1972 Moto Guzzi gearbox removal (for fun, not a how-to)

[@BanjoLuke1]

What a fabulous old monarch of a.mptorcucle. What an exquisite thing to have and to ride. I've never been around this era of Guzzis. They were never really a thing in the UK. A friend restored a V7 Sport back in the early 90s, when it was still considered the "poor man's Lemon". He'd bought it for peanuts. Great video.... And my main takeaway is the absolute genius of the Tonti frame. Not only was it very, very stiff; it also made engine/gearbox removal a doddle. Great bike. Thanks for posting.

[@michaeldowell8188]

Just pulling out my gearbox too! Broke the spring on the gear selector. Cheers

[@martinw4745]

Such a hard way to do this project, with so many extra parts removed which complicates the reassembly effort and time, too. No need to remove all the stuff from the back end of the bike and the swingarm mounts. Typical gearbox removal time for us on loop frame Guzzi's was about 45 minutes. I was part of the team that did the transmission end cover throw-out bearing modification for the CA police departments/highway patrol bikes out in the field on the loop frame Guzzi's. So we did a lot of them, on-site; we brought our own ramp-style motorcycle lifts to the shops which made the project much easier to do than working on the floor. How? Remove seat, side covers, gas tank, battery, toolboxes, battery mount plate. Disconnect speedo cable and clutch cable. Undo clamps on u-joint boot and slide the boot off the transmission. Remove front engine cover, exhaust pipes from heads and mufflers. Remove the starter. Support the engine on a floor jack or bottle jack and a wood block to clear under the frame. Remove all but one or two of the gearbox-to-engine fasteners. Remove the engine mounting bolts to the frame. You may have to remove the horn for clearance. The engine can now be slid forward and the front end tilted downward when the gearbox output shaft clears the u-joint. There should be enough slack in the wiring connections to the engine to allow the engine to move forward and tilt, but if any resistance is felt, disconnect the wires as needed. Remove the remaining gearbox-to-engine fasteners. With the gearbox now tilted up and clear of the u-joint, there's just enough room to slide the gearbox back and clear the input shaft from the clutch. It will take a little bit of wiggling and jiggling to find the sweet spot where it all clears, but it will do so. Re-assembly is the reverse of the process. The toughest part of the project is paying attention to the cosmetics, such as rubbing the engine on the frame and scraping away the frame paint; we used to put a few layers of masking tape on the frame downtubes to avoid this but the clearance is very close and more than a couple tape layers can interfere with the engine movement. While one person can do this job, ideally it's nice to have an assistant help maneuver the engine to get the transmission clearance, or position the engine support jack up/down without having the engine scrape the frame.

[@nick949eldo]

Thanks Martin. If I ever have to do it again, I'll remember this advise. Even with pulling the rear end apart and pivoting the engine on the main engine bolt it's still a wiggle with not much clearance. Thanks for the great description. I hope others will read your comment and get very helpful tips from it. My video was never intended as a how-to - I just had the camera running when I did it. Stay well. Ride safely. Nick

[@kelco2246]

Nick you were correct about not needing to remove the petrol tank as we could not see what you were doing anyway .

[@fluffybilly]

Oh dear Nick, your shed is nearly as chaotic as mine. Great vid as always.

[@nick949eldo]

Hah! It's even worse right now - floor strewn with Convert parts. Fortunately, I mostly know where everything goes........sometimes.

[@aldammer4912]

Just stumbled upon your video, thanks, really enjoyed it.

[@nick949eldo]

Thanks Al. Stay well.

[@motophoenix5951]

Thanks for posting this. There does not appear to be much on KZbin covering Guzzi repairs, especially major work like engine and transmission stuff in any detail. Being very much into the idea of mutual aid, I enjoy making the odd bike repair video (mostly featuring my BMW airhead) and I have thought about doing one or two Guzzi ones, but I sold my last Guzzi 3 or 4 years ago. Anyway, thanks again. Always enjoy your videos and books.

[@Robert-uy1gd]

Last year I had to take out the gearbox of my V7 Special. No way that I can get the box out without removing the whole engine. And damaging the paint of the lower frame tubes.... The oilseal of the outgoing shaft of the box leaked. Twice renewed... twice taking the engine out and putting it back again. And guess what? It styill bloody leaks. Now I've got to take it out again and try to polish the shaft. Hope that works.

[@nick949eldo]

If you take off the carbs, remove the rear gearbox frame bolt, then rotate the engine forwards a few degrees, there is just enough room to wiggle the gearbox off. It isn't easy, and yes, you may scrape the painted frame rails, but that's what rattlecans are for 😆. It is a tight fit though and requires a lot of jiggling.

[@jessbailey6718]

Wish I could of seen what he was doing cause I really want a Guzzi and there's not a lot out there! Nick please if you do anymore of these please consider another angle.

[@nick949eldo]

Thanks Jess. It really wasn't intended as a 'how too' as I'm a lousy mechanic and no one should follow my practices. However, the old guzzis are really simple and getting at the clutch is just a logical process of removing everything that's in the way.

[@Eustus2000]

I need to put a new clutch in my '73 Eldorado and I'm doing a couple other tips for the engine. Can I swap out the clutch by removing the gearbox and leaving the engine in the frame? And is it possible to do it not using the special clutch alignment tool? I am going to put new seals in the front forks and that has a special tool also I think.

[@nick949eldo]

It is entirely possible to leave the engine in the frame when you remove the gearbox. You have to loosen the front engine bolt (don't remove it!) so you can rotate the engine forwards a little to give you a bit more wiggle room. It is a struggle to get past the end of the gearbox studs but you can get there eventually as long as everything else (carbs, battery tray etc.) are out of the way. If you're fussy about the frame paint, make sure to protect the rails before jiggling the gearbox. It is much easier with the clutch alignment tool. If your time and stress levels are important, you can get by without it, but there is always the danger of ruining the intermediate plate if you don't align it perfectly. I haven't ever done much to my forks other than replacing the springs a long time ago. Can't help you there. Good luck.

[@Eustus2000]

@@nick949eldo Thanks for the reply. I have had the engine and gearbox split before, back in 1995. But I couldn't get the engine fully out then. I did rotate the engine forward, but back then I didn't need a clutch. So this winter I'm going back in to replace the clutch. I see that I'm going to need the special tools and bribe a friend or two to help. Thanks!

[@daveswanson6066]

Good going Nick!

[@richardwhitehead4684]

Thanks for this. What’s that nice jack you’re using? Coincidentally, I’m in the market for for one to do a clutch in my Lemans 1000. Keep the great content coming. I always enjoy it.

[@nick949eldo]

It's a cheap ATV jack. Works ok, but a wise person would also use security straps from above.

[@richardwhitehead4684]

@@nick949eldo ‘ATV jack’. That’s a thing? I liked the foot lever. Totally agree about straps from above. ‘Belt and suspenders’ kinda thing. If you can think of the brand, I’d appreciate it. Thanks again.

[@nick949eldo]

@@richardwhitehead4684 I think it was from Princess Auto but I'm sure there are others out there: www.princessauto.com/en/1500-lb-motorcycle-atv-lift/product/PA0009012014

[@AMERICANLEGENDModelBuilder]

is it still a four speed?

[@nick949eldo]

Its a 72 850. Always a 5 speed.

[@wandamaddox7824]

LOL step 1. Remove the front wheel, rear wheel, front fender, rear fender, tank, battery covers, toolboxes, clutch lever, brake lever, throttle, handlebar, triple clamps, fuel tank, battery, air filter assy, battery tray, rear shocks, swing arm and final drive, clutch cable, throttle cable, brake rods, foot pegs, lower engine mounts, breather box, generator, distributor, wiring harness, engine. step 2. remove the transmission

[@nick949eldo]

🤣🤣🤣

[@wandamaddox7824]

I played this at 2X just to get rid of the music.

[@nick949eldo]

Theres a little icon on your computer. One click.....