Lucky Phil

The 20,000 klm break in is a bit of a myth in my view. The rings are 90% seated in the first 200klms and nothing else inside the engine needs "breaking in". It just starts wearing out from day 1. There's 2 reasons manufacturers want you to follow a break in process. One is to cover themselves if they've made an assembly error so if something fails they may be able to get away with a repair not a replacement and so owners are guided towards driving conservatively when they first get the car or on the bike because it's in no ones interest that they snot themselves immediately due to unfamiliarity with the machine. The reason cars and bikes seem to perform better after a few thousand klms is because the rider/driver is more comfortable and subconsciously relaxes and starts to ride/drive in a bit more deliberate fashion. Bigger throttle input rates, faster shifting, harder braking because they're getting more comfortable on the machine. Even clutches and gearboxes don't loosen up anymore. A race engine isn't given tens of thousands of klms to break in because nobody has the time and it's not necessary. They are built to slightly looser tolerances in some areas to deal with the additional heat generated by running at high engine speeds and loads on the track but it's not a massive amount different to a road engine these days. Many years ago when bore finishes and machining tolerances were pretty poor the break in period was protracted but those days are long long gone and things have gradually been refined even over the last 20 years or so. Once the rings are seated in a few hundred KLMs that's as good as it's going to get. The rest is in the mind. Phil

The cost of the oil is the main thing and the fact it will shear down faster and absorb more engine power. Also bear in mind that higher viscosities also means reduced oil flow through the engine bearings and therefore less cooling for the bearings. What you want is the lowest grade oil you can run for cold starts and the lowest grade for normal operating conditions with some "headroom" for times when the engine is run hard such as flogged up a mountain pass or a track day or a high speed Autobahn run on a hot day. I remember years ago I read about a mod to the SB 4 valvers using Suzuki valves and springs was it? I also recall the main issue was the cam design in those engines as the reason they dropped valves. ZDDP is Zink Dialkyl Dithiophosphate a sacrificial anti wear additive that basically bonds to areas inside the engine under extreme pressure and acts as a sacrificial boundary layer if the oil film is compromised. So the lifter face to cam lobe interface on a flat tappet engine is a prime example. Interestingly too much ZDDP actually causes greater engine wear. PPM is parts per million. Zink levels have been gradually lowered over the years due to catalytic converter issues and the fact most modern engines don't use flap tappet lifters and have 4 valve heads without the heavy valve seat pressures of past years. Phil

Lubrication, cooling and cleaning. Phil

The 10W-60 is a total overkill Mick. I use 10W-60 for my bike with the Daytona engine but those engines have very specific needs. Primarily to hold up the oil pressure at idle in very hot weather in traffic and it's higher levels of Zink ( in this particular brand) for the stressed valve gear in this engine. 10W-60 isn't great in terms of viscosity range spread as it's very wide so the oil changes need to be much more frequent. I'd be using a full synthetic 0W-30 or 40 at the most in your climate with ZDDP around the 1000ppm or slightly higher if possible. Remember it's impossible in reality to have a winter viscosity that's too low in a group 4 oil esp in colder climates. At low OAT's the 0W is still a lot more viscous than even a 40 weight at operating temperature so it's never going to be "too thin" Phil

The oil viscosity range Mick is usage and operating temperature dependent. So for 99% of engines it can be varied dependent on local conditions and use. Having said that here's a blanket statement I'd be prepared to die on a hill for. The modern switch to 0W-20/16 and even 12 now are nothing to do with the long term benefit or health of the engine. They are 100% about squeezing the maximum fuel economy to reach the regulatory fuel economy targets set by governing bodies. The 0W part is fine and I've used 0W-40 Mobil 1 in the old Sport engine for years along with all the cars I drove over that time. It's still a great oil BTW. The issue is with the very low upper range viscosities. They are about saving fuel. Do some race teams use the 20 weight? Sure they do but that's "some" race engines where they aren't concerned about wear but horsepower and the engines are torn down after very short duty. They accept the extra wear. My Supra with the BMW B58 inline turbo six engine comes with 0W-20 standard and no other alternatives from the factory. After 1000klms it's out and a 5W-30 is used. Same with the other 2 newish cars I own. The 0/5W covers the cold temp with ease in my climate and the increase to 30 weight covers the normal temp running. It's a bit like the auto start stop in modern cars. They are 100% about saving fuel to the detriment of the mechanicals. I know they uprate the starting and electrical systems to cope and have additional coating on the big end and main shells but what does that tell you? It tells you the engine doesn't like start/stop functionality and it needs additional work to try and mitigate it. I always turn it off in all the cars. Btw when using even a modern multi viscosity group 4 oil try and keep the viscosity spread to a minimum. It's not massively critical if you change oil at reduced intervals but even full synthetic oils still use VI improvers that break down over mileage and a 0W-40 uses more than a 0w-30 or a 5/10W-40. The latest SP rated oils are out now which have LSPI protection for direct injection engines but also enhanced cam chain wear protection as well. For the German climate Mick I'd run the Sport/Le Mans on a 0W-30/40 due to the colder climate although I don't suppose you ride in temps below 10C. For a DD car in your climate used in all weather conditions it would be a 0W-30 for sure. Phil

I used to take oil samples for analysis as part of my job on commercial jet engines and send them off to Mobil labs for reports etc. Every engine had it's records kept and reviewed as part of it's history. I also used to do the Mag plug pulls all the time to monitor specific engine areas for problems so I'm fairly well versed in this area. The car forums are full of guys that send their oil out to Blackstones for regular analysis and in my opinion they are basically deluded. Same for the motorcycle world but to a lesser extent. An oil analysis programme is designed for commercial use such as airlines and trucking companies and earth moving equipment etc where you can't afford to have machinery down and or there is a lot of money to be saved in catching internal issues early before a failure or in the case of light aircraft engines an in flight failure where the consequences can be dire. The powerplants are also often working in the upper regions of their design parameters so are being pushed fairly hard. it's not really designed for the average Joe to do on his road vehicles. Why you may ask? Well because you need to ask yourself a simple question. Am I prepared to remove and strip down an engine on the strength of an oil report or a series of oil reports that show a particular trending? If there's any hesitation in the answer "yes I am" then you are wasting your time and just giving yourself something to worry about and keep you up at nights. In large organisations the answer is an unequivocal "yes" and that's what happens. The 10 million dollar engine is pulled and sent to the shop for a strip down or part strip down and component replacement. It's a commercial decision. Private owners, well not so much. Emotion and the hip pocket become seriously involved. Can you imagine having a discussion with a manufacturer about a replacement engine under warranty for your car that is running fine and giving no issues on the strength of an oil analysis that had a question mark in some area/s. I'd love to be at that meeting. I know what the outcome would be. No, a UOA programme is not for the average owner. Having one done to give piece of mind or confirm a suspicion from time to time maybe, but in general it's a complication you don't need. The car guys all proudly present their Blackstone reports on forums that are all fine no issues of course but they still don't have an answer for the "what if it's not perfect" or there are questionable areas. None have an answer for that, so in my view it's just naval gazing for the sake of it. I guess the next must do trend will be regular boroscopes of the cylinders, lol. Of course Labs that do the UOA aren't going to turn business away and happily get on the band wagon of the deluded. Business is business after all. Phil

AS you can see it's not that hard and the parts are available from other sources. Phil

If only it was that simple. As far as I'm aware the issue was with heat treatment and the updated parts are dimensionally identical to the original components. I have a gearbox I'd like to confirm as well. Phil

The copper will be from the rocker arm brass/bronze shims and valve guides. A known heavy wear item on a Guzzi BB engine.

Looks like there is a better shaft seal alternative out there docc than the Yamaha seals. Viton. Not cheap but CA cycleworks sell quality stuff. https://ca-cycleworks.com/t-seal.html Phil

I never tire of looking at it docc. It's still evolving. Just need to keep the DNA of the original and not get carried away and turn it into some sort of "custom bike". Instrument upgrade will be the next mission I think. Phil

On the contrary apart from the rear shock, wheels, belly pan, mufflers and brake disks it's all stock Guzzi. Just stuff everyone replaces eventually. Maybe not the wheels. Phil

This is the best looking Greenie on the planet. Personally I think it's the best looking Guzzi ever. Just my un biased opinion.

The video I posted docc has some good insights to vise design and explains some of the technical features and limitations of various types.

Of course the disadvantage of this vise is the threaded shaft is exposed to damage from whatever you are holding in the vise. Phil

I think thats the image docc. Looks like the dynamic jaw square slider poking out the back of the base. Phil

I suspect it would have accurate clamping jaws but not be heavy duty. This guy built his own vise for manufacture and sale. Phil

I've not seen a rear jaw moveable vice before docc. Id imagine if the rear jaw was located on a dovetail arrangement it would be more accurate clamping than a common vice. If you want to see a truly amazing vice here it is. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4904044 Phil [docc added image.]

Quali is a joke these days with towing and the general danger of slowing riders and also yellow flags ruining fast laps. When a rider gets a tow to improve his grid position it just means a genuinely faster riders race is compromised due to an inferior starting position which these days is a big deal. I've been saying for years that MotoGp should go to the old WSBK quali format of the 1 lap shoot out. I warm up lap and one flying lap alone on the track. Then you see who's genuinely faster without a tow and yellow flag issues. Marquez says it's boring for the fans but I disagree. It was exciting in WSBK and it's exciting at the Bathurst Supercars for the top 10 shootout. Would be way better than the joke qualifying has become with riders that don't have the actual speed promoting themselves up the grid due to getting a tow then getting in the way of riders that are genuinely faster in the first 3rd of the race. Phil

Very true. 90% of these fancy billet aftermarket stuff like engine mounts and suspension components etc sold these days by aftermarket companies for the automotive world which I also inhabit are untested glitz or at the most they get installed on the shop car for a few months before the sales start. 6 months later on forums they are more often than not failing. Billet this and carbon that with almost zero testing. I have several close family members that spent collectively 75 years working for a major manufacturer here in automotive R&D and testing everything automotive and also crash testing. The aftermarket testing is a joke compared to what the manufacturers do and even then they also don't get it 100% right. Phil

Everyone I knew that road a Bevel took the kickstart lever off. He'd pull it back on comp and bump it side saddle swing the leg over position the balls of the feet resplendent in his Lewis leathers back zip black road race boots and roar away in true style. Unlike todays handbag carriers.

Probably more trickle down from WSBK to road bikes these days docc. Ducati have lost me now in all honesty. I love the actual product from an engineering perspective, sans stupid wings of course but they are now as much a posers accessary item as anything else. There's no appreciation for the old Ducati faithful that kept the company afloat for years through outright passion for the bikes and an ability to put up with the ropey QC and questionable design choices. Nope we are long forgotten and now they are built for the people that can also stump up for a $3000 Gucci handbag or $7500 set of riding gear without batting an eyelid and zero idea of any aspect of how to maintain or work on their bike. Different world. Our nearest Ducati dealer doubles as a Porsche dealer for gods sake. You can imagine what the showroom staff are like. Phil

Go into a Ducati show room and take a look at a Ducati Streetfighter. Truly a magnificent piece of motorcycle engineering turned into a bit of a joke with 2 wings on each side sticking out about 8 inches each. I mean seriously,4 wings on a sit up high handlebar street bike! Makes the rider look like some pathetic wannabe living in a parallel universe in my opinion. Phil