My Blog List

Monday 29 April 2013

Oh no............. another Guzzi project

I had no plan to buy this until a friend phoned me up just over a week ago to remind it was due to finish on Ebay in the next 50 minutes. So, it got me thinking about it again weighing up the value of the individual parts and I thought, okay
Having picked it up I am actually very pleased with it.
Nice condition Boranni wheels,new tyres,new Amal carbs on straight inlets
and 38mm Ceriani forks


Anybody any ideas about what the forks are off ?
They look to me like they could be Laverda and I reckon that  the caliper mounts would
mean 285/290mm discs.
I'll put a bid on it not much above what was already showing,but I won't win it.With the last 6 minutes to go I was expecting,almost willing somebody to outbid me.  Well, it's obvious that nobody did and here it is having picked it yesterday with the help of my friend Tony and his van. The seller was from Newcastle on Tyne,but was at the Stafford Classic bike show all weekend so much better a 230 ml round trip than a 600+ mile one 

Cowboys and Guzzi's

My friend Mark from Hollister,California sent me these pictures the other week of himself and friends on their way South to the 'Visalia Not a Rally' His own Cali was playing up so a friend kindly offered him the Quota for the weekend.



Sunday 21 April 2013

Bristol Italian Day 2013

Here are a few pics from yesterday's Auto Italia Day which is a free event held in the city centre. Luckily after all the fairly rubbish weather we have been having it was at least a dry and bright day. Only probably in the mid 50's,but good enough for walking around in your bike kit







Not my cup of tea,but rare to see 


I imagine this is fairly rare too



Well used and doing his own thing



A rare Motodd Laverda 








A Zagato badge on the side of this


Damn,how did those legs get into this shot ?






Tuesday 16 April 2013

Guzzi Raceco project.............. It'll be a Beast !

Here are pictures of Peter's (Pennsylvania) Daytona project. He bought it a few years ago,as it is, waiting for time and money (apart from his 1100 Sport also has a Cali Jackal cafe project) to get it road ready and, as is always important, wants it to be right and not rushed. He's loosely tried the Kawasaki seat unit on it and even trimmed down a little, it is still too big. His thoughts are to try a Honda RS250 item.
  Look at the pictures and read some of the spec that I have listed. It really is going to be one hell of a bike !
   12 + years ago I had a go on one with 120bhp at the back wheel albeit on unfamiliar tiny B roads and you could feel that was quite something,but 142bhp at the back wheel..........arghhh ! 
  Bear in mind that factory figures that people quote when selling a Guzzi are crank figures and you can easily take off  20+ bhp for a rear wheel figure.
New battery location amongst many other mods


PFM Brake set up

Trimmed down Kawasaki seat unit,sort of works,but still too big 

Stack instrument has already been sold and looking for something more in keeping
These are just some of the mods
This bike was originally built by Raceco UK and apparently the last he did.
Crank blueprinted and balanced
Carillo Rods
1225cc Pistons
Compression reduced from 13.5 to 12.1 for road fuel
Gas flowed cylinder heads
Raceco exhaust with titanium silencers
Lighweight Marvic wheels
CNC yokes
PFM Calipers and Discs
Radial front m/cylinder
142bhp at the rear wheel


Monday 8 April 2013

Moto Guzzi 1100 Sport

My friend Peter from Bucks County, Pennsylvania sent me a a few pictures recently including this one of his modified 1100 Sport fairing. American dealers apparently only ever received the much loathed square headlamp fairing,like the first Daytona's. 
  The thing about this mod was that a local workshop that restores Corvettes did the work and much to his amazement gave him back the finished item without disturbing the Moto Guzzi logo above matching in the colour perfectly.
Peter with his altered fairing out for a ride at the 'Blue Ridge Parkway'