74 eldo, do I or don't?

[gdluck]

I stopped riding a while back and pretty much left the street scene, still ride dirt but finally came to terms that i won't start street back up.

Don't really know what the market is and after learning about the cylinder issue I am wondering if its worth it to replace the cylinders then sell or just sell as is?

 I popped the heads 2 years ago and checked the bores which are clean, no peeling.

I don't mind doing the work but if it's 6 of 0ne , 1/2 of another thing then obviously not worth it.

opinions?

thanks

[Tkelly]

If you don’t do it you won’t get any decent offers,if you are able and willing to spend the time and the bike is nice you could get close to 5 figures,if average maybe 5000$.

[guzzisteve]

If you change them it's $1K, add to price. If you don't subtract $1K. All depends if you want to do the work or not. It also depends on the buyer if they are competent enough to do work otherwise it's more cash. If bike has been sitting they will be bad in no time.

[Dave Swanson]

As a member of the Eldo Preservation Society you are obligated to sort the cylinders.   

Replacing the cylinders will certainly be a positive selling point and you can sleep at night knowing your old bike wont be turning into scrap down the road. 

[Perazzimx14]

As a member of the Eldo Preservation Society you are obligated to sort the cylinders.   

Replacing the cylinders will certainly be a positive selling point and you can sleep at night knowing your old bike wont be turning into scrap down the road.

But a buyer will always find another "did you". When you sorted the cylinders "did you" clean the sludge trap? "Did you" balance the crank?? Did you?????

Having been down this road a few times its a 6 of one 1/2 a dozen of the other. Yes, not doing the cylinders will effect the value but will you get your money out of replacing the cylinders? You can spend a lot of money and add very little if any value.

[Missionguzzi]

I agree that the Nigusil/Nikasil cylinders are a plus as far as selling the bike, and its potential longevity.  But, having had MANY older chrome-bore Guzzis, by no means is it "absolutely necessary" to replace them, especially if they are in good condition and the bike has been stored properly.  I had an Eldo with 73K miles on it with perfect chrome cylinders (when I finally opened it to check them) and I kept them and added new rings, and several other early Tontis with mid-range mileage (40K+) with perfect cylinders.  Take care of them (oil changes, etc.) and they'll last a good while.  And I've had some which were in terrible shape as far as peeled chrome, but never saw bottom-end damage even on those.  I did change the bearings as a prudent measure, but the crankshaft and camshaft weren't affected at all.
In reality, someone buying an old Eldo most likely will not be driving it long distances or many miles.  There are newer, better bikes for that.  These are usually used for the occasional Sunday ride or to take to gatherings.  Won't accumulate a lot more miles, and changing the cylinders won't make one whit of difference except in someone's mind.
If you have fair offers for the bike as-is, then sell it.  If you are seeing no interest whatsoever in the bike, maybe a cylinder change will attract a few more eyes, but will it pay for itself?  As stated by someone else, maybe $1K cost (oil change, gasket sets,etc), a few hours of your time, and the bike will look and probably perform almost the same as before.
The old saying of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is usually the right advice.  Granted, preventive maintenance is wonderful for something which is in constant use and must be kept within certain parameters, but an old Guzzi probably doesn't fit that description.

[Shorty]

As long as you are honest about it, sell as is. You do not know what can of worms await inside that engine. Those bikes usually sell themselves, regardless of condition.

[guzziart]

Yeah, the PO told me the cylinders weren't flaking, he obviously didn't know what he was looking at.  The $1k for cylinders is if you do it yourself otherwise it'll be more $$$.  Your potential buyer will definitely ask about the sludgetrap, ujoint, carrier bearing, swing arm brg, etc.  How old are the tires, Gauges work, Battery, Starter?   It's endless, cut your losses, price it appealingly, a do-it-yourselfer will treasure your old Eldo.  Like others have said, you'll put money in that you'll probably not get out especially in this "soft" bike market and going into the off season, imho.

If your bike is complete it could be a nice winter project for someone.

Good luck!

Art

[gdluck]

Thanks all, seems even the answers are 6 of one........which i guess i should have expected. neither side is wrong. but to clarify this isn't a "project" bike. Runs great, had a repaint when I bought it 20-25 years ago and was kept in the house, well until the lady moved in then out to garage. I don't want to post too much about it because i don't want this to look like an advertisement. I'd like to sell just to get it out and let somebody have it that would appreciate it but I don't HAVE to cause I need funds. I am just confused on selling prices as I look at BAT and see a rusted out rat bike that hasn't run in 20 years go for $4200 then what looks like a clean recently restored only go for $5300. makes no sense to me

[1wild1]

There's discussion that some vehicles on BAT are used for laundering money.  Some of those car prices make no sense. I wouldn't trust all of the prices.  GLWS

[gdluck]

**UPDATE**

I bring myself to sell knowing of potential problem so I pulled the jug. Was not surprised to find a clean bore, but was surprised to find a strong magnet attraction. I am not familiar with a sleeved cylinder but i think it has been sleeved. As was stated before, I have owned this bike for 20-25 years. Went through the motor and everything was to spec. Odometer is @15K. If this was sleeved was the chrome issue a thing 20 years ago?   

https://ibb.co/LdTXjBtQ

[Dave Swanson]

**UPDATE**

If this was sleeved was the chrome issue a thing 20 years ago?   

https://ibb.co/LdTXjBtQ

Oh yes, and before.  When I bought my V7 Sport over 20 years ago I had my ears pinned back until I put Gilardonis in and inspected all the rest. 

[cliffrod]

In early 94, I replaced the cylinders on my V7 Sport that was parked in 1980 with cylinders already peeling but without doing the crank, etc.  I didn’t know.  a couple years later, the entire engine had to be stripped to do the crank and everything related to damage from flaked chrome, plugged sludge trap, etc. 

If they have magnetic pull and don’t look like they have sleeves, Those cylinders on your bike could be nikasil/nikasul replacement parts sold by Moto Guzzi.  That’s what I have on mine.  No markings of any kind.  They look like plain stock original cylinders.  I assume Guzzi likely offered such parts for bikes other than V7 Sports at the time(?)   Do a video of how magnetic they are while it’s apart if you don’t replace them to help with the sale.

Realistically, once you start, it will be an all-or-nothing situation.  If not, it will need to be stripped down again to finish & redo the job when thing go south because they will.  Probably best to sell it as is with a clear explanation.  The market is soft now.