A cautionary tale. Just to keep pushing the point.

We had a 1200 Sport 8V, (one of the last ones manufactured in 2011/12 even though it was plated a 2014 build.) come in yesterday for rollerisation. Now I'd spoken to the owner after he'd purchased it and although he was assured by the shop that was selling it that it was rollerised the first removal of a valve cover showed that it wasn't.

Now I'd strongly advised that at 60,000km it would be well on its way and not to ride it until it had been rollerised. Because at the time 'A' kits were in short supply it seems this advice fell on deaf ears and the bike continued to be ridden.

Anyway a couple of weeks ago I was contacted again and we now have an 'A' kit and the 'Makings' to turn it into a 'D' kit in stock so we arranged for it to come in yesterday. The owner rode it down from Sydney and by the time it got here the top end was making a hell of a hullabaloo and, worse, the big ends were knocking. It's fucked.

Hopefully rollerisation and a new set of big end shells will fix it and the mains are OK but it's a salutary lesson. I know I bang on about it but despite various theories and arguments to the contrary there are NO 'Good' or 'Better' flat tappet engines. They are all going to fail, it's just a matter of when and that is dependent on numerous factors which mean predicting the failure is very difficult.

This machine is one of the very last of the flat tappet models. These are the ones with the final iteration cams and flat tappets that certain people claim are far superior to the earlier ones. The failure is typical and identical to any others I've seen on all engines from the earliest 2008 Grisos to the very last flat tappet Stelvios and Norges.

If you own an 8V and it hasn't yet been rollerised? Please, just do it. Wishing and hoping that *Your* bike is the exception to the rule, that the problem is 'Rare' or an 'Internet Myth' is simply going to result in disappointment and anger and another of these magnificent machines being sent to the scrap heap.

Hopefully we'll be able to save this one relatively cheaply. It would of been considerably cheaper if it hadn't been allowed to reach this sad conclusion but as the owner said, although he'd heeded my warning about riding it he had obviously not realised the urgency of the issue. Pity.

Sigh. Stupid is, as stupid does.




Keep pushing Pete.

I don't think it's always stupidity. Steve, the owner of this POS is a nice, cordial, intelligent chap. I think it's just that many people find it hard to grasp that such a serious problem could of been allowed to continue for so long or that the consequences of failure can be so shattering and occur so fast!

There are many flat tappet bikes out there still and their owners think they're fine. They don't make any unusual noises and their performance isn't compromised noticeably. The problem is that they can be in a quite advanced state of destruction while showing no outside symptoms. It isn't until all the DLC has gone from the foot of the tappet that the really rapid erosion of the parent metal of the tappet and the cam lobe occurs. The thing is when that point is reached the destruction is both catastrophic and very fast!

There are people too who are deeply suspicious and just assume the whole problem is a scam by unscrupulous people, (ie me!) to get them to carry out unnecessary work so I can support my obscenely lavish lifestyle! Well if people want to believe that there ain't a lot I can do about it but I can assure them that even if my heart could stand it the amount of coke and the number of high class hookers I could afford off the back of rollerising flat tappet 8V's would need a fairly powerful electron microscope to detect!

Michael slipped in a new set of big end shells this morning and on fire-up it's gone all lovely and quiet again! Winning!

The top end is going to be a hot mess of nastiness though.....

Wow! Got out of gaol on that one!

This one was pretty far gone! This is one of the exhaust tappets.

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Cam lobe has really taken a pizzling.

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Not really surprising the big ends shouted "Enough"!

Other three tappets were well on the way.

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