Guzzimike's Tart Up

[guzzimike]

This saga starts when I wheeled the old Guzzi out of the shed for a Sunday ride with a couple of mates.
Alas, it was not to be, not for me anyway.
5km down the road and I have no gears, or at least, only one gear, the one I’m in.
Shit.
This has been on the cards for years, really, but I’ve been living in a state of denial.
You see, in the mid 80’s Guzzi decided the’d save three and sixpence on each bike by substituting the steel cage bearings in the gearbox with plastic cage jobbies, and my guess was, the chickens had finally come home to roost.
Now the Guzzi is essentially a very simple beast, but gearboxes are white man’s magic, I don’t go there.
So, back in the shed at Chez Guzzi I dropped out the motor/gearbox and delivered the ‘box to Guzzi guru Mario at Thunderbikes to have it’s innards attended to.
Now the rot is about to set in.
Sitting in the shed contemplating a naked MkIV, I began to have thoughts about a “bit of a freshen up”, a bit of paint and paper, tidy it up a bit, after all these years. I mean the bike’s in bits anyway………
This’s gunna hurt.
This bike has a bit of history.
I bought it new in 1987 and over the next 25 years rode it all over Australia, a few times.
Tasmania with the girl 1989

On the road to Phillip Is 1990

Leaving to come home, Phillip Is 1990

Taking the young bloke for a ride 1990

Phillip Is 1997


On the way 1997

Victorian high country after PI 2008

Over 200,000 km later, the paints a bit faded, it all looks a bit tired.
The bike deserves it.
More to come.

[kaput13]

Love these bikes. Castigated myself when I traded mine for an Aprilia. Look forward to viewing your continuing saga.

[davorallyfan]

[stockport claret]

great stuff. looking forward to more

[hunter_greyghost]

Keep the photos coming!
Thunder Bikes is handy to you over there, nice bloke Mario
Cheers
Baza

[O.C.F.RIDER]

Where's your helmets?

Have fun with the resto.

[photomd]

That's cool!

[Garbln]

Scope Creep! Have fun!

[nick949eldo]

Originally Posted by guzzimike

Over 200,000 km later, the paints a bit faded, it all looks a bit tired.
The bike deserves it.

Bloody untrustworthy Guzzis. 200,000kms and you have to fool with the gearbox already? What was Mandello thinking producing such unreliable bikes? Shame on them..

Let's hope you're back on the road soon.

Nick

[Precis]

Riding across the Nullarbor is like climbing Mount Fuji: everyone should do it.
Once.
To do it more often would be foolish.
How often have you done it? I think the Guzzi spat it's gear selector out of frustration at its owner....

[guzzimike]

Originally Posted by Precis

Riding across the Nullarbor is like climbing Mount Fuji: everyone should do it.
Once.
To do it more often would be foolish.
How often have you done it? I think the Guzzi spat it's gear selector out of frustration at its owner....

The Mk IV has done it about a dozen times there and back, I'd done it 30 odd, until I started my current job, now I do it, return, 48 times a year. Love it! Livin' the dream.

[guzzimike]

Originally Posted by nick949eldo

Bloody untrustworthy Guzzis. 200,000kms and you have to fool with the gearbox already? What was Mandello thinking producing such unreliable bikes? Shame on them..

Let's hope you're back on the road soon.

Nick

I tried to hit Mario up for warranty, but for some obscure reason he wouldn't come at it

[guzzimike]

I always find pulling things to bits a trifle scary.
This could stem from the bollocking I used to get from the Old Man, when I pulled stuff apart & couldn’t put it back together again, as a kid.
So what I do now is take lots of pics, and get a copy of the parts manual.
I’ve done a resto on a Guzzi before, my Mk1 LM, about 5 years ago.

[guzzimike]

But the IV is a lot more complicated, many more brackets & stuff. You can see why successive models get heavier & heavier……
Still, fools walk in and all that, so, armed with my trusty spanner, I proceed to strip the thing.

[guzzimike]

When I did the first bike I had the frame powdercoated and the painting done professionally, by a mate who has since gone missing, so, with money being a factor in this, after all the gearbox is not going to be a cheap job, I decided to do it all myself.
Oh, I forgot, the finished item will sport a light ally flywheel & Keihin flatslide carbies as well, so the tart up is a budget job.
(Who the hell do I think I’m kidding?)
I have a little experience at painting, trucks, headers, and an RD Yammy that my mate entrusted in me.
Seemed to work out OK. What could possibly go wrong?
First to the frame and other black bits that hang off it.
My prep starts with brushing on full strength CT18 Truckwash, leaving it overnight, then rinse off.
Then Prepsol, lots of it, wiped on with paper towels, lots of ‘em. Do this several times, Prepsol’s cheaper than paint.
The reason for all this is silicone, you just never know on a bike this old where it’s been applied as car polish, DOT 5 brake fluid, lubricant, or whatever.
I can tell you, from experience, that it’s the biggest bastard known to a painter.
You need to get rid of it before you touch anything with sandpaper, as abrading the surface will rub the silicone into the scratches where we can’t get at it.
The original paint job on the frame was pretty crappy and hadn’t improved with age.
I have a el-cheapo sandblaster that is perfect for the job at hand. It’s one of those where you stick the hose in a bucket of garnet grit
It removes any paint which is remotely loose, (a fair proportion of the Guzzis bracketry fits this description) and gives the rest of it a nice matt “key” for the new paint.
Any bare areas were then etch primed, with rattle gun EP.
2 coats of 2 pack black satin . I just used Wattyl for this as it’s only the frame.
I live on acreage so the neighbors don't worry about the 2 pack.