New GRiSO guy in Alberta, Canada

Greetings, the quick skinny on me, 61 years young, first bike was a 1968 Honda Z50 and have had the good fortune to own a bunch since then. Married for 40 years with two grown children and two lovely grand kids. The wife is a saint. Presently riding 2006 Goldwing, Honda CRF 1000L, Honda DN O1 and just bought a 0 mile 2014 SE GRiSO. Took the GRiSO out yesterday being the temperature was above O and the roads were dry. At this point I've pushed the GRiSO exactly as far as I've road it, just over a kilometre. Brought back some not so pleasant memories of my early Harley days. The bike quit dead in fourth gear, cluster lights went out but headlight and tail light remained on. Checked all the fuses and they were good. After the cardio work out getting it home, let it cool off for a few hours, turned the key, gauges cycled and bike started and ran for about two minutes and dead again. It's going to the dealer next week but just wondering if any of you fine folk have heard of similar issues with a new bike? Oh, I did keep my helmet on when pushing as not to be identified in some you tube video by any of my Honda chums

Welcome to the forum and sorry to see your first ride wasn't so pleasant. I'm sure you will be seeing others posting some thoughts on your troubled GRiSO.

Thank you NP for the welcome. Yes, hope to hear some feedback from those in the know. Always have been intrigued with the Guzzi's and fell in love with the look of the GRiSO. The kilometre that I did get to ride it, I was smiling.

welcome aboard, not heard of your complaint before, if it just stopped i would have suggested looking at the fuel breather pipe, if it stops and you open the fuel tank and here a sucking noise, then you would know you have a problem, but it sound electrical.
Again the only issue i have come across is a loose or corroded battery terminal, but they don't normally start!!
and with that i will leave it to the experts

Thank you,. There is pressure on the fuel cap when opened, actually more than I thought there should be. Vent line appears to be unrestricted.
I am assuming the problem is either regulator or relay, certainly electrical. I just hope it doesn't end up being a gremlin.

Not a problem I've encountered but it's odd on several levels as when the engine isn't running the lights should go off! If they are staying on when the rest of the bike is dead in the water something very queer is going on, sounds like it might be either dashboard or ECU related.

First things I'd be checking are cleanliness and security of the plugs to both dash and ECU and the earth wire for the ECU where it attatches to the body of the ECU. Also check the battery terminals and the connectors to them, make sure they are clean and the connections tight and coated with Vaseline or the like and that the main earth strap is also clean and tight where it bolts to the motive unit under the starter motor cover.

Without the bike in front of me to observe the symptoms first hand though these sorts of issues are very hard to diagnose I'm afraid.

Welcome anyway.....

Pete

Thank you,. There is pressure on the fuel cap when opened, actually more than I thought there should be. Vent line appears to be unrestricted.
I am assuming the problem is either regulator or relay, certainly electrical. I just hope it doesn't end up being a gremlin.

Thanks Pete, on all accounts.
It is a weird one, that's for sure. Being the bike is o mileage but virtually three plus something years old I know corrosion could be the culprit. Went through all the visible connections but didn't find anything suspicious. I'm with you on the ECU prospect, I've never had one poop the bed before.
Thanks again.

Sounds like another dealer who doesn't do a proper PDI. How can they deliver a bike without putting a few test miles on it after set-up?

Thanks LBC,
Unfortunately they didn't do the pdi until I purchased it a couple weeks ago. We still have winter here, and yesterday was pretty much the closest we've had to hardy motorcycle weather. The bike was delivered to me in an enclosed trailer. I can't really blame them for not road testing. In hindsight, I should have let them keep it until they could have. Just older, not smarter.

Pete Roper wrote:

First things I'd be checking are cleanliness and security of the plugs to both dash and ECU and the earth wire for the ECU where it attaches to the body of the ECU. Also check the battery terminals and the connectors to them, make sure they are clean and the connections tight and coated with Vaseline or the like and that the main earth strap is also clean and tight where it bolts to the motive unit under the starter motor cover. Pete

Welcome to the Ghetto. I'm with Pete in that I'd check all the ground (earth) connections and battery terminals - I prefer dielectric grease. I would also check the battery itself - I've had relatively new ones lose a plate and these bikes don't like low voltage. My '12 is very lightly used and I found the battery voltage low and the terminals pretty badly corroded.

Hope you're able to sort out your issues quickly...

Dialectic grease is an insulator. Last thing you want in this situation!

Thanks guys,
I did inspect the grounds and terminals and add a dab of petroleum jelly to the connections. The dealer is coming tomorrow to pick the bike up. Just hope they can replicate the malfunction as the bike will start now that it is cold. Weather turned shitty and not fond of letting it idle to warm it up enough to see if it will do it again.
Thanks kindly for the input and will let you all know what the verdict is.
If nothing else, I'll hang it on the garage wall and just stare at the sexy beast.

Randy

While it may be ucu related it is highly unlikely to be the ECU itself. In eleven years of dealing with W5AM bikes I've never had to replace one unless it had been damaged physically. Think connectors and terminals, not ECU itself. There must be hundreds of perfectly serviceable ECU's out there, thrown in a corner, by people who screamed 'ECU' and then found that replacing it didn't fix the problem!

Pete

Welcome, Randy. I'm sure you'll get it sorted out in short order. Good luck and congrats.

Pete Roper wrote:

Dialectic grease is an insulator. Last thing you want in this situation!

Pete, I respectfully disagree with you. It will act as an insulator between the metal and the environment AROUND it. According to the manufacturer it does NOT inhibit electrical flow where there's metal to metal contact.

From the Permatex website:
- Protects electrical connections and wiring from salt, dirt and corrosion
- Prevents voltage leaks around any electrical connection
- Extends the life of bulb sockets
- Required for modern high energy ignition systems
- Suggested Applications: Marine and automotive electrical connections, spark plug boots, trailer hitches, battery terminals

I have used it since the 70's to protect grounds and other electrical connections on my Triumphs, MGs and Alphas - all of which are notorious (infamous?) for weak, corroding electrics and any other exposed connections like hitch connectors. I put a light film on the connection points, then a heavier dose around it to insulate it from the environment.

The other thing you need to watch is the use of petroleum products (like Vaseline) on rubber and plastic as they are slightly caustic to those surfaces, causing them to degrade over time. Dielectric 'grease' is actually silicone based and neutral to these materials...

Hello again guys,
Just an update on the my new GRiSO.
The dealer diagnosed the problem as a faulty ignition switch. Got the bike back today and put the first hundred Klicks on it. Worked perfect!
Really enjoy the bike. Little bit old school but that is what I was looking for.
Thanks again for your replys.
Randy

Glad to hear you're up and running! Warmer weather is finally coming to the northern hemisphere - sunny and 60's - 70's in NJ this week. Here's to a fun and safe riding season

Broken Spoke wrote:

Hello again guys,
Just an update on the my new GRiSO.
The dealer diagnosed the problem as a faulty ignition switch. Got the bike back today and put the first hundred Klicks on it. Worked perfect!
Really enjoy the bike. Little bit old school but that is what I was looking for.
Thanks again for your replys.
Randy

woo-hoo!

It's a beauty for sure! Congrats from your neighbouring province.

And I like your home-made-but-sturdy-looking table!

Thank you sir.
Only have a couple hundred Klicks on it, weather here has been shitty, but I sure do like the bike.
I see you are from the Nelson area, in the heart of some of the best riding this country has to offer. Lucky you

Hey Broken Spoke ... welcome from Calgary great site and great people here...
Keener

Thanks Keener.
I more than agree that this site is the best MC forum that I have found. The welcome and help I have received has been very appreciated, some really stellar folks here. Just adds to the satisfaction of owning a GRiSO. Not many of these beasts around this neck of the woods.

Ay, Caramba!

That's some tall-arse screen you got there.

That it is my friend....ugly as sin but it's frickin cold over here and hate being cold. Will take it off once the ice melts off the toilet bowls.