Just Goosing Around... First steps into Guzzi land...

Do any of you have an MPH speedometer you would be willing to part with, and maybe a starter switch/button? or know where I may find either of these parts

Your speedometer can be rebuilt, will be more reliable and accurate than any used original if done by North Hollywood Speedometer and Clock: http://www.nhspeedometer.com/ .

Starter button is easy (at least for those of us in the USA). MG Cycle has them for $28.45: http://www.mgcycle.com/product_info.php?products_id=959 and Greg Bender also sells them for $18.75: http://thisoldtractor.com/gtbender/for_sale_wiring_harness.htm (look down near the bottom of the page).

Thanks for the info Charlie, great help, so now I know where to get a starter button, I guess I need to find the bracket that it goes in, and fits to the bars?
Can anybody help with this part?

You can make your own bracket:
http://thisoldtractor.com/gtbender/mg_manuals/starter_button_bracket.pdf
I've made them out of 1/8" thick aluminum, although the original was zinc-plated steel. It goes on the back side of the brake lever perch pinch bolt.

Mark Etheridge @ Moto Guzzi Classics in California likely has everything you seek - speedo, button and bracket. He's not so good with email, but try anyway:

Moto Guzzi Classics
1831 Redondo Avenue
Signal Hill, CA 90755
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Tele 562. 986. 0070
Fax 562. 986. 0058[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Email: info@motoguzziclassics.com or guzzirenew@aol.com [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Hours : Tuesday through Saturday 9 to 5[/FONT]

All day in the fettling shed today, with the bike on the bench. First job was to clean up the oily mess from last weekend, so everything was washed down with brake cleaner, and then wiped dry.
Next I removed the carbs and gave them a clean up, before setting to with the oil leak. This it seems was all coming from the breather assembly, the short fat hose was perished and split, the thin hose was just an old bit of plastic fuel line, that was a loose fit on the solid pipes, and I feel this is where the oil came from.
So with the whole lot removed, I made some new hoses, and installed new clamps, before throwing the whole assembly back together. Then it was time to sort out the mess that is the Guzzi four way fuel splitter, diabolical, what were they thinking? again all the rubber hoses had perished and were splitting, so all was replaced, I shall be removing all this in the near future, and replacing with the neater BMW system using three way splitters and a cross pipe.



Next on the list it was time to set the valve clearences, simplicity itself, far better than the BMW airhead. so with that lot back together, I looked at the ignition system, the points were in great shape, so I just cleaned them up, and oiled the throw out weights, the distributer cap had signs of arcing off one of the contact plates? but I cleaned it up and the rotor arm, before checking the plug wires. Thse were way too loose in the cap, so I adjusted the ends for a tighter fit, but I will order a new Cap, rotor arm, and plug wires this week.



With all this back together she fired right up, and sounded great, and there was no sign of an oil leak anywhere, so once real warm, I changed out the oil, I think the previous owner had over filled it too wich may have had something to do with the leak?

Next on the list is a carb rebuild and balance, they seem out to me, and the tickover was way too fast, so far so good, should be sunny tomorrow, so may go for a ride.

Nice work Kev....yes over filling is a common problem...also, did you check the breather box to make sure the flapper valve was still intact and working correctly? Both things will cause oil to escape at higher rpms...

Yes the flapper valve was in place.

Now I am curious about a couple of things, there are two gaskets fitted to each carb to head manifold joint, I see in the spares list it mantions four gaskets also, so I am guessing this is correct, but why does it need two? also is tyhere an easy way to balance the carbs, the write up in the manual seems ever so complicated... pull this plug lead, pull that plug lead etc etc

Two gaskets are for heat isolation, mostly. Also they give the correct rearward positioning of the carbs when the stock air box and rubber boot are fitted.

I prefer to drill and tap holes in the manifolds and use "carb sticks" to balance the carbs, but lacking those you can use drill bits to measure and compare the opening height of the slides. More information here:
http://thisoldtractor.com/gtbender/...fold_modification_to_support_vacuum_balancing
http://thisoldtractor.com/gtbender/...r_balancing_synchronizing_without_carb_sticks

Ok, let's talk batteries.....

My Ambo has a battery that could start a 757, I have never seen a bike with such a large battery, but do they need one that size?
What are you guys running in your bikes? I see the Ritmo racer has a much smaller Yuasa sealed battery, is this the way forward?

What battery you need depends on a few things, the most important is likely what starter you have. Both the Bosch and Marelli units like big batteries/cranking amps, while a Valeo can make do with something smaller.

My favorites for Marelli and Bosch equipped bikes are the Odyssey PC925 (if the customer can afford one - $166 here), the YIX30L/ETX30L originally used in Harley FLH models (approx. $95 here) and the battery originally meant for the Mazda Miata (about the same $$). Some folks don't like the automotive style posts of the Miata battery, but I do as I feel they make better contact and deliver more punch that the others. The Miata battery also fits well into the original holddown frame if you still have that.

The one currently (no pun intended) in my '69 Ambassador is an AC Delco 55-6, meant for a Ford Maverick and a few other US crapmobiles. That size is no longer made, which is a shame, because it only cost me $55 back in '04 (yes, it's now 8 yrs. old). Never had a battery tender on it, never needed a charge. Big and heavy, but then so is the bike. Going to great lengths to save 10 lbs. of battery weight is a bit silly IMO.

Some especially "frugal" folks use the U1 sized garden tractor battery. If you go that route, please buy one that is sealed (doesn't vent out the top). Acid damage is never pretty...

Thanks, I have an auto style battery in there that fills the frame, I also have acid damage on the r/h side, you can see it in the pictures but if it is auto size they like, then auto size can stay.

I had a generic giant tractor battery.
Worked damn great.
Just find something that fits!

in everything...
Sealed AGM with 340 CCA. It's about 1/2 the size of the behemoth that screwed with the battery tray, and frame and fender. No splash.
I've had one in the R100 for 2 years. Works great. I've got another good to go for the Guzzi...
I get 'em for 70$ at AutoZone, our local national outlet...
It's the biggest kid's powertoy/garden tractor sealed battery in my neighborhood...

But do they make your Magna more powerful?

So sang the Mama's and papa's, all those years ago, and with a frost on the ground today, and a blue sky laid on thick and high, California Dreaming was calling my name.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN3GbF9Bx6E

Now as it so happens I had a look over the new Guzzi California on Friday, I had called Corsa Italiana to buy a dizzy cap and rotor arm for my Ambo, and parked up outside was the new bike.



It still has the style of the old original Cali, but being aimed at the older owner with spare cash, it is now more easy chair than easy rider, it has lost some of the edge of the original, which is a shame.



But today, Saturday, was all about playing with the Ambo, I had an electrical fault I needed to fix on the lighting side, I also wanted to stick a strobe on and check the timing, so after taking it out for a warm up, and a coffee for me, I dropped by my local gargage, where the owner let me pull it inside in the warm to do the work...



So first things first, I fitted the new distributer cap and rotor arm, then we connected up the strobe, and all was bang on where it needed to be, next job was finding out why I had no rear light, this turned out to be a rats nest of bad wiring and loose connectors. Well no sooner had we found the cause, Mark the garage owner, chopped the lot out and rewired the whole front end back into the headlight, and fuse box, all new wires, correctly soldered, and finished with heat shrink. And he never charged me for the work. It just goes to show, ther are still great people out there who care what they do.



So another Saturday goes past, and the bike gets a little better, the next two jobs will be the front fork oil, and the dynamo cover.

Fork oil: I use 9 oz./265 cc of 30w fork oil. The factory spec. is 5.4 oz./160 cc, but with that amount you have no damping from approx. 3/4 extended to full extension. There's not a lot anyway, but the extra few ounces does seem to help.

Which dynamo cover(s) do you have - metal two-piece or plastic one-piece? No matter what I've done so far, the metal ones rattle around and irritate the heck out of me. I never have them on long before I take them off again. The plastic one requires that you remove all sorts of bits to install it. So, I follow Mark Etheridge's (of Moto Guzzi Classics) advice - I slice it down the center. I actually remove a strip about 1"/26mm wide from the center. Then each half can be easily installed without removing anything significant. Fender washers under the fixing bolts will help prevent cracking.

I have a plastic cover, I wonder does it serve a usefull purpose, or is it just a vanity cover to hide the generator? is it worth fitting full stop?

Thanks for the tip on the fork oil, I will go for a heavier weight when I do them, it won't be today though, as it is -6 here this morning, with a heavy frost, s it is a morning for hot coffee, and a little computer motorcycling

Are there any tips on setting up the clutch side of things, as I find it hard to select first gear, and all gear changes are at best very clunky:eek1 I hope I don't have to pull the back end apart just yet.

I wonder if someone will save this one....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1970-Moto-G...Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f1fac89d9&vxp=mtr




I like the rear pillion footplates, very cool, why did Guzzi make so many styling changes for the same year?

Do you have Guzziology? It's a great read and filled with all kinda facts on that help maintain Guzzi's.

The generator cover is really just hiding the ugly bits from view. Mine has been without for most of the last 15 years.

Greg Bender has a section on clutch adjustment that may prove helpful: http://thisoldtractor.com/gtbender/moto_guzzi_loopframe_engine.htm#gtb_clutch_adjustment
The 4 spd. is known for clunky changes, but with time and practice you'll get better.