75000 hard km's on a G11 - what can go wrong?

Hey,

What happens when you commute daily on a GRiSO, and you ignore a few key recommended extra maintenance tips?

The damage so far:

- Shot swingarm and suspension linkage bearings (not cheap, but not as hard as I thought)
- Worn gearbox output shaft splines (no grease + small split in rubber gaitor probably didnt help)  - I will have to continue ignoring that for a while ....  


Other stuff:
- alternator belt snapped at 73k - looks like it wasnt replaced....  cheap and easy fix , now keep a spare
-Speedo sensor (replaced) -  cheap and easy fix
-Stripped gearbox drainplug bolt (like it when I bought it) - helicoled it
-Termignoni can, cracking at mounting bracket - trying to find a trustworthy local welder
-Busted / Rusted bolts - drilled out and / or replaced (like it when i bought it)
-Corrosion on triple clamps , needs paint (like it when i bought it)
-Flaking / rusty headlamp rim (like it when i bought it)
-Corrosion from fluid on clutch master (like it when i bought it)
-Rear brake switch packed in - seized and plunger bent


Most of the above due to it spending the first few years in the UK, and being ridden rain or shine... salt on the roads etc.. It had 35k on it when I got it , so all in all I am quite impressed, expected much more hassle

Will spam up the board with a few other questions I've been saving up , been a bit busy like!

fasteners on all CARC Guzzis exhibit a very ordinary finish, some are soft and easily rust. I have been replacing mine with stainless steel unit, progressively, over the last few years. Some of these you can (or should be able to ) get at your local hardware store, or a marine store (price goes up as soon as you mention boats...).

I have also had to drill out a few of mine (specifically the ones holding on the Brembo calipers) after they were stripped by an authorised service centre who didn't have a 7mm allen key - I think he ground one down from an 8mm key to make it fit. It was the last time I went near that place - he has now moved into RC cars - more appropriate for his skill level.

just start doing them a few at a time

Yeah,iIt was only a few bolts that were totally fucked, but I have been slowly going through the bike and making good use of my coppaslip and tap and die set!!

In fact it sounds worse than it really is, it actually held up much better than some jap bikes I could mention... and still looks damn good , despite its charming original 'patina'

My 06 1100 has 165 000 Kms. It has been in retirement since August....My plan is to freshen it up later this year and use him as my go to work machine. The fork legs are starting to loose their hardchrome. $320 Aussie each to replace. Rear shock shaft same deal but dunno bout replacement cost. Matris the go. Motor needs inlet valves and guides. I did replace in and ex valves and ex guides at 100 000. Clutch will need replacing,I was told by a trusted source they are only good for 70 000. Front wheel bearings will be replaced. I replaced front disc rotors with aftermarket ,rear replaced with OEM. Pretzel kept cracking,Replaced it with Agostini. Front brake and clutch levers worn at pivots ,replaced with aftermarket. During the previous 9 years this was my only transport so ridden just about daily,rain hail or shine,litterally and when out and about most of it at advanced touring speeds. Great machines.

Pretty good track record Charlie...
But I'm worried about the clutch since your trusted source mentioned 70.000km, it's about 40.000 miles for me.
I'd hope mine lasts much longer than that, like yours I guess...100.00 or so.

Grisonut,the bike is on its 3rd clutch. First one the outer friction plate litterally fell apart at 30 000,poorly made. The rivets pulled through. NOT due to abuse. Second one I changed at 100 000. It still had a heap of life in it but I was there.

Periodically Guzzi buys in batches of shit clutch plates from various suppliers. It seemed like every few years a bean counter would have the brilliant idea of finding a cheaper supplier. It never ended well.

If you have a good set of friction plates they will last a very long time unless you habitually spin the clutch and act like a moron. Usually when I was replacing clutches in older Guzzis it was because they'd got oiled somehow. Sure a GRiSO is a bit more *Meaty* than a T3 but you really have to be a brute to wear one out in under 100,000km.

Pete

Oh Charlie, music to my ears mate! So I am more or less just run in then.... Will start the 100k parts fund now...

Oh - and I forgot, i also replaced front wheel bearings - about 65K - but looked like due to damaged seal and water ingress accelerated the wear.

Well, painfully slow progress ... keep finding more evidence of both my and previous owners idiocy... lets see if I learned anything... feel free to take the piss.

New issues / fixes:

- Seized Triple clamp bolts (lesson: buy decent drill bits, then its easy)

- Head bearings : replaced with taper roller kit (lesson : cross cut and splayed steel pipes make great tools to knock out outer races, and a dremmel to cut the inner (slowwwwly) - solid pipe to install new races).

- Suspension : front and rear rebuilt and reshimed by an Italian suspension guru I found - still to test, but I am optimistic! (lesson : def. beyond my skill level - maybe try the next fork oil change...)

- Tyres : new pilot 4's (lesson: easy to fit myself with some basic affordable tools - I use [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and home made wheel clamp )

- Paint - various bits and bobs bodged with rattle can. Lesson: Get someone else to do painting...

- Strip and clean any water damage connectors... Lesson : I hate electrics (see next point)

- Re-wrapping and reposition wiring harness - Lesson - Lucky! had worn through close to the fuse box ... nice red wires almost worn the insulation.

- Fuel tank - drain pipe blocked . Stripped out everything and cleared fuel pump inlet gauze, tank filler breather etc. Water drain was totally jammed , needed poking from both ends and compressed air to blow it through.. Lesson - PITA job for something so simple.. do this everytime you have the tank off...

- Clean out TBs and Air Filter Box - Lesson: as everyone says... dont fill more than half way up dipstick...

- Oil leak - from right hand inner spark plug access plug. Lesson: Thought i'd fixed this with a new plug - apparently not...

In between all this , a mate turned up a a spanking Super Tenere 1200... just needed a cross threaded bolt sorting... saw my suspension overhaul had turned into an engine and chasssi - and promptly offered me a loan of his Honda Silverwing maxiscooter... how did this happen????

and last one - I'm stuck on this... :

clutch master cylinder - mine appears to be about to shit itself... weeping piston  - is there a rebuild kit...  have scoured the forums, and cant find the definitive answer.

Anyone?

Charlie J wrote:

Grisonut,the bike is on its 3rd clutch. First one the outer friction plate litterally fell apart at 30 000,poorly made. The rivets pulled through.  NOT due to abuse. Second one I changed at 100 000. It still had a heap of life in it but I was there.

So, the second one had 70 000 miles on it and had some life left on it when you yanked it out...
Looks like we can get about 100K miles out of a clutch under normal conditions.

MrButter wrote:

Hey,

What happens when you commute daily on a GRiSO, and you ignore a few key recommended extra maintenance tips?...

Hey, Butter, thoroughly enjoying your posts. The simple answer, in my case, is that that's about the point some half-witted knuckle-headed dick-fucker decided to make a left-hand turn in front of me and my beloved GRiSO Rosso became a pile of parts. Stick with it and good luck keeping yours on the road for another hundred kay!

@ Charlie J, is it still possible to get stanchions re chromed? The forks also look suspiciously like early RSV mille (mine are even stamped Aprilia, although Bettle said that's normal) , anyway I will use your Hondaesque mileage record to inspire the investment....

@ Street, that sucks man, I had an SV that snapped into two bits after a learner driver did the same to me... Put a gsxr front end on it, but was never really happy with it... Ended up breaking it for parts too.

Mr Butler,I didnt look into Rechroming as its easier /quicker to replace with OEM. I havent done anything about it as I was busy ridin the 1200.

Fair play Charlie, maybe I should follow the example and sell all my shitters and get a decent 12,( but this time actually pull it apart and grease everything so I don't get to be the whining bitch 2nd time round)

OK - so have been out of the country for a while, but have finally got everything back together and a few hundred miles in with the repairs and overhauled suspension and swingarm + head bearlings.

Suspension and handling obviously improved, but will def. need to spend time to set this up they have been modified. So far I believe rear sag not correct due to too much preload, but to be confirmed as I will need to learn exactly what the hell I am doing (and I learn by "doing" which is unfortunately more expensive in time and money than reading....)

Following my amateurish overhaul, only a few simple fuck ups detected, so overall we will call it a win so far.

Hoping that the loose oil sensor in the head was the source of the minor oil leak behind the right cylinder head...

Next issue is the clutch squeal.. (no, not the normal rattle at idle) - will do a seperate post on that ...

...so I persuaded the missus to assist with a tape measure and discovers I had 58mm of sag on the rear.... I'm a fairly fat kid at 95kg, so not unexpected.... preload is now wound right up (down?) and we now have 32mm... Front was fine, although took the chance to adjust the new head bearings which were a tad loose after bedding in.

Then spent a confusing few hours translating Guzzi manual / forum suspension advice into something resembling smooth and compliant, but still goes round corners.

As I had the front and rear rebuilt by TNT suspension in Barcelona (nice Italian guy, Ricardo), the specific settings may not be relevant to anyone else, but needed less compression and a lot less rebound to smooth things out.

Unfortunately I am a suspension idiot / numb arse and so far my fantasy / goal of being a chicken stripless king of the mountain remains fantastic... lets see how I get on

Conclusions - (all repeated many times by others ):

1. Investing in a suspension is worthwhile
2. Grease your gearbox output shaft, swingarm and linkage bearings
3. Put anti seize on all bolts
3. Dont fill engine oil more than 1/2 way up the dipstick
4. Michelin PR4 tyres work well
5. Check your exhaust mid-section for cracks
6. and other stuff I wont mention due to dinner being ready, and my life being at risk if I don't go now....