It's been a while..

[gstallons]

Hiya fellas, long time since I posted. I'm still in Bahrain, havent even seen my V11 for years now, miss the old girl terribly.

Anyhow, recently I had occassion to drop a friend over to the Hardly agency here. I couldnt stomach the place, so wandered up a couple of doors to the Piaggio dealers, therein to find a Griso 8v. It's a 2010 model, been sitting in the showroom since and never ridden.

As you do, I had a sit on it, though I didnt make any engine noises this time.

The very nice sales guy and I had a very nice chat.

Then he told me the price, it was very nice too.

I find myself in a quandary.

 

The dealer is a box shifter, I dont believe that I will have any support should the worst happen. I'm easy with that.

I dont know if the bike has even been started in months, therefore I will assume that it hasnt.

Pete has posted that as long as a proper PDI is done, the bike should be ok, but I cant find any mention of what a PDI would include, does anyone know?

I'd like to pressurise the oil system before initial startup, is this possible? Maybe hook up a garden sprayer full of oil to one of the oil cooler pipes and pump it up to ensure adequate lubrication?

I have read of the seemingly random nature of cam lifter failure, I realise full well that I may end up with an ornament, but I miss my old Guz and want another.

 

All comments welcome

 

John

PDI is a Pre-Delivery Inspection. All new vehicles are given this prior to selling. This is to make sure all fluids are present , all fasteners are tightened and it is in an operable condition. The dealer is given $ to do this prior to being sold. You can do this yourself as if you were going to go off on a long trip and you wanted to be sure nothing was going to fall off the bike.

[big J]

Thanks man, I knew what it was, just not the particular details assosciated with the Griso. Good to have it confirmed though.

So, busy day today. One of my students works at the Triumph dealer here and has been badgering me to test ride the Speed Triple, which I duly did.

Impressions......hmm. Nothing really. It went reasonably enough, seemed nice, but there was nothing about it which stood out. For me, it seemed quite bland compared to the V11. Not for me.

Then I sold a Corvette for a friend of mine.

Finally on to the Guzzi place and asking questions.

The bike is an A5 model, the last numbers of the VIN are112500. I asked about the cams,etc, but the salesman wasn;t sure if they'd been changed.

I then spoke at length about the PDI, I want to either do it myself in their workshop or I will supervise their technician. They have both the new Navigator and the synchronising tools. Absolutely no problem, they'll fit a new battery too. I will speak to the manager tomorrow morning; both he and the tech were off today, to discuss a final price, but She's a goer.

I dropped a small deposit on it ( knowing my luck, after sitting for 2 years, it would be sold tomorrow   )

The bullet has been bit. With luck, I wont be bit back.

Time will tell

[pete roper]

OK, so its one of the last of the A5's. this *Should* mean the tappets are OK but without looking at them it will be impossible to say. The numbers issued by the factory as to affected bikes could be best described as 'Rubbery' but if it is a genuine 2010 you should be good. If you want to make certain pulling the cam-boxes isn't a big job but for the sake of all that's holy ASK ME before you start rippin' in as there are a couple of tricks for young players.

 

As I said, the A5 motors are noisier than the later ones mine makes a variety of very loud rattles, clanks and whirs! When I say it makes a noise like a cement mixer full of bricks I mean it. Its obscenely noisy mechanically. Having said that if the valves suddenly start to knock and clatter very loudly it will mean that the tappets have gone west. This is very unlikely to happen in Bahrain as long as it has the later tappets as I am now pretty much convinced that the recurring problems with 8V tappet failures, which are seemingly confined to certain markets/countries, are the result of the engine never getting hot enough due to short trips and wet weather. Even so I do think the 10,000 Km oil change interval is too long and recommend changing it at about 6,000.

 

Get them to plug Navi in for you and look at the ECU info. Under 'Mapping' it will tell you what version of the software is installed. Get back to me with that. If there are any issues we can arrange a time and I can walk you through the re-mapping sequence on the phone.

 

Pete

[big J]

"Young players" hahaha. you silver tongued devil you

It'll certainly get hot enough out here. I'll update you as soon as I can get some concrete info about the date of manufacture.

Thanks again

 

John

[68C]

This thread is great, like buying a new bike without spending any money.

[big J]

Hokaly dokaly, latest update. Spoke with the manager, all seems ok though for a guy holding a bike for 2 years he seemed somewhat indifferent. He offered to verify with Piaggio if the tappets had been done. I replied that it was a known fact that the factory had fitted the original tappets by mistake in a number of cases and I'd like to see for myself. he went a bit quiet, but I'm not letting him off the hook.

He also stated that checking the tappets wasn't normally part of the PDI. i said that I didn't care whether it was or not, it would be done. Also, 10w/60 is not available here. They use a 10w/50 fully synth instead. He reckons Guzzi agreed that for this market it would be ok. I have my doubts, but anyway, if it comes to it, I'll import some myself.

Negotiations continue, but that;s just the way here.We haggled about the price for a while and he informed me that he'd have to consult with the accounts dept. I said the showroom is about the size of my living room, where are they, in a cupboard?

As can be the case here, when you show an interest in something, it's almost as if they dont want to sell it to you. Strange.

Think I'll go down on Wednesday with a bag of money and see what happens.

If it comes to it, I'll import one from the States myself rather than play mind games. No duty on imports from the US

[mznyc]

Good on ya holding yur ground John.I hate it when someone acts like their doin you a favor by takin your money.Understood it's part of the negotiation process there but I see that here in the States also.

If you need help with a bike from the States let me know as Ive bought many bikes on Ebay with great results.Griso's are common(relatively for a Guzzi) and cheap here.

Good Luck!

[big J]

Thanks man, that's great to know. Back up is always a good thing. Much appreciated indeed.

[callison]

I've heard of the following procedure but I'd wait for Pete Roper to confirm the validity of it.

 

If you want to pressurize the oil system prior to running the bike, remove the outer spark plugs then reconnect them to the spark plug wires and clip-lead the plug bodies to the cylinder fins so that there is a ground return path (failure to do so will likely ruin the coil). With the compression out of the picture because a plug is out, cranking the engine over won't put any undue pressure on the bearings. Run the starter long enough to pump oil to the bearings, return the plugs and wires to the original configuration and start the bike.

[GuzziMoto]

I think, because of the grounding the plugs issue, it is easier to push the bike in gear. It spins the motor over a little faster and you do not have to worry about anything electrical. Plus, if you try to start the bike with one plug removed the injectors will still spray fuel into the cylinders so you also have to disable the fuel pump.

[big J]

Thanks guys, this is all good stuff. I didn't know the 8v had twin plugs?

Did the deal today, met with the tech and he's put the battery on charge.Seems like a good sort and quite knowledgeable too. I've printed off Petes' instructions and should be going in at the weekend to set her up. Slightly in shock, never owned a brand new bike before.

 

Woohoo!!

[pete roper]

The Griso only as a single plug per cylinder, I think you misunderstood Moto. Cali 14 is twin plugged due to the size of the combustion chambers/bore.

 

Spinning the engine with the plugs out isn't a bad idea, just unhook the coils and 'jectors, plugs out and hit the button. It'll only crank for four seconds at a time so do it three or four times and it'll prime everything up. Pop the plugs back in and reconnect the injectors an coils. Easy. Do be VERY careful removing the plug caps.

 

 

[GuzziMoto]

The two valve 1100 motors are twin plug as well.

I reckon on the 8 valve motor they did not have room for the other plug.

[pete roper]

Nah, there was room, it just wasn't deemed necessary. The 1400 needs twin plugs, the 1200 can get away without them.

 

Pete

[big J]

ok, so, went down today. Checked the tappets, they were perfect from the factory. Set up the Navigator tool, checked the map, #68S, thanks Pete.

Right, says I, lets synch the throttle bodies. Erm, says the tech, we dont have a synchronising tool.

So the hunt is on for a synch tool of some kind.

Anyway, started her up, runs fine, no bad noises or anything, ticks over smooth and steady. TPS readings were 4.5 to 4.6 with a little odd dip to 4.1 ish occassionally. Seemed fine to me.

Too quiet though with that Scania truck silencer on it.

Just waiting for the registration to be completed, hopefully tomorrow, and we're away!