Lucky Phil

Assuming 5mm is a misinterpretation it may be lifter/ lobe failure. Ciao

No, but here is the copied post Ciao I have 2 low mileage bevel boxes and both have play in the front bearing. adjusting the ring nut didnt have any impact on the play. Have used both of them and it doesnt seem to be an issue but when I rebuild the spare if a new bearing doesnt remove the play I will attempt to shim it out with some home made shims if possible. To check whether the play is in the small internal needle bearing or the outer needle/ball hybrid just grip the input shaft and apply a longitudinal rotational force to it to load up the inner bearing then at the same time try to move the shaft up and down vertically. If you can still feel play at the end you are gripping then the play is in the outer bearing,if not its the inner.Both mine are in the outer bearing and from memory I calculated it at around 0.0015" radial which I can live with. I'd rather it be less but it is what it is. Ciao

Nothing to do with this I'm afraid. Looks fairly typical, I have two bevel boxes with about 40000klms on them each and they are both pretty much the same. It's play in either the input pinion inner needle bearing or the outer combined split needle and ball unit. You can tell which one if you pull the bevel box off and apply a technique that is a bit hard to explain here but it can be done easily. If it's the inner small bearing it's an issue that needs addressing if it's the outer it's not too much of an worry. Drop the oil out and look for metal,if it's ok the you should be fine. Btw I have given detailed explain action of how to identify which bearing has the play in a post a few years ago. Try searching my posts. Ciao

Wait . . . why? Because an Aluminium head expands more than steel plug so removing will be aided. The opposite for installation.Its highly desireable to avoid installation and torquing on a hot head but if you have no choice then install the plug and let it sit for 5 min or so to absorb some heat before torquing. All falls under the umbrella of " good engineering practice" Ciao

Its always better to remove plugs from a warm head and install in a cold one, for reasons that seem obvious. Well to me at least Ciao

If you are going to own a Guzzi or any other Italian motorcycle for that matter then you need to "man up" to issues like this and stop sooking about being too old and its all too hard,and I was going to buy a Cali 1400, but now....geez.Its all part of the deal owning an Italian bike, so get used to it or buy a bullet proof Japanese bike because thats what they are good at. There are plenty of owners that have learn't how to open a tool box and tackle jobs like a clutch change themselves if they dont trust the dealer or he's too far away or too costly. Ciao Strong words for someone that does not know me. I have turned plenty of wrenches in my day. I have pulled the heads off of overhead can engines to fix bent valves. Always maintained my Guzzi myself including recently fixing a broken pawl spring. My problem is two fold. Not enough space in my garage to have a bike laid up for weeks while I learn how to fix it and wait for parts. The other issue is time which, for some reason I have yet to figure out, I just don't seem to have much of anymore. What spare time I have I would like to actually ride a bike instead of constantly fixing it. I understand that Japanese bikes are less maintenance but the world is made up of more than just Guzzi and Japanese bikes. I have owned Japanese bikes in addition to BMWs, Triumphs, Aprilias, and Ducatis. NONE of these bikes combined (all maintained by me) have ever given me as many headaches as this Guzzi. That said the Guzzi is my favorite of all of them. It is just coming down to practicality. If I wind up replacing it I can assure it will not be with a Japanese bike (not that I have anything against them) but regardless of what I buy I am 100% sure it will require less fixing and I will be doing more riding which is what this is really all about right?Two issues here.....1.......I have a clutch problem.......solution, WORST CASE scenario for $650us You buy a complete RAM single plate clutch and flywheel assembly from MG Cycles and with your afore mentioned skills on the tools you spend a Saturday installing it, don't even need a clutch alignment tool. Problem solved for $650. 30 min research on the Internet would have sourced that info but hey I'm happy to help. Issue 2......My life's to hard to own an Italian bike and the hassles that go along with that......solution, go and buy something that suits your current life, ie a Japanese bike OR harden up and accept the inevitable and occasional dramas of Guzzi ownership and find a way. Issue 1 is for motorcycle forums and issue 2 is for personal reflection and decision making. Ciao

Just because its not returning to zero doesnt mean that speeds above what it rests at are all +20 klm/hour. It may be reading as acuratly as is usual for a stock speedo but just no zeroing. Does it start to read as soon as you begin moving, or do you need to get to approx 20kph berfor the needle moves? If the latter is the case then its a simple zeroing issue and all speeds above 20kph will read fine. Ciao

If you are going to own a Guzzi or any other Italian motorcycle for that matter then you need to "man up" to issues like this and stop sooking about being too old and its all too hard,and I was going to buy a Cali 1400, but now....geez. Its all part of the deal owning an Italian bike, so get used to it or buy a bullet proof Japanese bike because thats what they are good at. There are plenty of owners that have learn't how to open a tool box and tackle jobs like a clutch change themselves if they dont trust the dealer or he's too far away or too costly. Ciao

Why aren't you using a good double shielded bearings in the Cali? The wheel bearing should last a lot longer than 2 front tyres.So its either incorrect length spacers or the bearing bores are too tight and reducing bearing clearance when installed. Tapered rollers have their applications but I wouldn't use them for motorcycle wheel bearings due to adjustment issues and the outcomes if not done correctly. Cars dont matter that much but bikes certainly do. All high performance wheels I have ever used in 40 years of bikes have been ball. Used tapered rollers on cars and aeroplanes but then again they need to take lateral loads where bikes dont by and large. Ciao

Three pages of posts to find the bleeding obvious. Ciao

I would be checking the relief valve for leakage if i were you. The pressure you are seeing isnt OMG dangerous but its at the bottom end of the comfort zone. Ciao

Cant agree, most modern bikes use single row ball wheel bearings without issues. Most have proper length spacers though. Ciao

Very helpfull post:) Ciao

Based on this report I decided to measure the spacer on my 02. I found the the spacer was 0.5 mm too long for the distance between the wheel flanges. This was easy to fix because a machine shop reports to me. Now I know why the bearings were shot at 30K miles. .5mm or .020" over length bearing spacer will not cause premature bearing failure. Under length certainly will but that degree of over length wont be an issue. Ciao

Check the first line Ciao

Just to let people Know Joe is producing his V11 Steel timing gears again. Contact ....joe.caruso@ntlworld.com I have a set and can vouch for their quality, although I havent gotten around to fitting them. They are so nice seems a shame to hide them inside the engine:) Heres an historical link. BTW I have no commercial interest here, just supporting quality engineering. http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?s=aeffc913faaff2a5845e6e6f02bf4770&showtopic=18899&page=2 Ciao

I use the same levers on my Ducati 2003 1000ss, 2000 V11 and 2001 Ducati ST2. Ciao

Im not surprised you saw something odd. With two voltage meters I wouldnt expect anything less. I think you also need 2 oil pressure gauges to make you riding and ownership experience complete. Ciao

A chain is actually a more efficient transmitter of power than a gear train. Typical chain losses are around 1%, gears around 3% or more. Ciao

Timing chains lack engineering "elegance". Much better for using in the drive line though. Ciao

Just get them anodised, cheap, robust available in a million colors and wont increase the fork Dia. Just need to strip them down to do it. Put in the effort and do it right. Ciao

Thats horrible. Ciao

The later tail sections are definitely different material from the early units. I havent actually looked on the inside at the material markings but would bet they are ABS or PP. I also have a later model pillion seat cover and pad and it appears identicle to my early type. ciao

Timing gears are also available for the 1100 motors Ciao

No they're not actually. The early 1999-2000ish like my bike have a heavy tail assy made of some sort of composite material with internal walls on the side for want of a better explaination where the later versions 2003 and later (maybe) are a light and quite flimsy (more modern style) of ABS and just a single skin on the sides. I have both at home, the latter off a Balibio and it looks like it will fit on my 2000 year model spare subframe without any issues. The later type also uses an additional removable bracket at the rear for the rear mount positions. Ciao