Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V (2011-2018) Simplified Maintenance Schedule
This is the maintenance schedule and service intervals for the Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V, an adventure sport/touring motorcycle made between 2011-2018.
The Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V is an update to the earlier 4V Moto Guzzi Norge, but continues the same spirit. It’s an adventure sport/touring motorcycle with Moto Guzzi’s iconic air/oil-cooled longitudinally mounted V-twin motor — big piston heads sticking out the sides in the breeze (where they can be cooled).
The Norge 1200 8V’s engine is an 1151cc OHV 90-degree V-twin engine with 4 valves per cylinder (hence the name). It has a mild compression ratio of 9.8:1 and makes a similarly modest 65 kW (89 hp) of power at 7500 rpm, or 100 Nm (74 ft-lb) of torque at 5800 rpm.
The final drive is a shaft drive, as with most Moto Guzzi motorcycles (all the recent ones).
The Norge was discontinued in 2018 with no obvious immediate replacement.
This was originally published on September 8, 2021, but has since been considerably improved.
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Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 8V Service Intervals
Overall the Moto Guzzi Norge has 6000 mile or 1000 km service intervals between oil and spark plug changes.
At every service you also have to check and adjust the valve clearances. Luckily it’s not too involved a job, as the cylinder heads are easily accessible. But it can be annoying to think about when on a long journey.
At every service, there’s also a long list of service items to check, including brakes, suspension, and safety equipment.
Since the Norge has a shaft final drive, you also need to regularly replace the final transmission fluid — every service.
What you need to service the Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V
Here’s a list of consumables you need to do a basic service.
| Part | Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V spec |
|---|---|
| Engine oil | 10W-60 motorcycle oil that meets JASO MA or MA2, or API SG. Moto Guzzi recommends ENI i-Ride PG 10W-60. You can use Liqui Moly Synthoil Race Tech GT1 10W-60 which others use in their Moto Guzzis. |
| Oil filter | Use a Hiflofiltro HF551 oil filter for the Norge. |
| Spark plug | Use an NGK PMR8B (long life) spark plug |
| Air filter | Use a K&N AL-1001 air filter. |
| Transmission oil | API GL-4+ 80W-90 or GL-5+ 85W-90 transmission oil, e.g. Lucas Oil 80W-90 (meets GL-5 spec) |
| Brake fluid | Moto Guzzi recommends synthetic DOT 4 brake fluid that meets SAE J 1703 spec, e.g. Castrol DOT 4. |
| Clutch fluid | Moto Guzzi recommends non-silicon synthetic fluid that meets DOT 5.1 and FMVSS 116. E.g. Motul DOT 5.1. |
| Fork oil | 15W fork oil, e.g Motul 15W Fork Oil. |
Maintenance schedule for the Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V
Below is the maintenance schedule for the Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V.
It’s the same as the manual, but some errors were corrected (the manual had some problems with conversion from km to miles… see the screenshot), and it was re-ordered into an order that makes more sense (why everything was in a semi-random order I don’t know).
Legend
- I = Check and clean, adjust, lubricate, or replace if necessary
- C = Check
- R = Replace
- A = Adjust
- L = lubricate
| mi x 1000 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km x 1000 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | Periodic |
| Motor oil (Liqui Moly Synthoil Race Tech GT1 10W-60) | R | R | R | R | R | |
| Motor oil filter (HF551) | R | R | R | R | R | |
| Spark plugs (PMR8B) | R | R | R | R | R | |
| Valve free play adjustment | A | A | A | A | A | |
| Air filter (AL-1001) | I | R | I | R | I | |
| Emptying of the oil drain pipe from the filter box | C | C | C | C | C | |
| Cylinder synchronization | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Carburation in idle (CO) | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Engine revs at idle speed | A | A | A | A | A | |
| Transmission oil (Lucas Oil 80W-90) | R | R | R | R | R | |
| Final transmission fluid | R | R | R | R | R | |
| Brake pad wear | I | I | I | I | I | Check before every trip |
| Brake discs | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Brake fluid (Motul DOT 5.1) | I | R | I | R | I | Replace every 2 years |
| Brake system | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Brake lines | I | I | I | I | I | Replace every 4 years |
| Clutch wear | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Throttle body | C | C | ||||
| Clutch fluid (Motul DOT 5.1) | I | I | I | I | I | Replace every 2 years |
| Alternator belt | A | A | R | |||
| Exhaust pipe flange fixing nuts | I | I | ||||
| Steering bearings and free play | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Suspension and frame | I | I | ||||
| Fork | I | I | ||||
| Oil/fork oil seals | R | R | R | |||
| Wheels | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Wheel bearings | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Tires – pressure/wear | I | I | I | I | I | Check before every trip |
| Clutch lever pin | L | L | L | L | L | Lubricate if it gets wet |
| Fuel hoses | I | I | I | I | I | Replace every 4 years |
| Transmission and command cables | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Battery leads tightening torque | I | I | ||||
| Nuts and bolts tightening torque | I | I | I | I | I | |
| Engine oil pressure warning light | Check at every startup | |||||
| Safety switches | I | I | ||||
| Light system | I | I | I | I | I | |
| General motorcycle performance | I | I | I | I | I |
About the Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V
The Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V is an affordable but iconic tourer, loved by the denizens of ADVrider as a bit of an unsung hero.
It has an old-school engine design — air/oil-cooled V-twin that’s longitudinally mounted, meaning it’s in the same plane as the motorcycle’s chassis. This lets the pistons stay out in the breeze. Also, since the crankshaft is in line with the bike, the motorcycle kicks over to the side when you grab the throttle and crankshaft RPMs increase.
The engine is quite large — an 1151cc 90-degree V-twin. It has single overhead cams and four valves per cylinder (for a total of 8 valves… hence the “8V” in the name).
The 1200 8V engine is shared by a number of other Moto Guzzi motorcycles of a similar vintage, like the Moto Guzzi Griso 1200 8V.
The Norge 1200 GT 8V’s makes a modest amount of power — 76 kW (102 hp) at 7000 rpm, or 102 Nm (77 ft-lb) at 5500 rpm. And it has quite a song, too. Even in stock form, the Norge has a nice V-twin burble that gives them instant character that most other engine formats can only dream of replicating.
The engine pulls smoothly and from down low, but cruising around in top gear on the Norge 1200 8V is a serene experience.
Don’t get caught up in specs because you’ll forget that this is a sport tourer. As such, it comes with a bunch of standard things that other bikes consider add-ons (or on which they aren’t even available). The Norge 1200 GT 8V comes standard with heated grips, navigation, panniers (with the top box as an option) and an electrically adjustable screen.
Front suspension is basic with only preload adjustability, though rear suspension is through a monoshock with preload and rebound damping adjustments possible. But the suspension gives the Norge a plush ride.
Front brakes are via large 320mm floating discs and Brembo 4-piston callipers, which would give sportbike-level braking (with the right pads and hoses) if the Norge weren’t quite heavy.
Aside from the weight, and a sometimes clunky entrance into first gear (common on Moto Guzzis, though much less so in recent years), the only criticism people give of the Norge 1200 8V is that it’s a little sedate. Some people consider it to be an “old person’s” motorcycle.
But that amount of power is nothing to scoff at, and if you want to travel distance, best do it in comfort.
Manual for the Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V
The above maintenance schedule comes from the manual for the Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 GT 8V.
You can find it online in at Moto Guzzi’s official site. An archive copy is below.
