I am new to this forum so please excuse me if I ask the questions which already have been asked before (and I was a gawk to miss them in the existing threads).
Anyhow, I have been dreaming and drooling about the 1200 Corsaro model since I first read an article about it in 2006. Yet I was unable to afford one, having to settle for cheaper, less passionate japaneese machines up to until now. However, before going shopping I’ve got my hands on the 1200 Corsaro workshop manual to sneak peek into what the dreams are made of and was both surprised and concerned about some of the F.L. design solutions. With all respect to the master designer I would like to highlight some areas of my greatest concern and ask about your experience with it. So here goes:
1. It appears to me that the crankshaft is made out of two sides with a separate pin joined (pressed?) together. The connecting rods are integral, without the bolted big end caps and; therefore, are permanently fixed on the crankshaft pin together with the big end bearings. In the event of lubrication hole misalignment or relative pin rotation (it is a high-torque motor) there is a risk of the big end bearing oil starvation and failure. Have anyone of you had any problems with the crankshaft or perhaps had to replace one? The important question would be: how much would the crankshaft assembly cost? And even more important question: where to get one?
2. The crankshaft assembly design implements another unorthodox solution where during the motor assembly/disassembly the cylinder sleeve has to be removed so the piston pin could be removed thru the side of the crankcase. Removable cylinder sleeves pose additional risk of piston/cylinder misalignment resulting in greater wear of the parts. Worse still if overheated an irreversible warping could occur if the crankcase and sleeves are made from different materials (anyone who had a Saab 9-5 3.0tid should know). Could anyone please tell me if the crankcase is aluminium with the steel sleeves? Your comments and experience on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
3. Timing mechanism. Although without quirks (except the need to use the special dial indicator in order to find the TDC position of the piston) the question remains where to get the replacement parts which I believe are unique for the MM motors. Service manual recommends valve clearance checks (adjustable with replaceable shims) every 20K kms and timing chain replacement (together with tensioners and sprockets) every 40K kms. Most of the used machines for sale have done 20-30K km suggesting that the timing mechanism has not been serviced yet, but perhaps someone of you have went through it and could share the experience.
I might be too paranoid so, to sum it all up, most of all I would like to know about the long term (going 60K kms and beyond) mechanical reliability and the availability of spare parts (MM seems to be back in business; however, their dealer network seems to be even more elusive than before and completely non-existent in my neck of the woods).
Are there amateur or professional mechanics among you which prefer to work on their motorcycles themselves and could share the joys (which I hope are many) and the pains of keeping these magnificent machines on the road? Your time and comments, as well as those of people servicing their bikes elsewhere, would be most appreciated.
Please prove my paranoid fears wrong
