V7C getting old? Or just well used?

[malik]

Could it be that the V7 Classic, 7 1/2 years old with only 170,00km is showing its age? I decided to change the front tyre - the was a few thousand km of tread left, but 51,000km is a pretty good innings - but on removing the old tyre I found enough rust inside the rim to worry any self-respecting tube. Cleaned it with a wire wheel, then rust converter, etch primer, & a decent epoxy, then finished off with self-amalgamating tape & rim tape just to be sure before mounting the new tyre & tube.

I wasn't happy with the wheel bearings. They were not notchy at all  just stiff to turn with my fingers, so I replaced the original SKFs with new Nachi 6004s.

Then I found the front brake binding the wheel. Two of the pistons were frozen & the other two moving slowly & with difficulty. The disc rotor was also 0.5mm under minimum spec. I removed the caliper & took it apart, popped out the pistons with the help of some air, and though lay cleaned it. There's a reason Brembo doesn't do a seal kit for these calipers - the only thing inside is one o-ring & it looked prefect.

With a new disc (from M Factory - at $A102 is was significantly cheaper than the next cheapest at $250 plus - I bled fresh fluid through the system, and all seems to be well. I have yet to bed in the disc and pads but it's looking good so far.

There's a few other signs of use & age - the steering head will need new bearings soon - there's just a hint of not hipness beginning - the blinker indicator on the dash comes only occasionally & the neutral light is intermittent. I will also have to find a new speedo sometime in the next 30,000km, when the current one's odometer stops working at 199,999km.

But so far, so good, although I would be too surprised should other bits start falling apart & need attention over the next year or two.

[voncrump]

Well done Mal. And I bet that bike has seen some rugged kilometres. These little Guzzi's demand respect. Not only have they saved the brand they are lasting.
Cheers, voncrump

[beetle]

Mal, it's not like you just ridden it down the shops, or on the daily commute up the M5. You ridden it all around, up & over, across & down, through the muck and the mire, gravel and sand, shite & shinola.

Isn't it a case of "bugger me lonesome, I'm surprised I made it this far" as opposed to "it's falling apart around me" ???


 

[jacksonracingcomau]

51 k km from a tyre ?
Awesome but how long has it been on ?  Rust in wheels silly imho, used to be alloy rims , ss spokes and brass niples, simples.
The rest par for the course, keep on doing it, wasn’t built for anything else, report again at 300

[sign216]

Malik,

I recently replaced the SKF wheel bearings on my '09 Classic.  One failed, and made the bike handle like a slippery fish. 

Let me know how the brakes feel after your thorough cleaning.  If it works well without rebuilding it, then that's something to keep in mind.

Joe

[Diploman]

Despite all the fuss over missing thrust washers and other niggles, it is clear that Guzzi did something undeniably right with the modern generation(s) of smallblocks.  The original series - V35-V50-V65 etc - was itself a fundamentally sound design (despite De Tomaso's regrettable penury), with numerous advances compared to the traditional bigblocks.  With the new series of smallblocks Guzzi has taken the now-vintage design to a new level.  The bike's sane but spirited power output clearly contributes to longevity in the hands of a knowledgable and conscientious owner.  It is hardly surprising that the new SB line has now become Guzzi's mainstay. 

Well done, mate, keep on keeping on! 

[Stevex]

The school of 'let it break, then I'll maintain'?

[oldbike54]

 I had to convert those wimpy little KM's into miles , and it works out to 106 K miles in 7 1/2 years . Onya Mal  You have put to rest the myth of the unreliable small block , we need more stories like this 

 Dusty

[Chuck in Indiana]

This isn't the first time that the small block has saved Guzzi from an early grave. I'm a fan.. 

The original series - V35-V50-V65 etc - was itself a fundamentally sound design (despite De Tomaso's regrettable penury), with numerous advances compared to the traditional bigblocks. 

this.. it was a more elegant engineering solution than the big block in many ways.

[SmithSwede]

Well done Malik!  Congratulations.   

So let's see, after more than 100,000 miles of serious use, you had to clean up some rust on a wheel when you changed tires.   You changed wheel bearings to be on the safe side.  Cleaned the brake caliper and flushed with new fluid.  And are contemplating re-greasing the steering head bearings sometime soon.

Yep.  That old heap is just falling apart.   Outrageous the sort of maintenance you are forced to put into it.  Next thing you know, a tail light bulb might burn out.     

[malik]

Mal, it's not like you just ridden it down the shops, or on the daily commute up the M5. You ridden it all around, up & over, across & down, through the muck and the mire, gravel and sand, shite & shinola.

Isn't it a case of "bugger me lonesome, I'm surprised I made it this far" as opposed to "it's falling apart around me" ???


 

No, Mark, it's a Guzzi, it's supposed to be able to handle all that use swimmingly. And when, only occasionally, it doesn't, it's a learning experience. Some bits wear, some bits fall off. Fix it & keep on going. It's not too surprising that the older it gets, the more wear becomes apparent.

[malik]

51 k km from a tyre ?
Awesome but how long has it been on ?  Rust in wheels silly imho, used to be alloy rims , ss spokes and brass niples, simples.
The rest par for the course, keep on doing it, wasn�t built for anything else, report again at 300

Not just any old tyre. These are Avon AM26 Roadriders. I have them now on both the V7s and they seem ideal for this bike (& myriding habits?). Prior to replacing this last front tyre, others have lasted 55,000km (34k miles) & 60,000km (37k miles). 34 months the last one, and 17 & 15 months the other two. The Riadriders on the rear seem to last me around 20,000km (12k miles). And provide decent grip & handling. The only other I've come across so far with com pale longevity, is the Pilot Activ.

The long term fix for rust in wheels is sand blasting & powder coating, but as this requires spokes out & re-lacing, I keep on putting it off. I'm going to have to bite that bullet soon - I've several Enfield rims in need of that treatment.

And yes, I'll get back to you at 300,000km.

[twowings]

Malik: just for my own edification, was the bike always stored indoors? Did something cause moisture to condense in those areas or was it water intrusion? I would value your input...

[malik]

Malik,

I recently replaced the SKF wheel bearings on my '09 Classic.  One failed, and made the bike handle like a slippery fish. 

Let me know how the brakes feel after your thorough cleaning.  If it works well without rebuilding it, then that's something to keep in mind.

Joe

I fixed the leak at the RHS exhaust manifold yesterday (the Agostini headers don't have the end lip of the stock headers, nor do they take those 2 shells, and the header was misaligned on the gasket - so I pressed the gasket straight & even in the bench vice & tightened the end of the header on first -the first part of the header is a 6in piece, held onto the manifold studs by a pla Te & onto the rest of the header with a spring - so it was easy to align squarely) and rode the bike home. The brake & disc are starting to bed in - a longer ride today & tomorrow should finish that process. As previously on this bike & as on the V7S, the brake starts working when the lever is pulled some half way into the bar, and is fully on by some 3/4 way in. I was hoping for superior performance, but normal is quite good enough.

BTW, the pistons seem to be Teflon coated, and the only gunk I found in the system at all was in the bleed valve threads. Mind you, I wasn't looking particularly hard, but nothing untoward seemed apparent. Everything cleaned up well. The real test will be over the next 5,000 to 10,000 km.

[malik]

Well done Malik!  Congratulations.   

So let's see, after more than 100,000 miles of serious use, you had to clean up some rust on a wheel when you changed tires.   You changed wheel bearings to be on the safe side.  Cleaned the brake caliper and flushed with new fluid.  And are contemplating re-greasing the steering head bearings sometime soon.

Yep.  That old heap is just falling apart.   Outrageous the sort of maintenance you are forced to put into it.  Next thing you know, a tail light bulb might burn out.     

Absolutely outrageous , I agree. Just started the bike yesterday after fixing the header pipe on properly, & I discover the LHS rear indicator lense had broken it's little lug off. I replaced it with a cover from a spare, but to have that happen after 7 1/2 years is beyond the pale - it's not as if it gets any vibration at all, is it? Perhaps it is related to that vanished self tapper in the taillight mount I replaced a few hundred miles back. Or not.

Looking back at my records, it seems I have had to replace the tail light globe once, but the headlight globes five times. Also the ignition once, the gearshift return spring once, the clutch once, the final drive bearings & seals once, the drive shaft once, you know the little stuff like that.

The 2014 V7 Special ( just turned over 100,000km yesterday) on the other had has has 2 new tail light globes, one new head light globe, a new (2nd hand) headlight bucket (the lip fractured - cheap plastic rubbish), a new front brake light switch, a collapsed front wheel bearing, and a munted dust seal in the rear brake caliper that let gunk in & stopped it working properly. And that's it. It's been a real disappointment - next to no learning experiences at all. Thankfully I've got the V7C and a couple of Enfields on the side to take up the slack.

[malik]

Malik: just for my own edification, was the bike always stored indoors? Did something cause moisture to condense in those areas or was it water intrusion? I would value your input...

While at home it lives on the parking space under a cover. While it's sick & being worked on, or while I'm riding the other V7, it lives under cover in the Shed - a large industrial unit that seven of us guzzisti pooled resources to rent.

While leaving it outside does mean that the bike's aluminium bits need a bit more care, the rust inside the rims seems more likely due to water intrusion through the nipples while riding in the wet. It seems to happen to only the chrome steel rims (as on the V7C), the alloy rims on the V7S haven't yet shown any sign of this.

It would be better to have a nice, dry shelter, but if you can't, you just live with it & take appropriate steps. Thankfully, modern bikes appear to be built to take it.