Hairy Bikers and Other Petrol Heads

Eastsidepilot

Western Thunderer
With Simons recent unfortunate discoveries with his Guzzi and the importance perhaps on how we look after our beloved combustion engine vehicles
I will invite you to read this unless you've already heard about it....
Government plans E10 petrol roll-out from September 2021 | Autocar

Us old gits grew up with different grades of fuel, remember 2,3,4 & 5 star, and there was I with 11:1 compression ratio on my Triton looking for 100 octane in the day especially when they dropped 5 star. :rolleyes::D.
So possibly depending on the age of the design of your petrol engine be careful when filling up in the very near future, Sept. '21, as E10 has higher ethanol content which could possibly give you long term problems ( I'm thinking fuel lines and valve seats etc.) depending on whether or not your vehicle is built to use it. I understand that the old grade octane will still be available, just a matter of look to see which pump handle you grab !
Me ? ...well I'm happy with my oil burning Jeep at the moment thank you :D

Col.
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Yes, I think that will be an issue for lots of middle age vehicles. My new BM will be fine, and I think the Guzzi also, but I was left my brother in law’s mid nineties F650, which my son will have when he passes his test. That has a plastic fuel tank, and I fear that E10 fuel may pose some concerns for that.

Madame’s motor has Bosch k-jetronic injection. Need to understand if the seals & pipework on that need replacing.

more hassle…
 

Allen M

Western Thunderer
And if everything runs true to course it will, like diesel, be better until someone realizes it is not.
Regards
Allen
 

Allen M

Western Thunderer
Hi all
My petrol thing.
I got this a little over 7 years ago after selling the BMW R45 because it was step through and easier on my back. However I have never taken to it and done less than 1000 mile since I got it and only about 20 in the last 2 years. This was made worse about 3 years by a rear end shunt into the back of my car, the shortly after while riding a van reversed into the road in front of me, fortunately nothing coming the other way and I got round it.
It got to not starting proving to be the very stale petrol. Drained and refilled. Started with jump leads as the 7 year old battery stopped playing. New battery fitted and it's a good one again. Just got to fit the last panel and top box
I also had the drive belt changed on age rather than miles. I didn't think my joints would let me do it myself.

Rear three quater.JPG

Front rhree quater off side.JPG

In a few weeks time I will reach 80 years old. I have been riding since I was 16 so virtually 64 years and now think it is time to sell it and stop riding.
Why do it if no pleasure in it any more?

The (extended) MOT ran out last November but no reason why it should not pass again. I will contact my local station to see if they do a collect/return service as the insurance has also run out.

Is there anyone out there interested in buying it?

It is a Piaggio 125cc X9 Evolution registered 2006 (17 year old learner legal so I am informed by a dealer). Only 14,778 recorded miles and I am the second owner from new.

Regards
Allen Morgan
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Allen

good on you, mate!

when I turned up at the parents’ house aged around 31, on my then newly-acquired Guzzi, my mum remarked “ I thought you’d grown out of motorbikes”. I replied that I aimed to still be riding it when I was 80. The frightening thing is that’s less than 17 years away…

if & when it’s not fun anymore, I’ll stop too.

atb
Simon
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Mean, cruel, heartless, and uncalled for!
(And, given it did the last 40-odd years without, I'm hoping the next twenty will be less of a hurdle, for the bike at least)

Current state of play

5DFB051B-52AA-4022-AEED-2F85F8ED3214.jpeg
About 3pm this afternoon.

132B1B55-35D0-49F2-ABB0-4EB834DBA061.jpeg

71B24F4B-FACF-4BF5-9CC0-2E8BF2F09457.jpeg
about half six this evening.

Spent the afternoon removing bits, the seat assy & fairing are now in my son’s bedroom, as he’s still away at Uni, I have several buckets of oily greasy screws & stuff, and hopefully enough photos to reassemble it in the right order. An old pal, who coincidentally is a bit of a Guzzisto too, turned up at just the right moment for splitting the frame and parking it out of the way, and helping to lift the engine & gearbox onto the workmate. He’s got one to do too, so I’ll repay the favour.

Would have been finished a bit earlier but the cat was due an MOT, and I’ve converted it to DCC, well, it’s been chipped, anyway.

I’ll split the box from the engine tomorrow and then strip the engine.

then I’ve got to reassess all the bits I’ve taken off and see if anything else needs replacing, and decide whether to strip other bits to clean or replace them. Hopefully, by Sunday, I’ll have a shopping list.

I really didn’t want to go here, but I’m quite enjoying myself :)

I’m reasonably optimistic that the bike can be ready for the Mandello trip in September, I’m less confident that Covid restrictions will permit it.

cheers
Simon
 

Eastsidepilot

Western Thunderer
.......................I’ll split the box from the engine tomorrow and then strip the engine.


I really didn’t want to go here, but I’m quite enjoying myself :)

I’m reasonably optimistic that the bike can be ready for the Mandello trip in September, I’m less confident that Covid restrictions will permit it.

cheers
Simon

...I can smell the Gunk from here :D

Col.
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Long story sideways, I managed to dismantle the engine today. I had to use the pneumatic impact wrench at work to get the nut off the camshaft sprocket, and spent much of the afternoon turning & milling a peg spanner to undo the sprocket on the crankshaft. Bit of a fight to get the sprockets off, and indeed to get the oil pump off for inspection, but got there in the end.

the good news is that everything is in very good condition. I have no idea why one set of bearing shells would be wrecked, when everything else is in appropriate condition. Whilst I favoured a corrosion hypothesis, I simply don’t think it can be the real root cause. It must be something else. Open to ideas!

The crank has a centrifugal sludge trap, a large bore passageway through the big end journal. This is closed by an aluminium threaded plug, which was loose! Unbelievable! It has been removed, the sludge trap cleaned, and the plug refitted with Loctite. The crank is now oiled and wrapped in the remains of an old pair of jeans, awaiting the bits & pieces required for reassembly.

Main bearing gasket, some norlock washers, new camchain & tensioner, lots of o rings. I think I have all the other required gaskets. Lots of jizer and elbow-grease and get it rebuilt now!

Atb
Simon
 

Boyblunder

Western Thunderer
Simon, maybe you have answered your own question. Could the loose plug be causing loss of big end pressure?
Robin
 

simond

Western Thunderer
Hi Robin,

a considered “no”, I think.

It wasn’t tight, but it was fully screwed in, so the leakage flow along 10 or so turns of what looks rather like a spark plug thread, would not be huge, I feel. And it doesn’t explain how the other big end, which runs on the same journal, was merely worn. And indeed the main bearings are also directly connected by the galleries in the crank, by which it is fed.

Had it actually come out, there would have been a terminal loss of pressure, and possibly a catastrophic jam between the bush and a web inside the crankcase, but it was many turns from that, happily. I think the hole is maybe 15 turns deep, and the bush ten turns long (I didn’t measure/count!) and it was maybe half or one turn from properly tight, and the “watermark” of the sludge on the inside of the bush suggested it was not trying to move.

So, whilst I did not want to strip it down if it were not necessary, I think it was the right decision.

now just have to put it back together properly!

cheers
Simon
 

Ian@StEnochs

Western Thunderer
A Saturday spent shoehorning the engine and gearbox into my mini after a rebuild spoiled when I found there was no oil pressure! Yes I also found the sealing ring which should go between the gearbox and engine on the oil delivery pipe still in the pack of gaskets! My brother and I had it back out and in by Sunday lunchtime though.

Ian.
 

Allen M

Western Thunderer
Hi Ian
I know that sort of problem, As reported above I've had the scooter stripped. Put the upper side panels on, put the lower side panels on then the lower rear panel. Oh dear:(, it should have gone on first:headbang:.

Never mind, got there in the end and it now looks ok and starts & runs.:)

Regards
Allen
 

Susie

Western Thunderer
[QUOTE="

I’m reasonably optimistic that the bike can be ready for the Mandello trip in September, I’m less confident that Covid restrictions will permit it.

[/QUOTE]

Hi Simon,

At the Moto Guzzi Club GB camping meet last weekend, the general concensus was that even if the 100th Anniversary bash went ahead, it might be a problem for non-Italians to get home if restrictions came down again in force. The possibility of a 101st "Screaming Eagle" event was suggested!

Susie
 

Focalplane

Western Thunderer
It’s going to be interesting to see what happens within Schengen if you are Brexit British. Will there be border posts? Temporary immigration checks have been put in place before between France and Spain during terrorist scares. We are hoping to cross to France at the end of August but not making any ferry bookings yet. With a second home the risks for us are much less than staying in hotels as we can easily quarantine in both homes. The same goes for caravaners and boat owners.

So far we have not been able to attend a car meet this year. One this past Saturday was postponed for 4 weeks. Other Rliey club events are being cancelled. The VSCC has managed a few events with no spectators and no socializing. Today Wimbledon seemed to be full, did all the spectators crowd down in the best seats nearest the court?
 
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