Old Bike Fever!

[nomadpete]

I think Guzzi is a cult. As is Beemer or Harley.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Ducati is definitely a cult. Only ever knew 2 Duc owners but their bikes spent far more time disassembled than on the road.

 

Took a Ducati Monster for a test spin once... sounded fantastic but I found the clutch really grabby. From my (albeit limited) experience I've found the Honda VFR to be reliable, comfortable and way faster than you need.

 

 

[Litespeed]

A Lario is a 650 cc Moto Guzzi it has 4 valve heads. They are made in Italy in a factory on the shores of Lake Como at Mandello de Lario.

 

The V50 is a 500 cc and a cute little thing. It is a two valve engine, they are both V twins, across the frame. Not in line like a hog. They are all shaft drive like a BMW.

 

Guzzi is famous for racing machines mainly endurance racing. A well known one is the LeMans 850 to 1000 cc models from the early to late 1980's. They are also famous for the California model which is a cruiser looking beast that handles like a sporting bike. They are loved as police bikes esp in USA.

 

The le mans is a very tuff machine faster then a period Ducati, as strong as a BMW twin for big miles, and a sound that can wake the dead.

 

I have owned a LeMans and my bro had one as well as a California.

 

They are amazing machines and very different to any other machine. A well run in Guzzi will leave a period desmo ducati owner in tears for revving higher with its pushrods rather than desmo valves . And the Ducati will be on its fourth rebuild before the Guzzi needs a clutch.

 

They are much loved and have space in my shed any day.

 

 

[Litespeed]

The main problem is excessive clearance between all of the components.I sent her to a bloke who wanted a restoration project. Much later, when they sent him to gaol, I retrieved her, in pieces...

What do you mean by excessive clearances? In the motor? Suspension?

 

The carbs are known to wear.

 

Did you want it back to stock or improved to suit your taste?

 

 

[Marty_d]

What do you mean by excessive clearances?

I think the line "Much later, when they sent him to gaol, I retrieved her, in pieces..." may give a clue.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...The V50 is a 500 cc and a cute little thing. It is a two valve engine, they are both V twins, across the frame. beast that handles like a sporting bike. They are loved as police bikes esp in USA...

I bought my wife's V-50 in 1978. It was one of the first into the country, and one magazine's road test claimed it was "the most complete motorcycle they've ever ridden". It's as small as an RD-350 and weighs 50kg less than my similar Honda CX-500.

 

All these Guzzis have three linked disk brakes and handle gravel roads as well as a BMW does. (My Ducati had my heart in my mouth every time I rode on anything loose.) I've kept up with big Honda dirt bikes in the bush on my Autostrada-bred Lario.

 

Bugger! I'm trying to give up bikes, now you've got me all hot and bothered again...

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

What do you mean by excessive clearances? In the motor? Suspension?The carbs are known to wear.

 

Did you want it back to stock or improved to suit your taste?

There is now about a metre clearance between heads and barrels. The crankcase is even further away...

 

It does it have an issue with worn barrels, but I have spares. The rest is fair.

 

I just want to get it restored to original.

 

 

[Methusala]

Mandello del Lario is the Italian town on Lake Como, site of the Guzzi factory. (Answer courtesy of Wikipedia.)

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Mandello del Lario is the Italian town on Lake Como, site of the Guzzi factory. (Answer courtesy of Wikipedia.)

...and a Mecca for Guzzi disciples who make the pilgrimage to see the birthplace of their masterpieces. After a tour of the factory and museum, the lucky ones get to ride a Guzzi around the test track.

 

 

[facthunter]

They are a lovely mob who look after you if you go near the factory. and I believe you can still get parts for some very old ones. The Lario is one of the smallest , with low seat height and light weight and popular with OLD riders who can't handle high seat heights anymore because their "frames" are too stiff.. Nev.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...The Lario is one of the smallest , with low seat height and light weight and popular with OLD riders who can't handle high seat heights anymore because their "frames" are too stiff.. Nev.

Very true, Nev. I don't suffer from lack of height, but the low seat and light weight mean I can pick the plurry thing up if it falls over. I've seen so many blokes progressing to bigger, more luxurious bikes until they admit to having no hope of being able to lift it back on its wheels after a mishap.

 

 

[Litespeed]

Old,

 

I should be a fairly easy job to bring her back to glory if you have the parts. They are a beautifully simple design.

 

It would be a pity to see her just sit in pieces in a shed.

 

I can help if needed.

 

 

[Litespeed]

Guzzi has kept up the tradition with the V7 been a new version of the beasty.

 

Not big power but super sweet ride and small enough for us older non beefcake riders.

 

Very popular and on trend for the hipster set.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...Very popular and on trend for the hipster set.

Oh gawd! The kiss of death! I've always championed the underdog, the rebel...Enough for me to give up!

 

 

[Litespeed]

Don't worry the hipsters will find fun spending a bomb on modified jap crap that we thought were boat anchors.

 

Like Cb 250 or cx 500.

 

If you do wish to get rid of the boxes of fun , I am interested.

 

 

[facthunter]

Guzzi is probably one of the best for parts availability. Complex modern bikes are not easy to keep running if you can't get a new wiring loom or the air cleaner neoprene connection or such parts. None of them are made for keeping for a long time. Most models are a short model run, with many complete changes to the next model. Parts are not common to different models to any real extent like they used to be... Frames are wafer thin and paint as well and chrome is "ordinary" quality with a few exceptions.. Plastic seats don't last long in the sun. You have to ride the "latest" or you aren't anybody. Parts are not cheap so replacing a lot of them is not economic. and like most modern things they are not really designed for rebuilding Use it a lot and chuck it is the way it's planned. Nev

 

 

[spacesailor]

"Use it a lot and chuck it is the way it's planned. Nev "

 

Like the Vauxhall Viva of old !.

 

Planed obsolescence of 5 years, BUT, the mudguards fell off after three, ( should have 5 spot-welds, got three) & the wheels only had three of the Planned four nuts from the factory.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Bruce]

There is a movement dedicated to making things more repairable and longer-lasting. Personally, I get taken by surprise when I find that there are no parts for my relatively recent thing that just needs a bit of fixing. If we are going to save the planet, we need to do better than the throwaway society.

 

 

[Litespeed]

They definitely don't make things to last for most brands.

 

I could easily keep a older R series BMW or Guzzi on the road for 50 years as the parts are available and not changed yearly. Also tough as bridge girders.

 

Even a modern Guzzi is a very simple beasty. Both my BMW and Guzzis had 200,000 plus on them and going very strong. Just run in really.

 

That's 4 or 5 engines for the old Ducati brigade.

 

 

[old man emu]

There is a movement dedicated to making things more repairable and longer-lasting. Personally, I get taken by surprise when I find that there are no parts for my relatively recent thing that just needs a bit of fixing. If we are going to save the planet, we need to do better than the throwaway society.

About 130 years ago the Arts & Crafts Movement developed in the United Kingdom. It was largely a reaction against the perceived impoverishment of the decorative arts at the time and the conditions in which they were produced. It stood for traditional craftsmanship using simple forms, and often used medieval, romantic, or folk styles of decoration. While it was basically dealing with decoration, the decoration was done on items made by hand.

 

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Perhaps we should develop an appreciation for things made the old way, and made to last.

 

[Marty_d]

There is a movement dedicated to making things more repairable and longer-lasting. Personally, I get taken by surprise when I find that there are no parts for my relatively recent thing that just needs a bit of fixing. If we are going to save the planet, we need to do better than the throwaway society.

My 2015 Santa Fe started jolting in the transmission on first gear. Luckily still under warranty so I took it in to the dealer. Turns out it's some kind of sensor in the transmission. The fix? They dropped in a brand new transmission. Bloody glad I wasn't footing the bill.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Guzzi is probably one of the best for parts availability..

Good point, Nev, but in fairness to the Japanese, Guzzis were designed simple and didn't change much more because the company couldn't afford anything else. To make them cheap to build parts were interchangeable. The 1100 AutoConvert shared the same heavy starter motor with all models down to the V-35.

 

The Italian assembly lines were often chaotic; my Ducati had major quality control issues and conventional wisdom was to not buy a Guzzi new. A second-hand one might be better, after the first owner had sorted out the bugs.

 

The legend goes that, frustrated with their old-fashioned motors, one of their engineers designed a liquid-cooled DOHC V-4. The factory rejected it as being too costly to tool up for. He left and took his plans elsewhere. A couple of years later Honda came out with the bulletproof ST-1100.

 

 

[spacesailor]

When the Rich factory owners, have made their fortune, with automated machinery. they wont buy what they make, but pay dearly for !

 

"Perhaps we should develop an appreciation for things made the old way, and made to last."

 

hand made to last more than a generation or two.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[facthunter]

Guzzi were brilliant in the late 20's. rear springing etc. Their singles are pedestrian and crude. They do have faults. It doesn't pay to claim any bike is all good or all bad... Bias reigns supreme. You need to work on the bikes to find which have what problems. and keep your ear to the ground and don't buy a dog. Some bike's original prices are kept down by ridiculous parts prices where they make up for it. (in a big way). Nev

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

... Some bike's original prices are kept down by ridiculous parts prices where they make up for it. (in a big way). Nev

An old mate rode the first Z-1 Kawasaki and kept it original for thirty years. The escalating price of replacement parts forced him to trade it for a Beema. After a few years he admitted that the Kwaka had been far from perfect, requiring regular ring replacement, etc.

 

Incidentally, he's done many times the road mileage of most of us and never had an accident in fifty years, despite riding like a demon on occasions. We finally enticed him to do some laps of Hidden Valley on a GSX-R. His first time on a racetrack and the bugger bettered my times.