V100 3Rd gear lash

Hell everyone.
I’m a v100 owner based outside the UK. I own a Polare Bianco V100(Standard version) for a little over a year and ridden it 24,000 Kms(15,000 miles for you :slight_smile: ) . So far I was absolutely in love with the bike’ and didn’t even mind the little teething issues. Lately the bike started responding abruptly when on and off the throttle in low to mid RPM. A pronounced thud when you slow down for traffic an re accelerate. Can’t be sure if it was always present or if I just started to notice because I do very little riding in town, and only recently had a couple of days with town duties. Only upon noticing that phenomenon I did a basic lash check. By basic I mean rolling the bike back and forth with gear engaged. Note I’m a a trained mechanical engineer and well aware of the limitations of such check. Of course. I’m also familar with motorcycle gearbox operation. In any case a lash of about 12Cm in third i.e bike will roll that distance before gear is engaged. Significantly lower lash is observed in all other gears except 4Th. I learned that many other V100 owners observe the same thing, Some even maintain that it’s completely normal and nothing to worry about. Only my insitnct and training tells me otherwise. In my humble opinion, such a lash especially when displayed in a particular gear and when coinciding with the riding experience I mentioned. Also when exploring the new Stelvio parts cataloge , I noted that many relevant gearbox internals have different SKU although basic construction and ratios are the same as on the V100. Some of the changes fori nstance a different SKU for the case or event the output shaft can(in a pinch) be attributed to the different intended use of the bikes. But others’ such as 6Th gear whel on output(which engages 2nd and 3Rd as per the usual 6 speed practice) can’t. Of course can’t be 100% sure’ but it might suggest Guzzi are aware of an issue. Since I really love the bike I really wish someone can give a substantiated explanation for that lash other then then excessive lash which is bound to worsen and cause trouble when I keep racking miles. Thanks and sorry for the long post.

Hi I have heard there have been issues with the gearbox on the V100. A few Youtube videos are demonstrating a similar issue to what you have. While this might be classed as “normal” you shouldn’t feel an effect while riding, this is where normal becomes an issue in my mind anyway. 12cm is a lot of lash and I am not surprised there is a thud, I would certainly be taking the bike back to the dealer for inspection. With the different part numbers on the Stelvio compared to the V100 has MG not updated the gearbox to try and solve a few of the issues with the original V100 mainly the thud from neutral to first? I have a 24 MY bike so I don’t think I have the updated gearbox and while there is a thud when moving to first its not as bad as my BMW R1200RS was. I only have a couple of hundred miles on mine so not really in a position to compare but up till now the riding experience for me has been silky smooth.

Lets hope you get it sorted soon you will have to keep us informed of your progress.

Paul

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Thanks
As for the different SKU’s on the Stelvio. All gears on the output shaft+ the shaft itself have different SKU. If anyone can confirm tighter lash on an actual Stelvio, It will be interesting.

I measured the rotational free play in each gear on my 2024 Stelvio (9,000 miles clocked). With bike on centre stand (useful accessory, should be included) I got
1st 4.9cm:
2nd 5.3 cm:
3rd 7.3 cm:
4th 4.3 cm:
5th 4.6 cm:
6th 5.4 cm
by turning the rear wheel from lock to lock.

It’s not possible to select anything but neutral or first unless the input shaft is spinning - that’s going to make bump starting all but impossible - but it’s a feature on the Stelvio meant to make neutral selection easier (I only rarely use neutral!)

BTW, my gearbox is MUCH worse than those on the two Mandellos I rode. Almost every gear change has a loud clunk along with the obligatory clunk/lurch into first. Probably explains why I don’t like neutral!

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The differing length of free movement will be down to different dog & slot sizes on the gears multiplied by the ratio of the engaged gear pair.
A certain amount of clearance is necessary for the dogs to engage into the slots or dogs when spinning.
They probably always bang in when they engage but if the revs are up we don’t hear it.

Thanks for the thorough check. BTW, I checked with wheel under load of the bike, guess that with the wheel in the air might be larger.