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I was fleet manager at a mulch manufacturer. We had 3 big grinders, 1000HP Caterpillar V12s. They ran WOT 10 hours a day, idling at lunch. The grinders had an automatic feeder, stuffing logs in until it drug the motor down to 1800RPM, then reverse that backed the load out until the engine reached 2200RPM and start the cycle again. Literally throttle to the firewall the entire time. They usually lasted about 10k hours before rebuild; the problem was, if something broke it was *extremely* expensive. In 2004, the major overhaul kit alone was about $12k plus out of service for a month. Oil tests let us catch them before they ruined heads, or turbos, or cranks.

I just called ElectroSport, I'm impressed! I merely called to ask if local pickup is available and was referred to their tech, prior to visiting. This guy was super knowledgable, helpful, and helped diagnosed, albeit over the phone. He was surprised, but agreed, it sounds like my Amazon $40 RR is dead on arrival. Made in the USA, one year warranty too; I'm heading there in just a bit.

Aren't we all? It's not a binary thing you know. :-)

The first paragraph is good . Sanitary oil analysis is of course hyper critical . Most places just "fill the bottle" or have an ignorant procedure they think is the way to go. We (the prole) just followed orders. The second and third paragraphs are GREAT !

I used to take oil samples for analysis as part of my job on commercial jet engines and send them off to Mobil labs for reports etc. Every engine had it's records kept and reviewed as part of it's history. I also used to do the Mag plug pulls all the time to monitor specific engine areas for problems so I'm fairly well versed in this area. The car forums are full of guys that send their oil out to Blackstones for regular analysis and in my opinion they are basically deluded. Same for the motorcycle world but to a lesser extent. An oil analysis programme is designed for commercial use such as airlines and trucking companies and earth moving equipment etc where you can't afford to have machinery down and or there is a lot of money to be saved in catching internal issues early before a failure or in the case of light aircraft engines an in flight failure where the consequences can be dire. The powerplants are also often working in the upper regions of their design parameters so are being pushed fairly hard. it's not really designed for the average Joe to do on his road vehicles. Why you may ask? Well because you need to ask yourself a simple question. Am I prepared to remove and strip down an engine on the strength of an oil report or a series of oil reports that show a particular trending? If there's any hesitation in the answer "yes I am" then you are wasting your time and just giving yourself something to worry about and keep you up at nights. In large organisations the answer is an unequivocal "yes" and that's what happens. The 10 million dollar engine is pulled and sent to the shop for a strip down or part strip down and component replacement. It's a commercial decision. Private owners, well not so much. Emotion and the hip pocket become seriously involved. Can you imagine having a discussion with a manufacturer about a replacement engine under warranty for your car that is running fine and giving no issues on the strength of an oil analysis that had a question mark in some area/s. I'd love to be at that meeting. I know what the outcome would be. No, a UOA programme is not for the average owner. Having one done to give piece of mind or confirm a suspicion from time to time maybe, but in general it's a complication you don't need. The car guys all proudly present their Blackstone reports on forums that are all fine no issues of course but they still don't have an answer for the "what if it's not perfect" or there are questionable areas. None have an answer for that, so in my view it's just naval gazing for the sake of it. I guess the next must do trend will be regular boroscopes of the cylinders, lol. Of course Labs that do the UOA aren't going to turn business away and happily get on the band wagon of the deluded. Business is business after all. Phil

There have been a lot of recurrent questions about which oil is best for our beloved Vs. I have decided to get an oil analysis after each oil change on my V11; starting with Liqui Moly. Next will be Motul V Twin. Now, if the high copper contents is confirmed for my next oil change, what should I look at changing for those of you that have gone through that already.

My same thought...still getting broken in. MPG is about 38 right now, don't know how much that improves, especially with air filter pods. Smoother shifting would be welcome, but I have an extender ordered also. Diminished vibrations at the grips would be good, but the Grip Puppies I put on helped out there. Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with how much I enjoy riding this thing.

Well let's hope you're right Guzzimoto, I bought it!! I was a member of this forum many moons ago with a "greenie" that I sold to a mate probably 15 years ago? Anyway, I still work on that bike occasionally and , having just sold a V85 I had a guzzi shaped hole in my life. This one is a bit of a punt because, as you say, it's been standing so long. I took a look at it this week and did the deal. It's actually seems to be in pretty good condition under the grime, though the date code on the tyres is 2007!! Also, annoyingly it's picked up a nasty paint scar on the tank not shown in the ebay advert, I suspect it literally happened when they wheeled it out of storage to show me? Such a shame as the paint looks immaculate, I am pretty confident that all the crazing is just in the protective film on the tank top and tail section. We were able to pick a tiny bit off and it looked ok underneath. Otherwise it'll be a major paint job!! Bonus points, it comes with the seat cowl (just as well, TLM have them painted but 250 Eur!) and, get this, a full titanium exhaust system, though not the official guzzi one?? Anyhow, I'm not in a position to pick it up for a week or so, so will start a proper thread on it when that happens. This isn't going to be a quick polish and ride off into the sunset. The oil looked clean on the dipstick (obviously will be changed) and no stale fuel apparent in the tank (though injectors will almost certainly need ultrasonic etc)? One fork seal has dislodged (presumably shrunk due to drying out?) and the rubber bumpstop on the rear shock fell apart like dried out cheese when I touched it! But paint on the engine block is good, as is frame, with just localised corrosion on the rear bevel, odd fastener, battery carrier etc. Shock, pork chops, front forks, instruments (if they're working?) all look good. Even a tool kit under the seat. Footpegs are missing in the advert but come with the bike, look quite nice, not standard, but again, not the guzzi "ergal" ones either. My other major worry is if an engine or gearbox oil seal has dried out and leaking, big job, but no apparent oil leaks anywhere? Anyway, we'll see! Watch this space in next week or two.

Best opening line of a post yet here! Sounds like the beginning of a James Bond movie....

After an agonizing conversation with the same guy who insisted there was no recall on my bike, he finally revealed that "the only claim filed was a flexible hose kit". He was surprised to learn that "hose" was a transmission component and that, in fact, was the recall. Completed in 2007. Much joy, at least on my end

I use good oil from a reputable company. My engines, or gearboxes, or bevelboxes, rarely go ‘Udders Skywards’. If they do it is very unlikely to be the fault of the oil. Case in point. My recently acquired Mana GT has a 10/40 specified. As I expected it wasn’t filled correctly because, being a semi dry sump engine people can’t get their heads around the fact you have to fill it more than once. Consequently it was almost a litre down. Not a big deal, it has plenty, but I refilled it with what I had lying around which is the 0/20 used in my Suzuki Jimny. It hasn’t blown up yet……

The copper will be from the rocker arm brass/bronze shims and valve guides. A known heavy wear item on a Guzzi BB engine.

Thanks for all the positive comments, and I'll look into that plasticiser additive, thanks Mick and that grease thanks docc. All of these observations are based on a 20 minute squint and opening up bubble wrapped parts! I did google Moto Corse exhausts and found they still make (very) high end titanium exhausts for modern bikes, but nothing for Guzzis now. Who knows, it may end up as totally unusable/loud/doesn't fit/whatever, but someone paid a fortune for it? There's also a tailbag for what I think is the guzzi alloy rear rack, but no sign of the rack unfortunately. Someone spent a lot on that bike and then let it sit, apparently unprotected from the elements for years. Possibly an older owner who passed away? We'll never know. The dealer sources all the bikes from a trusted agent, and swore blind the engine will be fine as he'd heard it run . There were a couple of exotic Ducatis in the store room and a couple of years ago they sourced and sold a Nero Corsa Lemans (anyone on here?). You can see where we picked off a tiny bit of the film in this picture, apparently the best technique is to gently warm with a heatgun, though I have used wd40 on some very old britbike decals? Anyway, I suspect that will be the least of the challenges ahead! Oh, and there is at least one other Coppa Italia in the UK, tucked away in this gallery (along with a Nero Corsa):- https://pecam.org.uk/community/members-bikes/

The oil viscosity range Mick is usage and operating temperature dependent. So for 99% of engines it can be varied dependent on local conditions and use. Having said that here's a blanket statement I'd be prepared to die on a hill for. The modern switch to 0W-20/16 and even 12 now are nothing to do with the long term benefit or health of the engine. They are 100% about squeezing the maximum fuel economy to reach the regulatory fuel economy targets set by governing bodies. The 0W part is fine and I've used 0W-40 Mobil 1 in the old Sport engine for years along with all the cars I drove over that time. It's still a great oil BTW. The issue is with the very low upper range viscosities. They are about saving fuel. Do some race teams use the 20 weight? Sure they do but that's "some" race engines where they aren't concerned about wear but horsepower and the engines are torn down after very short duty. They accept the extra wear. My Supra with the BMW B58 inline turbo six engine comes with 0W-20 standard and no other alternatives from the factory. After 1000klms it's out and a 5W-30 is used. Same with the other 2 newish cars I own. The 0/5W covers the cold temp with ease in my climate and the increase to 30 weight covers the normal temp running. It's a bit like the auto start stop in modern cars. They are 100% about saving fuel to the detriment of the mechanicals. I know they uprate the starting and electrical systems to cope and have additional coating on the big end and main shells but what does that tell you? It tells you the engine doesn't like start/stop functionality and it needs additional work to try and mitigate it. I always turn it off in all the cars. Btw when using even a modern multi viscosity group 4 oil try and keep the viscosity spread to a minimum. It's not massively critical if you change oil at reduced intervals but even full synthetic oils still use VI improvers that break down over mileage and a 0W-40 uses more than a 0w-30 or a 5/10W-40. The latest SP rated oils are out now which have LSPI protection for direct injection engines but also enhanced cam chain wear protection as well. For the German climate Mick I'd run the Sport/Le Mans on a 0W-30/40 due to the colder climate although I don't suppose you ride in temps below 10C. For a DD car in your climate used in all weather conditions it would be a 0W-30 for sure. Phil

Ha ha, it does sound very James Bondish doesn't it... At the other end of the spectrum, we've had the coldest /wettest 2 months of winter in 30 years here, so only 3 rides and commutes at that in 2 and a half months! I can't even look at her as she's all wrapped up in her coat ( bike cover )....arghhh. I'm beginning to understand the cabin fever of the northern hemisphere a bit more now. Cheers Ps Spring's coming at the end o this month so fingers crossed!

I heard something about these low-viscosity oils having a better performance on the emissions. Since a part of the emission tests is with a relative cold engine the 0Wxx or 5Wxx have less resistance than the 10W.

Midwest Control Products This is the place I got the l.h. thread rod end an the rod to complete my project .

Generally agree Phil and had similar experience with large gas turbine machines, but power generation, for the majority, in my case. Oil sampling may have a valid application for race engines or if you do Winter maintenance yourself and like tinkering. Perhaps a particular anomally might lead to an investigative tear down to check. After all Guzzis are easy to work on generally and acess good. Better checked in the Winter than tearing down an engine when you could be riding in the summer. Thing is though generally something like our engines will usually give you plenty of other warnings before going ballistic. As for borescopes, these can be had for relatively little money these days too and IMHO also have their uses, even if that is just for peace of mind. Just saying it's horses for courses, I'm probably a little OCD, but I've never been tempted to go down that rabbit hole (yet).

Very interesting topic. And I am again impressed by all the knowledge in this group. I was never in a business with these type of combustion engines that Phil describes, so please see my remark with this disclaimer. We supplied small series machines that were critical to a certain extend and used a preventive maintenance schedule. This included several of the points mentioned earlier like magnet plugs inspection. Over the course of time we were pretty good in using experience from one series of machines to the other. I wonder if this would not be a more effective way to deal with the state of maintenance of our V11s. That said, interesting to find the high amount of copper in the oil sample. It is little extra check, but when checking the valves in 20 minutes more you can easily check the bronze bearings and its axles. And then retorquing(is this a word?) the head bolds is also only a few minutes.

This is the type of thinking that put me on the battery conditioning crusade. Just my considered opinion, but our V11 G-string-of-a-charging-system should not be expected to actually "charge" a deficient AGM like the Odyssey PC545. In my opinion, that is a formula for overheating the charging system, component failures, and poor running conditions.

You can easily find them on the Internet. Blackstone Laboratories. https://www.blackstone-labs.com/engine-types/motorcycle/ This is the analysis I ordered: https://www.blackstone-labs.com/product/oil-tbn/ The basic analysis is $35. I personally think it is a good way to check that nothing is abnormal in your engine. Here's a write-up about the benefits of getting an oil baseline for your motorcycle. Obviously, a way for the laboratory to get more customers. https://www.blackstone-labs.com/motorcycle-analysis/

Do not neglect your brake fluid and caliper piston service at every (every) tire change. The difference in brake feel, even after a year, is always delightful and rewarding. And, yes, thoroughly clean both rear drive hub surfaces. Klüber Stabürags makes me happy here . . . Perhaps, above all, do not neglect the right side rear drive needle cage, inboard of the right swingarm. Unlikely that any shop technician will see to this critical lubrication point! Make no mistake, neglecting this simple (but hidden) clean/grease maintenance can become perilous for our rear drive . . .

The 10W-60 is a total overkill Mick. I use 10W-60 for my bike with the Daytona engine but those engines have very specific needs. Primarily to hold up the oil pressure at idle in very hot weather in traffic and it's higher levels of Zink ( in this particular brand) for the stressed valve gear in this engine. 10W-60 isn't great in terms of viscosity range spread as it's very wide so the oil changes need to be much more frequent. I'd be using a full synthetic 0W-30 or 40 at the most in your climate with ZDDP around the 1000ppm or slightly higher if possible. Remember it's impossible in reality to have a winter viscosity that's too low in a group 4 oil esp in colder climates. At low OAT's the 0W is still a lot more viscous than even a 40 weight at operating temperature so it's never going to be "too thin" Phil

Lubrication, cooling, and forum fodder?

Maybe I could get some grease in that 3rd zerk!

The fork seal that can drop down the leg is the dust seal (not the oil seal). A hearty application of Shin Etsu (rubber) grease can work magic on dried, shrunken rubber parts. This is sold as a Honda (automotive) part 08798-9013:

I loved ( still do ) the Magni fairing and lusted after one years ago... However, the cost to have one down here is prohibitive but luckily for me I guess I finally realised that if I went with one I'd have been forever swapping between it and the wee Stucchi! Then I got to the point where I actually prefer the look of the Stucchi! I believe the bars have to be lower with the Magni as well and my buggered neck wouldn't cope with that anyways.... Also adding the marital harmony that sticking with the Stucchi ensues I reckon I've dodged a bullet there! Cheers Ps having saved so much on a Magni, I wonder if the minister of finance might consider this a plausible excuse for a set of wire wheels....? Pps Sadly, no nor me.

Yep, understand that completely. @GuzziMoto thank you very much for that answer. Very good to know. I have another question that I have been trying to get a straight up answer to for a while: as far as I can tell from everything I have read, it is ok to "extend" the viscosity range, both above and below, that the factory specified. For instance, for the older small block motors, 20W40 was specified for the motor. The spec for later versions became at some point 10W60. My impression is, I could run the 10W60 that my Breva 750 is supposed to get also in my V35 Imola. Am I right, or not? If not, why not? One restraint about "extending" the viscosity range: apparantly if the oil in the gearbox or final drive is too far towards heavy, it can run too warm. A very well informed ex-guzzi mechanic recently posted a photo elsewhere showing how the grease in the needle roller bearing in the outer side of the final drive of a V11 had melted because the oil in the final drive was very heavy, and an extended "spirited" ride had caused it all to get a bit warm.

Hey there fellow Portland V11 riders, very nice bikes! Note to self - keep an eye on the events forum

MPG...not "might:

Don't forget: if is not broken, don't fix it.

The Tech-session will be "whatever needs fixin".

The magnetic plug sampling seems to be the most important sample method I can think of . You get to turn in the metal particles (for evaluating) that were / are floating around . I had a boss that diagnosed a knock in a D-6 dozer from an oil sample . Pretty slick . I have not forgotten that . The upper rod bushing had failed was his diagnosis and he was right . It had common rail FI and they were able to disable each cylinder to know which piston was down. I have worked at some places where there were some incredible sampling procedures . Rexroth had the best info and practices on sampling procedure . If it is done correctly , it is a methodical procedure . For those who have done this know , new oil is just as dirty as old oil. It just doesn't have the same junk in it . For the average Joe , looking at an evaluation sheet may be "for entertainment purposes only" .

I know I am.

Yes, although some might use a hyphen in there: re-torquing

That seems to be the bad place and a good spot to start . Neither one of my bikes have an electrical problem (YET) and I sure don't want to F it up by working on them .

Sold Thank you.

That is a fundament of the Australian character, docc. One lets the deed speak for itself. The bike is truly stunning. The only thing I would have different is this fairing, which I think is absolutely beautiful http://www.magni.it/images/v11_3-4.jpg http://www.magni.it/v11_fairing.htm the rest is ok as it is. EDIT: here's a better photo of the fairing. The bike is for sale in Germany. 70,000 km on the clock.

This is the best looking Greenie on the planet. Personally I think it's the best looking Guzzi ever. Just my un biased opinion.

Is this vise called John Holmes ?

Again!?!!

and a pie!

At the risk of mentioning this and upsetting the cantankerous god of magic smoke..... I haven't had an issue with fuses since having a Shendengan Reg/Rec and extra ground installed many years ago! Cheers Guzzler Ps what's the betting now I've mentioned it....?

It occurs to me to mention that it is not only the blade connector that can have a bad contact. The crimp on the wire into the connector can also go bad. A good crimp is theoretically air tight, and should last a very long time. If the crimp is a bit shoddy, corrosion and oxidation can find their way into the crimp and cause a resistive contact. If there are persistant problems with bad contacts (too much warmth) despite cleaning and fettling, I would be inclined to pull the connector out of the socket and check the crimp.

Even the large "Maxi" fuse I tried failed because of the contact heat. Original post...

I installed some TPS sensors on two Dodge vehicles in the last two weeks and my scanner had a "relearn" on the TPS after I installed them . Bolt it up and relearn and it was finished . You didn't have to adjust anything .

Probably because SD originally sold genuine OEM TPS's sourced from Guzzi or the OEM as opposed to CA probably sourcing them from China. Now that new OEM sensors are pretty much unobtainium they also probably source from China direct but without passing on the reduced retail price. I don't think there's any issue with Chinese made stuff in general but I still think they grade their components. The best go to the big customers that buy in significant quantities and may even have their own form of quality control or testing and the lesser quality is sold via ebay and such. Just my theory from experience. CA Cycleworks are renowned for selling quality stuff and I think from memory they actually yest their TPS's before selling them. Phil

Hi Bob - yes we have. Looks like I've found a very nice low-mileage black Le Mans in Wisconsin, and I have a verbal agreement with the seller. So I'm all set from my end. Thanks.