69 Ambassador at Pa. MG Dealer

[sdcr]

The Philadelphia area Moto Guzzi dealer has a clean Ambassador on their showroom floor. The dealer is Wide World USA, and the ask is $6500.

I spoke with a gentleman named Mark, who said these are iron bore motors, is that correct? He also said they have owned it about a year, after
purchasing it in Florida.

I plan to take a look at it next week. Maybe they will take my Le Mans III in trade

[JJ]

The Philadelphia area Moto Guzzi dealer has a clean Ambassador on their showroom floor. The dealer is Wide World USA, and the ask is $6500.

I spoke with a gentleman named Mark, who said these are iron bore motors, is that correct? He also said they have owned it about a year, after
purchasing it in Florida.

I plan to take a look at it next week. Maybe they will take my Le Mans III in trade

WOW!!  That looks like a nice one!  Good luck!  Let us know if you take it for a test ride!

[guzzisteve]

Chrome bore stock. I did my Ambo in 86 w/iron LA sleeves same w/2 of my 700's in 04. NICE to see old Guzzi's on showroom floor. You would think more would have one just for display. Nothing wrong w/iron bore, it cost less than buying new stuff.

[sdcr]

Guzzisteve,

So if Mark bought the bike in its current,restored condition, how was he able to ascertain that it is iron bores? Is there a way to tell without removing any components?

 Not trying to impinge his reputation, I just want to be certain that they are iron.

Chrome bore stock. I did my Ambo in 86 w/iron LA sleeves same w/2 of my 700's in 04. NICE to see old Guzzi's on showroom floor. You would think more would have one just for display. Nothing wrong w/iron bore, it cost less than buying new stuff.

[Lannis]

The Philadelphia area Moto Guzzi dealer has a clean Ambassador on their showroom floor. The dealer is Wide World USA, and the ask is $6500.

I spoke with a gentleman named Mark, who said these are iron bore motors, is that correct? He also said they have owned it about a year, after
purchasing it in Florida.

I plan to take a look at it next week. Maybe they will take my Le Mans III in trade

That's nice looking ... wonder if they'd let you pull a plug and check the bores?   They didn't come with iron bores, but they may know that this one has be "upgraded".

I'd love for trade-ins at wholesale to be the norm, but it never happens with me despite my hating to go through the hassle of selling bikes.    Dealers need cash just like the rest of us, and can't be stuck with a nice, desirable-to-us but unsellable-to-the-public Guzzi like a LeMans on the floor forever ...

Lannis

[brider]

Dealer might have been told the cyls were "upgraded", and to him that means iron bores. When you look at it, bend down and see if the word "Gilardoni" is cast into the cyl at the base by the engine case. If not, and he doesn't have any documentation that they have been re-sleeved with Iron, ask if they'll remove a plug and have a magnet on a string (or a more professional equivalent) to drop down the plug hole and check the lining. I would imagine any dealer might not want to let you do that for obvious liability reasons, though.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Not all Gilardonis have the name cast into them, so that's not a definitive way to identify them.

Best to use a "pencil magnet":




Remove a sparkplug, make sure the piston is down from TDC, insert the pencil magnet and touch the cylinder wall. Zero magnetic attraction = chrome, very slight = Nikasil, strong = iron liners.

[guzzisteve]

Guzzisteve,

So if Mark bought the bike in its current,restored condition, how was he able to ascertain that it is iron bores? Is there a way to tell without removing any components?

 Not trying to impinge his reputation, I just want to be certain that they are iron.

Maybe he had some papers from previous owner.  You could check by dropping oil pan & check bore on skirt w/magnet

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

It seems to be sort of a "bitsa" - chrome fenders are later, SS1 carbs would have only been on the very earliest '69 "A-series" Ambos, toe-only shifter was later. If it was an "A-series" then it would be right foot shift and have the smaller tank like a V700. I'm betting the front brakes don't work very well with the front arm angled like it is. Cheapo aftermarket universal mufflers and a trailer taillight. I'm not sure what those rear crashbars are from, but they're definitely not originals.

Looks nice, but likely needs quite a bit of sorting.

Maybe he had some papers from previous owner.  You could check by dropping oil pan & check bore on skirt w/magnet

No need to drop the pan, it can all be done via the sparkplug hole. 

[brider]

Looking at it again, the overall appearance IS nice, but at that price it really should be closer to original.....with all that aftermarket chrome, I wonder why there was no effort to retain the chrome on the tank?

[TOMB]

Rear crash bars look like the police bars I had on my Eldo, these look like the are mounted upside down.

Just a guess based on the picture.

TOMB

[Yeahoo Whoyah]

He also said they have owned it about a year, after
purchasing it in Florida.

Yep. Per the Loop List, this bike, VIN 12044, was for sale in May 2018 on eBay.  Seller was from Ormond Beach FL

https://wideworldwestchester.com/Motorcycles-Moto-Guzzi-Ambassador-1969-West-Chester-PA-b8a8dd62-4dc3-4fba-92a4-aa8501273cb2

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Yep. Per the Loop List, this bike, VIN 12044, was for sale in May 2018 on eBay.  Seller was from Ormond Beach FL

https://wideworldwestchester.com/Motorcycles-Moto-Guzzi-Ambassador-1969-West-Chester-PA-b8a8dd62-4dc3-4fba-92a4-aa8501273cb2

I'm guessing that's "A12044", so it is a very early Ambassador. A lot has been changed.

[guzzisteve]

No need to drop the pan, it can all be done via the sparkplug hole. 

I have pulled a head where the owner superglued a magnet to an eraser on a pencil. Guess what happened, the eracer came off.
I own a pencil magnet, then there are 'cheap'.

[Turin]

Even if it has Iron barrels , I think that's a bit pricey. Incorrect gas tank kills it for me. here is mine. A12243

[T4halo]

Here is A12011. Was originally white.

[Dave Swanson]

I spoke with a gentleman named Mark, who said these are iron bore motors, is that correct?

He is  incorrect.  From the factory they had hard chrome barrels.   It is hard to say what is on there now, but if it still has the stock chrome barrels it is a time bomb waiting to go off, or perhaps already has.

Who ever went through this bike did it with no concern regarding originality. 

If the barrels have been replaced with Gilardonis or some other acceptable method it is still not worth  the asking price.  If while it was being restored it was brought back to original, the price would be in the ballpark. 

[Dave Swanson]

Turin,  that is a beautiful Ambo!!

[JJ]

Turin,  that is a beautiful Ambo!!

Agreed!!  Turin, you should RIDE that vintage beauty to the Datil, NM Moto Guzzi Rally this year in mid-August!

[Turin]

Super easy re-fresh, not a restoration. The only thing I did to her was re-paint the tins, swap on the VHBs from my 850T, and install gilardoni's. At 32,000 miles, the chrome bores looked almost perfect. go figure, maybe being stored in the Arizona desert had something to do with that.

here's the before from 2012