General Category > Bike Builds, Rebuilds And Restorations Only
1968 V700 Rejuvination
Dave Swanson:
It's hard to believe that I bought this V700 almost 12.5 years ago! I think it is high time I get it together and on the road!
I purchased this bike in early April 2007 from Ken Johnson of Atlas Cycle in Tulsa, OK. I found the bike on Cycle Trader. When I did the deal with Ken his retirement was imminent as he was turning over the keys to the new owners in a few days. He told me that the V700 would be the last bike sold out of Atlas Cycle during his ownership.
The bike hadn't been registered for the road since 1977, and according to Ken it had been in his showroom for many years. He stated that it was a very low mile machine with speedometer showing 81 miles
I decided that a bike that had been sitting that long needed a thorough going over before being ridden. I knew I wanted to replace the original barrels and pistons with Gilardoni units among other items I knew would come later.
Shortly after the bike arrived I began the teardown.
Not that I would doubt Ken, but after tearing down all the normal wear items on the bike jived with a bike that has very low miles. The condition of the original tires, brakes, clutch and clutch spline indicate that this is a very low mile bike.
The original Pirelli 4.00 - 18 Super Sports have the old date code indicating they were made in November 1966. They are in amazing condition with no checking of the sidewall. If this bike was going into a museum or for display only I would leave them on. Since I plan on riding and having fun with this bike I will be replacing them with new production Duro tires, which have exactly the same tread pattern. I am sure Duro copied the Pirelli Super Sports because they are identical.
After tearing the bike down and ordering the Gilardonis the bike has languished in several containers until now.
Over the years I kept pecking away on the surface here and there. I ordered a wiring harness from Greg Bender and had all of the rusty hardware re cadmium plated.
Now is the time to get serious!
Dave Swanson:
The V700 has many eye-catching features. The tank, fenders, side panels, "pie crust" final drive, speedometer and housing just look so good! My all time favorite feature of the V700 is the oft maligned Dellorto SS1 29D carburetors. I understand why many have replaced with later carbs, but to me a V700 doesn't look right without the original carburetors.
The SS1s on this bike had a few issues. There was old crystallized gasoline in them which made disassembly difficult. Thankfully there were only a few parts that needed to be replaced. One of the pilot jets was seized and required a careful and nerve filled drilling operation to remove, but I was successful in the end!
Here are the carbs ready to be reassembled.
And here is what $250 worth of SS1 spare parts look like. I am not complaining about the price. I am beyond happy that someone still has NOS bits for these carbs or I would also be running a newer carb.
Antietam Classic Cycle:
I'll definitely be following your progress. V700s (especially the earliest ones) are something special IMO. What you're starting with is infinitely nicer than mine.
I've only ever seen one set of SS1s that didn't leak and actually worked correctly. Mid 30s mpg isn't uncommon with SS1s, with a switch to VHBs bringing that up to ~ 50.
Good that you already bought the Gilardonis, V700 sets haven't been available for ~ 10 years.
Dave Swanson:
--- Quote from: Antietam Classic Cycle on August 11, 2019, 01:43:54 PM ---I'll definitely be following your progress. V700s (especially the earliest ones) are something special IMO. What you're starting with is infinitely nicer than mine.
I've only ever seen one set of SS1s that didn't leak and actually worked correctly. Mid 30s mpg isn't uncommon with SS1s, with a switch to VHBs bringing that up to ~ 50.
Good that you already bought the Gilardonis, V700 sets haven't been available for ~ 10 years.
--- End quote ---
I am hoping to up that number to 2! :grin:
Dave Swanson:
Assembled and ready for battle!
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