Wildguzzi.com
General Category => Bike Builds, Rebuilds And Restorations Only => Topic started by: Dave Swanson on May 24, 2026, 07:46:50 AM
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Quite a few years ago I bought a set of Ambo Gilardonis when they were sporadically available thinking that one day I would find a suitable bike for them.
Those Gilardonis were looking pretty lonely on the shelf so I put out feelers for a bike that needed them. The Guzzi Doctor (Joe) pointed me in the direction of Harpers a few weeks ago.
I just returned from the 1000 mile round trip to pick this baby up. It is original paint which is my favorite and is very original and complete. It hasn't been on the road since 1985.
Myself and my partner in crime, Joey The Guzzi Getter left yesterday afternoon and arrived at the front gate about 1 am. I had a big air mattress to sleep on, which Joey thought was great.
(https://i.ibb.co/XkpkXZ1T/harpers13.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XkpkXZ1T)
(https://i.ibb.co/LdxdscMq/harpers16.jpg) (https://ibb.co/LdxdscMq)
(https://i.ibb.co/67LBYVg4/harpers12.jpg) (https://ibb.co/67LBYVg4)
The gates opened up at 9 and Joey had the run of the place while I talked to Curtis and got the bike strapped down. Then it was another 500 miles home.
(https://i.ibb.co/tMZhvdZ9/harpers11.jpg) (https://ibb.co/tMZhvdZ9)
This will be a fun one.
(https://i.ibb.co/prsg09Y0/harpers17.jpg) (https://ibb.co/prsg09Y0)
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Dave -
Just ride that one.
-or- I'll come and get it and then ride it for you.
:bike-037: :bike-037: :bike-037:
:boozing:
Nice find !
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The big challenge on the path to retaining the OG paint is how to make this rear fender look more presentable. It had extra holes drilled for the Rube Goldberg saddlebag support. The bracket also distorted the fender. I am all for patina, just not nasty patina. :grin:
(https://i.ibb.co/6JgXXqcJ/fender.jpg) (https://ibb.co/6JgXXqcJ)
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Ouch! That's nasty!
I hope and have confidence that you will find an entirely appropriate solution.
Brian
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The big challenge on the path to retaining the OG paint is how to make this rear fender look more presentable. It had extra holes drilled for the Rube Goldberg saddlebag support. The bracket also distorted the fender. I am all for patina, just not nasty patina.
Dang - ya that's tough. A random thought is rather than trying to patch it up and blend it in, maybe make a simple cover plate(s) that just hides it. Given the shape is out that might be harder than it sounds, but ya I'd hate to tear into that paint as it's pretty perfect just as it is. Maybe one of the paintless-dent-removal guys can get the shape back and then the cover plate idea or just some button-head screws would be clean enough to make it disappear?
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Here's an idea. Machine some buttons matching the hole diameter with a little larger circumference so they could be mounted on the rear side. Solder them to the rear side of the fender, then carefully paint them to match and blend in.
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Another idea is to 3D print a larger taillight mounting box, and hide the holes underneath that - then remount the taillight to the box.
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The big challenge on the path to retaining the OG paint is how to make this rear fender look more presentable. It had extra holes drilled for the Rube Goldberg saddlebag support. The bracket also distorted the fender. I am all for patina, just not nasty patina. :grin:
(https://i.ibb.co/6JgXXqcJ/fender.jpg) (https://ibb.co/6JgXXqcJ)
I would remove the fender and the tab above the top two holes.
Then make a new (painted black) tab that reaches down to the offending top two holes and incorporate them as mounting points for the fender.
That would look like it was supposed to be there from the get go, get a mettallic Guzzi badge and affix it to the mounting bracket that you made and I reckon it would look legit.
Now the bottom two… :popcorn:
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Just playing with some easy stuff before it gets serious.
I have a stash of 50 year old MG waterslide decals. They are so fragile it is next to impossible to apply them without damaging them. With this bike - perfect!
(https://i.ibb.co/mCZtSr67/fender1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/mCZtSr67)
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One big item in the plus column is the chrome tank panels. A quick and gentle going over with Colonel Brassy and they look like this. None nicer!
(https://i.ibb.co/hRY47m1y/tank.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hRY47m1y)
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One big item in the plus column is the chrome tank panels. A quick and gentle going over with Colonel Brassy and they look like this. None nicer!
(https://i.ibb.co/hRY47m1y/tank.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hRY47m1y)
Beautiful!
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Oddities discovered during teardown so far.
Someone had the right head off at one time. When reassembling they left the orings out under the rocker support plate, and installed orings on all 6 studs on top of the head gasket. :rolleyes:
I can imagine someone who might have bought this to say "lets see if it runs!".
Found on top of the left piston. BTW those old chrome barrels look pretty good. HA
(https://i.ibb.co/ZzLbjQLM/crud.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ZzLbjQLM)
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As I suspected but was hoping otherwise, I found the exhaust system to be a rotted mess after removal today. The only piece acceptable to use is the right header and perhaps the crossover.
This adds a layer of extra parts procurement, $$$ and tipped the scale a bit more towards a full on restoration.
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If I maintain this bike as a patina preservation I could get by with a left big hole muffler and left header.
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Just got back from Joe The Guzzi Doctor. He set me up with a sound exhaust system with all the right levels of patina, and no rot!
Joey loves this guy. :laugh:
(https://i.ibb.co/67jChmrx/joey.jpg) (https://ibb.co/67jChmrx)
(https://i.ibb.co/kgKD0BKz/guzzidoc.jpg) (https://ibb.co/kgKD0BKz)
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A 90 minute session with 0000 steel wool and WD40 resulted in this. It has the perfect amount of patina for the bike and is a very solid unit.
(https://i.ibb.co/6JDQBNVf/mufflers.jpg) (https://ibb.co/6JDQBNVf)
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Gave the old exhaust a good going over with Colonel Brassy for the final stage. This will do very nicely!
(https://i.ibb.co/MDc4ZJSX/exhaust-GD.jpg) (https://ibb.co/MDc4ZJSX)
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Here's a mystery for you!
This morning I removed the final drive, and swingarm. I was very pleased with the overall condition of everything I saw, especially the splines.
The u-joint was a bit tough to get out and I had to use my press to push it out. When the u-joint came out the carrier bearing metal seal came with it. When I peered in I could see there was 2 balls missing from the carrier bearing. I looked in the boot for the loose balls and checked the u-joint to see if they had gotten mashed in there, but NOTHING! Where did those balls go?? This will forever be a mystery!
I again used Charlie's method of using a blind bearing puller in combination with a press to remove the carrier bearing. Easy peasy!
(https://i.ibb.co/zW14Qc2t/carrier.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zW14Qc2t)
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This was posted on Harpers FB page.
(https://i.ibb.co/v4Bgt4PT/Screenshot-2026-05-31-at-07-28-09-Facebook.png) (https://ibb.co/v4Bgt4PT)
character count in word (https://usefulwebtool.com/word-character-count)
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Here's a mystery for you!
This morning I removed the final drive, and swingarm. I was very pleased with the overall condition of everything I saw, especially the splines.
The u-joint was a bit tough to get out and I had to use my press to push it out. When the u-joint came out the carrier bearing metal seal came with it. When I peered in I could see there was 2 balls missing from the carrier bearing. I looked in the boot for the loose balls and checked the u-joint to see if they had gotten mashed in there, but NOTHING! Where did those balls go?? This will forever be a mystery!
I again used Charlie's method of using a blind bearing puller in combination with a press to remove the carrier bearing. Easy peasy!
(https://i.ibb.co/zW14Qc2t/carrier.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zW14Qc2t)
I think all of the balls are there, but without the cage (where did that go?) they've all moved together. A metal shielded bearing wasn't a good choice either. I use the 2RS, C3 clearance.
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I really enjoy this stage of the project. All of the questions about the real condition of the bike are revealed step by step. So far I am pleased with what I have found. Under all the vintage touring accessories that were de rigueur back in the day, this is an extremely original machine.
I am very interested in what I will find during the engine teardown. I am hoping to find a pristine bottom end. We will see.
It will be very satisfying alone to de-grime the 50+ plus year old coating of grease and dirt.
(https://i.ibb.co/RTGMwgXb/jun26.jpg) (https://ibb.co/RTGMwgXb)
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I spent a few hours on the front fender today. Scrubbed the grunge off the underside and outside followed by a few stages of polishing and the results are very rewarding.
The pinstriping has a very cool patina in the front. Pinstriping on the back looks NOS.
(https://i.ibb.co/dsFTyq7v/fender4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dsFTyq7v)
(https://i.ibb.co/fdNvxxD6/fender3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fdNvxxD6)
(https://i.ibb.co/GyGzhR4/fender2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/GyGzhR4)
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New Duro HF308 4:00-18s installed. The old rubber was from 1979!
Scrubbed the wheels and hubs for what seemed like forever. But worth it.
(https://i.ibb.co/FqHWHP8x/tires.jpg) (https://ibb.co/FqHWHP8x)
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Current state.
(https://i.ibb.co/S4pLNpRz/june26.jpg) (https://ibb.co/S4pLNpRz)
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The white Loops seemed to have the least durable paint, most of the time it's cracked and flaking. Yours looks great!
Wheels look great too.
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Time to dig in!
(https://i.ibb.co/whTgqh5c/june26-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/whTgqh5c)
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The big challenge on the path to retaining the OG paint is how to make this rear fender look more presentable. It had extra holes drilled for the Rube Goldberg saddlebag support. The bracket also distorted the fender. I am all for patina, just not nasty patina. :grin:
(https://i.ibb.co/6JgXXqcJ/fender.jpg) (https://ibb.co/6JgXXqcJ)
Any hammer action tends to stress and injure the paint. It’s also much harder to control, in terms of accuracy and applied force.
If you have an arbor press with adequate clearance (or make a similar press arrangement, quill or otherwise), that would be my approach to resolving these deformations. It’s far more accurate and precise. I recommend using an arbor press to learn about shaping with a swung hammer, simply because you’ll learn more about accuracy and economy of strikes. The shaping that can be done with an arbor press is impressive. It is simple to produce relatively complex stretched & shrunken pieces of aluminum sheet metal without removing the protective plastic film or producing any surface damage. It doesn’t take a big tonnage arbor press or much effort, but larger rated presses usually have more clearance.
Tooling can be very simple. “Plastic” (delrin, uhmw, etc) is great. I use scrap hardwood turned or cut to shape as the upper ram/hammer. Use a piece of leather or plastic film to protect paint if needed. I have a piece of uhmw plastic (think thick white cutting board) that I use for an anvil. My favorite is a large black rubber ring- not sure what it is but imagine a piece of black rubber fuel line with a 2” diameter center hole and 2” thick sidewall.
I would press these deformations out using a relatively sharp or pointed ram (to see what I’m doing) against a well-matching anvil underneath. Then polish out paint issues. I bet they’ll look great. I think configuring everything to clear and reach will be the most aggravating part of the effort.
I did a short video about arbor press work. Need to do a better one with better camera work but this helps explain the process-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b04EIWxsFos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b04EIWxsFos)
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The engine continues to impress.
It was nice to find the factory timing paint marks intact.
(https://i.ibb.co/39W9WrSh/eng.jpg) (https://ibb.co/39W9WrSh)
It is obvious that the bottom end had never been disturbed since the factory.
(https://i.ibb.co/zhYDWDQB/engin.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zhYDWDQB)
All of the bearings and journals look great and measure to standard specs.
(https://i.ibb.co/nMKQ7GQt/en.jpg) (https://ibb.co/nMKQ7GQt)
The sludge trap contained what you would expect for a 12,000 mile bike.
(https://i.ibb.co/V0FjNVxQ/engi.jpg) (https://ibb.co/V0FjNVxQ)
(https://i.ibb.co/chCCfzTF/engine.jpg) (https://ibb.co/chCCfzTF)
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I have spent a few hours on the tank today, and it is now in its final form. Since I brought it home I had a gallon of odorless mineral spirits in the tank as you could smell some old gas residue. I would slosh it around everyday. Today I drained the spirits and flushed it well with hot water and Dawn.
Then I tackled getting the outside of the tank squeaky clean. Rubbed it out with a fine rubbing compound being careful to avoid the pinstripes. Followed by a Meguiars polish, then with a nice coat of Carnauba wax.
It has a few bumps and bruises, but I am stoked by the way it looks. I picked out these tank decals out of all in my stash. I thought they looked the most appropriate.
(https://i.ibb.co/mrbcj77c/tank2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/mrbcj77c)
(https://i.ibb.co/3y3M534D/tank3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/3y3M534D)
(https://i.ibb.co/XxqYJmsJ/tank1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XxqYJmsJ)
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Perfect level of patina.
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All of the grunge was scrubbed off the main housing using only nylon bristle brushes. The housing still retains the look of age, which is a great look. There is still some pesky gasket material to remove.
It may be a "patina bike", but it will be a clean one. :grin:
(https://i.ibb.co/HDYySsbD/engine1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/HDYySsbD)
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Welch plug sealed with JB.
(https://i.ibb.co/5W94Gs18/engine2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/5W94Gs18)
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Curtis Harper helped me out in a big way with the rear fender and a few other essential parts.
NOS baby!
(https://i.ibb.co/ccVhHM0L/rearfender.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ccVhHM0L)
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The Gilardonis are finally where they belong.
(https://i.ibb.co/WWpBKNV9/engine3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/WWpBKNV9)
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This was all that was left of the clutch throwout bearing ball cage. Damage was done to the bore from the shards. I will be sending this to Patrick for re-sleeving.
(https://i.ibb.co/v4FRxCjP/throwout.jpg) (https://ibb.co/v4FRxCjP)
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The transmission was a grimy beast.
(https://i.ibb.co/pv62NbyS/trans2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pv62NbyS)
Secrets of the 4 speed revealed. Good news all the dogs look in great shape.
(https://i.ibb.co/zhX6ZTwk/tran.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zhX6ZTwk)
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And now clean.
(https://i.ibb.co/0pHPhzYF/trans1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/0pHPhzYF)
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I have decided to tackle improving the seat.
Although the underlying foam is still quite resilient, the cover was slack and has some missing stitches in the passenger area. The pan was rusty also.
I gave the cover multiple cleaning cycles with Goop hand cleaner, the non-abrasive kind and it turned out great. More than I could have hoped for.
My son in law's mother is an expert seamstress, so I have enlisted her help with the sewing repairs.
I have watched a few YT videos and have come up with a plan to re-attach everything. I hope it all works out.
The final step will be making an accurate stencil of the MOTO GUZZI for the rear seat and paint it on.
(https://i.ibb.co/cKshZ5JT/seat-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/cKshZ5JT)
(https://i.ibb.co/8nDvwmzr/seat.jpg) (https://ibb.co/8nDvwmzr)
(https://i.ibb.co/KjvVVKDc/harpers3-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KjvVVKDc)
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I carefully removed the cover and had the stitching repaired at a local upholstery shop. They did a great job.
The foam was surgically removed from the pan and found to still be in very good shape over all. The pan was sandblasted and painted. After gently cleaning the foam it was reattached to the pan with spray adhesive.
I purchased some thin batting material that was more than big enough to cover the entire seat. After spraying the foam and pan edges with spray adhesive the batting was applied and pulled taught all around. I was afraid of wrinkles, but the batting material qualities let it conform to the seat with gentle pulling in all directions.
Gluing the cover back on came next. Guzzi Paul recommended using 3M Windo Weld adhesive. It sets up quickly. With nervous apprehension I dove into it, gluing down sections held with multiple spring clamps from HF.
I am very happy with the end result. It still has the aged look, but it is so much better than before.
(https://i.ibb.co/h12WB9Mm/seat2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/h12WB9Mm)
(https://i.ibb.co/rjc7x4Z/seat-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/rjc7x4Z)
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That's impressive stuff that you're doing there, especially the engine casings. I take it that you use something along with the nylon brushes, to get such a clean finish?
This bike is gonna look excellent at this rate. :cool:
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That's impressive stuff that you're doing there, especially the engine casings. I take it that you use something along with the nylon brushes, to get such a clean finish?
This bike is gonna look excellent at this rate. :cool:
For the very hard to clean areas of baked on crud I used a combination of tools such as; a plastic razor blade, picks for the caked on crevices. I used bronze bristle brushes on the very stubborn deposits. Always with the goal of keeping the original finish under the grunge as undisturbed as possible.
(https://i.ibb.co/b4RPKXb/june26-12.jpg) (https://ibb.co/b4RPKXb)
(https://i.ibb.co/vxfGWS6x/engine4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/vxfGWS6x)
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Yesterday I drove out to the Guzzi Doctor to pick up my heads that Joe had went through for me. He found them in good overall shape except for some fairly heavy pitting on both exhaust valve/seats. He said that this led him to believe the bike had at least 2 extended layups with the exhaust valve open. This info coincides with the theory for the crud found in the left cylinder.
(https://i.ibb.co/RnSfzrQ/crud.jpg) (https://ibb.co/RnSfzrQ)
After touch lapping the head gasket sealing areas on my granite surface plate I thoroughly washed them a few times followed with copious compressed air sessions.
This evening the heads were torqued in steps to 29 lbs. I will let them sit overnight and retorque them tomorrow before finishing the top end assembly.
(https://i.ibb.co/bRXry1JX/engine5.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bRXry1JX)
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The old clutch plates showed little wear, but were completely oil soaked and stuck to the metal plates. I assume the oil intrusion was from the pushrod seal leaking.
A new set of Newfren plates are in.
(https://i.ibb.co/KxHnGrx1/clutch.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KxHnGrx1)
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The timer had the typical divot at the bolt hold down area. It was quite minor and shallow, which is another indicator this is a low mile bike.
I figured I might as well make it right for the next owner so I skin cut the divot out.
(https://i.ibb.co/605tkVpg/timer.jpg) (https://ibb.co/605tkVpg)
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The mighty Ambo!
(https://i.ibb.co/7dn4Bj5m/engine6.jpg) (https://ibb.co/7dn4Bj5m)
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Dave, you always seem to be doing such an awesome job on these projects.
I am envious. Keep it up, it’s very inspirational.
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Rusty pan - no more.
(https://i.ibb.co/gbVRJ779/seat4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/gbVRJ779)
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I have decided to tackle improving the seat.
Although the underlying foam is still quite resilient, the cover was slack and has some missing stitches in the passenger area. The pan was rusty also.
I gave the cover multiple cleaning cycles with Goop hand cleaner, the non-abrasive kind and it turned out great. More than I could have hoped for.
My son in law's mother is an expert seamstress, so I have enlisted her help with the sewing repairs.
I have watched a few YT videos and have come up with a plan to re-attach everything. I hope it all works out.
The final step will be making an accurate stencil of the MOTO GUZZI for the rear seat and paint it on.
(https://i.ibb.co/cKshZ5JT/seat-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/cKshZ5JT)
(https://i.ibb.co/8nDvwmzr/seat.jpg) (https://ibb.co/8nDvwmzr)
(https://i.ibb.co/KjvVVKDc/harpers3-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KjvVVKDc)
Just a suggestion. If you haven’t done a stencil yet, my wife has been doing some screen printing lately. Instead of the typical emulsion process, she’s been using a Cricut machine and program ( via makers space at local library) to cut vinyl stencils to install on screens for t-shirts. It’s a lot easier than cutting perfectly by hand like I do with some stone-related lettering stencils.
For a single use project, using adhesive vinyl typically used for decals to stick right to the seat should be no problem.
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I hit it hard today.
New fork seals and I sprung for a set of Wirth progressive springs. Its a bit like putting lipstick on a pig as these forks are very basic, but I figured every little bit will help.
(https://i.ibb.co/PbfLkvM/frame.jpg) (https://ibb.co/PbfLkvM)
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Just a suggestion. If you haven’t done a stencil yet, my wife has been doing some screen printing lately. Instead of the typical emulsion process, she’s been using a Cricut machine and program ( via makers space at local library) to cut vinyl stencils to install on screens for t-shirts. It’s a lot easier than cutting perfectly by hand like I do with some stone-related lettering stencils.
For a single use project, using adhesive vinyl typically used for decals to stick right to the seat should be no problem.
That is a good way to do it. I came to that same conclusion while trying to cut the stencil out with an Xacto knife. HA.
I contacted a graphics maker that has made vinyl decals for my model airplane hobby in the past. She is going to set me up with the stencils.
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The heavy layer of grunge protected the VHB29s pretty well. I was pleased to see a hint of yellow anodize still intact. I spent most of the day cleaning them, but the result was worth it.
(https://i.ibb.co/4wKcmWkk/carb.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4wKcmWkk)
(https://i.ibb.co/pjW5QGFp/carb1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/pjW5QGFp)
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About 250 labor hours so far.
(https://i.ibb.co/ks43jsZ5/engine8.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ks43jsZ5)
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I decided it made all the sense in the world to inspect the transmission more thoroughly.
Since the caged ball throwout bearing disintegrated itself I knew the debris had to go somewhere.
This is what the cage is supposed to look like.
(https://i.ibb.co/5hBvvmQ8/Screenshot-2026-06-30-at-17-02-39-IMG-5197-2-Postimages.png) (https://ibb.co/5hBvvmQ8)
And this is what was left of it. It was ground to bits.
(https://i.ibb.co/TMKLstwY/throwout.jpg) (https://ibb.co/TMKLstwY)
This is the result of those bits churning in the gear oil. You are looking at where the 4th gear bushing rides.
(https://i.ibb.co/svMtj5Z2/transmission.jpg) (https://ibb.co/svMtj5Z2)
A call to Harpers has a new layshaft and all 4 gear bushings on the way.
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The transmission housings were turned in record time by Patrick Hayes, which is what he always does. Beautiful work as usual.
You can see the stainless steel sleeve here. A great repair of the scored areas.
(https://i.ibb.co/bRvLNRfh/trans3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/bRvLNRfh)
This is the preselector housing mod for the oring. Super nice
(https://i.ibb.co/HD2GC9mW/Screenshot-2026-07-05-at-15-37-57-IMG-5196-2-Postimages.png) (https://ibb.co/HD2GC9mW)
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USPS has been a little slow getting the 4 speed parts up here from Harpers. While waiting I have been finishing up some of the dirty jobs that needed to be done.
The generator and starter were disassembled, cleaned up and lubed.
(https://i.ibb.co/5gYHbNsk/genstart.jpg) (https://ibb.co/5gYHbNsk)
english font style keyboard (https://usefulwebtool.com/)
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The transmission is back together with the new parts and is shifting like it should.
This transmission just didn't seem to want to go in without a fight. Charlie came to the rescue and gave me a couple pointers that worked like a charm.
It is always a red letter day when the support box can come out.
(https://i.ibb.co/YF56YBb5/july.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YF56YBb5)
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Fascinating job. When I grow up, I want to do the same.
Besides the bike, I scrutinize your pictures to see what is hanging on the walls of your workshop.
Just nosey.
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Grime before and after.
(https://i.ibb.co/7J4sc7N1/tran2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/7J4sc7N1)
(https://i.ibb.co/1G9z79d1/tran3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/1G9z79d1)
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A productive day at the office.
(https://i.ibb.co/typrgRp/july1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/typrgRp)
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Another productive day.
(https://i.ibb.co/PGdQqzR0/july2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/PGdQqzR0)
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Got to put it in reverse for a day or so.
I filled the engine with 3 quarts of oil. I like to do this early on instead of just before first fire to check for any oil leaks. In all of my prior motors this was just a precaution as there haven't been leaks. BUT this time there was a small puddle of engine oil that had been dripping from the bell housing weep hole. I will be tearing down to the point to check for leaks, which means the flywheel must come out. The engine will stay in the frame as my highest hopes is that the leak is coming from the hollow return oil pipe/bolt area. I have always had good luck using 2 new aluminum sealing washers at this junction, but I am hoping these were insufficient this time instead of the rear bearing flange.
More to come.
(https://i.ibb.co/wZtq8G32/engine10.jpg) (https://ibb.co/wZtq8G32)
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Once I got around to going backwards, I had it apart in an hour. The culprit was the sealing washers not doing their job. Hondabond 4 will be going in!
(https://i.ibb.co/KjdthtjW/engine12.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KjdthtjW)
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Dry as a bone with the oil filled overnight. Not a hint of leakage.
(https://i.ibb.co/F41Jgvy1/engine13.jpg) (https://ibb.co/F41Jgvy1)
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Wiring is in process. Using one of Greg Bender's harnesses is a rare treat to be savored. Unapproachable craftsmanship and attention to detail!
(https://i.ibb.co/Mx2V8pcT/july3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Mx2V8pcT)
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It is always a good day when both wheels are back on.
(https://i.ibb.co/Mk6Kyz9f/july4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Mk6Kyz9f)
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The exhaust system is a perfect match for this bike.
(https://i.ibb.co/WNMmY3t2/july5.jpg) (https://ibb.co/WNMmY3t2)
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I received my stencil from Callie Graphics and performed my first stencil job, after very carefully locating the stencil according to my 1974 Eldo's seat.
(https://i.ibb.co/67vqyxbc/seat6.jpg) (https://ibb.co/67vqyxbc)
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There are only a few things to finish up and I couldn't resist jumping ahead a little for a photo shoot.
(https://i.ibb.co/zTwR7L8X/july7.jpg) (https://ibb.co/zTwR7L8X)
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Gregory Bender 's wiring harness installation is complete, and went off without a hitch. When an electrically challenged person like myself can complete this without the slightest drama, it is a testament to Greg's attention to detail.
A short video of the smoke test. 😀
https://youtube.com/shorts/-_ULb1mTg2s?si=HAZXLltyWRefZ1vg
(https://i.ibb.co/xtwMwtR3/Aug.jpg) (https://ibb.co/xtwMwtR3)
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This video was taken after setting the timing with a strobe light and initial carburetor adjustments.
First time running in 40 years.
https://youtube.com/shorts/JBNtjW6k2-I?si=8G4WGo2QJWzQ31Ro
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Its ready for the maiden voyage. Will happen this evening.
(https://i.ibb.co/90tkDsG/aug4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/90tkDsG)
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The first test rides went very well tonight. It is a sweet running bike.
(https://i.ibb.co/b5SrtqzL/aug6.jpg) (https://ibb.co/b5SrtqzL)
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Re-torqued the heads this morning after the short ride last night. They needed it! Will do this again in 30 miles or so.
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How does the seat feel?
I'm wondering if the batting improves the comfort.
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The first test rides went very well tonight. It is a sweet running bike.
(https://i.ibb.co/b5SrtqzL/aug6.jpg) (https://ibb.co/b5SrtqzL)
:thumb: (you're an inspiration Dave)
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How does the seat feel?
I'm wondering if the batting improves the comfort.
The seat feels good. The batting is fairly thin, so no difference in comfort that I can tell