floppy crossover Fixed!

[Guest turtle]

I fixed my floppy crossover for good . The front crossover on 03 and 04 V11’s relies on a graphite gasket to seal between the crossovers ball end and a standard exhaust tube. Invariably, the gasket takes a set and the crossover becomes loose and can not be tightened enough to compensate.

 

I had some stainless steel shims turned that mate with the ball at their inside corners. The shims still allow for the ball joint to swivel until installation is complete and the clamps are tightened. Once tightened the shim makes a perfect seal and the edges grasp so firmly that you could lift the bike by the crossover . It is imperative that the shim is machined within a thousandth of an inch in critical areas including its inside corners and outer diameter .

 

The machining job was expensive because of the small quantity but if a few of you gathered together it may not be so bad. I’m just glad to be back on the road .

 

Thanks, Aaron Bard

[al_roethlisberger]

Oh my lordee... can someone modify the post using the resized photo below

 

Also, can you include dimensional specs for the part such that one could just take the design down to their local machinist? Great work, as this is the first real solution I've seen to this problem for 03+ owners

[al_roethlisberger]

Here ya go, images resized, you can delete the images in your post for easier reading

[al_roethlisberger]

Working drawing image resized:

[al_roethlisberger]

Well, OK, but you could have just replaced the images in this thread with the ones I resized for ya, or deleted them in your posts without starting a whole new thread

 

Keep in mind, if you began a thread, you can delete it, and you can always edit or delete individual posts(including images) of your own within any thread.

 

Just trying to help

 

 

 

al

[Guest turtle]

Thanks al, but how do I alter or delete a thread

[al_roethlisberger]

Each post has an "edit" button, and I believe(although I've never done it) that if you delete the first post, you will delete the thread.

 

al

[Guest northend]

Hey Turtle,

How much are the collars going to cost if we get a few of us together???

I wonder if some exaust tape wrapped around the ball and then put together and clamped would work??

[Guest Le Man]

Are you guys sure you want to remove the flop? My crossover is loose when cold and tight when hot and I would be concerned with cracking or something if it was tightened cold.

 

But there are a lot of smart guys on this forum and if it would be a good thing to tighten this and nothing has broken let us know.

 

Mike

[Guest turtle]

All the parts are stainless and expand and contract at the same rate. I’ll try to get pricing for different quantities.

[Bill Hagan]

Are you guys sure you want to remove the flop?  My crossover is loose when cold and tight when hot and I would be concerned with cracking or something if it was tightened cold.

 

  But there are a lot of smart guys on this forum and if it would be a good thing to tighten this and nothing has broken let us know.

 

Mike

Good question.

 

I was concerned about this when I first noticed it and posted here about it.

 

But do wonder now what the harm is. An occasional twist of the bolts takes up any objectionable slack.

 

But, mebbe I'm missing something -- a constant state of mine, especially in things mechanical. Maybe I just like my "fix" 'cuz its about the only wrenching in my skill span!

[twhitaker]

Sure, the exhaust parts are all stainless and expand at the same rate, but the engine is mostly aluminum, which expands at a much higher rate. Assuming all parts are the same temperature the engine will exert a pull on the crossover pipe. Not much mind you, but, maybe enough to crack the exhaust.

[Guest turtle]

With the old gasket I had bottomed out the clamp and could not get it tight enough .

 

I’m not worried about the expansion of the engine because the shape allows for Pivoting of the ball end with large forces. My comment about the stainless referred to the clamp area.

Anyway, I think the ball end was made to ease assembly and to make up for inconsistencies elsewhere. I believe the Cali has a welded crossover

 

 

It is possible that the now metal contact will conduct more heat into the crossover.

 

Is there anything in the crossover that can not take the heat?

[Keith Foster]

Good work on the sleeve turtle. Something I thought of that could be used for those worried about the "solid" sleeve fix would be what 2 stroke riders use on their pipes. Expansion chamber tape. Sold in many off road bike shops, it is a kind of taffy conststency, white tape product that expands when hot. It's used to seal the exhaust port to expansion chambers on 2 stroke MX bikes. It seem like it would work here - YMMV

[Steve G.]

I'm in no position to argue Moto Guzzi's claim for more power/midrange as a result of the crossover headers. Visually, I feel they could have done better. Perhaps to put the crossover lower down. And as for the leaks, this could be an ongoing problem, much like the later years Commandos, where they added just such a crossover to improve power/torque, but which leaked so badly and so often, almost all Commandos are now single headers from both cylinders.

Ciao, Steve G.