Will the 8v Guzzis go for decades like their ancestors did?

[Trogladyte]

I've had my 8v Griso since new in 08. It spent much of its early life off the road as Guzzi gradually came to terms with the cam issue - mine was one that failed before the original recall, and went through a whole series of camshafts and followers. As a result at 9 years old it is just coming up to 50k miles. It is starting to show its age a bit, but isn't bad considering it has done 8 UK winters. And it has had a fair few replacement parts - a new suspension linkage thing (what's that triangular thing called?), swinging arm bearings, a new clutch, main bearing seal, a headlight (rusted out), two batteries, and I've just ordered a shock.

But its still a good runner, and doesn't look bad. And the heated grips I installed in 2008 are still going strong. But will I still be riding it in 2028?

[Rough Edge racing]

 There's lots of 50 year old bikes being ridden daily.....With newer bikes there's always the nagging question about electronics....If 20 years from now the ECU fries, what's gonna tell the fuel injection and ignition what to do if no replacement is available? A clever guy can probably make something work....

[Phang]

There's lots of 50 year old bikes being ridden daily.....With newer bikes there's always the nagging question about electronics....If 20 years from now the ECU fries, what's gonna tell the fuel injection and ignition what to do if no replacement is available? A clever guy can probably make something work....

I hope someone will make aftermarket ECU with matching connectors

select the bike model, load the maps, plug and play

[swooshdave]

The ECUs are pretty crude so they wouldn't be hard to replicate. Especially 20 yrs from now.

[pete roper]

ECU's are ten a penny. Dashboards might be an issue. I won't be around to care!

[Rough Edge racing]

ECU's are ten a penny. Dashboards might be an issue. I won't be around to care!

  Hey, 10 for a penny is quite the deal, send me 100 of various models because I see them costing
$250 -$500 right now 

[pete roper]

A lot of the W5AM's used on Ducatis use the same pin-out. 1098's I think are one. Paul has the details but you can pick them up for $120-150 on the bay of fleas.

Pete

[Guzzistajohn]

Can't say, but the old CX-100 has never left me stranded in 28 years. <knocking wood> 

[Psychopasta]

Remember thought that when 80s Guzzis were new, they had lots of faults too. What's available now as a forty-year-old bike is the far wings of the distribution. My guess is that modern Guzzis will last perfectly well if in the hands of owners who take good care of them and apply the fixes that the community comes up with.

Not knocking Guzzi...I love Guzzis! But longevity is to do with a constantly-fettling owner. 

- Pasta

[kevdog3019]

Remember thought that when 80s Guzzis were new, they had lots of faults too. What's available now as a forty-year-old bike is the far wings of the distribution. My guess is that modern Guzzis will last perfectly well if in the hands of owners who take good care of them and apply the fixes that the community comes up with.

Not knocking Guzzi...I love Guzzis! But longevity is to do with a constantly-fettling owner. 

- Pasta

 :1:
if the original poster keeps doing as much as he's done already he'll have a new ride every 15 yrs. or so. New clutch already??  Guzzi's do tend to take your attention.

[tris]

Mechanically I don't see why not  but we need a way to circumvent the dash I think

Which brings me to something I've been thinking about.

The Ducati boys disable the immobiliser for racing. If we were to do that and provide an air pressure signal  to the ECU would the bike run?

[ITSec]

Not knocking Guzzi...I love Guzzis! But longevity is to do with a constantly-fettling owner. 

- Pasta

I constantly fettle my 2008 Norge (new in 2011) so much that it's never had anything more than routine maintenance for 125,000 miles. I would note that the constant fettling includes fork seals (at 25,000 miles, not since), rear seal and main bearing in the CARC (at 80,000 miles) and regular (between scheduled and 3x scheduled) changes of fluids, plugs, etc.

I'd have to admit that it is not owner obsessive attention that has led to the longevity of my machine. After all, the same owner had to replace the clutch on a Subaru turbo at only 60,000.

[Tusayan]

Mechanically I don't see why not  but we need a way to circumvent the dash I think

The electronics can generally be disabled or reworked but it will be illegal in many areas: TUV inspections in Germany and similar elsewhere will prevent it in those markets.  Also, the deletion of replaceable bearings in some areas of the engine would concern me a bit anywhere, main bearings IIRC on the big block engine and maybe cam bearings.

I think anything is possible but no, the new ones won't generally be operational for as long.  As the saying goes when the last Airbus goes to the scrap yard, a DC-3 will come along to pick up the crew.

[Murray]

As the saying goes when the last Airbus goes to the scrap yard, a DC-3 will come along to pick up the crew.

If the DC3 has some working engines twin wasp radials are getting hard to find/expensive to run.