1976 El Dorado

[sdcr]

Anyone here familiar with this “1976” El Dorado in NJ?
There  appears to be some question as to whether the replacement 850 motor, is a chrome bore, or not.
Also, not sure if it is titled correctly as a 1976 model.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

No '76 Eldos, but there were '75s. Looks like a '72 or '73 to me (twin-leading-shoe front drum brake). Unless the 850 engine is from a Le Mans, or the cylinders have been replaced/replated/sleeved, it'll have chrome bores.

Edit #1: I found where it's for sale. May not be an Eldorado at all, but rather an 850GT. No Eldo ever had that type of gas cap, but some of the 850GTs did. Berliner did import some 850GTs after the supply of Eldos dried up (source: Moto Guzzi Big Twins by Greg Field), so this could be one, and was titled as the year it was first registered. Or, someone could have just replaced the gas tank at some point with one from an 850GT.

Edit #2: Engine number 58525 is an Eldo, would have had chrome bores from the factory and timing gears (chain from engine 58532 onward).

Edit #3: the VIN tag is from a Tonti Guzzi! T or T3. 

Bottom line: It's a '73 Eldo (judging by the engine number, a May '73 build date), that had no title, so someone used a T or T3 VIN tag that they had a title for on it.   

[Tkelly]

GT s didn’t have chrome tanks.Great looking bike!

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

GT s didn’t have chrome tanks.Great looking bike!

Some did...

[sdcr]

I think it’s a mish-mash machine, with parts of various origin. Seems to run well, from the online auction video.

 As you guys know, it’s verboten to put a link, so you’ll just have to hook up your trailers, and go lookin’.

[Tkelly]

They had chrome fenders,don’t thinkEldorados did.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

They had chrome fenders,don’t thinkEldorados did.

Again, some did.

[Tkelly]

This bike has painted fenders and chrome sided tank like all  Eldorados I have ever seen.My GT had a painted tank and chrome or stainless fenders.I think it is an Eldorado .

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

This bike has painted fenders and chrome sided tank like all  Eldorados I have ever seen.My GT had a painted tank and chrome or stainless fenders.I think it is an Eldorado .

Like I wrote above:

Bottom line: It's a '73 Eldo (judging by the engine number, a May '73 build date), that had no title, so someone used a T or T3 VIN tag that they had a title for, on it.

[Canuck750]

This one on display at the Guzzi museum in Mandello, I like the rare versions with the chrome tank patches.

[pehayes]

Titles can be all over the map.  Some states title by year of production, some by date of first sale, some by year of import if it was foreign produced.  Go study the vintage single-cylinder Guzzis to see widespread data.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[cliffrod]

Titles can be all over the map.  Some states title by year of production, some by date of first sale, some by year of import if it was foreign produced.  Go study the vintage single-cylinder Guzzis to see widespread data.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

Agreed.  If it passed through a state like VT with limited prior documentation, it’s up to the owner to declare a year within reason.  When I bought & registered my Benelli 500-4 in VT, we decided it was probably a 1974 based upon limited available info & basically pre-internet.  It was a genuine effort by me to be accurate.  Fast forward several years, the Yahoo Benelli group came to the consensus it was by far the earliest VIN anyone on the group had encountered on a Quattro.  It was more likely a 1972 and some said possibly the first one imported into the states.  No matter, it’s stuck with a 1974 title for experts who don’t know this story to argue about...

Titled model years of Ducati singles are also notoriously inconsistent.  Most early neck tags were only stamped 196  with final year digit left blank for dealer to stamp when sold.  Except they rarely did that.  Then, 20-30 yrs later, the glue fails and the tag falls off  so the frame has no numbers at all.  Now many people just say it’s whatever year they think that makes it most valuable.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

The fact remains that the VIN tag on this Eldorado isn't the one it came from the factory with. Most likely this Eldo had no title, but the builder/owner had a clear title and frame for a T3, so simply swapped that tag onto the Eldo frame and *bingo* (semi) legal Eldo (sort of). Here's the VIN tag of a T3 frame I have.

[sdcr]

This El Dorado also includes a “spare” frame, without any paperwork.
 About an hour to go, and only one bid so far, $1976.

[Beowulf]

This El Dorado also includes a “spare” frame, without any paperwork.
 About an hour to go, and only one bid so far, $1976.

Man that’s tempting, doubt it will stay that low.

[sdcr]

Sold for $2276 + $250 buyers premium.

[Cam3512]

That was nothing special, even if the VIN was sketchy.  Keep looking.