Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: johnwesley on February 02, 2024, 09:53:18 PM
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I drove 750 miles to reseque this poor neglected Guzzi. Has really n in 6 years and the owner just lost interest in it. Hopefully it doesn’t take much to bring it back to life.
It has a bub exhaust and the crossover had been removed. Factory luggage is long gone but the fairing is in good shape.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/CAL-III-Touring/i-zj7dv5Z/0/4c1d95ce/L/IMG_9036-L.jpg)
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That looks nice!
-AJ
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Love it when that happens.
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Very nice! bub headpipes and mufflers?
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HA !
Great colors, neat bike !
:bike-037:
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I drove 750 miles to reseque this poor neglected Guzzi. Has really n in 6 years and the owner just lost interest in it. Hopefully it doesn’t take much to bring it back to life.
It has a bub exhaust and the crossover had been removed. Factory luggage is long gone but the fairing is in good shape.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/CAL-III-Touring/i-zj7dv5Z/0/4c1d95ce/L/IMG_9036-L.jpg)
Would love to see more photos of that fairing from different angles.
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Would love to see more photos of that fairing from different angles.
Lots of photos of the fairing (and everything else) in my album on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjATmNF
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Lots of photos of the fairing (and everything else) in my album on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjATmNF
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. Quite a sporty looking fairing for a "cruiser" oriented motorcycle. Looks nice.
Definitely would not enjoy it here in the south with all that wind blocking, but would be nice in cooler climates.
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:thumb:
inditx
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It has the full bub exhaust system with the crossover blocked off. I believe that is so the Harper outside kit will fit. The previous owner couldn’t get it to run. He even replaced the ignition system with a daynatec. What I found was spark plugs had over 12mm gap instead of 6mm. Once that was fixed it started right up. All fluids replaced and oil pan cleaned out. It had a lot of sludge build up in it. The transmission fluid was clean and not metal on the drain plug. The final drive fluid looked like a milkshake so pretty safe to say it had red line shock proof in it. The carbs need a little fitting since is will not idle, but runs well off idle. The clutch is slipping once in fifth gear so that will need some attention as well.
What I need to find out is what was the stock faseners for the fairing? They have been replaced with some sae Philips and lock nuts. Those’d are obviously not correct. I need to replace the push locks from the center piece cover the handlebar clamp. Those should be easy to find.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/CAL-III-Touring/i-pJ87T5K/0/7d66bb1f/L/IMG_9046-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/CAL-III-Touring/i-SLm6zkq/0/b04c7169/L/IMG_9043-L.jpg) sludge from the oil pan
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Looks fantastic! Full service and deep clean and she'll be wonderful
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It has the full bub exhaust system with the crossover blocked off. I believe that is so the Harper outside kit will fit. The previous owner couldn’t get it to run. He even replaced the ignition system with a daynatec. What I found was spark plugs had over 12mm gap instead of 6mm. Once that was fixed it started right up. All fluids replaced and oil pan cleaned out. It had a lot of sludge build up in it. The transmission fluid was clean and not metal on the drain plug. The final drive fluid looked like a milkshake so pretty safe to say it had red line shock proof in it. The carbs need a little fitting since is will not idle, but runs well off idle. The clutch is slipping once in fifth gear so that will need some attention as well.
What I need to find out is what was the stock faseners for the fairing? They have been replaced with some sae Philips and lock nuts. Those’d are obviously not correct. I need to replace the push locks from the center piece cover the handlebar clamp. Those should be easy to find.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/CAL-III-Touring/i-pJ87T5K/0/7d66bb1f/L/IMG_9046-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/CAL-III-Touring/i-SLm6zkq/0/b04c7169/L/IMG_9043-L.jpg) sludge from the oil pan
That is a great looking bike. Congrats. Not sure about up close, but in the pictures, IMO. it looks even better with the fairing lowers removed. Gives it a bit more sporty appearance!
Love the colors!
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Workshop Update – Current State of the Patient
What I Found
This all started as chasing a stumble and some oil showing up around the heads. Compression checked out strong at 165 / 155, and the top end looks remarkably clean inside. Nothing there suggested a tired motor.
Oil around the heads didn’t trace back to any obvious external leaks. Stud O-rings are the likely culprit, and I’ve got Viton replacements ready. Plan is to replace the four upper stud O-rings under the rocker blocks one at a time without pulling heads or cylinders. It’s possible that the leak is the o-ring under the bolt cover above the rocker arms. Thanks Charlie :thumb:
The bigger surprise showed up once I pulled the transmission. The bike has a RAM single-plate clutch with an old-school Surflex disc. The disc was completely oil-soaked and tacky, which explains why the clutch was grabby and wouldn’t fully release at a stop.
Someone’s been in here before. The rear main seal was installed crooked, and the breather vent gasket wasn’t seated correctly. There is also a leaking tans input seal and the clutch pushrod.
On the intake side, one idle mixture screw was missing its O-ring entirely. Once that was fixed, the carbs finally adjusted properly and settled into a stable idle.
⸻
What I’m Fixing
All sealing issues are getting addressed properly:
• Rear main seal
• Breather vent gasket
• Transmission reseal while it’s out
• Upper stud O-rings under the rocker blocks (Viton) if the cap o-ring doesn’t fix it.
The rear bearing cover wouldn’t come off( obviously I didn’t look this up first) so I stopped, looked it up, and made the proper puller using cut-down, slotted 6mm bolts as set screws and 8mm bolts in the flange holes. Cover came off cleanly with zero drama. I do have the correct tool for setting the rear main seal depth.
⸻
What I’m Debating
The clutch.
Given a 5,000-mile trip planned for late April, I’m seriously considering ditching the RAM single-plate and going back to a stock dual-plate setup. I’m after smooth engagement, heat tolerance, and long-haul reliability more than quick revs.
For those who’ve run both:
• Stick with the RAM? With new clutch plate
• Or go back to the stock dual-plate for distance riding?
Not dealing with a worn-out motor here—just deferred maintenance and some questionable previous wrenching. I’d rather sort it now in the shop than discover it on the side of the road somewhere west of nowhere.
More updates soon.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/CAL-III-Touring/i-HK3wj3d/0/NC3bZfmg9kDHV5gWhvPrjG2wNdhmb6gw3WpV7xMTd/L/IMG_6444-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/CAL-III-Touring/i-G5bkPBb/0/LWCPF9LQqM8pzZ88xKLk7KSZFdZDL9r983ntQJzwm/L/IMG_6442-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/CAL-III-Touring/i-kswgrgG/0/NZBvgPh67D9p7mp4Rt9DxFLbJrXzpKpZMXtTQmGzQ/L/IMG_6439-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/CAL-III-Touring/i-vBgfQsz/0/LJ7MNKM8RW5QtTZd96s7G3SgSpg2NjJGVfH2FC3Tc/L/IMG_6431-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/Random-riding-pics/1989-cal-III-FF/i-Kffkpkr/0/MXqK2xm9NFr3VPrwZPJPRqZGsdLpf2cStnB4xnJqJ/L/IMG_6450-L.jpg)
I looked in my bolt section and found some long enough to do the job.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/Random-riding-pics/1989-cal-III-FF/i-dWkvmbN/0/Mn3tnzGc9PfBVVSNfj5VZ6DT5mzt9NcdnKHJ3zJBR/L/IMG_6451-L.jpg)
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Doesn’t look like the cam cover has been leaking. Congrats on saving it!
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I have a RAM clutch in my cal3 and love it. I also have a spare ram clutch in my stash that was gifted to me. It too, was soaked with grease. After cleaning, I ordered a new clutch plate last year from Stein Dinse. Still waiting on it.. The updated clutch disc for the RAM has a different thickness so some mods need to be done. Your disc looks like an old one like mine.
Let me know if you have any luck getting a clutch disc.
(https://i.ibb.co/qLDj7Hm2/20250706-160853.jpg) (https://ibb.co/qLDj7Hm2)
(https://i.ibb.co/chSQhnXf/20250706-160856.jpg) (https://ibb.co/chSQhnXf)
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Will the new style ram clutch work? If so mgcycle has them in stock. Pricey little item though. How does it work compared to the stock clutch.
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Doesn’t look like the cam cover has been leaking. Congrats on saving it!
Recon I should go ahead and epoxy it?
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Recon I should go ahead and epoxy it?
You should since you have everything apart.
Rick.
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I have a complete T3 clutch if you are interested. Discs are in good shape with lots of meat on them.
kk
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Got back at work on the Guzzi today. Didn’t get a ton done, mostly because I kept running into little roadblocks.
First one was the rear main bearing flange gasket — not sized correctly. That stopped progress there pretty quickly.
Moved on to the transmission input. Had to make a tool to hold the hub so I could get the nut off and swap to the deep-spline hub. That part actually went fairly well, although the hub was a little tight going onto the splines.
The trans output came apart easily enough, but what I found inside didn’t match the diagram I’m working from. Pulled the speedo drive, then found a washer. According to the diagram, there should be an O-ring behind that washer and then a smaller washer. None of that was there. Either it didn’t leave the factory that way, or someone’s definitely been in here before.
Adding to the confusion, the output shaft seal I have is too big. Makes me wonder where that seal is actually supposed to live.
Last note: clutch plates measure 8.5 mm — about 0.5 mm to the wear limit. I think they’ll still work, but it’s getting close.
Not a banner progress day, but at least now I know what parts I need to order. That’s something.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/Random-riding-pics/1989-cal-III-FF/i-T2r3p6p/0/MwPX23WNZ6pcc5wzHCxLdZcFRKCrNT5SdCg7dQbMC/L/IMG_6459-L.jpg)
gotta watch a redneck with a welder
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/Random-riding-pics/1989-cal-III-FF/i-Xbzdjs3/0/LdLGWzSpMkFbC35JB56Bq9RQGLcdjJ39t43gfxJ2x/L/IMG_6458-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Moto-guzzi/Random-riding-pics/1989-cal-III-FF/i-MLTnJPt/0/LXXJg3djvn4J7BJzb3NTxnM4KLKtjxQxHhhGkJx9X/L/IMG_6455-L.jpg)
0.060” too small
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Charlie was berry helpful with the details. I’ve never heard of squatting paper gaskets with wat because they shrink when they dry out. That was the needed trick :bow: