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First mv, need advice.

5K views 27 replies 9 participants last post by  jeteast 
#1 ·
Hey guys decided to jump on the forums as it is always a lot easier to work on a bike with advice from people who have already done it.

just bought a 2005 MV f4s last week with 19k miles on it, and it is in need of a little love. previous owner dropped it in a parking lot and gave it some minor scratches on the left side. from what I can tell it seems to run well, but has a really bad oil leak from the valve cover gasket, new gasket is on the way. also when its running it has a loud tapping/clicking noise sounds a lot like a Ducati dry clutch..is this normal? Is there anything else I should be looking at as far as safety/reliability issues with it

I live in southern California close to San Diego. any advice on good shops in the area or parts suppliers would be greatly appreciated. also. or advice in general, I'm pretty decent at working on bikes, I've had my 07 zx6 torn completely down to the frame at one point, but am a little nervous taking apart one that is this expensive :) never dreamed I would actually own the most beautiful bike ever built...

thanks in advance for any help Micah k. :f4:
 
#2 ·
#3 ·
Welcome to the forum mate.
Lots of info in the F4 section as well as the Maintenance question.
You might want to look at that loud tapping sound sooner rather than later, I'm thinking timing chain tensioner damaged.
Download the engine and chassis workshop manuals from the indicated site and have a good read.
 
#4 ·
Micah;
download a manual from Donsy's site.....i prefer them printed
I think Donsy is probably right about the cam chain tensioner.......do you have a mechanic's stethoscope? because the primary drive is a bit noisy

a few seconds with the stethoscope will tell you

re; valve cover gasket, RTV both sides all the way around with a very light coat.....the manual says just at the cam cuts

i do the cover nuts too.....yes, they have O-rings want to do it twice?
 
#5 ·
awesome thanks for all the recommendations guys. I've already downloaded a copy of the engine manual, now just have to wait for the parts to get here. I don't have a mechanics stethoscope so that option is out. Is the cam tensioner a common problem with these bikes? I replaced my Kawasaki tensioner with an ape racing manual tensioner. from the manual it looks like this bike has an auto adjusting tensioner, is it a good idea to switch it to a manual or should I just replace it with an oem part.

Donsy many thanks for the shop manual uploads, they are so much better than my kawasaki shop manual. Now I just need to buy another printer and print the whole thing out.
 
#6 ·
Is the cam tensioner a common problem with these bikes? I replaced my Kawasaki tensioner with an ape racing manual tensioner. from the manual it looks like this bike has an auto adjusting tensioner, is it a good idea to switch it to a manual or should I just replace it with an oem part.
No problem Micah. As for the tensioner, not so much a problem as there being an updated version available for some of the earlier models, have a search through the Maint section I think, there's a few discussions on this topic.
Get the updated MV tensioner, and have a look at the bottom of my website (manual), there's a official instruction .pdf you can download.
 
#8 ·
Excellent write up Ian... Since the valve cover has to come off anyways, I might as well just order the tensioner now. I checked it and it definitely still has the old style tensioner installed
 
#9 ·
You will find the MV much easier to work on than your Kwacker was...fear not. And MV's do have a pretty noisy engine compared to Japanese bikes...but doesn't it make glorious sounds???
 
#11 ·
http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb434/white91mx5/IMAG02741.jpg
so 1 hours work and this is what it looks like now, I'm absolutely in love with this machine. this process would have taken 3-4 hours on the kawi sitting next to it.

Just got the shipment notification from pro italia today, so hopefully by the end of the week I will have the new gasket.

Noel is there a particular gasket sealer you would recommend using? I tried doing a forum search for that and came up with nothing. I have permatex ultra grey and ultra copper in the garage right now, just want to make sure that I use the correct stuff. don't want to have to go thru this whole process again.
 
#14 ·
thanks cag, btw I heard you were the person to talk to for sourcing metal fuel line fittings. I definitely need some.
I've also read a lot about the wellnuts needing to be replaced. are they the nuts that hold the side covers onto the airbox? the previous owner removed them and epoxied the covers in place. He told me that they can come loose and drop into the intake....I am going to end up having the whole bike painted and those covers will be replaced with carbon fiber ones, but I will still need a good way to fasten them to the airbox. epoxy is not gonna work for me :wtf:
 
#15 · (Edited)
Micah;
any of the Permatex RTV silicone sealers will work......i use the high temp orange......because when cleaning up you can see any of it lying around:)

I clean the surfaces with lacquer thinner......like Carl said use a THIN coat.....put it on the cover screws too

bring your bike to Redondo Beach and I'll install the rivnuts in the air box for free :drummer:
 
#17 ·
Murrieta!? I remember when they first got a Wal*Mart. I grew up down Hwy 79 in Aguanga! Now I want a sandwich from Honeycutt Farms... :(

Moto Forza is the way to go, great shop and very knowledgeable. I bought my 312R from them. Then stop in Fallbrook and send me some avocados! Hahaha! Hope you enjoy the F4, they're great bikes.
 
#18 ·
thanks Noel, I'll take you up on that when I get the bike running again. Either that or just bring the airbox by next time I'm up in that area, since the bike is in pieces in the garage right now. j_spec I love where i live, its a little out of the way but really convenient getting to the canyons....Palomar is just a 30 minute ride away. definitely gonna have to stop by Moto Forza sometime, if only just to drool over the new bikes :)
 
#19 ·
I finally got around to attempting these repairs over the christmas holiday, and I am definitely not a qualified mv mechanic. Timing chain slipped a tooth and now she is bound for some major surgery. lesson learned
 
#21 ·
donsy I was pulling the old tensioner out and it felt like it was stuck, pulled harder and it popped out didnt have time to tension the wire holding the chain in place. chain slipped at least two teeth. I'm done messing around with it. just gonna have to pony up the cash to get her repaired right. hopefully its not gonna cost more than the bike is really worth.
 
#22 ·
You know you slipped teeth so the engine hasn't been turned over yet right? Isn't there a way to align the timing marks and have the chain re-tensioned? Asking you engine guys… but I thought if the chain slipped, you just had to re-align the valves and such and re-tension the chain, no?
 
#23 ·
Ian I don't really trust myself to do something like that. I can just imagine hearing valves smash into cylinders...paying the extra coin for peace of mind is worth it to me.
 
#24 ·
Okay Micah, as long as you have not started the bike, you would not have done any damage.
So it would take a mechanic laterally less than 30min to sort the problem.
It's all very well laid out in the engine manual, from locking the crank into position before removing tensioner right down to checking the cam and crank marks after you're done, then you turn the crank by hand to test, before hitting the button.

Anyway, if you're not confident to do this, take it to a dealer for sure.
 
#25 ·
Thats good to know Donsy, I'll write up a final cost report when I get her running again.
It's been nothing but problems with both bikes for the last couple months. I'm getting tired of wrenching and just want to ride.
 
#26 ·
quick update, dropped her off at gp cycles in San Diego, over a month ago. parts shipping times are no joke. no damaged valves or anything really expensive, they are going thru the entire top end replacing valve seals etc so not a complete waste of time. cost so far to get her put back together is right at $1300 not bad for an Italian superbike...cant wait to get out there and ride it.
 
#27 ·
just got her back yesterday, $1500 total for a head rebuild, ouch. but now she should be ready to rip, only question now is paint it now, while its all apart, or paint it later.
 
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