Do I have a problem?

[dlaing]

You knew I'd have an answer, didn't you, Dave?

 

Well, I hope you did!

But of course, thanks

You are better than a dictionary!

I suppose I could have googled the stoddard solvent at Wikipaedia....I tried many dictionaries, unsuccessfully.

[Guest Cantaloop]

welcome to the Club...

 

 

I will replace it.. Öhlins will be fitted.

[Guest ratchethack]

welcome to the Club...

I will replace it.. Öhlins will be fitted.

Hm. By the colorful corrosion in the photo, need we even speculate that it hadn't ever been lubricated?

[KiloSjon]

Hm. By the colorful corrosion in the photo, need we even speculate that it hadn't ever been lubricated?

I don't want to sound as a NoNo or dumb*ss, but how would one lubricate this? There is no room where the oil could go (that explains my previous nono remark to use WD40). Off course one could apply some drops of oil to the side, but then it wouldn't be lubed. Would it be necessary to remove it and apply grease?

[Guest ratchethack]

. . .Off course one could apply some drops of oil to the side, but then it wouldn't be lubed. Would it be necessary to remove it and apply grease?

KiloSjon, the correct lube procedure is to remove both shock pivot bolts and thoroughly grease them. I made sure to carefully coat the bore of the shock eyes. I had no problems with the shock eyes in over 30K miles. When I replaced the shock, the shock eyes were both still well lubed.

[KiloSjon]

KiloSjon, the correct lube procedure is to remove both shock pivot bolts and thoroughly grease them. I made sure to carefully coat the bore of the shock eyes. I had no problems with the shock eyes in over 30K miles. When I replaced the shock, the shock eyes were both still well lubed.

Ok, that's pretty much what I did when placing the new shock, so I should have it covered. Thanks for explaining...

I still find it a bit odd that this needs to be done, is this only because Luigi is not willing to apply a bit of grease in the factory?

[Guest ratchethack]

I still find it a bit odd that this needs to be done, is this only because Luigi is not willing to apply a bit of grease in the factory?

KiloSjon, you've grasped the length and breadth of the oddity. Evidently there's a chronic shortage of grease in and about the environs of Lake Como.

 

Since you seem to've missed this one, have you lubed the hub and driveshaft splines? Shift lever shaft pivot? How about that oh-so-controversial cush drive collar beneath the "pie plate" in the hub? All of these were designed for, and require grease, without which abnormally rapid wear and/or premature failure may be the reasonably expected outcome. Now some really sharp dolt is sure to jump in here to demand wot kind of failure would be possible from a worn and rusty shift lever pivot. ANSWER: I don't know, Mr. Dolt, but it'll never happen to my Guzzi on my watch.

 

NOTE: For a simply amazing discussion with many creative justifications about why lubricating the steel-on-steel collar in the cush drive, with it's helically-cut groove obviously machined to carry grease, which comes DRY from Mandello, is NOT necessary -- nay, even a FOOLISH WASTE OF TIME -- including advanced maintenance theory on the wisdom of "sweating assets", do a lookup on "cush drive".

[KiloSjon]

KiloSjon, you've grasped the length and depth of the oddity. Evidently there's a chronic shortage of grease in and about the environs of Lake Como.

Grease is a fundamental element of the Italien cuisine, and since we all know that Italiens adore food (and we like 'm for that) the shortage of grease is easily explained... (in the 60's, americans did it in their hair and also then it was well known that the number of cracked shock eyes increased on the BSA, Nortons etc... )

Since you seem to've missed this one, have you lubed the hub and driveshaft splines? Shift lever shaft pivot? How about that oh-so-controversial cush drive collar beneath the "pie plate" in the hub?

Ehm, I grease whatever I remove, so in the next 2 years I plan to grease the whole bike...

NOTE: For a simply amazing discussion with many creative justifications about why this is NOT necessary -- nay, even a FOOLISH WASTE OF TIME -- including advanced maintenance theory on the wisdom of "sweating assets", do a lookup on "cush drive".

I did a search and I'll be smart and not start the dicussion...

[mike wilson]

Hm. By the colorful corrosion in the photo, need we even speculate that it hadn't ever been lubricated?

 

With the lack of protection, the proximity to the spraywashing effect of the rear tyre and the Guzzista's resistance to anything that prevents them (for the grammar Police, that's a genderless "them", not a plural one) from riding, it wouldn't really matter if it was lubricated from new or not.

 

In the UK, I've had lever pivots go from clean and well-lubricated to leaking rusty ooze in 24hours. It was a particularly wet ride, though.

 

Bring back proper mudguards!

 

You Califronians don't know you're born.

 

8-)

[Guest ratchethack]

With the lack of protection, the proximity to the spraywashing effect of the rear tyre and the Guzzista's resistance to anything that prevents them (for the grammar Police, that's a genderless "them", not a plural one) from riding, it wouldn't really matter if it was lubricated from new or not.

Hm, Mike. That's one o' the more creative justifications for not lubing I've seen. Lubing is not necessary at all , because unprotected, the joint in question gets an unusually high exposure to lubrication-dispersing water. . . So by this reasoning it would seem that the more frequent the need for lubrication, the less need for lubrication at all?!

 

I don't buy it, but of course that's just me.

 

Now I don't have the spraywash problem, because I've installed my own Bodge Guard, which has done a remarkably good job throughout the several deluges I've been caught out in and amongst on the Guzzi, one of which was bucketloading down strong enough for 20 miles that there were inches-deep torrents running across the road in many places, and I had to stop several times for lack of visibility.

 

But IMHO a properly lubed shock eye will be considerably happier (even directly spraywashed on a regular basis) than one never lubed to begin with!

 

As I've suggested before, I've found boat trailer wheel bearing grease to be an ideal lubricant here, as well as in many other places on many other moto's. It has properties well suited for, and specifically formulated to resist water intrusion, has high retention properties, and has served me well over many many bikes throughout many many different kinds of fairly severe weather, including the kind you don't get much of in Old Blighty -- unless you've had several feet of snow at a time on a regular basis in winter, wot with the dread spectre of Global Warming now suddenly threatening the planet.

 

But again, that's just me.

[raz]

While I'm definitely for lubing it up if needed, I don't think it would crack just because it's not lubed. That would just make some noise and wear the bushing.

 

So why does it crack? Bad design? Bad manufacturing? Bad day? All of the above?

[big J]

Good point Raz,I've wondered that myself.The load path from the swinger would normally dictate that if the shock eye was to crack under normal fatigue patterns,it would go at the top,not the bottom.

 

Personally,I reckon it's bad materials.Maybe the eye wasn't properly heat treated or it may be the wrong spec of ally.I dunno for sure.Possibly even poor manufacture,though the part seems well enough finished.

 

My Sachs spat out all its oil a good while back.Fitted a Maxton unit.It's the dogs' swingers.

[badmotogoozer]

I'm with ya Raz. While I agree that lubing anything that moves is a good thing, I don't believe that this is the cause. So far the failures have all been in the same spot and cracked in the same manner. This suggests to me that this is more of a design/metallurgy fault than simple oxidation. The oxidation pics I've seen show the corrosion on the inside where the mount bolt goes through. The rubber eye should handle some roughness on either surface. Stressing it to crack? Should not do that. Something is amiss wrt metallurgy/design.

 

Rj

[Admin Jaap]

FWIW

[Alex-Corsa]

While I'm definitely for lubing it up if needed, I don't think it would crack just because it's not lubed. That would just make some noise and wear the bushing.

 

So why does it crack? Bad design? Bad manufacturing? Bad day? All of the above?

 

I agree for the above 100% , i believe that crcking can happen to bad quality stuff , that are as well wrongly fitted as well.

Never heard of an Öhlins,or a WP, doing that