TIPS
for 1000 120!
(With the courtesy of Martin Cutler, of the
Club Laverda NSW, Australia)
Exhausting
Capers
A thought or two which may save some drama when fitting an after market
exhaust system to a 120 degree triple.
The Megacycle system I fitted to the
RGS appears over time to have a minor fault, not with tuning, although every bike
is different in tuning, changing the 108main jets to
130 allowed more fuel
in, with the trumpet removed from the airbox and 3 x 52mm holes cut in the bottom
of the airbox, the breathing was taken care of I made up a bracket to act
as a stopper for the centrestand as it normally locates on the bracket between
the two mufflers, with the motor being rubber mounted. It is important to mount
the muffler in a
flexible manner also, I have achieved this by filing the
muffler bracket to accept a grommet where it bolts to the bracket by the left
side pillion peg.
In the event this extra movement is not allowed for in time,
the left cylinder outer exhaust stud will break - at least that's the common weak
link which has shown up so far on two
bikes. The result is a pain, especially
if things go from bad to worse and you manage to break off an "easy out" in the
stud. Another well worthwhile modification is to support the
system at the
back of the motor with an extra support bracket clamping the collector pipe to
the engine to retain flexibility through the engine mounts- The results are a
healthier
sound in my opinion than the wheezing standard pipes with a 'little
more dial on power available and a more noticeable sound able to be beard by other
motorists. Fuel range is
about the same, best achieved yet is 283 km without
hitting reserve between Sawtell and Bulahdelah - achieved laden but staying close
to legal limits due to the large amount of
traffic. One added bonus is no
further need to remove a muffler to get the rear wheel out. Pot belly stove paint
works well on the headers - it's as good and much cheaper than
purpose labelled
exhaust system paint. One day it will be completed by pulling a rollpin through
the nut/axle on the right side so only the left will undo. Always something to
think about. Dan
RGS/ RGA Electrics
During my experience with
wiring the new switches onto my RGA, 1 found an interesting point. The alternator
on the RGS/RGA has four wires coming from it - one earth and
three positive
wires,(one for each Phase). The earth and two of the positives go to the regulator
but the third positive goes to the switch block then returns and plugs into the
regulator. A confusing mix of wire colour changes makes this actually look
like a mistake from the factory. What happens is that under normal circumstances
this circuit through
the switches is open and only when you turn on the headlamp
is the circuit completed. _ Thus, only when you have your headlight on does the
third phase of the alternator reach
the regulator to charge the battery-
This is why I was finding unregulated voltage reaching the switchblock during
my rewiring effort. 1 have short circuited this and now run all t
hree straight
to the regulator, as I reckon the battery needs all the help it can get, .more
so for early triples and their low output alternators. I have checked the wiring
diagram for
the hard wired(i.e. lights on all the time) United States model
RGS and all three positives go straight to the regulators I assume no damage can
occur due to this mod. So if you're having
trouble with flat batteries you
might want to look into it - the connections are under the seat near the airbox
on the RGS. SteveBattisson
Living with an RG Series Toy
To stop
screws securing side covers coming loose and fairing to tank mounts vibrating,
a tap washer on the inside of the side cover/fairing will stop vibration and hold
screws
in place- Headlight bulbs can he changed without removing the fairing,
providing a flexible arm is available. Use torch through filler cap flap. Aluminium
foil behind indicator bulbs
makes them much brighter. Fork seals can be changed
by removing the lower fork leg and leaving triple clamps undisturbed. Jota throttle
cables fit RGS/RGA - main difference
being Jota inner cable is heavier to
counteract harder return springs. Both lower engine mounts come loose on occasions.
Don't just tighten 8MM bolts, remove and inspect or it
can result in a sloppy
fit and hole. When bleeding rear brake calliper, remove from carrier, fit suitable
spacer between pads and turn calliper to get bleed nipple at top, otherwise a
pocket of air will cause a spongy feel. Dan Jottings 13 RGS Maintenance Well
here is another maintenance report, this time on the RGS. With my RGS being one
of the first into the
country I have not had any major problems up until
now and cannot foresee any in the foreseeable future. The following is a list
of my maintenance schedule with notes that I have
found unusual.
1 OIL
CHANGES 1 always change the oil every 3000km and clean the filter every 6,00okm,
which means removing the pipes for both jobs and have found that with
every
second change it's best to replace the copper gaskets on the pipes and the sump
plug to minimise any leaks As far as oil, I have found that Penrite 30 in Winter
and 50 in
Summer seems to stand up to the job , very well with the added bonus
that it decreases the clunking in the gearbox during gear changes-
2. DRIVE
CHAIN In these days of 0-ring chains has meant a little less hassles in tensioning
chains and 1 have found that by keeping a regular eye on the chain tension should
see
you getting 3 chains out of one set of sprockets with my riding style.
I lube my chain every second fuel stop.
3 - BRAKES Several RGS' have had trouble
with the rear brakes seizing or not working correctly- Main problem that I can
see lies in the remote cylinder with the seals turning inside
out and causing
the rear brake to stay locked on. This seems to be an inherent problem with the
design of the rear slave cylinder and the only way to keep a check on it is to
change
the fluid every 20,00okm. As well as changing the fluid, I thought
it would be a good idea to change the seals at the same time, as 1 found out the
hard way. As far as pads go, after
the original set wore out, I fitted SBS
pads which I found excellent in all conditions except really torrential rain,
where there seems to be a terribly long delay before the brakes begin to
work, which is very unnerving let alone down right dangerous, so I have gone back
to Brembo pads.
4. SUSPENSION The front end is of typical Italian excellence
and the original seals lasted 32,00Okm before needing replacing. As for the arse
end, the Marzocchi's are nothing
short of shithouse, wearing out within the
first six months of use. Throw them away and put a set of Konis with tri rate
springs and external damping, your troubles are over and
you have a greater
selection of suspension settings.
5. PRIMARY CHAIN ADJUSTMENT Quote from
the manual "warming up the engine remove the adjusting screw cap and loosen the
locknut screw on the adjusting screw with
the engine revving at 3,000 revs
and listen carefully for a distinctive whine which is the sign of excess tension,
back the adjusting screw off until the quite audible whine has just
gone.
This chain should be replaced every 24,000km".
6. SWING ARM 1 have found
that with every oil change I grease the swing arm and check for movement. If movement
is
present, retorque the swing arm nuts to 46 to 52 ft pds.
7. TYRES
AND WHEELS For those of you who have yet to have the pleasure of replacing front
wheel bearings this part of the report might just stop you from killing yourself
or girlfriend or smashing the rim into thousands of tiny pieces. After removing
the wheel, dig out the shield of the bearing with a screwdriver, and then collapse
the bearing
cage, (the wavy ring that holds the balls), and move all the
balls together giving you nearly half of the bearings free between the inner and
outer rings of the bearing and then prize
or punch the inner ring out and
then pull out the spacer before replacing the bearings. File a keyway like slot
in both ends of the spacer to facilitate an easier removal by hammer
and
punch the next time. As far as tyres go, I run a Pirelli Phantom on the front
and an Avon Venom on the rear and check the pressures before every run - 1 up,
32in the front,
36 in the rear - loaded, 34 in the front, 38/40 in the rear.
lan Hodgson
Own an RGS with a slipping clutch?
Check out your slave
cylinder. The book suggests you change the clutch and brake fluid regularly- The
spring that retains the piston in the slave cylinder had corroded, and
subsequently
broke becoming much shorter. The condition of the fluid was pretty bad too. It
was not until the spring actually broke that the problem grew, causing me to pull
it apart. Preventative maintenance of draining and changing the fluid on a
regular basis, (maybe 13 years is not regular!!) would have probably stopped the
spring from corroding.
Anyone had a similar problem, write or c all, and maybe
someone has already had your problem, and can help you fix it in a jiffy, it's
your club, use it! Martin Cutler Having trouble
cranking over that
big
triple? Much confusion and talk is generated about this time of the year as temperatures
drop and bikes are-hard to start. I bought a 34amp/hr battery "the golf buggy
battery",
about two years ago from Middle Harbour Motors Ply Ltd for $95.00.
I haven't had to push start the Jota since. Just thought I'd let you know that.
Middle Cove Motors Pty 1Ad.
221 Eastern Valley Way Middle Cove tel:(02) 958
5165 Wlodek
Saza of the Starter Clutch.
The words sprag clutch
have struck fear into my heart. I haven't been, able to ride the RGS for 3 weeks
now, and it feels like 3 months. I'm very aggivated, my right wrist has a
savage twitch, and I'm starting to make broom broom noises whilst walking around
the house. I've got to go for a ride soon, or I'll go crazy. On pulling apart
the starter clutch, it
was found that the rollers had been eating away at
the casing which houses them. The edges of the rollers were also eaten away, and
the plungers which push the rollers into place
had retracted into their respective
holes, and didn't want to come out a, d play- All the bits of metal swarf floating
around had found their way to the large magnet in the alternator,
thank god!
I feel sorry for the poor Ducati riders, whose starter clutches are housed on
the inside of the crank case. When they let go, bits of nasty metal end up in
the sump, not
a very good place for them! Eades have replacement rollers
springs and plungers for around $90 the set. Their plungers cost $9 each, as they
had to have them especially made,
when the factory couldn't supply them any
more. After a quick chat with Wod, it was decided to source the replacement bits
from Lubbike in Germany. Looking at the housing,
it looked like a lot .if
cold winter morning starts had really taken their toll on the metal. The rollers
are hardened. and the casing is not. A spring steel cover plate stops the little
buggers from jumping out, ard this ;also had been well chewed. If you thought
the little bits were expensive, well you just can't buy the big bits. After a
bit of consultation with
Chris Pritt, it was decided to machine the housing
so as to clean it up, and hopefully overcome another problem, which was that the
whole unit had been running too close to the
cog which engages the crank,
and was rubbing away on the face of the gear. The gear is case hardened, and where
the rollers come into contact, the hardening has started to wear
through.
This problem looked exspensive to rectify, so was left alone, hopefully it will
last a bit longer. In the lathe went the clutch housing, and 20 thou was taken
of the face, and
also of the outer edge, ensuring the gap remained the same
for the roller to run in. A new spring steel disc was made, and the whole assembly
is now ready for reassembly when the
parts come from Germany. In the meantime
I have fitted a fork brace to the front end, and will let you know how the new
setup feels on the road. Martin Cutler Own an RGS with a
flat battery? (who
doesn't) 1 had a call from Les from Lithgow the other night, he was plagued with
a flat battery, and couldn't find out why the machine was not charging it property.
He finally discovered that the brake light globe was blown, sending the current
straight to earth. Les stated that after replacing the globe, the battery was
charging again nicely.
Thanks for the tip Les. Talking of Batteries Last
issue we let you know where to get golf buggy batteries for triples. The phone
number was wrong, and is reprinted below correctly.
I purchased one the other
day, and am pleased to let you know they are still $95 two years after Wod bought
one. At least there is-zero inflation somewhere in this economy.
1 lugged
it home to replace the battery in the RGS (sorry, Lorenzo) which has been there
since 1 bought it, so is at least 4 years old. The old battery was 5 inches by
7 inches.
The new one is 5 inches by 8 inches. Had to remove the grab handle
and the rear brake master cylinder to fit the sod in, but it fits just). You can
contact Middle Cove Motors
Pty Ltd. at 221 Eastern Valley Way Middle Cove
on tel:(02) 958 5165
Martin RGS STARTER MOTORS It has been quoted that
Italian engineers put all their love into the design and construction of a superb
motor, only to be let down by the quality
of the standard components which
are used. This is definitely the case with the starter motor used on the RGS.
750 Twins have a large 0.9 Horsepower starter, which if let loose,
would
rip tree stumps out, let alone turn over the twin- The Triples' starter is only
0.5 horsepower- One of the main problems with this small motor is that during
construction, instead
of soldering the wires to the commutator, they were
press fitted together. If the Starter is used excessively, which seems to be the
case with triples not running the new type of electronic
ignition, the wires
let go and cause havoc. The rule of rewinding electric motors states that the
sn~ they are, the more expensive they are to repair- It is very difficult and
costly to
obtain spares, unless you go direct to Italy. However, 1 have found
someone in Sydney who will rewind your starter motor armature for $200.00, and
solder the joints together,
ensuring long life. His name is ~. from S & M
Auto Rewinds, at 2 Reading Ave, Kings Langley, and he can be reached on 624 5858.
The RGS now bursts into life quickly and easily,
which goes to show that apart
from regular maintenance and oiling of the starter clutch the starter motor should
also see periodic attention to ensure brushes are clean etc.
Martin Update
- 4/12/98 These guys have disappeared, but Peter Scott in Seven Hills rebuilt
my 3C starter motor for a very reasonable price. His number is 02 9624 1262
TOP TIPS ON RUNNING YOUR RGS by Alan Cudlipp Since I bought my RGS in the
spring of 1989 it has now clocked up almost 96,00OKms, over 76,000 of which have
been in
my ownership. During this time it has let me down only twice (more
of which later), and it still scores highly on the grin factor! The heart of the
matter, that wonderful engine, has an
annual service and tune (on the rolling
road) by Steve Winterton at Calere, with the rest of the Maintenance done by myself
The engine has never been apart and oil consumption is
negligible, due to
oil changes at 1500 - 2000 miles using good quality 20/50 grade ( Valvoline 20/50
Racing Oil, available from a local motorists' discount shop). I would recommend
t
he use of 'Slick 50' friction reducer. Over the years I have found a number
of useful modifications and alternative sources for spares, some of which 1 list
below:
*Copper exhaust gaskets are available from your local Honda dealer
- they are the same fitting as a Superdream (but they always want to know why
you want three')
*Silencer mounting blocks are the same as exhaust mountings
for a Renault 4, and they are available as a. single block (i.e. with one threaded
stud each side) which is better since
only one stud ever snaps at one time!)
*The headlight is the same as that from a Fiat 126, and benefits from a 10018OW
bulb (I'll just point out that the legal maximum is 6516OW. -ed)
*The air
filter is almost an identical match with the filter from an Escort RS2000 (MK2up
to 1980), the only exception being that the Ford filter is approximately 70mm
longer. It is
a simple matter to cut the end off the new filter using a sharp
knife, then using the old filter as a template. cut the new one to the correct
length and stick the end on using Superglue.
This may sound a bit of a bodge,
but I can assure you that it is an excellent modification! Compare the prices
of the filters too...
*The factory manual recommends that the cam chain and
primary chains are changed at 16,000 miles (25,000Kms). This may appear to be
a little over the top, however when you
consider that a full set of top quality
German lwis chains are available at less than £35 to your door (Sprockets Unlimited,
Tel: 01386 831341), it is a false economy not to change
them - do you know
the cost of an engine re-build?
*I have spoken to many owners who complain
of poor starting, a problem my bike also used to suffer. 1 traced this back to
the quality of spark plugs, and I now use NGK B9EV
which, although expensive,
give excellent starting performance every time and are long lasting.
*1 would
thoroughly recommend the use of a 'Scottoiler' chain lubricator which
works
by vacuum, and in simple terms, the f aster you go the more oil is dripped on
to your chain. 'Scottoilers' are simple to fit to Laverdas, and the special oil
supplied with the kit
lasts for years. I have heard a number of owners say
their bike doesn't do enough miles to warrant fitting a 'Scottoiler', but in reality
this argument doesn't make sense - using one
makes the chain last longer
(my previous chain lasted 40,000kms) and also requires less adjustment. It also
makes less mess than conventional aerosol chain lubes, and five minutes
with
Jizer or Gunk has the rear wheel spotlessly clean.
*1 have used Avon Super
Venom tyres for a long time, and find that they give good combination of wear
and grip
(20,000Km front, 9-10,000Km rear). However, I use a 130/180 section
on the rear because I find that this gives a much larger footprint without 'over-tyring'.
*Should you ever need bearings or seals (e.g. fork seals, wheel bearings
etc ... ), then try your local bearing supplier. You will, of course, need the
number stamped on the bearing
or seal, but you should find that the prices
are good and most are available 'off the shelf'.
*Those of you that use a
tank bag will probably have difficulty in finding one that is a good fit on a
RGS tank, 'Baglux' make tank harnesses with a range of bags which fasten to
the top of the harness, and 1 found that the harness made for Honda CBX55O/ VT5OO
is an excellent fit. Mine has been well used f or the past five or six years and
is still in good
order. One point to note - the harness has a cut-out in
the middle f or the fuel cap and you need to put a soft cloth under this otherwise
the base of the bag abrades the paint
on the tank.
*Most bikes (mine
included) are laid-up over the winter months, and this is the time when the battery
needs most attention. With a little care you will find that
the battery can
last a long time; my recommendation is to remove the battery from the bike, and
flatten it (use a headlight bulb), then recharge the battery using a 0.5amp trickle
charger for the required length of time (i.e. 48 hours for a 24 amp battery).
Store the battery somewhere warm, such as the airing cupboard (yes, 1 manage to
getaway with this!)
and every month trickle charge it for 3 - 4 hours. When
the time comes to refit it to your bike, you should have a healthy battery. Mine
has now lasted six years and is still going
strong. 1 mentioned earlier that
the bike has let me down on two occasions - the first time was when the gear selector
spring snapped and the gearbox was stuck in first gear.
A 30p spring caused
a lot of hassle, particularly when 1 was 300 miles from home! The second breakdown
was even further from home - I was in Norway! The problem was failure
of
the clutch, caused by contaminated hydraulic fluid blocking the holes in the master
cylinder piston,, Fortunately a local garage had the equipment to help me repair
it.
Other than these two problems, the bike has proved to be very reliable;
it has taken me on some wonderful holidays to France, Spain, Belgium, Holland,
Germany, Switzerland
and Norway and Breganze in 1993. It is an excellent
long distance tourer, and made me want to do the Simplon Pass again! Hopefully
some of the tips and recommendations
I have given will be useful to you; there
must be many more, so do as I have done, and get writing. Don't forget that one
of the main objectives of the club is to encourage the
knowledge and enjoyment
of Laverdas, so please 'do your bit' by passing on your tips and suggestions to
us all.