Not a GRiSO but a Sport 1200....

This is a 1200 Sport 8V, 23,000Km. Owner bought it in today. Seemed a bit dubious about my insistence that he needed it inspecting and was pissed because he was planning a two day trip with a mate next week. He hung around to watch the disassembly and I think he was glad he took my advice.

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Big pic so you can get all the gory detail.

The bike sounded like a grain header with a bale of barbed wire inside it when it arrived. I really can't see how he didn't get it was rooted but who expects their 20,000 km bike to be terminally damaged? The worry is that it sounds to me like its done its bottom end already. The top end was so awful though I won't be able to tell until its rollerised.

Pete

she be fucked - real goodly

The sound it must have been making. Ay, Caramba!



BTW Pete, I reckon you're wasting your time on that other forum.

[old proverb mode] "there are none so blind as those that will not see" [/old proverb mode]

wot other forum? you mean you are two timing us Pete? as Mark says, "Ay, Caramba!"

I am so glad I didn't upgrade to an 8V Sport - the thought crossed my mind, but opportunity didn't knock. Whew!

How would you be ?
Buy a near new, 20,000ks, loverly bike, pay your hard earned, expect and deserve another 100,000ks and find this.
It's just not fair !!!
Life's a bitch sometimes
Why should he have to pay for the labour ?
So, if I upgrade from my 1100 and purchase a nice new Guzzi what sort of warranty would I get ?
What confidence am I getting from this dismal history ?
Anyway, have a great, safe day.
Caoi

Trev, if you purchased a brand new unit (with the latest iteration of the 8V engine) you would be sweet. The 8V Sports came with the A7 Engine (flat tappet) and all 8V Sports will need an upgrade.

Buying 2nd hand, regardless of mileage, with an A5 or A7 engine, part of the negotiation process would be for a roller conversion + labour discount. My A2 engine is golden.

Well fuck me dead!!!
Can't help to wonder...is your customer retarded in any way Pete??
You buy a bike or a car whatever...and then when the engine start to make a noise, and the noise get bigger...you keep using the vehicle like nothing's happening? Like...it's fucking Christmas!! Let's go riding boys! LOL

probably not laughing now... not with a multi thousand dollar repair bill, and a planned trip shot to pieces.

Look, he's a nice enough guy. I too wonder how he rode it so long seemingly without noticing there was a problem. The valve clearances had opened up to well over a millimetre so the cam timing would of been hopelessly compromised and it would of been overfueling to fuck and as slow as a wet weekend in Walsall. He's not one of those vindictive oddballs who feels its his right to completely destroy his bike and then demand that it be fixed on someone else dime though. Yes, there are people like that out there.

pete

almost good news then, Pete. Just a process needing to be followed.

Once its rollerised we'll know if its dead or not. until then its pure speculation.

pete

The loss of power alone would be an obvious indication that the engine no workey so good. lol
I hope his engine will be salvageable and not reduced to a boat anchor...

I'm hoping to pick up a stelvio wreck soon which has a good roller engine in it but its not a done deal yet. Ralf has first dibs on that though if he wants it.

Pete

Robbing Peter to pay Paul seems to be the way forward here. How about this then: there must be more than a few 1200 Brevas, Norges or Sports on the butchers block, maybe make a GRiSO out of a 2/4V engine - reliable as all hell, and we know how to get the best out of them.

May not be popular, but it at least keeps a good steed on the road...

So, talking to a friend who has bought a bmw s1000r.
Four cylinder sports bike thingy, it's proberly 6 months old.
Whilst riding the other day it starts to run a bit rough not to concerned thought bad fuel.
Not so lucky, next day upon start up bike is making more tap pet noise than normal.
So off to the dealers and upon a two day pull down and inspection the fucking cam and lifters have lost there coating and opened up clearances.
Can you believe it? So now he has to wait for a reply from bmw for a action as to what there going to do.
Very unhappy Chappy

I believe cam trouble is not unknown in that engine.

It will be interesting to find out how BMW approach this and if they are better at dealing with it than Piaggio who have a policy of sticking their head up their arse so they can't hear the complaints from former loyal customers.

Pete, based on my experience and what you have shown and told us, if that engine is not Donald Ducked I will give you a carton of beer and drop of a bottle of scotch for the owner because he will be the luckiest person in the world.
I think
I'm reasonably well qualified to comment on Guzzi's and luck.

Shit, that looks bad. Don't be too hard on the bloke though. He may genuinely not have really known just how bad the damage was from an engineering point of view. Ok, we all may be attuned to this sort of thing, being Guzzi enthusiasts and all, but we can't assume that everybody has a great eye for mechanical knowledge.

Case in point. I had to have an electrician out to my place 6 months ago to replace a fried master main switch in my house power supply. This bloke the lamented how poor the wiring was in my main power box. I wouldn't have had a clue, until the joint burned down of course. Doubtless this bloke was posting things on his Electricians Forum or whatever about how dumb this customer was who didn't know that his 20 year old power box was toast. Meanwhile, I'm none the wiser. Ditto for us on a motorcycle forum. Repeat example for any plumber, gas fitter,  pest exterminator , painter, structural engineer, builder etc. let's not be too quick to criticise. God forbid, the bloke may have relied on the ability of his servicing shop to find these problems before he did.....

Yep, towed a Cali Sport yesterday as the diff or uni-joints had shit themselves. It was making a bit of noise but the owner had no idea where or why. He had it booked in for a service and check but didn't make it to the shop.

Jonathon works in a service station (as a check-out chick) but has no mechanical knowledge or understanding, he just rides. Cosmetically the bike is in pretty good nick for 260,000km, so it is a bloody good advert for the build quality, strength and reliability of the product. The only other issue he has had was a worn out clutch at about 150,000km.

F..k,
260,000 ks, fantastic
Would'nt I like to have a uni joint go at this stage !!!!
I have now 63,000 on my G1100 and all good, hope I can even get to 100,000
Have a safe day

Due to the design of the CARC driveshafts they will generally be very long lasting. My original shaft still felt fine at 90,000kms and I've never sold one......

Pete

Make sure that you get a later engine as the earlier ones suffered from this problem.

Make sure that you get a later engine as the earlier ones suffered from this problem.

Echo...echo...echo...