76 Convert - Lost Clutch Adjusting and Back Nuts

[garycolwill]

This last Sunday was a glorious day to ride my recently acquired 76 Convert (my first Moto Guzzi), so I headed to the Lookout Roadhouse on the Ortega Highway here in Southern California, a twisty road which connects Lake Elsinore to San Juan Capistrano across the Sanra Ana mountain range. I approached from the lake side of the highway, had lunch, and then completed the ride to San Juan Capistrano. The Convert performed flawlessly on this locally famous road - my first real outing, and I'm really loving this bike!

After the fun, and as I was preparing to head back home on the 241 toll road, I stopped to shift into high. I pulled back the clutch lever and attempted to shift into high, but there was grinding and the clutch lever went slack, then the trans kind of went into low all by itself. Since this was a convert, I realized I could just ride it that way and get home at 60 mph instead of 80. About a mile into 241, the front tire went flat. So I ended up trailering it home anyway.

Looking at this at home, I have concluded that the adjusting and backing nuts that connect the clutch control rod to the  operating lever must have backed off and vibrated loose.

Here are my two questions:

1. Has anyone had experience like this and, if so, were you able to retrieve the control rod and reconnect it to the control lever with the adjusting and back nuts without basically doing a full clutch job?

2. Is it possible to just forget the control rod and let it float and just not use the clutch? I've been reading that some Convert owners just delete the clutch lever from the handle bar and if shifting from low to high or high to low, they just turn the engine off and make the switch, then restart and continue. Is that a practical solution? At the moment, I'll be happy to just ride and leave a clutch job for another month or six. This Convert does start without having to disengage the clutch.

[chuck peterson]

Your right, you don’t even need the clutch to get home…but don’t fix it if it aint broke.

But i think the crunchy noises are making you think something is wrong when it may not. It’s easy to get the poor beast to sound bad

First, Go slower on the shift. At idle, brakes off..feet holding it still against the idle. Pull the lever and wait…2.3.4…the bike should relax with no forward pull. You can feel it. This is just a test to see if the clutch works. If it does then you can shift with no crunching at idle while stationary

Just try that much. It will tell you the if the cable adjustment is anywhere near correct. My cable always felt slightly tighter at the bar then a correctly slack 5 speed did.

The crunchy noises come from shifting before the trans was released from the driveline by the clutch. Pause wait 2,3,4…

If the tiny nut on a cup held in by a tiny threaded clutch pull rod hasn’t been coated with road grime and generally abused by highway grit, you’re not driving a Convert. It’s hidden behind the swing arm of course, i think with the hope you could adjust it correctly. More later on that

For now, yes you don’t need the clutch. At at stop, motor off, just snick it into either gear. I like to think of it as a range instead of gear, like a riding lawnmower. Stop, brake on, idling you can shift if the clutch is working but just wait a few seconds. Alternatively you can shut the bike off and shift

The clutch shouldn’t be wearing fast enough to need an adjustment at the back of the trans other than every (wild ass guess) 25,000 miles during a major service look see

If you’re inspecting the area it will likely look abused. The end of the rod has a tiny slot that you hold still while attempting to loosen the tiny nut on the tiny threads …instead, try to adjust at the handlebar…let  the bike idle on the center-stand, brake to stop the wheels, pull the lever. Wait, 2,3,4…you should feel the driveline release. Wind the cable slightly tighter until it does.

Just try that first…at the very worst you have a non functioning clutch that you don’t need…

I suspect the crunchy noises are making you think something is wrong…good luck let us know

[fotoguzzi]

You can go over 60 in low range the motor will just rev higher. If you leave in low range your alternator will put out more charging juice.

[garycolwill]

So, Mark Etheridge at Moto Guzzi Classics here in Long Beach confirmed for me that the tip of the clutch control rod has broken off, so it would need to be replaced if I want the clutch to work, which would require LOTS of work. However, as mentioned many times on this thread and board, you can live without the Convert clutch very well. I rode 35 miles home from Moto Guzzi Classics with no problems at all, so life goes on - stayed in low the whole ride. Thanks, everyone, for the help.

[chuck peterson]

No better source for info! You’re lucky to have him nearby

[garycolwill]

I have confirmed now that the transmission stays in low gear, but does not stay in high, so this is a low-gear convert without a clutch for now. I see several convert transmissions on eBay at the moment. Are all transmissions from converts interchangeable regardless of year? If not, what transmissions can I use for my 1976? Also, are parts available to rebuild a good transmission core? My idea is to get a used one, go through it and replace any worn parts, then replace the current one with that rebuilt one. No hurry on this because my bike is in rideable condition - just rode it to a doctor appt and back today (my spoonful sugar to help the medicine go down).

[chuck peterson]

Ooofph…yup it won’t stay in hi range because shifting it like a 5speed has smashed it…crunchgrindgreeek

I suggest a call to Mark and or Harpers first. Your looking for the part first. Both likely already know which parts you need

Ebay is a roll of the dice unless the seller claims it’s in a known working condition. Im astounded there are several listed…

Likely you’ll need a clutch basket too…and plates……and…and

Mission Creep in action

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I have confirmed now that the transmission stays in low gear, but does not stay in high, so this is a low-gear convert without a clutch for now. I see several convert transmissions on eBay at the moment. Are all transmissions from coverts interchangeable regardless of year? If not, what transmissions can I use for my 1976? Also, are parts available to rebuild a good transmission core? My idea is to get a used one, go through it and replace any worn parts, then replace the current one with that rebuilt one. No hurry on this because my bike is in rideable condition - just rode it to a doctor appt and back today (my spoonful sugar to help the medicine go down).

All Convert transmissions are the same. I have a small stock of used parts, very few new parts are available and those will be new-old-stock. Mark Etheridge sent me two big boxes of Convert transmission parts to build one good transmission from. I've rebuilt two in the last six months.

Sometimes you get lucky on ebay - I bought a super nice Convert transmission and torque convert for $70 including shipping from "lamontsanfurd". Nobody even bid against me.

[garycolwill]

An odd thing just happened to me: I rode to the optometrist to pick up my new glasses and while leaving I accidentally stepped on the shift lever with my heel. Felt like it clicked in good, so I started out just to see if it would pop out again. It didn't. So, maybe the popping out in high was down to a user problem, not a transmission problem. I know it was in high because I got on the freeway and got up to 80mph with no problem, with plenty of rpm to spare.

Having said that, though, on the way home there is a traffic stop I have to make that requires starting on an uphill grade. The bike initially does very poorly in high in that situation, so I'm going to stick with my original decision to leave it in low unless I'm going to do a long stretch at highway speed (average 80mph here in Southern California). I'll play with it a bit more and see if I can figure out a way to tell when I've successfully shifted into high while the engine is off. It's much cheaper if the problem is just the Convert Newbie Learning Curve.

[pehayes]

Unlike 5-speed, you are not supposed to shift the Convert while driving.  Do so at a full stop.
Shifting on the fly causes two gears to slam into each other in a way that was not intended by the engineers.  This action chips off little piece of the gear teeth and eventually those  teeth get rounded instead of flat.  Now, under load force, the damaged gear is pushed sideways and disengages from high down into low.  Usually under heavy throttle loads.  Think back like the 'kickdown' function of an old Buick sedan.  It makes the Convert fun to drive!  But it wasn't intended.  It can be dangerous in a wet corner if you suddenly kick down.  It just constantly adds to the wear damage of the gear teeth.  Gets worse and worse and kicks down easier under less load each time.

Bad juju.

If yours does NOT kick down as described above, then just put it into high and disconnect the linkage.  I know of several people who rode for years this way.  Sure it is sluggish off the line, but it you want jackrabbit performance then ride a different Guzzi, not a Convert.

Wish I still had mine, but it went to a good home for a sidecar wheelchair rider.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA