Well I think it's worth it.....

May well be overkill but having torched my big ends once, (Entirely my fault, acting the goat and pulling wheelies like a twenty-something is something I should of grown out of many years ago!) I think that under REALLY severe provocation it must be possible to expose the oil pick-up in the sump. This has been a long term issue that I thought that the new sump fitted to the CARC bikes, (Bellagio excepted.) had fixed but now I'm a bit skeptical.

Anyway one of the major changes to the GRiSO in 2015 is the adoption of the Cali 14 sump and oil filter/delivery set-up. This finally sees a return to the bottom of the sump pick-up with an oil gallery cast into the sump with a strainer over it rather than the downward pointing sieve pick-up sitting is a 'Basin' with a levee at the back to discourage oil surge that might expose the pick up.

Given that I'm going to be putting an almost brand new, squeaky clean motor into my old tugboat I was musing the possibility and then the cost of converting my 'Old' sump and pick-up system to the *New* Cali14/MY15 GRiSO set up.

An hour or so poring over the parts lists and punching numbers into websites and I find that I can get all the parts I think I need, (Baring the oil filter itself.) for about $350AU delivered. Given my experience and my distrust of the 'Flying Saucer' strainer's ability to not suck air when provoked I thought it was cheap insurance so I've ordered everything I need and will be fitting it as soon as it arrives.

As stated I can't be sure that it's a worthwhile mod, it certainly isn't if you don't ever pull wheelies or seriously act the goat, but given my exprerience with big ends and having seen numerous big end disasters in V11's, a couple on 8V's but NONE on bikes with the bottom dwelling oil pick up I reckon it's a cheap and easy enough bit of insurance for an old fart like me who obviously has a penchant for blowing up his motors through serious abuse!

Pete

Onya Pete, on the bleeding edge as usual.

Very interesting read there Pete.
Also a fare price for the bits.
Yes,I torched a bottom end on a v11.
Once rebuilt put on one of your sloppage plates on for insurance.

Good to know that Bella is a bottom feeder, and its got a Roper sloper plate.
But with only 75 ponies it won't pull the skin off a rice pudding, so wheelies are dream time for me.

Good to see you are not going to give up "acting the goat and pulling wheelies like a twenty-something" :-)

ghezzi wrote:

Good to know that Bella is a bottom feeder, and its got a Roper sloper plate.
But with only 75 ponies it won't pull the skin off a rice pudding, so wheelies are dream time for me.

Rubbish! Wheelies are easy on a Bellagio! You just have to store enough energy in the flywheel to be able to hoick it upright! It's got nothing to do with power, (Although more always helps!) it's about getting the energy into the driveline suddenly. I pulled my first, terrifying, wheelie in London on my old 48HP SP 1000 but it had a huge flywheel to store kinetic energy. The Bella' flywheel is much less massive so you have to spin it faster and abuse the clutch more! That's all!

Do remember That I have about six perfect bevel boxes and a spare gearbox in my spares stock and the single plate 8V clutch is bulletproof, (If built properly!) so I don't have to worry too much if I blow something up! Others aren't in such a privileged position.

Pete

Hey, can't I have a technical excuse coz I'm chicken shit with mechanical abuse.
The Hyper would power up in 2nd gear every corner, no clutch action required.

Try a TV-4, open that up with wheelie control off in any of the first three and even with a great, fat, useless prick on board everything goes blue just with the go handle! No need for any excuses, I just got to the stage where it seemed that everyone was bagging out the 8V, it was too heavy, it's wheelbase was too long, it didn't have enough power and torque!

Sorry that just gave me the shits so I had to go there. You will never see me doing it because I know what showing off, (Hold Ma Beer!) results in and I'm a lot older than that but really it needed doing and the only thing that has broken on my bike is the big ends.

Like any addict I'll keep telling everyone "I can stop any time I want!" But at the end of the day who cares? I'll really don't. I just want to work out how we can make the wretched things bulletproof so we can not worry about abuse occasionally. $350 ish seems a cheap fix for doing your big ends. And no, I'm NOT selling kits or trying to make a buck off anyone.

Pete

I vote Pete does a "How to wheelie your GRiSO properly." video! For edumacayshunal purposes of course.

Can we start calling you "Mad Stuntah"?

Wheely a GRiSO? Just got mine and never even crossed my mind it would be possible for a mere mortal, that I would like to see

As I said, you'll never see me do it! Showing off invariably ends in disaster.

Pete

Girls can do it and on 1100.

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Good thing she's got crash bars, she's already broken one mirror off.

She hasn't got a GRiSO any more either. She trowelled it a month or so ago.

Nuf said

little750 wrote:

Girls can do it and on 1100.

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Who is this beauty? Anyone know her?

That picture has been around and I even saw a video where she was practicing making passes...

Pete, how much do you reckon to fit the bits - I am interested in making my Sport 1200 8V last as long as I can manage to make it.

About $350-400 if I've got all the bits right and we re-use a couple of the original bits.

The big ticket items are the sump casting and the flange that holds the filter OPRV etc. they're about $110 each then there a a host of shitty little bits and pieces. One thing that is different is there are a couple of dowels that may or may not fit in the earlier crankcase. I don't think they are vital anyway although I can see the wisdom of them being there but I'll be sussing that out when I fit my set up.

Mark is going this route too, as I state it is by no means vital. I honestly believe that the stock early system is pretty damn good, very much an improvement on the old V11 'Broad Sump' but having torched my big ends once I'm looking for ways to 'Fucktard-Proof' my engine.

Pete

Grisonut wrote:

That picture has been around and I even saw a video where she was practicing making passes...

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I think this might be the one you are talking about. Posted in 2010. Hope she is ok. Pete seems to know she toasted her bike . Maybe he knows her Laker?

Nah, it was just mentioned in passing on the WG site, she trowelled the G, seems there was a car involved. No other info.

Pete

Heard she is Polish

So... what is the best procedure to pull a good wheelie on a GRiSO? Like ghezzi, I've got other bikes to do so with just a flick of the wrist. But, I'd like to know what is possible on our rides.

You just have to store as much energy as possible in the flywheel and then balance dropping the clutch with whacking the throttle open. It's just a practice thing. I reckon it's murder on the driveline though as the only real Cush in the system is the bonded rubber interface in the driveshaft, (Yup, your GRiSO is driven by a rubber sleeve! ). Unlike earlier bikes and the Cali 14 the 1200-8V's don't have a face cam in the gearbox or any sort of rubber cush in the rear wheel/bevelbox assembly so the loadings you stick through the system are very abrupt and harsh. I really don't recommend it.

As I've said I have spare everythings! Gearbox, clutch, shaft, bevelboxes, if I am stupid enough to blow something up I can replace it with only inconvenience but this sort of abuse is NOT what the GRiSO thrives on and it's totally unsuited for the purpose. I'd strongly recommend against doing it.

Pete