“What a Dipstick”
By
Mark W
I've recently become the very happy owner of a
Norge GT. A fantastic bike, but like any good Italian bike it has a few
small design "issues". Nothing too serious, just a few annoying
little things really. To me the big
one is that checking the engine oil level is a major operation involving
the removal of no less than three sections of the fairing. Whilst I
understand that Guzzi's don't tend to use oil I feel happier knowing
my engine has the right amount of oil rather than merely assuming
it has. This lack of access could lead to owners not checking their oil as
often as they should. Those who do check it often may well find that
removing and refitting fairing panels so often causes damage to them.
Bearing in mind that this is a touring bike that will likely be used for
extended periods away from the owner's home workshop facilities this is
not a satisfactory state of affairs.
Thanks to the wonders of the internet I was
able to find a solution. The well known firm of Teo Lamers (www.tlm.nl)
has produced a replacement dipstick assembly. I ordered one online and
received it in Australia in less than two weeks. It cost me $132AUD
including postage. It came very well packed but did not include fitting
instructions. So I thought I'd provide some here.
Disclaimer: This is intended as a "Dummy's
Guide" to fitting the Teo Lamers product. I am not a mechanic (although I
am a tradesman) and I had no trouble with this job. However, I accept no
responsibility if you choose to use this information and cause any damage
to yourself or your bike. If you are unsure of doing any mechanical work
you should leave it to a professional.
Heres what you get;
It arrived fully assembled as shown below
This picture below shows
it broken down into its various parts. The piece on the right screws into
the engine. The tube is retained by the other two pieces. It is rather
like the compression fittings found in household plumbing fittings. The
tube is threaded inside at the top end for the new dipstick to screw into.
Fitting it to the
bike;
Tools required:
4mm Allen Key, 10mm socket, 7mm & 13mm spanners (ring or open end), 27mm
open end spanner or adjustable wrench.
1. Remove the
lower fairing panels as shown in the owners manual. If you don't have the
owners manual one can be found here
Guzzitech.com -
Manuals. You'll need a 4mm Allen key (preferably a T Bar or one on a
socket extension), and a 10mm socket. All screws/bolts are the same length
so don't worry about keeping them sorted.
2. You'll need to
unfasten the main fairing panel on the left to enable you to move it
aside. This is mentioned in the owners manual but it lacks detail, so I'll
give some more information here. First thing you'll need is a couple of
spanners, a 7mm and a 13mm. Remove the two 7mm bolts and remove the
fairing mounting bracket shown below.
Now remove the two 13mm
bolts that the fairing bracket was attached to. This releases the rear of
the fairing. You'll then need to detach the press fitting towards the
front of the fairing (not shown in the picture). You can now move the
fairing to the left enough to access the dipstick.
3. At long last we
can remove the dipstick, its still not easy to get at unless you have
extremely skinny arms. Take heart, this is the last time you'll be doing
this. In the picture below the standard dipstick is clearly visible. I'm
using a piece of cloth to hold the fairing out of the way. Take care not
to bend the fairing too far. When you remove the dipstick take a note of
the oil level as you normally would (without the dipstick screwed in).
We'll compare this to the new fitting later on.
4. Screw the
double end "adapter" into the dipstick hole (the side with the washer and
O ring to the engine).
To tighten this you'll
need a 27mm open end spanner or adjustable wrench as I've used here. I
know, I'm not a fan of them either but it was all I could lay hands on. It
is possible to get the spanner between the lower edge of the fairing and
the exhaust header pipe. Take your time and mind the fairing panel.
5. Next, place
the small compression washer into the fitting (narrow side down) and then
loosely screw the lock nut into place, finger tight is all you need at
this stage. Now put the bottom end of the pipe into the lock nut. Remember
that the top end of the pipe is threaded inside for the dipstick so be
sure you have it the correct way up. I needed to tap it into place using a
hammer and a piece of timber. Do not hit the end of the pipe
directly with a hammer or similar tool as this will likely cause damage.
You need to ensure the pipe goes all the way "home" into the fitting. once
this is done you can tighten the lock nut, this is another 27mm fitting.
6. Now insert the
new dipstick. Before doing anything else check the oil level. Do this with
the dipstick unscrewed, as you would with the standard part. I compared
the two before fitting and found that the TLM part is calibrated to be
used this way. If you notice a significant difference in the oil level
compared to when you checked it in Step 3 it could be that the pipe is not
seated correctly into the fitting, this would show as a lower oil level
than was first measured. If this is the case loosen the lock nut and
repeat Step 5.
7. Refit the
fairing panels in the reverse order that they were removed. Take special
care with the tab fittings, they look quite fragile to me.
8. Job done, well
almost. I found that with mine the top to the dipstick was touching
against the fairing panel. It was only just touching and did not interfere
with refitting the fairing. However over time and with vibration it would
probably cause damage to the plastic. To correct this I added some washers
behind one of the fairing screws as shown below. This moved the fairing
out and gave the required clearance from the dipstick. It was only a
matter of about 2mm. The dipstick is hardly noticeable when looking at the
bike, and I am very impressed with the level of engineering that went into
the design. It should make living with my Norge that much easier.
9. Sit down with
your beverage of choice and admire your handiwork.
Happy Riding
