Any Italian Bike owners alive out there?

[chuckthebeatertruck]

I hear a lot of stories about the endurance of the Guzzi and yours is no exception.

I always heard it too -- but I didn't actually see my first goose in the flesh until '95. I was still deep in the middle of my turnip stage and living in East Anglia at the time. On a lark a mate and me took a weekender to Paris. Whilst wandering around I saw this gorgeous, gorgeous black beast parked up outside a cafe. It was a loopframe and made a big impression on me. I kept it filed in the back of my brain and when the time was right I didn't hesitate to buy my early '69 Ambassador. The speedo cluster had been replaced once -- and the "replacement" said 35K plus. However, I found enough evidence to suggest the bike was deep into the 50K-75K mile territory. All with indifferent maintenance, no oil filter, and an oil by pass that started leaking down well before full pressure. The bike simply kept on going and even the crank was within spec for the rebuild.

But, the legendary strength truly became evident when I disassembled the noisy rear drive.

Here are a few photos:
DSCI0089.jpg

DSCI0090.jpg

DSCI0091.jpg

Notice the crown wheel is missing a bolt . . .and that bolt lodged itself in the casing. It snapped the tips off a few gear teeth and left a swarf trail in the case. However, it moved around and wasn't as noisy as you'd think.

They are like the timex of the motorbike world. Folks think 70s Hondas are tough -- I disagree. Having beat more than one into the ground they only take about 2/3rds the abuse a goose can take and keep on going. As it is, I find they rarely need valve adjustments, points last just about forever, brakes don't wear very fast, and you rarely see another on the road.

[stan]

I have two Harley Sprints, a ERS 350, and a CRS 250. Both racing bikes from the 60's. Imported as the Italian Aermacchi. Stan