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« Last post by Dukedesmo on Today at 03:15:23 AM »
Never made an 'O' ring but, we have a domestic air-conditioning unit on which the fan is driven from the pump motor by a rubber 'band' which to all intents and purposes is like an 'O' ring in section but much longer and this rubber band is not available as a one-piece item and so requires the purchase of a length of the rubber which you then cut to length and glue together using 'superglue'. Apparently, according to the manufacturer that is how they do it.
I was very skeptical that this would work but I gave it a try and it still works 3 years later (at least it did last summer - not tried it this year yet) and this on an 'O' ring than runs as a drive belt so, strength and flexing at speed is obviously good though not sure how superglue would hold under chemical exposure?
The tricky part is getting a clean, square cut but can be done with care and a sharp blade.
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« Last post by John A on February 16, 2026, 11:42:39 PM »
It at least would give you something besides tires to think about as you ease down a deserted county road after an 800 mile day looking for a place to get out of the cold rain, having missed the turn to East Bad Gulch as the sun goes down. Was that the oil light that just flickered? If you were in a car, you wouldn’t even remember it..
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« Last post by fotoguzzi on February 16, 2026, 10:54:14 PM »
$38 sounds like cheap insurance to me.. oh wait, this is a Guzzi forum.
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« Last post by jrt on February 16, 2026, 09:40:48 PM »
I've done a lot of things in my life, but I can't say I have made my own o-rings. I just bought a big indexed box of o-rings. They have most all I've needed so far.
But good on you- cool idea.
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IMHO that was not always a good thing. Think electronics and early years of what little plastic they used along with quick rot rubber components Oh yea, some of the Cali models that had the rear tail/brake like bracket failures at a young age. Purebred is not always the best.
GliderJohn
Re. the Ambassador: Varta batteries were good quality, as were the Magnetti Marelli starter, generator and voltage regulator. CEV switch gear and fuseblock left a bit to be desired, but if not overloaded (60/55 headlight fitted without adding relays) they too would last virtually forever. Boranni rims among the best. Pirelli MT53 tires were decent in period. Whoever supplied their rubber bits had the code cracked - when I restore one, most of it is reusable. When De Tomaso took over lots of cost cutting happened.
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« Last post by wirespokes on February 16, 2026, 09:00:46 PM »
I'm replacing the clutch in a 77R100RS and decided to replace the rear main seal while I'm at it. Did you know those things are something like $38? Ouch! Gone are the days of a $12 seal.
Anyway, while in there, I might as well check on the oil pump and replace that cover seal as well - just a 60x2 O-ring. That was going to be another eight bucks. I passed. Eight bucks for an o-ring? Well, the cheapest I found on ebay was four or five bucks for one o-ring. And it wasn't viton either, just regular old nitrile. I'm not sure if the OEM is viton, which for the money, it should be. I'm sure nitrile will do.
I've made o-rings before and they worked fine. But I wasn't always pleased with getting a square cut, though they still worked fine. There are o-ring making kits but there really isn't much to them, I'd probably make my own fixture to cut and join the rubber.
And then I read that water can soften the superglue bond holding the two ends of the o-ring together. I'd never heard of that before and don't recall that ever happening to me either. But now I was a little concerned about installing a home made oring that might not hold up, buried deep inside the bike like that - and sealing the oil pump besides!
A little more searching and I located some 60x2 o-rings I'd collected a while back just for this application. Problem solved.
But I am curious how many of you make your own o-rings and if you've ever had them come apart in a damp location.
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It looks to me like a normal T3 wheel. I'm guessing it was the first of the normal wire wheels used on the 850T and newer.
The disc Eldo and 850-T were produced concurrently (there were '75 Eldos BTW), so it was the same wheel. Rim, spokes and hub were identical, only different width bearing carriers were used for the 195 mm 850-T fork spacing and the 205 mm Eldo spacing.
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« Last post by wirespokes on February 16, 2026, 08:43:42 PM »
It might look weird, but I assume it would work, since the hub width is the same.
It looks to me like a normal T3 wheel. I'm guessing it was the first of the normal wire wheels used on the 850T and newer.
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« Last post by malik on February 16, 2026, 08:14:04 PM »
I've found the Workshop Manual invaluable. Download it & print out the relevant pages to keep beside you as you go (tick off & make notes). The workhop/service manual often comes in 2 parts - you'll need both as the split is in the engine section. Note that the sections are not necessarily sequenced in a logical order so you might have to jump around a bit, so printing out those sections you are going to use makes sense. The "Engine from Frame" section is complete - gives blow by blow instructions.
There is also available some videos made by the factory that are useful, even though some of the difficult steps may be glossed over, and the engine they use looks like it's never seen any oil. I forget the source at the moment, but they are out there.
Don't be afraid of taking a break once things get awkward, and have a supply of your beverage of choice available. It's a guzzi, designed for someone with the hands of a dwarf surgeon, the flexibility of an acrobat & the strength of a giant. Having an offsider for an occasional helping hand helps.
Good luck & have fun.
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« Last post by Gliderjohn on February 16, 2026, 08:01:04 PM »
It can be a dilemma. For some years I had both the 8V Norge and my T-3. Yea, I couldn't do much more than fluid changes on the Norge but after it's first year of sorting things out it was bullet proof after that. If I rode the T-3 only I would be thinking, damn this is still a nice ride, but then get on the Norge and think THIS IS A NICE RIDE! For feeding the ego the T-3 is the clear winner. Regularly attracts lookers with questions and complements.They both are what they are and both have been great bikes to enjoy.
GliderJohn
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