• Ciao Guest - You’ve landed at the ultimate Guzzi site. NEW FORUM REGISTRATIONS REQUIRE EMAIL ACTIVATION - CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER - Use the CONTACT above if you need help. New to the forum? For all new members, we require ONE post in the Introductions section at the bottom, in order to post in most of the other sections. ALWAYS TRY A SEARCH BEFORE STARTING A NEW TOPIC - Most questions you may have, have likely been already answered. DON'T BE A DRIVE-BY POSTER: As a common courtesy, check back in and reply within 24 hours, or your post will be deleted. Note there's decades of heavily experienced Guzzi professionals on this site, all whom happily give endless amounts of their VALUABLE time for free; BE COURTEOUS AND RESPECTFUL!
  • There is ZERO tolerance on personal attacks and ANY HYPERLINKS to PRODUCT(S) or other competing website(s), including personal pages, social media or other Forums. This ALSO INCLUDES ECU DIAGnostic software, questions and mapping. We work very hard to offer commercially supported products and to keep info relevant here. First offense is a note, second is a warning, third time will get you banned from the site. We don't have the time to chase repeat (and ignorant) offenders. This is NOT a social media platform; It's an ad-free, privately funded website, in small help with user donations. Be sure to see the GTM STORE link above; ALL product purchases help support the site, or you can upgrade your Forum profile or DONATE via the link above.
  • Be sure to see the GTM STORE link also above for our 700+ product inventory, including OEM parts and many of our 100% Made-in-SoCal-USA GTM products and engine kits. In SoCal? Click the SERVICE tab above for the best in service, tires, tuning and installation of our products or custom work, and don't miss our GT MotoCycles® (not) art on the BUILDS tab above. WE'RE HERE ONLINE ONLY - NO PHONE CALLS MADE OR RECEIVED - DO NOT EMAIL AND ASK QUESTIONS OR ASK TO CALL YOU.
  • Like the new V100, GuzziTech is full throttle into the future! We're now running on an all-new server and we've updated our Forum software. The visual differences are obvious, but hopefully you'll notice the super-fast speed. If you notice any glitches or have any issues, please post on the Site Support section at the bottom. If you haven't yet, please upgrade your account which is covered in the Site Support section or via the DONATE tab above, which gives you full site access including the DOWNLOADS section. We really appreciate every $ and your support to keep this site ad-free. Create an account, sign in, upgrade your account, and enjoy. See you on the road in 2024.

Can mild hits to the cylinder heads cause problems?

motolion

motolion

Just got it firing!
Joined
Jul 24, 2016
Messages
16
Location
San Francisco
I was in an accident yesterday in San Francisco. A lady tried to enter a parking garage from the middle lane and I was in the first. She cut me off and I stopped as much as I could but I ended up in her right front fender. Honestly, the crash could have been worse. Relatively low speeds around 35mph.

My worry is that when the bike get's laid down in a tipped over kind of fashion, the impact could bend or warp something in the head which could cause problems. Is this REALLY true? Has anyone seen this happen? The bike has been on its side 2 or 3 times now. The first time was the worst and that was last year. The bike ran fine after that. It slid on the cylinder head cover for about 15 feet.

What are your thoughts?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1239.JPG
    IMG_1239.JPG
    184.4 KB · Views: 43
Oy, hate seeing this, but glad you are OK. Bikes heal far more quickly than people tend to.
In short, yes. I've seen slower impacts essentially bend the cylinder head studs, causing damage to that cylinder/piston and rings. Short term, I would certainly recommend having a good shop pull and check the studs, and as a minimum, retorque the heads and reset the valve lash. Longer term, if you see any leaks, internal damage is inevitable.
I can't highly (enough) recommend crash bars on all Guzzi. The 8V motors are far more susceptible to major damage on the most minimal tip-over.
 
Glad you're OK. Agree with Todd.
If you are going to continue to ride until the bike gets checked out just keep an ear open for weird clicks, clacks & rattles & eye open for any oil leaks.
 
Todd, does that apply to 1100 Sports engines also?.
My 96 was purchased with a few lower fins broken on the front of the right cylinder head from an apparent in garage incident, which I accepted when I purchased it & in essence has caused no running problems, but I have had the Ol girl fall over on the same side when my feet slipped on gravel putting the stand down - onto the head guard bolted to the Tappet cover.
I hear the wisdom in your words, but I honestly only re- checked the head studs torque settings after completing a long 1400mile tour & over the following 2 years have had no other mechanical issues whatsoever.
 
Bigbear said:
Todd, does that apply to 1100 Sports engines also?.
Click to expand...
Yes it sure does. The very first one I saw was less than one year after a low speed crash on a EV-11. Complete cylinder failure. Cylinder, piston and ring replacement, plus all of that time at tossing the shavings down into the bottom end. The whole motor had to be rebuilt. Not meant to be a scare, just an FYI.
 
Point taken Todd,
I'm thinking that just a slow fall over as opposed to a slide even at slow speed where there is more force ( mass & speed) may have let me off the hook.
I don't mind dropping the pan for oil changes where you get to have a good look all around even up the bores etc, & my last oil change had no nasties & everything looked super clean.
Will heed you advise tho if ( heavens forbid) I have a mobile misdemeanour.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top