Greetings friends,
After my first year as a motorcyclist, I decided it was time to upgrade to a larger and more comfortable bike. I recently sold my 2002 Yamaha Virago 250 and bought a far more appropriately-sized 2004 Moto Guzzi Breva V750ie.
Being a newcomer to the Moto Guzzi community, I've quickly realized that resources (for parts as well as information) for these motorcycles are very limited in the USA. There are several MG-dedicated forums, but often if I'm searching for information on Google, the forum results are hard to navigate. In an effort to add to the limited library of english-language resources for Moto Guzzis, I will be documenting what I learn as I perform routine maintenance or repairs on this bike during my ownership.
Although oil changes are simple matters, a few bits of info I was never able to get a clear answer for were the torque specifications for the two oil drain bolts as well as for the oil filter bolt. Additionally, the gearbox and bevel drive require annual (or 5000mi) oil changes, and the torque values for these bolts are equally unclear. I will share here the torque values I've found to work for all these drain bolts as well as any peculiarities I observe in the oil change procedure.
A Guzzi enthusiast located in Australia, Mike, has many useful videos carrying out maintenance on the Breva 750, so I won't go into any detail about how to perform these oil changes. If you wish to view the relevant videos, they can be found here for the engine oil, and here for the bevel drive and gearbox. Mike's instructions are very thorough, but he unfortunately mentions nothing about torque for any of the fasteners he removes/reinstalls. Here are the torque values I use:
Torque Specifications:
Engine:
Oil Pan Front Drain Bolt: 20 ft-lb (~27 N-m)
Oil Pan Rear Drain Bolt: 15 ft-lb (~20 N-m)
Oil Filter Bolt: 10 ft-lb (~13 N-m)
Gearbox:
Drain Bolt: 15 ft-lb (~20 N-m)
Fill/Level Bolt: 20 ft-lb (~27 N-m)
Bevel Drive:
Drain Bolt: 15 ft-lb (~20 N-m)
Fill/Level Bolt: 10 ft-lb (~13 N-m)
I figured out another trick after having some trouble with the crush washer for the engine oil drain bolt. The washer supplied with my new filter kit was made of aluminum, and too large for the M10 drain bolt, so it sealed poorly and resulted in a minor oil leak. I'm including pictures of it below, to show how it not only poorly seated, but that also the head of the bolt began digging into the non-sealing side of the washer as well. I had a similar sealing issue with a copper crush washer, so I decided to buy some Dowty-type sealing washers, which have bonded rubber on the inside, which provide an excellent seal that doesn't leak oil at all!
It's pretty obvious in these photos how a small section near the bottom of the washer wasn't sealing, and how the bolt head was digging into the washer, likely not helping the sealing issue. The Dowty washer solves this problem providing a perfect seal.
