Lucky Phil

My biggest issue with fine wire plugs is once they are fowled they are junk. Cleaning them is pointless. On an ultra modern lean running engine there're fine and my cars and My 1198 have them but on an older air cooled less sophisticatedly fuelled engine I'll stick with the older cheap plugs. You fowl one you whip it out and clean it and its good to go again. Fine wire are also great for longevity and advantageous where plug access is difficult so increased change out intervals means lower servicing costs. But as I said where's the actual measureable performance stats? I'm sure they're are some somewhere but if the advantages were so amazingly great then it would be everywhere and it's not. I suspect their greatest advantage is in long change out intervals and therefore lower servicing costs. The rest is much more vague and airy fairy. Ciao

I've heard of them, expensive from what I remember. I'm a bit more interested in validated scientific data myself as opposed to pretty pictures. Like magic oil and fuel additives and all manner of other mythical additives I need more than silly gimmicky observations. How many GP engines are using them? Ciao

Forget about making fuel consumption assumptions based on reading plugs on a road bike. Fuel consumption is measured at the fuel station with mileage V refill qty calculation. Road bike plug readings dont really mean much, too may variables. I'd ditch the fine wire plugs on this engine as well, just stick with the std plugs. I've been recommending Wilbers shocks for years and have the highest spec one on my bike which was custom made for my weight,riding and conditions. I also have a Wilbers on my GSXR1000 track bike and race spec Ohlins on my 1198 and poor mans Ohlins on my 1000ss. The Wilbers is better quality than the OEM Ohlins and a little below the TTX Ohlins on the 1198 in my view. I wouldnt chase a second hand Ohlins for your bike( because thats all thats available these days) for some silly money when you can buy something thats considerable better for less money new. Ciao

Just the wear of the chain,sprockets and tensioner and associated timing shift. Plus the fact you have another failure point with the tensioner and when a chain is let wear badly they generally start contacting cases and producing metal. Then of course there is ease of maintenance. I was also surprised that I needed to crank the idle down 200 rpm on my engine when I fitted the gears which i assumed meant that there was less friction but it may have been timing related, dont know. Once you have a quality set of gears they should outlast the engine with regular oil and filter changes so there's no real wear related issues to consider. maintenance is easier in that if you want to remove the oil pump or cam retainer flange your not messing about with tensioners and pulling chains etc you just pull the retaining nut for what your working on etc. The only real advantages I can see for a chain is cost and maybe they are better able to handle debris in the engine oil if your a slack servicer or you have a significant internal failure the causes contamination. There's a reason high end engines use gear drives. You wont find an F1 of MotoGP engine using chain driven cams or chain driven anything really. Like gas turbine engine accessory drive gearboxes, no chains. Ferrari Ducati V4 Desmosedici Ciao

Ok I understand. It's either quality gears (only Joe makes them to my knowledge) original steel Guzzi gears from the pre chain days, if you can get a decent set or the chain. Nothing really wrong with the chain except for the usual chain related issues and considerations of course. Ciao

Really? OK, lets hear em. Ciao

This is worth watching as a bit of a look back to the 500 two stroke days. The guys that rode these things really did have big balls. maybe not the ultimate speed of modern GP bikes but such handfuls. The opening song by Barnsey melds nicely with the slow mo action. Part 2 Ciao

Seagulls are the least of your worries at PI. The place can be crowded with Cape Barron geese. They make gulls look like pesky flies. Try headbutting one of these at any speed and you wont have a head. Marty Craghill hit one on the straight many years ago on his shoulder and it nearly finished his racing career permanently as opposed to 18 months out of action. Ciao

Yea look at me I've got paper towels to throw around. My wifes still dreaming about childhood where she used to make toilet paper wedding dresses. Times do indeed change I make no comment on the measurement, I'm just the deliverer of the information although I've always thought it was around the figures mentioned previously. Ciao

Here is an image of a Daytona RS front frame(foreground) and a later type V11 front frame with the top frame mounts aligned with a straight edge. Sorry about the angle of the shot with regards to reading the measurement. It reads 20mm. Ciao

Yes I'll certainly back you up John on the quality of Joes gears and his commitment to his customers. So rare to find these things these days. having said that there's not a lot to complain about with regards to the chain drive its more a matter of what your feelings are with regards to engineering elegance. Ciao

That Australia is such a good looking bike. From memory they were commissioned by Stilaski's in Perth WA back in the 90's weren't they? The Sfida would suit a pair of those Magni curved MV style mufflers that another member here has fitted to his V11. Ciao

Nice to see you join John. Plenty of interesting stuff and people here. Always help and something to learn. You should post some images of your bikes for us. Ciao

If you look at my V11 daytona thread it gives a pretty good look at the gearbox build up. Scudd also did a gearbox rebuild thread. Ciao

Thank goodness for that. Ciao

I did warn you. I've never seen a SS fastener on a set of Weber throttle bodies. Lots of red loctite though. Ciao

How about a bit of Neneh Cherry and Groove Armada. Ciao

The Rizomas on my bike work really well, just small enough to be discreet but still give an acceptable view and quality enough to last and not vibrate around. Part of the reason I mentioned them. They aren't cheap of course but as they say "long after you've forgotten the cost the quality remains". Ciao

I ran a pair for years on my bike. They also have a practical benefit as well in that they quieten down the valve noise a noticeable amount. Downside......a little extra weight. Ciao

[LuckyPhil said]: Look at my V11 Daytona project thread. Lots of info on gearbox cracking there. Ciao _________________________________________________________________________________________________ [LowRyter said]: If you have a red ( and some black ) frame bikes , there is a shop that make them . Motiv Cycle Works . 906 N. Ann Arbor Ave . Oklahoma City , Ok. 73127 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ [Kane said]: She’s a lovely steed! Looking forward hearing about you and your Greenie! When was that picture taken? ______________________________________________________________________________________________ [hammershaug said]: Thanks, Kane, and welcome to my spot. I took the picture on September 1, 2019. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Cheers! That’s a great photo album. Such cool rides. Beautiful landscapes! ______________________________________________________________________________________________ [swooshdave said]: I bet that was a shocking ride compared to the V65! Can you tell us more about the trip? Did you take pictures? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [hammershaug said]: Finally, I got time to do some work in the basement. Took down the sump and filter. Cleaned it. Ripped off headers and crossover. Removed the air filter box and the worn intake rubbers. Tomorrow I will remove both throttle bodies. The rubber hoses on both sides of the throttle bodies will be replaced. Then I am thinking about putting the throttle bodies in my ultrasonic cleaner... Is that a good idea? [hammershaug said]: You bet! Very powerful compared to my Lario, and my 1953 Husqvarna:) I think I have one or two few photos. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ [LuckyPhil said]: To do that you should probably remove the injectors. Personally there's no real need to ultrasonic them as everything can be easily accessed with the simple traditional methods. So throttle plates and the bores and the air bleed screws and passages etc. I have a large ultrasonic cleaner bath that will fit throttle bodies and I didnt do mine. If I was going to totally strip them I would but otherwise no need I think. Oh and believe me throttle bodies arent easy to strip. I just did a set for a Ducati and its virtually impossible without ruining a lot of fasteners. Weber put them together with red loctite. My advice is dont remove anything from them unless its absolutely necessary. Ciao _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________- [gstallons said]: I think there are things in the throttle bodies that don't need that kind of treatment . ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [LowRyter said]: You might get the transmission bracket that attaches to the frame. It the keeps the gearbox housing from cracking. You want it for a redframe. My guy at Motiv in OKC can sell you the bracket and fasteners. He sells kits, you might find a factory piece but hardly available. http://www.motivcycleworks.com/ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [LuckyPhil said]: May as well check the gearbox mount as well Ciao ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [hammershaug said]: Thanks for the tip! I will check that out. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [hammershaug said]: I will definitely not strip the bodies. I can't see any harm to try USC. As long as my precious vinyl tolerates the treatment, why not a throttle body? Don't you think? [hammershaug said]: No information or photos on the website... Can you tell me more about the transmission bracket? Yes, I have searched the forum with no luck. Thanks!

Unless you're a Guzzi guy. Ciao

In the harsh light of hindsight I'm really quite mad aren't I. Ciao

Yes I've been lucky enough to own a lot of nice bikes inc 3 Late model MV's and early GT Ducati and early 750 Sport Ducati and a factory TT2 Ducati a 888 Corsa Ducati, 851 SP2 Ducati,a Kawasaki Motoplast, A DB1 Bimota a couple of BMW K100's, 3 late model Triumphs plus a lot more. I've never actually sat down and counted or listed them up. Ciao