What did you do with your GRiSO today?

Had to go to Wollongong yesterday for a dental checkup. Awesome ride, good weather and little traffic on the road - didn't see a cop which is probably a good thing! 160 km round trip - very hard to do, harder even to justify, without falling foul of the law. At least I had a legit excuse.

Clever!
Very nicely done Chris

Craig, takes notice of the lessons in real-life engineering. Winner!

Just bought myself some new winter gloves - for father's day of course. My offspring are unlikely to even ring me, a gift unlikely. They would shout me a beer, IF we could catch up. MCAS has some Father's Day deals - might be worth a look if you need something.

Aldi have their motorcycle gear on sale this coming Wednesday - really small range this year. I might have to buy some bigger jeans as I seem to be expanding at an alarming rate.

When is fathers day?

Nice write up. What type of tobacco is raised there? Here, it's all burley. I never raised it, but had a farm with base which I leased out. It made the farm payments for me.

Nice solution and one any frugal (cheap) Guzzista can appreciate! You could jazz them up a bit and lighten them a little at the same time without sacrificing any strength, by cutting a pattern through the material. Just an idea. Kudos on a clever system.

Pete (Street)

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Charles, 5th September - almost imminent

I wonder if my daughters will remember anyway, too busy trying to work out whether I should ride with baffles in or out with my new Mistral pipe ... rode home from Motociclo today - the sound was quite aggressive out ... I'll try in tomorrow...cheers and thanks

rick pope wrote:

Nice write up.  What type of tobacco is raised there?  Here, it's all burley.  I never raised it, but had a farm with base which I leased out.  It made the farm payments for me.

Rick, I'm no farmer so i really don't know for certain. Bright leaf is a big term around here but not sure if that is an true variety or a general term

Street like the idea and prototype! Let me know how it goes very interested.

Oz1200Guzzi wrote:

I might have to buy some bigger jeans as I seem to be expanding at an alarming rate.

The Universe is constantly expanding, Tony. You are simply observing localised phenomena.

Mark, I don't think the universe is turning into a ball!

More likely an oblate spheroid. Do you resemble that?

Hard to get the right perspective, Mark - from where I sit, the blob first comes to mind. I look in the mirror and then look away, look away!

He needs the bigger size because he's baking his own bread now in lockdown. Hot fresh bread with generous serves of butter is not generally regarded as slimming food. Tastes great, discourages violent exercise.

What is this 'exercise' you speak of?





Is it the movement of the right wrist when adorning a motorcycle? I do that!

What mal is referring to is all the exercise I get up to:
- Jumping to conclusions
- Climbing the corporate ladder

etc

I have this theory about exercise, no pain, no pain.

Good one Pat - happy sailings...

Well since we're locked down and can't work I took the Green Horror round to Michael's shop so he has something to do, (And can earn some money!).

My bike is a 2008 with close to 140,000km on it although the actual motive unit, (Engine, gearbox, clutch.) was swapped out at about 80,000 when the failing flat tappets took out the bottom end.

It's had various things done to it over the years like swingarm bearings, shock linkage, steering head bearings, hoses etc. but this time it's getting a proper 'Seeing too' and it's interesting some of the stuff Michael's finding that have definitely failed quite recently but I hadn't noticed.

The swingarm boot to the gearbox is buggered. Split in two places! Interestingly though, because I check it fairly regularly visually and by *Feel*, not anywhere visible or feelable!

Most of the rubber and plastic hoses, (Breathers, drains etc.) are very much on their last legs and some of them have started weeping. The deluge wasn't far away! The clear plastic drains are all brittle as anything and snapped when removed!

Throttlebodies are filthy! I've been really lazy on that one. I might even swap them for my NEW set when it goes back together.

The actual linkage bearings in the suspension are still good! Living proof that if you pull them out and grease them thoroughly from time to time they will last well. One of the swingarm bearing seals had fallen off its register and there was some dirt ingress but the bearing was still serviceable. A good wash and re-pack is all they will need.Michael and I are having an argument as to which way round the seals should be installed in the frame. I say wet side facing the bearing to keep the grease in. He reckons wet side facing *Out* to prevent ingress of water!

All in all it's not too shabby for a thirteen year old bike that isn't babied and, to be honest, doesn't get all the attention it should. It has a few scrapes and broken bits but it was still going like a cut cat!

While the engine is out I'll be putting in a steel oil pump gear, (Because I have one!) a new clutch, (Probably the 1400 one I have on the shelf.) and the Sport gearbox I purchased for it and the starter motor will get an overhaul. A new alternator belt is due as well, maybe some new throttle cables? The oil cooler housing has a few scrapes so I might get that blasted, cleaned up and perhaps powder coated. Why not?

There may be a couple of other cosmetic bits and bobs I could do too. Heaven forbid! It might even look smart for a week or two!

Pete, fuel injector feed pipe - rather stiff plastic - I found mine once had been scraping and were nearly worn through.

I'm sure that between you and Michael she'll be purring like a cat.

I had a delivery today - this random bloke rocks up with a brand new bike for me - V85TT Travel. Boy is it tall - tippy toes for this short-arse. Platform shoes ordered on the inter-webby-thingy

Thing is Todd it was still running just fine! If it hadn't been I would of been a bit more vigilant!

As it is I'm just glad I decided to swap the gearbox as that is what prompted this full forensic investigation. Ther is stuff that NEEDS doing! Not surprising really given where I live and how the bike is used.

Having now seen quite a few 'Higher Mileage' bikes I'm beginning to get a better handle on what are the likely 'Problem' areas to keep an eye on.

Probably the most important thing, and I can't stress this strongly enough, is LOOK AFTER YOUR THROTTLE BODIES! Please, please, please don't use K&N/BMC or any other type of labyrinth or rinsable foam air filter. These things won't offer ANY performance gains! None! They don't filter well and the shit they'll allow through WILL greatly increase the speed and extent of the damage to these delicate and sensitive components. The 50mm throttlebody group used on the 8V's is, as far as I know, a 'Stand Alone' component not used on any other vehicle. I know of nowhere that refurbishes them and I can't imagine Webber Marelli will continue making them forever, especially as Piaggio seems to want the CARC series bikes and 8V's in particularly to simply disappear. They are currently still available, but they aren't cheap. The cheapest I've managed to find a set is about $1,800AU. They are worth looking after.