Colombia AKT TT AdvenTour 250
 

Its official....Took delivery at about 1pm today. Snuck out of work (not easy to do here) and picked it up. The rear case and mirrors were still not installed and the license plate was ready but had no holes drilled in it :wtf:. The gas tank had maybe 5 tablespoons of gas >:(. Left the dealer and promptly rode to the nearest gas station in a light drizzly rain. Lots of positive comments and questions...Keep in mind I dont speak Spanish...yes, 4 years in Colombia and I dont speak Spanish...Dont judge me!!! Answered the questions the best I could and was on my way. The power is amazing after driving the FZ16 (12hp) for the last 3 years. The throttle is very sensitive and the sound is deep and throaty. Rode to my buddies house to drill and install the tag and then off to work. Arriving here I had a permanent smile on my face. My coworkers were laughing at me because I was so happy. Truly like a kid at Christmas. This bike is a beast. Its tall and wide and I am loving the feeling. The shifter feels a little low but going to live with it a little while to see how things shake down over the first few hundred kilometers. The bike gets full maintenance included at the dealer for the first 5 visits. They pay everything except the cost of oil. After that the next 5 or however many visits they pay 50% of everything. Includes all adjustments per the manual. The only caveat is that you must bring it to them within a 500km window. Not shown is the small tank bag they included. Of course more pictures to follow when the weather is better. So far (about 10km anyway) I am one happy camper. :yay: Lots more to follow

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Congrats on your new ride.I hope to be in your country soon with a potential buy of the TT to ride SA and so am very interested in your impressions.
Look forward to your future reports, Thanks for bringing us along.

Congratulations, Mike. :tup: Welcome to The Cult of The Zong. :)

P.S. I can't view the last two attachments in your post.

Congrats! I hope it gives you many happy kilometres.

Pics
 

SpudRider - Thank you. Ill try again.

Inroads - I am no expert on the process but would be happy to help in any way I can. Buying the 250 was very easy. They have a huge dealer network throughout Colombia. They sell them at AKT shops, Alkosto (similar to Sams Club) and at Exito (similar to Super Walmart). I live in a fairly small city (less than 400,000 people) and we have 4 dealers and 3 service centers here. They asked for a Cedula (the national ID card that is used for EVERYTHING) and the money. I have a Cedula for foreigners since I am a resident with a resident Visa. Not sure how the process would work if you didnt have a cedula. Motorcycles are constant targets here for traffic stops. You must show Cedula, Soat (mandatory insurance) and Technomecanico (an inspection certification) which is not required for the first 2 years of a new vehicle. The Soat for this moto is $405,000 COP and is included in the purchase price. Its good for 1 year. The bike came with a free helmet and the Matricula (a document fee of about $180,000 COP) was free as well. They have different promotions at different times. My total total out the door cost was $9,700,000 COP or less than $3200 USD. The actual cost on the bike only is 8,000,000 COP or about $2600 USD. The price has gone up $1,000,000 COP in just the last month. Granted they have added some farkles but I dont really see why other than profit motivation.

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Just found this page on Facebook. Tons of great pictures from 3 guys traveling Colombia on RX3´s. Google can translate everything for you or if you are like me the pics are enough

https://www.facebook.com/La-Magia-de...ref=ts&fref=ts

Your photos are working now, Mike. Thank you. :)

You definitely got the best color; the white bikes look great. :tup:

Thanks for posting the great link. I will certainly be reading that article, and viewing the beautiful photos. Here are just a few of them. :tup:

DaytonaMike - Congrats on the bike! It looks great! That top case looks like it can carry your helmet and a good amount of gear!

Spud - thank for posting some of the photos! Wow, just wow. I'll have to get over to the Facebook page to check out other photos!

Bike problem
 

>:(

Left my house this morning with my son to head to an ATM. Got 3km down the road (remember I picked the bike up Friday so I have a grand total of about 15km on it at this point) and heard a loud clanking noise from the front end. Sounded like something broke loose. At first I thought some bolts from the brake disc were rubbing on the caliper housing, maybe a loose spoke...I had no idea and it was impossible to roll the bike and look and listen for the sound. Immediately pulled over and the sound stopped. Rolled the bike into a parking lot and could only duplicate the sound intermittently. Rode slowly with 4 way flashers to a buddies house and we determined that it is most likely the front bearings. The axle nut was not tight. When we tightened it the wheel did not want to spin freely. We took every thing apart and found some plastic shavings under the speedometer housing at the hub. We greased the hell out of everything, including the terribly dry bearings and put everything back together. The sound is still there. It tends to get worse when the bike is moving and the wheel is turned to the left or right. It is not a constant sound but it sounds really bad and is really loud when it happens. Going to take it in for service as soon as I can on Monday.

Anyone had this issue?

I haven't had that issue, but it is a whole lot of Not Cool.
The plastic shavings are an indication that the tab on the speedo sensor drive may not have been aligned in the groove. The axle nut might have been tight when it left the dealer but quickly became loose when the parts there were no longer acting as spacers.

I suggest removing the wheel again, check the feel of the bearing rotation by finger and also the speedo drive. Hopefully this will help isolate the problem and the shop can quickly fix it. Sounds like they have enough new bikes to pull parts from so should be able to get you out the door quickly.

Just in case, here's the CSC tutorial: http://www.cscmotorcycles.com/Articles.asp?ID=264

Wheel Removal
 

Thanks for the quick reply and advice Jay. Everything was straightforward just like in your link. Luckily my buddy is a highly skilled shade tree mechanic...me not so much but Im not afraid to get dirty and learn. He pulled everything apart just like the tutorial shows. I wasnt happy with the fit of that white plastic piece that protrudes out of the hub and accepts the speedometer housing. It seems sloppy in its fit. Im not totally convinced that its not moving around in there too. The bearing didnt turn very well at all at first. It sounded dry and crunchy (yes a technical term) but we didnt find any metal shavings and the balls all looked solid and in one piece. Thats why we decided to grease it and see how it would do. The grease helped it move better while in our hands but in the end did not solve the issue. The tightness of the axle bolt is concerning to me though. Too tight and the wheel doesnt spin nice and smooth. Too loose and Im worried it will fall off over time. I know locktite will cure my worries but we didnt have any handy. We used thread tape for now. I got some videos with my phone of the sound while we spun the wheel by hand. Sometimes its nonexistent and other times it lasts several seconds and happens in either direction of wheel spin. I will try to post the video but not sure how.

I think you can post the video anywhere like Youtube and just post the link to it here.

Loctite is good, but not the only product that stops stuff from falling off. Weather strip adhesive (aka Yellow death/gorilla snot) applied sparingly to threads and allowed to set up before assembly is good. I have even seen dollops of latex house paint keep a nut from backing off.

But first, get the original problem corrected.

Wheel Sound Video
 

This is not a good situtation, Mike. :ohno: If the bearings sounded "dry and crunchy" when you examined them, they are probably damaged. I wouldn't ride any farther than the dealership until after they diagnose, and fix the problem.

I just watched your video. Either a bearing is bad, or the speedometer sensor is damaged. You should be protected by your warranty coverage; it's obvious this is a factory/dealership defect. Perhaps the dealership installed the front wheel improperly when they assembled the bike.

Once again, I advise you not to ride the bike any farther than the dealership until after they diagnose, and fix the problem. The should swap a front wheel assembly from another motorcycle, and send you away quickly as a happy customer. They can fix the bad wheel later, rather than make you wait. ;)

Thanks Spud
 

Yes, I agree. I was just hoping for a quick and easy fix since its a brand new bike and I want to ride and not wrench. Its parked for now and I hope to get to the dealer tomorrow. Luckily taxis are cheap enough here. I can go anywhere in town for about $1.50 USD

Even silicone will work as a thread locker in a pinch.

Wheel Spacer
 

Let me start by saying that you guys and this forum are awesome. I really appreciate all of the great information, advice, stories, technical data and I am sure a few lies that get posted here daily. Last week and this week at work I have had nothing to do...yes, literally nothing to do, so I have been here and/or on other sites all day long. Ok now to the point. My bike is sitting at home with what I hope is only bad front wheel bearings waiting for me to get off work to take it for repair. I have been researching the hell out of the issue and think I may have found another issue. The buddy that helped me work on the bike yesterday and I were looking at the owners manual posted on this site (Thank you Spud) and he thinks that maybe the spacer/sleeve shown in the photo below is not in there. We didnt remove the bearings yesterday only greased everyhting well. But he thinks when he had his finger in that space that he doesnt remeber if he flt it there. This may be the reason for the bad bearings and also for the fact that the wheel gets difficult to spin the tighter you make the axle bolt. We will hopefully verify tonight. I am tempted to do the repair on the bearings myself because I am worried the dealer will want to keep the bike a day or two if I make a warranty claim. But if that spacer is missing I may be really screwed for a while since I am sure that its not a common or in stock part for them. Does anyone have any information on the specifics on the size of this part so that if needed I can have one made?? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

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Fuel line to Carb hose clamp
 

One other note for bikes with a carb. I noticed last night when I was looking at adding an inline fuel filter that the bike does not have a hose clamp on the carb side of the fuel line :doh: An easy fix but a sloppy mistake on someones part. Jut an FYI for those with carbs to double check their bikes. The hose is a very tight fit to the nipple on the carb but thats when the bike is cool. When everything gets hot it may be a different story.

The bike comes with a clamp. Maybe the dealer 'forgot' to put it in for some reason

Here's a pic of mine (I'm from Argentina, its called the Corven Touring here) when I was removing the fuel tank

Yes, the wheel bearing spacer is necessary. It prevents side loading of the bearings. If this spacer is not installed, the wheel will definitely bind when you tighten the axle. However, this bearing is installed at the factory, and it can't come out unless your remove one of the wheel bearings.

If this wheel bearing spacer is missing, and you didn't remove it, you got a defective wheel from the factory. In that case the dealer should pull the front wheel off another motorcycle, and send you home as a happy customer. ;)

The dimensions of the wheel bearing spacer are critical, and I don't know the dimensions. :shrug: Riding a bike without this spacer will damage the bearings. If the dealer won't swap a front wheel for you, he needs to replace the bearings as well as install the missing spacer.

Front wheel bearing spacer parts
 

There appears to be two parts between the bearings.

1. Support ring: http://www.cscmotorcycles.com/Suppor...-p/z50-109.htm

2. Spacer or inner bush: http://www.cscmotorcycles.com/Inner-...-p/z50-110.htm

Depending on how the middle of the hub is machined, it's possible the bush fell below the axle line while the axle was out. The worry is on the dealer and distributor.

My bike also has a bushing tube inside the hub between the two bearings. It appears to serve no purpose and I thought about leaving it out.


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The wheel bearing spacer (bushing) is necessary. It prevents side loading of the bearings; that is why all my motorcycle wheels have them. ;) The support ring keeps the spacer/bushing in the middle of the hub, so it doesn't slip down, making it hard to get the axle through the hub. :)

My new bearings I could spin the center of the bearing with my finger. When I installed the bearings that center bushing tube put pressure on the bearings and I could no longer spin the center with my finger. I am guessing they are likely spinning as needed with the hub axle but I could no longer turn them with my finger. That kind of surprised and worried me that something went together wrong.


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And a related question in regards to the bearings and axle. I am not sure how to phrase this correctly. When the wheel spins does the axle spin in the center of the bearings? Or does the center ring of the bearing spin?


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Neither the axle, nor the center races of the bearings are supposed to spin. The axle and center races of the bearings are supposed to form a solid, or almost solid unit. This prevents lateral, or side loading on the bearings. The bearings are supposed to spin on the outer races, which are connected to the hub. ;) This arrangement also prevents the axle and inner races of the hub from wearing down due to abrasion.

There is no need to worry. That is exactly the way the wheel bearing spacer/bushing is supposed to operate. ;) If you install the axle without the wheel bearing spacer/bushing, you can tighten the axle too much, and it will put lateral pressure on the inner races of the bearings. This will make the wheel hard to turn, and the lateral force will also damage the bearings. :ohno: For more information, read replies #6 through #13 at the following thread. ;)

http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=54908.0

Thanks Spud. Looks like everything is as it should be.


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You're welcome. :) You raised an excellent question, which deserved a detailed answer. ;)

Thats some good bearing information on that Guzzi forum.


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Indeed, that is an informative thread. :)

As a general rule, trust the engineers who designed the bike. ;) The put the wheel bearing spacer/bushing inside the hub for good reasons. :tup:

Update
 

Adjuster and Spud definitely a good question and answer. I was wondering that myself. Thank you.

Ok an update. I tried to make an online appointment yesterday with the main service center here in town (we have 3) Its the only one that has online scheduling. For warranty work the first available was December 2nd :wtf:. So without an appointment I went to one of the other centers. When I arrived at 415pm there were 4 mechanics standing around talking and a guy behind the counter. I explained what I believe is the problem and one of the mechanics took it for a ride. He heard the noise and they agreed. But they told me the official technician was out for the day and I could leave the bike. I declined and said I would go back today after work. Keep in mind I dont speak Spanish but was armed with my video that shows the noise and the spanish translation for ball bearings.

Another thing..The bike stalled on me yesterday without warning and the front brakes are getting very jumpy. I have been riding really easy and hadnt noticed this before. I use the front brakes exclusively on the street and will have them check this too. Soon I want to replace the pads with the ones Spud recommends if whatever they do at the service center does not make me happy. It has stalled once per day of riding but yesterday there was nothing I could point to that was maybe my fault. I was just sitting at a traffic light idling. Will keep the updates coming. But damn riding this bike always put a smile on my face. Loving the sound, the power, the handling, the style, the whole Zong package.:yay:

If you lift the front wheel, and spin it, does it wobble? If a loose bearing causes the wheel to wobble, the brake won't work properly. See reply #6 at the following thread.

http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=54908.0

Since your bike has a carburetor, you will need to adjust the jets and pilot mixture screw to tune the fuel mixture.

Once again, I caution you not to ride the bike very much until you get the front wheel fixed. Riding in heavy urban traffic is especially dangerous.

Thank you!
 

Spud thanks for the info and the link. Back to the shop this afternoon and I hope to get everything sorted out then. Really appreciate all the great info and advice here!!! Took a taxi everywhere yesterday to avoid riding except to the shop. Today I am on the bike but work is only 5 minutes from home and the shop is only about 8 or 10 from there. We dont have any highways here so speeds rarely get above 30mph in my normal day to day riding around town. Keeping a firm grip on the bike when riding expecting the worst and hoping for the best.

I want to try and tackle all 3 issues in one visit today. Brakes, Bearings and Carb. I hope they cooperate at the service center and I can get that done. The only thing I could probably live without them fixing today is the carb but we will see what happens.

Good luck. Please do keep us updated. :)

No Spacer!!!
 

The service center pulled the wheel and the bearings today and there was NOT a spacer between the bearings :hmm::ohno::tdown:. They had one fabricated and installed it along with a new set of bearings. The front wheel spins nice and free now and the axle nut can be tightened to spec. :yay: They also checked the brake issue and I am not sure if they made any adjustments but they are working fine now. Very happy with the fast and friendly service I received today from the guys a Maxi Motors Del Meta in Villavicencio.

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