Scud

So a Sucra will make noise in neutral? What is making the noise? That remains a mystery to me, but the noise goes away when lever is pulled in. My best guess is that the flat (blade-type) clutch springs are free to bounce or vibrate a bit when they are not under pressure. Then, when the lever is pulled, it forces the push-cup into the pressure plate and the springs can't bounce - and then no noise. By contrast, the twin plate makes noise with the lever in because the stack of plates in the flywheel becomes loose. Then the teeth of the pressure plate and intermediate plate rattle inside the flywheel's teeth. The wear patterns on flywheels show this.

PJ - it seems that some of the original Scura flywheels have lasted for a while, but many have found small cracks when replaced pre-emptively. I ran mine for about 10,000 miles and it showed no signs of fatigue when I removed it. I felt comfortable with that amount of use, because it seemed most of the failures were on the other side of 20,000 miles. You have to make your own decision, but for me, the uncertainty and the potential cost of failure were the main factors that led me to replace it early. Grab a beer (or several) and read all the threads that come up when you search things like "Scura Clutch" or "Single Plate Clutch Failure." A little camera, and a flywheel inspection at each oil change, might remove the uncertainty for you. However, I think the cracks would start around the bolt holes where the flywheel mates to the crankshaft - and that these would be difficult to detect. By the way - my comment about the noise being the clock on the time-bomb was in jest, but there is a grain of truth in the joke. The noise as you describe it totally normal for the Scura. I think the "flywheel as time bomb" is real - but it's a silent killer that gives no notice in advance of failure.

That is the sound of the clock that operates the time-bomb on the original Scura flywheel. voycie - not to worry, you have a reliable twin-plate clutch/flywheel.

Very nice Rox. I like that carbon flyscreen too. Do we need an Italian flag in the garage?

Loaded up the camping gear.

I took the spring out, went to the hardware store and bought a few similar springs. Experimented a bit and ended up cutting the one of the new springs a little shorter to make it "just right." Now I can easily adjust my idle speed from the bars anytime I want. Small victory...

When posts move, the topic drifts. - Lao Tzu

It's that kind of attitude (along with a sprinkle of greenie attitude) that makes this forum such a great place. "When you lose, don't lose the lesson." - generally attributed (although perhaps incorrectly) to Dalai Lama.

Yeah... If you feel inclined to retell the story of your project I'd read it. For example, I'd be curious to know what forks are on the bike and what it took to install them.

$100 problem, bummer. But reminds me of something I learned in a business class a long time ago. Any problem that can be solved by paying money is not a problem, it's an expense. And now I guess Swampee the Lawn Tractor will have to wait a while longer for the next hand-me-down battery. But thanks for the reminder. I finally had it explained to me why you disconnect negative first - it cuts the circuit. Then if you accidentally connect a wrench between positive terminal and frame it will not spark.

The problem I experienced and solved was on a 2003 LeMans. Same as voicie's bike (per opening post). I think the real culprit may have been a loose-fitting relay base. I squeezed the pins on the relay to compensate. Flawless starts since then.

You might check (or upgrade) your relays first. I solved a problem with the exact same symptoms simply by upgrading to Omron relays.

Borrowed from a WildGuzzi post: Check out the Guzzis from about 0:54 to 1:10. And a lot more of the v700 at 1:40 to the end.

I think I'll buy one of those cameras. I'm sure it will be handy for other stuff too. The piston pins went in smoothly - no force required. I had a surprise visit today from my brother-in-law, who is a good mechanic. We tightened the valves to .002" In and .004" Ex. There was no change. He agrees that the noise sounds like it is coming from the top end. Since the heads appear to be in good condition, I suppose suspicions should now be focused on the camshaft.

Here's what I just did: Drained oil radiator - plenty of fresh golden oil came out. Loosened and retightened the exhaust flange nuts. Removed spark plugs and alternator cover. Spun engine with socket - didn't notice anything unusual. No clacking sounds. Replaced RH exhaust rocker with one from original engine (which had 50,000 miles of wear), rotated rocker shaft 180 degrees, verified correct length of bolts that go into rocker shaft, set valves to .004 In and .006 Ex. Started the bike, no change - still have the noise. Swapped the RH spark plug with one from my Red LeMans (in case spark plug was contacting piston) - no change. I suppose it's possible that I put a piston in backwards. I didn't take photos of that so I can't offer "proof" but backwards piston seems unlikely. I am pretty sure that I installed the pistons so the notches in the crowns face the rear to accommodate the larger intake valves. I did take a picture before I removed the pistons and I referred to it when I reinstalled. At this point I am thinking of an internal problem. I don't know the history of the motor, other than that it was in the bike during a pretty bad front-end crash. I suppose the engine could have kept running while it was on its side and that could have caused oil starvation damage. Could a noise like this be due to connecting rod bearing failure? Now I regret not checking those bearings while I had the block on the bench. ...and it looks like she's going to be a coat hanger for while.

I had the pistons out when I painted the barrels. Spent some time cleaning the pistons, so I think I would have noticed if there was obvious damage. How obvious is a cracked piston? In other news... I found the rocker arms from this bike's original engine. The Husky is prepped for next weekend, so I think I will try a few more of these fine suggestions later today.

That's good logic. I think your next step should be to remove the tail light assembly from the rear fender. Notice how all the wires are connected, then pull everything and test voltages at the connectors. If you see power, clean the connections and reassemble. If not, chase the wires further back into the loom.

My first bike was a Honda CB350-Four. I got another one a few years ago and had basically the same rear fender and oversized chrome tail-light bracket. I thought about modifying it and I just couldn't do it. Sold it to a collector. Have fun with the mods, it's a good challenge to limit the mods to bolt-ons so that the bike could always restored back to stock.

The green also has a certain *pop* to it.

The small and hard-to-read trip meter is my only complaint. Maybe we should gang-up on Speedhut and see if they will create a display within their menu that is only the trip meter. I would love a big 3 digit trip meter that used the whole LCD display.

That looks like all kinds of fun. I hope you don't cut it. The tank, side panels, and chrome front fender are great. The chain guard and rear fender don't appeal to me. The front drum looks so cool - but newer forks and a disc brake would let that motor live up to it's potential. Old cars = slow. Need new motor. Old bikes = wobbly. Need new suspension. Everybody should hold a live plug wire at least once in their life. Czakky, it is your solemn duty to initiate your younger brother.

A champagne LeMans fairing is waiting to be installed. All three oil sump gaskets are new. 1 lower and 2 uppers with a Roper Plate in between. For reference, my red LeMans had low oil pressure for a while and I finally determined that the tabs on the upper sump gasket were missing. With new gaskets, pressure went up. However, it did not make any noise. I'm gonna go clean the garage, need to re-group. I bet I will find some pushrods and rockers in a box. Maybe I'll give her one more chance before turning her into a clothes rack for a month. I'm also thinking back on the project and realize that I never detached or flushed the oil radiator. I wonder if that could have got gummed up from sitting (the tranny sure did).

I doubt that it's a floating thing because the noise is always there and it keeps pace with the RPM. Something is moving and something else is not. Noise=wear. I do have the rocker arms from the engine that Joe was getting ready to rebuild. I'll certainly try a rocker swap, oil pressure gauge, and oil inspection before pulling the engine. I seriously thought I would finish this bike this weekend. The fuel pump is not leaking anymore, so at least there's been some progress. Thanks for the ideas, keep 'em coming. I really do not want do a full tear down - but if I do, it will be another first. I've never rebuilt a whole engine before.

I think that the weight is one part of it - the lighter it is the more free-revving. But the location of the weight is also important. The closer the weight is to the center the faster is can spin. Like a figure skater spinning faster when she brings her arms in. By design, the twin plate clutch and flywheel has a lot of weight on the outside. Then you need to consider the mechanical connections of the parts. I think that having one plate contributes to a quicker, crisper, engagement - vs a twin plate. The twin plate has twice as many friction surfaces that all need to come together before power is sent to the transmission. I think the single plate clutch pull is easier because leverage is applied to the flat springs by the internal mechanisms. That leverage translates into less effort at the lever. With the twin-plate, your only leverage is the hand lever - the force you apply compresses 10 coil springs in straight line. Obviously, the hydraulic system is also a form of leverage, but both clutches use the same hydraulics so I am ignoring that. And to clarify for Baldini - the steel RAM flywheel was only available in aftermarket kits. All the single-plate V11s were originally supplied with aluminum flywheels.

Yup. Magnets stick it. I guess they switched to steel at some point. The flywheel is now smaller, with 3 prongs instead of the full circle aluminum flywheel. So while the steel is a touch heavier than the aluminum, it is stronger and the mass is all closer to the center.