Guzzi quality control?

[Guest Hank Blackstock]

My 2002 Lemans has suffered a failure which could only be the result of poor quality control on the production line. Both the nut on the cam sprocket and the oil pump sprocket came off. The spockets came off resulting in bent valves and a damaged timing pickup. The only reason I can see for this happening is that the nuts were not properly torqued at the factory. This occured at 3500 mi. I can only hope that MGNA has the parts needed.

 

Hank Blackstock

 

http://www.corywest.com/

[al_roethlisberger]

......unacceptable.... purely.

 

Almost without exception, just about every owner of a new LeMans(and other V11 varieties) on this list has had some significant issue like this.... bolts falling out(big ones, like engine mounts!), gasket failures(mine, timing cover... big mess, could have caused a wreck), other oil-system failures(Jaap, leaking fittings), yours... and the thread I just responded to regarding "shadowing".... come on MG... do you read these lists?

 

I love my bike, but if this keeps up, we should start a petition via this forum detailing all of these issues and forward it to multiple executives at MG and Aprilia to let them know how disatisfied we are with the Quality Control/Assurance at the factory.

 

It's not that we don't like the bikes, or their potential... but for the price we've paid, and the relative low-tech of the machinery, it's a shame that we can't be confident that they bikes can carry us several thousand reasonable miles without a major and potentially dangerous failure.

 

Guzzi needs to get this under control before there is serious deterioration in customer confidence, and Aprilia's investment is a losing proposition.

 

...most disappointing. I'm really sorry to hear this Hank.

 

al

[Guest jimjib]

Sorry to hear you have had such a serious problem. I think I am through with all me little issues and am starting to get my confidence back with the bike.

 

Like you say, its surprising to have all these problems when this motor platform has been refined over many years. I know one thing, I will not keep a new bike that I dont trust...i would have bought an ol norton if I wanted to go that route.

[Guest Jean-Paul Mallard]

Hank,Sorry to hear about your problem.What has been the reaction of Moto Guzzi at the importer/dealer/factory?

 

Quality is supposed to have improved since Aprilia took over but that seems confined to finish and parts only rather than the control/inspection process before the bike leaves the factory.

 

Several similar incidents have occurredin the Uk,including on one bike being evaluated in a road test,(albeit that was a California).

 

If its any re-assurance the problem can affect other marques.My Bmw I bought in June last year had an engine oil leak on collecting from the dealer,suffered abs failure twice, oil pressure warning light activated once ahas occasional resistance to engage second gear and finally now has an oil leak from the rear drive shaft housing which the dealer says is now an identified recurring problem!! Having had Bms for 25 years this is the third in the last few years that I've had which is suffered from a quality issue.But what has finally done it for me is being told by Bmw that the cause of corrosion affecting the fastenings suspension and other parts is a consequence of not cleaning the bike properly!!I've done 4000 miles in one year , none on salty or muddy roads and considering the UK climate only twice in the rain!

 

Forgive the lenghty response but I mention it to provide some balance that this is a problem affecting only Guzzi. I would admit to being concerned when I read episodes of this nature but drawing it to the manufacturers attention through the menas of an organised forum such as we possess via on this website can influence manufacturers ( or am I being naive!)

 

Best wishes

 

Jean-Paul

[Guest Ed Vanaman]

Add me to this list

 

Last Saturday I took off on a ride and got 10 miles from home and found that the shift lever was laying dead against the red anodized frame section (chipping some of the red off) I pull off the road to find a bolt missing out of bell crank. So I get it shitfed into second gear and limp home. Yesterday I take off on a ride with a group of riders and get about seventy five miles into the ride and I loose all but second and third gears so l tell the group I am going to head back with my two gears for them to head on. Two mile after I turn back I loose those two gear and end up stranded while my wife tries to find me out in the middle of nowhere. The good side was a fellow Guzzist Jim Price stopped by and offer to help.

 

Ed V

Dead Scura #370

[Guest Bruce in Texas]

Hmmm, now ya'll have me second guessing myself. I was all set to head to Fort Worth or Houston and pick up a V11. Nothing looks better to my eye than the V11 with the mini fairing or the Magni fairing. Now with this thread and a couple of others I may wait for a few months and see how this works out. The 02 Red Lemans on the Home page looks tasty and the torque curve looks a bit better than the current models. I had thought that the difference was not that significant and I could pick up one of the current models with the Guzzi discount. Perhaps the QC will pick up with the new models, who knows. Not sure now, probably will depend on how they ride when I get to the dealers.

Bruce

99/900 Trophy

[Orson]

I have empathy for those fellow Guzzistas who are suffering from tales of woe but, I thought I might instill a ray of hope into the Forum by saying I rode my Tenni from Northern Italy, across the Alps, to the UK, some 7000 km, with nary a hiccup but for a slight leak in the timing cover seal.

 

I also take comfort in what I have read from more experienced Guzzi owners that, the engines only get better with age.

 

Maybe these troublesome bikes were the ones that were built on Friday afternoons (weak attempt at humor).

 

As a footnote, I might add that, when I visited the Guzzi factory, the employee's parking lot was filled with bikes of every ilk, far outnumbering the cars so, maybe there is some comfort to be taken by knowing the bikes are being built by fellow enthusiasts (is a Motobecane rider considered a fellow enthusiast?)(more weak humor).

[Guest marcialc]

that's very disappointing news about the scura transmission problem...

 

...one of the reasons I bought a guzzi was for the "reliability". It's ability to go from a city/commuter bike to a long-road-twisty-craving-tourer.

 

So far I've had a fairly trouble free bike, other than some minor problems like the large bolt right above the right footpeg coming loose twice...and the left side rear mirror coming loose during a ride. <_< (knock on wood..)

 

All the problems I've been reading on this post are beginning to erode my confidence of the bike for long trips. Hell, it's the same problem I have with my '78 TR7...worrying that the bike might rattle itself apart in the middle of nowhere.

 

BTW, Orson...how many guzzi's were parked in the employee's parking lot?

[Orson]

okokok...

so, I may have stretched the definitions of "biker". Out of about 75 bikes in the employee's lot, I think maybe one or two were Guzzis. The rest were a rag tag collection of clapped out enduro bikes and small displacement Euro "commuter" type bikes and a whole army of mopeds but, hey! A bike is a bike

 

A side note : I got sent to school by these moped riders while in Italy, most of them with the grim WW I flying ace expressions on their faces much like Snoopy has when he dreams he's flying his Sopwith Camel. As I was dutifully trolling behind a city bus, waiting for a place to pass, I got zapped by a teenage GIRL on her moped, who then proceeded to zap the bus....oh...so that's how it's done. Then I got behind a guy who was cutting a pretty good swath thru traffic on his moped and seemed to know the ropes. We were zooming along splitting lanes and such when, we were BOTH passed by an elderly matron in a DRESS (probably on her way to a hair dressing appointment). Oh, the humiliation...and me, on a 1000cc Tenni.

 

It's every man (and woman) for himself. If you can fit your handlebars thru the gap, you go for it, oncoming traffic be damned. ( I loved Italy).

 

Ooops. Sorry for wandering off the thread

[Guest Jean-Paul]

It may be useful to keep this thread going and perhaps invite Moto Guzzi themselves to comment. Otherwise a lot of potential Le Mans and other Guzzi model owners are going to buy elsewhere.

J-P

[Guest v11eric]

With my spare gearboxspring, for my feeling I can drive the whole world on my 01 v11LM. This bike is a reliable transport, after some minor dissapointments my bike basicly runs trouble free.

 

And yes I also love traffic in Italy, one lane going my way one oppositlane and erverything inbetween in for 2weelers. And about Italians there are very few who park there proud along the street and go to work, for that purpose the've got other transport. Look what they drive for the weekend's Thats a show they like polishing.

 

be patient whit the patient

 

eric

01 v11 lemans

[Guest IanJ]

I just set up a QC poll in Technical Topics, please tell everyone your experiences. As I write this, we've had four votes, three for varying degrees of minor problems, and one for two major problems. That's not terribly encouraging...

 

I'm thinking that it's time to contact my dealer in Seattle and ask them how many V11's they've seen back with warranty repair issues. This sounds like a big problem to me (we'll see what the poll has to say on the issue), and I'm actually reconsidering my purchase of a Le Mans based on what I've seen here. Although, that said, I also get the impression that once you're through the trouble period, they're great bikes.

[Guest Hank]

Hello Eric,

 

I would not be to sure that the gearbox spring will be you only problem. My spring broke at 2400 mi (by the way I had to have a spring made do to a backorder, and I also had a spare made), then at 3500 miles my timing sprocket and oil pump departed their shafts due to the nuts coming off.

 

I am sure that most of the problems with the new Moto Guzzis are due to poor quality control and not due to basic design flaw. After all the engine is the same basic design it has been for years and in the past they were bullet proof. I should know as I was a Moto Guzzi tuner in battle of the twins in the 80's and my rider who I called captain destructo could not tear up my Moto Guzzi.

 

Hank

 

http://www.corywest.com/

[Guest Arbi]

Ok..here's some problems I've experianced with my 2001 V11 Sport....and I"m starting to get REALLY annoyed!!!

 

Current Milage: 3800 miles

Problems:

1. right cyclinder head is leaking oil, even after getting it torqued at the 1000 miles service!

 

2. Oil is seeping through the front of the engine..I'm guessing timeing cover...

 

3. Oil is seeping out of somewhere in the oil cooler area...dont know where..

 

4. bolt vibrated off the shift lever...150 miles away from home..had to take out a bolt from another place, and use it to get back home!

 

5. rear break rubs and makes an annoying noise.

 

6. the gear shift gets stuck in the DOWN position...at least once every couple of days....and I have to PRY it up, to get it to shift again...(WTF)

 

7. false neutrals..between 3-4, 4-5, and 5-6!!

 

8. oil consumption.....

 

I gotta say..I LOVE this bike...but I"m starting to get very dis-enchanted..with all these problems....

 

took her on the twisties yesterday..and slapped my buddy on his HONDA VTR with it....but still.....his doesnt leak, weep or do any of this crap!!

 

.....I"m thinking.....I probably should have gone with a BMW....sure its a little more $$$..but they have a lot better QC....as much as I love the way my V11 sport feels...no one should put up with this much crap..after spending this much money for a new bike!!

 

-arbi

 

01 V11 Sport

[Guest marcialc]

I agree with you there Arbi...for this much $$$ and today's motorcycle/auto technology, we should be able to ride the bike and not have to worry about breaking down in the middle of nowhere... ....especially because a f**king bolt vibrated off... ....that's the problem I have with my 78 Triumph already.