Shift Spring & Breather - extra issue.

[MickM]

While this subject has been well documented, and thanks to everyone who posts such stuff, my experience might help some avoid grief. Just had a problem with my 2002 LeMans and found -

 

1) Shift spring. My spring boss was 16.2mm diameter. Machined it down to 14.8mm, checked for coil binding, found it was OK but that when you looked down on the spring 'tab' or end, it was moving outward across the shift lever as spring tension increased. The coil portion of the spring was getting a twist when tensioned that was causing the movement of about 2mm. It's very possible that in time this would chafe and fatigue the spring tab and, even with a 15mm boss, you might someday still be stranded. I then used a shim washer about 1.5mm thick on each side of the spring to loosely support the coil and prevent the twisting action. The spring tab now stays put across the full range of shift motion. As extra security I polished the spring tab and the mating portion of the shift lever. I'm wholly confident my set-up will never break. I guess that some springs may be better than mine in this respect, some may be worse.

 

2) Lower breather hose (braided return line from frame to sump). Had oil on my left boot. Enough that it had come from the banjo onto the L/H barrell and been blown backward, over me. Found that the banjo bolt was tight enough & that the hose end wasn't split or anything. Much head scratching found that the banjo bolt was the wrong width to correctly allow the inner (next to frame) Dowty seal to sit on the appropriate part of the bolt. Instead, it was on the edge of the thread. Now why Guzzi use Dowty seals with a steel washer escapes me. Yeah, they're re-useable but that's not a lot of use if they won't seal. You'd be no chance with this combination unless the banjo bolt was almighty tight. Replaced the inner Dowty seal with a plain copper crush washer. Fixed.

 

3) Gearbox breather. Read the postings about splash guards and, while some of those pictured are very nicely done, figured there had to be an easier way. Removed the standard breather & popped the cap off it. There's hole about 6mm diameter drilled down into the fitting which holds a piece of tube real easy. Brazed a short piece of steel tube in to take a length of hose. There's a small gap between the horizontal spine of the frame & the R/H inner face of the airbox which you can push a hose thru so that it exits directly above the breather. Very difficult, probably impossible, to get the hose onto your breather fitting if you were to instal the fitting first, so just pull the hose all the way thru, instal over breather and then fit breather (with hose still attached of course). I ran the hose up near the storage tray beneath the seat, but anywhere sheltered is obviously OK.

 

I really love this bike but it does really annoy me that we should have to do this stuff. I came off old Ducatis so can live with it, but I can only imagine the frustration of guys who buy these after years of Jap ownership ?

I've now done these things and have run an extra earth return (to fix the intermittent tach problem).

 

I've searched the FAQ and think / hope that I can now just ride & enjoy. Is there anything else I should or need to do ?

[Baldini]

... I'm wholly confident my set-up will never break....

!!!

 

MickM,

 

Welcome & thanks for your post.

Re g/box spring - The washers seem like a good idea to restrict spring sliding across arm. I didn't feel this movement in itself would be enough to cause spring to break as it's hardened and arm isn't, so it just wears a groove...maybe over v.high miles? we talked about bending tab of spring right around arm to retain. Anyhow I agree it would be good to stop sliding movement & may copy you w/washers when I look in there. Thanks.

 

Check all nuts & bolts for tightness.

 

Guzzi can be v mean w grease gun. Esp check needle roller bearing in outside of rear drive hub.

 

Mine had rear wheel bearing spacer too short, knocked out bearings when axle was tightened.

 

Make sure there's plenty freeplay in rear brake actuating mech. Some have had binding r brakes.

 

Some wear bushes of r brake torque arm.

 

Check tappet clearances not too tight. Dunno where you are but I believe some US bikes ran bad cos of this. Also in US people have had problems with vacuum developing in tank.

 

G/box commonly weeps. Various possibilities. I suspect seal of rear cover, tho pos lower part of sidecover also. Usually only tiny amount, collects on collector box (of course )

 

Some have had badly ass'd timing chest gasket blow. Check for weeping around seal, usually by engine mount bolts. Mine was solved just by tightening but if you see a bit of gasket sticking out...

 

These are occasional problems on some bikes, most are easily fixed. A search will turn up stuff on all these things.

 

Bike takes a while to run in, about 10K miles motor's really smoothing out. It's a good bike.

 

KB

[Bill Hagan]

Many thanks to you both.

 

I am excited about having a garage built soon, so I can give such fixes a shot on my own instead of having to count on dealer. They are good folks, but are not going to go th the trouble to "custom" mechanical work.

 

Of course, as a tyro wrench, I may sideline my Guzzis unintentionally when I manage to do an "Aw @#$%^."

 

Again, very much appreciate your effort to diagnose, fix, and--best--record your experiences and observations.

 

Bill

[al_roethlisberger]

I did the same with my shift return spring, "shimming" and supporting it with a washer to keep the spring in place

 

 

Glad to see you are getting it sorted out

 

 

al

[MickM]

Thanks, particularly Baldini for the list ... back to the workshop.

 

I do agree with the comment that the spring is hardened while the mating portion of the shift lever isn't. I found on mine that the spring tab had a clear polished mark where it had chafed from movement (4200km). If Guzzi were to finish the edge of the shift lever so there wasn't a sharp edge it probably wouldn't be, as Baldini suggests, an issue likely to cause spring failure. But better safe than sorry and once it's apart you may as well do the whole deal.

 

I've generally found that, apart from these annoying flaws, the basic engineering in a V11 really is very, very good. And I'd rather have it that way than vice versa!

[Baldini]

...I've generally found that, apart from these annoying flaws, the basic engineering in a V11 really is very, very good. And I'd rather have it that way than vice versa!...

 

MickM,

 

Think you figured Guzzis! You had them before?

 

KB

[Zooter]

Badabump from the bowels of the forum. Has anyone else washered the pawl spring and done 30k miles since?