Breva V1100

[Guest Graham in NZ]

Hi

 

After a couple of years waiting the new Breva V1100 has finally arrived here in NZ, so my 2001 V11 Sport has been traded on one. Does this forum intend to cater for the Breva?

 

Can anyone tell me what the tappet clearances should be? The handbook is silent on the subject and because I intend doing all my own maintenance I don't want to ask the dealer for the info. Apparently it has screw and locknut adjusters and a V11 cam but has SS valves and sintered valve seats.

 

Graham

[Guzzirider]

Hi

 

After a couple of years waiting the new Breva V1100 has finally arrived here in NZ, so my 2001 V11 Sport has been traded on one.  Does this forum intend to cater for the Breva?

 

Can anyone tell me what the tappet clearances should be?  The handbook is silent on the subject and because I intend doing all my own maintenance I don't want to ask the dealer for the info.  Apparently it has screw and locknut adjusters and a V11 cam but has SS valves and sintered valve seats.

 

Graham

60045[/snapback]

 

I don't know the answer but you could try the MG-Griso.com forum which caters for Breva 1100s.

 

http://www.phpbbforfree.com/forums/mggriso-forum-1.html

 

Guy

[guido]

I think the tappet clearance is not going to be markedly different from the other Guzzis, but you know what they say, a loud tappet is a happy tappet. On my guzzis that translates into something like .25mm, although I would say that .2mm should be more than enough, but check, there must be info somewhere on that.

 

Apart from that, then, how is the bike to drive etc.

I sit with V11Sport which I either have to rebuild or trade in on a Breva.

 

I can see that you have chosen, but tell me about it!!

[pete roper]

The biggest issues in the valve clearances are going to be in relation to the coefficients of expansion of the various *bits*. Unless something has been radically changed the new motor will still be using chilled cast iron cam followers, aluminium pushrods and the rocker carriers will still be alluminium as will the heads and barrels. The valve and seat material I would not think would have a super-critical effect on the necessary clearance.

 

The earlier round fin models had cast iron rocker carriers which should expand less than the later aluminium ones but factory settings for them were actually a lot larger than those for the later, squarefin, models, most of which also had a warmer cam which tradition dictates should neccesitate a slightly bigger clearance.

 

In my experience all the earlier specs are very, very conservative. I run my roundfins, with warmer cams, at 4 and 6 thou inlet and exhaust. For the V11's the factory specified 2 and 4 for the USA and 4 and 6 for elsewhere. Despite the very small clearances for the US market, prompted I'd guess by a requirement to reduce noise, I've not yet heard of a V11 motor burning it's valves due to using the smaller clearances although I have heard of some of them running badly when very hot, ie when coming to a standstill after being thrashed or idling for long periods in heavy traffic on hot days. Reports from the UK suggest that the Breva 11 does run hot, although that could be poor set up but to meet the new emmission regs for Euro 3 I'd guess that they do have to run almost critically lean and a decent tuning centre should be able to improve on that if the computer is anything like the V11 one, if only by the rather crude method of playing with the TPS setting.

 

I would think that probably setting the tappets at 3 and 5 thou inlet and exhaust would be a fairly safe compromise but just to make sure I'll try and talk to Dave, the tech advisor at the importer here in Oz, today and see if I can find out what the factory recommends.

 

Incidentally, talking with the importer's ep at the rally I attended at the weekend where I saw the Breva 11 he said that the Oz/NZ market was the only one outside of Europe to of got the Breva 11 yet because when the importer's rep visited they managed to scam a deal whereby the European production was 'Skimmed', a sort of '10 for *you* 2 for *us*' type deal so that we actually got them before the US release which has been delayed because of the need to redesign the evaporative control system for the Californian market . Possibly I'm being overly cynical but perhaps also there is a wisdom in sending some Brevas to us where they can be seriously tested in a considerably, and consitently, more hostile, (read hotter.) environment than is usual in Europe and any problems that may occur will manifest themselves here rather than in the far more important and lucrative American market. After the farce of the Hydro Lifter models I'd think it imperative that Guzzi be absolutely certain that the Breva isn't going to turn out to have similar failings if they want to maintain any sort of credibility within the american marketplace.

 

Look, I really did quite like the Breva. To me it looks far bigger than it actually needs to be and far too much of the *motorbike* was hidden under acres of plastic shite and bodywork but it really is effectively an *all new* model in every respect apart from the motor and clutch and that is really a huge step forward for the company. I'll be even more interested to have a close look at the 'Bouncer' or 'Football Hooligan' whatever it's called when it makes an appearance next year. Get one of those, take as much of the extraneous munt off as possible, replace that god-awful muffler and paint it rattle-can black and I reckon it could be a winner!!!!!

 

Pete

[pete roper]

Just spoke to Dave, clearances are 0.1mm inlet and 0.15mm exhaust. 4 and 6 thou basically for us old fashioned bastards

 

Incidentally, he's also forwarding all the training stuff they have for the new Breva to me. If you're interested I could post it on to you if you send me your email addy. Just send an email to

 

motomoda@iimetro.com.au

 

Pete