Taking off the cover (the lid-like cover) in the front of you engine, you will see a bolt which connects your rotor on the crankshaft. Instead of using your back tire to adjust the piston height you can adjust it from there. Much more accurate than via the back tire. ‘Easy piezy’
Excellent video. Thank you for taking the time to film it. The pace was perfect for me. I had my dealer do the last adjustment but after your video I'll do it myself. I just turned 15k on my V85 and I love it. I did an almost 5k ride in June through 7 states and had 0 issues. It's my first Guzzi and I am very impressed.
Helpful video , instead of fighting the spark plug wire in the clip, I detached the little holder with the 2 screws, it went well with the gas tank lifted slightly and I did not risk damaging the spark plug wire. Again , thanks for the great video
On my 1400 Eldorado i learned a cool way to set the valve positions without having to turn the back tire. I keep my back wheel on the ground. Put bike in neutral. After removing covers and plugs, i remove a rubber plug near the bottom of the front of the engine between the horns. Put a socket on the Alternator bolt and turn. It saved me tons of frustration.
What a sound of exhaust, how pleasantly the engine works, it's just a pleasure to listen to - a song. I like these Guzzis. No plastic, cardan. It all seems so simply done. I wonder what other maintenance needs to be done here.👍
oil changes are pretty straighforward usually, but Moto Guzzi somehow found a way to make it a little bit different from Japanese bikes. so after using that video, i was hoping you had one for valve adjustments. thanks for taking the time to make and post these vids.
Excellent video, thanks for taking the time and the tip re lifting the tank. Glad to see you don't need to remove the front bolts on the tank, makes the job quicker! I'll start doing the valve checks myself on my V85TT soon too, and this will definitely help. Gotta love tappets, so much easier to adjust than bucket and shim valves. Usually slightly looser valve clearances are preferred though ;)
I’m glad I have a fellow Guzzi V85tt friend here on you tube! You Sir are very appreciated and though comments by other articulate better methods at times you are the one making the conversation possible. I have learned a great deal about my. v85 from your videos and that has removed any fear of me messing my bike up buy doing my own servicing. The oil and filter change video was wild , I’d never seen an engine have the filter inside like the Guzzi 🤪 but after watching your video I’m confident now that I can do a good job. Thanks again! Oh , if you figure out how to reset that annoying service wrench light let us all know please 😝😜😄✌️🇺🇸
@@cubbysue thanks, I appreciate it ! Oh , I bought me a new '22 KLR 650 to ride off road for the gritty stuff as to not trash my beautiful V85 , I enjoy riding it so much my V85 is getting jealous 😜 I'm up to 3 motorcycles and I just hate dividing my love three ways 😝🤣🤣🤣 Ride safe Brother😁🤙
I had a Suzuki GS850 and it was easy to service and had shaft drive. It was the best bike I've ever owned for reliable day to day riding with comfort and ease of working on it. You can't beat a 2 valve per cylinder, carburetor 4 cylinder in line with shaft drive and twin shocks. Amazing bike that kept going even though it was a thrashed ex despatch riders bike that used oil and had lacked things like oil and filter changes by the previous owners. Over 85000 miles on it and on original standard pistons etc. Air cooled too. I'm considering an old guzzi but it's the electrical gremlins and especially fuel in JW ection that puts me off but for mechanical issues, they don't come much simpler than a V85TT and it's a lovely looking simple bike.
Wish I had this last summer when I did my 1st Valve Job on the V85 TT. Thank you for a job well done. I'll be linking this in the Wrenching & Tips section of my personal site dedicated to the V85 TT
Thanks for this and your other maintenance videos - very helpful! I've owned several Guzzis and always done my own maintenance, it's great to see it on my specific bike. My dealer wants US$500 - $600 to do the first service, I think I'll do it myself! Maybe get them just to check and reset the computer. Agreed on the fiddly-ness of adjusting the valves, I find it always loosens slightly when I tighten the locknut, maybe just from the tension on the adjuster post. So I set it just a fraction tight, then lock it down. But note my other comment on the clearance - the euro-spec is 0.05mm looser than the US spec for clearances! I.e. 0.15in/0.20exh. So I use the looser setting or something in between. As you said there's a lot of wiggle room here!
Have an important point here, Guzzi doctrine is precisely that, better to have them loose than tight. It's an air cooled motor and needs lots of room for expansion. Still, 0.15 on the exhaust is safe. Excellent videos!
Brilliant video, I’ve been waiting for this. I like the way you take things in a measured way. I’ve seen a couple of videos showing valve adjustments on the V7 but nice to see it on the V85tt. Actually looks quite straightforward. I saw a chap adjust the valves on an Africa Twin and it was an absolute nightmare. He had to remove the fuel tank, measure and replace shims etc. Took about five hours .
Thank you for interest, I do try to explain the procedure so anyone from a first timer to old pro would understand. Sure would hate to have to do it on the Africa Twin.....
Thx, Yesterday I did it, used your guide as it is clear and very usefull. For measurement of piston if is up or down I used wooden stick (usually used for shis kebab).
It sounds like some kind of agricultural piece of equipment for planting potatoes. I love potatoes, therefore I just ordered a 2021 V85TT even though I'm not a farmer. My V9 sounds a bit better without cats and baffles in the Agostini exhaust. Glorious sound. Can't wait to get delivery of my new V85TT
Great vid for general reference! I plan on doing my V7 Stone S valve adjustment soon! Thank you! You should do a oil, gearbox, and rear diff fluid change on camera next!
You don't certainly want too tight valve gap and when the 0.1 mm didn't fit, it was not "there already" but quite the contrary, that valve gap needed adjustment. Expansion tolerances are greater in air-cooled engines and oddly MG does not specify an acceptable range, but normally we have to add valve gap as the bike ages, adjusting to make them more tight should be rarely needed and it would raise the question why.
Thanks for sharing!... I'm thinking about do my self the maintenance in the bike, so your videos are good as a tutorial to get it. I'd like subtitles in Spanish, because my english is not so good... Anyway, thanks.
Awesome video, just a quick tip. Sometimes it pays to check the cylinder head bolts are torqued down to specs. Otherwise, valve adjustments can still be out. When a 5/8 TDC tool becomes available, valve adjustments will be as good as can be done in a shop. Great looking bike. Thanks for the video, great job. 👍
erring on the side of tight valves is an odd suggestion. the common wisdom is that tappy valves are happy valves. if your engine taps when its cold but quietens down when it's warm, that's perfect. if you go too tight, as the engine heats up, it will lose compression. the tappets keep the valves open just a crack even when they should be closed and it'll run poorly. ask me how i know :-) if you're too loose, it'll tap even when it's warmed up, that's a sign you need to tighten them just a bit. trial and error can work for this.
@@cubbysue I cannot find specs now but Iam pretty sure it was 8nm. Plus i ued thread glue - blue color, not permanent one. I had this issue after 3 k km. Probaby somejody in the factory did not torque the screw properly. I could hear clear rattling sound in the left valve cover. Took apart valve cover and a screw fell out. The one that secures in place valve rocker shaft.
Hint: If you are going to shove something in the spark plug hole to feel the piston getting to TDC, use an old plastic ballpoint pen or something similar (old toothbrush?). That way you don't mess up the thread for the spark plug if you overdo things and whack the piston against your 'probe'.
I have the Givi crash bars on mine and they come up higher than the OEM or SW Motech bars - blocking off the cam covers. I've found it easier to just remove the tank and get it out of the way. Takes less time than trying to work around it. Also easier to with with the plug wires with the tank out of the way.
How about a clutch cable adjustment/replacement. I loved your centre stand video. I’m the least mechanical person in the world and I was able to install my own centre stand!
I really like this motorcycle. I have yet to go try one out but hopefully this summer I will. My son bought a V7 Stone last year but I prefer the adventure platform. This reminds me of adjusting the valves on my old Yamaha SR500. Can you tell me if it makes a difference which TDC you are looking for? TDC between exhaust and intake strokes or between compression and power strokes?
If you happen to do a service that requires the removal of the tank I think we would all appreciate it. I know it's not rocket science but it's a lot more involved than the old school bikes I've owned up until now. Even if you don't film it, any learnings you got from doing it the first time would be helpful. I saw your video on the Moto Guzzi Rally that was coming up last year in September. I never heard or saw anything about it until today. Thanks for all you do to support the brand.
Help: when adjusting the valves on the right side of the motorcycle (as you’re sitting on it) I noticed that I had to loosen the valves a whole lot in order to fit the feeler gauge underneath. However, this seemed wrong, so I turn the engine just to see what happened and of course when the piston went down the space now in the valves is huge probably like half an inch. This is with me using the .1 and .15 mm on the feeler gauge with the piston in the top position. Any suggestions?
My guess is that your piston was not fully up. Rotate it back around and have another go. I hope you get it figured out, if not, send me another message and I'll try to help if I can.
Thanks for the reply brotha! You were spot on. I adjusted the left side without having the piston all the way up so when I went to do the right side of the engine the valves never adjusted nicely. So I redid the left side and once I went to do the right side again it was a cinch. Thanks for the help!
Hola amigo !! Quiero comprar esa moto pero tengo algunas dudas , veo que sabes de su mecánica y tu opinión me va a ayudar mucho !! Mi pregunta es si piensas que es una moto confiable resistente , la quiero para hacer viajes de 20 000 millas vivo en Mexico y viajo cada año a Estados Unidos y Canadá necesito una moto que no me deje tirado fácilmente necesito una moto confiable tú sabes !!! Excelente video muchas gracias suscripción saludos
Hello, how are you, your video is very good! well illustrated, I consult it when I look for the valance of the valves I take out the spark plug of the other cylinder?, since in the video it was seen that the engine offered resistance. Thank you in advance for what you share, it is very helpful! Greetings from Rosario SF, Arnetina.
i have a stelvio, to check the top dead end i do not use any metal tool inside the cylinder, steel tools could damage aluminum piston, i always use a drinking straw
NB don't err _too_ far on the side of being too tight. That would cause the valves to leak during compression and power strokes. The clearance is needed because the valves get hotter than the cylinder head, hence they expand more, and the clearance reduces when the engine is hot. This is also why the exhaust valve needs more clearance, it gets hotter.
Looking at that bike yesterday. I know nothing about them. Watching the valve timing you did was aswome. I love to wrench and have rebuilt 2 boat motors. Trading my harley 2022, so looking at a miriad of bikes that may work. I would love to call you and talk about the guzzi...somewhere on here there is a way to do pms. But I cannot remember how....Also watched your camping video, I too use a cot "they are well worth it if you can pack it"!
Also remember this is a pushrod engine. The pushrod is made of steel. The cylinder and head are aluminium. Steel will not react in the same degree as aluminium when heated up to normal driving temperature.
Thanks a lot for all info very well explain. I have to decide if I will buy a moto Guzzi V85TT adventure. You seem to be very knowledgable on this bike, but for a non mechanical person how reliable is this bike in comparison with other. I don't know if I will go with the Yamaha super tenere 3k$ more expensive but with bigger engine and electronic suspension or this moto Guzzi less expensive
I put 13,000 miles on that bike in 11 months. I never had any problems with it and have now bought another V85TT and have 1,000 miles on it. I don't do "heavy" off-road riding on the bike, dirt trails and gravel roads occasionally. Never had an issue.
You can't. It has to be done by the dealership. I wish it were possible, I even purchased a handheld scanner and Moto Guzzi adapter to try. Sorry. Wish I could help.
Hello Guzzi owners, I use to have a Lemans 2 and this bike had an inspection hole with a rubber cap at the bellhousing with TDC flywheel markings. Do these new bikes have no such option?!
Any time in the compression and power strokes both valves should be closed, and hence the rocker arms should have clearance between them and the valve. Hence the piston being perfectly top-dead-center is not critical. You just want to be "near enough" at the top of the compression stroke. So don't anyone damage their engine by breaking what ever probe you use to check piston position.
It's too heavy and under powered to do any real offroading. It's too light and vibrates too much to do long distance travel. But it fits right in between the two for light off pavement use and short (6hrs. or less) destination rides. Multiple day rides are doable, but not pleasant to do. That being said, I really like the bike and find it a joy to ride. I would certainly buy the bike again knowing its shortcomings. I really bought the bike because I fell in love with the look. : )
I have never owned a bike that you didn't find TDC with a mark on the flywheel or crankshaft, etc. Is this really the only way to find TDC on the bike? It seems like such an archaic non-precision method.
@@cubbysue I was looking at some TDC tools that screw into the sparkplug hole. It sure looks better than sticking a free-floating steel rod down the hole. Also after looking at MANY forum discussions on this, it's not necessary to be right on TDC to adjust the valves. There seems to be quite a leeway either side of TDC (at least 12 degrees) where the clearance doesn't change. I've always gone for exact TDC on all my 61 bikes in the past 55 years of riding, but never really thought about how close you had to be. It appears just being close is the same as being right on.
@@cubbysue I just got a new Kawasaki W800 about 3 weeks before my new V7 Centenario. I like that I can adjust the valves on the V7 without removing the tank (and it has more room to get the valve covers off than the TT models). But the W800 has a unique shim and bucket arrangement. Of course you have to remove the tank, but then take off the valve cover and slide the tappet over to lift out the shim and replace it. How easy is that? Great design. And bevel gear drive for the cam instead of a cam chain. And it rides better than my Guzzi. But it has a lot more vibration 3000-4000 rpm which is right in the cruising range of 50-70 mph. But I love both bikes.
Mine were loose, they were making a lot of noise. My last oil change was last weekend and just checked them and didn't have to adjust. But, it would have been a boring video just checking them and not adjusting. :)
I think you forgot to mention that top dead center of the piston is on the compression stroke only!!!! TDC on the exhaust stroke will give the wrong clearances!!!!!
Good evening from Italy! I saw that you have the flange for the cases with the tanklock system. If you read the instructions, it is written that you must mount two supports behind the fork, to reduce steering angle. Did you put them?
No, I use a 5L bag and it does not interfere with the steering at all. My tanklock mount didn't have anything with it to reduce my steering angle. I didn't even know that was a issue. My mount is about 2 years old now and maybe only the newer ones come with that? Thanks for watching.
NEVER use anything METAL to check TDC, if you don't have a proper TDC gauge (which are quite reasonably priced, even Guzzi specific ones) then use a long plastic or paper drinking straw and once you have it at TDC you can mark it with a sharpie for next time and no danger of damage to piston or head. Using that allen or a screwdriver could leave you with a very large repair bill.
I enjoy it alot on the road. It's comfortable to cruise on, yet has great feedback in the corners when I am pushing it hard. I didn't like the stock trail tires on it though. I just bought new tires and it grips well in the dirt and I have enough traction to drag the pegs in the turns. Off-road, it's a little heavy and there are a lot of nannies on the bike that you have to shut off to do anything. When the rear tire looses traction, it cuts all power and you usually stall out. With all of that shut off, it's pretty capable. You quickly run out of suspension travel when going over obstacles or small jumps on the trail. Overall, I like it enough that I traded the red and white one for a new black one.
Doing your own maintenance, how have you been getting around the service light? I’m coming up on my first service with my new V85 and am worried about that having to be reset. I’ve done all my own work on my V7 that didn’t have a service light.. cheers!
@cubbysue thanks for the reply. I'm in a pickle because I have a trip planned to Colorado in 2 months and my bike currently has about 800 miles on it. I plan on doing the service myself before the trip but the wrench light is going to go off while I'm riding up there and will drive me nuts!! Only dealer near my area is Austin and it's pretty far out of my way.. Did the dealer give you any crap about doing the service yourself and resetting your light? Did they charge you anything? Thanks.
@@xtrythis1170 No, they know me and have watched the videos themselves... they just reset it for free. I hope you have a good trip, maybe you can find a dealer along the way..... Ride safe!
Great video, sir! In a couple of days I will adjust the valves in my V85TT. One quick question: what year is yours? Mine is 2019 and I think the spark plug cable has a closed clamp bolted on the head of the cylinder, and it is a pain to remove. Most people remove the fuel tank completely or leave the cylinder head aside, hanging off the cable.
The old 1064cc engines (eg Sport1100) had a window to the flywheel, which was marked for TDC, and a bolt on the front to turn the engine over - very nice! Sadly the new smaller engine does not have that.
Good stuff. I do agree with Steve Johnson in the comments with regards to err on the side of loose than tight. To some of the noobs I recommend using a plastic straw for a top dead center gauge, not applicable in Commiefornia.....Lol! There are some inexpensive gauges available on eBay too. Are the fuel tanks on the V85 steel of aluminum?
@@cubbysue Hi what I did for my racing bike was j took an old spark plug and drilled out the centre to accommodate a dial test indicator sometimes called a clock gauge in the engineering trade fitted with a longer plunger. Hope this helps out as it is child’s play getting true tdc. Also bear in mind you want to approach tdc in the normal rotation direction . Thks
Taking off the cover (the lid-like cover) in the front of you engine, you will see a bolt which connects your rotor on the crankshaft. Instead of using your back tire to adjust the piston height you can adjust it from there. Much more accurate than via the back tire. ‘Easy piezy’
Are you talking about the engine guard/skid plate?
I think he means the stator cover in front, right behind front tire @@paulmateescu4044
But you also lose some oil-since 2015, the small blocks have had the alternator sit in oil.
How can I check the fluid clutch on my Moto Guzzi B85 TT?
Excellent video. Thank you for taking the time to film it. The pace was perfect for me. I had my dealer do the last adjustment but after your video I'll do it myself. I just turned 15k on my V85 and I love it. I did an almost 5k ride in June through 7 states and had 0 issues. It's my first Guzzi and I am very impressed.
Thank you very much for filming the servicing and how straightforward it is.
Man that is super easy. Not paying the dealer for it anymore! Thanks!
Helpful video , instead of fighting the spark plug wire in the clip, I detached the little holder with the 2 screws, it went well with the gas tank lifted slightly and I did not risk damaging the spark plug wire.
Again , thanks for the great video
On my 1400 Eldorado i learned a cool way to set the valve positions without having to turn the back tire. I keep my back wheel on the ground. Put bike in neutral. After removing covers and plugs, i remove a rubber plug near the bottom of the front of the engine between the horns. Put a socket on the Alternator bolt and turn. It saved me tons of frustration.
Thanks for this video man. Your constant dictation and train of thought as you were working was very helpful.
I'm glad you liked. Thank you.
What a sound of exhaust, how pleasantly the engine works, it's just a pleasure to listen to - a song. I like these Guzzis. No plastic, cardan. It all seems so simply done. I wonder what other maintenance needs to be done here.👍
oil changes are pretty straighforward usually, but Moto Guzzi somehow found a way to make it a little bit different from Japanese bikes. so after using that video, i was hoping you had one for valve adjustments. thanks for taking the time to make and post these vids.
Thanks for the video. I use a plastic straw down the spark plug hole.
Hadn't thought about that. Won't break, easy to see and wouldn't cause any damage if it somehow got stuck. I like it. Nice tip, thank you.
I used wooden paint brush handle... and broke it inside
@@moherhatwhat happened after that?
@@tommerson5121 I had to take off the cylinder head to clean the inside. Fortunatelly it is quite easy when there is no liquid cooling
Excellent video, thanks for taking the time and the tip re lifting the tank. Glad to see you don't need to remove the front bolts on the tank, makes the job quicker! I'll start doing the valve checks myself on my V85TT soon too, and this will definitely help. Gotta love tappets, so much easier to adjust than bucket and shim valves. Usually slightly looser valve clearances are preferred though ;)
I’m glad I have a fellow Guzzi V85tt friend here on you tube! You Sir are very appreciated and though comments by other articulate better methods at times you are the one making the conversation possible. I have learned a great deal about my. v85 from your videos and that has removed any fear of me messing my bike up buy doing my own servicing. The oil and filter change video was wild , I’d never seen an engine have the filter inside like the Guzzi 🤪 but after watching your video I’m confident now that I can do a good job. Thanks again!
Oh , if you figure out how to reset that annoying service wrench light let us all know please 😝😜😄✌️🇺🇸
I would really like to figure out that service light! If I find out, I'll let the world know.
@@cubbysue thanks, I appreciate it !
Oh , I bought me a new '22 KLR 650 to ride off road for the gritty stuff as to not trash my beautiful V85 , I enjoy riding it so much my V85 is getting jealous 😜 I'm up to 3 motorcycles and I just hate dividing my love three ways 😝🤣🤣🤣
Ride safe Brother😁🤙
I feel for you. I have the 2021 V85, a 2015 California and a 2007 Harley Nighttrain.
@@cubbysue It's nice to have multiple motorcycles , you always have one ready to ride 🤩😁
I had a Suzuki GS850 and it was easy to service and had shaft drive. It was the best bike I've ever owned for reliable day to day riding with comfort and ease of working on it. You can't beat a 2 valve per cylinder, carburetor 4 cylinder in line with shaft drive and twin shocks. Amazing bike that kept going even though it was a thrashed ex despatch riders bike that used oil and had lacked things like oil and filter changes by the previous owners. Over 85000 miles on it and on original standard pistons etc. Air cooled too. I'm considering an old guzzi but it's the electrical gremlins and especially fuel in JW ection that puts me off but for mechanical issues, they don't come much simpler than a V85TT and it's a lovely looking simple bike.
Thank you. Learned a lot as a new 2023 V85TT owner
Congrats! Glad you liked the video.
Wish I had this last summer when I did my 1st Valve Job on the V85 TT. Thank you for a job well done. I'll be linking this in the Wrenching & Tips section of my personal site dedicated to the V85 TT
You're awesome, thank you.
What’s your site?
Thanks for this and your other maintenance videos - very helpful! I've owned several Guzzis and always done my own maintenance, it's great to see it on my specific bike. My dealer wants US$500 - $600 to do the first service, I think I'll do it myself! Maybe get them just to check and reset the computer.
Agreed on the fiddly-ness of adjusting the valves, I find it always loosens slightly when I tighten the locknut, maybe just from the tension on the adjuster post. So I set it just a fraction tight, then lock it down. But note my other comment on the clearance - the euro-spec is 0.05mm looser than the US spec for clearances! I.e. 0.15in/0.20exh. So I use the looser setting or something in between. As you said there's a lot of wiggle room here!
very thorough, based on your video, i think i will take on my own valve adjustments
I think you should err on the side of Loose rather than too tight, no burnt valves that way. But I certainly appreciate your video, Thanks
Have an important point here, Guzzi doctrine is precisely that, better to have them loose than tight. It's an air cooled motor and needs lots of room for expansion. Still, 0.15 on the exhaust is safe.
Excellent videos!
I believe the euro spec for these small block valves is 0.05mm looser, ie .15 in & .2 out - so I'd also err on the side of looser!
Brilliant video, I’ve been waiting for this. I like the way you take things in a measured way. I’ve seen a couple of videos showing valve adjustments on the V7 but nice to see it on the V85tt. Actually looks quite straightforward. I saw a chap adjust the valves on an Africa Twin and it was an absolute nightmare. He had to remove the fuel tank, measure and replace shims etc. Took about five hours .
Thank you for interest, I do try to explain the procedure so anyone from a first timer to old pro would understand. Sure would hate to have to do it on the Africa Twin.....
Thx, Yesterday I did it, used your guide as it is clear and very usefull. For measurement of piston if is up or down I used wooden stick (usually used for shis kebab).
I love it. I'm glad it helped you.
Please quote the part number for that specialist tool you mentioned :)
Thx for that clear and proper lesson👌🙌🏻… i ve done that several years ago on my bellagio but couldn't remind what to take care of…Thx a lot👍
I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for watching.
It sounds like some kind of agricultural piece of equipment for planting potatoes. I love potatoes, therefore I just ordered a 2021 V85TT even though I'm not a farmer. My V9 sounds a bit better without cats and baffles in the Agostini exhaust. Glorious sound. Can't wait to get delivery of my new V85TT
That's awesome, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.
Thanks for the help. Nice to be able to learn the "tricks and traps" without having to repeat them! Much appreciated!
I think I want to get the V85 just because of your 'how to' vids lol! Thank you! Also...I love that tattoo!
Great vid for general reference! I plan on doing my V7 Stone S valve adjustment soon! Thank you! You should do a oil, gearbox, and rear diff fluid change on camera next!
I am happy to hear that my little video is being helpful. Maybe a full service on camera can be a future video. Ride safe.
Nice job. Helpful ! Thanks.
Seems like a great simple design, the way a bike should be. Great video!
Thank you. Ride safe.
You don't certainly want too tight valve gap and when the 0.1 mm didn't fit, it was not "there already" but quite the contrary, that valve gap needed adjustment. Expansion tolerances are greater in air-cooled engines and oddly MG does not specify an acceptable range, but normally we have to add valve gap as the bike ages, adjusting to make them more tight should be rarely needed and it would raise the question why.
Thank you. New V85TT owner, so really appreciate your informative videos.
Glad you like them and thank you for watching.
Thanks for sharing!... I'm thinking about do my self the maintenance in the bike, so your videos are good as a tutorial to get it.
I'd like subtitles in Spanish, because my english is not so good... Anyway, thanks.
Great tutorial! Thank you! For this and the valve adjustment video. Good side tips and straight forward methods.
Thanks for the video. Gives me confidence to try my own. Great shirt, BTW. Nine Line Apparel rocks!
Fantastic detailed review here thanks a lot.
Better a bit lose rather than a bit tight . Clearance will reduce as engine heats up . To tight will eventually burn a valve . Cheers .
Awesome video, just a quick tip. Sometimes it pays to check the cylinder head bolts are torqued down to specs. Otherwise, valve adjustments can still be out. When a 5/8 TDC tool becomes available, valve adjustments will be as good as can be done in a shop. Great looking bike. Thanks for the video, great job. 👍
Sorry, Rocker arm bolts also.😁
Good tip, thanks for bringing that up.
Hello have you found a tools for this. Thanks
@@gregls9837 G'day Greg, No, haven't found a tool as yet. Sorry I can't assist anymore.
Nice video. I have a V7 so this is helpful to me. (Reminds me of adjusting valves on my VW bug)
Hopefully these will be easier to get to then the bug :) Thanks for watching.
Excellent job, thanks for sharing
Thank you. I'll be using your video for when I do my valve adjustments on my new 2021 v85tt. :) Need to buy a feeler gauge tool though.
erring on the side of tight valves is an odd suggestion. the common wisdom is that tappy valves are happy valves. if your engine taps when its cold but quietens down when it's warm, that's perfect. if you go too tight, as the engine heats up, it will lose compression. the tappets keep the valves open just a crack even when they should be closed and it'll run poorly. ask me how i know :-) if you're too loose, it'll tap even when it's warmed up, that's a sign you need to tighten them just a bit. trial and error can work for this.
i highly recommend you put in ngk iridiums. they don't wear and its the last plug will ever have to use. great vid. i've a 2015 guzzi norge
Yeah, I know. I just spent $48 on the two. Should be well worth it though.
A good idea would be to check torque of those small 8mm bolts that hold the valve rocker. Mine became loose
Not a bad idea, do you have the torque spec handy?
@@cubbysue I cannot find specs now but Iam pretty sure it was 8nm. Plus i ued thread glue - blue color, not permanent one. I had this issue after 3 k km. Probaby somejody in the factory did not torque the screw properly. I could hear clear rattling sound in the left valve cover. Took apart valve cover and a screw fell out. The one that secures in place valve rocker shaft.
Yours was built on a Friday. Just before closing time.
Hint: If you are going to shove something in the spark plug hole to feel the piston getting to TDC, use an old plastic ballpoint pen or something similar (old toothbrush?). That way you don't mess up the thread for the spark plug if you overdo things and whack the piston against your 'probe'.
Stunning bike!
I have the Givi crash bars on mine and they come up higher than the OEM or SW Motech bars - blocking off the cam covers.
I've found it easier to just remove the tank and get it out of the way. Takes less time than trying to work around it. Also easier to with with the plug wires with the tank out of the way.
I am sure it's going to be easier to pull the tank to get it out of the way, we'll see how it goes.
How about a clutch cable adjustment/replacement. I loved your centre stand video. I’m the least mechanical person in the world and I was able to install my own centre stand!
very nice demonstration, thanks. But I suggest everyone to use torque wrench so you don't guess how tight things are.
Thanks for showing, very helpful.
I really like this motorcycle. I have yet to go try one out but hopefully this summer I will. My son bought a V7 Stone last year but I prefer the adventure platform. This reminds me of adjusting the valves on my old Yamaha SR500. Can you tell me if it makes a difference which TDC you are looking for? TDC between exhaust and intake strokes or between compression and power strokes?
TDC on the compression stroke.
If you happen to do a service that requires the removal of the tank I think we would all appreciate it. I know it's not rocket science but it's a lot more involved than the old school bikes I've owned up until now. Even if you don't film it, any learnings you got from doing it the first time would be helpful. I saw your video on the Moto Guzzi Rally that was coming up last year in September. I never heard or saw anything about it until today. Thanks for all you do to support the brand.
super video, greetings from Croatia
Greetings from Kentucky.
Similar procedure as in aircooled VW boxer engines. I think I can manage this easily 😊
Help: when adjusting the valves on the right side of the motorcycle (as you’re sitting on it) I noticed that I had to loosen the valves a whole lot in order to fit the feeler gauge underneath. However, this seemed wrong, so I turn the engine just to see what happened and of course when the piston went down the space now in the valves is huge probably like half an inch. This is with me using the .1 and .15 mm on the feeler gauge with the piston in the top position. Any suggestions?
My guess is that your piston was not fully up. Rotate it back around and have another go. I hope you get it figured out, if not, send me another message and I'll try to help if I can.
Thanks for the reply brotha! You were spot on. I adjusted the left side without having the piston all the way up so when I went to do the right side of the engine the valves never adjusted nicely. So I redid the left side and once I went to do the right side again it was a cinch. Thanks for the help!
Thank you for this!
After doing a service, how do we put the service lite out? thanks
How about the Valve cover gasket? Are they good to re-use for a while?? Finally, are head bolt a good idea to re torque while opened up?
Hola amigo !! Quiero comprar esa moto pero tengo algunas dudas , veo que sabes de su mecánica y tu opinión me va a ayudar mucho !! Mi pregunta es si piensas que es una moto confiable resistente , la quiero para hacer viajes de 20 000 millas vivo en Mexico y viajo cada año a Estados Unidos y Canadá necesito una moto que no me deje tirado fácilmente necesito una moto confiable tú sabes
!!! Excelente video muchas gracias suscripción saludos
Very similar to my old Oil head BMW valve adjustment, except I'd use a pencil and if you roll the engine to quickly the pencil shoots out.
I'd be afraid the pencil would break off in the cylinder head. Woops....
Hello, how are you, your video is very good! well illustrated, I consult it when I look for the valance of the valves I take out the spark plug of the other cylinder?, since in the video it was seen that the engine offered resistance. Thank you in advance for what you share, it is very helpful! Greetings from Rosario SF, Arnetina.
i have a stelvio, to check the top dead end i do not use any metal tool inside the cylinder, steel tools could damage aluminum piston, i always use a drinking straw
Hey Cubby, how do I know when I hit TDC? The engine is a four stroke and I cannot tell when I attempt this.
NB don't err _too_ far on the side of being too tight. That would cause the valves to leak during compression and power strokes. The clearance is needed because the valves get hotter than the cylinder head, hence they expand more, and the clearance reduces when the engine is hot. This is also why the exhaust valve needs more clearance, it gets hotter.
Many thanks from France.
You are welcome......ride safe.
Thanks for the video, question for you, did you bike come with a OEM tool kit under the seat?
Yes. But it is the spanner for adjusting the rear spring. You should have gotten one. It's in a red bag.
Looking at that bike yesterday. I know nothing about them. Watching the valve timing you did was aswome. I love to wrench and have rebuilt 2 boat motors. Trading my harley 2022, so looking at a miriad of bikes that may work. I would love to call you and talk about the guzzi...somewhere on here there is a way to do pms. But I cannot remember how....Also watched your camping video, I too use a cot "they are well worth it if you can pack it"!
I can't hardly camp without it now, that cot changed everything for me. As for pm's, I have no idea how. Somebody help us out.
Also remember this is a pushrod engine. The pushrod is made of steel.
The cylinder and head are aluminium.
Steel will not react in the same degree as aluminium when heated up to normal driving temperature.
The pushrod in this motor is made of titanium to make it lighter
Brill video, really useful ty :-)
Very useful indeed. A big thank you!
So happy to hear it helped! Thanks for watching.
Thank you for the video I am going to buy same bike after first of year
I hope you do, I think you will enjoy it.
Thanks a lot for all info very well explain. I have to decide if I will buy a moto Guzzi V85TT adventure. You seem to be very knowledgable on this bike, but for a non mechanical person how reliable is this bike in comparison with other. I don't know if I will go with the Yamaha super tenere 3k$ more expensive but with bigger engine and electronic suspension or this moto Guzzi less expensive
I put 13,000 miles on that bike in 11 months. I never had any problems with it and have now bought another V85TT and have 1,000 miles on it. I don't do "heavy" off-road riding on the bike, dirt trails and gravel roads occasionally. Never had an issue.
Very good video, I have seen that you do the services of the motorcycle, do you know how to delete the key that appears in the box indicating service?
No, my service center shuts it off for me free of charge.
Great video! Thank you for this
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching.
Thx , great job
Merci beaucoup l'Ami
How do you reset the wrench? It would be great if you could add this to your video collection. Great work. Love the bike.
You can't. It has to be done by the dealership. I wish it were possible, I even purchased a handheld scanner and Moto Guzzi adapter to try. Sorry. Wish I could help.
Hello Guzzi owners, I use to have a Lemans 2 and this bike had an inspection hole with a rubber cap at the bellhousing with TDC flywheel markings.
Do these new bikes have no such option?!
No such luck on these. Would be nice if it did.
Any time in the compression and power strokes both valves should be closed, and hence the rocker arms should have clearance between them and the valve. Hence the piston being perfectly top-dead-center is not critical. You just want to be "near enough" at the top of the compression stroke. So don't anyone damage their engine by breaking what ever probe you use to check piston position.
Great vid. Is there no inspection cover to wind over to tdc?
Unfortunately not. Would be extremely helpful if it did.
Set screw, lock nut and valve clearance are the proper nomenclature..........
Also, "go" and "no go".
Good stuff
Thanks a lot.
Long individual feeler gauges are easier to use.
How do you like the bike overall?
It's too heavy and under powered to do any real offroading. It's too light and vibrates too much to do long distance travel. But it fits right in between the two for light off pavement use and short (6hrs. or less) destination rides. Multiple day rides are doable, but not pleasant to do. That being said, I really like the bike and find it a joy to ride. I would certainly buy the bike again knowing its shortcomings. I really bought the bike because I fell in love with the look. : )
merci pour cette vidéo et les sous titres en français 👍
I have no idea how to do that. Maybe I will watch a tutorial on it.
great video, thank you
I have never owned a bike that you didn't find TDC with a mark on the flywheel or crankshaft, etc. Is this really the only way to find TDC on the bike? It seems like such an archaic non-precision method.
Tell me about it. I can't think of a worse way of checking for TDC.
@@cubbysue I was looking at some TDC tools that screw into the sparkplug hole. It sure looks better than sticking a free-floating steel rod down the hole. Also after looking at MANY forum discussions on this, it's not necessary to be right on TDC to adjust the valves. There seems to be quite a leeway either side of TDC (at least 12 degrees) where the clearance doesn't change. I've always gone for exact TDC on all my 61 bikes in the past 55 years of riding, but never really thought about how close you had to be. It appears just being close is the same as being right on.
Yeah, there is a lot of "wiggle room" on this bike. Don't particularly care for the design on that.
@@cubbysue I just got a new Kawasaki W800 about 3 weeks before my new V7 Centenario. I like that I can adjust the valves on the V7 without removing the tank (and it has more room to get the valve covers off than the TT models). But the W800 has a unique shim and bucket arrangement. Of course you have to remove the tank, but then take off the valve cover and slide the tappet over to lift out the shim and replace it. How easy is that? Great design. And bevel gear drive for the cam instead of a cam chain. And it rides better than my Guzzi. But it has a lot more vibration 3000-4000 rpm which is right in the cruising range of 50-70 mph. But I love both bikes.
they make a tool to make setting the valves alot easier. its only about 25 bucks and totally worth it.
You need to post a link to that in the comments to let us all know how to get one. Never thought to look to see if a special tool was made for it.
Why not check clearance before loosening adjuster? It might be spot on already.
Mine were loose, they were making a lot of noise. My last oil change was last weekend and just checked them and didn't have to adjust. But, it would have been a boring video just checking them and not adjusting. :)
I think you forgot to mention that top dead center of the piston is on the compression stroke only!!!! TDC on the exhaust stroke will give the wrong clearances!!!!!
Sometimes I just assume that people have more knowledge of wrench turning than they do and I wish when I made this video, I would mentioned that.
Good evening from Italy! I saw that you have the flange for the cases with the tanklock system. If you read the instructions, it is written that you must mount two supports behind the fork, to reduce steering angle. Did you put them?
No, I use a 5L bag and it does not interfere with the steering at all. My tanklock mount didn't have anything with it to reduce my steering angle. I didn't even know that was a issue. My mount is about 2 years old now and maybe only the newer ones come with that? Thanks for watching.
GREAT GOOD VIDEO
Thank you sir.
NEVER use anything METAL to check TDC, if you don't have a proper TDC gauge (which are quite reasonably priced, even Guzzi specific ones) then use a long plastic or paper drinking straw and once you have it at TDC you can mark it with a sharpie for next time and no danger of damage to piston or head. Using that allen or a screwdriver could leave you with a very large repair bill.
Can you do a rear brake pad replacement on MG 850 TT?
I did it 3 months ago but didn't video it because it took me about 4 minutes to do. It is super easy, you should have no problem doing it.
How satisfied are you with the VTT, do much off road?
I enjoy it alot on the road. It's comfortable to cruise on, yet has great feedback in the corners when I am pushing it hard. I didn't like the stock trail tires on it though. I just bought new tires and it grips well in the dirt and I have enough traction to drag the pegs in the turns. Off-road, it's a little heavy and there are a lot of nannies on the bike that you have to shut off to do anything. When the rear tire looses traction, it cuts all power and you usually stall out. With all of that shut off, it's pretty capable. You quickly run out of suspension travel when going over obstacles or small jumps on the trail. Overall, I like it enough that I traded the red and white one for a new black one.
@@cubbysue Thanks brother much appreciated and well done on the How To vids...
Doing your own maintenance, how have you been getting around the service light? I’m coming up on my first service with my new V85 and am worried about that having to be reset. I’ve done all my own work on my V7 that didn’t have a service light.. cheers!
I have to take to my dealer to have the light reset. It's the only way to do it as of right now.
@cubbysue thanks for the reply. I'm in a pickle because I have a trip planned to Colorado in 2 months and my bike currently has about 800 miles on it. I plan on doing the service myself before the trip but the wrench light is going to go off while I'm riding up there and will drive me nuts!! Only dealer near my area is Austin and it's pretty far out of my way.. Did the dealer give you any crap about doing the service yourself and resetting your light? Did they charge you anything? Thanks.
@@xtrythis1170 No, they know me and have watched the videos themselves... they just reset it for free. I hope you have a good trip, maybe you can find a dealer along the way.....
Ride safe!
The light is actually a badge of honor! We call it the "Golden Wrench Award" and you earn it by doing your own service.
@@kurtnugent7153 😅😅
Hi Cubbysue, cold or warm engine to ajust the valves? Why aren't you using a torque-tool to turn screws?
I adjust cold and have not had any issues that way.
@@cubbysue thanks, I will try it tomorrow
What’s the interval for valve check / adjustment on a new 85tt?
Every 10k km, or 6200 miles.
Except for the first 1500km check
Great video, sir! In a couple of days I will adjust the valves in my V85TT. One quick question: what year is yours? Mine is 2019 and I think the spark plug cable has a closed clamp bolted on the head of the cylinder, and it is a pain to remove. Most people remove the fuel tank completely or leave the cylinder head aside, hanging off the cable.
Mine is a 2020 and yours should be the same as mine. Good luck to you, I hope it goes smoothly.
The valve clearance 0.10 and 0.15 is on a warm engine or cold engine?
Warm engine.
@@cubbysue Thanks mate.
@@cubbysue Are you sure about this? My service manual says to adjust valves on a cold engine, and that's how it was with my previous Guzzis.
cold
@@chrismurphy4724 Thanks mate.
Is there a crankshaft cover that can be removed to reveal a mark for TDC on the compression stroke for each cylinder?
Not that I am aware of. That would be nice though.
The old 1064cc engines (eg Sport1100) had a window to the flywheel, which was marked for TDC, and a bolt on the front to turn the engine over - very nice! Sadly the new smaller engine does not have that.
Yes. The engine manual shows timing marks for alignment on both the crankshaft and timing sprocket
Good stuff. I do agree with Steve Johnson in the comments with regards to err on the side of loose than tight. To some of the noobs I recommend using a plastic straw for a top dead center gauge, not applicable in Commiefornia.....Lol! There are some inexpensive gauges available on eBay too. Are the fuel tanks on the V85 steel of aluminum?
The tank is plastic.
Surely moot buzzing has a window with markings on a flywheel to align tic?
Nope. Go figure.....
@@cubbysue Hi what I did for my racing bike was j took an old spark plug and drilled out the centre to accommodate a dial test indicator sometimes called a clock gauge in the engineering trade fitted with a longer plunger. Hope this helps out as it is child’s play getting true tdc. Also bear in mind you want to approach tdc in the normal rotation direction . Thks