Bellagio 940 Cafe Racer Evolution

[Calijackalbob]

Intro. My back story.........

Ive been sporadic, posting bits and pieces, doubling up posts and stuff, in this and other guzzi forums............. time to start a dedicated page for my Moto Guzzi Bellagio Cafe Racer Evolution.

Hi.
My name's Peter - Cali Jackal Bob.
I've owned over 100 bikes. Started riding at 10 or so years old with a "Grand Prix" - home made minibike with a pull start lawn, mower engine. Great memories of that bike, like when I did a jump and one of the handlebars snapped off when I landed,.... still managed to stay upright! Other dirtbike riders saw and expressed their amazement. Apparently I'd got about 10 feet of air under me before I touched down. They were not so brave to fly so high. (
I also Got run off the road by cops, who nearly drove me off a cliff! After the "GP" I moved onto a Honda Cr 125 Elsinore 2 stroke which was too much for me at the time, so I swapped it for a Honda XR75. That was fun. I did a long jump one day, about 20 feet airborne and when I touched down, the nuts that held the seat on came loose and the seat fell off mid air which resulted into a nut crunching landing.

Anyway, followed up with (not in this order) among others, Suzuki DR175, Honda CB750,




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CG125, cb125, 250, 400, 900, CX500,









ST1100, Kawasaki Gt750, Z250, Z400, Z750, Z650, Z1100b, Zephyr 750, VN1500,














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Yamaha Xj900,




Xs250, 400, 650, ......





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all Jap bikes til my BMW R11001R which I bought for all the wrong reasons, just because I hadn't had one before. had an interesting boxer engine and I could afford it.




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It wasn't the most sexy bike, but it was reliable. It was a great bike and I loved it, as I did all my bikes before, but I wasn't IN LOVE with it.

I got sideswiped by a dickhead in a car who decided he wanted to be in the space i was riding in more than I was entitled to it. Killed the BMW, busted my foot and collarbone and left me looking for a replacement. My criteria for a new bike were, must be big. Large capacity engine, impressive, different, a head turner, plenty of power........ I looked at Triumph Rocket 3, Honda Valkyrie, an ST1100 streetfighter, Vmax, Yamaha MT01, (love the V Twin and sporty Muscle bike look) but wanted to do a cafe racer. Can you imagine a Valkyrie with Clip ons and a bum stop seat?

Anyway. I bought a Moto Guzzi Jackal, fully intending to make it into a cafe racer, but the draconian laws in this country make any "unapproved" modifications (whether they Improve the bikes handling or safety or not) punishable by jail or ridiculous fines, made me rethink screwing with the Jackal. That's ok though. I soon found the California to be perfect the way it was. (after stripping off the touring saddlebags and fly screen.) I didn't have the heart to meddle with perfection. I was smitten. I loved the Jackal, but more importantly, I was in LOVE with it.
..... so It became a Bobber.




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I got the Guzzi Virus. I was in LOVE, infected, addicted, totally enarmoured of the Moto Guzzi brand and as the "Harpers Guzzi" Tshirt says,.... Guzzis are like potato chips,.... you cant just have one."

I rediscovered my (Fleeting back then, ) admiration of the Moto Guzzis I saw (few and fa between in Australia)...... the Le Mans 850, Sport 1100, V7 and all the other gorgeous Guzzis that I saw too seldom to form a real attachment to. I started looking for another Guzzi, but being in a tiny, postage stamp sized country (singapore) with less than 100 MGs on the island, there is little choice. . . . . and what is available is incredibly expensive. A new V7 Racer cost $29000 SGD. So I looked for something older. There is jack sh*t here, a hand full of Grisos, the odd Stelvio, Norge, V11s and a bunch of too expensive V7s. Nothing much on the 2nd hand market. Like I said, there are only about 100 Guzzis in the country.

Came across a 750 Breva, which I thought would be a nice cafe racer conversion,
Did a photoshop mock up,.....
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but the gearbox was stuffed. Would have cost in excess of $12000 SGD and would still have been a tired , rusty old bike....

then a mate told me of a Bellagio he knew of for sale. I went to see it on my Jackal.






so,...... being inspired by the Bellagio (and other Guzzi) Cafe Racers on the internet, I bought the Bellagio.


[url=http://ibb.co/mfjTik]

[Calijackalbob]

So I went to work......

https://youtu.be/0MAxHAa1E5M

A mate lent me a V7 tank (Plastic one that was replaced under warranty because the chrome had cracked)



Tried it with a few different seat, tank combinations,.....





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so I checked out how they would fit on and look before making the transformation.

Have to go with the V7 Racer tank and seat. Just looks too RIGHT.

anyway, thare are issues with making the tank fit,.... location of the ECU,... too high for the tank. Bellagio airbox, had to be removed so tank would fit, which required pod filters. I got K&N's and it runs and sounds fantastic.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

 

in fo sho

[Calijackalbob]

I did consider alloy tanks on ebay, out of India that look great and very cheap too.

The issue is that alloy tanks don't have a place for an internal fuel pump, so if you put one on, you'll have to switch to external, find somewhere to put it,...... and then you've lost your fuel level sensor. That's why I finally decided on the V7 tank. Same wiring, internal fuel pump. Less hassle.

The plastic V7 tank will fit, but the two locating rubbers don't go all the way up into the tank's slot. I had a small bracket made to lift them up, pull them back so the tank fits snug. Not a major job. It's just a 2 inch bit of flat steel with two holes drilled in.

In future Mayor of BBQ, I Will sho mo in fo and some detail pics too.

[Calijackalbob]

An easy way to add bling to the bike is to polish up the alloy components. I have a polishing wheel on my drill and DIY it.
This is the Bellagio alternator cover as it looked when I got the bike.


It was the first thing that saw my polishing wheel.




Half an hour later.............




BLING!
Next thing to go under the brush is the top triple clamp, then the forks.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

I fitted a nylon v7 tank to my v65.. I had the opposite problem from you...  I didn't need the fuel pump so I had to have a block-off plate made for it and figure out fuel delivery.

The plastic tank is pretty forgiving with the rubbers, just had to fab a simple bracket to fit the v7 tank bolt to the v65 frame. My rubbers don't hit the channels of the v7 take perfectly, but between the rubber discs and the nylon tank, it's a pretty secure friction fit.

did the rear mounting bolt on the v7 tank match up with the bellagio mount?

[Calijackalbob]

I fitted a nylon v7 tank to my v65.. I had the opposite problem from you...  I didn't need the fuel pump so I had to have a block-off plate made for it and figure out fuel delivery.

The plastic tank is pretty forgiving with the rubbers, just had to fab a simple bracket to fit the v7 tank bolt to the v65 frame. My rubbers don't hit the channels of the v7 take perfectly, but between the rubber discs and the nylon tank, it's a pretty secure friction fit.

did the rear mounting bolt on the v7 tank match up with the bellagio mount?

It hasn't been fitted properly yet, just test fit. Need to sort out the fuel pump, make sure it works first before committing..
The Bellagio's rear mounting bracket does work, upside down and back to front. (Want to keep the seat locating tabs on the bracket.)

[Vasco DG]

Talk to Wayne who posts as Ghezzi here occasionally. He's active on the Ghetto. I gave I'm a steel take-off tank for his Bellagio, he'll be a good source of info on what can be done easily and not. The plastic tank will present problems I fear because of the fuel pump location. Having said that I think I have one that you can have very cheaply if you can confirm that it will work.

Pete

[Calijackalbob]

I fitted a nylon v7 tank to my v65.. etc.....

Hi Mr Mayor.
I think I saw a post of your V65. Repost the pics here so we can see and compare.

[Calijackalbob]

Talk to Wayne who posts as Ghezzi here occasionally. He's active on the Ghetto. I gave I'm a steel take-off tank for his Bellagio, he'll be a good source of info on what can be done easily and not. The plastic tank will present problems I fear because of the fuel pump location. Having said that I think I have one that you can have very cheaply if you can confirm that it will work.

Pete

Thanks Pete.
is it a chrome tank with badges? If so, what is "very cheaply?" I could be interested. (So could a few others on this forum.)
Peter AKA CaliJackalBob.

[Calijackalbob]

................... ... seems the fuel pump is not happening. Tried soaking in carby cleaner, (which went from clear to yellow) but it still won't spin. Hopefully the Bellagio one will fit into the V7 tank.
Anyway, took off the top triple clamp, which looked good, but had a few nicks and scratches in the laquer and some corrosion rearing its frosty head. It wasn't so easy removing as expected. The ignition barrel is fixed with one allen bolt and another "security bolt" that has no head, so couldnt be removed. Had to pull out the clamp with the barrel, wrap up the wires and go to work. I spent an hour or so stripping the laquer off the top triple clamp and polishing it with a buffer wheel on my drill. A quick, cheap way to add BLING to your bike. (Would have been quicker if I could get the barrel off. Paint stripper eats plastic and rubber, so I had to be extra careful.)



Shiny as chrome now.



Every little bit counts.

[Calijackalbob]

Finally wired up the number plate relocator light.



Was waiting on a new tail light to arrive from Ebay. This enabled a bit more weight, clutter shedding. Removed tht OEM tail light and rear fairing. Temporarily fitted replacement tail light under the seat.


Rear signals get (temporarily) fitted tomorrow. (ran out of wire connectors.)

When the fuel pump is sorted out, the next step is a switch to V7 Racer tank and seat then finish off the tail light, signal with permanent mounting brackets...... - See more pics at: http://s946.photobucket.com/user/Ca...eiput.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2#sthash.HibREfqT.dpuf

[Vasco DG]

Bellagio pump won't work. The early, plastic tank the pump is at the bottom at the back. The Bellagio pump is in the wall of the tank where it fits over the frame from memory. The pick-up angle and position is all wrong so the pumps are not interchangeable.

Pete

[Calijackalbob]

Bellagio 940 Cafe Racer Evolution Part 2 with a walk around and ride.

https://youtu.be/VStvljeJckI

and..... part 3, Bellagio 940 Cafe Racer Evolution
https://youtu.be/VStvljeJckI

This vid shows the problems fitting the V7 tank and seat to the Bellagio 940 Cafe Racer Evolution Project.

one issue was the V7 fuel pump was seized. Wouldn't spin, so I bit the bullet, cut the wires to the Bellagio Fuel pump and took it out to see if it would fit. What I found was scary. NO fuel filter and the pump and internal wiring were held together with bits of wire!



I mentioned this to the previous owner, who told me he twice paid to change the fuel filter. He won't be using that mechanic again.

Fortunately the pump fit into the V7 mounting plate and the V7 filter was ok, so In they went.

After a lot of screwing around, I found that to make the seat fit, I had to pull the tank back. I re-used the Bellagio tank/seat bracket, flipping it upside down and back to front, then cutting a slot into it so the lock nut could slide back. That way I could bring the tank back to fit the seat.



I had to remove a couple of rubber mounts off the seat and cut away some of the plastic underside so the seat would sit low on the frame. I also had to relocate the seat lock from under the frame plate, to the top of it, so it is high enough for the seat's (shorter) locking pin to fit in the lock.



................... and Voila. They fit perfectly.


now just waiting til monday to get a tail light/signal bracket made up so it works with the side numberplate.

In the meantime Riding it around like this.
 

[Calijackalbob]

so,.... yesterday I got a quote from "Kenny The Bike Fabricator" to make up a bracket to fit the tail light and signals around the V7 side number plate.
Heading back there on monday to get the job done.
I asked him at the time where I could get stickers made up and he pointed me towards a shop around the corner.

Went there, told them what I wanted and this is how it went. It was interesting to watch them build up the layers.

First up a Red Chrome background to become a red border.



Then the chrome,



Black outline for the numbers,............



and finally, Red Chrome numbers.



and here's the result.





and all that only cost $50 (About $35USD.)

 

[Calijackalbob]

Hydrochrome tank
Picking the bike up on saturday after 3 months recuperating from this.



Roll on saturday!

[jas67]

Ouch, that's some hardware in your hand 

The tank looks good!

What is "Hydrochroming"?

[malik]

And, so far the Bella fuel pump is working OK?

[Joliet Jim]

Nice lis franc injury looks similar to my right foot

[ritratto]

How did you get hand out of that X-ray?

[jas67]

How did you get hand out of that X-ray?

By not looking closely enough at it to realize it was a foot.   

[CalVin2007]

  Hey, some of us haven't developed opposable thumbs yet! 

   Terry

[Calijackalbob]

How did you get hand out of that X-ray?

Ha hahahahha ! Look and Think before you reply. Reading might help too. I did mention it was my gearchange foot somewhere......

[Calijackalbob]

Ouch, that's some hardware in your hand 

The tank looks good!

What is "Hydrochroming"?

Hydrochrome is a chemical dip, or spray on treatment that puts chrome (any colour you like) on virtually anything. Can be done on plastic, fibreglass, metal, even engine parts that don't get hotter than 700 degrees. Seen some bikes completely chromed,  (usually in colour chrome.)

[Calijackalbob]

And, so far the Bella fuel pump is working OK?

Pump is working fine. Not a problem.

Quick update:
3 months off the road after my operation and I picked up the bike from Hydrochromers/painters.
Not as straightforward as I'd have liked.........The boss was not in. I couldn't wait.
Had to put the  bike together myself, fix the wiring on the tail, screw around getting the seat and tank to sit right. (they moved the critically importantly positioned tank mounting bracket.. Sigh. ) I had to put the hugger on and struggle to get the engine started. Would have helped if they put enough fuel in it. 
Spent a few hours on a saturday night doing all that, then stood back and took in the pig picture. The front fender/mudguard was on backwards. 
Washed the bike at 1am this morning and put the front mudguard on the right way round before hitting the sack, took a ride to the beach this afternoon and shot a few pix.












Love the look, but the finish is not quite up to scratch. They'll have to re finish a few things before it's good enough, but these guys have been bending over backwards to make me happy. I'm sure it'll all be perfect at the end of the day.......... one day.

Still to do:
1. re fit the bar end mirrors.
2. (......after the tank is finished nicely) fit new tank emblems/eagles.
3. remove the passenger pegs, and get a custom exhaust muffler bracket made,..... ( the original with the passenger footrest mounts needs a little tidying up.)
4. maybe re do the black chrome hugger, ( it's not quite black enough.)
5. Polish the forks (and a few other things)
6. Paint the lower triple clamp black.

Do steps 7 through 80,........ keep the "Evoluzione" evolving. (Is a project ever  truly finished?)

Anyway. Progress is being made. How's it look so far?

[Muzz]

To my eye it certainly looks different to the standard Bellagio, and again to my eye, looks better.

A very professional looking job.

[rocker59]

 

The bike Guzzi should've built...

<sigh>

[Penderic]

Now everyone will want one! 

[drums4money]

How's it look so far?

That's a smart bundle . . very very nice!  Can the passenger pegs go, or are they providing support to the exhausts on the left side?

[jas67]

It looks great!   Good job!!   

Yes, I want one!