early 850 lemans starter color ????

[dsrdave]

I'm getting close to painting the starter on my early Lemans and I'm finding conflicting info.  The second gen bikes all seem to have a black starter but the first gen I think is different.  Possibly all silver or parts of it silver.  I haven't been able to find good photos of when the bike was introduced showing what I'm looking for on a first gen bike (round taillight).  Anybody able to help out without guessing ?????  Thx, Dave.

[lrutt]

My 77 had an all black starter, and I'm quite certain it's original and had not been repainted.

[steven c]

 My 77 also was, is black.

[leafman60]

For what it's worth, Colombo's book shows the 850 LeMans, an early version with the molded-in tail light bracket on the rear fender. The engine and transmission are natural bare but the starter and solenoid are painted black.

Page 264, 4th edition

The same is true in Mick Walker's Moto Guzzi Twins , page 74 where a 1976 picture of an early LeMans shows the starter and solenoid in black.

Both of these show the entire starter/solenoid as would be detached from the engine as painted black.

.

[luthier]

Paint the f@$&ing thing black fer F$%k sake. Stop c$&tizing about. Everyone has black starters, it's a Guzzi thang.

[leafman60]

In actuality, one or two early twins are shown with silver starters/solenoids but not the LeMans model as far as I can determine.

I don't fault a restorer for wanting to get things correct.

The LeMans I is a valuable and significant bike.


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[dsrdave]

Thanks for the help guys.  It's no more work for me to do it right, I just need to know what's correct.  I don't trust Walker much, some of it is due to euro/US differences and some of it is just wrong.  I have a reference bike to look at but it is the second gen '78 year and there are a number of minor things different between them.  Again, thx for the help and I better look at Colombo's book too.

[pauldaytona]

I think the bosch starters were all black. Sometimes in books they have the factory pictures that are of pre-production pictures. Where they din't have all parts complets so had some parts of earlier bikes. So exists there pictures of the v11 sport with the old 5 speed gearbox. ANd a single seater tai, that went never in production. If you don't look good you don't notice.