"Super" Lario/LM1 SB clone build w/Bubs music

[kevdog3019]

Another piece of the puzzle completed.  Got the taillight and blinkers done.  Fabricated an aluminum mount (which has yet to be painted black) for the light and signals.  The electrical gremlins got in the way of things but this was dealt with in the switchgear.  This switchgear is about as good as 3rd world countries worst example. At least I know my loom is all good.  :-*
Headlamp next.
-Kevin

[Cal3Me]

Why does the seat have to ride up against the tank? Why not have the seat tuck under the end of the tank so there is no space between the two now that you raised it then the tank looks like it's part of the seat to keep your line straight back ?  ??? :BEER: But then again I'm no designer .........

Tim

[kevdog3019]

Why does the seat have to ride up against the tank? Why not have the seat tuck under the end of the tank so there is no space between the two now that you raised it then the tank looks like it's part of the seat to keep your line straight back ?  ??? :BEER: But then again I'm no designer .........

Tim

Valid point Tim. That is now possible and I'm not ruling it out. I have always liked the gunfighter LM style seat that covers (or appears to cover) the back side if the tank. The tank seems a bit long (??) now that it's raised but the verdict is still out on all this. I have time to live with it for sure before anything is done.  Appreciate your comment as it really helps.
Kevin

[huub]

have you ridden the bike in this configuration?
the marzocchi forks dont have the offset front axle like guzzi introduced with the 16 inch wheels
i wonder if that makes a diffence to the high speed stability?

Hubert

[kevdog3019]

have you ridden the bike in this configuration?
the marzocchi forks dont have the offset front axle like guzzi introduced with the 16 inch wheels
i wonder if that makes a diffence to the high speed stability?

Hubert

Huub,
     I haven't ridden the bike yet, but the offset appears to be so little (inward actually, not outward) that I can't imagine a difference would be felt.  Dropping the tubes would have a much bigger affect than what I'm seeing on a .25" or so offset.  You could say I actually increased the wheelbase with the Marz.
-K 

[huub]

guzzi introduced the offset to get extra trail to compensate for the small front wheel, while still using the normal trees.
so with less offset in the trees you might and up with the same trail. or less, difficult to say.

the wheelbase is not that relevant to the stability

[Skeeve]

 I'm thinking of leaving the back-end without a fender but would like input there.  

You don't want a fenderless bike. It's bad enough w/ a bicycle: w/ motorcycles you'll really get a mud stripe up your back!

Make a hugger for it. Bonus: you'll keep road grit off your shocks & the seals will last longer.

[kevdog3019]

You don't want a fenderless bike. It's bad enough w/ a bicycle: w/ motorcycles you'll really get a mud stripe up your back!

Make a hugger for it. Bonus: you'll keep road grit off your shocks & the seals will last longer.

Think ass-less chaps here... not so practical, but more attention grabbing.  :P
K

[kevdog3019]

Headlamp mounted.  I have to ask; what's your take on the mounting (where it sits)?  The fairing is mocked up for visual reference.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Kev,
Who's your source on the tail light blinkers, and plate bracket?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kevdog3019]

Kev,
Who's your source on the tail light blinkers, and plate bracket?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ebay and Amazon.  The blinkers can be found at Dime City Cycle but they were out of stock at the time.  Just caught word they are in again.  Very bright blinkers, not so much taillight. ::)

[kevdog3019]

Another day another bit of progress.  Blinker mirrors attached now.  These were chosen for their low profile and long stems to see past my elbows.  They are exactly what I was looking for in that department and they will allow to go blinkerless in the front of the bike (due to LM1 fairing to be mounted).  The nice thing is that they also show the signal on the driver side.  They can be seen from the side and blind spot from traffic as well as behind.  Very beefy and well made.  Not cheap. Just need to shim the front wheel inner axle/speedo drive and I will be on the road!!   ;-T

[Stormtruck2]

The headlight looks like is is a touch high to me. Kinda throws a high point in the horizontal line. I like the large size of the lamp. Kinda like an old steam locomotive.  But I think if you were to mount it a bit lower, (if possible) the profile would smoother and sleeker. This design advice coming from a man that wears checks with strips in bold neon colors.  ;) :D

[kevdog3019]

Did you see the headlamp with the fairing mocked up bottom of pg. 1?  If I go any lower the (lower) fairing line won't match up with the tank.  I agree without the fairing it looks high.  Thanks for this.
-Kevin

[RinkRat II]

Great update kevdog,keep 'em coming. Once you do a test ride or two I'm sure all the little tweeks will make themselves quite apparent and getting things sorted is half the fun

  Paul

[Stormtruck2]

Maybe it is just my eyes, but the top of the white were it meets the shield, seems to be above the top of the tank. Of course if you lower it any you may lose functionality of the fairing. To me it looks like the whole assembly should come down a mite. We must of course take into acount that I am merely looking at a picture on a cheap computer monitor, and you are there in person. What ever you do, I am looking forward to seeing it in person sometime.  You are doing a much better job than I am capable of. Keep up the good work, and I hope that all is great on the home front.  ;-T

[kevdog3019]

Yep... I now see what you're saying Storm.  I have to agree and never noticed that part before.  A tad lower might get us where we want to be.  I may bring it in a smidge as well.  ALways appreciate someone else's eye on the matter.  Keeps me honest.  I've got a lot more I want to do, but I've covered the basics of getting it on the road.  The seat will need to be tied down to get it home and I'll go at it from here.  I've taken most of the cobble out of it and everything works slick.  The headlamp is VERY bright and running relays on it now.  All cables are new and switchgear has been gone through to function well.  Hoping start-up goes well again and see where the new engine mods, brakes, and suspension upgrades gets me.  I'm sure there's lots of tweaks to get things where I want them but sure curious how it's going to behave.  In the world of Lario's, this is a completely new beast.
-Kevin

[sonicboom]

The seat looks awkward to me. It ain't flowing with the rest of it at all. Too many gaps or something.

Like most of what you are doing, keep it up. Sometimes it takes awhile to find all the solutions to everything.

Requires a few beers and deep thought.

On second thought on that seat...maybe i'm not picturing all the body work in place.

[kevdog3019]

The seat looks awkward to me. It ain't flowing with the rest of it at all. Too many gaps or something.

Like most of what you are doing, keep it up. Sometimes it takes awhile to find all the solutions to everything.

Requires a few beers and deep thought.

On second thought on that seat...maybe i'm not picturing all the body work in place.

You are right about the seat.  This seat in the pics is not the seat that's going to be.  I'm going to make up my own seat starting with a pan of my own doing. Should flow with the tank and have an ass bump-stop on the rear.  This seat is the stock Lario seat that gets me home, but that's all. 

Front fender is in hand but needs cutting and trimming as well as mounting hardware to fabricate.  It's an airtech piece (raw fiberglass) like the LM fairing. 
-Kevin     

[kevdog3019]

First ride (teaser):  Strong, stable, very linear, NOTHING like a stock Lario.  Love the gearing!  Feels more like a big block engine.  Have a little issue that needs resolving so will get back with a better report.  This is going to be one fun bike!  ;-T
-Kevin 

[Chuck in Indiana]

First ride (teaser):  Strong, stable, very linear, NOTHING like a stock Lario.  Love the gearing!  Feels more like a big block engine.  Have a little issue that needs resolving so will get back with a better report.  This is going to be one fun bike!  ;-T
-Kevin 

Well, it's about time..  ~;  ;D

[kevdog3019]

Well, it's about time..  ~;  ;D

Like a good wine Chuck.  ;)

[wrbix]

Well, it's about time..  ~;  ;D

'Xactly!

Been sitting on my hands for months now, since it's really none of my business what another owner does, but REALLY:

You have substantial performance mods made, don't ride the thing, and in the meantime do a Cafe job on what has to be one of the most attractive Guzzis ever made?

Sorry, again, really none of my business if that's what you want to do. I just don't get it.

< slinking away now, waiting for the flames>

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

.... Well he does have another Lario that he's kept pretty stock and original with the exception of valve mods, no?

[kevdog3019]

'Xactly!

Been sitting on my hands for months now, since it's really none of my business what another owner does, but REALLY:

You have substantial performance mods made, don't ride the thing, and in the meantime do a Cafe job on what has to be one of the most attractive Guzzis ever made?

Sorry, again, really none of my business if that's what you want to do. I just don't get it.

< slinking away now, waiting for the flames>

.... Well he does have another Lario that he's kept pretty stock and original with the exception of valve mods, no?

Yes, perfectly stock Lario that is pristine in my garage. Runs fantastic also!  Ok, here's my logic behind all this. I love the Lario and it's engine. I think the factory wrote it off early and didn't develop it. I had a lot faith that this engine could be developed and updated, so went after it. Talked with Ed extensively about it and we agreed on some updates. If you know me, you know I'm not afraid to try new things for the sake of possibly getting something better. Of course I don't do this willy nilly and think it through. If it makes sense I go for it.
Got the bike home Dec. 23 during the worst winter in recorded history in Michigan.  Also found the bodywork was trashed (to my standards- think Chuck's beater Lario). Electrical gremlins and other issues so decided I needed to strip it and go through it. At that time I decided since I had a stock bike I would have fun and once again look outside the box a bit. So, with a long hard winter ahead I did just that. Our riding season truly just started a few weeks ago up here, so I'm only a few weeks behind and confident that the work I did is solid. Should I have sat on my hands all this time just so I could have ridden a beater Lario with issues three weeks ago??  This thing's not nearly done so watch your panties creeping higher before you think it's going to be a shit-box cobble job. It's not even home yet, so it's been slower than I wanted I agree. The short ride I took told me that all will be just fine.  ;D
That's the scoop.
Kevin
PS.  Lets see your cafe V50 WRBIX.  Hmmm.... cafe you say??   ;)  A real cafe with a pumped up engine, brakes, suspension or a styling exercise?   :P

[kevdog3019]

Ok, now that that's out of the way.   :-\

After sorting the carb issues (first right, then left :'() I've finally ridden it home today.  I think my short ride assessment the other day was pretty fair that the bike feels much more like a big block than a small block.  Nothing like my stock Lario engine!  This is more vibrant and pulls much harder.  I think the compression difference adds to the vibrancy, but it is smooth once it settles in around 4700 RPM on up.  The suspension is wonderful; balance is good front to back with the Hagons and Marzzochi's. It took the washboard road in stride and hung with it. I feel no wallowing in the curves like on my other Lario. I do have a fork brace on this as well.  Dropping the front and raising the back makes it feel like it's about 7 feet long and stable as a locomotive.  I was expecting some twitchiness, but it's wonderfully low and stable (the sump being more parallel with the road).  Brakes are (well)... much better.  No need to elaborate there. I really like the gearing and think it's perfect for this engine.  I'd say it raises the RPM about 500 overall to stock.  This keeps things up in the rev range a bit more.  I'm not sure how much of this or the lightening of the internals/compression/fueling is affecting the low end, but I am not finding myself down in the 3-4k RPM range (at least not for long).  I'm also not having to drop it down to pull away.  That's where this thing shines and behaves more like the BB.  
I have to ride it and break it in as the fueling feels a little funky at times coming off the throttle.  It's got some unevenness going on in areas and needs to settle in so will ride it on two cylinders for a change.  ;) The throttle I gave it on this (illegal) ride home on the final stretch from stop sure made me realize this is no ordinary small block Guzzi I've ever ridden before.  ;-T
-Kevin            

[wrbix]

PS.  Lets see your cafe V50 WRBIX.  Hmmm.... cafe you say??   ;)  A real cafe with a pumped up engine, brakes, suspension or a styling exercise?   :P

Well, cafe does mean to me taking a MC with some sporty potential and taking it down to it's essentials, which was accomplished with the beater V65III that I "cafe'd" with removal of nonessentials down to a dry wt of 325#. Hagon shocks, FACS up front, Tarozzi fork brace, Tarozzi rear sets, light f'glass tank, Li-Fe batteries, brakes delinked, final drive box drilled for better lube, SS brake lines, electronic tach and speedo, etc

No debate from me that "cafe" is largely a styling exercise, as you're trying to accomplish with de-fairing-ing, seat swapping, tank tilting (?), tail-tidying, etc on your Lario. I just question, as stated, the wisdom of taking a very limited run beautiful-as-designed MC and destyling it.
To each his own, glad you're happy with it. Glad Ed's mods are to your liking. My Lario performs just fine thank you.

[kevdog3019]

No problem with you taking a V65 and doing what you want with it WRBIX. If I did I might sound funny saying so. It sounds great what you did with yours and sure you're really enjoying it.
Everyone has a different idea of what a perfectly executed bike is from the factory. Ask Pete what he thinks of the Lario mill. :BEER:

[ssscruz]

 :PICS!:
Hey Kev...looking forward to the ride report!!   :+=copcar   :pop

[kevdog3019]

Had some carb issues I had to work through.  Seems I found the solution so that it fueled correctly... and this bike rocks!  It's dead nuts solid bottom to top and linear as can be.  Like I said before, it's big block feeling in its delivery.  Well... now we finally know what a lario can be made if you want to invest the time and $$ to do it. No regrets in either as I learned a ton and the investment was what you get with a current small block, except, it aint gonna do what this can do.  :+=copcar
-Kevin