Dropped my G

Ah, this sucks.  Was heading out to a local bike night last Thursday, and it happened when I went to stop for fuel.  I had just finished braking to enter the gas station, and started my turn in with my eyes on the unoccupied row of pumps, when a car suddenly appeared from behind a wall.  My fingers were covering the brake, and I reflexively grabbed a bit too much brake and locked the front wheel.  I think there was a little sand on the ramp as well.  In any case, I was down on my right side quicker than I could blink.  It's times like that when you're reminded just how heavy a GRiSO is.

As I was going down, the only thought that flashed through my mind was "damn, guess I won't be making it to bike night" but after I hit the ground, the pain in my knee gave me something else to think about.  I was able to stand up and walk, so I did that for a few moments before I even looked at the bike.  Luckily, no (human) body parts broken. When I finally turned my attention back to GRiSO, I saw that he was bleeding out.  My failure to install head guards had finally bitten us.  My CARC guard, fortunately, did it's job.

So I've got a bad scratch on my Givi A550, a scrape on the oil cooler housing, a hole in the valve cover, and the impact also sheared the head off of one of the valve cover bolts.  As for me, I was wearing all the gear, so I'm fine.  Scraped knee and some soreness.  Really glad I was wearing my gear then; earlier that day I ran a short errand and chose to do it in a polo shirt and jeans, something I rarely do.  Crashing dressed like that would have been a nightmare.

So now I need a new right side valve cover, and the online parts manuals say there are two versions.  Anyone know how to tell which one I'll need?  My bike is a 2010 8v.

Man, I feel so guilty about dropping my G!

The older valve covers (A5 motors, I think) have an elastic o-ring that rides in a recess to seal the upper end of the spark plug tube. The newer valve covers use a flat, washer-like, elastic seal that rides on top of the spark plug tube instead of an o-ring. I think the change came with the A8 motor.

Thanks Steak!

From memory the change occurred in 2011. If you look down the plug tube and there is a black 'Ring' a few mm wide its the new type but my bet is that yours is the old type.

Pete

Thank you, Pete.

TG, sorry to hear about the downing. Hope you get her back on the road soon!

Man that hurts, literally. Here's hoping you are back on the road soon...

Damn!
 
I dropped mine last April 1st, hit stealth gravel on the shoulder while under heavy braking. When the bike hit good road again the bars were ever so slightly off center, did some wobble and was flung to the ground. Broke my collar bone, right side.
 
The bike ground a hole in the right valve cover, abraded the Stelvio hand guard (but not the counter weight or fastner which I thought was very odd), pretzeled the rear brake lever, scratches the oil cooler housing and the side of the CARC as well as the Givi A770. Handlebar supports got pranged too and the signals. We both got a ride home (with some side trips...... ).
 
I could use a CARC guard and some valve cover guards. And football sized shoulder pads.  

Glad you're not (physically) banged up too bad.  I nearly dropped an old
750 Breva in the same scenario as yours, but managed to get my right leg out
as an "outrigger" and kept it up.  Hurt the leg in that maneuver though.

Your story has really lit the fire under me to get the proper engine guards and
CARC guard for my Diavolo Nero.  Stucchi is one of the main makers for those bars
I believe.  They look good and the GRiSO really needs them (get going RR Bob!)
Good luck in bringing your ride back to fighting fettle.  One side question, do you
think ABS brakes (front) might have been able to save the fall, or you figure you were
down no matter what?  I'm guessing ABS at that slow speed would not have helped.

(And we can't get them on GRiSO anyway AFAIK, so moot point.)

No offense to anyone here but fuck ABS.
I had to put the bike sideways twice (that means locking the rear) to avoid morons that cut me off.
With ABS, it would have been a collision.
I'd only use it in the rain...

Thanks to all of my fellow ghetto dwellers!

RRBob, I'm not sure if ABS would have changed the outcome, as I think there was little traction to be had on that transition as it was. I say "think" because when I inspected the scene post-crash, it was covered in GRiSO's expensive oil! But I remember the sliding feel when the wheel went out from under me, and it had a gritty feel to it, as if I hit a patch of sand. ABS can only make the most of existing traction; if there's little to be found, ABS won't help much.

Grisonut wrote:

No offense to anyone here but fuck ABS.
I had to put the bike sideways twice (that means locking the rear) to avoid morons that cut me off.
With ABS, it would have been a collision.
I'd only use it in the rain...

Agreed.

Looks like I have the "old" style head covers.  But I have another problem:  as I mentioned, the fall snapped off the head of one of the cover bolts.  Well, it did a little more damage than just to the bolt...

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Yikes...

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So I can get a good mechanic to extract this bolt, but do I need to do something about that cut and crack?

That being a bolt on rocker arm support bracket, I would consider replacement rather than repair.

At the very least you need to remove it to repair it properly, so as not to get loose metal filings in the head. The four bolts that hold down your rocker supports are also your head bolts.
Might disturb the head gasket in the process .................... but it tiz, what it tiz.

Always remember, if you got da money, somebodies got de technology.

$&@!

It is repairable but I'm thinking since you have to yank the cam box out, maybe go roller...
Your Insurance is involved right?

Roller? Holy cow... Actually, I had not considered an insurance claim...

A5 or A8 motor. I can probably help you with a spare cambox.

Pete

Thanks Pete. That is incredibly kind of you. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the scope of this project.

Really, on a GRiSO its no big deal. Its right hand side right? That's the easy side, left is a bit more troublesome.

Tank off.

Set piston at TDC compression as if you were setting the valve lash.


Remove the breather plate with the breather pipe on it on the back of the head, two 4mm Allen bolts.


Take off the big, 24mm plug in the side of the barrel, this covers the cam chain tensioner plunger, by removing it you un-tension the chain.

Using a 24mm socket and bar on the nut on the front of the crank and a 10mm socket, (Preferably a single hex.) on the bolt on the end of the camshaft undo the camshaft nut making sure that you don't drop either the bolt or the corrugated 'Flinger plate' down the camchain tunnel.

Once the flinger plate is off wriggle the camchain sprocket with the chain on off the end of the camshaft. Note that when the piston is at TDC the peg that locates the sprocket will be at 6 O'Clock in relation to the head. Tie the sprocket to the edge of the head where the cover plate goes with a cable tie.

Loosen the two 8mm hex head bolts that clamp the rear of the camchain tunnel. No need to remove them, just loosen them.

Now undo and remove the four 15mm nuts that retain the cambox on the head studs. Note the position of the grounding tang on the top rear stud and remove it as well.

Wriggle and lift off the cambox.

Easy.

The left hand side is the same APART from the fact that due to its location the cam chain tensioner has to be physically bled down by slipping a screwdriver down between the tensioner blade and the chain on the outside run of the chan. There is a 4mm button head screw in the back of the barrel casting that is removed and then when the tensioner has been forced back a pin of some sort, (I use a 3mm Allen key.) is inserted through the hole in the barrel where it engages with a hole in the tensioner and holds it out of the way keeping pressure off the camchain so the sprocket can slip off and on to the cam again easily.

Once the cambox is off you can simply swap all the bits out of the broken casting into the new one, assemble it with lots of assembly lube and then re-install the repaired unit back onto the head. Re torque the head bolts and then the two long ones to clamp the camchain tunnel. Make sure the cam is timed correctly and ensure that when you put the flinger plate back on a solid part of it covers the locator peg as you do up the bolt. Set the valves, put the new cover, (With new o-ring, gasket and 'Tampons') on. Replace the plug that covers the tensioner plunger, then the tank, top up oil, go ride!

Pete

All that from memory Pete? Incredible - obviously you can do it in your sleep...

Nah, but I've done it a few times now and as long as you have *Some* mechanical smarts and good tools it isn't that awful or even difficult.

Its one of the things I find so frustrating about dealing with the Corn Cob pipe brigade! They carry on like pork chops about the complexity of modern machines but the 'Nuovo Hi-Cam' is delightfully, ridiculously, simple. Not really any more complex than the pushrod motor that preceded it, just different.

Its one of the things I really like about all of the Noale designs, even engines like the V4 'Prillas, while they may be in a cramped position as far as access to some parts with the motor in the frame and the admittedly stylish bodywork is a fucking nightmare on some models the actual power plants themselves are a joyfully simple delight!

Pete

Pete, again, sincere thanks for taking the time to type in those instructions. I get it conceptually, but I have to be realistic about what I can and cannot accomplish in my meager garage. This one exceeds my capabilities, simple though it may be.

I can actually see myself letting the timing chain slip into its tunnel, lol!

That's fine, far better to recognise its out of your league and give it to a pro than risk screwing it up. Its one of those things that really shits me, the "You're only a mechanic, anybody can do that." Attitude of some people. I have to say I do take a certain vicarious pleasure in telling people who want me to rebuild their bikes over the phone for nothing that if it is so easy they should be able to work it out for themselves. If they start shouting they get sacked on the spot!

Pete