RIP Malaguti
 |
| Malaguti 1930-2011 |
Yesterday I was checking to see how the current crisis in Europe is affecting Malaguti. With deep sadness I found that Malaguti closed the factory permanently in October 2011. What I could make out from the Italian translation is that 17 to 20 people will stay for a few years to take care of the spare Malaguti parts.
I was just thinking of getting a newer Spidermax, since after passing the 50000 km mark my Spidermax is developing some problems, like the leaking water pump, the occasional cold start noise from the starter clutch?, the engine noise got louder (exhaust?) and some other age related things.
After seeing there is no Malaguti anymore, I have to rethink of getting a newer Spidermax since it is already a pain to get the tires.
I was just thinking of getting a newer Spidermax, since after passing the 50000 km mark my Spidermax is developing some problems, like the leaking water pump, the occasional cold start noise from the starter clutch?, the engine noise got louder (exhaust?) and some other age related things.
After seeing there is no Malaguti anymore, I have to rethink of getting a newer Spidermax since it is already a pain to get the tires.
We have winter now here and that means temperatures in the morning can be around 15 degrees c. On some morning starts I notice a short metal noise (grinding?) when the starter clutch tries to disengage. This only happens with a cold engine in the morning. Since I had a bad starter clutch experience with my Aprillia Pegaso what resulted in a total destruction of the starter clutch I think I will need to open the engine and have a closer look. Since the water pump seal is in the same area it will then get changed too.
 |
| Piaggio MASTER engine 500cc starter clutch (sprag clutch / freewheel / flywheel) |
 |
| a new starter clutch (Aprillia Pegaso / BMW F650) |
 |
| destroyed starter clutch |
The movable clutch rolls of the starter clutch are held in place by a metal O-spring. Over time this spring gets a bit worn out and does not retract the clutch rolls fast enough. This is when the trouble begins. At the first signs there is an easy way to fix this, just take out the spring, shorten it a bit and twist it back together. If you wait as long as I did with my Pegaso it grinds the clutch rolls round and desintegrates the smaller parts to metal flakes you have in your oil.
 |
| area where the defect starter clutch grind away metal |
When I messed up the thread from the driving pulley I replaced the nearly new rollers with the unused 4 ones to get the maximum time before another change is necessary. As usual when I change rollers I alternate the grooves they are rolling in.
Funny thing is that the Spidermax now runs a bit higher kind of like with the 2.5 mm washer but with a V-max from 171 km/h instead from 169 as clocked from the digital instrument and the factory 8 roller setup.
I am now riding 98% 2 up and do a lot of high speed highway km. The Spidermax runs very often in the 7000 rpm band (close to rpm max). My consumption is now constant above 5 liter per 100 km but the performance, response and acceleration is on an all time high.
I changed the oil change interval to 5000 km and the filter to 10000 km.
So until there is a noticeable change I will leave the transmission alone and be very happy with what I have now and gladly accept the bit higher price I have to pay at the pump.
Ups - Yesterday while riding I tried to figure out when the rear tire needs to be replaced. Let´s think, the first one at 10.000, the second one lasted 17000 until the rubber was gone and now I have 44000 on the dial. Oh my time flies when you having fun already 17000 on the old tire, time to order a new one.
OK, I got nearly new rollers, belt, a new clutch, adjusted valves and with the new speed limit here I am seldom above 110 km/h but my consumption with 2 people on board is still around 5.2 liter at 100 km.
My Spidermax runs great and the throttle response is awesome, with nearly 44000 km on the odometer everything is fine, she is just a bit more thirsty than she was before and I have no Idea why.
If you want to talk to me or comment / have a question to a post, use the comments box at the end of the post. No need to register or log in.
Passing the 40.000 km my Spidermax is still going strong, without any problems and after adjusting the valves she runs smoother and the gas consumption dropped again a bit.
All my modifications like the parking brake, foot rests, colt conversion, radio etc. are still working flawless and most satisfactory. Even my spray can paint job still looks good except for the lid of the top box what has some sun damage and needs a re-spray.
***
I started a new blog about Home Cinema.
If this might interest you come and see me at:
Home Cinema: 25 years imax@home
2010-11-3 Smooth operator
My Spidermax feels like she is fresh from the showroom and on her first ride out. The new rollers, belt and now also the new clutch make for one smooth riding experience. That combined with the Canary Conversion and the, slightly modified, silver transmission noise dampener in place (see the end of this post) is as good as it gets.
The GT model like mine I am talking about. It was kind of embarrassing how long (over 2 Years) they had both models next to each other.
Now they are offering only the RS500 with the nicer styled trunk area (kind of like I painted mine) and the different nose plate. Except for some restyled tupperware and the Euro3- instead of the Euro2 norm engine it is the same bike. Sadly still no exiting colors, but then that makes it easy to go for your dream color in a respray...
2010-10-20 20:10
How things can change when you keep trying...
After installing new rollers and a new belt the 3 mm washer suddenly makes a big difference. I think the old belt was scraping too much and canceled out the improvements.
And now I am even tinkering to get the torque and power exactly there where the Colt Conversion could use a boost - in the lower speed areas. I had no idea with just changing some simple things the improvement would be so drastic. And all you need is a 60 cent washer and changing some parts which are already installed in your transmission.
WOW
2010-9-22
Since the 3 mm washer mod does not show noticeable improvement with the Colt or Mustang conversion I was thinking about trying a 4 mm mod. But since I not have a 4 mm washer I will just combine the old 2 mm with the new 3 mm, check if there is nothing scraping and then will see if this will make a difference.
2010-09-19
Changed back from 6 to 4 rollers yesterday because my new rollers did not arrive on time (as usual here on the island) and the belt was scraping to much on the transmission case because of the 3 mm washer mod.
Having driven with the 6 roller Mustang conversion for 1050 km and now back to to 4 roller Colt there is such a big difference in response and instant acceleration. So for all of you guys out there who think the 15-16 gram rollers are a blast, you have no idea what your bike is really capable of.
There is a noticeable difference in response up to 130 Km/h (80 mph).
The footrests are now permanent in use, I had no idea that they would make such an impact. If I wear boots I could stretch my legs straight and rest the heels in front of the footrests.
Also just test installed a MP3 player with AUX input into the radio to see if I like that handling better then the buttons of the radio, since all functions can be operated just with the thumb while the hand stays on the grip.
... just back from a trip into the mountains, the handling is much better but I remembered now why I did not do that in the first time. The output from the MP3 player is not high enough (not loud enough) and the quality of the sound quality is much better from the radio mp3 player.
Now I recalled that I did that test stationary when I decided where to put the radio.
Damn you old age and CRS-syndrome.
2010-09-17
I really liked taking the picture from the Spidermax in front of the awesome graffiti wall.
The baby tinkering with / riding the engine is just hilarious and the rest is some very creative work.
Reminds me a bit of Snoopy:
If you like it too, here is the whole wall for you to enjoy.
2010-09-08
I was thinking about if footrests would work out for the Spidermax.
So I installed a test footrest and it turned out that the leg shield is in the way of extending the leg too much.
It works well enough for the front part of the foot.
Today I rode a while in the twisties with just my heel on the running board and it felt quite nice to extend the leg a bit, so maybe I just make a little extension with some metal...
Just ordered a set of original rollers from Piaggio and they should be here in a couple weeks.
There is also a big difference in passing power. Ripping open the throttle, the Colt conversion jumps in most conditions instantly to the 6000 rpm band (where max power meets max torque) while the Mustang conversion goes much slower from the 5000 to the 6000 rpm band. I feel less in control about how the engine behaves with the Mustang conversion and I rather stay behind a car than passing it as I would have done securely with the Colt conversion.
2010.8.29
Having changed to the Mustang conversion for a few days now, I remember what made me choose the Colt conversion in the first place.
I had totally forgotten about the 3000 to lower 4000 rpm band. This is where the Multi-valve Advanced Super Torque Engine Range 500 has the "charm" of a old diesel with the performance, noise and vibrations.
This band is passed, in a to short to notice time, with the Colt conversion and nearly never used during normal riding conditions.
So you get a much more smoother ride, the engine purrs happily while the unused anti-flapper wheel is getting an identity crisis.
You can test that for yourself, just find a empty space and roll along with 3000, 3500, 4000, 4500 and then 5000 rpm. Listen to the sound, feel the vibrations and listen to the noise what the belt makes on the anti-flapper wheel. You will notice then above 4500 the engine runs smoother and reacts much better of a suddenly full throttle then in the lower rpm.
2010.8.27
The last few 100 km I noticed that my rpm´s were getting a bit higher and my consumption was rising by 5% also my top end was in the 140th and not 160 as normal. Also my rpm band shifted 500 rpm higher from 5000-7000 to 5500-7500.
Now if you read the blog so far you know that I was tinkering with the roller weights and that my 500cc only runs on 4 instead of 8 rollers. The first 4 rollers I swapped after 10000 km because the plastic was a bit deformed. These were also the rollers that had the plastic in a better shape than the other 4.
From the other 4 rollers 2 had plastic in worse shape the so I swapped only 2 rollers.
After now 6000 km more the weakened plastic was a bit deformed that it was a bit flatter on the contact spots.
My hypothesis is that if I had not knocked the covered side out from the plastic and had not weakened the inside then the plastic would not have deformed.
To test this, I will order 8 new original rollers from Piaggio in the original 21.5 gram weight and will try another test run for 5000 km to see if I am right.
Until I get the rollers I have switched to the Mustang conversion (6 rollers) and already had my fair share of missing passing power.
Having gotten 3 times the recommended life out of my rollers and putting them through the ordeal I did, I can not complain at all.
2010.8.12
When I tried to check if my brake pads were still OK some 5000 km ago, I noticed that the rod what holds the pads in place was loose and was already out of one hole.
I just padded it back in with a hammer carefully and forgot about it.
BIG MISTAKE
Last Sunday my Spidermax did not want to go even the engine was running, So I assumed my transmission belt was broken, but when I engaged the combi brake there was no braking power.
Two failures in one, what a way to start a ride.
On closer inspection I found a brake pad wedged between the brake caliper and the wheel while actually blocking the rear wheel and the brake was leaking fluid.
It resisted getting unbend, so I had to drill the hole it a bit wider so the screw can pass through.
I finally located a fitting screw and secured it in place with 2 self locking nuts.
That took care of the blocking wheel but the brake did not want to work properly. Since the brake fluid was already 4 years old, I decided to change it to get rid of any air in it.
After that it worked better but still a bit on the soft side.
Some 100 km later all is back to normal.
If you want to talk to me or comment / have a question to a post, use the comments box at the end of the post. No need to register or log in.
ReplyDelete