Rattling, scraping and other *&*%^& noises?!!

New to Moto Guzzi, and my first (hopefully last) GRiSO.

Loving, LOVING my low mileage (2700km ~1700mi.) 2014 1200 8V.
Picked it up privately in April and have been riding ever since without a hiccup, until this:



In first video, the bike starts and runs normally until the 32 second mark.
What sounds like a rattle, scraping in the above video started as a howling, screeching, and occasional clinking that nearly made me soil myself when it started in the middle of stop and start rush hour traffic a couple of weeks ago.

After pulling over to the shoulder, most certain to find parts of the engine being spit out the back end, the awful grating stopped as spontaneously as it began. WTF?
I figured I had picked up a rock somewhere that had been ejected just as fast - that made some sense at the time

Fast forward another ten days to the same scenario replaying itself. This time I had the presence of mind to play with the clutch lever. No malfunction there, nor with the transmission. The sound did not change with clutch action or with rpm fluctuation. In fact the GRiSO rode perfectly fine with hell's bells playing on and off for the ride home.

On start up now, things usually sound normal, but within seconds, the awful symphony begins. This gives me some hope that the engine hasn't suffered catastrophic internal damage, though it is certainly not in riding condition. Another major problem has now arisen...

Blackfoot Motosports in Calgary no longer sells or services Piaggio products, opting instead to favor a recently acquired Ducati license. This leaves a massive void for support for fellow MG owners here in a city of 1.2M.
Seems I'm stuck in purgatory for the moment unless I can be pointed both to a possible diagnosis, and just as generously, to someone local with an aptitude for the type of work needed.

More Luigi hijinks...



Thanks for listening!

OK, while it's very hard to make a judgement based on the noise recorded by phone and played on an iPad my first thought was that it sounds really tappety. My guess is that the valve lash is out by a motza.

The squealing noise sounds like a rolling element bearing that has gone west. If it was that alone I'd point the bone at maybe an alternator bearing having gone out due to an over tight belt but given the very loud top end I'd have to worry about whether maybe one of the tappets itself might be loosing the fight.

You're going to have to dive in and investigate, now there are plenty of skilled people here to help and advise but first of all we need to know a.) What tools you have, and b.) What your experience level is in working on motorbikes. Please, be honest. You don't want to be trapped out of your depth.

Pete

Pete Roper wrote:

OK, while it's very hard to make a judgement based on the noise recorded by phone and played on an iPad my first thought was that it sounds really tappety. My guess is that the valve lash is out by a motza.

The squealing noise sounds like a rolling element bearing that has gone west. If it was that alone I'd point the bone at maybe an alternator bearing having gone out due to an over tight belt but given the very loud top end I'd have to worry about whether maybe one of the tappets itself might be loosing the fight.

You're going to have to dive in and investigate, now there are plenty of skilled people here to help and advise but first of all we need to know a.) What tools you have, and b.) What your experience level is in working on motorbikes. Please, be honest. You don't want to be trapped out of your depth.

Pete

Thanks so much Pete. I was hoping to have your opinion.

a) I have the basic tools for working on combustion engines: comprehensive socket set incl. 1/2, 3/8 and 1/4" sizes; torque, box and open wrenches; Allan wrenches; various pliers; screwdrivers, rubber hammer, oil pan, gloves.

Any other tool recommendations?
What kind of bike stand do you recommend Pete (other bikes I owned all had center stands)?


b) Other than removing body panels, adjusting chains, swapping batteries, changing wheels, oil and plugs, I have no real motorcycle engine work experience whatsoever. Am competent enough to have changed oil pans and valve covers, brake pads, starter motors and alternators on cars though.

How would you rate the difficulty of the investigation and likely repair?
Is AF1 the best place to order parts?

Curt

Sorry, I'll be back presently but I had another, doc appointment today and then an evening at the pub so any advice I offer now should be taken with a huge sack of salt!

Pete. (Hic!)

First thing I'd do is check the alternator belt tension. You need to take the front cover off and it will be easier if you remove the headers. If it's loose that could be causing the squealing.

After that I'd suggest you pull the rocker covers and check the valve clearances. 'Wings' off then remove the HT lead covers from the rocker covers. Pry off the plug caps by inserting a long, thin screwdriver through the cooling tunnel above the exhaust port and levering them up from underneath, do NOT try and pull them off from above. Once they are out remove the covers, (One at a time.) and set the piston up at TDC compression. Set the valves at 4 thou inlet and 6 exhaust. If any one valve is significantly wider than the others it may be there is a problem with the tappet. Then rotate the crank 720 degrees and check them again. Have any of them changed appreciably?

Pop the breather plate off as well and check the sprocket retainer bolt is tight as well, (I don't think this is an issue but it's worth checking.

Repeat for the other cylinder.

Tell us what you find.

Perfect, thanks Pete!

Doesn't sound like I need special tools or a bike stand for the above, correct?

Do you have a link for a shop manual?... otherwise Google will become my best friend before I tackle this (;

Offhand no. AF1 will sell you a download. It might be on Greg Bender's 'This old tractor' site as well.

Get yer manuals right 'ere, on the Ghetto.

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Thanks men!!

Ah, yes. I'd forgotten Steve had them posted up here