And then there’s this........

GRiSO Capo Posts : 10712 Join date : 2013-05-29 Age : 67

2009 GRiSO owned by a customer who used to live in Queanbeyan.

Anyway he moved up to the mid north coast and started taking his bike to one of the local freelancers who specialised in Harleys and other such stuff. Then it starts leaking oil from the bell housing so he gets his bloke to fix it, (It was the flange issue, not the rear main seal.).

So this character goes in and replaces the rear main seal and charges a King's ransom, but it still leaks. So customer takes it back, twice more, and this time the rear main bearing flange is pulled, once again, twice! And it’s still leaking!

Anyway customer phones me and says what’s up? I explain the flange issue and suggest he bring it down to us so we can do it properly. He asks “How much?” I say I dunno but a rough guess would be figure ‘x’. He then says wow, that’s expensive! I think I’ll just take it back to my bloke and get him to do it.

I freely admit I lost my shit a bit at that point. I mean, this bloke has fucked it up at least thrice, I’ve basically said ”We know how to fix it, bring it to us.” And he says nah, I’ll take it to the other bloke because he’ll treat it as warranty. Anyway he relented, apologised, and this week it came to us.

Now to start off with with all the times the engine has been out, and it’s been in and out like a rabbits cock on the vinegar stroke, neither the shock linkage nor the swingarm bearings have been greased. To add insult to injury the linkage top-hat bush was installed the wrong way round with a flat washer crammed in on the bolt!

Then we get to the clutch. This is completely rooted due to oil contamination and both pressure plate and flywheel bell are like corrugated cardboard. So it needs a new clutch. There’s a big chunk of change!

And finally we get to the rear main bearing itself. Mohamed on a bloody moped! The thing is literally glued in with Sicaflex. Everything is coated with INCHES of the stuff. Not just the mating surfaces, even the outside of the main seal itself but the crowning glory, the true ‘Jewel in the Crown’ is that this animal hasn’t had a flange pulling tool so what he’s done is removed the sump and spacer and got in with a long punch and HAMMERED THE FLANGE OUT FROM THE INSIDE destroying the surface plate in the process!

Just look!

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And then there’s the clutch!

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I bloody despair sometimes. Needless to say the job is going to now cost about three times what it would of if it had been caught early and not ‘Shaved Aped’.

Pete

Fra Cristoforo Posts : 477 Join date : 2014-01-07

but why was it leaking again and again?

GRiSO Capo Posts : 10712 Join date : 2013-05-29 Age : 67

You don’t know about the flange issue on early 8V’s?

Fra Cristoforo Posts : 477 Join date : 2014-01-07

Yes I do, is it that? too long bolts, or short holes.

GRiSO Capo Posts : 1785 Join date : 2015-02-02 Age : 63

Wow
Edit: A stuff up here caused by too many thumbs, see next post

GRiSO Capo Posts : 1785 Join date : 2015-02-02 Age : 63

Wow

fixing someone else’s fuck-ups is always a teeth grinding experience Pete. A shaved ape indeed.
Even the clutch in the track bike doesn’t look anywhere as bad as that and it gets quite a punishment. Our work would be easy if it wasn’t for the customers Laughing

GRiSO Posts : 1406 Join date : 2014-01-02

And then the bike still has flat tappets right? Very Happy

GRiSO Capo Posts : 904 Join date : 2015-05-16 Age : 72

Dear O Me , what can one say ........

Biondino Posts : 214 Join date : 2013-11-22 Age : 52

I thought we have the worst mechanics here in this part of the world but it seems universal .... Mad

Fra Cristoforo Posts : 828 Join date : 2016-04-14

I would be inspecting the crank also.

GRiSO Capo Posts : 10712 Join date : 2013-05-29 Age : 67

If it leaks again it’ll be a last nut and bolt strip down. I’m certainly wary of what other damage may of been done.

GRiSO Capo Posts : 523 Join date : 2016-12-20

Phang wrote:: I thought we have the worst mechanics here in this part of the world but it seems universal ....

And somehow they all end up messing with our GRiSO's, what are the odds Rolling Eyes

I'm considering migrating to Australia just because Pete Roper can then service my bike!

GRiSO Capo Posts : 10712 Join date : 2013-05-29 Age : 67

pauldaytona wrote:: Yes I do, is it that? too long bolts, or short holes.

There’s a bit more to it than that alone. The oil feed dowel on some flanges was too long which also prevented flange clamping in some cases and for some reason the gasket contributes to leaks.

The cure is delete the gasket, file a couple of mm off the feed dowel use shorter bolts in the bottom two holes in the flange and a slightly larger section o-ring around the dowel. Oh, and the tiniest smear of threebond 1211 to seal the flange mating surfaces. You don’t put it on like bloody toothpaste. That should fix it unless there is other damage. I fear the beating may of distorted the case. If that has happened it’s all over.

Pete

PS. We found a litany of other screw-ups too, some of which could of been quite dangerous.

Biondino Posts : 244 Join date : 2016-09-28 Age : 64

Lord Roper, if someone is able to cure this zombie bike it's You!

GRiSO Capo Posts : 10712 Join date : 2013-05-29 Age : 67

I’m nothing special. Anybody who wasn’t an animal should be able to fix a leaky flange without destroying a motor.

GRiSO Capo Posts : 583 Join date : 2016-12-20

What were the dangerous screw ups as opposed to the bike won't run screw ups ?

It's one thing to not know the particular bike but to create a dangerous situation is plain incompetence

WTF?

GRiSO Capo Posts : 10712 Join date : 2013-05-29 Age : 67

Oh, stuff like incorrect length bolts inserted in the wrongly assembled shock linkage for starters....

GRiSO Capo Posts : 10200 Join date : 2013-09-30

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In GRiSO we trust!
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Biondino Posts : 221 Join date : 2017-02-10

How is the customer taking all this? How long did it take to clean the floor after he shat himself?

Don Abbondio Posts : 18 Join date : 2016-02-09

If I got my english right, I think you should also charge compensation for mental anguish damages this client inflicted not only to the bike but to you as well...

Don Abbondio Posts : 2 Join date : 2015-11-13

I live in NSW and made the budgetary adjustment of trucking my beloved Norge off to Pete in Canberra. Best move I ever made. Pete rollerised it after Guzzi Australia honoured the parts over and only charged me for the labour. The new heads have settled in nicely - the bike smoothly grunts, barks and grumbles its way along so effortlessly at any revs from 1500 to 7000 - I still find myself grinning - 3 years later!
MotoGuzzi brought back the pleasure of bike riding - after 44 years in the saddle of very many different bikes - and Pete brought back the ability to trust someone working on my bike - THANK YOU!
Yes - have had many a ahole 'mechanic' take away the pleasure of owning a bike-so easily done.
That 'mechanic' guy who did what he did to that Guzzi? He is at this very moment doing it to someone else's pride and joy.

GRiSO Capo Posts : 10712 Join date : 2013-05-29 Age : 67

Just as a final instalment on this its all back together and Michael has ridden it into and out of Queanbeyan a couple of times and i took it for a bit of a jaunt and it seems to be dry, (Thank goodness!)

One small benefit is that it now has the late model Cali 14 clutch in it so its lighter pull than before. Just as well as it has stupid shorty levers on it! Twisted Evil

Pete

GRiSO Capo Posts : 1785 Join date : 2015-02-02 Age : 63

Good job Guys Thumbs Up

It’s always a bit of a worry after rock apes have messed with things beforehand.