So March is upon us, and the warmer days are just over the horizon we hope, and with that in mind I try to spend a little time down at my lockup, and try to get the Guzzi closer to the road. I also took the chance to try the Cali seat, but I am not sure right now?
Last summer under the covid lockdowns, I pulled the paint set from my 1973 Eldorado to get them painted in my preferred colour of Burgundy and white, my Eldo had been painted once before from what I could tell, and the stripes on the old white tank were not the best, so I had no problems with losing original patina, as so much of this bike had been changed historically before it came into my possession.
Unfortunately the weather has got to the bike itself even though it is locked away, but a year of no use pays a toll on surface condition, and the chrome etc shows where the salt of winter has blown under the door, and will need some steady work over the spring.
Man I hate wiring, no! that in itself is not entirely correct, I hate what other people do to wiring, that I then have to try and sort out and correct. my 73 Eldo has a later Suzuki handlebar switch, which is cool, it is a great switch, the problem is the fact that the previous owner fitted this switch, and extended the switch wires. And rather than extend the wires with matching colours wire to wire, or extending the wires using the original Guzzi colours, the wiring was extended with random colours. Why?
So I find myself in a wiring mess, and trying to sort it out as best i can. A civilian bike, with police dash, wrong ignition switch, and Suzuki switch gear.
Wiring for fun
As the Harley waits for the next camping trip, and I wait for some dry weather, my Eldorado waits in the lockup, tank off, seat off, and all the old wiring off. A job I have put off for over a year, since when I bought and fitted the Scrambler Cycle alternator kit, was to replace the complete wiring with a new Greg Bender harness from the USA.
Inside the headlight
Now these new harnesses are really well made by Greg, and come with so many options for the different models of V7 loop frame bikes, but unfortunately my bike is a conglomeration of styles, having started life as a civilian model with twin clocks, and standard Italian switch gear. But when I bought it, it had been concerted into a faux police style bike, with a police dash, and Suzuki switchgear. and a wiring mess to boot.
And inside the dash area
But it is what it is, and I have to work through the issues, Greg is there just an email away with help if I need it, but I hate to bother him, and so try to sort the problems out myself.
Fuseboard and distribution board
It’s only wires
My old Eldo 850 won 2nd place at the Guzzi rally
My 1973 Eldorado 850
2nd Place award.
And then it all went wrong…
Recovery, how embarrassing
I spent the weekend in the rain in Devon at Guzzi Fest….
My Eldorado in Devon
I have been lucky to have had a few of the coolest bikes from the 70’s, well to me they were the coolest, others may have a different (wrong) opinion. But to me the coolest bike was the Moto Guzzi Eldorado, the style, the name, and of course the look.
My 1974 MG Eldorado.
As summer threatens to come and find us, and we start to get the odd sunny warm day, my mind turns to my Guzzi Eldo sitting as it has all winter in the back of a lockup covered in a sheet.
V850 Eldorado
But I feel the time is nearly right to spend some time down at the lockup getting it ready for spring.
Moto Guzzi 850
V850GT Loop Frame
Guzzi V850GT Classic
So why did my alternator bracket fail?
Well have a look at this picture, this was taken back when I fitted the supplied kit, do you see the small anti shake lock washers under the nyloc nuts in the centre?
Scrambler Cycle Alternator kit
Well they have both disintegrated causing the cradle to bounce around, and then the support bracket to brake, the rear washer had disappeared completely, and just half of the front one remained. I have now bolted it down firm without lock washers using just nylocks and Loctite, it is all now much firmer.
The broken barrel stud has also now been fixed, and the bike is once again back together and ready for the Rabbit rally in a couple of weeks time. That will leave me one last camp of the year, in the shape of the Moto Guzzi Club “Red Kite” camp over on the edge of Wales.
AARGHHHH!
Damn, Blast, and Why?
Dropped down the lockup this morning to adjust my valve clearances and have another look at the alternator fixings as the damn thing has come loose again?
So I started wth the left side tappets, and all was good, just minor adjustment needed but hardly worth mentioning really, then after putting the left side all back together, I pulled the rocker cover on the right side, and this is what greeted me exactly as you see it here…
Broken head bolt
More work
Backstreet Thunder 