Version User Scope of changes
Jun 17 2009, 3:12 AM EDT Mackerz 1 word added, 1 word deleted
May 23 2009, 4:19 AM EDT Mackerz 37 words added

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1. Metal Stone Engine Oil
I change my oil every 5000km and the filter every 10,000km. After trying a few different oil types I've settled on Penrite Diesel 20W-60. This is a CH-4 oil with all the good stuff for top end protection. A lot of Hardly riders use it:


This is a turbo diesel oil and so far above the specifications of the crap some shops sell as "genuine" bike oil it's not funny. Diesels have shell bearing cranks and high compressions, so a good diesel oil has to be able to withstand much more flat bearing hammering than any petrol engine oil. But a turbo sits in the exhaust and spins to five figure numbers all day so the same oil has to cope with extreme heat and revolutions too. Having ruined one Harley motor on synthetic oil and "heard" the difference in a few more, I wouldn't go near it for anything other than sheer racing performance. Fact is the motor I blew was running harder and faster than it ever had on synthetic oil but there's very little drag because there's very little oil between the surfaces! [John West , Live to Ride, July 2007.]

(Some more details here: http://www.shellusserver.com/qa/answerresult.php?rowid=169 and here http://www.shellusserver.com/qa/answerresult.php?rowid=239)

Look for the CH or CI rated oils because they have high zinc concentrations. Some of the CJ oils do too but most don't.
Of the petrol-engine oils, you need an SE, SF or SG rated oil, which are becoming increasingly harder to find. Check, also, the SM oils - the low zinc levels only apply to 0w-, 5w-, and 10w-30 oils. If an SM oil meets ACEA A2/B2, A3/B3 or A3/B4, its zinc level will not have changed; many are well over the 1000ppm, which is needed for our Guzzis.


Penrite recommend their synthetic SIN 10W-70 for the big Guzzis with extended drain intervals. But I prefer more regular changes, and the SIN is expensive. The SIN 10W-70 does meet the latest Moto Guzzi recommended specifications, though, being high in zinc at 0.12ppm.
I measured out 3 litres of oil and, with a new filter and after firing up the bike, it came to the top mark of the dipstick. I've never had any come out of the breather hose.


Oil Filter Having used Ryco air and oil filters in my cars for the last 30 years, I use Ryco oil filters in the Stone: Z418, Z82, Z87A will fit. (The Z82 has now been superseded by the Z418). Other filters which fit include the Valvoline VO22, Harley 63798-99, HiFlo 551 and UFI 2328700. I've seen pics of filters spinning off Cali's - and they've all been UFIs. I can get Rycos anywhere but UFIs are more expensive and take more effort to obtain. The dealer sometimes only stocks HiFlo filters but I haven't tried them.

Gearbox Oil Change: I use Penrite Hypoid 80W-90.
Rear Drive Oil: I use Penrite Hypoid 80W-90. with squirt of Molybond Formula 2.5.
Front Fork Oil Change: I use Penrite ATF DX-111.
Spark Plugs: NGK BPR6ES. The 'R' is for radio repression, so I've used NGK BP6ES, too. Changed every 10,000km.


2. Breva 750 Engine Oil and Filter Change
The manual calls for oil and filter changes at 7500km. We've brought the Breva into line with the Stone - reduced the oil change to 5000km and extended the filter to 10,000km. In the Breva I use Penrite Diesel 15 15W-50, another CH-4 oil. I haven't found an oil filter other than the Moto Guzzi issued UFI.
When I last changed the oil and filter, I carefully measured out 2L of oil and poured it in. Before firing up the bike - that is, before the filter was filled - I checked the level. It came up exactly to the top of the flat on the dipstick. After firing up and letting the oil settle, it came up exactly to the top ridge of the dipstick. Bike was exactly level and vertical.

Gearbox Oil Change: I use Penrite Hypoid 80W-90. There's been some transmission noise in fifth gear so, after discussion with Penrite's Technical Service, I've been using Transaxle 75 which has improved gear shifting.
Rear Drive Oil: I use Penrite Hypoid 85W-140 with squirt of Molybond Formula 2.5.
Front Fork Oil Change: I use Penrite ATF DX-111.
Spark Plugs: NGK BR8ES. Changed every 10,000km.

Encountered Problems and Upgrades

1. Metal Stone

  • Slight fuel leak: fuel leaked into the tool tray not long after picking up the bike. Fixed by dealer in 5 minutes.
  • Flat tyre: the front tyre went flat on the way home from work. Turned out to be a series of pin holes at a join in the Brazilian-made tube.

  • Rear LH indicator: a common problem, this broke off at the mount. Fixed by inserting a long bolt through the housing. Take off the number-plate backing-plate, under the brake lights. Get a long drill bit and drill through the brass fitting and into the baffles. Insert a long, thin bolt. Eventually did the same to the right-hand rear indicator.

  • Rear Shocks: I don't know what Moto Guzzi were thinking with their rear shocks, but a couple of lengths of 4x2 20-year old jarrah floor joist would have done a better job. I replaced them with Ikon shock absorbers. The OEM shocks were hard and jarred the spine over rough roads - the Ikons are still firm but don't have that spine-jarring finish. Well worth their reasonable price.

  • Clock: the 40km/hr speed limit around schools a certain times of the day is a pain. So is having to end a ride to get to work for an evening shift! I mounted a Marlin's clock on the handlebar for this reason. None exactly fit the Stone's non-standard 30mm handlebars, but trimming the clock's silicon collar sorted that problem out.

  • Gear linkage came off the spindle in the back of the gear box. Tightened up the bolt, check it regularly since but it hasn't happened again. This Allen-head bolt is damned hard to get to. This has happened to a number of Stones that I'm aware of and could cause a serious accident if it happens at the wrong time. I was nearly rear-ended by a following car as I came out of a corner. It happened to a mate's Stone just as he commenced descending down Mt Hotham. Check it before it happens to you!

  • Power Commander PCIII: I fitted this out of curiosity and because tune-ups didn't get rid of the slightly "snatchy" throttle responses. It has made a marked improvement in the bike's throttle response. Power delivery is smooth right up through the power band with no flat spots. A dynotune would improve it further, I'm told. It takes about 30 seconds to fit - simply plug into the bike's ECU behind the LHS cover. I obtained mine from Guzzitech in the US who are the Guzzi-gurus for PCIIIs.

  • Lafranconi mufflers and a Guzzitech crossover tube: extravagant I know, but fitted these and found smoother acceleration and a more interesting sound. Bought the mufflers second-hand on Ebay.

  • Speedo cable: the cable broke at 35,000km. Replaced cable - and the speedo was slow. Removed speedo and took it into Howard Instruments for repair. They reckon that it's not the cable breaking that jams the speedo, but the speedo jamming which breaks the cable.

  • Swingarm Seepage: I noticed a slight dribble from the rubber plug on the RH swingarm chrome cover. Upon inspection the chrome nut was filled with grey lubricant. Peter Roper at Guzzi Exchange wrote this. Everything seems OK so far.

  • Tight fuel cap: another common fault, the fuel cap becomes increasingly difficult to turn with the key. The problem is that the plastic in the cap swells from contact with petrol. For 40,000km I persisted with squirting Inox into the key-hole, but the problem slowly worsened. Eventually I took the cap apart and filed the offending green plastic where it turns against the alloy casing. You'll need a big bastard to file it, though - that plastic is hard! Problem solved in 10 minutes

  • Relays: the Yuasa battery never did sound emphatic, and played up during winter. I replaced it with an Odyssey PC545. This didn't fix an annoying slow-cranking starter motor which slowly worsened over several years. It manifested itself as a flat battery on a cold start, but seemed OK during the day when the bike was warm. I cleaned every terminal and ran a different ground lead but without success. Eventually, the starter solenoid wouldn't work - just a rat-a-tat-tat sound when the starter button was pressed, unless I jump-started it. The UK Guzzi Forum pointed me in the direction of the known poor performance of the Siemans V23703 relays used in this era bike. I replaced them with a set from Pyro Dans -$16.66US posted - problem solved!
  • Ventura Rack: added for touring. Perfect fit. This Kiwi product is good stuff. Later I bought their sport rack and bag, too, for everyday riding.

  • Fork Seal: the right-hand fork seal began weeping at 51,000km. Replaced with an after-market seal. (See the workshop pages.)

  • Headlight Low-beam: this failed as I rode off the Spirit of Tasmania at 7pm! Had to follow Jane's Breva home through the night. Auto replacement bulb.

  • Engine Temperature Sensor: this is a known problem. I noticed my fuel consumption went up last winter (from 19-29km/l to 14-15km/l) but returned to normal in the summer. On the first cold snap this winter it again went up, engine ran a bit rough and the spark plugs showed signs of running rich. Problem was the engine temperature sensor, located on the RHS cylinder head. When I removed the blue connector, the sensor was loose and could be removed by hand - the bike does have 60,000km on it, so not unexpected perhaps. (Some claim that an air gap exists between the bottom of the sensor and the engine as well, distorting the message to the ECU). Obtained some heat sink compound from my local auto shop (computer shops have it, too), replaced sensor and the bike ran like new! Nickel-based anti seize works, too, I'm told. Check this link out for some pics: http://www.guzzitech.com/Pages/tempsensor.htm


2. Breva 750

  • Fuse failed on first start up a few days after riding in heavy rain. Replaced fuse.

  • Rear brake light bulb failed twice. Replaced with one from my local auto parts dealer and she's been good as gold.

  • Indicator bulb blew. Unable to find an auto replacement. The Guzzi one costs $16.00!!!

  • Side stand: this became very heavy to use and difficult to extend with wet boots. The only way to get grease into the swivel joint is with a toothbrush - more than WD40 is needed. Later I found that a drop of engine oil with the grease really loosened things up. I also put a short bolt through the tang for extra boot purchase.

  • Pannier sits on RH muffler: this means the hot muffler melts a slight indent into the pannier. The bods who know reckon that the exhaust pipes are out of alignment. I've loosened all the brackets but nothing is going to budge unless I undo the flanges at the cylinder head. Decided to ignore the problem. (Update: see Greg Bender's Moto Guzzi Service Update for a fix to this).

  • Oil leak: at 55,000km we noticed oil streaming on to the LHS side panel and pegs. Oil traced to LHS cylinder. Thought a gasket had gone but investiagationinvestigation revealed the oil (feeder?) hose on the back of the rocker cover had come loose, allowing oil to run around the fins and blow along the bike. Replaced the clamp.