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Nikasil cylinders

pizza for you

pizza for you

Cruisin' Guzzisti
GT Contributor
Joined
Jun 8, 2015
Messages
176
Location
Ohio
Hello there.
It's been some time since I posted here. I was getting ready to install nikasil cylinders on my 850 T and was thinking if I should lubricate the them as I have not read anything about about the subject. If I should lubricate them what should I use.
Thanks.
 
I don't when I put them in with new rings. Hard enough to get the rings to seat. The cylinder won't be without oil for very long. If you want to put a light coat of engine oil in the piston skirt that wouldn't hurt.
 
You can use your finger dipped in fresh motor oil and spread it around the cylinder wall. The scraper ring will remove the excess in the first stroke of the piston.

Like John said, you could put it in dry because within a second, the cylinder wall will have oil splashed and/or sprayed on it.
 
At the risk of straying off topic, do all Moto Guzzis have Nikasil plated cylinders?

Jason
 
Raven said:
Some models from '67 to '75 had chrome bores which flake. The replacement is Nikasil.
Click to expand...
Ok, so I assume then that all the "current" Guzzis, say 2000 onward, have Nikasil. Is this correct?

What about when buying a big-bore kit; are the cylinders Nikasil plated, too?

Jason
 
JasonC said:
Ok, so I assume then that all the "current" Guzzis, say 2000 onward, have Nikasil. Is this correct?

What about when buying a big-bore kit; are the cylinders Nikasil plated, too?

Jason
Click to expand...
No again. Nikasil bores is the fix for bikes with chrome bores.
***Correction new ones have Nigusil bores.***
 
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Raven said:
No again. Nikasil bores is the fix for bikes with chrome bores.
Click to expand...
Let me rephrase my question: If I buy a brand new Guzzi today, what plating, if any, would be on the cylinder bores?

Jason
 
Raven said:
None.
Click to expand...
Ah, got it, I think.

So the cylinder bores must be cast iron sleeves that are press-fit into the aluminum cylinders on the newer Guzzis. Further I assume they can be bored and honed with a typical boring bar and hone.

Jason
 
All Guzzis since about '81 have had Nikasil bores, including the new ones. Iron liners haven't been used since the round-fin big-blocks in '80. Big-bore kits available today are Nikasil as well, except for those from Cycle Garden which have iron liners.
 
Amboman said:
All Guzzis since about '81 have had Nikasil bores, including the new ones. Iron liners haven't been used since the round-fin big-blocks in '80. Big-bore kits available today are Nikasil as well, except for those from Cycle Garden which have iron liners.
Click to expand...

Close...

Moto Guzzi's technically use, Nigusil which they invented by the way! :)

Bet most people didn't know that little fact!


Nigusil is a patented metal alloy created by Moto Guzzi for motorcycle cylinder liners. The name is an acronym for Nickel-Guzzi-Silicon.
 
scottmastrocinque said:
Close...

Moto Guzzi's technically use, Nigusil which they invented by the way! :)

Bet most people didn't know that little fact!


Nigusil is a patented metal alloy created by Moto Guzzi for motorcycle cylinder liners. The name is an acronym for Nickel-Guzzi-Silicon.
Click to expand...
Ok, I never dreamed that my query would generate so many diverging responses.

So my 2010 V7 has Nigusil cylinder bores and any new Guzzi has Nigusil bores as well and not cast iron liners as I was previously led to believe.

Jason
 
Correct.

Not all Moto Guzzi motorcycle have Nigusil. The early ones were chrome coated or had cast iron liners.

However, since Nigusil was invented, Moto Guzzi has used this process on everything that I am aware of.
 
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Nikasil/Nigusil. Virtually the same process.

"Chrome coated cast iron liners"? Never heard of that. The V700, Ambassador (V7 Special), Eldorado (850GT), V7 Sport, 750S, 750 S3, 850-T, 850-T3 and the earliest V50s had chrome plating applied directly to the alloy cylinder casting. The 850 Le Mans, Convert, G5, CX100 and 1000SP had iron liners (without any sort of plating) until Nigusil was started around '80.
 
Amboman said:
Nikasil/Nigusil. Virtually the same process.

"Chrome coated cast iron liners"? Never heard of that. The V700, Ambassador (V7 Special), Eldorado (850GT), V7 Sport, 750S, 750 S3, 850-T, 850-T3 and the earliest V50s had chrome plating applied directly to the alloy cylinder casting. The 850 Le Mans, Convert, G5, CX100 and 1000SP had iron liners (without any sort of plating) until Nigusil was started around '80.
Click to expand...

Whoops!

My bad. That's because the words "or had" didn't get in there by mistake. Apologies.

Regarding Nigusil & Nikasil - I'm pretty sure that it was not "Virtually the same process" as Moto Guzzi was issued a patent and Mahle from 1967 never was. Patents are not normally issued when there is the same thing already existing...but you could be right!

Nevertheless, it doesn't really matter in terms of the original question which was "Are all Moto Guzzi motorcycle Nigusil cylinders?", which as I said earlier, the answer is "No". 👌 👍 :)
 
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A motorcycle you didn't get in the US , the Le Mans 2 came with nigusil cylinders . I still have
them on one of my Guzzi's . Correct me if I'm wrong , but the Le Mans 2 model ran from 78 'til 80 .
Peter
 
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