Since getting the V100 S three months ago there has been a constant smell of petrol from it.
I took it back to the non-guzzi dealer who i bought it from who said it was probably the extra hot weather causing fuel to exit through the tank vent, it will go soon. (fobbing me off)
six week later i took it to two different Guzzi dealers, both of who charged me to investigate, but found no evidence of leaks or damage to the tank. Although the mechanic at one delaer said he couldnt get he side panels off. So just looked aound for signs of a leak. £100 well spent!
disiilusioned with my local dealers, i now need to investigate further. The cooler weather is an indication that it is not venting problems, and i have been ultra carefull not to spill fuel when filling it up.
The smell seems to come from the RHS cylinder and is constant, regardless of the quantity of fuel in the tank.
My garage is linked to the house and sometimes the smell is so bad it permeates into the house. Wife basically said “sell it or fix it. Now”
apart from this, i love the bike. So any recommendations or advice would be gratefully received before i drive it into a field and set light to it.
thanks
Ricky
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Check the injection hose connections in case they are loose
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The Guzzi Dealers should be aware of problems with the RHS fuel injector leaking. Place a tissue around the injector/pipe area. Turn the key and listen for the fuel pump to start but don’t turn the engine on. Check for a leak on the tissue…even a small pinprick of damp!!!
Sometimes I believe it’s been a case of a hairline crack in the tank.
I do believe that the actions by the Dealers are at best unacceptable!!!
Good look with your investigation 
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Are there any recommended Guzzi dealers? Surely there are some decent ones?
I recommend Downend Scooters in Bristol. Call for Charlotte, General Manager and Guzzi Mechanic and ask her advice.
I get a very faint whiff every now and then - will check fixings
I am experiencing a similar thing with my Cali Vintage, recent(ish) purchase, living in a garage attached to the kitchen. The wife says she smells it all the time and has taken to leaving the garage door wide open! I have been experiencing some rough running / hesitation, especially as I try to open the throttle from around 2000rmp. In my research on this I have come across suggestions that it could be an issue with the fuel injectors causing the hesitation. A mis-match confuses the ECU and it overcompensates. Anyway, as part of that series of videos that I watched, it also had a thrwoaway line about blocked or worn fuel injectors could have a slow leak into the intake, and from there the petrol smell would find its way out.
I wondered if this could be our culprit?
I have tried to see what I can achieve with the fuel injectors to cure the hesitation issue, but am not winning. So, today, I ordered a pair of replacement fuel injectors. It shall at least eliminate them as the issue. I hope it clears up both problems at ounce. I’ll post how I get on in a week or so..
Meanwhile, has anyone else out there got any other wisdom regards this hesitation issue? This would never have been an issue with Carburettors. My old G5 with its fabulous 40mm flat slide pumper Dellortos would pull like a train from any rpm. I have to say that the fuel injection adventure has been a disappointment with the Vintage so far. We shall see…
so i managed to take it all apart and found the lower mounting point has a hairline crack along the reinforced section. I rubbed it down to provide a key, and tried to fill it with a two-pack putty, but the petrol disolved it within an hour. next step is getting a second hand tank, pressure testing it and getting a reputable bike mechanic to exchange them.
not happy enough with the local Guzzi dealers to trust them to do it properly ore economically.
My online research on this has discovered that at least three others have suffered from this.
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Latest update - I actually managed to exchange the tank myself. Because it is a plastic tank, all the outlets are on the top and the wires have snap-lock connectors, it was fairly easy to do it
Dropped two bolts into the new tank just after I had finished fitting it, but they can stay in there as a little bonus.
Happy to say both the bike and the wife are now running well without complaint
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Good to hear you figured your petrol leak.
I have also cured my leaky fuel issue with the change to new fuel injectors. My theory is that there was evidently something blocking at least one of the old injectors. This would not only screw with fuel delivery, but also interfere with the valve in the injector re-seating correctly. I am convinced this was allowing a weep of fuel past the injector, into the manifold, and back from there out through the air filter, into the garage, and straight up my wife’s very sensitive nose in the kitchen (attached to the garage).
The hesitation is now cured, it pulls like the proverbial train in any gear at any rpm with no flat spots, all the backfire drama has gone, and it is significantly quieter. I think it is not working as hard now that it’s nicely balanced. I had hoped for better m.p.g. but so far not the case because I have been ‘enjoying it too much’ - read making full use of the new powers of acceleration.
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