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V7 iii main seal failure at 2700 miles. Will Guzzi fix?

Michael Boeglin

Tuned and Synch'ed
GT Contributor
Joined
Nov 3, 2017
Messages
43
Location
Vancouver, WA
my wife’s 2018 V7 has had the main seal fail at 2700 miles, 3 months post-warranty. Shop is going to call Guzzi to see if they will cover the $2000+ repair bill, does anyone know how likely this is to happen? What would be the best escalation route if they turn me down? This bike has been pampered, it hasn’t even had its second service yet. This could only be an assembly defect from the factory.
 
That would be great if the warranty is two years I guess my memory was bad. They did an inspection and confirmed main seal. Estimating 16 labor hours plus parts and I’m in Portland, OR where labor costs are high.
 
my wife’s 2018 V7 has had the main seal fail at 2700 miles, 3 months post-warranty. Shop is going to call Guzzi to see if they will cover the $2000+ repair bill, does anyone know how likely this is to happen? What would be the best escalation route if they turn me down? This bike has been pampered, it hasn’t even had its second service yet. This could only be an assembly defect from the factory.

I know it's a "2018" model, but model years don't mean much; I purchased my "2016" V7II in May 2015. So, for example, if, like you wrote, it's 3 months out of the 2-year warranty, you may be out of luck.
 
That would be great if the warranty is two years I guess my memory was bad. They did an inspection and confirmed main seal. Estimating 16 labor hours plus parts and I’m in Portland, OR where labor costs are high.
Verify the manufacturing date and see if by chance you are still under warranty.
 
Why not just ask your dealer? My dealer sometimes has to fight to make sure that what they consider warranty repair is covered. To me, that's just doing their job, which is to provide customer satisfaction to their customers when issues surface.
 
The dealer is calling to get repairs authorized, I had just assumed it was out of warranty because I thought it was 12 months and we’ve had the bike for about 18. It sounds like I should be covered and hope I get good news from the dealer shortly. I know no manufacturer is perfect (except maybe Honda!) but it sure was disappointing to get the news, especially as I just had to pay $600 to replace the final drive seals on my 13 V7 after only 13k.
 
The dealer is calling to get repairs authorized, I had just assumed it was out of warranty because I thought it was 12 months and we’ve had the bike for about 18. It sounds like I should be covered and hope I get good news from the dealer shortly. I know no manufacturer is perfect (except maybe Honda!) but it sure was disappointing to get the news, especially as I just had to pay $600 to replace the final drive seals on my 13 V7 after only 13k.
Wow, sorry to hear that. I'd be disappointed too, very disappointed. :(

Paul
 
13,000 miles on a six year old motorcycle implies about 2000-2500 miles per year average operation. You are aware that the most common cause of seals going bad, in general, is when a machine is sitting unused most of the time...?

Seals are designed for a duty cycle that allows them to heat and cool, be bathed in fresh lubricant, etc. When they sit for long period of time without movement, in a typically cool and slightly damp environment like most garages tend to be, portions of the seal and the surface it is in contact with go dry and can microscopically stick. When the shaft that the seal sits on turns again, there's a microscopic tearing at the seal interface until oil gets there.

Bikes that are ridden regularly generally have fewer seal failures than bikes that are ridden a lot for a couple of months then sit for several months awaiting the next ride. I've seen this over and over again throughout the many years I've been riding, with many different brands of machine...
 
13,000 miles on a six year old motorcycle implies about 2000-2500 miles per year average operation. You are aware that the most common cause of seals going bad, in general, is when a machine is sitting unused most of the time...?

Seals are designed for a duty cycle that allows them to heat and cool, be bathed in fresh lubricant, etc. When they sit for long period of time without movement, in a typically cool and slightly damp environment like most garages tend to be, portions of the seal and the surface it is in contact with go dry and can microscopically stick. When the shaft that the seal sits on turns again, there's a microscopic tearing at the seal interface until oil gets there.

Bikes that are ridden regularly generally have fewer seal failures than bikes that are ridden a lot for a couple of months then sit for several months awaiting the next ride. I've seen this over and over again throughout the many years I've been riding, with many different brands of machine...
Sp for those of us that cannot ride year round due to weather ( I ride for 6 months then the bike sits for 6 months) what is the best way to mitigate this issue?
 
Sp for those of us that cannot ride year round due to weather ( I ride for 6 months then the bike sits for 6 months) what is the best way to mitigate this issue?

When I lived in the northeastern US, I would prep my bikes for winter by changing the oils and lubricants at the end of the season, providing a storage space for them that was warm and dry, and occasionally starting them up and running them for fifteen to twenty minutes so that the entire power train would become hot and cool down. It is rarely the case that there are NO days at all in the off season where you can't take the machine out for a fifteen or twenty minute ride ... the point is to get everything moving and up to temperatures for a short time to keep all the seals fresh and the lubricants where they should be. Then I'd change the lubricants again when the season started so that any accumulated condensation moisture in them from the brief running periods in the cold were flushed out.

The bottom line is that if you live in circumstances where long periods of inactivity are the norm, you just have to accept that maintenance needs will be a bit higher than for the same machines owned and used, even lightly, regularly all year round. The same goes for any machinery...

For example: Any camera I own that isn't used regularly is fully tested and checked out BEFORE I depend upon it for service. I have about thirty or forty cameras, and some of them very specific use kinds of machines, so they all don't get used regularly; some sit for years between bouts of use. :)
 
When I lived in the northeastern US, I would prep my bikes for winter by changing the oils and lubricants at the end of the season, providing a storage space for them that was warm and dry, and occasionally starting them up and running them for fifteen to twenty minutes so that the entire power train would become hot and cool down. It is rarely the case that there are NO days at all in the off season where you can't take the machine out for a fifteen or twenty minute ride ...
Good advice thanks. I agree about the weather, but the cost of insurance makes it not possible to keep it insured over the winter for those "few" nice riding days.

One question, I had read somewhere that it is not good for an engine to be just started and run for 15 to 20 minutes, if the bike is not going to be ridden as well. Is that true or is it still better to run 15 to 20 minutes sitting still versus not being started for 6 months?

Thanks
 
Good advice thanks. I agree about the weather, but the cost of insurance makes it not possible to keep it insured over the winter for those "few" nice riding days.

One question, I had read somewhere that it is not good for an engine to be just started and run for 15 to 20 minutes, if the bike is not going to be ridden as well. Is that true or is it still better to run 15 to 20 minutes sitting still versus not being started for 6 months?

Thanks

In my opinion it is better to not run at all if only running it for a short time. Just put the battery on a trickle charger once a month and run some fuel stabilizer through the system before you park it.
 
In my opinion it is better to not run at all if only running it for a short time. Just put the battery on a trickle charger once a month and run some fuel stabilizer through the system before you park it.
That is exactly what I did last year and she started and has run perfectly this year. I just don't want to run into the issue of the seals drying out and failing prematurely.
 
In my opinion it is better to not run at all if only running it for a short time. Just put the battery on a trickle charger once a month and run some fuel stabilizer through the system before you park it.
Agreed, but if run long enough to heat the drive train and oil up to operating temperature should be long enough.

Paul
 
Interesting topic.
I lived in the North East the first part of my life & grew up around a lot of different machinery.
I don't remember having issues with seals from sitting BUT materials in the 50's~60's~70's were different, I still remember using "rope" seals for rear mains on chevy's. Rubber compounds were probably different also.
I rode the Guzzi's all year except when it was ice on the road.

Back to the idea of starting & running for short periods of time:
I have never been a fan of that but if you are going to do it then follow Godfreys advice when he says to change the oil at the start of the riding season.

I'll offer an alternative:
Keep the rear wheel raised off the floor, leave the spark plugs loose & once a month rotate the gear box by spinning the rear wheel to avoid the micro-adhesion Godfry mentions.
With plug wires off & plugs out spin the motor for a bit.
Maybe that will help, I have never done this but it may work.
 
I'll offer an alternative:
Keep the rear wheel raised off the floor, leave the spark plugs loose & once a month rotate the gear box by spinning the rear wheel to avoid the micro-adhesion Godfry mentions.
With plug wires off & plugs out spin the motor for a bit.
Maybe that will help, I have never done this but it may work.

OK, why leave the spark plugs loose? What does this do?
 
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