Cardan oil spill V85 TT

[frans belgium]

I don't want to alarm anybody, but on facebook, there are people having issues with the cardan spilling oil on the rear tyre.
Maybe, this subject came along here before, I didn't check.
Now there is an ongoing debate on facebook whether this problem should give rise to a recall from MG. 
Oil on the rear tyre is indeed not the most pleasant of things.
Mg itself did not react so far, it seems that they unofficially advise to put 160 ml of cardan oil instead of the 180 in the manual, to prevent possible overpressure.
I asked my dealer, he sold about 30 or more V85 in the last months, and not one of them had problems with spilling cardan oil.  He had received no instructions from MG to reduce the amount of cardan oil needed by 20 ml.
Personally, at the moment I'm not overconcerned, maybe it's just a matter of overfilling.  Putting in the EXACT amount and not pour until it flows over might be the way to go 
If there is a problem indeed - Mg should take action of course.
Anyway, I'll keep a close eye on my rear tyre from now on.... ;-)

If people are interested in the Facebook group, this is the link.  You need to become a member, though... https://www.facebook.com/groups/GuzziV85/

[pete roper]

It's one bike. Who knows if it's a bad seal, poor assembly, overfilling or just a bad run of unicorn juice. As people who view this board regularly know I am no fan of the V85 but one seal failure does not a disaster make.

If it was in my shop I'd be draining and replacing the oil with the correct amount and making sure the breather was working, (If it was mine I would of already installed a better, remote, breather.) and them hoped the seal would play the game. If it didn't I'd just bash in a warranty claim but I wouldn't shriek that the sky was falling.

(Not suggesting that is what Frans is doing but history dictates that some people will!)

Pete

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Saw this on Moto Guzzi Reddit also, maybe the same bike?  Told him to drain, clean, check the vent and carefully measure the replacement oil....

[frans belgium]

It's one bike. Who knows if it's a bad seal, poor assembly, overfilling or just a bad run of unicorn juice. As people who view this board regularly know I am no fan of the V85 but one seal failure does not a disaster make.

If it was in my shop I'd be draining and replacing the oil with the correct amount and making sure the breather was working, (If it was mine I would of already installed a better, remote, breather.) and them hoped the seal would play the game. If it didn't I'd just bash in a warranty claim but I wouldn't shriek that the sky was falling.

(Not suggesting that is what Frans is doing but history dictates that some people will!)

Pete

Well no Pete, there seem to be more than 1 bike concerned, hence the ongoing debate. No idea how many though. And no, the sky is not falling down, not as far as I'm concerned anyway :-)  Otoh, I had the same thoughts as others: after 80 years of building cardans, one would think they would know how  by now

[MMRanch]

Rather than start a new topic I'll just ask the question here and see what happens ...
................... ...............

My Roamer is doing the messy rear tire thing too.   

I "Was" under the impression that filling the cardan till it hits the overflow was the right thing to do , but that is supper messy !   

After reading the manual and putting the 210 ml recommended amount  , it still makes a mess .  Today I put a new tire on and checked the "Valve on Top" it was clear with air either with no resistance .

So now , With only 200 ml and a clear valve it still makes a little mess ?   

What could possibly be wrong ?

[elvisboy77]

Rather than start a new topic I'll just ask the question here and see what happens ...
................... ...............

My Roamer is doing the messy rear tire thing too.   

I "Was" under the impression that filling the cardan till it hits the overflow was the right thing to do , but that is supper messy !   

After reading the manual and putting the 210 ml recommended amount  , it still makes a mess .  Today I put a new tire on and checked the "Valve on Top" it was clear with air either with no resistance .

So now , With only 200 ml and a clear valve it still makes a little mess ?   

What could possibly be wrong ?

I think you need to know where the oil is coming from first.  Is it up towards the swingarm at that connection?  Could blow backwards while riding.  Or is it the seal/bearing area?  Should be easy to tell if you clean it up then ride.  The V85 issue was that the sharp gear edges on the final drive cut the seal during assembly.  I reckon they could have done that on yours, even though a different model.  Hope you figure it out!

[inditx]

Don’t want to thread drift but my Roamer had the rear leak on the tire thing and MG finally sent a new hub because the seal was shown to be compromised by a burr on the bushing or bearing, can’t remember now as it’s been awhile. I thought it became a recall or maybe a service bulletin.
It was a pain but it was covered.
Hope the V85 isn't using the same suspect bushing/bearing.
inditx

[MMRanch]

I'm planning to keep it clean till it goes 100 miles without leaking , then drain it to see how much is left.  If its less than 160 ml then I'll go talk to the dealer.     
so
question is : at what level is too low ?  180 ... 160 ... 140 ml. ? 

[John A]

On the old V65 they used a very similar rear drive,  might be identical.  There was a service bulletin that said the driveline was to be level when using the level plug to set the oil level.  Is it the same on the newer ones?

[MotoG5]

I have to say that almost all the Guzzis I have owned over the past 50+ years have had some problem with rear drive box oil leakage. Often due to venting issues leading to oil pushing past the seals. A few were damage on the area where the seal runs. Venting is a good place to start looking for trouble.  You can often tell an old hand at riding Guzzis when you see them get off the bike, no matter the vintage, and take a look at the rear end and tire rim.

[TobyJug]

Don’t want to thread drift but my Roamer had the rear leak on the tire thing and MG finally sent a new hub because the seal was shown to be compromised by a burr on the bushing or bearing, can’t remember now as it’s been awhile. I thought it became a recall or maybe a service bulletin.
It was a pain but it was covered.
Hope the V85 isn't using the same suspect bushing/bearing.
inditx

I had the same issue with my 1979 V50II when it was new.  It was one of the first 600 imported to the UK.  I didn't think about warranty - but I replaced the casting and it was okay after that.

[Cam3512]

The V85 issues (if any) are being handled by a recall notice.