't know the number. The one shown in the parts manual appears to be wrong. It needs to have an extra rectangular section attached to the front and rear faces for the oil filter holder. Does anyone know the correct number for next time? Good luck with the repair - you may prove me wrong about the crappy casting. Cheers, Jim.

Yes it was, John, but I don't know how many strands, and I've thrown the remnants away now. The 4 wires were not all the same size. I just used Narva auto cable 2.5mm diameter which seemed to be the best size match for what was there. It is rated at 5A. I also bought a roll of 3mm which was rated at 10A, but decided that would make the finished cable too thick and it wouldn't be flexible enough. It was the first time I have done any sort of vehicle rewiring, so don't take what I did as gospel, I'm a complete amateur. I enquired about buying a new ignition switch (with cable) - US$98, would probably be something like NZ$170 to get it to New Zealand. My intention was to have a spare in case my repair also failed. However, I haven't been able to find out how to replace the ignition lock. The manual doesn't seem to say anything about it. It looks to be riveted to the underside of the top fork clamp. Do you (or does anyone else) know how to do this? Do you have to remove the triple clamp, which would be a right p.i.t.a., and drill out the rivets? How do you fix the new one in? Perhaps I shouln't be so anal about it, and be more confident in my repair! Cheers, Jim.

Hi John, The break in the cable was just where it emerged from the cable tie which tied it to the ignition switch. I figured if one wire was broken the other 3 wouldn't be far behind, so I cut out a 10cm section of this cable and soldered in new lengths of wire, which has cured the problem. I made them about 5cm longer than the originals. The extra length, combined with the heat-shrink insulation making the cable a bit stiffer, means that there is less flexing than before as you move the bars from side to side. So I am hoping it is a long-term fix, but time will tell! This seems a bit drastic as a preventive action though. Careful cable routing and trying to minimise the full-lock turns should help prolong their life. I have to do quite a lot of manoeuvering to get my bike in and out of the garage each day, and I assume all the flexing is the cause of the break. I suspect it is an uncommon problem. Don't be tempted to just cut off the offending cable tie, as the cable would then break where it emerges from the bottom of the ignition switch. This would be much harder to repair. Cheers, Jim.

Hi there NotRight, I hope you have had some success with your problem. I have just had a similar problem with my '04 model. Indicators, instrument lights, tail light and licence plate light would not work. (No fuse blown though.) I traced it to the wiring cable coming out of the bottom of the ignition switch. This cable is tied to the ignition switch with a cable tie, and that is the point where it flexes most when you turn the bars. If I moved the cable very slightly at the point where it left this cable tie, I could make all of the above lights start and stop. May not be the same as your problem, but it's easy to check. The yellow and the green/black wires from the ignition switch control these lights. Cheers, Jim.

I have also read Ohlins' recommendation about greasing the sliders. However I suspect that this would just attract dirt and cut out the seals faster, so I haven't done this. Forks still showing no sign of leakage with original seals at 30,000 km. (One oil change at 20,000 km.) Cheers, Jim.

Hi Crooz, I'm assuming you are talking about the spring that holds the ratchet arm against the selector wheel, not the spring that returns the gearshift lever to the central position after each gear change. I don't see that how you shift has any effect on the spring (well, either spring actually). The gearshift lever, spring and ratchet arm all move exactly the same amount whether you shift quickly or slowly, light or hard. When I replaced my spring 5000km ago, I put a bit of a bend in the long arm to reduce the spring tension. My logic was that because the ratchet arm has hooks that engage with the selector wheel, it doesn't need a lot of force from the spring. It might be that by bending the spring I have put a weak point in it which might cause it to break earlier, which would be a bugger. But all's well so far. Have you had a previous breakage, or are you trying to prevent one? I don't think you can prevent it, assuming you have the 15mm spring boss (see http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1633). Just carry at least a spare spring with you on your travels so that the nearest bike shop can replace it. Or if (like me) you don't trust them, carry the tools to do it yourself. Cheers, Jim.

Hi Wick, My memory (or what's left of it) from recently replacing my selector spring, is that the neutral switch plunger extends into a depression when the selector is in neutral. I think the plunger spring would be more relaxed in neutral, more compressed in a gear. This would support leaving the bike parked in neutral if you were worried about fatiguing the spring. Jim.

Thanks Mick. Just waiting for new spring from MI (NZ importers unable to supply, despite MG service bulletin last year on this subject). When I can reassemble the shift mechanism, I will look at the sideways twist that you mention. I agree it's basically a superb machine, including the fact that you can remove the side of the gearbox to do this job. On most bikes you would have to remove the engine/gearbox and split the crankcases. (We'll just quietly forget that on most bikes you wouldn't have to!) Cheers, Jim.

Hi folks, I have the same problem as Richard. My bike stuck in first gear last weekend and stranded me 200 km from home. The shift return spring has broken, about in the middle if you imagine the whole spring stretched out straight. My bike is an '04 Coppa Italia. I have done 21,000-odd km from new, and this is the first breakage. The spring boss is 15mm diameter, and the spring coils are 16.8mm inside diameter, so from opinions in previous threads on this subject, I thought I was safe! The only sign of binding on the spring boss is very near the right-angle bend, but not on the coil that actually broke. Bad spring???? The poor sods who were having this problem repeatedly should have built up some experience with these springs by now. My question is, has MG learnt how to make the OE springs properly now, or is there an aftermarket spring which has proven to be better? Perhaps larger diameter coils would be safer. If there is a consensus on an aftermarket spring, a website or email address would be helpful please. This website is a marvellous resource - my grateful thanks to everyone who freely contributes their knowledge. I don't think it would be realistic for me to own a Guzzi more than 3 hrs from the nearest dealer if it were not for your help. Cheers, Jim.

Sorry to hear about your fall. I had a problem with sticking throttle when the rubber boot between the left TB and cylinder head blew part-way off the intake. This moved the TB backwards until the TB connecting rod snagged on the hydraulic adjustment knob for the rear suspension.