These bikes sure are different...

I'm new to Guzzis, and have just bought a low-mileage (5100) 2008 GRiSO 1100.
I'm doing a full service, to set a baseline. Part of that is changing all the hydraulic fluid.
The Brembo brake calipers are straightforward, but the clutch is something else.
I think that the bike has some kind of 'remote bleed hose' attached to the slave cylinder, and leading-up to the upper LH frame rail ??
Is that so ? First time in over 30yrs I've seen this kind of setup....
Any special procedures for bleeding ??

And, before anyone says RTFM - I tried. No specific mention in the owners or workshop manuals.
I'm finding-out that Guzzi manuals are like Italian Traffic Lights: for advisory purposes only - and its always best to see what everyone else is doing, before taking any action !

Actually, another question: I found a bunch of clear crystals on the underside of the clutch reservoir cap. Not sure if its salt, or corrosion from the aluminum.

Yes, to avoid concrete grovelling Guzzi have a remote bleed hose that comes up on the LH side of the airbox under the seat. It has a bleed nipple and is fairly obvious. Don't let it touch the positive terminal on the battery.

Another thing I'd suggest doing is grease the swingarm bearings, they'll almost certainly need it.

Pete

Damn Pete, even at that mileage?
I 'll have to service my 1100 (15K miles) and my new to come SE as well then.
My 09 has other worries right now though...

Pascal.

Unfortunately yes. I learnt this the hard way when I started getting CARC bikes in for 50,000KM services which is a time when I thought it was probably prudent to start going in to check and grease things like steering and suspension bearings. I found to my dismay that despite in many ways assembley quality had improved on the post-Piaggio machines the long standing Mandello Grease Phobia was still very much alive and well!

Both the swingarm bearings and the shock linkage bearings are assembled virtually grease free in most cases and the swingarm bearings are an absolute bastard to replace the outer races of! The good news is that if you get to them early and pack them properly they will probably last forever!

Steering head bearings too tend to be very light on with the grease and these are really crappy ball and cone assemblies. The only reason I can see for such nastiness is penny-pinching. When I inspected mine at 50,000KM I was actually surprised to find them in very good condition. I do live in one of the driest parts of the driest inhabited continent on earth though and rarely ride in the rain! People who live in damper climes haven't been so lucky and I've seen pics of rusted-out horrors at very low mileages.  While I couldn't justify swapping mine for tapered rollers as they were still good greasing them properly and re-tensioning them transformed the steering! The good news is that tapered rollers are readily available and are cheaper from the bearing factor than the crappy ball and cone races are from the factory!

Pete

Thanks for the very thorough answer Pete.
I will address those issues on all my bikes...

Glad you're on this site as well.  

Yeah! it can get ugly in there!

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Woww, scary... I hope I won't find this mess on the wife's G11 with its 15.000 miles!
I'm ordering these parts ASAP, just in case.

Pete Roper wrote:

Yes, to avoid concrete grovelling Guzzi have a remote bleed hose that comes up on the LH side of the airbox under the seat. It has a bleed nipple and is fairly obvious.

Cheers Pete, I was hoping you'd chime-in. Took care of it now.

I can see now what is going to frustrate me on Guzzi's: the uneven design standards, and haphazard approach to documentation !
I've always believed that on Italian Cars and Bikes, you can tell exactly where they were in the design process when lunchtime came around......
Someone spent time and effort coming-up with a nice easy remote bleed nipple design - after breakfast. The technical writers started on the manuals just before Lunch !

If BMW ever came-up with this feature, they'd call it something like 'ClutchenHosenmitRemoteFlushundBleed', charge lots for it, and advertise that only generations of fine Teutonic engineering could think of such a thing...

Pete Roper wrote:

Another thing I'd suggest doing is grease the swingarm bearings, they'll almost certainly need it.
Pete

Geez, my 'to-do' list is growing rather than shrinking ! This looks like a bear of a job ?

Jeremy

greasing the swing arm bearings takes about 2 hours, the first time, and 1/2 that if you read petes post on how to do it a few times first.....they used enough grease to allow the bearings to work properly  (most bearings are severly overgreased as to function)

however these need to be overgreased to survive their environment....if you are a clean and polish freak the little grease drip in the blazing summer may bug you.  My Stelvio and GRiSO both '12 models were packed to dripping out but I have re done them since any way...that damn black silicone on the later carc swing arms is a pain at times to get loose...yours may not have the sealant.

PS Grease only has a service life of 2 yes TWO years, not in a sealed envirnoment so getting 5 yrs out of it seems very reasonable.  this is why sealed bearings go bad on the shelf!  I do not like to use any sealed bearing over 5 yrs old...they fail quickly from degradation of the lube.

Hey Jeremy.
I got my 2007 1100 with 5770 miles on it this past summer and there was NO LUBE in the swingarm pivot.
And it's not just a Guzzi issue.
I am very glad I got mine looked at and lubed.

DM

all suspension linkages are like this any more, suzuki just this year opened the second tube of grease they ever bought back in 67  

Just curious...has anyone posted a video tutorial on how to do this? Reading directions has never been my strong suit. I've never had a shaft-driven bike before and while mine just has a little over 500 miles on it, I'd like to learn how to do it myself. I'm pretty good mechanically speaking but by no means at the level most of you all seem to be. Thanks!