The Scura Topic

[belfastguzzi]

Scotland where I crashed, and your bike blew over

Is there a place where Moto Guzzis should not go?

Scotland: a damp and windy country and not a natural habitat for Italian motorcycles.

Well let's look on the bright side – you got a café racer out of that incident and I got a Griso.

 

Is the cracked timing cover a generic V11 problem or just a mean Scura nastiness?

Look, keep the bike upright and the question is irrelevant. Fit car tyres and don't forget that spirit-level trick.

 

Once it's busted, the problem about welding the timing cover is finding someone who can do the tricky job, to keep everything flat and true, and who has the necessary equipment. I did locate a second-hand timing cover (guess where from: clue... reconfigure these jumbled letters... Y e R r K ) so I will put that on at some stage, possibly when I acquire a suitable manservant. 'When' I get that job done, then I can get the original cover welded to see how it fares.

 

Is there a highly believable excuse for Scura neglect?

~ If I had a garage with workspace, at the house, then I would have the V11 stripped and be working at it when I had bits and pieces of after-midnight time. Thus the job(s) would have been done long ago. The trouble is that my V-cycle is stored at work and not so accessible on a casual basis. Plus, hey, its replacement, the designer lifestyle Griso, fell apart at 2,500 miles and so began another lifetime project. ~

 

Is the Griso a much better bike?

The current Grisos would be. I bought too soon, just as serious 'series one' bugs were bursting out of (or more accurately, exploding inside) the first, newly designed, 8V engines. Generally the build quality and overall design cohesiveness of the 21st Century Griso is better than the Paleolithic V11. The clutch/gearbox is better and the suspension more modern-ish. The V11 leaked oil from various inadequately designed or poorly finished places, from bow, mid and stern of the machine, whereas, again, the Griso parts are better designed and built in that respect. When this subject used to arise in olden days, I always said that the V11 seemed a faster bike to ride than the better-engined Griso. I preferred its neat riding position to the high, wide, open to the backwards-forcing wind-blast seating of the Griso. The Griso was new to me then and I am more used to it now, however the observation probably still stands. I will be interested to try the V11 again...

The V11 is a heavy and longish bike. The Griso is lardy-heavy and longer than a long piece of string or even this post. Despite the Griso giganticness, its tank and range are indeed strangely pea-like and shorter than a short piece of string. Mind you, the V11 never had a great range either. Luckily, both these imperfect vehicles are great to ride in their own special ways and they share attractive traits, such as: character, blah, sound, blah, differentness, blah, proper stuffness, blah, not-stuffiness, blah etc etc. The Griso's eco-system is a bit more computer connected and dependent: judge for yourself if that is a good or bad thing, but it also means that there is increased dependency on access to a competent and properly equipped Service Agent. In my experience this is a Secret Service and even when an agent is exposed, he may turn out to be a sabotaging double-agent. With Guzzi, mechanical engineering self-reliance is a necessity (for many of us) and the olde worlde V11 facilitates tough love and bodgery a bit better than the emotionally sensitive touchy feely ECU of the Griso. I'll admit that I am scarred and traumatised... and in fact a Griso that comes from the factory as a good A grade product (rather than a B or C grade assembly) will likely need less looking after, less fiddling and fettling, than a V11. The V11, despite various incarnations and iterations from the factory, never really was a

sorted product, was it? Ipso facto www.v11lemans.com

 

Is there an end to this post?

See immediately above. I rest my case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[belfastguzzi]

What may I ask is the general concensus on after market pipes for the Scura. Do they make a difference to the ride. It seems to run fine, tho tappets seem a bit quiet so I will check them in the week. It is a bit snatchy on off power at lower revs but that could be me (unthinkable)but I must admit I would like a bit more noise than the eurofart that it makes now, tho I also dont want a rolling earthquake.

Dont want much, do I

 

New pipework & cans are good. I have had Stucchi x-over along with the MG Titanium kit that includes a 'race' ECU. The reduced weight is very welcome, as well as the sound. I then fitted a Quat-D box that has a very different sound (which I like) and it does away with the x-over and weight of cans hanging out the back.

 

Yes, get something lighter and better sounding. You may then need to also budget for a Power Commander.

 

 

 

[luhbo]

MIVV on high hangers, no extra ecu. It's the actual way to go. Cheap, light, and delivering exactly what you and your neighbours ever wanted.

 

 

About keeping the bike upright: I've trown away mine twice over the last years, with remarkable impact on the surroundings, I'd like to add. So far no housings have cracked. Perhaps it's a colour thing ...

 

Hubert

[Guzzirider]

I don't know if Guzzbun is still lurking about but I think he ought to post some pics of his 4 valve engined Scura- looks great in the flesh.

[belfastguzzi]

MIVV on high hangers, no extra ecu. It's the actual way to go. Cheap, light, and delivering exactly what you and your neighbours ever wanted.

That seems good.

About keeping the bike upright: I've trown away mine twice over the last years, with remarkable impact on the surroundings, I'd like to add. So far no housings have cracked.

To add a serious and reassuring note: there have been a very few reports of cracks at this mounting point, maybe only a couple on the forum here, after falls. It is not a common occurrence. My bike had a very heavy fall as it was loaded, including a heavy tank bag, with full camping equipment etc plus the fuel tank had only just been filled to the brim.

[luhbo]

Of course, I've been just lucky, I know. Last year we had one bike in my neighbourhood suffering the same crack, reason unknown. He bought it that way. Could have been a Scura, too, by pure incident.

[mo-biker]

Just to tempt providence and because I am too lazy/stupid to look it up, can anyone tell me what fork seals/oil I need to order from ohlins for my Scura and is there a more reliable seal. I notice there are some listed on ebay but are they as good as ebay brake pads!!

[luhbo]

Does THIS fit this dark thread?

 

Found it when I searched for Kawasaki seals matching Ohlins forks.

Try to push a very thin gauge blade, or a piece of celluloid film (for idea's sake), between lips and tube, then move it around the tube one or two times, and hope you've now shoved out all debris what caused the leak. Forums say this works as long as the rings aren't worn.

[jrt]

You know a proper and regular dose of vitamin C prevents this affliction, right?

 

Sailors have known this for eons. Why are you land lubbers so slow?

[mo-biker]

The seals are fine at the moment but according to BFG that is only a temporary situation!

I tried the celluloid film trick on a friends FJR1300 the forks had the very slightest of weeps, only 8kmls. Worked in a spotlesly clean enviroment, sure enough, very gently sliding the film in and out of the seals caused them to leak like a bastid!!!! so don't believe that myth.

[belfastguzzi]

Just to tempt providence and because I am too lazy/stupid to look it up, can anyone tell me what fork seals/oil I need to order from ohlins for my Scura and is there a more reliable seal. I notice there are some listed on ebay but are they as good as ebay brake pads!!

 

Order oil and seals for Ohlins Road & Track 43 forks.

 

Re grease: Ohlins race tech told me that Ohlins grease is not important. Just use standard grease.

 

I don't have a note of the alternative fork seals, which give a tighter fit and so are not so prone to leaking. Kawasaki does ring a bell, maybe Suzuki too?

 

 

R&T 43

 

The oil is Part No: 1309-01,

 

quote >

 

Especially formulated for Öhlins 43mm Road & Track front fork. Changing to another brand or type of front fork fluid will affect performance. For maximum perfomance change fork fluid every year.

 

Viscosity 19,0 cSt at 40°C.

 

 

Grease:

 

Öhlins front fork grease 148-01 (green

 

grease).

 

Öhlins front fork grease 00146-01 (red grease).

 

 

Regularly put a little Öhlins red grease (146-01)

 

regularly on the steel tube and work it in by pushing

 

the forks up and down.

 

Öhlins grease (green grease 148-01)

 

 

Use: loctite 270

 

Install the cartridge assembly using red

 

grease (146-01) on the thread going into

 

the fork bottom.

 

 

Loctite glue:

 

542 on Fork Bottom thread.

 

 

Tightening torque:

 

Triple Clamp bolt 15-18 Nm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[belfastguzzi]

Sailors have known this for eons.

BTW, Dynavector MC high output or Linn MM, or what?

I'm in a quandry.

 

 

[mo-biker]

BFG you are a mine of information. In the words of Elvis, Uh-Ithangyouverymhuch

[belfastguzzi]

Seal failure and subsequent fun and games cannot be guaranteed, Some killjoys say that their Ohlins remain dry after tens of thousands of miles/km.

I reckon that the seals are just high maintenance because they are more track biased than road. I don't think that the seal failure is caused by dirt or surface damage on the fork tubes. I, Baldini, etc always kept our fork legs waxed, no, I mean lightly greased/oiled and clean. Whenever the seals went, both sides would go together (give or take a few miles)– and to me that indicates product life rather than accidental damage, plus they leaked heavily, not just a little weep.

 

To be prepared, it's probably a good idea to know where you can get the parts, in case you do need them in future, but apart from that, don't worry about it. When it comes to replacement, fitting normal (tighter) road seals, Kawasaki or whatever the correct alternative is, could be sensible?

[Skeeve]

I reckon that the seals are just high maintenance because they are more track biased than road.

 

Yeah, Oehlins [sorry, I don't have umlauts on my U.S. keyboard! You know the old joke * ] are racing equipment.

 

When it comes to replacement, fitting normal (tighter) road seals, Kawasaki or whatever the correct alternative is, could be sensible?

 

Tighter, longer lasting seals = more sticktion = less compliance over the tiny bumps = losing the front end at 10/10ths speeds. Probably not a concern for our Guzzis, since they weigh in a good 50# over anything else the Oehlins get used on, & more avoirdupois = more traction.

 

Ride on!

 

* - "What do you call someone who speaks multiple languages? Multilingual or a polyglot. What do you call someone who speaks 2 languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone who speaks one language? English. What do you call someone who can't speak even one language (correctly)? An American!