pete roper

While the box on my griso is still a bit clonky in the lower gears the problem has diminished greatly since the bike was new. When new it really was in the 'Dropping a brick in a bucket' category but that has largely disappeared at whatever Km's it now has on it? About 7,000 I think. My theory is that the clonkiness diminishes as the rubber of the silentbloc type rubber shock absorber in the drive shaft *work softens* with use. I could be quite wrong but it makes sense to me. Things can, I'm told, also be improved by making sure the TB's are ballanced and the TPS is correctly zeroed with either an Axone tool or the Technresearch package. Pete

I don't remove the engine, simply crab the frame. On a '70's early '80's Tonti without bags and stuff I usually takes me about an hour to get a gearbox on the floor. Pete

The whirring sound when the clutch is pulled in is the intermediate plate rattling in the flywheel splines and the friction plates rattling on the hub due to the uneven power pulses 270 and 450 degrees apart. It's perfectly normal. \\\\the symptoms you describe are typical of disintegrating clutch pltes, either the friction material un-riveting and de-laminating of the centres cracking out of the plates. Stop trying to pretend that there is an *easy* solution and don't even THINK of going on a long trip until you've been in and checked it out. You can risk it if you like but I think you'd have to be nuts! While not as easy to do as an old Tonti clutch replacing the clutch on a V11 is not tremendously difficult or time consuming. It's a bit over a day's job at best for someone who knows what they are doing. Pete

Your going blind Field! We've told you before about that! Try sleeping with your hands on top of the bedcovers! Pete

Jesus! Youse blokes just *love* to try and overcomplicate things. Why not try re-inventing the wheel instead? hours of fun with that one Pete

Dunno about old beemers but the smallblocks also only use a single Hookes coupling rather than the double used in the Tontis or the twin UJ's on the Spineys. On them, (The smallblocks) the loadings were accomodated by a very much softer cush drive arrangement in the rear wheel hub/bevelbox. Next time you are near a smallblock stick it on it's centrestand and pop it in gear then rock the wheel back and forth. after the backlash between the dogs is taken up you'll feel that the driveline is really *spongey* that's because of the soft rubber used in the cush drive rubbers. Pete

Steve, the ballance is barely an issue. If the trunnions are not aligned as the suspension works as the shaft is spinning it winds up and down like a bloody great torsion spring exerting very large forces on the driveline components that can strip splines, damage pinions or even twist the end off the pinion of the bevelbox. this, I was told, is known as a 'Sinusoidally Varying Output', which is a cool sounding, techie-type name for winding up and down like a sodding great torsion spring! Pete, (Taking time out!)

The Centauro I stuck the first proto in has the same stand fittings. The plate slipped in with no modifications to anything . Oh, John, and anyone else who has tried to send me paypal payments, I'm sorry, I simply don't have the time at the moment to do anything about processing them. Pete

DON'T FORGET THAT IF YOU SEPARATE THE PARTS OF THE DRIVESHAFT, FRONT UJ,SHAFT AND SPRING AND REAR UJ IT IS VITAL THAT YOU RE-ASSEMBLE THE SHAFT WITH THE TRUNNIONS ALIGNED WITH EACH OTER OTHERWISE SERIOUS DAMAGE WILL ENSUE. P

Sorry, I tried to post this before and it seems to have gone west. People in the UK wanting sheets my Phone No. is 07748631136. Try between about 8.00PM and 10.00PM as I'll be in the hospial with my dying Mum for most of the rest of the time. Sorry about this but obviously busiess is't partcularly important o me right now. Pete

Just had a phone call from my brother. It seems Mum has suffered a massive stroke. Needless to say this will change plans a bit. Please bear with me and I'll be in touch. Pete

Blokes, I'll be leaving in about 14 hours and arrive in the UK on Friday morning. While my mobile/cell phone does have global roaming to use it will be prohibitive cost wise. I think I'll look at one of those phone-hire jobs or see if I can get a pre-paid sim card for mine at the airport. Anyone who is interested in a plate? I'll probably be bringing about 12 of them over, that's about the max I can get with the luggage allowance. I'll post my Ph.# up when I know it and I'd be more than happy to meet people in the evening for a jar and yack, (As opposed to Yak!) about Guzzis, the world, etc. and if people want to collect the plates then that's all well and good and I can give detailed, drunken, verbal instructions on how to install them . Keith, can you PM me your phone # and I'll give you a bell as soon as I've got over the jet-lag Graham, I'll bring you one of the Tonti plates too Pete

Hi Al, I didn't use aluminium for precisely that reason. Bruno Scola used to make plates out of 1mm alloy for earlier bikes and they were terribly fracture prone. Mine are made of 2mm stainless and weigh in at about 700 grams I think, (I weighed 'em yesterday to judge postage so I should remember ) While the stainless is heavier it won't rust and leave streaks down the sump, it won't fracture and lets be honest, if you want to loose 700 grams have a big sh!t before you go for a ride and no, I don't want to enter into a debate about the weight of faecal matter! Pete

Yes, but that is one of the advantages of a *modern* cylinder head design with a very narrow included angle on the valves. Both the Guzzi and the BMW have the disadvantage of not being able to have straight ports with a direct tract to the valve head/s but having a narrow included angle does mean that you can make the combustion chamber very compact AND have large valve area, the only serious problem is likely to be dumping of waste heat due to insufficient matterial around the seats. The Guzzi, which still uses the old two valve hemi design is much more limited and therefore will always be defficient in power compared to a *modern* 4 valver of reasonable design. Incidentally while I'm sure Mike knows far more about combustion cahmber design than I do I think that the squish band on his slug looks too small for my liking. In many ways it resembles a 'Big Valve' piston which are a truly horrid thing, although his are forged and no doubt a zillion times lighter than the horid cast Guzzi big-valve pistons. Pete

The holes around the outside are what holds the spacer in place. The five at the front are the oil galleries for the front main and the clamp bolts that also hold on the oil filter etc. housing as are the three at the back. The six to the front on the left are return paths for the oil as this is where most of it ends up being flung. The *Big* hole is a cutaway for the top of the oil filter housing and the rectangular hole allows for the *lump* of the oil pressure relief valve and also for return of oil that *slops* from above the plate to the sump. In an ideal world the OPRV slot wouldn't be there and there would be some sort of scavenge pump at the back of the case, above the plate, to return oil to the sump. In our less than ideal world we have to accept that some oil will slop up through that hole but the plate will still inhibit the rearward slop of oil enough to prevent the oil starvation/ cavitation problem. The *final solution* has now been engineered by Guzzi for the Griso/Breva models. I've not seen ANY suggestion of starvation on my Griso but I don't think that the later sump can be installed on V11's without a.) ground clearance issues and b.) a LOT more expense. In designing this plate I've tried to give people a cheap, easy, alternative and I really do think it will "Do the business!" Pete

See if this works?

Picked 'em up today. I've got a pic and tried to upload it but it's too big so I'll have o try and make it smaller but I simply don't have time at the moment! Cost will be 155AU per plate and shipping costs are as follows. 1 Plate to USA= $21AU air mail including bag. 2 plates to USA=$37AU inc. 3 plates to USA=$54AU inc. To Europe? 1 =$25 2 =$45 3 =$67 All prices are air mail, sea mail takes a lot longer and doesn't save a lot in terms of expense. These prices don't include insurance which would probably be $5-10 I'd guess. I'll try and get the pic up later on today and I'll be getting a plate out to Greg Field and Mike Haven so they can have a squizz and see if they can spot any problems, I can't and the proto has been running successfully for many Km now with no problems. Note that I'm about to go to the UK so I won't be able to post the plates out to people before the beginning of October. I will, as long as I have enough luggage allowance, bring some over to the UK which should cut down on postage costs appreciably! Pete

Ahhh! No, not that simple. The T5 heads are smallvalvers, that isn't so much an issue, the problem is that the combustion chamber is much, much smaller and even if there aren't any valve to piston issues the compression ratio would be way too high. Then there is the fact that the T5 heads have piddly little 30mm ports on the inlet side and smaller, (Dunno by how much!) exhaust ports. Without a lot of opening up you'll end up with all sorts of horrible charge and exhaust reversion problems if you try to fit the unmodified heads to the V11 motor. BUT! If you have the T5 heads they are actually probably a better starting point for someone like Mike Rich because they are as good a blank castings! He can machine a custom combustion chamber and then the ports can be opened up to whatever he thinks is best. Bigger valves? Smaller valves? Even re-angle the little sods if he thinks it's worthwhile. The T5 heads would be almost like a blank canvas. I'm pretty sure Mike has loads of Guzzi experience so he'd know what the nominal CR of the stock V11 heads would be. With the T5 heads he could up the compression ratio PROPERLY by re-designing the combustion chamber rather than this piss-fart HC piston route which, as you know, I'm not a great fan of. Give the man a ring and ask his advice, I'm not a sh!t-hot tuner, just a bonehead mechanic. I'm sure he could give you the good oil. You could get them twin plugged at the same time and get a My15M from Cliff and start heading towards a REAL hot-rod V11 Pete

Pierre, I'll price up postage on Monday, while there is a chance that any people who pay me before Wednesday I can get the sheets out to it may well be that I'll be so over-run with stuff prior to my UK trip that I may not be able to get them out so I'd advise hanging off until I get back from Blighty in early October. Graham. Yes, I'm still coming. Yes, I'll be bringing some plates and I'll bung a Tonti plate in for you too. Once I'm in the UK I'll get a pre-paid account for my mobil and will psot the number up here and we can catch up. Pete

I have just set up a paypal account linked to my email. Now I don't fully understand how this all works but youse blokes may know. Anyway, my email is; motomoda@optusnet.com.au If you know how to pay from that then please go ahead and then email me notification, (If paypal don't email me automatically.) The cost is essentially going to be $155AU per plate, plus postage. Until I get to the PO on Monday I won't know for sure how much that will be and obviously it will depend on where you are. I'll try and work out this paypal thih this evening, I reckon it's at least a three beer job Pete

Sorry, but I think they are not only pointless but they have all the appearance of having been hand crafted by mentally defective dwarves on the dark side of Pluto, (N longer a planet !). They look like they were carved out of dried fish droppings by Mr. Ugly, owner-operator of Mr. Uglies Ugly Thing Emporium in Ugly-land Make them go away, hopefully a long way away! Pete

Well, yes, I hope so, In some ways at least. While my trip to the UK is NOT going to be pleasant as I'm going to have to speak some plain truths to my Mother and Brother which will make me about as popular as herpes the biggest issue is that my Mum in Law, who is a national treasure, is having big problems t the moment here.We aren't sure exactkly what the problem is yet, (She's going in for an MRI scan this afternoon.) but it's unlikely to be alstheimers and may be a brain tumor. If it is there is NO WAY I'm going to the UK. Pete

I haven't looked too closely at the MGS01, does it use the 'Broad Sump' like the V11 and Daytona RS/Sporti/Centauro? If so then the answer is almost certainly yes. Pete

Dave, as with my earlier plates I'll include full fitting instructions but a breif precis is; Drain oil. Remove the condensate return line/s from the back of the sump plate. Then undo the umpteen bolte that hold the sump plate on and remove it. Then remove the oil filter/thermostat/PR valve plumbing via the removal of the four bolts shown in your pic. Pull that rearwards and its pipes, Sealed by O-rings, pop off the pipes on the spacer. Then remove the spacer by undoing the umpteen bolts that hold it to the block, (Note. Make sure you use a well made allen key and give the bolts a whack on the head with a hammer and punch to shock 'em loose first as they tend to be a bit difficult.). On V11's you *may* also have to disconnect the oil cooler pipes prior to removing the spacer, not sure.). If you're lucky the gasket will remain intact and on the bottom of the block. Check carefully though, especially the parts of the gasket that go around theoil delivery galleries, if you have doubts? Strip the gasket and replace after cleaning both the mating surfaces of the sump and the spacer and sump plate. Remove the dipstick. Using two of the 20mm bolts that hold the sump to the block place a gasket with a thin smear of loctite 415 (?) sealant around the edges, both top and bottom, onto the plate, put the short bolts into two of the holes that go nxt to the delivery galleries, front and back, and loosley bolte the plate, with the gasket, up to the block. If you are re-using the original gasket just put a smear around the edge of the plate before offering it up. Replace dipstick and screw it home. Note that 'Full' mark on dipstick is about 1cm below level of plate. Re-mark stick at bottom level of plate. Remove stick until it's all back together and full of Yak Fat. Then place another gasket, also with a thin line of 425 on both sides on top of the spacer and offer the spacer up to the block, Then bolt the spacer to the block with the umpteen screws. When you come to the last two you remove them from the holes you were using to hold the plate to the block and install them in the last two holes around the edge of the spacer. Tighten in a crosshatch pattern. Take the oil filter etc. housing. Install new o-rings and grease them with rubber grease on the spigots of the pipes. Coming up at a slight angle so as not to damage the gasket push the housing into the female openings in the spacer and push home until the bolt holes line up. Install the four bolts, (I chose to use 5mm longer bolts because the plate and extra gasket add a bit of depth but this may be overkill ). Install a new oil filter filled with the Yak Fat of your choice. Offer up sump plate with or without new gasket depending on damage. I'd always suggest a new one here as you can grease it, (no need for a gasket sealenat and grease will make it easier to get off next time.) install all bolts. Reconnect all hoses and the condensate return line. Fill with fresh Yak Fat to the *new* level on the dipstick. Remove ignition relay and spark plugs. Spin motor on starter until oil light stays out when starter stops. Reinstall plugs and relay. Double check everything is tight. Go ride. Note. Because there is now a plate between the sump and the crankcase there IS an injhibitor to quick return of oil to the sump. When COLD this means that drain back to the sump WILL be slower. HAving said that when the oil is cold the oil pressure relief valve, which is BELOW the level of the plate will be spewing a lot of oil straight back into the sump and I do NOT forsee any problem with there being inufficient oil returning to the sump and risking starvation. There is PLENTY of area, as well as holes, for the oil to return to the sump but in the interests of safety I do suggest that you warm the engine up properly for a few miles before really giving it the berries. Having said that I'd suggest that on ANY engine, it's just common sense. I DON'T see this as being a *problem* or an *issue* I simply mention it to show that I HAD taken it into consideration when designing the plate in case someone else thought of it and got worried. Pete

Or, alternatively, you can take the head off and use your eyes No I'm not being facetious, you can get a pretty good idea of what is going on by removing the head and examining the combustion chamber and top of the piston. If you have the squish set correctly the squish area, which is the flat bit surrounding the dome that comes up into close proximity with the head, should be pretty much clean with no carbon deposits on it to speak of. You will usually find, even with the best set up motor that there will be slightly more contamination on the squish area on the non-thrust side of the piston, (Scratches his head trying to work it out, not having ancient text book to hand ) as this is the side more likely to cant away from the head under load. The previous description of why squish is so important is excellent, as is the eample of Lo-Po bimmer heads, which are awful! Compare them to the infinitely superior Guzzi smallvalve head design and it's easy to see where they went horribly wrong To add to it though having the squish set to wide also allows the retention of pockets of fresh charge polluting, un-expelled, left over exhaust gas in the area betwixt piston deck and head. This is the 'End Gas', (Fart jokes start here, please take them to the banter forum.) and it will be a MAJOR contributor to detonation and other wonky-burn related problems. You can also, if you take the heads off after a short period of running examine the combustion chambers and valves for evidence of 'Wetting Out' the deposition of unburnt fuel onto the walls of the combustion chamber where it's vaporisation is wasted cooling the surface of the head, (And leaving deposits.) rather than cooling the charge itself, sorry, I digress. One thing that has to be taken into account with any Guzzi engine up to the latest itterations as fitted in the Breva and Griso is that they use Kingerlite gaskets and these have the annoying trait of compressing in service. This makes setting up the squish a right royal pain in the arse unless you KNOW exactly how much they are going to compress. I had the squish set up very precisely and had re-torqued the heads several times and re-checked it but after two meetings Rob did a re-torque and it then ate it's big ends. The squish clearance had reduced just enough that at max RPM crank whip and rod stretch were sufficient to allow the pistons to just kiss the head. Not enough to even damage the pistons, the rings were all still free in the grooves and their clearance wasn't affected, but enough to destroy the oil film on the big ends. Luckily Rob caught it before the bearing clearance could get excessive to the point where the pistons were damaged, but it was luck rather than judgement! The happy news is that unless there is something I'm missing I can see absolutely no reason why V11 owners who want to go to the effort to do the job properly shouldn't use the Breva/Griso gaskets. These are a steel 'Mono-Torque' gasket that won't crush. You might even find, given that as far as heads and barrels are concerned there are few differences between the V11's and the later models, that simply slipping the gaskets in will get the squish pretty close to right. Gillardoni, who make all of Guzzi's, (And BMW's!) barrels have always been pretty good at consistently getting the barrel depth correct, consistent and accurate so they might be a simple bolt in. HAving said that the thickness of these gaskets will be less than Kingerlite ones so assembling the barrels and heads onto the block once and measuring the squish would allow you to ascertain exactly how much was needed to be removed from the bottom of the barrel to get the squish correct, then the motor could be built and you'd know once and for all that it was right and you wouldn't have the fear of the pistons kissing the heads as a.) no re-torquing is neccessary and b.) the gaskets are incompressible. Gotta go..... Pete