RSV4 valve adjustment - dealer recommendation near Boston

[xxaarraa]

My RSV4 cut out on the main straight at Loudon yesterday and the "Urgent Service" light came on, accompanied by some mad hunting - revs went up and down like crazy. It didn't die, but went into some sort of limp mode and was revving up and down. I thought I was going to get rear ended and run over by 4-5 guys, but rather surprisingly, I was able to limp off to the left of the tire wall on Turn 1. Pushed it to the garage, did a bit of research, and it seemed it could be related to a buggy relay in the tail. I reset it, it cleared the codes and bike ran fine for the next session. Degsy asked if I pulled the code, and like a dumbass, I forgot to pull it!

However, the revs hunting like that convinced me to get the valves checked/adjusted. I live in Boston and Riverside said they could do it, though they are not an Aprilia dealer. OK to let them have a go at it, or should I take it to a dealer? If so, any recommendations?

[burnham]

I'd go to Seacoast in Derry. For a bike like that, it's worth it to go to a dealer that really knows them. If you're still up at the track you could stop there on the way home, they also will pick up and drop off bikes.

[xxaarraa]

I'd go to Seacoast in Derry. For a bike like that, it's worth it to go to a dealer that really knows them. If you're still up at the track you could stop there on the way home, they also will pick up and drop off bikes.

I love Seacoast, bought my 848 from them. However, they are so far man. Degsy is checking to see if he has time, I trust his skillage.

Any other dealer closer to Boston? Goes without saying, but I'd much rather get this done quickly, as I have riding planned next several consecutive weekends .

[xxaarraa]

OK, burnham, I took your idea. Called Seacoast and they said it sounds like a throttle demand sensor issue. Their earliest available appointment which I made is a month out but that's expected for this time of the year I suppose

[Aprilia Pilot]

I would recommend a dealer as there are some special tools if they need to be adjusted.

[NPDCPA]

I thought the V4 was shim under bucket? What are the special tools? I know getting the TB clamps on and off is a chore, but for what else?

[South of Heaven]

Maybe it was due to the fact that it was 39 degrees at Loudon yesterday?!? Just kidding; hope you get that problem squared away ASAP. I know you do TONS of NYST days man.

[Eric Baker]

If you're still up there, you can try and find Charles to see if he has anything to say. He's one of the owners and head tech of Seacoast and races. He should be pitting in the South garages right behind ECK.

[xxaarraa]

OK guys, I was able to read the codes at home. I rummaged through my tool box and actually had the cables necessary. Long back, I had looked into “ducatidiag” and so had bought the cables, but never did anything with them since I also have the Technoresearch VDST for Ducati ECUs.

Anyway, I hooked it up with guzzidiag and read the codes on the RSV4. There were 3 stored codes (and I looked up the explanation in the factory service manual). Two seem to be related to “inertia sensor box” and one seems to indicate throttle body. I am checking with my buddy in Europe who races RSV4s to interpret these - I am mostly interested in which of these codes triggered my “urgent service” limp mode.

P0167: Invalid Signal (rear throttle position error - misalignment between control and activation)
Rear throttle position error P0167 misalignment between control and activation

Error cause

The throttle mechanical control may be damaged

Troubleshooting

Replace the throttle body


U1722: No Signal (CAN line toward Sensor Box U1722, Intermittent signal or communication error)

Error cause

Probable bad contact in the CAN line.

Troubleshooting

Check the Vehicle connector pins 66 and 80 and the vehicle-engine cable harness pins B2 and B3. If not OK, restore. If OK, check pins 2 and 3 and the inertia sensor platform (Sensor box) connector. If not OK, restore. If OK, check overall operation of the Marelli control unit and inertia sensor platform (Sensor box): replace the affected component if any fault is detected.

Sensor box error (inertia sensor platform) P0711 (Faulty sensor/Signal not valid)

Troubleshooting:

With faulty sensor, the component inside the control unit is damaged and replacement of the control unit is recommended. With signal not valid, the sensor has generated a signal out of range that is still sent to the injection control unit together with the relevant error.

[Aprilia Pilot]

I thought the V4 was shim under bucket? What are the special tools? I know getting the TB clamps on and off is a chore, but for what else?

The cam sprockets have a backlash reducing setup that requires extra steps for disassembly and reassembly.

[xxaarraa]

Just updating this thread in case someone stumbles upon the same issue in the future. NESR threads seem to pop up on google searches often.

Got the bike back from the dealer, ran it for a day and everything checked out. I think the electrical gremlins are finally gone. Disappointingly, exact reason is unknown. Best guesses as to what could have solved it:

• Faulty/buggy demand sensor. Known fault with early RSV4s, and mine had already had the recall completed. Plus, I replaced the demand sensor once before taking to the dealer, who replaced it again, so what are the odds two demand sensors were buggy.
• Guzzi Diag's inability to truly reset/recalibrate throttle and handle learning programs on the fly by wire system. Maybe the demand sensor I installed was OK, but I couldn't get it calibrated by myself? When reading throttle voltage of the new demand sensor I put in before taking to dealer, it would go from 0 to 100 right off idle, then jump back down to 10. Very weird. After dealer installed new demand sensor and reset everything with Aprilia's navigator, it now reads 0 to 100 progressively, as it should.
• Moisture/corrosion in the wiring and connectors. I cleaned and greased every connector I could get my hands on.
• Buggy relays. I replaced 5 relays on the bike, including a master protection relay. Known fault with early RSV4s.

[Ductard]

... it would go from 0 to 100 right off idle, then jump back down to 10. Very weird. After dealer installed new demand sensor and reset everything with Aprilia's navigator, it now reads 0 to 100 progressively, as it should.

...Donno what a demand sensor is...but is that as scary as it sound? As in, your fly-by-wire throttle curve had little to do with the throttle position?

(note, I have a bike with a fly-by-wire throttle...and the only thing that scares me more than thinking about 200 horses being tamed by a tiny, possibly frayed/dirty/corroded, metal wire sliding inside a thin sheath with a tiny spring to pull it back into place, is thinking about 200 horses not being tamed by a thin wire sliding inside a thin sheath with a tiny spring).

[xxaarraa]

...Donno what a demand sensor is...but is that as scary as it sound? As in, your fly-by-wire throttle curve had little to do with the throttle position?

(note, I have a bike with a fly-by-wire throttle...and the only thing that scares me more than thinking about 200 horses being tamed by a tiny, possibly frayed/dirty/corroded, metal wire sliding inside a thin sheath with a tiny spring to pull it back into place, is thinking about 200 horses not being tamed by a thin wire sliding inside a thin sheath with a tiny spring).

Yup, the throttle bodies are not directly controlled by you twisting the grip. Twisting the grip is converted into an electrical signal by two potentiometers in the 'demand sensor' and several overrides are then applied - lean angle/gyro sensor, traction control, current position of throttle, wheelie control sensors, launch control sensors, the riding mode you selected (race, rain etc.) and THEN, the ECU finally sends the direction to the throttle bodies.

When you reset and reteach, you have to do both independently - throttle learning (for actual throttle position sensor) and handle learning (for demand sensor).

In true Italian tradition of excellent durability and build quality, the demand sensor on the RSV4 is mounted right underneath the left mid fairing - exposed to everything and prone to bumps. A small fall down in the grass past Turn 18 say, could potentially (all speculation) have bugged out my old demand sensor.