oil leak, vibration etc

[Guest Warren Rhen]

Besides loosing my Tekno bag for no apparent reason I have developed a oil leak at the top of the hose that comes out of the framebackbone on the left and drains down to the rear of the oilpan. .....Is this a common problem?

It looks like the hose itself is leaking instead of the copper rings that seal it at the top. Also with only 4000 miles on the bike my rear brake pads are almost gone and I rarely use the rear brake.....Is this a common problem?

 

The vibration in my engine seems to be getting worse. At 90+ MPH it feels like a Harley I.E. it feels like birds pecking at your hands. I think the throttlebody syncronization has a pretty big affect on vibration. Is that right? Here again with only 4000 miles on the bike why, when it seemed relatively vibration free before would the syncronization get out now?? This is getting very trying. I planned several fairly long trips this summer and now it looks like I may spend all summer waiting for bag parts and/or fixing new problems.

[al_roethlisberger]

Besides loosing my Tekno bag for no apparent reason

 

...ahh, the old "I forgot to lock one down" syndrome eh?

 

But seriously, sorry to hear about that, as I know it's expensive to replace one bag. Carl Allison lost one of his about a year ago for the same reason.

 

I have developed a oil leak at the top of the hose that comes out of the framebackbone on the left and drains down to the rear of the oilpan. .....Is this a common problem?

It looks like the hose itself is leaking instead of the copper rings that seal it at the top.

 

Yep, this is a common issue. It seems that this breather hose deteriorates over time due to heat and vibration, and eventually cracks and leaks. Although I am surprised yours has failed so soon

 

You can go get the MG part, but availability may be an issue, and I'm sure it's pricey for no good reason.

 

Or you can do what others have done, and just go down to your local "speed shop" and get some quality hose, and some brass or alum angle fittings, and it'll never leak again

 

I think Rich Maund made his from some radiator hose, and PVC fittings from Home Depot

 

Also with only 4000 miles on the bike my rear brake pads are almost gone and I rarely use the rear brake.....Is this a common problem?

 

This also is a common problem, but one I haven't really heard much about since last year when we determined that in most cases it is caused by:

 

1) Grunge in the caliper. It seems that since the caliper is underslung, all the grime, brake dust, grease, etc... gets trapped in there, and the piston binds. This usually caused the infamous brake "groan", and in theory could cause brake wear. A good long wash with brake cleaner takes care of it. You'll be amazed at how much grunge washes out of the caliper.

 

2) Sometimes the rear brake line comes loose from its clip on the swingarm, and gets too close to the exhaust crossover. This could cause expansion and potential brake issues.

 

3) Check the adjustment of your brake pedal linkage/setup to make sure you aren't inadvertintly applying the rear brake even when "not".

 

The vibration in my engine seems to be getting worse. At 90+ MPH it feels like a Harley I.E. it feels like birds pecking at your hands. I think the throttlebody syncronization has a pretty big affect on vibration. Is that right? Here again with only 4000 miles on the bike why, when it seemed relatively vibration free before would the syncronization get out now??

 

Yep, it's probably TB snch. Why? ... who knows, but they do get out of whack sometimes. Also check that you don't have a loose or cracked TB rubber boot. This has often made bikes run poorly and driven owners batty trying to figure out why.

 

Hope that helps! ...sounds like all minor issues, except finding a spare Tekno bag.

 

Good luck

 

al

[Guest Bruce]

The boots seem to show degradation pretty early. Mine showed signs of cracking but I couldn't tell if they were actually leaking so I replaced them. The only real change I noticed was when backing off the throttle quickly from high RPM as you would approaching a sharp corner. Before I'd hear a bit of popping in the exhaust cans, after none of this what so ever. Other than piece of mind ( always a price to be paid for that but worth it ) that was the only difference I noticed.

 

Yes, you'd think the rubber ( plastic? ) bits and pieces would last longer than 3k. Now I religiously apply a plasticizer in hopes of warding off old age. So far its working.

[Guest Warren Rhen]

Yep, this is a common issue. It seems that this breather hose deteriorates over time due to heat and vibration, and eventually cracks and leaks. Although I am surprised yours has failed so soon

 

You can go get the MG part, but availability may be an issue, and I'm sure it's pricey for no good reason.

 

Or you can do what others have done, and just go down to your local "speed shop" and get some quality hose, and some brass or alum angle fittings, and it'll never leak again

 

I think Rich Maund made his from some radiator hose, and PVC fittings from Home Depot

 

Are we talking about the same hose? This is a steel braided hose. I can't imagine somebody replacing it with brass fittings, radiator hose and pvc pipe.

[al_roethlisberger]

Yep, this is a common issue.  It seems that this breather hose deteriorates over time due to heat and vibration, and eventually cracks and leaks.  Although I am surprised yours has failed so soon 

 

You can go get the MG part, but availability may be an issue, and I'm sure it's pricey for no good reason.

 

Or you can do what others have done, and just go down to your local "speed shop" and get some quality hose, and some brass or alum angle fittings, and it'll never leak again 

 

I think Rich Maund made his from some radiator hose, and PVC fittings from Home Depot 

 

Are we talking about the same hose? This is a steel braided hose. I can't imagine somebody replacing it with brass fittings, radiator hose and pvc pipe.

 

 

Ahh, you are talking about the "lower" hose, not the "upper" hose

 

I have never heard of one of the lower hoses leaking.... so "no" this is not a "common" problem, although I'm sure it's happened before.

 

This hose is not typically as susceptible to leaking due to it's protection with the SS braid, but who knows what happened

 

This one is a bit harder to replace with a non-Guzzi item, but it could be built by going down to your local "hot rod/speed" or hydraulic hose shop. In fact, I bet the latter could build you a hose that would be infinitely more durable than the stock Guzzi hose, and never leak for the lifetime of the bike. Just take your leaking hose down to them, hand it over with a face... and let them work their magic

 

al

[docc]

 

Yep, it's probably TB snch. Why? ... who knows, but they do get out of whack sometimes.

Per "Guzziology" it's good medicine to put a jam nut against the big white thumb knob which adjusts the linkage balance.

[Guest d.starling]

warren are you talking about the oil return hose? i just posted about a leak i recently developed at the entry point of the pan, upon examination it seems the inner metal sleeve of the hose has radial cracks. i have just now order a new one. i didn't read all the post but concerning vibration the more optimally your fuel injection is set up the lower the vibes, in fact the proper set-up of my power commander helped mine, and in conclusion owning a moto guzzi is not pain free.

[antonio carroccio]

bla... i didn't read all the post but concerning vibration the more optimally your ...bla

 

http://www.bobmarley.com/songs/ram/positive.ram

Here is a little reminder for you Darling....Oohps..d.starling