How common are GRiSO quality problems??

Hi I am new here and doing research on the GRiSO before making a purchase decision on a 2015 GRiSO. Love the look of the bike and the sound. I also like not seeing one coming down the road every time I ride. They are definitely rare where I live (never seen a GRiSO here and only rarely see any Guzzi). I have been looking at posts on several other Guzzi forums and only 2 days ago found this forum. Some common mechanical quality concerns seem to pop up on all three sites. I am looking for some input here on if these are rare or common enough to be a concern in making a purchase decision.
1. Cam and lifter failures, in several cases twice on the same bikes. Is this a problem and if so has Guzzi resolved the issue?
2. Poor quality spark plug caps that do not seal against moisture. Small item but seems to be a problem on all years. Is this still a problem?
3. Moisture sealing problem on cam or speedo drives. Is this still a problem?
4. oil pressure switch failures which will strand you. Some Guzzi riders state they carry a spare switch after repeated failures. Is this still a concern?
5. TPS calibration problems on delivery from dealers?

I have only been looking on these forums for two weeks. With all of the above issues GRiSO owners having these problems love these bikes and I have not seen anyone that said they were selling and going to another brand, even those who had repeated cam or oil switch failures. However it does seem like a lot of recurring problems over more than a few years that any other manufacturer I have experience with would have resolved by now.

I appreciate any input good or bad on the GRiSO. I really like this bike but do not want to buy into a quality problem particularly when the nearest dealer is 200 miles away.

Are you gonna do the maintenance yourself, like oil change and valve adjustments?
If so, you don't need a dealer.

1: Cams are not a problem anymore since the middle of 2012 when they upgraded to roller cams.
It's still kinda recent but there are no failures to speak of.

2: Spark plug caps are a good upgrade no matter what and it's a cheap fix really so I wouldn't wait to get caught in heavy down pour to figure out if the later bikes have better ones.

3: Speedo drive/sensor are no longer a problem.

4: Oil pressure switches aren't a problem on those bikes, only on a few early 1100 4V.

5: If the dealer is professional enough, you won't have problems with your stock bike.


Now it might be that some folks experience problems with their bikes but it's a remote affair now and if you get a 2015, you're golden IMO.


Now for my personal experience... I've owned a 09 (been totaled last year) that had his tappet shit the bed at 36K miles even though the recall was done when new by my dealer before I picked it up. That bike developed an oil leak from the rear seal at about 8000 miles and the work was done under warranty, some early 8V (not many) had that problem.
My 07 has 18K miles on the clock and it's been bullet proof so far, so that's that.
My actual 2013 has 8000 hard miles and everything is dandy so far.

Good luck on your purchase...

Grisonut wrote:

3: Speedo drive/sensor are no longer a problem.

4: Oil pressure switches aren't a problem on those bikes, only on a few early 1100 4V.

Ahhh, you found me!!
Dragging my mistress back to Pro Italia soon.

I'd just like to say that I've got 2010 flat tappet model and despite all the woes you read about on the net, I've not had a single real issue with mine. I've only done 20,000km though. In fact, the only thing I've had to do to mine was bleed the clutch about 1000km ago, and adjust the clutch master cylinder plunger as a result.

Thanks this is the kind of feedback I needed. Yes I will be doing all my own maintenance and installing inevitable farkles which come with every bike I own. Have you used any of the ECU or other performance parts from Guzzitech?

Grisonut wrote:

Are you gonna do the maintenance yourself, like oil change and valve adjustments?
If so, you don't need a dealer.

1: Cams are not a problem anymore since the middle of 2012 when they upgraded to roller cams.
It's still kinda recent but there are no failures to speak of.

2: Spark plug caps are a good upgrade no matter what and it's a cheap fix really so I wouldn't wait to get caught in heavy down pour to figure out if the later bikes have better ones.

3: Speedo drive/sensor are no longer a problem.

4: Oil pressure switches aren't a problem on those bikes, only on a few early 1100 4V.

5: If the dealer is professional enough, you won't have problems with your stock bike.


Now it might be that some folks experience problems with their bikes but it's a remote affair now and if you get a 2015, you're golden IMO.


Now for my personal experience... I've owned a 09 (been totaled last year) that had his tappet shit the bed at 36K miles even though the recall was done when new by my dealer before I picked it up. That bike developed an oil leak from the rear seal at about 8000 miles and the work was done under warranty, some early 8V (not many) had that problem.
My 07 has 18K miles on the clock and it's been bullet proof so far, so that's that.
My actual 2013 has 8000 hard miles and everything is dandy so far.

Good luck on your purchase...

You will find that some of us don't have a very high opinion of Guzzitech offerings. Many of us were willing to pay the money and drink the Kool-aid. Once we were able to find out exactly what some of the wonder products did, or rather didn't do we rather lost faith.

With the advent of Guzzidiag and the associated Reader and Writer programmes and clever people who understand what they are doing manipulating mapping with programmes like Tunerpro the need for PCV's and Autotunes has quite simply become moot.

Have a read of the 'Tuning with Guzzidiag' thread. Mark can set you up with a map for nothing, or just a donation, that will transform your GRiSO. You also won't be given a whole load of 'This is special stuff that only geniuses can understand' guff!

Pete

Lotta dough to drop for the full kit from Todd (a helpful fella), I removed mine. For sale cheap.
Stock performance is fine, especially with GuzziDiag a map upgrade as suggested.

If you're looking for magic performance gains from PCV/Autotune/Aircleaner element and lid mods, ISM switch, ECU flash, you might be looking at the wrong bike. Modest gains is my experience.
But I'm old and slow.
My 2006 1100 has 66,000ks and a new oil switch.
Replacing the switch and reset the stored error on the ECU about an hour all up and a whopping $20 for the switch. I'm old and slow, I know.

You will always hear of the problems on the net, good place for research.
Happy owners; you rarely hear a peep from them.

A new 2015 would have to be a good thing and some of us would love to be only 200 miles from a dealer. Good luck making your decision, we're happy bunnies here.

grisorosso wrote:

You will always hear of the problems on the net, good place for research.
Happy owners; you rarely hear a peep from them.

A new 2015 would have to be a good thing and some of us would love to be only 200 miles from a dealer. Good luck making your decision, we're happy bunnies here.  

+1 on this - judging by Internet reviews every bike out there is a ticking time bomb.

With the 2015 model you could get the red one... But beware the Internet experts who claim they're faster. The black and silver ones are.

grisorosso wrote:

My 2006 1100 has 66,000ks and a new oil switch.
Replacing the switch and reset the stored error on the ECU about an hour all up and a whopping $20 for the switch. I'm old and slow, I know.
 

Hmmmmmm. That's very good to hear about. I need to address oil light problem on my 2007. Time to go to Pro Italia.

Also make sure the wire lead to the oil switch is attached securely ,they can become loose giving intermittent/ false reading to the dash... some have found they are so and replaced the switch needlessly .....just saying

keenerkeen07 wrote:

Also make sure the wire lead to the oil switch is attached securely ,they can become loose giving intermittent/ false reading to the dash... some have found they are so and replaced the switch needlessly .....just saying

Thanks, I'm keenly aware of the need for secure contact. From my first Guzzi 39 years ago, the switch (and their propensity for failure) has changed little in that time, only the terminal tag depending on the model. At least the rubber boot and the quality of the terminal has improved.

Thanks guys. Is 120 RWHP with reliability a realistic goal with this motorcycle? This assumes using stock cams and some good headwork with exhaust and ECU re-calibration for modifications. If not what is?

No. A stock bike puts out about 96 at the rear wheel. Re-mapping and a decent pipe will get you another six to eight, those figures from my reasonably accurate Dyno runs at 800 metres altitude, low humidity and warmish ambient temperatures. Radical re-piping, rock strainer air filters and other such crap may get you a few more HP at the top end but you will sacrifice the bottom end and midrange.

There are plenty of claims of higher power figures. My belief is that the horses in the Dynos that produce these charts have very short legs! At the end of the day it's all irrelevant anyway. The GRiSO is a big, heavy motorbike. If you are looking for true 'Sportsbike' performance in the modern term you're much better off buying a Tuono. What the GRiSO is is a superb, soulful 'Road' bike. Trying to change it into something it isn't is an excercise in futility. It is limited apart from anything else by its side-draft head design, an anachronism in this day and age but practical for the application. Re-camming might get the desired result but probably only with a considerably increased engine speed which is unlikely to be possible with the roller motor.

Pete

dynajohn wrote:

Is 120 RWHP with reliability a realistic goal with this motorcycle?  

I think not. Well, maybe you could, but it wouldn't be fun to ride on the road. I've seen postings where people claim 112 RWHP, and I take that with a grain of salt.

I'm not saying its impossible, but it would all be at the top end, and the rev range you ride on the road would be horrid or very pedestrian. Just my opinion.

Thanks for the honest input.

Don't the 2015 bikes come with wire spoke wheels? I wouldn't want that the way Guzzi do them - tubeless tyres with rubber air seals on each spoke. How long will that stay airtight?

I liked the wire spoked wheels on my BMW GS - straight spokes (so no bends to snap) staring at the rim outside the tyre seat, so no chance of air leaks.

On a GRiSO, I like my cast wheels.

2012 Tenni SE, I've crashed it, which caused some issues. Punctured the rear tire, ended up replacing it. Stock seat is an extremely poor fit for my bum so I ended up with a Russell Day Long - damn good money spent.

Stock suspension setup was all wrong for my weight. $30 and a half hour with an expert and it's totally new bike. Dollar for dollar the best money I've spent on her.

Added handlebar risers to address a neck and shoulder problem; fixed.

Added a MRA windscreen with Laminar Lip (funny story, it came from the original owner of the Russel Day Long) which is a huge help with long rides and cold weather.

Added the hand guards off a Stelvio after using hand guards on my Quota. They help in the cold but not as well as the units on the Quota.

Bought a Givi A770 bikini fairing when I first bought the bike. Some protection, really good looks, for the most part it has been replaced by the MRA (which I also swap to the CB1100 when I ride her).

Lowered the foot pegs because I have a 36" inseam and needed the room!

Just added heated grips. The heat is welcome, the extra diameter is most welcome.

Picked up a stand from a German maker that mimics a center stand so that I can work on the rear end with ease. Nice bit of kit to have.

Been reflashing the ECU (have not done the latest). I was pretty happy with the stock map, just unhappy with fuel consumption. Mileage has been better.

On the To Do list: better front brake pads (not an issue until I bought the CB; she has really good brakes!).

Spent most of the day in the rain on the way to the last Datil New Mexico rally, no problems. I do have some concerns about the tappets but so far, with only 8000 miles on her (too many other bikes to ride) she has not really been stressed - save for the crash.

Just about all my mods were to address fitting my long lanky body to the bike; no fault of the bike. Hugely adjustable suspension so I would strongly recommend you get an expert to set it up for you. From there, just do the things to make it your own.