Spring is sprung

[Bill Hagan]

At the dealer, I had to endure the staff telling me what a Guzzi god docc is.

Bill, how's your hearing? Did they say god, or dog?

 

 

 

What's a TY?

Did you try to send a message and couldn't ? I'll have to investigate.

 

Another week – commiserations.

 

At least you've got a dealer though. I have just come home, dead tired, splitting headache, stopped the bike and

I'm sure I kicked my foot out and

I thought I put the sidestand down

but you've guessed it...

I got off the bike and... there was no sidestand and over she went.

Now I've got to try glueing all the little bits of indicator back together again, 'cos there's no shop to buy a new one from.

 

I was shocked, too, not dog.

 

TY = Thank you.

 

Yes, did try, but kept being told msg was too long. I do tend to use 5 words when 2 or 3 (or fewer!) might do.

 

Regrets on the brain cramp. I did that with the EV once, at a gas station, with babes around. Even when one is in one's 50's (and mebbe especially then!), it is painful to look the fool with women. Sigh.

 

Can't wait for my garage so I can attempt what so many of you do routinely.

 

Bill

[windchill]

My dealer, who is replacing the spring under warranty, advises that MG will be supplying a "modified spring".

[Bill Hagan]

My dealer, who is replacing the spring under warranty, advises that MG will be supplying a "modified spring".

So I've heard.

 

Suppose making spring "hole" wider -- if that is fix -- is a bit easier/cheaper than having smaller bosses, tho either would seem to condemn MG to stocking two springs &/or for eternity:Spring/boss A for V11's that never need one because they have correct boss; spring/boss B for those that break!

 

Mebbe I'm missing something.

 

As evidence of how sick I am, went to dealer yesterday durig "visiting hours" and cleaned the Ballabio, as it was still covered in filth from 500 miles of stormy travel in back of U-Haul trailer. Sure looks good now.

[docc]

At the dealer, I had to endure the staff telling me what a Guzzi god docc is.

Bill, how's your hearing? Did they say god, or dog?

 

 

 

Arff!!

 

You, too, can become world famous if your gearbox breaks, leaks or misbehaves more than anyone else. As I've said: there is a world expert on the Guzzi 6-speed and it are us.

 

Strangely, the early boxes don't seem to suffer the spring breakage like they have in 2002 and, now apparently, later.

 

I always try to remind myself to shift like the springs are made of glass.

[belfastguzzi]

After the investigations, the bigger spring coil seemed to be the way for Guzzi to go.

I called at a spring manufacturer today to see if they would either sell me a length of spring steel or form a new spring for me.

Unfortunately they only made giant leaf springs for lorries, so no luck there.

 

If Guzzi are now saying that this is where the problem lies, then hopefully those who have sorted the spring/boss relationship will be ok in the future.....

...or was it Sweep who said he did this and the spring still broke again?

 

 

PS Docc

 

so what you're saying is, you're still a god

it's the bike that's the dog?

[Baldini]

My dealer... advises that MG will be supplying a "modified spring".

That's what they all say...

 

My second spring was a "modified" part - it broke. I should get him to check the size of the boss & the action of the spring on it when assembled with the shift plate.

 

Do you use Colwyn Bay? Which side of Anglesey are you?

 

KB

[tikkanen]

Speaking of the devil.........

I just did a 800 km (500 miles) trip to the western part of Denmark. On the return trip my gearbox decided that 4th gear was enough for me! I begged, jumped, hopped, pleased, yanked but to no avail - the bloody thing is stucked in fourth gear. Luckily it's still under warranty but to be quite honest I'm not too impressed about this - the bike has only been in my custody for a month and I've only covered 2000 km on it! Shame on you Guzzi! You have more then 80 years of experience and still flaws like this occur.

 

Søren not-so-happy-and-a-bit-p***** off Tikkanen, Denmark

 

PS: Just got my LeMans fairing on - looks awesome. Pics will be posted as soon as possible (I'm a complete jerk when it comes to computers and technique)

[windchill]

Baldini, yes I use Clowyn Bay! I have copied this thread, and others relevant to sprung springs and cogs to their e-mail. They know we know!

 

I'm actually in the middle of Anglesey, Llangefni.

[Guest aj howard]

At least you've got a dealer though. I have just come home, dead tired, splitting headache, stopped the bike and

 

This is my biggest nightmare, I am so sorry to hear about this happening.. so did anything besides the turnsignlas get wrecked?

 

There is a Rosso in Pittsburgh with 1000 miles on it that fell over, broke the turnsignal and scratched up the valve cover. It is in a salvage place who claims they got the bike at an insurance auction. He said the Ins company totaled the bike because the local Honda Dealer couldn't get the parts for the bike... they wanted $8000? for it on Cycletrader.

good luck with the superglue and the signal

[Guest Marcel]

Maybe the solution is not in trying to find how it broke, but what the characteristics are of a gearbox that has done 20kkm or 20k miles without a spring problem. Maybe it's not the sizes. Maybe it's how the spring is installed from the factory - i.e. which Luigi fitted your gearbox.

 

Anybody who's got a bike without this problem and handy enough to take the spring out? I'm not a handy andy to do this.

[Baldini]

Maybe it's not the sizes. Maybe it's how the spring is installed from the factory

How would that explain multiple breakages on one bike? It's a pretty simple installation.

 

I believe that the oversize boss causing spring to become coilbound in use would cause the spring to break. I'm not saying there may not be other causes/factors also yet to be discovered!

[belfastguzzi]

Maybe it's not the sizes. Maybe it's how the spring is installed from the factory

 

I believe that the oversize boss causing spring to become coilbound in use would cause the spring to break.

Yes, must be. Certainly not to do with how it is installed.

 

I have just received a new spring and 'ratchet arm' in the post*. Sure enough, the boss on this one is markedly smaller than the original one fitted. It is 15mm.

 

Maybe at the weekend I will whip off the selector plate and see how the repaired parts are doing – and maybe put the new bits in.

 

* I claimed the new parts under warranty, but as I got no response from the dealer to my e-mails and fax I thought they weren't coming – so I ordered and bought a new spring from elsewhere in England. Now I've gone from one broken spring to having 3 new springs. One is to be returned to John O'Sullivan though: cheers John.

[belfastguzzi]

This is my biggest nightmare, I am so sorry to hear about this happening.. so did anything besides the turnsignlas get wrecked?

I've got around that problem now. Fitted tiny, tucked in, micro indicators. Nobody will see me indicating, but at least I'll not break the things again.

[Guest Marcel]

Well,

 

I'm not even sure I know what a spring boss is (remember, I'm Dutch and not a mechanic), you guys seem to be a lot more knowledgeable. I'm just so surprised that on my bike (only 6k miles on it though) I've not had a spring problem and other peoples bikes seem to have 4 springs during similar mileage.

 

So maybe it's not the spring mounting thats wrong, but what the spring is mounted upon. Or something else. I'm just trying to find a different angle to look at the problem, since:

 

1. There are two different sizes in the spring

2. Both sizes are known to fail

 

Or did I miss something on the latter?

[Baldini]

I've not had a spring problem ... maybe it's not the spring mounting thats wrong, but what the spring is mounted upon.

 

1. There are two different sizes in the spring

2. Both sizes are known to fail

 

Marcel,

Rosso Mandello is 2001 model? It's the 02 (& later) models that have been breaking springs, Scuras esp.

The boss we refer to is a drum that the spring coil wraps around. Some are oversize causing the spring to become coilbound.

I have seen a number of these springs, some, supposedly modified later parts. They have all been the same size as far as I could see.

But as far as I know with a 2001 bike you shouldn't worry...

 

KB