Making a Cushier Cush Drive

[dlaing]

By all means, be sure to take photo's and post 'em here.

You betcha! But it may take 20 years before I can show an after shot.

Hopefully it will be atleast 100,000 miles before you show us the inside of your well lubed and drilled cush drive.

[Guest ratchethack]

Hopefully it will be atleast 100,000 miles before you show us the inside of your well lubed and drilled cush drive.

Um, there's a superb shot of wot it looks like in Greg's opening post, Dave.

[raz]

I've been in neighborhoods of New York and New Jersey (LA and Detroit too, for that matter) where this kind of publicly expressed disrespect for the wrong Professionals can get you whacked.

That sounds like a thread.

Yes it does. I'm with you Dave, not that I understand your reasons for giving this issue this much attention.

 

Should you get whacked for discussing this matter, in the way you do, in this forum, I will sell my Guzzi and buy a Toyota Prius. And never ever again go two wheels. In fact I will forever deny ever having heard of Moto Guzzi. FFS Ratch, wasn't that a tad out of line, even between you two?

[Guest ratchethack]

. . .I will sell my Guzzi and buy a Toyota Prius. And never ever again go two wheels. In fact I will forever deny ever having heard of Moto Guzzi.

Now that might be just a little overly-dramatic, don't you think?? Take it easy, Raz. Isn't this the kinda thing some guys I've heard about do when they've had a very very bad marriage -- so bad, that after the divorce, they turn into drama queens and go Gay??

FFS Ratch, wasn't that a tad out of line, even between you two?

I reckon not unless humor is out o' line, Raz -- lest we be spanning that Great Transatlantic Cultural Divide again?

 

Hey Raz -- ever watch The Sopranos? That'll give you an idea.

 

Wise guys. Sicilian Mafiosi. Capice?

 

THE CODE:

• Reciprocal assistance to ANY Mafia member in need without question.
  
• Total obedience to the GodFathers.
  
• An attack on any Mafia member is to be considered an attack on all members.
  
• No dealing with authorities under ANY circumstances.
  
• The code of Omerta (silence) is to be maintained under penalty of death..
  

Now I doubt that unless Pete, Greg, and Dan are in the Witness Protection Program under assumed names for their real names -- Guido, Carmine, and Luca -- that there's likely any contracts out on Dave yet -- but these days, y'never can tell. . .

 

Where's that TFPIC (tongue fully planted in cheek) emoticon, Jaap??

[richard100t]

I've now had a chance to get the bike out & give it a good run since I liberally greased the cush drive.

I must say there is a difference that is noticeable It is a little smoother between shifts.

It was worth the three cents worth of grease that it cost me, but its nothing to brag about either. Hey better is better I suppose

[Guest ratchethack]

Richard, you're obviously a stuck-in-the-mud Luddite without a clue. Don't you understand that by the wonders of modern Materials Engineering -- Better Living Through Chemistry! -- that Space-Age technology can now be applied to this Agricultural Age Anachronism?!

 

Why, you should be off in the laboratory doing Polymer Physics experiments for the next 6 months!

 

Instead, you'll actually be riding your Guzzi. . .

 

You poor, unsophisticated Rube! You just don't get it , do you?!

 

[insert Jaap's new TFPIC (tongue firmly planted in cheek) emoticon here]

 

Congratulations, my friend!

 

You've had the intelligence and the common sense to do wot those who want to properly treat their Guzzis -- and actually ride them -- do.

 

Just curious. After all the brouhaha, any reason you didn't drill the blocks and/or go with 3 pairs of the usual 6 pairs?

 

I figure you'd have mentioned this if you'd done it.

[guzzijack]

I've now had a chance to get the bike out & give it a good run since I liberally greased the cush drive.

I must say there is a difference that is noticeable It is a little smoother between shifts.

It was worth the three cents worth of grease that it cost me, but its nothing to brag about either. Hey better is better I suppose

 

I guess this illustrates the point I made in my previous post about, let's see, five pages ago . If the average owner/rider just took the time to maintain the cush drive as per, then it could at least perform as it was designed to do. Anything over and above that may improve matters - or maybe not, (insert sounds of disintegrating rubber pucks, crashing vanes and mangled driveline components ).

 

GJ

[belfastguzzi]

I guess this illustrates the point I made in my previous post about, let's see, five pages ago . If the average owner/rider just took the time to maintain the cush drive as per, then it could at least perform as it was designed to do. Anything over and above that may improve matters - or maybe not, (insert sounds of disintegrating rubber pucks, crashing vanes and mangled driveline components ).

 

GJ

OK you've convinced me.

What's the best material to use to fill the holes in again?

[richard100t]

Richard, you're obviously a stuck-in-the-mud Luddite without a clue. Don't you understand that by the wonders of modern Materials Engineering -- Better Living Through Chemistry! -- that Space-Age technology can now be applied to this Agricultural Age Anachronism?!

 

Why, you should be off in the laboratory doing Polymer Physics experiments for the next 6 months!

 

Instead, you'll actually be riding your Guzzi. . .

 

You poor, unsophisticated Rube! You just don't get it , do you?!

 

[insert Jaap's new TFPIC (tongue firmly planted in cheek) emoticon here]

 

Congratulations, my friend!

 

You've had the intelligence and the common sense to do wot those who want to properly treat their Guzzis -- and actually ride them -- do.

 

Just curious. After all the brouhaha, any reason you didn't drill the blocks and/or go with 3 pairs of the usual 6 pairs?

 

I figure you'd have mentioned this if you'd done it.

Well Ratch tbh I figured that if Guzzi put all those pucks in there they did it for a reason. I'm not smarter than they are & if I were I'd build & sell my own bikes As for the reason I didnt drill holes in them? Well I dont have a drill press at home & I didnt want to take them to work & do it. Besides I had the grease right there & hey I wanted to go eat dinner, no time for playing around!

[Guest ratchethack]

Well Ratch tbh I figured that if Guzzi put all those pucks in there they did it for a reason.

 

 

[dlaing]

OK you've convinced me.

What's the best material to use to fill the holes in again?

The splines you removed may be a little softer than chrome-moly steel, but will do the trick if combined with DOW CORNING 3145 RTV SILICONE SEALANT ADHESIVE or for a more compliant 'feel' try Dow Corning 360 medical grade silicone fill, but don't sue me nor Dow if your ride becomes all lopsided or develops other symptoms

[Bruce Reader]

So given that a cushier cush may be better for your tush.........................

 

Ratchet mentioned that the hole locations may be significant.

 

If so, any further instruction for the backyard mechanic ?

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

[luhbo]

...

If so, any further instruction for the backyard mechanic ?

....

 

Put your fingers elsewhere.

 

Hubert

[mike wilson]

 

These rubber parts as they are delivered by Moto Guzzi work as designed. Drilling them is not a good idea. They are not designed to work as soft springs with relatively big elongations, it's just the wrong material and the wrong shape.

 

If you make the geometry too soft, not rigid enough, the geometry will disintegrate.

 

A hole here and one there may do no harm, at least it gives you the good feeling that you were kind to her, but these cheesy pix and the 50% reduction of cushions are something very worth a controvers discussion, to say the least.

 

You can probably see what I want to say with the above, hopefully also behind the one or other wrong word or grammatical construct.

 

 

Excellent. Much better than silly pictures and I agree that what you raise is a distinct possibility. However, more than one person has "inflicted" the modification on their rear end with, so far, no adverse effects. It seems that the vanes have plenty of strength in them for quite drastic modification, allowing for the variations possible regarding their varied lives to date.

 

 

I guess you have not noticed how many emoticons Ratchet uses for his errha-rational arguments.

 

Indeed. But inbetween them is some very interesting stuff. Not that I always agree with it....

[Guest ratchethack]

So given that a cushier cush may be better for your tush.........................

 

Ratchet mentioned that the hole locations may be significant.

 

If so, any further instruction for the backyard mechanic ?

 

Cheers

 

Bruce

Bruce, IMHO you want to take material out in proportion to the thickness of the wedges. With smaller holes, as Greg has done, this is a simpler consideration. Larger holes require a bit of analysis, with more holes placed at the wider ends. Again, I don't think this is anything to get hyper-concerned about, but then, my arguments in this thread based on having actually done this successfully myself three years ago (without a trace of any problem ever since) seem to've been "errha-rational".