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Aprilia RSV4 R APRC 2012 Piston smashd |
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Tona955 
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Joined: 19 Apr 2022 Location: Edinburgh Status: Offline Points: 41 |
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 Topic: Aprilia RSV4 R APRC 2012 Piston smashdPosted: 25 Apr 2022 at 23:05 |
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Hi All,
New to this forum and new to Aprilia so here goes... I bough this bike last August as a non runner the owner had only had it 2 months when the engine piston smashed in its port, he actually swapped it for his very nice Ducati and I feel the poor fellow got done. Anyways, he said the engine started to make a noise and he contacted his local Aprilia dealer and arranged to take the bike over for a check, just as he got to the dealers ...bang, white smoke and engine locked. The dealers removed the rear head and found the rear left piston in bits within the port damaging the wall, the head looked reasonable ok, he put it up for sales as it was and I became the new owner. I am new to the forum so unsure if I could upload pics at the moment, I have since stripped the engine down to investigate, I have a feeling the previous owner has stripped this before and decided to sell it to the chap I bought it from , I have noticed gasket sealer in places but I'm not sure. My intension is to split the carter completely and start the cleaning process. My question today is has this happened to anybody before? I am trying to establish the possible cause, I have taken a lot of pictures of the damage, I kind of knew this would be a challenge and I wanted it this way, its going to be a great bike soon. Anyways, here are some pictures not sure how many I would be allowed to load up. Many thanks in advance Max 2nd question, how do I upload pictures?
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Tona955
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Joined: 19 Apr 2022 Location: Edinburgh Status: Offline Points: 41 |
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Posted: 25 Apr 2022 at 23:39 |
      
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Tona955
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Joined: 19 Apr 2022 Location: Edinburgh Status: Offline Points: 41 |
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Posted: 25 Apr 2022 at 23:41 |
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redratbike
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Posted: 26 Apr 2022 at 06:45 |
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common v4 issue we’ll known to drop a valve etc
main reason i wouldn’t buy one
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 www.apriliaperformance.co.uk www.apriliaforum.co.uk www.apriliaownersclub.co.uk |
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Tona955
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Posted: 26 Apr 2022 at 09:51 |
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Hi, yes I am aware of the issues on some RSV4s but mine did not drop a valve
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wigginsjp
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Posted: 26 Apr 2022 at 10:17 |
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Is this a 2012 aprc or a late reg of note
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Aprilia RSVR Factory 2007 V2 1060cc Big Bore
Aprilia RSVR Factory 2004 Race Bike Kawasaki ZX10R 2007 Race Bike Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory 2020 www.apriliaperformance.co.uk www.apworkshops.co.uk |
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Spoonz
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Posted: 26 Apr 2022 at 10:37 |
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Top end issues are by far the weakness of the engines. Are you sure the heads are the originals for the engine and not a replacement purchased by the previous owner before discovery of the other damage. If it has been apart they could have fitted the spare heads. It could be a catastrophic failure of the crank shell bearings or cap bolts that that mashed the piston but further stripping will reveal more. But I find it hard to believe that all that metal mashing left the head free from damage hence I’m not sure they are original
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Tona955
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Joined: 19 Apr 2022 Location: Edinburgh Status: Offline Points: 41 |
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Posted: 26 Apr 2022 at 12:32 |
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Hi ya,
It is a 2012 bike. Shame the pics will not display as I have the head pic there.
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Bladerunner919
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Posted: 26 Apr 2022 at 20:32 |
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If you sign up as a premium member for only £5 you can post pics directly to the forum.
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Tona955
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Posted: 26 Apr 2022 at 23:05 |
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Hi All,
Many thanks for your support thus far. Spoonz, that is a very valid suggestion about the replacement head but I will never know, I have done the premium thing and will attach more pics, I will try to speak to the dealers who stripped the head and see if I can get more info Regards
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JimmyV4
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Posted: 27 Apr 2022 at 01:31 |
2014 onwards your fine. dont let that hold you back mate, it really is one of the best bikes you could want to ride, the 17s and 18s have come down a lot at around the 12-14k mark. when i was buying mine i found out that pre 14s had a top lubrication issue that caused un even wear at the top of the engine, that was sorted in 2014. i think if you was to get this sorted your still going to have this issue, im no mechanic and not sure if an engine swap from a 14 or later will fit or work, the thing to note with the V4 is the later the better. you could always give AP workshops a call they seem to love V4s and really know there stuff and would easily let you know what the best course of action to take would be.
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426hemi
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Posted: 27 Apr 2022 at 06:12 |
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I would say a complete strip down as that debris will be in every part of the engine, gearbox, clutch, oil pump you name it it will be in it.
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Spoonz
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Posted: 27 Apr 2022 at 10:52 |
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Could be the angle of the pics but one of the valves looks off center and unless the dealer cleaned the head, one cylinder looks to have run very lean. Although I’ve never heard of a failure of a piston, Aprilia did add an extra oil jet to cool the underside of the piston a couple of years ago. That might indicate the potential to hole a piston with lean running.
The top end lube issues were partly fixed in 14 but hot starts were still a problem with top end oil starvation until they introduced a non return system to keep the oil in the head. This looks like a catastrophic component failure though. With new cylinders, at least one con rod and possibly a crank I think it might be a costly exercise.
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JimmyV4
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Posted: 27 Apr 2022 at 13:49 |
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Yeah. Newer the better. 17 is the bare minimum. All bikes have there issues and quirks. But this looks like what I saw a few times with the 11 and 12 rsv4s
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Tona955
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Posted: 29 May 2022 at 23:48 |
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Hi All,
Apologies for not updating anything but I have only just got the chance to strip the engine. the damage seems to have eaten up the crankshaft also, pistons 3 and 1 do not look good either. I have managed to purchase a bottom half the engine with all the pistons installed without the gearbox, I am expecting delivery this Tuesday and then will start a slow rebuild. I am worried that this might happen again so is there anyway that I can avoid another engine failure?uploads/7586/IMG_20220514_201813.jpguploads/7586/IMG_20220514_200724.jpguploads/7586/IMG_20220514_201813_2022-05-29_23-48-37.jpg
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Spoonz
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Posted: 30 May 2022 at 09:44 |
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By far the most important thing for engine health other than the obvious like oil changes etc is to check the valve clearances. I would check them more regularly than the official service schedule at least until you get a feel for the regression. If after a couple of checks the measurements have not changed you could go back to the official schedule.
The v4 uses stiff valve springs to reach its Rev ceiling without bounce but that can hammer the seats.
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Tona955
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Posted: 05 Jun 2022 at 00:37 |
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Hi All,
I finally received the bottom half of the engine and it is in perfect condition. I managed to remove the valves on on port of the rear cylinder head and note that all the four valves intake and exhaust are bent. The head itself looks okay but I would really appreciate some input of it please, is it usable wit a but of cleaning?
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Tona955
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Posted: 05 Jun 2022 at 00:39 |
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426hemi
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Posted: 05 Jun 2022 at 07:20 |
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That looks good for the scrap pile to me.
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IanG
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Posted: 09 Jun 2022 at 00:00 |
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Last pic seems to show the head casting cracked out from the split guide ?
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www.apworkshops.co.uk
www.apriliaforum.co.uk www.apriliaownersclub.co.uk Looking forward to the next track day |
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redratbike
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Posted: 09 Jun 2022 at 10:34 |
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i think you need new glasses
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IanG
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Posted: 09 Jun 2022 at 13:50 |
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Quite possibly However unless this line is a stray hair or something it sure looks like a radial crack causing the guide to split following the valves sideways excursion   |
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www.apworkshops.co.uk
www.apriliaforum.co.uk www.apriliaownersclub.co.uk Looking forward to the next track day |
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JimmyV4
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Posted: 11 Jun 2022 at 10:33 |
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How you getting on with this, I don't know how much all of this owes you bit my local dealer is selling a 14 plate aprc low miles for £8600. And the 14 plate is a lot more reliable.
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Tona955
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Posted: 15 Jun 2022 at 20:30 |
 Hi All,Sorry for not updating, work has been real busy. I have taken the head to a machine shop to check over but I am told they need 2 valve guides that Aprilia do no sell separately, so I need to source a rear cylinder head. I have had a look at many options and wondered if anyone knows if a Tuono V4 1100 or a 1000 cylinder head/engine is the same, they look exactly like what I need, I know the exhaust valve is the same size but cannot confirm the inlet valve, can anyone confirm this. JimmyV4, thanks for your note but I have heard the 2014 also having these issues, I got the bike very cheap and so far have spent less than expected on parts, all I need not is a rear head with all the valves intact and I am good to go, I am rebuilding this myself so total cost will not be that much. I just love the look of this bike in white
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Spoonz
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Posted: 15 Jun 2022 at 21:31 |
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Speak to Amauri Nunez on the apriliaforum. He makes his own guides. Or send him your head ( California )
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Tona955
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Posted: 15 Jun 2022 at 21:50 |
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Thanks, I'm going to wait and see what the machine shop comes back with first.
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wigginsjp
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Posted: 15 Jun 2022 at 22:19 |
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Not sure if this is 100% correct for your year and someone will correct me but the Tuono used stainless steel valves as opposed to titanium on the RSV4. Hence the Tuono didn’t have the same Rev ceiling as the RSV4. Equally heavier springs were used on the RSV4 to stop valve bounce, but as a result it could cause valve recession.
I’m not sure on the years that this happened or if it was always the case but certainly the RSV4 now produces a lot more power than the first ones back in 2008/9. That all being said, other than valve material they could be interchangeable but one of the US forums if Griff at AP or Spoonz here doesn’t know,may offer better advice.
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Aprilia RSVR Factory 2007 V2 1060cc Big Bore
Aprilia RSVR Factory 2004 Race Bike Kawasaki ZX10R 2007 Race Bike Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory 2020 www.apriliaperformance.co.uk www.apworkshops.co.uk |
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Tona955
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Posted: 15 Jun 2022 at 22:38 |
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Thanks for the info, I do remember reading about the valve meterial somewhere, I can give Griff a call tomorrow and confirm, best if I stick to a head from a Rsv4.
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426hemi
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Posted: 15 Jun 2022 at 23:51 |
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Whatever you do with this make sure you fully strip it and seriously clean every single part like your life depends on it, you will not believe where debris gets, the minutest piece of debris getting into the pump and lubrication system will completely wreck it.
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Tona955
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Posted: 16 Jun 2022 at 00:38 |
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Yes of course, that will be the time consuming challenge but yeah we'll needed, I've already started on the bottom half of the engine whilst I source other parts, jetting the channels with brake cleaner.
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redratbike wrote: