shaft bolts

[docc]

I am beginning to reassemble the Sport and found the shaft bolts ( called ' high retention screws' in the shop manual) had flat threads.

 

I retapped the yoke on the shaft and I guess I'll try to find some bolts. They look like a special application so I don't think Ace Hardware is gonna have them. Do I have to get them from Guzzi or are there other options?

 

Then I see in the manual to replace the shaft after 20,000 kM (12,000 miles)! I should be on my third shaft by now. So, then, should I throw the shaft away, too?

[al_roethlisberger]

Dunno about the fasteners...

 

But everything I've read seems to indicate that the ~12k mile replacement of the shaft and cardan joints is a bit... a whole lotta bit... liberal. Most think this is just CYA boilerplate, and if the shaft and joints are well maintained, they can easily go over 50k miles with no problem.

 

Now have I run a shaft that long?? No, but that's what I've heard. So take it with a grain of salt <_>

 

 

al

[docc]

I posted a thread over at Wild Guzzi to see if I could hook Pete Roper into a reply. He almost always takes pity on saps like me who think they ought to throw their shaft away on a regular basis.

 

I hope I can get some proper bolts without waiting for spring or whatever Guzzi calls it when they start sending out parts again.

 

 

Didn't some of you say 'MG Cycles' is a good parts source. Maybe they have some of these bolts in a drawer.

[callison]

The early Daytonas had no zerk fittings on their exposed shafts. Some failed. Catastrophically (ask Rex Marsee about his 100+ mph trip on the pavement). The lawyers obviously come into play at this point, so the manual is EXTREMELY conservative, despite the fact that the new design can be lubed (but not easily). There are Sport 1100i's out there with 80,000+ miles on the original shaft. Keep it lubed and if you really get curious as to whether you feel a vibration (right footpeg) that is suspicious, you can get the bike up to speed, put in neutral, kill the engine and assess the vibration mode. Chances are, it will go away. If not, and you have been lubing the shaft on a regular basis like you're supposed to, check the wheel bearings for wear. That's exactly how I determined I had bad wheel bearings and not a shaft problem. 57,000+ miles on the Sport 1100i, 30,000+ miles on the V11 Sport. No shaft problems. Every other kind imaginable at the moment, but not the shaft.

[Paul Minnaert]

Doc, shaft bolts are nothing special, only they are 12.9 quality. So a good nut and bolt shop should have them.

 

And the shaft can be best examined when you have it in your hand, if it moves nice, with no play, it's safe

[docc]

Paul,

 

Thanks for the input. Pete Roper says basically the same. Now to find a bolt shop with the right fasteners.

 

When you say "12.9 quality" is that what we would call " grade 6" or Grade 8?"

[Paul Minnaert]

don't know, these are figures in metrical system, and pressed in the head of the bolt.

 

"normal" is 8.8 there is also a 10.2, and 12.8 is real strong. Normaly they are black, because a normal galvanisation process would distroy the hardning. Guzzi has grey bolts, they are possibly chemical treated to get the color.

[Guest IanJ]

A quick call to Tacoma Screw reveals that US Grade 8 and metric 10.2 are equivalent, and that 12.9 is harder than Grade 8, but maybe not all the way up to Grade 9. I was curious, and figured I might as well share.

[docc]

The driveshaft retention bolts are stamped " B - 8.8 OG " and appear to be stainless steel.

 

I wonder if something in that designation refers to the " high retention" capabilty referred to in the manual. I also wonder if high retention means that when you take them out they pull all the threads out of the yoke?

 

You guys are the best! What would I do with this kind of input? I'll go out tomorrow to source some 'normal' hardness stainless fasteners and lock-tite those babies in. This is the only thing standing between a pile of parts and a backroad boogie!