Another project?

[pete roper]

So I'm building a Hydro to Power my outfit. I won't be doing the sidecar fitment because I'm taking it to someone with far more knowledge and experience but if there is sufficient interest I'll try and document it.

Pulled the gearbox out of the Cali today and found it had been 'Visited' before. Those pesky shims on the selector drum? Pfft! Obviously useless and devoid of purpose! And that flinger washer on the input shaft? No need! Only a looser would leave in that extra weight! And why use a gasket alone when you can glue the endcase on with a litre of snot! Never mind. The clutch cable boss having been broken off by some ham-fisted, shaved ape, and replaced with some sort of weird home made bracket! I mean? How the **** do you break off that boss? It's pretty substantial. My guess is a steel hammer rather than a dead blow when separating the case!

Glad I went in! I found a host of crap while taking it apart! Glad I only paid a grand for it! It'll be a great tug when it's finished!

Pete

[Muzz]

 

Any idea Pete on how long you envisage the project to take?

[pete roper]

Well I'm doing the gearbox. That should take a couple of days. Then I'm flinging it off to Michael who's main experience has been with CARC bikes so he can do the top end freshen up and 'Final' Hydro upgrade, (And yes. He is paid for this.) as learning experience and a continuation of the repository of knowledge.

After that I drive it up to Townsville in Queensland which is, oddly enough, a hot-bed of sidecar weirdos, and Bruce modifies the forks and fits a DJP chair for me. Should be done in a couple of months.

In all honesty it may take longer as last week I had a CT angiogram and this morning I got called by my cardiologist, (Yep, in person ) telling me the results were 'Concerning' so I have to go in and have the *Real* angiogram so they can work out whether I can get away with stents or I'll need to be opened up like a laboratory rat and have the Dyna Rod put through every blood vessel in my thorax! How boring!

Anyway, if people are interested I'll do the 'Photosessay' thing as best I can but it will just be another one of those 'Roper adopts an orphan' things and probably pretty much useless to anybody only interested in the pedestrian and mainstream.

Pete

[Huzo]

Bugger the outfit..!
Best wishes for your health you old sod, don’t go dying all over the place.
‘Twould be a shame to lose a gentleman at such a tender age.
All this time you had us convinced you were a heartless old bastard, that’s that theory rooted.
Take care mate..

[lucian]

Looking forward to seeing your Hydro build !   Hope the doc get's you squared away with the least invasive option.   

[oldbike54]

 Of course we want documentation , but do get well mate .

 Dusty

[Wayne Orwig]

I still can't think what someone would be hammering on to break off that mount for the cable. That is a pretty large chunk.

[Chuck in Indiana]

I still can't think what someone would be hammering on to break off that mount for the cable. That is a pretty large chunk.

Never underestimate the power of a shaved ape with a two pound hammer. 
Pete, having a specialist call you *is* a spot of bother, but they are pretty good at the plumbing business any more. Needless to say, we are wishing you all the best.

[John A]

I hope all goes well and you don't have to attend the "Grand Opening" Pete.

[KiwiKev]

Hey Pete,

Get yourself sorted out then the project !!!

Let's hope your surgeon isn't the guy who rooted the gearbox, or like him.

Cheers
Ke

[Markcarovilli]

Pete

Take care of you - then we need pics.

All the best,  Mark

[Pizza Guzzi]

Fortunately in Australia we are not only blessed with some of the best Moto Guzzi brains on the planet but also some of the best medical ones as well - I'm sure you're in good hands Pete, all the best.

Glen

[Muzz]

Woooh.  Not good Pete.  Hope they are able to sort it all out and get you back to fighting fit in double quick time.

When the project does happen I personally like to see the photo essay of how "Roper takes a pile of munt and turns it in to something magical".

[pete roper]

"Don't do anything too stressful' sez the cardiologist.

OK. I won't. This great chunk of shit will give it a bit of a nudge though....



New clutch is in. Just need to get this morass of munt working again!



It came out of here. Note the the vast quantity of sicaflex used to glue everything together! I don't usually use anything on the gasket, they don't leak usually.



At least this muck comes off easily.



What a huge, steaming, feculent, pus-bucket!

[John A]

Obviously they didn't use enough of that crap, they must have run out....

[injundave]

Pete pix would be great. I always had a soft spot for sidechairs and look forward to seeing your take on the subject.
As for the other matter, I am sure you are tough and stubborn enough to breeze through it. Take care mate.

[dguzzi]

Word for the day "Feculent"   Can you say Feculent?  I have to start using that, to bad my Australian boss quit, I used to test him on the stuff I learn here.  He knew them...although he looked at me oddly when I said them.   
   Hoping you are with us for years Pete, you are awesome! (not just for vocabulary lessons)

[Shorty]

Good luck with the MDs. Get a good snaking out of those veins. I have an interest in the front fork mods to be performed if you find time.

[pete roper]

Getting a pair of trail-reducing yokes made.

[balvenie]

Best of luck with the sawbones, Pete May there be many more miles left in your arteries.

[Diploman]

Best wishes for a speedy return to feisty, bugger-all form, Pete!  If your cardiologist is "concerned" you will do well to pay him heed.  No project has priority over health.  You may have to cut down on the yak fat....

[pete roper]

Well I got the poxy gearbox back together and back into the bike. Selects all five gears nicely on the bench. Now I've found I've mislaid the thrust bearing I know I have so I didn't order a new one! Grrrrrr!

Next thing is getting the airbox and all that shit back in, always a nightmare on Cali 1100's .

Now here's a pic of the main reason I went in to the box. On the right is one of the crappy ATN9 bearings with the 'Plastic' cage and only nine balls per race. On the left is the spiffy AC3 type with 14 balls per race and a serpentine metal cage.

[Muzz]

Obviously they didn't use enough of that crap, they must have run out....

If only Luigi used grease like they used RTV.....

[lucian]

Amazing how easy a pro can make this stuff appear.  Your making short work of it Pete, thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

[Sheepdog]

Great project. I’m most anxious to see the sidecar setup, and any insights about 2-valve Bigblocks interest’s me. If you haven’t suffered any heart events up til now, the worst damage can be avoided. Your doc will give you a path forward. Best of luck to you, Pete.

[pete roper]

Well I finally got the time to reassemble said POS and get the back end in. Both the driveshaft and pinion splines are pretty shot, it's never had much love. They'll do until I build a 7/33 back end for it.

Now I've ripped the top end off. I thought you might like to see the lifter extractor tool.



And what the little lifters look like.



Top end was full of mayonnaise.



Bleargh!

Pete

[Paul Brooking]

Good Stuff Pete

Maybe ask the Cardio to "document" his/your proposed project
My guess is a lot of us will face or have faced something similar 

[pete roper]

That pic of the rocker gear probably looks a lot like my  cardio-vascular system!

Note also in that pic the tell-tale giveaway of no 'Snapped off' adjusters that were a part off the 'Final' kit.

I have no idea why I like Hydros so much! Yes they are, when set up right, delightfully flexible and torquey, but they are still one of the ugliest pieces of shit to ever roll out of Mandello! The 'Flaccid whale penis' tank, the vast acreage of nasty chrome, the 'Hit with the ugly stick' fairing on the EV, (Along with those horrible leg shields that look like something you'd use for artificially inseminating a camel!). In every reasonable consideration they are unspeakably vile and injury is piled on insult because they are, in the main, a hideously unreliable shitheap.

Can't help it! Come in Spinner! You're welcome at the Motomoda garage of orphans and turds!

 

Pete

[Dave Swanson]

I am in!

[pete roper]

Yes, basically. New yokes to reduce trail but for the moment I'll stick with Teles.