My first time doing a valve adjustment on 2 V 1200 Sport ... question

[willowstreetguzziguy]

I do not have a center stand so I will need to turn the engine at the front. Does it rotate clockwise? If it does, is it bad to rotate it against the normal direct to get the engine at TDC?

[fotoguzzi]

yes, clockwise.. probably not a good idea to rotate in reverse..

[John A]

I think the only reason not to go backwards is sometimes it will loosen the nut.

[willowstreetguzziguy]

What size is the metric nut at the front to turn the engine?

[willowstreetguzziguy]

it's a 24mm

[Waltr]

Or 1 inch will do fine.

[Wayne Orwig]

I did my Centauro for years by rolling it forward in fifth gear. Never did use the nut on the front. Too much work to remove the cover.

[willowstreetguzziguy]

All went well. The exhaust valves were dead on at .006" but the intake valves were at.005" and I set them back to .004". A fairly easy job. A YouTube video on a Norge helped as well.

[derek533]

All went well. The exhaust valves were dead on at .006" but the intake valves were at.005" and I set them back to .004". A fairly easy job. A YouTube video on a Norge helped as well.

Ok, so I've never done my own valve jobs before (except on a Briggs lawnmower motor) but that was one of the things that attracted me to the Guzzi in the first place since it appears to be a fairly straightforward process due to the ease of access.

One question for my infantile mechanical mind, what is the purpose of putting the bike in high gear? 

[ITSec]

I did my Centauro for years by rolling it forward in fifth gear. Never did use the nut on the front. Too much work to remove the cover.

I haven't looked at the cover of a Centauro, but on most Guzzis of recent years there's a rubber plug up there. When did that start?

[ITSec]

Ok, so I've never done my own valve jobs before (except on a Briggs lawnmower motor) but that was one of the things that attracted me to the Guzzi in the first place since it appears to be a fairly straightforward process due to the ease of access.

One question for my infantile mechanical mind, what is the purpose of putting the bike in high gear?

Fifth gear means the engine turns more slowly compared to the rear wheel. It allows you to turn the crank more slowly, and be more accurate about hitting the intended position.