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Typical Dutch river delta landscape. In my pictures there is usually a Guzzi somewhere.

I’ll be keen to get input on this machine. For instance, Daves pipes look great, and am interested in details on those. Etc. I’m new to the 50+ year old bike category, other than bikes i rode as a kid, so even things like any hacks for the clunky center stand that wants to fall down to vertical, or the clutch engagement which is beautifully simple but clunky… are there hot tips on any of that floating out there in this group? Link to @Dave Swanson's thread:

(new thread here to unclutter dave swansons thread) I may have accidentally ended up with this machine. Oops. A friend wanted to unload it, and offered it a few times over the years, with me declining, but finally circumstances, an adjusted set of desires, and price aligned, and now i have it. I honestly had thought it was a ‘72 V7 from just eye-balling it casually in passing a couple times, but it’s a ‘68 V700. Need to strip the paint and redo the tank (etc) paint scheme to something stock, or stock-ish, and am loving that red/chrome. the chrome would presumably be harder to reproduce. probably will be a while till i actually do much with it, as this was not a planned thing. Need to clear out some other projects first. Will be eye-balling stock or close-to-stock paint schemes, how to clean up the semi-hacked rear fender on this one, getting new fork seals in, ways to maybe enhance/improve the clutch activation, etc.

i have not heard this before, good tip. thank you...

Hi from the new guy.

The Becker-Technik work stand is great, the problem is that BT won’t ship directly to the USA (or North America?). Stein Dinse will, but with the crazy import tariffs in place, it might no longer be a financially viable option. MG Cycles is the US Importer ($$$) ==> Linky

My son had a volt meter i can borrow. Forgive my ignorance if the battery is dead would it not charge up, I left it on the optimiser over night and the following morning the bike started without any problems. Regards Dell

@Gmc28, I hope my effort to help set up your thread came out okay. Sometimes that be messy. I did try to add back your second photo, but not sure that came through.... Looking forward to your V700's progress!

I purchased this bike 13 years ago from Ken Johnson at Atlas Cycle in Tulsa, Oklahoma just before Ken retired and sold the business. Ken told me that it had been on display at the shop for many years. The bike hadn't been licensed for the road since 1977. All of the tinware retains its original paint. The frame and other black bits were re-painted, and the rusty hardware was cadmium plated. I tore the bike down, ordered a Gliardoni cylinder set and for the next 12 years the bike was in boxes. Last year I got serious about finishing it. Today I finished the wiring. I installed one of Greg Bender's fabulous wiring harnesses. I also installed his slick "relay solution" panel. Everything worked flawlessly. This was a very rewarding project!

beautiful. I may have accidentally ended up with such a machine. Oops. A friend wanted to unload it, and offered it a few times over the years, with me declining, but finally circumstances and price aligned, and now i have it. I honestly had thought it was a ‘72 V7 from just eye-balling it casually in passing a couple times, but it’s a ‘68 V700. Need to strip the paint and redo the tank (etc) paint scheme to something stock, or stock-ish, and am loving that red/chrome. the chrome would presumably be harder to reproduce. Link to my "eventual project" . . .

Potential failure of the aluminum flywheel in the Tenni and Scura, and 'possibly' the Rosso Mandello, but maybe not

docc, this has been over complicated w/the DVOM and overthinking. Testing this w/a simple incandescent test light is the way to go. To prove a press. switch is n.c. just turn the ign. key to the run position. If the light is indeed off , remove the wire to the sensor and touch it to a good ground. If the light comes on. The switch aka sensor is bad. To test the sensor to be sure , connect the test light to a 12v source then touch the test light to a good ground. Light comes on and you have a good circuit. Touch the test light to the tip of the sensor. If the light comes on your sensor is good. If the light is off , the sensor is bad. I have about 4-6 Fluke 77,87,88 DVOMs and 2 Simpson 260s and a SnapOn MT 406 analog meters. What I do most test work w/is a simple NAPA test light. This test light will do two things . It verifies V and verifies a good circuit (because a DVOM will not introduce a load int the circuit) by loading the circuit w/a test light. A good wiring diagram and step by step testing will help ruling out possibilities and verify what is good and bad. Good luck Sam , do take notes and take steps. You will be doing this a lot. MotoGuzzis will have lots of quirks. Inop lights are just one of them . Light connections are just one. Have plenty of vaseline ,De-oxit . contact grease or whatever gooey you rub on contacts are. Charging V is imperative , lights are a luxury . If my bike starts and runs: good. Brake lights and turn signals are not needed. I live in Ky. You drive through the state. You will understand.

Thanks docc! Yeah, this one feels like my version of the find that others make. Plus the owner shipped (as far as I can tell) almost all of the original take-offs. From the VIN it was an '04 Ballabio that someone put a lot of thought and care into. I need to go through and catalog everything. Something tells me I'm in the right place for help with that.

Gorgeous Sport, @105Gunner! That has a lot of cool things going on!

Thanks! Wanted one of these for many years. Seeing @swooshdave's bike on The Mighty Garage all the time didn't help! Mine came up on FB Marketplace a few months ago. Looking forward to meeting others on the forum!

Hello and welcome. What a beauty.

In case anyone is interested, that seems to be still available. I bought one less than 2 years ago, or maybe slightly over 2 years. Works really well. https://shop.becker-technik.de/en/products/central-lifter-24

Without wanting to worry you too much, there is a whole chain of things that can lead to what you are describing. They are all cureable, and mostly *fairly* easy to find. You have to go through it systematically and methodically, and eliminate possible faults one after the other. Thereby, start with the most obvious and simple and leave the complicated stuff until the simple things have been eliminated or verified as the cause of the problem. Battery is easy, and on the top of the list because you don't know how old it is, or how it has been treated in the past. Batteries age. What can happen when they get old is that they can take a charge, even start the bike once, but have no capacity any more. At a second start attempt, or even the first, they can't deliver enough energy to turn over the starter motor, even though they look like they are charged. That is fairly easy to test. Get the multi-meter. Measure the voltage across the battery terminals. It should be nearly 13V. Leave the meter connected and press the starter. If the voltage drops below 10V, the battery is most likely too old. There are several other things, known issues with a V11, that can cause the starter motor to not turn over, but check the battery first. One thing at a time. PS: this optimiser, what is it? There are "float chargers" on the market that are actually not really good for the battery.

Hi @dell. Looks like @docc is heading in the right direction, but so's you know where he's heading: The symptoms indicate that the battery is not delivering properly, i.e. dead. 'Nuff said, do what docc says.

Not the same as on Dave's I think, but Mistral has something similar https://www.mistralspecialparts.it/en/product/classic-exhausts-moto-guzzi-v7-700-special-eldorado-850gt/

That looks like a great project too Gmc28. [ Best make a separate topic for it. ] [docc edit: done! ]

I'm not sure if that is an A.C. tester ?

Well it has now arrived and looks in great condition for the age. Paint work needs addressing, along with a few other bits, but this is a very rideable project that will be played with. Have a list of things I want to do and check, now slightly longer thanks to all the helpful information above, but looks solid and ready to roll. The carbs fitted are certainly stamped PHF36s. Engine sounds nice and QT and ticks over nicely once warmed up. Looking forward to getting it a run down the road, probably next yr

@fastaussie I'm a little late to this game but a few ideas: 1) If you're swapping plates (I like "pork chops", but others either don't like that or prefer "stilettos"), be aware that there seem to be two different versions of the plates with different size swingarm pins (20 vs. 22mm, by my measurement). If you get new-to-you plates, either confirm the correct size for your setup or get the pins with the plates. See 2) I got a set of plates powder coated. They are beautiful, though not presently installed. I wanted to get a visual sense of depth in the finish, so the powder coater shot them with silver first, then cherry red, followed by clear. As pretty as they are, I don't like them as much as the original Tenni anodized chops, as I discovered that I like the comfortable patina of the originals. I also haven't put them back on Bubbles (the champagne Lemans), feeling that's a little like putting lipstick on a pig (Bubbles is cosmetically-challenged). So Bubbles is wearing a pair of darker silver stilettos of unknown provenience. 3) Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I like the "pop" of red chops and valve covers. If we agree that the stilettos and the valve covers are roughly equal in exposed-to-view surface area, then what you're proposing to do is essentially just moving the red spot around on the canvas; no new pop, just the same pop somewhere else. Seems like a lot of effort. But, hey: you do you, as my daughter says.

That's the best looking Tenni deal I've seen in recent memory. $6k / 11k mi. and looks well kept. The clutch swap shouldn't matter. If the owner isn't sure then it likely has not been addressed. Buy it - fix it.

Mighty fine day to have a retired fellow's schedule.

Coppa Italia for sale on BaT

Just bought this and have been riding it around quite a bit. It's incredible!

This one? https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/mcy/d/snohomish-2004-moto-guzzi-v11-cafe-sport/7868719941.html

Yea Mick, AL YOU MIN UM instead of the correct AL YOU MIN E UM. Butchering the Kings English.....again. Like people using the expression "I couldn't care less" and substituting/abbreviating it to "I could care less" which has the opposite meaning entirely. Annoying. Phil

definitely a girl. Francoise Hardy