V50 II Enhanced

[Diploman]

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[Diploman]

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[Tom]

  Very nice!

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

the fun monkeys have escaped the barrell !! nice I bet it rips the back roads

[Diploman]

Pictured above is Midnight Rose, the 1980 V50 II that has been with me since I purchased her off the showroom floor in her birth year.  Since then Rosie has served me faithfully and reliably, never a contretemps or failure to bring me home from our many travels together.  Over the years Rosie has accumulated a number of mods, always evolving closer to what I consider optimum configuration for my style of riding.  I'm quite happy with Rosie's current state of development, but further mods are still a possibility.

I have always wanted lower-than-stock bars on Rosie.  This became reality during her 2016-17 makeover when I fitted the Raask adjustable bars, which can be set at nearly any position (up/down, back/forward, sweep/angle) within their adjustment range.  This allows for experimentation to find just the position that best suits the individual rider.  I love these bars and the perfect - for me - position they offer.  Some may ask why, after fitting low bars, I did not also fit rear sets, as I originally had planned.   The current modestly-low position of the  bars produces a mildly-forward leaning riding position, one that does put a moderate weight load on wrists and hands.  I did some test fittings with substitute footpegs in a variety of locations behind and above the stock location.     In every case, moving the pegs rearward dramatically increased the load on hands and wrists, to the point where riding in such a position would require frequent rest stops as well as enduring great discomfort.  By leaving the footpegs in the stock location I am able to put weight on the pegs with my legs  to relieve hands and wrists if they should become fatigued.  This permits long rides without agony.  The bar and footage position, combined with the cafe seat, now make for a more comfortable riding position - for me - than the OE setup.

As delivered, the OE front end on early Smallblock’s was far from optimal: wimpy dampers, ineffectual in both compression and rebound, combined with slender 32 mm downtubes and bicycle-type headstock bearings to give a flexy, imprecise and poorly damped feel to the front end.   To correct this, I fitted robust FAC dampers, a fork brace and tapered roller headstock bearings (just like the bigblock’s).  Front end feel is now greatly improved, and damping is perfectly adequate for a bike of this power.  The whole front end now feels solid and integrated.

Another significantly useful mod is the bleeder valve that now rests under the tank at the high point of the linked brake circuit, where air bubbles naturally collect.  This greatly simplifies filling and bleeding the linked brakes, previously a tricky, time-consuming operation.

The two-clock OE dash, with its associated cables and sheaths, is surprisingly weighty.  Relacing this assembly with a homemade carbon dash and a Speedhut GPS speedo not only saved weight, but makes for a more readable, shaded dash, with a variety of information available at the touch of a button. I at first fitted a digital tach, but it jumped around so constantly that it was difficult to read.  I also found it essentially superfluous, as I can easily determine approximate RPM just by ear, I know the engine so well.  As noted, Rosie and I do not race.

The Keihan stainless mufflers are of high quality, and sound exactly like the OE pipes.  However, they are much lighter weight than the (rusted) OE units as well as the Dunstalls that first replaced them.  Stainless headpipes might be a future mod.  Another possible improvement would be a professional paint job on the tank.

For now, I am content with Rosie’s Upgrades and the overall improvement in rideability.  For those who are interested, here is a full list of her mods to date:

FAC fork dampers
Hagon shocks
Tarozzi Fork Brace
Aerotec Front Fender
Cafe Fairing
DIY carbon fiber dash
Speedhut GPS speedo
Voltmeter
Steering Head Tapered Roller Bearings
Electrical outlets
Phone/GPS mount
Chromed Metal Fuel Filler Cap
Guzzi Cafe Seat
Avon Roadrunners, Tubeless Conversion 18x90x90 Front, 18x90x100 Rear
LED Headlight Bulb
Main Seal for Rear Bevel Box
Ignition Coils
Goodridge Brakelines with UnderTank Bleeder
Fork Gaiters
Cylinder Head Guards (Milich)
Pod Air Filters
CG Bar End Mirrors
Denali Soundbomb Split Air Horn w/ Relay
Tommaselli Throttle
Domino RH Handlebar Switch
Raask Laverda Adjustable Handlebar
Keihan Systems Stainless Silencers
Transmission Breather Hose
Sump Extension
Pushrod Rubber Oil Caps
Cushioned grips built up with TournaGrip and Tennis racquet leather overwrap
Brembo Front Master Cylinder
Tommaselli Clutch lever and Perch
Zadi Ignition Switch
Adjustable Electrical Regulator/Rectifier
Valeo Clone Starter
LED Tailight
LED Turn Signals
Lithium Battery
Charging Plug

[malik]

Very nice job. Well done.

Very interested in exactly how you fitted the seat - I've a Lario frame awaiting in the wings. I've an inkling, but open to alternatives.

[Diploman]

Malik,  The seat is suspended on two carbon fiber brackets, bolted to the rear frame of the chassis.  Composed of 4-5 layers of woven carbon fiber cloth, if I recall.  Very strong but lightweight. These brackets are mated to a pair of similar but smaller carbon brackets attached to the seat pan.  Each pair of lower and upper brackets are drilled at the appropriate location to receive a bolt with washers to join them.  The angle of the seat and riding position are largely determined by the location/height chosen for the mating bolts.  The seat pivots on these bolts, giving access to the interior of the frame and the battery compartment.  The latter contains a small lithium battery mounted just inside the side cover and serves mainly as a useful space for cargo.  I have never seen the necessity for a lock to hold down the front of the seat, which meets the fuel tank.  It would be quite simple to install such a lock if desired.

[Turin]

That's pretty slick. Who makes that fairing?

[Huzo]

Very tasteful..
Will you be integrating the colours or are you retaining that look ?
Also, would you consider a subtle upsweep to the mufflers to supplement the perky styling cues ?...

[Diploman]

Thanks for the kind comments, gentlemen.  Turin, I bought the fairing from a cycle shop in the early 80's when I was living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  There is no brand or marking apparent on the fairing, but I was told that it is from Italy.

Huzo, I will stay with the red tank for now, but if I decide to have the tank done professionally I would strongly consider  gloss black with gold decals/lettering.   I hadn't really given it any thought but your suggestion to upsweep the muffler a bit is intriguing.  I could do that easily by enlarging the hole downwards on the mounting tab.  I wouldn't wanna dramatic upsweep, but as you say, "subtle" might look good.  Thanks for the idea!

[Huzo]

Thanks for the kind comments, gentlemen.  Turin, I bought the fairing from a cycle shop in the early 80's when I was living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  There is no brand or marking apparent on the fairing, but I was told that it is from Italy.

Huzo, I will stay with the red tank for now, but if I decide to have the tank done professionally I would strongly consider  gloss black with gold decals/lettering.   I hadn't really given it any thought but your suggestion to upsweep the muffler a bit is intriguing.  I could do that easily by enlarging the hole downwards on the mounting tab.  I wouldn't wanna dramatic upsweep, but as you say, "subtle" might look good.  Thanks for the idea!

Yeah mate.
Sometimes a good styling move is based not on what you “see”, but what you “don’t see”.
All the same, you’ve done well this far, would be a nice bike...

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

what did your tubeless mod entail? Just valve stems and air them up, right?

[malik]

Thanks fir the seat detail. I hadn't thought of that.

[Diploman]

The V50 "tubeless conversion" was as follows:  Removed wheels from bike; Dismounted tires; unscrewed tube valves and removed tubes.  The V50's OE rims were not designed for tubeless tires, and thus were delivered with tubes.  Experience on the part of numerous Guzzi owners, however, has proven that these tube-type rims can serve faultlessly in tubeless usage.

I went around the inside of the rim sidewalls (the area where the tire and rim would be in contact) with some 220 grit sandpaper, used lightly, to knock of any high spots, casting flash or rough patches.  On both wheels I used my tap and die set to tap the tube valve orifices to receive an air pressure valve intended for the pressure chamber of an electric water pump. Screwed in the latter, sealing with teflon tape.  Very simple and quick installation.

With valves now installed, I used tire lubricant to coat the inside of the rim sidewalls, as well as the portion of the outside tire sidewall that contacts the rim.  Mounted the tires and they pumped right up.  This was years and very many miles ago.  Never the slightest leak or any kind of problem since mounting the tires tubelessly.

[Muzz]

Very Tasty.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

The V50 "tubeless conversion" was as follows:  Removed wheels from bike; Dismounted tires; unscrewed tube valves and removed tubes.  The V50's OE rims were not designed for tubeless tires, and thus were delivered with tubes.  Experience on the part of numerous Guzzi owners, however, has proven that these tube-type rims can serve faultlessly in tubeless usage.

I went around the inside of the rim sidewalls (the area where the tire and rim would be in contact) with some 220 grit sandpaper, used lightly, to knock of any high spots, casting flash or rough patches.  On both wheels I used my tap and die set to tap the tube valve orifices to receive an air pressure valve intended for the pressure chamber of an electric water pump. Screwed in the latter, sealing with teflon tape.  Very simple and quick installation.

With valves now installed, I used tire lubricant to coat the inside of the rim sidewalls, as well as the portion of the outside tire sidewall that contacts the rim.  Mounted the tires and they pumped right up.  This was years and very many miles ago.  Never the slightest leak or any kind of problem since mounting the tires tubelessly.

Awesome, I was hoping you would say that!  I will put it on the list for this winter