Cal 3 final gears too tall

[handyandy]

The final drive in my 93 cal3 I bought a couple years ago are way too tall. Have to run 90 mph to rub in 5th gear. Even in 4th I am lugging it @ 80. I think I need a 7/33 final drive. Can buy one or do a trade. I have a convert and Eldo drives on the shelf. I am located in central Indiana. Will be grateful for any help.

[oldbike54]

 Sounds like something is wrong with the bike .

 Dusty

[Lannis]

The final drive in my 93 cal3 I bought a couple years ago are way too tall. Have to run 90 mph to rub in 5th gear. Even in 4th I am lugging it @ 80. I think I need a 7/33 final drive. Can buy one or do a trade. I have a convert and Eldo drives on the shelf. I am located in central Indiana. Will be grateful for any help.

Or something wrong with your speedometer.   At a true 80 MPH, your motor would be turning over 4000 RPM in 4th gear.   Even for these like-to-spin engines, that's not "lugging" .... ?   

I rode my Cal III from Virginia to Pennsylvania several times for work, up Interstate 81, and 5th gear was no problem at the 80 MPH speed everyone runs ... 3500 RPM or so.   That's not even lugging cruising on flattish ground, although I would shift down to pass a truck going uphill ....

Lannis

[brider]

  At a true 80 MPH, your motor would be turning over 4000 RPM in 4th gear.  I rode my Cal III from Virginia to Pennsylvania several times for work, up Interstate 81, and 5th gear was no problem at the 80 MPH speed everyone runs ... 3500 RPM or so.   
Lannis

Here is where I'll ask if there are any HP/torque curves published for the Guzzi engines.

It would be easy enough to research the gear ratios of the respective bikes, but Lannis' claim of 4k rpm @ 80 mph seems waaaaay too tall of gearing; might be correct, I've never ridden a Cal 3, but my LM IV spins at just over 4K at an indicated 80 mph in 5th gear. I would have thought the LM to be geared taller than the Cal 3, not lower.

[Lannis]

Here is where I'll ask if there are any HP/torque curves published for the Guzzi engines.

It would be easy enough to research the gear ratios of the respective bikes, but Lannis' claim of 4k rpm @ 80 mph seems waaaaay too tall of gearing; might be correct, I've never ridden a Cal 3 ...

I wasn't too clear - I should have said "Turns AT over 4000 RPM", because I can't remember exactly what it was - maybe 4500 or so in 4th at that speed.   

At any rate, the point is that no Guzzi's engine is "lugging" at 80 MPH, especially in 4th.   They're not only happy but ecstatic at that speed.   The only reasons you might think it's not are (A) Some sort of weird custom gearing or (B) The speedo is way off ....

Lannis 

[Chuck in Indiana]

I wasn't too clear - I should have said "Turns AT over 4000 RPM", because I can't remember exactly what it was - maybe 4500 or so in 4th at that speed.   

At any rate, the point is that no Guzzi's engine is "lugging" at 80 MPH, especially in 4th.   They're not only happy but ecstatic at that speed.   The only reasons you might think it's not are (A) Some sort of weird custom gearing or (B) The speedo is way off ....

Lannis

(C) sick engine?

[Tom H]

'04 EV Touring 5th gear. 70mph @ 3000. 75 @ 3500, 80 @ 4000. The RPM may be +/-100 but very close. Runs fine and pulls fine for passing at any of these RPM. If I need to pass like a sport bike @ 70mph. I grab 4th, otherwise it's fine.

Hope this helps,
Tom

[kballowe]

The final drive in my 93 cal3 I bought a couple years ago are way too tall. Have to run 90 mph to rub in 5th gear. Even in 4th I am lugging it @ 80. I think I need a 7/33 final drive. Can buy one or do a trade. I have a convert and Eldo drives on the shelf. I am located in central Indiana. Will be grateful for any help.

WARNING:  Random thought follow......

Which do you have right now?  The 8/33 ?
You might like the 7/33, especially for the 2 lane roads.
Strap a GPS onto the handlebars somewhere and check the speedometer.


MG Cycle has the 7/33 but it's not cheap

http://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72&products_id=709

Sorry, no 7/33 here.   Good luck in your search


Kevin

[Chuck in Indiana]

Lugging in 4th at 80? How about doing a leak down, Andy? Sounds to me like that Asian x airline pilot Sum Ting Wong..

[brider]

I'd still like to see a HP/torque curve for a Guzzi engine. When I search, all I ever get is tabulated peak values.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Here's one on the small block..

[handyandy]

I have used cell phone gps indicated 80 is actually 72  mph. I am going to pull the rear wheel tomorrow. Is there any markings to id which gears I really have?

[Loop Tonti EV]

I didn't realize that they used the 8/33 in a Cal III. I thought the 1100 was the first with the 8/33.

[pete roper]

I can't remember exactly when it changed. Was the III a 950 or an 1100? If it's a 950 it'll have a 7/33 set I'm pretty certain.

The easy way to be sure is drop the bevelbox off and pull the pinion carrier to count the pinion teeth.

If it's so gutless it won't pull a 7/33 gearset either you are fatter than Jabba the Hutt or there's something wrong with your motorbike!

Pete

[Loop Tonti EV]

I can't remember exactly when it changed. Was the III a 950 or an 1100? If it's a 950 it'll have a 7/33 set I'm pretty certain.

The easy way to be sure is drop the bevelbox off and pull the pinion carrier to count the pinion teeth.

If it's so gutless it won't pull a 7/33 gearset either you are fatter than Jabba the Hutt or there's something wrong with your motorbike!

Pete

The III was still a 950.

[Chuck in Indiana]

If it's so gutless it won't pull a 7/33 gearset either you are fatter than Jabba the Hutt or there's something wrong with your motorbike!

Yeah, that's what Dusty (and I) have been sayin.. I had an 8/33 in the Jack-All rig, and never had an issue with lugging. I did change it to a 7/33 eventually, but that was more for low speed performance.
Edit:
Just looked it up in Guzziology, and the Cal3 is a 7/33.

[Phil Tunbridge]

Hi Andy,

The bevel box should have the ratio stamped on it somewhere.
On my Quota it is on the top of the casting just above the pinion.
My Quota is 8/33 and I never had any trouble with the engine pulling 5th gear.
I realize it's a different engine, but it sounds to me as if there could be power troubles.

Phil

[JoeW]

I put a 7/33 gear in my Cali 1100i, made all the difference in the world. Easier launch from a stop and I could actually use 5th gear.