67 V700 gets some love, thanks Charlie

[jacksonracingcomau]

Today I finally added some missing bits to my 67 V700, thanks to Charlie for sourcing the rare tinware.

I also fitted a “D” vhb manifold to the left side, not original, of course, but in keeping with Carcano’s design of equal and identical manifolds. The later D and S were just wrong in every way, not least because they look very wrong with rubber mounted phbh 30 carbs, left carb touching the cases.

The genny cover bothered me because I got the rh with the bike and all I could find was a horrible plastic cover.
I live by the adage there should be no plastic bits hiding ugly bits because there should be no ugly bits !
Carcano had little choice, the Marelli and later Bosch gennies are ugly because they were meant to be under the bonnet of a car, so he designed nice tin covers, a feature not a plastic “hide it”. The new left one works for me too, holding clutch cable away from fins, subtly.

Sidecover because it was designed with love, later Ambo ones just look cheap by comparison. Homage to the man.Yes, a bit of a shame someone had (badly) painted them but……..

As you can see, I care not a tinkers cuss for “originality” nor value, where I can make it better for ME to use I will, but as a 46 year Guzzi rider I really appreciate the very first of Guzzi’s twins, Carcano got so much right.
Many detail mods to this, zoom in and check em out or search my “recommission V700” thread of lockdown times.

Flame on, but note that paint comes very last in my builds, possibly never on this one, still running original factory points, condensor, coil, genny and starter brushes, genny belt, big end shells etc etc.
This is a working motorbike, nothing more, starts, runs and goes without fault, if one day someone wants to make a museum piece from it, they can, not I.

[bigbikerrick]

Very unique looking loop! Those generator covers look nice. Did Guzzi make those, or were they aftermarket? I see what you mean about the sidecovers...very stylish!
Rick.

[wirespokes]

I like it. It's got an industrial does-the-job sort of look.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Very unique looking loop! Those generator covers look nice. Did Guzzi make those, or were they aftermarket? I see what you mean about the sidecovers...very stylish!
Rick.

These are the original V700/early Ambo generator covers. They really only fit with the smaller/taller tank.

[chuck peterson]

Beautiful, but can’t you sand those intakes, please, they’re blinding me!!! 

Neat idea on the leather, took me awhile to see

What wax did you say you used? 

[jacksonracingcomau]

I like it. It's got an industrial does-the-job sort of look.

Thanks, credit is due to Sig Carcano, he made a machine to work (industrial) but gave it a little love in appearance to aid sales in the great marketplace, authoritarian German BMW and wasteful American HD firmly in his sights, killed em both IMHO, form follows function, it looks right because it is right.

Beautiful, but can’t you sand those intakes, please, they’re blinding me!!! 

Neat idea on the leather, took me awhile to see

What wax did you say you used? 

You’ve got me there, my mate bought that manifold for me at Guzzi rally in John Day, why anyone would chrome aluminium is anybody’s guess, here’s hoping the chrome goes the way of the original cylinder chrome and just falls off, shame to waste money de-chroming it. Not a rare thing, I discarded loads of them back in the day but it’s the one I have.

Just because of that I might chrome the rhomboid in the sidecovers and cover the rest in roo, match the tank.

Many treatments but the icing on the cake was oxblood shoe polish, better in real life than photo.