The rust is what happens when the bike sits for a year or two without being run. There’s moisture in the air. That air enters the engine. Anything not protected by the oil will rust. Engines need to be run.
Update for the valve adjustment: Just to be clear, each cylinder needs to be at TDC on the compression stroke before adjustment. Also, what I thought was a screwdriver pry mark was in fact a cylinder stamping in the shape of a V, probably done at the factory. Both my v7 and v9 had the stamping on each cylinder head. Thank you for all the views!!! Later Gaters!!!
Great looking bike. Your analysis is spot on, a migration of internal moisture. The dealership may have started the bike for only short periods, not letting the bike warm up to full temp. Lay or stuff a rag on the top of the heads to completely block off any debris or liquids from getting into the oil passageways. Then clean those rusted rocker arms off with brake cleaner. Then take a smaller artist type paint brush and go over all that rust with Rustmort. Leave alone overnight. Wipe off any excess and let dry. Rustmort is good at stopping and encapsulating rust, especially thin rust like you have. If that isn't satisfactory, have those rocker arms plated?
Thanks for the feed back. The moisture just attacked the weakest metal being the cast iron rocker shafts. All the other parts inside seem good, either plated parts or aluminum. I'll open it back up soon and try your suggestion. I'll post another video with the results. That would be a good job for a laser cleaner but who knows where to find that service.;)
cadrecycle.com/moto-guzzi-service-manuals/ I believe that it's the same clearance, but double-check it. Here is the link to the service manual free download. 😀 Good luck, little dummy!
If you read the comments below, it explains what happened at the dealership. My v7 stone didn't have any corrosion. Humid weather at the dealership, and they never let the bike warm up all the way. Everything's fine now, no worries 👍
What an unbelievable discovery! Corroded part on a new bike? I'll be upset too if that happened to me. The dealership where I got it from will surely hear from me. I want to know what they have to say to that . .
