Scud

mmmm... that's a much darker shade of green.

If the pin still fits snugly (doesn't wobble in the cover) and if it was shifting well, you could try re-installing it with some sealant, such as ThreeBond 1211 - or whatever you're going to use to seal the case when you reinstall it on the transmission. If the pin wobbles, maybe take it to a machine shop. They can smooth out both surfaces - and they can install a sleeve in either the case or the pin so that it can be pressed in again for a perfect fit. (maybe Docc could move these two transmission posts to the shift improvement thread?) [moderator edit: Next best thing, I'll link the Shift Improvement thread here]: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=19547

I've decided to open a V11 dealership. I think I'm gonna make about $1.00 per hour. That or I will sell a bike for $5,000 and charge another $5,000 in "dealer prep and assembly" - like the dealers do on new bikes. Seriously - just one is for my use. I think three others are spoken for now, leaving six. I'll hold onto (no hoard) the rest and re-sell them as needed. Should save shipping from Australia. By the time I sell the last one I should have a bit left over for and a board donation.

The hollow front axle on my 2003 LeMans length is 273mm. I didn't measure the thread pitch, but for reference, the nut on the left side requires a 30mm socket or wrench (same size as the swingarm pivot pin nuts).

The Öhlins on my 2002 Scura have a solid axle that screws into the LH fork. I'm pretty sure this is the same axle as the 2002 Marzocchis. The Marzocchis on my 2003 LeMans have a hollow axle that passes through the fork and requires a nut. This would be longer than the solid axle, because the threads have to stick out to accept the nut.

Pics or it didn't happen.

ThreeBond is a brand name. I have two of their products, based on Pete Roper's recommendation. The products use 4-digit codes as product names. So my tube of ThreeBond 1211 is white, flows easily, takes several hours to cure. My tube of ThreeBond 1184 is grey and tacky and stringy, a little more challenging to apply, but cures quickly. I used it recently on my transmission pre-selector case - filled it with oil and rode it after 15 minutes. When I sealed all the cases on my Scura transmission, I used Permatex Right Stuff, which can be had in grey or black. I also have a tube of Permatex Gasket Dressing and Sealant, which is blue - and they say "compare to Hylomar Blue" on the package. I got that when I was trying to find some Hylomar gasket dressing. There is a dizzying array of sealant options. All the above I used recently seem to be improved over the red or black RTV silicones that I used a long time ago.

Thanks guys - I'm much encouraged. I sort of got in the flow with the paint stripper - but that was only because of the crinkle paint, which had to be totally removed. I'll probably paint one of the four parts Saturday and see how close the VHT Nu-Cast Aluminum paint is to the original paint.

Probably some truth to that. But I was hoping to hear something like this.... So Tom, do you recall if you stripped the old paint off, followed by prime and paint - or did you just rough 'em up and apply a fresh color coat? I was thinking about the rough-and-color approach.

Unfortunately not. Way too much on my mind, this sort of thing helps with that Weirdly, I understand that. When things get really complicated at work, I enjoy the mental retreat to the relatively simple turning of wrenches.

Thanks again. I ordered one of the "pictured" compressors so I would have the option of leaving the pistons on the rods. Ironically, I ordered it on Amazon - and my hotel in Seattle looked out directly on Amazon world headquarters. Too bad no time to visit Moto International - maybe next time. So... here's the paint on the heads, which was part of the motivation for removing them (to repaint). Has anybody repainted the heads? The fins are really deep and I don't think I will be able to get good paint coverage. It difficult to coat even the shallower fins on the engine block and timing cover. I like Knumbnutz's engine with that special blasting - but I assume that means removing the valves, which I'd really prefer not to do. It would be a moral failure to install a flaky-paint head between that candy-apple cover and a fresh, black, block. Any advice appreciated.

It's a lot of oil. I recently left the breather hose disconnected by accident. Rode 4 miles - oil everywhere. It was a perfect topper to my clutch frustrations (now solved).

Thanks guys. I ordered a ring compressor last night, but it was a sleeve type, not the one pictured. I think I would feel better about tapping the pistons in from the bottom - seems like less risk of error. Then what - do I reconnect to the rods before sliding the cylinder all the way down - or do I do that from inside the crankcase? Won't be home till Friday - will take closeups then. I don't think I need to (nor do I want to) remove the valves.

There are three grease nipples. One on each U-joint and one on the shaft. If you overfill the one on the shaft, grease will exit at the rear - so it will not force the halves apart. Can you place a straight-edge on the driveshaft? I wonder if it bent due to the force. If so, it's probably not worth saving and you could cut it off. As I mentioned, I have a spare if you need it and can't find one locally - but it needs an O-ring.

Thanks, will be interested to see how durable it is. I need some grey for the Daytona cases. Ciao It's holding up really well on my BMW transmission and driveline - and so far so good on the Scura. Note that the Engine Case paint is different than the Engine Enamel - I'm not sure how it's different, but the case paint says it's specifically for motorcycle engines. I got a can of VHT's Engine Enamel in a color they call Nu-Cast Aluminum. I'm hoping that will be a good match for the cylinder heads.

Hmmm... this is going to be one of those "I should have read the instructions" moments. This was only supposed to be a paint job. Motor only had 12,000 miles and I had not planned on taking it this far apart. But it was such a PITA to strip my Scura engine with the cylinders on... This was much easier for stripping and painting. I also thought about just raising the cylinder a little - but then one stud came out and one base gasket tore a chunk off when I lifted the cylinder. So - I should have disconnected the pistons from the rods and left them in the cylinders? That seems like it would be have been a good idea. Therefore - I suppose I should remove the pistons and install them in the cylinders? I have whole week to figure this out. Gotta fly tomorrow AM.

If you have some ratchet straps, you can hook one to each end of the swingarm. Then secure to two fixed objects and use one ratchet strap to pull the halves apart. Or you could take the whole assembly over to a machine shop and see what they recommend. By the way, if you find the O-ring, please post the specs. My spare driveshaft has a broken O-ring and I'd like to replace it.

So there she sits for another week while I will be away for work. But that gives me to time get some supplies. And I could use some advice, because this is first time I've put pistons in anything. I'm going to get new base and head gaskets (one of each was damaged during removal). It looks like a good idea to replace all the O-rings around the long studs - between block and cylinder, and up top, at the head. I'll get new O-rings for the access plugs on the heads. Questions: One of the top studs came out with the special cap-nut (the one under the oil line). Any worry there - or just separate them and reinstall the stud? How should I install the cylinders over the pistons? Please treat me like I don't know anything about this, because I don't. Tools... cleaning... assembly lube... what do I need to know?

Stayed up late to watch a horror show:

Popped the clutch in - with alternating original and stiffer springs. Lesson learned on my last clutch mis-adventure. Hopefully this one will be a one-shot deal. And I slipped on the slippery slope... engine stripping in process. The engine looks brand new inside. Gears and chain look great, heads are barely even discolored. Bore marks still visible in the cylinder walls.

I'm glad the SpineFrames are "old enough" now to be on their to-do list. Ha - last time I talked to Gordon about my 2003 LeMans he said "I don't do too much with the new bikes." +1 on props to the shop though. They've always been great.

For the rubber dampers: I roughed up the rubber and metal surfaces with sandpaper, then cleaned with alcohol. I used Seal-All adhesive. Then I zip-tied the metal plate to the frame so it slightly compresses the dampers. I figure that even if the glue gives way, the zip-ties will keep the coils in place. I re-glued a sidestand bumper this way (minus the zip ties) and it's been holding.

Dang, that's a bummer on the new clutch slave - but I'm sure a hydraulic hose shop could make a line that would fit it. Glad the spare cleaned up and is functional - it came from a bike with 50,000 miles. There seems to be quite a lot of variance in clutch springs. I have some extra stronger springs if you need or want them. I alternated 5 stronger and 5 original springs to get desired resistance at lever. 10 stronger springs caused a problem.

Where did you get the new spring? Can you post a picture of both springs?

Sounds like good news. And you'll have a cool scar on your transmission.