Chuck

Ok, here is some preliminary data. The stock Guzzi spring wire is 2mm dia. Spring rate/degree is 45.1 Nmm. Torque max is 1036.8 Nmm. Max safe travel 22.9 degrees. Running the numbers on .005" bigger in diameter: Max safe travel 20.91 degrees .005" smaller.. 24.04 degrees. Interestingly, common music wire is only good to 300 degrees F, while stainless 304 is 570 F. So. Before we can go any farther, we need to know how many degrees of rotation the preselector uses..

What makes you say that? It "appears" to be the new 6 speed. (?) But then, we are looking at a prototype..

Great idea! After all, we know Guzzis are all about lightness.

Do you have a spring on hand that you could measure and use their online calculator? If not, I could post some measurements. I think that with your experience you might make a better decision than I would. I'm kind of limited to: "Here's a spring. Can you make me one just it, but better?" Yeah, I do. It's used, though. Actually, "just like it but better" could very well be the answer. Higher spec wire, maybe better coil winding machinery. I don't have access to a spring winder any more, and making them on a mandrel on the lathe is a PITA. I'll make that today's project.. if I get time. Quite a bit going on right now. I have a new pup out in the shop and oiler nozzles to make.

The V9, when introduced. had a boss in the center like they were planning a 4V from the beginning. I've read 5V..maybe. A new LeMans would be what it takes to get me to open my wallet, but I may be too old to ride it by the time it comes to fruition. I'm still waiting on the Ippo.

I have some experience with springs..

That helps but you also need to know what material and tempering you want. One of the things you can calculate on a torsion spring is music wire.. that's what Scud is looking at. Thought it might give an optimum dia. etc.

This might be instructive.. https://www.acxesspring.com/torsion-spring-calculator-instructions.html

Piano wire would be good. I think I smell something,too.. oh, it's just a smellfie. I'd go with the spring manufacturer's recommendation. Piano wire, music wire.. same same. https://www.mcmaster.com/#piano-wire/=1a5kz24

In this thread alone, there are pictures of the spring breaking in different places. That hints at a metallurgy/heat treat problem to me. A simple spring like this should be able to be wound from music wire, and be bullet proof, I would think.

Probably translates to twin cylinder 5 valve. If so.. I hope they have finally gotten it right.

"If" there is room, an O ring on the pedestal would cure that leak. Probably, that isn't an issue if we decide to go this way. I think Chuck to do the post on the selector cover "right" you're going to need to spot face the cover around the hole so the post sits perpendicular. If you do that then the post can have a wide integral flange that can be sealed effectivley with some loctite or sealant on the flange face. Not that keen on the post bolting to the less than flat internal cover plate face. Ciao Spot facing would be ideal of course. That was why I mentioned an O ring groove in the pedestal. We're still too early in this "design meeting" to worry about that, yet.

"If" there is room, an O ring on the pedestal would cure that leak. Probably, that isn't an issue if we decide to go this way.

Ahh, on second thought. Unless they've changed their minds, MGCycle won't ship overseas. I sent a good percentage of the "Lucky Phil Extenders" overseas. It's a PITA filling out all the customs declarations, and that's probably why they don't.

Sounds like a plan. I know Gordon and Rick pretty well.. I'm reasonably sure they'd buy in.

There has been plenty of forum searching going on. For years. Many things have been tried and many have died.. 17 years later, we still don't have a definitive answer. The one thing we know is the Guzzi spring doesn't work. It's high time we collectively came up with a fix that gets rid of that (hope I don't have to fix that stupid spring on the road) feeling. After all, this is *the* knowledge base on the V11S.

Spring binding was the problem with the 16mm boss. It seems this spring is capable of breaking about anywhere..

Scud, if that doesn't pan out, I'd be willing to take this problem on.. with everyone's help. I think you may be right, though. A "better" spring might just cure the problem. It would be interesting to make a simulation with the correct diameter spring boss and rig up an electric motor that cycles the spring the same as the shift lever. Any reputable manufacturer would have already done this test, but I'll bet a dollar to a doughnut that Guzzi doesn't have a Reliability lab. I have an "Experimental department.." 2016-02-20_03-20-56 by Charles Stottlemyer, on Flickr

Ha... I've done it twice. Previous owners of my LeMans and Greenie both disabled the switches. I re-enabled the switches immediately after both touch-downs. There is a reason pilots use check lists. All it takes is some momentary distraction and you *will* leave that sidestand down. The Mighty Scura's nanny feature was disabled when I took over as caretaker. I re-enabled it.

I got to mine ok with the bike up and rear wheel off, and with a needle fitting. I have no problem with using the angled fitting and just greasing the Mighty Scura with it sitting on it's wheels. The Kid, however, couldn't do it on his Greenie. "They said it couldn't be done, so I tackled it with a grin." I couldn't do it either. There is enough difference between the 00 and 02 chassis to make doing the early ones an involved operation.

Me too. But on my recent trip to Phoenix, I had it fully expanded and packed with heavy stuff. On the way home, there were severe crosswinds and I was constantly pushing it back up onto the tank. Admittedly, that was an extreme situation, but I do think the bag would be more stable in all situations without the pad. Oh. I've never done that. I can see where that would be a PITA.

I was thinking very much about that on the way home... in between the curse words echoing in my helmet. If you need something machined, just say the word. It's time we fixed this thing once and for all.

Scud, it may be time to investigate the Japanese coil spring mod for real. Didn't footgoose do it?

I have the Guzzi tank bag. It works fine.