Pressure Gauge Adapted

[WitchCityBallabio]

Greg,

 

What is the part number of the electrical sender unit or is it a standard metric pipe fitting? Does that sender come with the VDO gauge?

 

 

Doug

[Greg Field]

I'll look it up. I actually have a spare one that I bought for the Eldo, but it won't work on the Eldo because it doesn't clear the bracket that holds the alternator. The sender is sold separately from the gauge. I also have the gauge, come to think of it.

[Ryland3210]

But of course many of us have different handlebars.

In that photo are my OEM bars, but now I have Convertibars.

I'll have to take some more photos.

 

Seems like the simple solution is either a sheet metal bracket to a convenient existing screw location, or a clamp around the handlebars. The Cafe Sport and Ballabio type instrument panels are straightforward for the bolt on design I use on my bike. I prefer the simplicity of the banjo bolt adapter. No electrical hookup, and can be installed with an open end wrench without taking off the tank or changing with the existing pressure switch setup.

[Beuphonium]

The wire clears the gauge and block. I had no idea what the wire was for, but it came in handy to tie wrap the throttle cables to.

 

That wire prevents a key fob from getting caught in between the ignition switch and the gauge mount. Without it there it's relatively easy to have a key chain jam the steering if one wasn't careful. I figured this out as I was removing it to fit the V11 Sport dash panel on my Cafe' Sport.

 

I am really liking the idea of a pressure gauge... either mechanical or electrical. I'm using one of the holes left over from the handlebar mounts now to mount my Sigma computer.. maybe I can find a way to put a pressure gauge on the other one?

[Ryland3210]

That wire prevents a key fob from getting caught in between the ignition switch and the gauge mount. Without it there it's relatively easy to have a key chain jam the steering if one wasn't careful. I figured this out as I was removing it to fit the V11 Sport dash panel on my Cafe' Sport.

 

I am really liking the idea of a pressure gauge... either mechanical or electrical. I'm using one of the holes left over from the handlebar mounts now to mount my Sigma computer.. maybe I can find a way to put a pressure gauge on the other one?

 

Ah Hah! That use of the wire never occurred to me. I did find it a convenient place to tie wrap my control cables to. Another bike I own has a reputation of more than average ignition switch failures, and a blazer I owned years ago began to get difficult to operate. It was caused by excessive wear from the weight of several keys on a key ring hanging on the ignition key. For that reason, I don't have key fobs on my motorcycle keys.

 

As to the gauge using an existing screw, why not?! The combined weight of the gauge and adapter manifold is not much. I'm willing to work with you to try to figure out how to modify the manifold I used on my bike to adapt to another connection point on a bolt-on basis. Towards the beginning of this thread you can see the profile view showing the hexagonal shaped adapter. It should be pretty simple to use its two existing screw locations to attach either a machined or sheet metal adapter, but I'll need some pictures. Send me a personal message if you're interested.

[Ryland3210]

The way the filter is mounted on V11, the oil can't drain back. I do the pre-oiling trick, too.

 

Although the filter is mounted upside down, and part of it is below the oil level, there are still all the oil passages above the sump level and filter creating a pressure due to gravity. Without an anti drainback valve in the filter, what would stop this from slowly draining back to the sump? As you probably already know, the UFI OEM filter spec calls for an anti-drainback valve, which does increase the cost of the filter. So does the Purolator cross.

[Greg Field]

Although the filter is mounted upside down, and part of it is below the oil level, there are still all the oil passages above the sump level and filter creating a pressure due to gravity. Without an anti drainback valve in the filter, what would stop this from slowly draining back to the sump? As you probably already know, the UFI OEM filter spec calls for an anti-drainback valve, which does increase the cost of the filter. So does the Purolator cross.

 

The same filter is used upside down in all the Cali 100s and later. It needs the drainback valve in those applications. Guzzi chose it for the V11 Sports because it was already in the parts system and worked well. In the V11 Sport appication, the valve is superfluous.

[Ryland3210]

The same filter is used upside down in all the Cali 100s and later. It needs the drainback valve in those applications. Guzzi chose it for the V11 Sports because it was already in the parts system and worked well. In the V11 Sport appication, the valve is superfluous.

 

Sorry Greg, I still don't get it. You haven't been specific beyond "needs" in one case and "superfluous" in the other. Please explain what other mechanism in the V11 Sports series prevents oil from draining down from the parts of the engine above the sump level.

[Greg Field]

A drainback valve primarily keeps the oil in the filter from draining out. It doesn't really keep the whole system primed. Loosen your oil fittings that are above the sump and prove this to yourself. The bottom of the filter is solid. On the V11 Sport, the bottom of the filter hangs down. The top of the filter (the part with the holes) faces up. Oil cannot come out of the filter, unless pumped or the shell is punctured or the motorcycle is turned upside down. Thus, unless the motorcycle is turned upsiode down, the drainback valve is superfluous. I do not believe you would ever find a siphon effect in this system. On the other filter-type Guzzis, the top of the filter is face down. Oil can drain out of it, absent a drainback valve.

[Ryland3210]

A drainback valve primarily keeps the oil in the filter from draining out. It doesn't really keep the whole system primed. Loosen your oil fittings that are above the sump and prove this to yourself. The bottom of the filter is solid. On the V11 Sport, the bottom of the filter hangs down. The top of the filter (the part with the holes) faces up. Oil cannot come out of the filter, unless pumped or the shell is punctured or the motorcycle is turned upside down. Thus, unless the motorcycle is turned upsiode down, the drainback valve is superfluous. I do not believe you would ever find a siphon effect in this system. On the other filter-type Guzzis, the top of the filter is face down. Oil can drain out of it, absent a drainback valve.

 

The key here is your comment that it doesn't "really" keep the whole system primed. I wasn't thinking of a siphon effect, just the gravitational head of the oil in passages above the sump oil level which will create back pressure on the oil filter. No siphon effect is required for that to exist. If the anti drainback valve functions properly, then where does the oil go unless there is a siphon effect?

[Greg Field]

It drains down through the bearings. There is clearance there, as you know. The top of the V11 filter is at very nearly the same level as the lower edge of the rear main bearing, the lowest point with bearing clearance. The drainback valve is superfluous for this reason.

[Ryland3210]

It drains down through the bearings. There is clearance there, as you know. The top of the V11 filter is at very nearly the same level as the lower edge of the rear main bearing, the lowest point with bearing clearance. The drainback valve is superfluous for this reason.

 

The rear main bearing has to be high enough so the crankpins clear the sump and then some. Half of the stroke is 40 mm.

 

How much oil is an estimated 2-4 inches above the top of the filter? I don't know, but it's something, so the anti drainback valve is not entirely useless.

 

By the way, it actually takes longer to build pressure when starting the bike at 65 degrees F than it did at 34! This seems to favor higher viscosity oils if the goal is long term plain bearing life for this specific engine.

[Ryland3210]

Here is a website with pix of the pressure gauge kit on my '04 Cafe Sport. It has also been applied to the LeMans successfully.

 

www.motratech.com

 

and a link: http://www.motratech.com/Welcome.html

[GuzziMoto]

By the way, it actually takes longer to build pressure when starting the bike at 65 degrees F than it did at 34! This seems to favor higher viscosity oils if the goal is long term plain bearing life for this specific engine.

I believe there is a difference between pressure and flow. A thicker oil will build pressure quicker when cold but a thinner oil will flow to the bearings faster.

In my opinion, the pressure build is not because the oil is getting to the bearings quicker, but rather because it is resisting going to the bearings.

[OregonAl]

I believe there is a difference between pressure and flow. A thicker oil will build pressure quicker when cold but a thinner oil will flow to the bearings faster.

In my opinion, the pressure build is not because the oil is getting to the bearings quicker, but rather because it is resisting going to the bearings.

 

Is it possible to get the gauge in white to match the veglia of earlier v11 bikes?