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Shafted and betrayed by an Italian lover

StoneMike

Just got it firing!
Joined
May 3, 2018
Messages
20
Location
Israel
So, the Mistrals sound melodic as her motor rocks gently side to side; the Ohlins welcome any challenge and soak up the bumps without breaking a sweat, however, I was not expecting to be shafted and betrayed by her (V7 III Stone) as I was this morning.

I popped in to the main MG workshop here today to check the following:

1. Engine warning light on more than it's off - bike seemed to be running fine.
2. Awhile ago i found the rear wheel (rim) was coated in oil/grease. I took it to a satellite MG workshop and the mechanic had a look, said it's probably from something i rode though on a recent long trip.
2.2 While already at the main workshop, i figured i'd get them to check the oil levels in the final drive, just to be sure.

This is what they found:
1. Rev/timing sensor was bitching about "inconsistent signal". I was told if the sensor is faulty, the engine will behave erratically as a result. Ok, i'll change it, it's a little (relatively) bit of money. Doable.
2. Driveshaft was almost as dry as a bone in a Death Valley during a heat wave.
2.1 When wheeling the bike back and forth, the DS was grinding, and not in a good way.
2.2 I was told in no uncertain terms, she needs a new driveshaft, and it's very pricey.

She has just under 16000km's/10000mi, is well loved and riden as an Italian dame would want, mostly gentle and loving, sometimes hard and fast.

I'm pretty disappointed with the brand right now, but am still can't consider another brand :).

Are these known issues?

Thanks :)

Shafted
 
You should be disappointed in yourself and the shop for not fixing the leaking driveshaft before it burned itself out from being dry. I think if you had ridden through enough oil to cover the back wheel it would have been an "event". :think:
Perhaps you can source a used driveshaft from a bike that actually rode through oil and was not lucky enough to stay right side up.:cry:
 
You should be disappointed in yourself and the shop for not fixing the leaking driveshaft before it burned itself out from being dry. I think if you had ridden through enough oil to cover the back wheel it would have been an "event". :think:
Perhaps you can source a used driveshaft from a bike that actually rode through oil and was not lucky enough to stay right side up.:cry:
Absolutely agree on both. Mainly me to blame for not fixing earlier, but certainly shouldn't leak like that on a new machine.

For clarity, it didn't burn out. I didn't feel a thing riding. I asked them to check it so they drained the oil and little came out; what came out was "burnt". Not good at all. My bitching is mainly about the seal or whatever caused the leak hence my question - is it a known issue?
 
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I have just over 12,000 KM on my Anniversario and it has never used a drop of oil, not from the engine nor the shaft drive. So mine at least was put together right.
 
Absolutely agree on both. Mainly me to blame for not fixing earlier, but certainly shouldn't leak like that on a new machine.

For clarity, it didn't burn out. I didn't feel a thing riding. I asked them to check it so they drained the oil and little came out; what came out was "burnt". Not good at all. My bitching is mainly about the seal or whatever caused the leak hence my question - is it a known issue?
Sorry about the hassle. As to the shaftdrive oil leak, yup, it is a very well documented issue. If you look at the "V7 - Moto Guzzi" Facebook Group, which, as far as I can tell, is the most active one on the web, you'll see people posting about leaks every singe day.
One of the members put up a poll 6 days ago, asking who among the group had the leak within the warranty period (so the first two years), and the count is 47 out of 227 respondents, so roughly 20%. Lots of stories of shaft drive failures over the bike's lifetime on the various forums, but that is somewhat expected, especially as we have lots of really high milers on many of them. To have a 20% failure rate within the first two years, where the group is predominantly European and where folks commonly ride less than 5,000 miles per year is a definitely a problem. I've seen many folks post about failures within the first few thousand miles there, so the fact that yours made it up to about 10,000 miles before failing is a small victory. I am approaching 11,000 miles and I'm looking at my back wheel for signs of a leak at every single stop now.
Part of the problem is that improper final drive service apparently can lead to the seal failing as well, so it isn't just an improper design/material failure problem, there is an element of human error there as well.
So, once again, sorry about the hassle, and I hope it helps to know that you are far from alone with that problem. You are correct, the bike is fun and beautiful, even more so after she had "a little work done", but, and you can probably tell where this analogy is going, she can also be plenty moody & expensive.
 
I assume by driveshaft you really mean the bevel drive? Also known as the rear end. It only holds 5.6onces of 85/140 oil so not much if it's leaking a lot. But if it is you should really notice it and most likely should be sliding down the street on your ass. After being refilled with new oil and cleaned up does it sound OK? Unfortunately that check engine light might be faulty O2 sensors or a failing alternator that is intermittent. Mine currently has both issues.
Is it still under warranty?
 
Sorry about the hassle. As to the shaftdrive oil leak, yup, it is a very well documented issue. If you look at the "V7 - Moto Guzzi" Facebook Group, which, as far as I can tell, is the most active one on the web, you'll see people posting about leaks every singe day.
One of the members put up a poll 6 days ago, asking who among the group had the leak within the warranty period (so the first two years), and the count is 47 out of 227 respondents, so roughly 20%. Lots of stories of shaft drive failures over the bike's lifetime on the various forums, but that is somewhat expected, especially as we have lots of really high milers on many of them. To have a 20% failure rate within the first two years, where the group is predominantly European and where folks commonly ride less than 5,000 miles per year is a definitely a problem. I've seen many folks post about failures within the first few thousand miles there, so the fact that yours made it up to about 10,000 miles before failing is a small victory. I am approaching 11,000 miles and I'm looking at my back wheel for signs of a leak at every single stop now.
Part of the problem is that improper final drive service apparently can lead to the seal failing as well, so it isn't just an improper design/material failure problem, there is an element of human error there as well.
So, once again, sorry about the hassle, and I hope it helps to know that you are far from alone with that problem. You are correct, the bike is fun and beautiful, even more so after she had "a little work done", but, and you can probably tell where this analogy is going, she can also be plenty moody & expensive.
Thank you!
 
I assume by driveshaft you really mean the bevel drive? Also known as the rear end. It only holds 5.6onces of 85/140 oil so not much if it's leaking a lot. But if it is you should really notice it and most likely should be sliding down the street on your ass. After being refilled with new oil and cleaned up does it sound OK? Unfortunately that check engine light might be faulty O2 sensors or a failing alternator that is intermittent. Mine currently has both issues.
Is it still under warranty?

Thank you for your reply. No, warranty ended three months ago, else i wouldn't be too put out about the whole thing. To replace the final drive here costs in the region of $5000/£3600/€4000 hence my ruffled feathers - no longer an issue as explained below.

So, what i noticed was that after a particularly long ride, my rear rim was coated in thick, black, muck.

So, funny you ask that; shortly after i started this thread, the mechanic called me and told me that he opened the housing, checked everything and it looked fine, closed it up, added new oil and that it looks and feels great, and the grinding sound is no more. On the one hand, i'm relieved, on the other hand, i've lost confidence - is it really not an issue anymore after he was so adamant that it was? Is my V7 about to become a lemon? Rhetorical q's of course.

The sensor was apparently a sensor that monitors the engine revs/firing timing etc. It's been replaced so hopefully not only will the light now remain off, but hopefully i'll notice smoother performance and better fuel consumption.

So now, i'm on the fence - be happy she's fixed and it was a non-issue, or trade up for a new V85...
 
....looking at my back wheel for signs of a leak at every single stop now.
Part of the problem is that improper final drive service apparently can lead to the seal failing as well, so it isn't just an improper design/material failure problem, there is an element of human error there as well.
So, once again, sorry about the hassle, and I hope it helps to know that you are far from alone with that problem. You are correct, the bike is fun and beautiful, even more so after she had "a little work done", but, and you can probably tell where this analogy is going, she can also be plenty moody & expensive.

This, this and this! Thank you! Undoubtedly, I will be checking more often!
 
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