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Moto Guzzi V 50 discussion forum:Guzzi´s are like women . . . |
| Guzzi´s are like women . . . |
| Derek said 2003-07-27 18:35 |
| Having paid over the top for a poorly maintained but smart appearing bike six years ago, it has currently taken me 250,000 miles, on top of the 34,000 on the clock when purchased. I have a book on everything carried out in log form. The main problem areas with the V50 III are valves, drive shaft splines and clutch plates. It is vital to change the exhaust valves every 60,000 miles. This is a safe and reasonable mileage, mine having broken at around 100,000. The head breaks off the stem and can do heavy damage to piston and head. It is well worth getting hardened exhaust valve seats inserted if high mileage is considered. Taking the heads off every 20,000 and lapping the valves in is easy and good sense in keeping an eye on things. The drive shaft splines wear far too quickly. Grease them up heavily and within six thousand they´ll be dry again! What a shame there is no nipple or lubricating facility for a regular shot. The UJ will last forever PROVIDED you coat it liberally with grease. I have had 120,000 out of shafts and the UJ has been as snug as new after that mileage. Clutches do not wear out. They barely wear at all, but the concentric shock absorber springs will rattle loose destroying the cage in which they are held. Particles of which then fly off and ricochet around in a 6,000rpm blender, spitting out the timing bung and occasionally tapping you on the leg as a reminder that it´s not well. Rivets holding the clutch body together can also come loose. I had one ´explode´ on me. I lost clutch disengagement completely but did manage to ride it home 25 miles. Four clutches in 250,000 (the fourth is still good). Speedometer drive boxes can be a source of frustration. Having got through six in 12,000 miles, I was considering an electronic alternative when I spotted the problem. The cable inner was a tad too long causing excessive friction at the head creating resistance at the drive box that stripped the drive gears which are quite soft. By grinding a millimetre off the tip of the upper end of the inner the problem was solved. One item to seriously consider is replacing the standard contact breaker ignition with an electronic unit. This will bring complete reliability to the ignition system, a smoother engine and better response. Invaluable. Steering head bearings are horrendous prices for the V50. Save money and get better steering with a taper roller bearing kit. One set has lasted me 216,000 miles, make sure they are packed with grease on fitting. The original air filter and box has long gone. I tried K&N´s and whilst they were an improvement, the big improvement was in making up an easy breathing air box cutting part of the original up and covering it with foam to act as a plenum chamber. The problem with the K&N´s I felt was that being so close to the carb they were causing a restriction of air at the vital point of maximum suck. Placing the foam element further away allows for a smoother wave of air to be available to the carb as the inlet valve opens and draws in. My fuel consumption with standard filter was in the mid forties. To get fifty to the gallon (imperial) I had to be very gentle on the throttle. With K&N´s this improved to high forties but with my home made box I average 59mpg and on one occasion at a steady 70mph from Bath to Hertfordshire, with a slight tailwind - 71 to the gallon (haven´t done that since though). Electrics. You´ve heard all the stories - ´they are unreliable´. They are mostly the same Bosch components as are fitted to BMW´s about which few claim to be unreliable in that department. The Guzzi problem is with the plating of the terminals in the wiring harness. Replace all the originals with good quality blocks with wires crimped and soldered on and there are no problems with the electrics. The one exception I would say is the fuse box. Obtain a replacement with automotive type fuses to replace the original. Remove the original and select a large hammer. Bring hammer down smartly on the original fuse box to prevent any further problems and remove pieces to the bin where they should have stayed back in the Guzzi factory all those years ago. The small continental bullet type fuses have a metal that interacts with the copper retaining clips and promotes a disintegration of the conductive material. So some things about Guzzi electrics are true! The headlight brilliance can be improved dramatically by fitting a relay in the circuit to remove the draining effect of the switch gear, do this and use a Zenon filled bulb and night will turn into day. The main bearings are original, my original barrels were good at 234,000 miles when a valve took one out, (as were the pistons.) Over the last six years I have spent more on running and improving the Guzzi, than almost all of my other bikes put together. Why? When it´s running sweet, and it takes a little knowledge and spanner input, there is nothing like riding the Guzzi. The feedback from the road surface, the straight line tracking, the feeling of confidence though smooth easy bend swinging it gives you is so uplifting. It inspires confidence and mastery of control because they are so easy to control. There is no fighting for a line, you think about a line and the bike is there - steady as a rock. The analogy to a woman is true. Treat them with respect, spend a little time and some money and the rewards will be a ride to give pleasure beyond expectations . . . and you won´t want to do without that. And ladies, sorry if this sounds a bit sexist, but it works both ways - you´ll see! |
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