New Moto Guzzi Door Mats Available Now
IIRC the problems with the 16" wheels were not from the size of the front wheel but with the triple trees. I still have the 16" wheel/tires on the front of my SE.
GuzziArt, did you have trouble keeping the amber turn signal lenses on? It appears you had to use narrow zap-straps on them. I have a 1985 T5... with (I believe) the same turn signals as your Le Mans 1000 SE.??
AFAIK the triple trees are specific to the wheel size; so, for example, fitting an 18 inch frt wheel on a 16"specific triple tree will not give a good result. For the LeMans V Guzzi went to an 18" frt wheel, first with a (presumably) cast ductile or cast steel triple tree (or at least a non light-alloy one, cast or otherwise) - then latterly, later production, cast in light alloy. Can you explain how you figure the 16"specific triple tree is a prb?
The PO installed the tyraps on the ts lens to keep them from falling off, sometime in the life of the vehicle the lens tabs got broken. The lens are a tight enough fit that I was able to take a clear strip of packing tape and run it along the bottom of the lamp housing & lens to secure the lens. That was 10 years ago, the tape worked great, no more tyraps, no lost lenses....FWIW.
A lot of the guys didn't like the 16" wheel. "Weird" handling. A number of bikes had cracks in the triple trees allowing for flex. IIRC. Can't remember if it was a recall or dealer fix. Maybe Curtis could jump in.
Hey Groover,Your SE with corroded fasteners could be one of the "damaged" bikes that came over at that time. There was an entire container of Guzzis that was exposed to moisture during transit. The bikes were sold at a discount. I could have bought all the SE LeMans I wanted for 2500 each in the crate.But I was a poor Guzzi mechanic!Hunter
There was a problem related to geometry on early bikes and IIRC it made them wobble at speed. All early LeMans 1000 were provided with an updated triple tree. I installed a couple. And there was a change for the 18 inch wheel as well. The 16 inch wheel was not an issue except to Japanese bike fanboy "journalists". The bikes are sensitive to tire pressure. I have ridden many and even own one now. It's a fantastic bike! When we received the first of the Lemans 1000 with the 18 I must say it was a disappointment. I think it detracted from the look of the bike but mostly it just slowed the steering. Not the same animal it was. I'm a bit biased on the subject but I think that the 85-86 LeMans 1000 is the best Tonti bike by far. The SE is also great but the gearing makes it chore in town. The later 1000 was a good evolution and I enjoyed it a lot. Just not like the quick, light on it's feet version!
Any idea whether the T5 850 NT received different triple clamps too? Mine is this series 3... with 110/90-16 on a 2.15"wide rim... and a 120/90-18 on a 3.00"wide rear rim. Unlike the 2.5"wide frt LeMans iv frt rim with 120/80 tire... Frame is exactly the same as a LeMans iv. My T5 is of course a Europe only version (the series 3).Mine was the 44th bike built, built in Nov 1984.
The T5 has different forks and tree.
Fork spacing is also different. The T5 has 195mm spacing, and the Le Mans has 180mm. Also, the T5 I believe has the 65mm offset like the T3, G5, etc and same offset as the first type triples that came on the Le Mans 1000, then that was changed to 45mm offset as the "fix" and then remained 45mm all the way to the end of the Le Mans 1000 series ('91).So "technically" the T5 should've had the same wobble issues or any other handling issues claimed as on the first Le Mans 1000 models based on that offset number, but I'm also guessing that other things came into play like riding position, tire sizes, shock heights, etc. Who knows, maybe as mentioned above the only issue with the Le Mans 1000 was as simple as the tire pressure then the rumors got out of hand I've also become a die hard Le Mans 1000 fan in these past few years, and also think it has a very cool distinct lines and stance.
Here is a peek at one of mine, it would be in great condition if it weren't some oxidation from storage. The black oxide treated hardware on this bike is very unforgiving. My other one is mostly in boxes and covered by junk in my garage.
Hi all, first time poster alert!I’ve been searching everywhere trying to work out how many MK4 SE’s were actually produced?Every article appears to use the same info that “100 were sold in America” but that’s about it.Does anyone have any information on how many were built?
They made 100 SE's for the US Market. The red white paint scheme was available in other markets, but not necessarily with the close ratio 5 speed, or the blacked out drivetrain. There was one new in crate sold at Mecum, that turned out not to be an SE. ( standard gearbox, I think)
Interesting comments on the whole 16" / 18" and triple trees alternatives. Mine is an 86 lemans with 16 " wheel, and I do think it doesnt quite have that " running on rails" feel over 140 kph. I run pressures at 37 to 38 psi, running stock tyre sizes. What are you fellow 16 inchers running?CheersBazil
Great catch, Turin. Romanelli was bringing in non-Federalized bikes... The lack of side-reflectors is the giveaway. So it is indeed possible that the Mecum bike (originally imported by Moto 2001 - Francesco Romanelli in LaChine Quebec) does not have close-ratio gears. It did have a blacked-out engine though.
Seems you are running the correct tire pressure, what Others have had success with... like Turin, like Patrick Hayes (Patrick with an SPII). Folks seem to intimate that NOT having a STRAIGHT central groove down the middle of the tire is NOT a problem. I think Turin runs a Bridgestone Battleax - which has a squigly groove down the middle... and he says it's great.Guzzi originally used a Michelin A48 on the 850T5 (with its 16" tire) and a Pirelli on the LeMans IV... both with the straight-as-a-die groove down the centre. On rain-grooved concrete freeway, those would NOT be good... (and on some metal bridge decks) - but on good pavement maybe those would be worth a try.Seems to me that you have a 2.5" wide rim, and that the front tire size is 120/80-16. You could try a Metzeler ME33 Lazer and run at highish pressures?
