AndyH

Hey, Guzz, not exactly on topic, but have you tried a Rawlbolt to get out those s***ing swing arm bearings too: talk about tight! Think it might work or is there a limit?

I use Gutsibits: ENA01360 By phone or online store: rapid response, no quibbles return policy. Done a lot of business with them. Good folk Also used Wendel, German suppliers. Wendel online Shop Accept Paypal payments (better and cheaper than bank transfer). Slower because of international mail but again, good online store and really good for obscure hard to get stuff. Only problem is that it's all in German but I like the challenge and Google translation seems to do the job OK. Nicht mehr Lieferbar = got none and Ab Lager Lieferbar - in stock. BTW their email communications are in both German and English so not so bad once you've made the transaction.

I was intending to polish up my rocker covers and head protectors so, to remove the peeling paint I sent them away with the swingarm to be blasted. I told the guy that I was planning to polish them and he had advertised that he used Olivine grit (softer than glass) so I thought this was going to be good enough. The swingarm (steel) was fine and came back plastic coated as requested and is now on the bike with new bearings. The rocker covers and the head protectors however... he actually used the glass grit that he used on the swing arm so the covers and protectors have come back rough as a hedgehog's arse and certainly not fit for polishing. The worst thing was, he'd blasted the inside of the covers. Recalling horror stories about guys that got their vintage crank cases silica blasted inside and out: the grit got embedded in the casting (not the oilways which had been masked) and in spite of every effort to scrub them out, the grit remained in the alloy until the engine got hot then 'sweated' out into the oil. Result: grinding paste for lubricant. So is this a myth or very real fact? Can I just paint up the lids and put them back on the bike so I can get back on the road while I source replacements, or will they do the same to my V11 and trash it from inside out as soon as they sweat out the grit?

Stressed I'd say - reports have been coming in of the same problem with both Sachs and WP which says maybe there's soemthing else at play here. The Hagon has a steel eye rather than Ally so maybe is a bit more resistant.

My Sachs shock eye opened from an O to a very wide C before I noticed. Never heard of it before on WP. As it's possibly a problem with both makes, could this be an alignment problem inherent in V11s that places a stress on the mounting and starts a crack? Try Falcon Shock Absorbers www.falconshockabsorbers.co.uk. They can be a bit hard to get hold of as they don't answer emails etc. immediately - but do persist: they've only got a couple of guys - they seem very knowledgeable tho'. My Sachs was so b****red, the cost wasn't worth it to replace the eye and fix everything else with Falcon and I decided to go for a Hagon instead and that seems just fine.

Yeah, they all seem to be wonky from the back but I'd say your main considerations should be: 1. Nothing should bind moving parts (swing arm, etc.) and 2. All the pipework fits without strain. If this latter condition isn't met I can foresee breakage coming somewhere in the exhaust or mounting system 'cos those vibes will make short work of any stressed parts they find. Vindictive buggers.

Thanks guys, all comments are really helpful. I need to get the alternator cover off anyway to clean it up properly: only four screws so will go with that solution for turning over this time round. I've used several of the methods given above in the past for finding TDC but I recall on one bike getting TDC exactly right was important cos the cam closed the gaps quite close to TDC - not sure why it was like that but it was a right pain - so I wanted to check if the V11 has that same gotcha. I like the special degree disk idea: worth it if I'm doing adjustment like this on a regular basis. Andy

i'm trying to do tappet work on my V11 Sport 2000 and I'm new to Guzzis. I've been poring over the V11 Sport manual to try and find out best practice for: 1 Turning the crankshaft 2 Finding exact TDC for each pot The manual isn't that much help on either of these points. On other makes (old Meriden Triumphs, Jap bikes etc.) normally you either turn over the crank using a conveniently accessible rotor or crankshaft nut and there is a TDC locking tool or maybe scribed marks somewhere for TDC or something like that. Just can't find any guidance on these in the manual. So, my best guess for 1 is removing the alternator cover and using the rotor nut to turn it over but I have worked on bikes where putting it into gear and rotating the back wheel is really the best way. Absolutely no idea for 2. Are there any reference marks anywhere to show TDC without me having to remove the alternator and dismantle the whole timing case? Or is it really just a matter of probing the spark plug hole with a screwdriver and making a best guess? So what do you guys do? Pointers on this most basic of maintenance procedures would be appreciated. Tappet adjustment should be a fairly simple procedure.

Keyed the plastic coating with fine grade paper and sprayed car acrylic. Several coats later it seems to have stuck well and not crinkled. Glad I kept the old coating on as a base now... saved myself quite a lot of grief.

I've noticed that the 'paint' on my 2000 V11 Sport pork chops is actually a plastic coat which is probably why it's not so durable. And yes, it's sunbleached to a girly pink, both sides, which makes it look like it's by design. I'm not too concerned about the match to the rest of the red bits, 'cos you can't really see much red apart from the chops. So the frame at the front doesn't match the chops, but that pink has to go... Removing pork chops? If youre going to the trouble to remove them you might as well hoik the wheel, shaft and swingarm off and do a proper job (on all of them). After all it'll cost more to treat (blast Paint, powder coat, anodise) the chops one at a time. I was worried that removing them would cause a critical collapse of the bike but it seems the engine holds the rest of it together. When you support the bike in the proper place - i.e. the lower rear engine mounting stud, and of course, remove the wheel, shaft and swingarm, the whole shooting match doesn't in fact collapse when you take off the chops. This is where I'm up to now. I've degreased and scrubbed them down: so will spray paint stick to the plastic coating or will it crinkle up and drop off? I'll let you know. It's winter and I've got a month or so to experiment. BTW, to support the bike, well, I'm stingey/broke so bought some cheepo ratchet axlestands from the local auto store and put rubber mats on the cups to protect the frame paint. Wife understandably wouldn't help support a 500lb bike while jacking it up so... using a trolley jack under the sump with a piece of ply to protect it, lifted the bike up gradually on the side away from the kickstand and ratcheted the opposite axlestand up one notch into position and lowered that side. And then changed sides. Takes time but perfectly safe as long as you crank it up swapping sides, notch by notch. Lower it by the reverse process - don't hurry it up or down because it will topple. However I will shell out the hundred quid for the proper stand one day, if it gives me an easier life.

Wendel do supply this part - I've just obtained it from them but paying was a right pain - UK banks charge a lot for the Euro bank transfer. However, I also found the following solution: You should find that the angle drive that fits the back of the Borletti speedo (GU01760430) and is supplied with a C bracket is in fact identical to the 60 degree angle drive that fits the on gearbox (GU04768300) but lacks the metal insert with knurled bit required to screw it onto the gearbox. GU01760430 (instrument end part) is available from Gutsibits, is still in production and can be adapted as follows: prise out that metal insert from your knackered GU04768300 and push into GU01760430 ensuring that the input drive shaft is properly located in the slot in the nylon worm. As a result I now actually have two functional GU04768300 parts. I also replaced the speedo cable while at it and ensured the straightest possible routing to maximise lifespan of this precious fragile part. However, I don't have huge confidence: the angle drive is under quite a lot of stress from the cable friction, especially at full handlebar lock and I think I'll need both GU04768300s before long. I'll let you know.