I don’t think that could contribute to the problem Chris.
As I understand it, it’s the ‘DLC’ (Diamond-like [Carbon] coating) on the Tappet faces that fails, exposing the metal underneath.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond-like_carbonÂ
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Maybe it is an urban myth then, but I’m sure I read somewhere that the tappet gaps on the first 8 valve engines were given far too small accelerating wear on the camshaft/cam followers. Maybe someone will be along to confirm or refute this.Â
There were reports of a giant butterfly with 3 foot wingspan but that turned out to be an urban moth…
I have a pet amphibian, he is very small, he is minute.
Now look what you have started! Â 
Â
Exhaust or Inlet gaps (can’t recal which) are a few thou’ different between early and late Engines, but I don’t see how that would adversely affect things.
If you adjusted them so there was no gap (i.e. they were touching all the time), then maybe . . . 
Just found this on GuzziTech . . .Â
A5-A8 motors were specified as 0.1 inlet and 0.15 exhaust. Later motors this changed to 0.15 inlet and 0.2 exhaust. Since no part numbers that were relevant changed I can only assume it was done as a preventative measure to avoid risks associated with the tappets riding the cam base circles. Certainly if the newer 2O2 sensor engines are running the roller tappets then a change in clearance would be understandable. With the flat tappet motors I’ve never had any issues with running 0.1-0.15 even in extreme conditions. It was 38C here yesterday, that’s 100F in the old money and I had to take my Griso into Canberra to pick up some steering head bearings for a Breva. It ran just fine, even when stuck in a queue of traffic for five minutes, which is more than can be said of the rider who wilted a bit! I’ve never run mine with bigger gaps than 0.1-0.15.
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This also interested me . . .
As for interval for checking? I’ve found that they usually come set wide from the factory and will close up in the first few hundred Kms. I check them before a bike is delivered, I then check them at the first service and suggest to new owners that a check at 5,000km is a good idea but the factory say after the first service every 10,000km is fine. Certainly after the 10,000 service I find it very rare to find that they have changed more than a thou and while you probably could leave them longer than 10,000km I can’t see why you would? Adjusting the valves is so simple and easy not doing it would seem to me to be a false economy. Most of my customers are happy to take my advice on the Extra interim check when the bike is new and, as I keep saying, > I’ve NEVER had a cam or tappet failure on any 8V. > Is the slightly anal obsession with checking the valve lash relevant? Who knows? But I’m not about to start trying to prove anything by stopping advising it!
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And from another post . . .
As for the valve gaps, my 8V on my 2012 Stelvio was originally set up on 15 and 20 based on the world spec (even though the sticker on the bike was 10 and 15). After some issues realted to excessive noise and vibrations Guzzi told them to set them at 10 and 15 since the 15 and 20 was really meant for the roller tappet engines that are slated for late 2012/2013 production. Noise went away and vibrations reduced considerably.
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My bought new 2009 Stelvio was serviced at the correct intervals, never used around town and kept garaged but was never able to hold a tappet gap. I couldn’t believe how often they needed adjusting.
By 15,000 miles there was no more adjustment left. Haywards eventually got it sorted. I’ve just passed 31,000 miles and although have checked the gaps regularly have never had to alter them.
Short journeys / long journeys, oil addatives, sacrifices to the dark lord / good lord. Forget it. I had a very interesting chat with Baldrick at an Essex MGOC meeting where he told me the mileage my bike failed before I told him. Quite simply the top of the engine is not fit for purpose and Piaggio’s attitude has been a disgrace.
After reading the latest Gambalunga it has confirmed that I will never buy another new bike from these people. I’ll always keep my sport but eventually the bike we use for any distance and all holidays will be replaced with another non Piaggio offering.
Very sad, but I’m not a millionaire and can’t take the chance of my pride and joy self destructing due to no fault of mine and knowing that the distributor will not take any responsibility.
Ray
And what is the magic number pray tell? Â 
Also, what was the ‘fix’ for yours, Roller kit?
Thing is, there are early Bikes still running at reasonable mileages, with no issues, and Dealers that report no failures at all, so there must be some scenario where it’s not inevitable.
15-20k for a stelvio, and yes the roller tappets were the fix.
We’ve all seen 10+ year old bikes in the paper with <10k on the clock. When I bought my 1994 sport (42k km on the clock) two years ago the seller had kindly put a full tank of petrol in, how far will that get me I asked, don’t know, never gone more than 40 miles he said.
Some may survive but they will be the exceptions rather than the majority. I accept reading international sites like guzzitech the problem seems to be worse in the UK than anywhere else in the world, there must be an aggravating factor here that is neither petrol or oil related.
Shocking, really.
With regards to your experience, you mentioned your valve clearances never staying in adjustment. Presumably this means the fault was apparent much earlier on - so at what mileage was that?
There are several ways of looking at this. Perhaps the two extremes are (1) the view you took by choosing never to let Piaggio products darken your door again and (2) Piaggio have actually come up with a redesign that works and fixed the current release of 8V engines - a bit like Honda did when they launched the ~VFR750 after those horrendous stories about the VF750 cams back in the early eighties.
I’m still searching for the facts and it’s very easy to pull up several examples of failed engines of one type and several examples of ultra-reliable engines of another (or maybe the same) type! Yours was a 2009 model and there have, to my knowledge, been at least two redesigns of flat tappets since then before the roller solution. I cannot find any reliable data for failure rates on those later flat tappet types but I can find lots of examples where the owners have had nothing go wrong.
As clear as mud.
Jon
I have no complaint with the fix, it was the way I had to get there.
I agreed a confidentiality clause with Piaggio so sadly cannot elaborate.
As far as repacement flat tappets go I haven’t heard of any functioning as a longterm fix, all replaced eventually with rollers.
…and here comes the one who proves me wrong 
One thing is , returning to the original issues as described in the magazine and, also reading above that the dealer made several attempts to solve the problem, and that the very same dealer is no longer trading, does leave one wondering where the problem actually lies ?
At the first reading of Piaggio’s response, it does leave a sour taste, Â however, now that more information is coming to light, I am beginning to wonder…Â
There is too much emphasis portraying a one sided view, not all the facts are on the table for all to see and get a balanced view
I bought my 2009 Stelvio with 9000 miles an unbeknown to me, had the first version of the fix. (I found out later) Within 3000 miles it was rattling like hell. It took months of pain, not helped by a new service manager at the dealer who wasn’t used to dealing with Piaggio, to get version 3 of the fix. The bike had done 18000miles before it was fitted and did not make a lot of difference within 500 miles it was back in. They adjusted the tappets but it still vibrated badly and on the way back from the dealer, I thought sod this and I did a deal on a Triumph and just about gave the Stelvio away. Guzzi then brought out the Roller cam fix 6 months after. I would have gladly paid for the fix to get the bike running right. I have done some miles on a later 2012 Stelvio NTX and it is a far better bike overall an the engine was lovely, so hopefully they have sorted the issue now.
I’ve only just recently found GuzziTech.
I thought I had it bookmarked, but what I had was GuzziTek. Â 
Anyway, found this yesterday, not seen it mentioned on any Cam/Tappet discussion before . . .
Service Communication: 2009-001 USA PRE-UPDATE CAMPAIGN NOTICE Technical Update Campaign-Stelvio 4V 1200 Engine- Camshaft follower/bucket replacement. > Models affected: 2009 Stelvio 4V models within a specified VIN range Stelvio 4V: ZGULZC0029M112385 to ZGULZC0009M112689 Production Date Range: 04/29/08 – 10/02/2008
 Â
This puts my '09 Engine (VIN# Â ZGULZB0059M******) outside the affected range, or is there another notice for non-U.S. models?Â
Think the move to roller tappets came much more recently than 2009- not sure if there is a definitive date / engine number available but a local Guzzi mechanic told me that it was only recently that the change actually happened, possibly at the same time that the Cali 1400 engine started production.
No need to panic- I bought the first ever UK Stelvio in 2008 and the current owner tells me it is still going strong.
Yes, I realise that Guy.
What that notice tells us is that the affected Tappets (with the ‘dodgy’ coating) are just a small batch, and not every Flat Tappet will have issues.
So maybe it’s been blown out of all proportion like some people think?Â
Interesting and relevant post on ADVrider (it’s actually quite an interesting thread too)…
“Vic, not really wanting to start an oil discussion here, but … 
In the case of oil, newer isn’t necessarily better. It depends on the application. The SN oils (since 2010) have a much lower level of zinc phosphate additives (ZDDP) than earlier oils. ZDDP is a very good wear protector! Especially for engines running flat tappets, which the Stelvios up to 2012 all had! The amount of ZDDP has been reduced in SN oil due to legislative reasons in an attempt to preserve catalytic converter functionality in high mileage engines, because ZDDP isn’t good for Cat Cons if your engine burns oil.
Oil manufacturers are allowed to keep higher levels of ZDDP in “non standard” oils like 10-60.
So an SG rated 10-60 is probably the best thing you can put in your engine, because of the additives and because of the SAE 60 rating ( although in general the engine doesn’t run hot, the oil in the area of the valves does get VERY hot).
By the way, the AGIP (or ENI) 10-60 probably has one of the highest ZDDP ratings of oil of this type.
You can probably get it online readily enough, and it’s what Guzzi recommends. So …
John”
__Jon
Thanks for that.
I had a chat with another Stelvio owner a few weeks back, who told me about a dealer that’s not had any Cam/Tappet failures on any 8V of any year.
Apparently they only use High ZDDP Oil when they service them.
I have some of this waiting to go in mine . . .
 http://www.penriteoil.com.au/products.php?id_categ=1&id_brand=3&id_products=279
Zinc content is 2200+ ppm.Â
You can of course also buy ZDDP additive.