My Rollerization progress

OK.

Cylinder head with *Short* plug tube as your bike has. No, the cambox isn't on the head.

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Now, here is the underside of a cambox the same as the one on your bike. On the left in the picture you can see the plug 'ole. The cambox is upside down and in the hole you can see the relief with an o-ring in it. This is the o-ring that seals on the 'Short' plug tube that only goes between the head and the cambox.

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This is a picture of the 'Early' type rocker cover. Note the O-ring in the plug 'ole that seals the 'Long' plug tube that projects all the way through the cambox/rocker support.

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Compare it to the 'Late' type where the neoprene 'Ring' gasket seals against the tube in the casting of the cambox/rocker carrier itself.

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Here is a late model cambox, (The reason for the second plug tube is because it is the same casting used on the Cali 14's, ignore it, it's irrelevant.) note both the diameter of the plug 'ole in the casting and the fact the top of it is machined flat to provide a good sealing surface for the ring gasket.

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And here is one taken from the side of an early type casting. Note the 'Long' plug tube poking through the larger, un machined, plug 'ole in the casting. I'll try to find a shot taken from above too.

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There ya go!

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As you can see, the differences are bleedingly obvious. As soon as you lay eyes on the parts it's obvious which is which. The instructions on the factory website go to great pains to explain the differences and importance of identifying which kit is required. Unless you are of unparalleled bovine stupidity it is pretty much impossible to get it wrong and if by some chance the wrong parts have been shipped, (Yes it happens.) the differences should be picked up the moment you try and slip the new cambox on!

My feelings about 'Technicians', just substitute the word....

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Pete

Any further news on this rampaging clusterfuck?

Pete

Having had a friend who worked there for a short while a few years ago and left because they were as described by Pooh Bear above I am not surprised, but that dosent really help the situation I can only sympathise. its a shame as there are some good mechanics in Adelaide but I suppose you are locked into these Monkeys

No Pete, no news yet.
Thanks for the pictures. It's true what they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words".
They put everything in perspective for me concerning long tubes and short tubes, old rocker cover,new rocker covers etc.

I need to go back there and have another look at my bike.
After I left there yesterday, I was thinking, is that a "B" kit?, but not knowing how to recognise one from the other I couldn't say too much.

I only had a quick look yesterday and was not focusing on any detail of the rocker assemby in particular. I was looking at the gap between the the top of the sparkplug tube (casting) and the rocker cover. Without being able to measure it I would guess it to be about 3 mm.

Anyway this is what I need to have another look at, BECAUSE, at this point in time , if I had to describe what I saw it would go some thing like this. " The sparkplug tube is about 5 mm in thickness, part of the casting and machined flat!!!
I may be wrong but when I saw your picture of the late model cam box, I thought thats what I saw.

As I was writing this got a phone call. Guzzi have requested photos of every thing and part numbers.

GRD wrote:

No Pete, no news yet.
Thanks for the pictures.  It's true what they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words".
They put everything in perspective for me concerning long tubes and short tubes, old rocker cover,new rocker covers etc.

I need  to go back there and have another look at my bike.
After I left there yesterday, I was thinking, is that a "B" kit?, but not knowing how to recognise one from the other I couldn't say too much.

I only had a quick look yesterday and was not focusing on any detail of the rocker assemby in particular.  I was looking at the gap between the the top of the sparkplug tube (casting) and the rocker cover.  Without being able to measure it I would guess it to be about 3 mm.

Anyway this is what I need to have another look at, BECAUSE, at this point in time , if I had to describe what I saw it would go some thing like this. " The sparkplug tube is about 5 mm in thickness, part of the casting and machined flat!!!
I may be wrong but when I saw your picture of the late model cam box, I thought thats what I saw.

As I was writing this got a phone call. Guzzi have requested photos of every thing and part numbers.

Yup. The B & C kit replacement camboxes have a wider bore in the casting for the *Long* tube to go all the way through to the rocker cover and the top end of the tube is machined back so it can’t foul the rocker cover this explains the three mm gap between cover and rocker carrier.

Pete

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Future technician

sideshowbob wrote:

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Future technician

Imagine a re-spoke job on that - so many sizes to choose from and the order would make a difference...

Back to business. I took a trawl through my photos. Next time you go to the shop see if your bike looks like this, but without the plug tube poking through the casting. I'll bet London to a Brick it does.

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That's because it's a B kit they've installed and the rocker carrier casting is bored out for the earlier, long tube and then machined down so there is no interference between the casting and the rocker cover, hence the 3mm gap.

Oh, if you look in Bill's trip report in his 'Consorting with a sailor' thread you can see an identical set up on the head of his GRiSO when he'd doing that impression he does of someone who knows what they're doing....

Pete

At the risk of agitating Pete with a stupid question (but in the knowledge that I am 150 miles away, thus theoretically free from physical harm) can you modify an early engine to work with the later type castings?

Yes, easily but expensively. If you buy a late model kit, (A kit), short plug tubes, o-rings and gaskets and late model rocker covers it’s a straightforward swap. If your bike is an early ‘C’ kit bike you’ll still need to take the heads off during rollerisation to put the shims in but if the bike is already rollerised or is a ‘B’ kit machine then no need.

There is no performance advantage to going to the later system. It was done purely to minimise the risk of leaks which in my experience are rare anyway.

Pete

I've been a bit busy the past few days, but here's an update.

Got a call Friday and you were right Pete.
Guzzi had sent a "B" kit and that's what was installed.
They are going to now send an "A" kit, another two weeks wait.
All I'm going to say at this stage is I'm disappointed.
I'll wait and see how they compensate for all this at the end.

Once they’ve rendered it a I’ll running pig ride over here and we’ll fixit for you.

Pete

Woohoo, finally got my bike back.
The best part of all this is I'm now free of Peter Stevens.

Even just picking the bike up was a drama. Started the bike and it ran like a chaff cutter and then died after about two minutes. Less than two year old Lithium battery was so flat it wouldn't even fire up the dash. WTF. Had to change out the battery and also two new plugs.

Took the bike out for a bit of a gentle run and all seamed good.

Do I need to run these parts in at all or is it OK to let it rip?

I'm just relieved its all over.
Initially I was really happy they got back to me so quickly with the reply Guzzi was going to supply the roller kit. I'd seen a few posts where it was mentioned that they were going to stop doing this.
I was also surprised they didn't ask for any proof of service history, until Guzzi had to send the second kit. Guzzi said their records only showed one service on the the bike in 6 years, the one I had done just recently at PS.
Luckily I had the first service card from MOTOCICLO in NSW. Guzzi dealer I presume.
There were also four entries in the service book saying oil change, no stamps, signatures or names

I'm so gad it's finally done and dusted.

Well, that makes the last reply redundant!

Ride it over and let us check it’s been done properly and we can map it up right.

Pete

Now that definitely needs to be rollerized!

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