Scud

Whack it a while and see if settles down. Seriously, if you tap the castings around the four u-joint caps it may loosen up a bit, and you can force a bit of fresh grease through it as well.

Flat black powder coating generously applied to pork chops and many other bits. Candy apple red plates and covers on Champagne. Close up of those same candy-red plates that I migrated to the Nero Corsa.

I've never done my own media blasting or powder coating. I use a local shop. All they ask is that parts are stripped of seals and bearings and totally degreased. They strip the old finish off as part of the service. If you're referring to the deep-looking finish of the candy-apple parts I had done, that was a multi-stage powder coat and more expensive than the flat black. Chemical and mechanical for getting powder coat out of threads - stripper plus run a bolt through the treads with the stripper still in.

I've had one set powder coated flat black and another candy apple red. I recommend it for durability, looks, and ease of cleaning. The only problem is if they get a little powder in the fine threads for the swingarm pivots. Ask the powder coater to be extra careful with the masking there. If they do get powder on the threads, I found that Rust Oleum's Aircraft Remover will dissolve it. Just dab it in the threads with a Q-tip, wipe out the worst of it, then run one of the pivot pins all the way through from the inside. BTW - that Aircraft Remover is the only chemical that has damaged the epoxy coating on my garage floor.

That's a good chart. It would seem that most O-rings on motorcycles are Nitrile. But those green ones on the oil line fittings must be Highly Saturated Nitrile. And the seals in brake calipers and pistons must be Ethylene Propylene. What kind of O-ring can seal a rabbit hole?

I try to flush all the hydraulics (brakes and clutch) annually, which means sometimes they go up to two years between flushes. This is often overlooked, so it's one of the first things I do when I get a pre-owned vehicle. With the wheel on, flushing the fluid is a time-sucking annoyance and very difficult for one person unless you have long arms. You can also install a speed-bleeder there. But it will still be a PITA to get the hose on the bleeder and another PITA to get a tool on it. FWIW, I like the Motul 5.1 fluid for its high boiling point - not that I always need it, but I can use the brakes all I want on long descents without worrying about fade.

So first. I LOVE that this is happening in the laundry room. Answers and observations: Side panels usually fit well, but some can be a bit fiddly. They do tuck under the tank, so even if all the screws rattle out, they will not blow away while riding. The back of the tranny and subframe are quite a mess... have fun with that. And while you're at it, check that lower shock mount carefully. It looks like the original Sachs, which is prone to crack the lower mount. That hugger damage is common. My Nero Corsa came with a rear rack that used extra-long bolts and mangled the rear wheel hugger. This would be a good time to install one of those remote clutch bleeder hoses if you feel like spending $70. Otherwise, this is a good time to flush the clutch fluid while you can easily reach the bleeder.

This is exactly what I wanted to avoid - buying a box of assorted for convenience, and not being able to actually use them.

Quite the education on O-rings. And I know that in high-reliability environments (mining, aviation, etc.), a mistake can be costly or deadly (Space Shuttle Challenger explosion). But for hobbyist like me, seems that just ordering from MG Cycle or Harpers is the solution. That said, I accept the challenge of finding the correct O-ring for the driveshaft. I have a spare with a broken O-ring, so will order all the O-rings that are close to its size and see what works. Seems like Nitrile would be fine for that application, FKM might last longer.

Wow - should be able to find anything there... but I was kind of hoping that most O-rings on the bike would be a standard size and that I could order an assortment and be likely to have whatever sizes I would need in future. Do you think that's realistic? But there is one very thin O-ring I would like to find - the one that seals the two halves of the driveshaft. Parker looks like a promising supplier.

I'm tired of buying one O-ring at a time and the associated hassle of finding the correct one. So I am hoping to stock up and save... and more importantly have them on hand when needed. As I understand it, Nitrile is most commonly used, but it degrades quickly, which is why many of have replaced the timing sensor o-ring on multiple occasions, and why we constantly lose the little bugger that serves as a brake pedal bumper. And Viton is a brand name, while FKM is the generic name for material used in Viton O-rings. And apparently FKM lasts longer in chemicals and sunlight. This is what I think I know, so please feel free to correct me. I'm looking at this set of 386 O-rings in 30 Metric sizes. Amazon link here. Does this seem like it would cover the majority of O-ring needs for our V11s? Any other recommended sets or sources that would be better?

I just sent you a PM. Hopefully, you will get that and be able to reply.

Good research. If you have a moment, maybe you could list the Moto Guzzi and Aprilia part numbers in the Encyclopedia of Compatible Parts.

Well... I am certainly not going about this project in the optimal order. After getting a lot of stuff "finalized" on the bars I remembered to check the steering bearings. They had a spot where they settled. The bottom bearing was almost totally dry and felt crunchy rotating it by hand. And look at the wear pattern in the race. New bearings, along with a better steering damper, should be a big improvement for handling and safety.

Visited the MEBC today (Moto Euro Breakfast Club). Check out the lovely new MV Augusta Turismo Veloce Lusso. Bodywork is the same color as my Scura's frame plate. And let's not ignore the Brutale 1090 hiding behind that...

I have a tool like that. Took out the gaskets in 5 seconds each. DONE.

My thought was that since I am switching headers it might be a good idea to replace the gaskets. And for some reason, I already had a pair of gaskets on hand.

Small update. Getting the Rizoma tanks, Spiegler hydraulic lines (black, of course) and Pazzo shorty levers installed. Speedhut is redoing the gauges... still waiting. I managed to destroy one bolt (and damage the other 5) on the cush drive side of the rear wheel and rounded 4 out of 6 on the brake side (despite plenty of heat and penetrating oil). The bolts that did come out had heaps of loc-tite residue - so I got help at a local machine shop. Now the wheels and bunch of other stuff are at the powder-coaters. I think I will have some play-time this weekend. A question: How important is it to replace the exhaust gaskets? I ask because I recall them being devilishly tricky to remove. I have new gaskets and I have a set of older pipes without the front crossover. Any tricks to getting the old exhaust gaskets out?

The Ram steel flywheel and clutch is available from MG Cycle. That's what I have in my Scura. But the 6-speed version is NLA and I think (always dangerous) that the 5-speed is identical with the exception of the transmission input hub, which is already installed on the Scura. I would talk to the guys at MG Cycle, or try to find a write-up on this site where somebody installed the 5-speed kit in a Scura (pretty sure it has been done). But gosh, there's nothing wrong with the double-plate clutch and that lightened flywheel. I'll send you a PM re the spring.

So you bought a Scura, brought it home and ripped out the flywheel? Next you'll be replacing the springs and stripping the crinkle paint from the engine, transmission and rear drive. This is the rite of passage for Scura owners. What flywheel and clutch will you install?

I've never had that experience on any motorcycle. I usually replace both tires when the rear is worn, because there is only about 20% or so remaining on the front. Maybe have a think about your tire pressures (I run 34 F and 38 R) or check your suspension or steering bearings. Or maybe you are doing a lot of hard braking?

Welcome and congratulations. May as well post up in the Scura registry too.

You can also use rattle can paints for plastic. With something that faded and with that much texture, paint might be worth considering.

That gear looks like a transmission input hub. If so, that one might be worth trying to identify.