belfastguzzi

OK I think I'll go for this one. It has 17 fireplaces, which sounds about right. Just hope I don't have to listen to the Tenni Sea Waltz too often.

see the first three photos (without sleeve) – contact is right at the top and that's after giving it a slight bend up.

but, but,, I was waiting for you in the hairdressers!

Yeah, the spring bit is straightforward. The rest was about adjusting the set-up so that there is full, effective operation over the length of idle-lever travel. My bike may just have been particularly badly set-up at the factory though. As Ratchet has explained that there are adjustment screws, this gives scope for a little bit of or lots of or even no at set-up. There's probably variation in cam contact from bike to bike, but what about the height of the contact? Do thay all only scrape along the top of the rotating sleeve, as mine did?

I think I need a bike lift so that I can see up underneath this stuff when working at it or I need to work in daylight.

Ahh. Good man. Have you done this? Can you too idle(!) at 6,000rpm and frighten the neighbours? - Or what sort of rev. range have you got? At least it didn't take too long doing the job. It has taken much longer putting the photos on the web and writing/editing this post. Presumably the yellow paint means that someone went through the motions of setting this up at the factory – setting it up half-*rs*d that is! Groan, snort.

Undoubtedly the fast-idle lever spring is too strong. It won't let the lever stay on. I changed the heavy spring for two lighter springs but I could see that there is more to this than just the spring spec. The whole fast-idle (choke) mechanism is badly set-up. It could justifiably be described as half-a*sed. The handlebar-lever cable pulls on a cam-plate. This rotates and the cam (2) pushes on an accelerator lever pin (1). (3) is a stop-pin that the spring pushes the plate back against. Here the mechanism is in the OFF position. This is the fast-idle lever ON position of the mechanism. The cam face (2) is just about to touch the accelerator (1). The accelerator pin has a rotating sleeve. (3) is the distance that the plate has moved away from the stop-pin. The lever is FULLY ON. (1) is as far as the cam moves against the pin and pushes the accelerator lever. (2) is the full gap between plate and stop-pin. The cam only just touches the accelerator pin at the very end of its sleeve – and this is after I had bent the accelerator lever upwards to allow a little more contact! The full movement of the handlebar fast-idle lever and the cam plate results in only a small movement of the accelerator. The cam face is not in contact with the accelerator for about half its operation. In fact, 20mm of cable movement produces only 2mm of action at the cam/accelerator. I made an aluminium sleeve for the pin, to close the gap between the accelerator pin and the cam face. Fast-idle lever OFF. Plate held back agaist stop-pin by spring(s). The camera actually shows two recessed screws. These might provide some adjustment so that the cam can be better positioned, without having to put an extra sleeve on. Does anyone know? I can't get at the bike out in the dark to try this at the moment. (And it's way past bedtime.) Fast-idle is off. (2) is the stop-pin. With the extra sleeve, the cam is now just about to contact the accelerator (1), right from the beginning of its operation, rather than half-way along. (3) The cable outer does not line-up well with its stop, which could do with being bent into a better position. The fast idle lever is on. The spring is compressed, but balances the friction to hold position. (1) shows the two recessed screws. Do these provide any adjustment? (2) shows the sleeved accelerator-pin and (3) the length of travel the cam now operates effectively over. (4) shows the gap between plate and stop-pin in this ON position and also shows the compressed spring. This is the fast-idle cam plate. It is in the OFF position, against the stop-pin. You can see the bad fit and bad line of the cable. Side-view. Fully ON, with accelerator pin at end of cam on the left side of picture. No labels for these numbers. The fast-idle (choke) lever at the handlebar now operates fully and it stays in position. You could argue that the full-length of operation isn't needed and the original couple of milimetres is enough. Set-up with these modifications, my handlebar lever now smoothly sets the engine speed at anywhere between 1,100 rpm on the clock (lever off) and just under 6,000 rpm on the clock (lever fully on) – and it stays where it's set. Cruise control?

...in fine fettle. On a whim I decided to look at the spring swap idea that others have tried. The V.11 fast idle lever does not stay on, as the spring is too strong – and people often have trouble with the seat-opening latch not functioning efficiently. There is a theory that the seat latch spring was fitted in the place of the fast idle spring and vise-versa. I may be naive, but I still can't believe that this could happen at , though people have found that swapping the springs around does bring an improvement. Looking at my bike, I noticed a few things that could be fixed to make the mechanisms work better. Of course my bike parts may be different to others, but anyway, here's what worked for me. First the easy one: the seat latch. The seat latch operating cable inner is about 5mm too long! No wonder the latch isn't very responsive. So when the key is turned, the latch only starts to operate towards the middle/end of the key-turn. I think that the spring weight is ok, so I kept the spring as fitted. The easy solution is to put a collar on the free end of the cable so that there is no slack and the key will operate the mechanism straight away and open it fully. I used a piece of aluminium. The seat latch now works perfectly. As the whole cable is one piece with fixed nipples and there is no means of adjusting the inner or outer, I suspect that others will be in the same situation: unless there are wild variations in manufacture. Next, the fast idle mechanism...

I can tell you're severely agitated and becoming desperate. If you don't phone me for some counselling I fear you will shortly become completely unhinged. I give 10% discount to Forum members.

I've got a theory that fish stink of brake pads.

real/proper Darkness with wailing and gnashing of teeth

It was only an artists illustration, Guy. They said it might follow the Breva's looks, as in the illustration, but equally it might go in an all-new direction. If the worries in that Other Thread are justified, it will be something like the illustration – even more plasticky than the latest offerings. Here's hoping for an all-new direction in styling.

err.. could I suggest, you know... The Proud Puffin? and might as well keep the question mark in the name too

That's nice stuff: interesting comparisons. The thread was worth keeping going. You've been saving all that up for about 6 months. Does your wife only go out about twice a year?

The more logical anagram: cog = wheel no = no scenti = perfume literally, wheels without perfume so, the cognoscenti are bikers who ride without perfume in other words, Scura riders. Dirty beasts.

You uncovered the location of The Secret Thread! How did you know that!

It's a good job that this light-hearted banter is only about the Guzzi twins. If we were talking about the Kray twins they would certainly back up their claims with even more, er, 'rationale and data'. Except they're dead. – Just like the brutish V.11 then. Where did I park me characterful but brutish Guzzi twin, twin? You parked it in the side of your characterful but brutish Cobra, twin. Oh right, twin, we'll have to take the new nancy-boy bikes then. Bags I the Griso.

Grrr...I see there's a Tenni Registry now. The fiendish devils will stop at nothing to copy the Scura gang. What next? I suppose they'll be painting their bikes black.

hehe... there's life in this thread yet

I've got a few suggestions for you, that you haven't seen before.

Should I have kept the beard?

Why couldn't they make the Griso like that a real proper bike

To get our hair done nice. Want to come?

Can't entirely agree with this. As per the other Breva thread, in photographs, the 'mechanics' of the Griso seem displayed in a slightly contrived, artificial and exaggerated style: like this guy If that is the direction that things are heading, then some people will be looking back with nostalgia. I'm quite sure that the Griso is a better bike than the V.11 in lots of ways, but being better doesn't mean that everything about it is perfect or even desirable. Over-egging the pudding is un-necessary.