v11 rear drive pinion play

[Lucky Phil]

Was checking the drive shaft on the V11 sport the other day and noticed some play/movement in the pinion shaft.I removed the bevel box/drive assy and I have approx .4mm total radial play and approx .075mm axial.

Reading through some old posts I came across Peter Ropers thread on this from 2004 which was very interesting.

I tried to tap/drift the large ring nut tighter and looser but it wouldnt move,so I guess I need to make a tool.

Question is.....is the play/movement I have excessive for a 40,000klm old unit? I know in an ideal world it should be next to zero but I dont fancy pulling the whole unit apart to check bearings that may not be new but stll quite ok to continue in operation.

I also drained the oil to check for metal contamination but the previous owner has obviously used some sort of Molly additive and the oil is as black as tar and its almost impossible to see anything in it.The mag plug came up fine with just some black paste I would expect to see.So apart from the noted pinion shaft play there is nothing else I am concerned about.....thoughts?

Ciao

[docc]

The moly in the rear drive is correct for the Moto Guzzi specification.

 

The play is typical, but I don't know how much is too much.

[Lucky Phil]

Ok,soaked the large pinion ring nut in wd40 and managed to loosen it with a hammer and alloy drift a little.Just to get it moving.Couldnt get it to tighten any more than it was previously,so the original play still exists.

Ciao

[The Monkey]

You will know when its too much. When it feels like stirring porridge in a pot! Thankfully Petes (Colins) article preps one for Pinion needle bearing replacement. Just trying to cajole a friend into this job as I dont have the time or place. I first noticed a little excessive end play a couple seasons back and now it is obviously time to enter the box. 100k on machine.

[docc]

You will know when its too much. When it feels like stirring porridge in a pot! Thankfully Petes (Colins) article preps one for Pinion needle bearing replacement. Just trying to cajole a friend into this job as I dont have the time or place. I first noticed a little excessive end play a couple seasons back and now it is obviously time to enter the box. 100k on machine.

 

100,000 kM, yes?

[The Monkey]

That's right Doc. I noticed a little radial movement from the end of the pinion shaft, not too bad but more than there should be in my opinion. I think it better to get inside and replace a cheap needle bearing to keep things tight as opposed to letting things develop to an expensive end.

[danl]

*This topic has been covered in a few threads, but I was hoping to get some input from other members about the actual amount of radial play they have at the pinion shaft*

 

I'm going through the V11 in preparation for this years Southern Spine Raid and I'm thinking that my pinion shaft is a little looser that I remember.  It has had some radial play for as long as I can remember, but this time I actually put a dial indicator on it to measure it.  With the rear u-joint positioned so that one of the bearing caps for the rear coupling is at 12:00 I have 0.025" of play.  Photos attached to show the point where I'm measuring.  This was measured cold.  I haven't dropped the oil yet because I haven't been able to get it warm since I noticed this.  Finding out the condition of the oil is my next step, but I was wondering if anyone else has done (or is willing to do) a comparable measurement.

 

 

[docc]

Bringing your dial indicator south? South'n SpineRaid TechSession!!      

[danl]

Hey, what an idea!  I definitely will.

[Tinus89]

Hey everyone, quick question on the same subject (I could not find the answer via search).

Whenever I roll my V11 forward, and then engage the first gear to drive off, I hear a clunking noise. I just noticed it as I normally drive with earplugs, but this time without.

The noise is coming from the bevel gear "sloppage". I can see the axle going into the bevel box turn about 1/8 of a turn before it actually engages, making a bit of a clunking noise. Should I worry and start taking things apart, or is this normal V11 sloppyness?

 

When I engage the gear after reversing (so bevel gears are engaged already), the noise is not there. Also no other strange noises coming from the bike.

[Lucky Phil]

42 minutes ago, Tinus89 said:

Hey everyone, quick question on the same subject (I could not find the answer via search).

Whenever I roll my V11 forward, and then engage the first gear to drive off, I hear a clunking noise. I just noticed it as I normally drive with earplugs, but this time without.

The noise is coming from the bevel gear "sloppage". I can see the axle going into the bevel box turn about 1/8 of a turn before it actually engages, making a bit of a clunking noise. Should I worry and start taking things apart, or is this normal V11 sloppyness?

 

When I engage the gear after reversing (so bevel gears are engaged already), the noise is not there. Also no other strange noises coming from the bike.

No stop worrying.

Ciao