belfastguzzi

I was rolling through Amazon and I came upon this feller... We chatted for a while, he's kinda Grizzly.

TV time again for BB1 NI receivers Monday night at 10.35 Mid Antrim Road Races

No best not, though sometimes I think he feels surly: don't you think so Mock, er, Mick? Other times, I think that he feels bruce. Em, sorry, I mean he seems brusque. (15 yet????)

You're suggesting that we get rid of the rider? Could make for less stress on the system right'nuff. So, replace with urethane gnomes and use radio control? (Must be edging up the Golden Fifteen page now, surely?)

Friction plates, now valves – you're trying to get this to 15 pages, aren't you? Yeah, valves. Same principle to reduce shock in the valve / seat interface. I drilled mine like this. Thought it better not to drill the stem. Are valves necessary anyway? I wonder if Guzzi are just adding weight where it's not needed? That would be typical. I heard that Ducati use desmos or something – carved from a semi-firm material:

Unless you're Ralph, in which case the cheese 'comfort' wedges become a visible embarrasment at that point.

A similar sort of percentage as are brave enough to buy a weird (in the nicest possible way) Italian bike?

uhm... as opposed to quack?

QUOTE(dlaing @ Aug 8 2007, 08:45 AM) But just to keep it going... I recalled a better word... that represents slack plus cush, and that word is slop. No and also. In a way, in another thread elsewhere, Ralphy kinda suggests that this could also be viewed as "cleavage". Seems like a more poetic description, so I suggest that it has merit.

according to the other thread, the new word that he found for it is: slop

So, then – thanks for making the special effort for that pic: just for us!

I reckon that the invisible power of magnetism could have a use here. Opposing magnetic forces should provide some nice tuneable cush? Go for belt and braces and still use the rubber wedges – but impregnated with magnetic filings? Mind you, talk of gerbils, er, was that off topic? Not necessarily: what about ditching the rubbers and stuffing the drive with fattened gerbils? Self-lubricating. Gerbils?

That's no woman – that's Dave Laing and his first batch of (faulty) custom urethane, just before he carves it into (imprecise) wedges. Hold the moly Dave, I'll try mustard with mine.

No not yet. Nobody has really mentioned the radiused edges on these rubber wedges. Can Guzzi have got this dimension right? I doubt it! There must be room for improvement. Why are they rounded off in such a fashion anyway? It can't be for stylistic appearance as the things can't be seen in normal useage. Can somebody please explain? Working on the basis that Guzzi can't have got this right, I first considered cutting a hard chine, but now I'm more inclined to go for some sort of serrated, waveform along the edge of the wedge. That ought to aid cushy pliability no end. Of course it's not all about hard science and what would work best from a technical point of view – these are Italian bikes – so it's worth putting in a bit more effort with the scalpel and fine sandpaper. Go for something like a clinker-built effect or even cedar shingles. Extra cush AND beauty. A SOLUTION, as I think you'll agree. See Docc's basic rounded edge wedges, as they come from the factory (though Docc seems to have polished his).

Yes, I'd be very interested to see the cheese wedge insertion process.

Lobotomy, is the technical term...

The Le Mans 3, or Le Mans lll, is old model bike from early 80s. You've got a V.11 Sport and it might be a 2002 or 2003 model even if purchased new in 2004.

Almost certainly the clutch will be the original one. Don't be afraid. It's a fine bike. It would be worth finding out if the 'pawl' spring under the transmission cover has been replaced though. IT is the bit that's likely to have either broken or will break, but the cause is now known and it's a fairly easy fix. If it has the MG Ti pipes it should have the replacement 'Race' ECU under the seat too. Nice. Maybe you could ask Moto Strada to check the pawl spring and replace it if necessary before you collect it: maybe delay collection to allow time for the job? The pawl arm and the spring should both be replaced, though if you do a home fix, you could file down the boss on the pawl arm. Easier, though, to get both the parts as a kit and install.

'ear, 'ear! Maybe so, but in my experience, alternative breathing results in the rear tyre becoming more flexi. Seems we just can't win with these machines. One problem at a time Ralph, besides, when we get the Rear Cush Dilemma solved, the ride will be as comfy as a feather bed. There'll be no need for embarassing personal cheese placement.

It appears that that's the land where anything is possible. I'll peer into the research & see if I can validate it. So wedges have been trialled in dessert trolleys? Small wheels, but I suppose you gotta start somewhere. Start with experiments on mice, then move on to Prince Charles, kind of thing. The spine frame – that was developed from the flexi-lamp?

A lifetime Some threads may take longer

Ratchet hasn't made his contribution. Yet. Perhaps he couldn't resist and – ate the trial samples Re the holes. I thought the interesting this is how they don't go right through the wedge, so it seems a good compromise between cushiness and maintaining structural integrity. How do they drill holes in the middle of the material without leaving entry / exit holes on the surface? I haven't been able to replicate this on the bodge bench.

Yak cheese. Good fat content. Self-lubricating properties. Could be the very thing.

Dr. Poh-Gek Forkert! What does he know! Oh yeah...that stuff up above... right, hmm But perhaps the use of wedges in motorcycle applications is ok – as long as we don't eat them?