Guzzi clutch/flywheel question

[Paul Minnaert]

What benefits do you have by changing to a lighter flywheel?

 

engine revs faster.

[mark.gilmore]

Clutch makes more noise.

[mdude]

sorry, faster throttle reaction goes without saying, but the rest of my question should be: and what about the downside of a lighter flywheel? loss in driveability?

[bigbikerrick]

About the flywheel. What benefits do you have by changing to a lighter flywheel?

66338[/snapback]

I think it lets the bike rev faster.

[belfastguzzi]

what about the downside of a lighter flywheel? loss in driveability?

66361[/snapback]

No, unless you're driving through mud.

[badmotogoozer]

I'm glad I dont have the Scura though.

66182[/snapback]

 

Aren't we all! Except the Scura owners of course...

 

Rj

[belfastguzzi]

Aren't we all! 

66389[/snapback]

Big girls' blouses

[Guest ratchethack]

what about the downside of a lighter flywheel? loss in driveability?

Unless there's enough flywheel to produce steady angular velocity, power pulses at idle and low RPM tend to literally beat the drive train to death starting with the splines in the clutch hub, all the way through the trans and bevel drive. A light flywheel will take a toll on the con rod big-ends too, for the same reason. Without some "beef" on the flywheel to provide inertia, it's also easier to snuff the engine at launch without slipping the clutch.

[badmotogoozer]

Big girls' blouses 

66390[/snapback]

 

contain big girls' breasts...

 

Riding a Scura is like riding a fat girl... they're both a lot of fun but you wouldn't want your friends to see you...

 

Rj

[Guest Nogbad]

Going back to flywheels, I would be worried about an ally flywheel that didn't have cast in steel inserts in the hub area to take the bolt tension and resist creep. I dunno what the maximum temperature that flywheel can attain with a hot engine and clutch abuse, but my guess is that it would get into the creep range of most casting alloys. Cue loss of bolt tension, and fatigue sets in. Without inserts, MG would have to be careful with control of the alloy spec and casting conditions. Probably too careful.

[Guzzirider]

contain big girls' breasts...

 

is like riding a fat girl... they're both a lot of fun but you wouldn't want your friends to see you...

 

Rj

66400[/snapback]

 

 

More cushin' for the pushin'!

[belfastguzzi]

Unless there's enough flywheel to produce steady angular velocity, power pulses at idle and low RPM tend to literally beat the drive train to death starting with the splines in the clutch hub, all the way through the trans and bevel drive.  A light flywheel will take a toll on the con rod big-ends too, for the same reason.  Without some "beef" on the flywheel to provide inertia, it's also easier to snuff the engine at launch without slipping the clutch.

66396[/snapback]

But of course there is enough flywheel in the V.11 (Scura e.g.). No problem in getting off from standstill.

[Guest ratchethack]

But of course there is enough flywheel in the V.11 (Scura e.g.). No problem in getting off from standstill.

66410[/snapback]

Roper sings the virtues of "depleted uranium" Ambo flywheels... must be 'cause it's so much fun to go millions of years backwards in time and see stars at the far reaches of the Universe every time you drop one on your foot.

[belfastguzzi]

Roper sings the virtues of "depleted uranium" Ambo flywheels...

66411[/snapback]

Ahh – the exception that proves the rule

 

but they're diesel bikes, right? Plus he needs to keep up momentum bashing through the kangaroo herds and over the koalas, not to mention overcoming the severe inertia of the weight of his wallet. After he buys the Griso he'll be able to use a lighter flywheel.

 

I guess if I'd a California (or Ural combination) a heavy flywheel would be just the ticket.

[pete roper]

Yup, horses for courses. I've had plenty of light flywheel Guzzis and our race bike has a really incredibly light single plate unit (of unknown manufacturer.) and for that purpose it's great. For road use though, in my old Tontis, which are not ridden head-down, bum-up but are used for swallowing horizon at a high average speed for many hours on end, I find a huge flywheel is a very happy thing. As is the fact I run very tall final drive gearing. They are also carburetted so fuel metering isn't so sophisticated so a heavy flywheel helps overcome the irregularities.

 

If you're looking for less weight on your flywheel than the standard V11 set-up, be it single or twin plate, you're getting into the really minor adjustments as the V11 units are already about as light as you can get a steel unit and still maintain their integrity. As you get lighter and lighter it becomes a case of the laws of diminishing returns taking over.

 

As for the *original* RAM unit? I've heard nothing but good of them and am not aware of any that have grenaded or worn out prematurely. The Scura items, although made by the same company, are to a modified design specified by Guzzi, (WHY??????? ) and although I haven't had the chance to do a direct comparison I believe that the actual flywheel itself is thinner, especially around the mounting boss which in itself is a bloody stupid to remove material as the closer to the axis the weight is the less inertia it carries and less influence it has on the whole wretched assembley.

 

My feeling is that any gains to be made by working over the standard flywheel assembley are going to be so minor as to be virtually un-noticeable. I can think of about a zillion other things to spend money on before the flywheel. Try taking ut the cam plates for the gearbox selector mechanism and de-burring them thoroughly, that I'm told makes a vast improvement to the cleanliness of the gearchange.

 

Pete