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Ground truthing '02 Lemans purchase


FreyZI

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Yesterday I brough home the champagne '02 Lemans of former forum member twhitaker (RIP).  This was a bit of a Covid Times purchase, I think: something to do, not particularly well thought out or investigated, just scratching a wild hair.  Well, at least I didn't resign my job.:huh2:

Pros:

  • I do actually like the color.  I was afraid it was going to be too close to simlar vintage Toyota Camry old-lady beige.  It isn't.  Maybe more Iron Man gold.  It's tasteful, yet not absolutely boring.  When the snow clears, I'll get a sid-by-side photo of the Tenni and the champagne (I laid a couple stone of salt to clear a narrow path from garage - it's not great motorcycling weather in this neck of the woods).
  • It's a Motto Guzzi V11! :mg:
  • Started up in single digit temperature; sounded okay
  • PO has ridden -- fast! (how fast will remain undisclosed)

Cons:

Cosmetic damage (mostly what I know at present -- this bike has 44K miles on the clock and it looks like it did every bit of it).

  • This bike went down on its right side at some point.  It buggered up the cylinder head guard -- which did its job rather well

20220122_170918.jpg

 

  • Damaged right fairing
  • Bar end was replaced with something dramatically different in size (and presumably mass)
  • Hard cases dented, abraided, and small tears
  • Mufflers mismatched (one painted to be less obviously mismatched)
  • Front wheel rim gouged
  • Front fender abraided
  • Right mirror cup abraided
  • Rear hugger abraided
  • Seat okay but not great
  • Seat cowl scratched
  • Some fuel tank anomoly and also rubbing from throttle friction device when bars at full right lock
  • Some corrosion on fins, master cylinder cover, elsewhere
  • Pork chops' anodized finish peeling badly and otherwise beat up
  • Cylinder head finish bubling
  • Engine case paint isn't perfect, but doesn't seem too bad (I'd welcome a pic of what bad looks like)
  • Basically, bike is pretty filthy

Mechanical problems

  • Neutral light intermittent failure with concomitant sidestand-triggered engine cut-off, even in neutral
  • judging from presence of oil on final drive outer case, possibly a bad seal
  • Feels like steering lock doesn't engage quite soon enough
  • Oily grime about intake at R cylinder (maybe L, too -- haven't looked that closely)
  • Odometer 60 degree bit held together with a grocery twist tie

20220122_171015.jpg

Notable features

  • Highway pegs (Looking forward to trying these, but worried these are actally designed to melt boots)

More to come.  Thanks in advance for helping with the trouble shooting!

Cheers,

Frey

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So, one of the things I must consider is what to do with this bike:

1) make sure mechanicals are good and store it for when/if something goes wrong with the Tenni.

2) rehabilitate it mechanically, but leave it alone cosmetically and have that rat bike I've always wanted.

3) Spruce her up considerably and really appreciate (per Docc) the monochromatic fireball.

Additional pics:

 

20220122_170825.jpg

20220122_170946.jpg

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What is this thing on the spine?  The Tenni doesn't have it.  I imagine it has something to do with the boobytrap (a la Mad Max in Bartertown).

20220123_084633.jpg

And here are the boot fryers:

20220122_171006.jpg

Anybody used them?

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Oh, and the fuel tank.  Hard to get a good photo.  As you move and the angle of refraction changes, it's pretty obvious.  Maybe a video is in order if I can figure that out. 20220123_084520.jpg

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That looks like a worthy project.

  1. If engine paint isn't bubbling now, it was probably redone by Moto Guzzi.
  2. The oil on the final drive is likely due to over-filling. From the pics, I'd guess the breather vent is the source of the mess.
  3. Those foot-forward, highway pegs? Wow. Personally, I'd remove those immediately.
  4. If you decide to freshen it up, I have a lot of stuff from a Champagne LeMans that I ended up stripping.
  5. The frame plates and rockers covers look fabulous in candy-apple red next to the champagne paint.
  6. If the fairing damage is more than you want to deal with, you could convert to a sport headlight with or without a flyscreen.
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6 hours ago, FreyZI said:

So, one of the things I must consider is what to do with this bike:

1) make sure mechanicals are good and store it for when/if something goes wrong with the Tenni.

2) rehabilitate it mechanically, but leave it alone cosmetically and have that rat bike I've always wanted.

3) Spruce her up considerably and really appreciate (per Docc) the monochromatic fireball.

You’ve already got a Tenni… so makes sense keep that fairly original. 👍

If I had a scruffy 2nd V11 without the emotional attachment - I’d feel free to do any goddamn change I ever fancied…

To hell with stock - when you’ve got two have some fun & hop it up!

Experiment anywhere along the range between GB Trofeo & Church of Choppers!

You might end up with something you love even more than your stock Tenni! 👍😎

 

 

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4 hours ago, Scud said:

If the fairing damage is more than you want to deal with, you could convert to a sport headlight with or without a flyscreen.

It's not that bad....  I'd rather keep the fairing.  But I'll PM you about parts.  Cheers.

20220122_171158.jpg

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Oh - that looks like only a paint problem. The fairing on mine had been ground flat in that spot, (but on left so maybe I have a good RH mirror). I sold the fairing to somebody who wanted to paint it to match a greenie.

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Under the seat with some fuses and the tool kit, I found a bit of bubble wrap with a spring inside, subsequently identified as the spring (25) that attaches to the ratchet in the gear selector box.  What do you make of that?  It seems like it would be a bit of a complex roadside fix to replace that spring.  Is that a weak spot?  Does this suggest a past problem or portend failure?

Spring.jpg

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12 minutes ago, deadpen69 said:

Yes that's spring that breaks. that thread gives some early forum history of the problem and contains a link to the roadside repair as well

 

FreyZ1 ... if the spring under the seat has only one coil then it's another one to not be trusted. 2 coils and it's the new improved spring. Owners who had not yet replaced theirs, often carried an extra to ward off bad ju ju and have one handy in case of emergency need.

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2 hours ago, deadpen69 said:

Ah, @belfastguzzi gave us the earliest taste of just how bold we should be with the V11 shift plate . . . :thumbsup::luigi:

* not for the squeamish! *  :unsure:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/belfastguzzi/sets/72157625688157804/

 

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