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"It's a free ride when you've already paid"it's the good advice that you just didn't take..." from "Ironic" by Alanis Morrissette
At least Celine hasn't thrown eggs at het neighbors Dusty
She lives here in Las Vegas, and her twins are still a bit young. I expect them to start being a problem in the next few years.Stay off my lawn, you brats!
I bought a`71 civiiian Ambo. with only 13K miles on it from the same guy I bought my 1st Guzzi, a `81 CX100 that only had 6K miles on it. The only reason he was selling the Ambo. was because he was leaving the state. We rode it for 25 years and it never used any oil. If the bike is ridden regularly the cylinders will be OK.
I replaced them. The original owner told me that he had checked the cylinders and they were OK but during a routine head re-torque & valve clearance PM, I noticed shiny particles in the rocker area....I guess he didn't know what he was looking at or talking about. The original cylinders were flaking at 25K but no damage was evident in the top or bottom ends of the engine. The sludge trap was half full of debris, I'm glad I spent the extra time to check it. I had the heads reconditioned and the crank polished & chamfered per Guzziology. Should I buy another chrome bore Guzzi, I would count on doing an engine teardown to replace the cylinders & service the crank....hopefully factoring that scope of work into the purchase price. On the other hand, I've heard of folks replacing the 850 chrome bore engine with a used fully serviceable 1000cc engine for a lot less expense and to hell with originality.Good luck!
What 1000cc motors can you swap into a 850T? (what model and years?) Can you just put the pistons and barrels? Or are the rods and heads different as well?
Let me add my 2 cents..They DO NOT have to sit for years, be stored in humidity etc to flake...They were defective from the git- go, I believe..I bought a NEW Eldorado in 1973. I maintained it well and drove it year round daily to work and long trips on the weekends, LOVED it. Then around 22,000 miles, past any warranty, the chrome flaked on both cylinders. Pre- internet days. No available replacement parts inventories, few knowledgable dealers and I waited for 6 months for replacement CHROME cylinders, pistons and pins/rings from Guzzi..I was too dumb to consider "where did the flakes go?" and soon the engine was sounding like an air hammer rattling. Drove it that way to Key west and back to D.C. on a month long camping trip then Traded it in on a NEW 1975 Goldwing. Thought I was DONE forever with Guzzi. Lesson learned? Get rid of the chrome BEFORE it flakes.
Doesn't the CX100 and SP have round barrels? They would at least look correct on a Loop (or 850T/T3).
Wasn't the bike used in a high humidity area, perhaps close to salt water?
Well, Washington D.C. is pretty humid in the summertime, and they do salt the roads when it sometimes snows? Not sure if you are kidding? But the bike was easy ridden almost continuously till she crapped the cylinders. Just saying, mine wasn't a un-oiled barn sitter and then busted flakes years later on start up. Mine flaked under normal use. So my NEXT Chrome bore loop is getting Nikasil.
Define "ridden regularly". Even if that is 20 miles a day, for let's say 52 days a year (Sunday only - to church and back ) it works out to 1040 miles a year. Times that by 40 years. How regularly has one been ridden if it only has 15k miles on it? Or 20k miles? 30k miles? It's done
Have you actually checked to see what cylinders you have? Easy to find out by simply inserting a "pencil magnet" in through the sparkplug hole and touching it to the cylinder wall. No magnetic attraction: chrome, very slight: Nikasil, strong: iron liners.