Moto Guzzi Mille .......... Yet another project !

A week ago yesterday I went down to Cornwall, enlisting the help of my friend Tony and his van, to collect yet another potential project Guzzi  - a 950cc Mille GT. It was on Ebay as a 'buy it now' or 'best offer' deal.
 I don't know whether it helped in my quick purchase,but it turned out that I knew the 'Seller' 
  It is only showing approx 20,000mls on the clock and overall condition would suggest it's correct. Either way,the engine sounds sweet enough and the only downside  is the rather pitted 46mm Japanese forks,chrome on the rear shock bodies and Harley silencers. Still very happy with the purchase though !

The day after picking it up and giving it a bit of a clean

USA Trip by Two Guzzi's continues ..............New Mexico,Colorado and Arizona

The computer completely stopped working a couple of weeks ago and have now purchased a refurbished one via Ebay, so now I can continue with a few updates.
 With the last USA trip post we were just starting to head from Santa Rosa into Northern New Mexico heading for Santa Fe. As it turned out,and I didn't realise it at the time,this was the original way that Route 66 took.

We came from this direction and already quite a way up
in New Mexico having passed Santa Fe.

Maybe Heinrich Himmler didn't commit suicide afterall ?

This group of students were Geology students on a field trip from
a Alabama University.

We were heading in this direction
Further on, we did go through hilly,green forested area
which I believe was possibly a Apache Indian Reservation land.......
....well we stopped for a coffee and the place was owned by Native Americans

By this time it was early evening and we were in Colorado.
At one point on this road I had been thinking to myself how mild it still felt,but minutes later it was almost as though somebody had opened a fridge door and I was bloody freezin'

Our Motel for the night in Cortez,Colorado which was ran and owned by a German lady
and her 'Great Dane' .....I mean the breed of dog and not a huge fella from Denmark.

The next day and heading for Monument Valley.
I think this sign was just after the 'Four Corners' Monument
where the four States of Arizona, Utah,Colorado and New Mexico meet.

The main road that takes you to the those most famous
of Rock formations and also into Utah.

If you like 'remote' then this could be the place for you.
Better make a list when you go shopping as you wouldn't want to forget anything eh !

This is actually a day later as we'd stayed in place called Page near the North rim of the Grand Canyon
the night before.  It had actually meant that we went quite a few miles out of our way,
but seemed the best option at the time.
This is that next morning and on our way to the South Rim

The road that takes you to the South Rim Visitor centre and luckily, for me,
there was a petrol station there too..............rather bizarrely !

Moto Guzzi Cafe Racer

A few days after getting my Black Guzzi back together I finally got on with sorting out the Cafe Racer that I built last year.
  After my trip to the Bike Shed Event in London I realised that the Guzzi seemed to using too much oil though it wasn't smoking or seeping out of anywhere. 
   I of course decided not to pursue trying to sell it,as that could wait until 2014. It was close to the end of the traditional biking year so there was no real urgency.
  The engine is mechanically very quiet and with very little wear in the valve guides and decided that new rings should be the answer,which I have done,honing the barrels and fitted new rings.
   When the weather has calmed down and I have the time I will get out and about on it putting on a few hundred mile and check oil consumption. When I am happy that all is at it should be,then I will re- advertise it.

Even though I built this bike 'To Sell' I have become quite attached to it after
riding it around last year

I love this colour !

Moto Guzzi Roadster

Last weekend I finally got my bike, that I refer to as my Black Guzzi Roadster, back on the road after part dismantling half of the engine just before Christmas.
    There had been a light tapping noise,which sounded like it could have been a worn cam follower, rocker spindle,worn valve guide or some other not too serious a problem.
   As it turned out it was a lot more serious when I found what looks like corroded but not worn Big End Shells on the right hand side. I also found the r/h Piston gudgeon pin tight in the small end and a pair of left hand side cam followers that did not want to be removed - they were free moving lower down but very very tight at the top edge and had to be prised out.
   I have just replaced the big end shells on the one side including new con rod bolts. The Small End was only tight for a few millimeters at one edge so that was dressed and similarly the cam follower tunnels.
   The noise has gone and the engine once again sounds very sweet !

The beauty of a Guzzi engine and all this can be done while still in the frame

Spruced up a large part of the engine casing's and decided to have a change -after 8 years-
and leave the barrels silver

 

Guy Martin

Just last weekend Madelyn and I discovered that our niece,Holly, worked as a Production Co Ordinator  with Guy Martin whilst he was filming 'Speed with Guy Martin'
  What is odd about this fact is that we see her fairly regularly and know that she worked at Aardman - Shaun the Sheep, with Tony Robinson on the first series of 'Walking Through History' and was last year based in Birmingham with a series of 'Fifth Gear' amongst a number of other productions. It turns out that before Fifth Gear was 'Speed'
  Obviously she know's I love bikes etc so you'd think........................Oh well maybe not !
  Apparently, and as you'd expect, Guy is a very nice and down to earth man.
  Anyway, for part of her Nan's birthday present from Holly, Guy signed a photo of himself which she also took a picture of him holding, to later make into a birthday card for the same Nan  - Yvonne (Nan) is actually a fan of course

Moto Guzzi USA Trip continued.........

.............. from Chickasha,Oklahoma into Texas and New Mexico

On the 6th day of being on the road we had reached Texas

Our Lunchtime stop was directly opposite
the Jail / Prison pictured below

This inmate was watering the grass

Our very first bit of Route 66 and still in Texas.
We'd not long passed Amarillo and had also gone passed
the famous 'Cadillac Ranch' 

Still on Route 66 and we're heading that a way !

Our  nights stop in New Mexico -'Blue Swallow' Motel
at Tucumcari.
Each double room with it's own garage and a free 1st beer from the outside fridge. 

Oh what a beautiful sign !
The owner is restoring the car too.
All this for $80 a night which at the time was £40

The next morning at approximately 8 am the skies were clearing after a night of torrential
rain,thunder and lightening .
It was our third and last experience (luckily all 3 happened at night) of bad weather

It must have already been 70 degrees plus

On the road again and I try making my phone call home.
Just after here Route 66 halted abruptly  and we were back
on Interstate Highway 40 which runs right alongside a lot anyway 

After a little way on Highway 40 we saw a sign showing Route 66 again,which was
also the turn off for Santa Rosa that we were taking to start heading up into
Northern New Mexico.
Just off the Highway was this privately owned museum

Well worth popping in for the princely sum of $5

Next time......................... up into the corner of Colorado, Arizona - Monument Valley / Grand Canyon

Martin's new / old Milling machine

My friend Martin wanted a navigator and a extra pair of hands (and my exceptionally pleasant company) with collection of his latest Ebay purchase - a very large (3/4 ton) - Milling Machine. He already has a one  but this will be better,that is of course  if he can actually make room for it ? 
He hired a van and off we trundled............. actually trundle isn't a word I should use to describe Martin's driving...........Off we sped to do a approx round trip of 300 + miles into the the depths of East Sussex.
  We arrived safely....PHEW !......... and it then took us approximately 2 hours to take it apart,

All 3/4 ton of it !
The cast iron base that has a pump and a sump inside was the heaviest  and to unload it
the two of us had to push it down a couple of  planks and slip improvised rollers underneath
to get it the 40ft into his garage
Oh how we laughed ,while doing our Back's in at the same time !

Starting to come apart and we ended up with 4 or 5 main items

The cutters - they might look rusty but all the Tips / Edges? looked in excellent condition

as much as we could into manageable pieces........Luckily the seller had a engine hoist to load a few of the heavier parts.
  Martin is already in the process of stripping it down further as he is going to restore it all before assembling it into a space in his workshop...............then his old one will be up For Sale !