If it was such a good design, then why did they change it for the V11?
My guess is that the fingers on plastic star wheel have fatigued after 25 years. Turning it to synch the throttle bodies was the last straw, as the fingers no longer snap into place. A star wheel on the outside ( as found on the V11 ) at least keeps the linkage from falling out of its housing.
I'm not in love with using safety wire on this kind of application, but it's working for now.