Drop Out Boogie

 Monday 28th August

Last week spent half an hour with the Morgan carb balancer getting the best setting.  Slackened off both cables before starting and worked from there.  Pilot screws both 2.5 turns out.

Todays test ride. Bike very willing pulling cleanly through revs to 6000 (enough for me!).  Dropped a cylinder near home.  Checked which one (pulling caps off in turn).  Blow me down they both lit up ok.  So took the bike back out for a blast down the road to Barton and no problems at all.  

Bit of a mystery.  

NOTE;

Checked indicators before setting out - RH rear not working.  Fault quickly identified as connector main loom to back of headlight.  This seems to be a weak area must find a way of guaranteeing no faults there.

ADDEDNDUM:

31 August.  A rummage located a length of heat shrink tubing big enough to go around the loom to headlamp terminal blocks, so put that in place to secure the connection.  Hopefully.

Ian

 Terrible news

Ian B killed while qualifying at the senior TT, about 19.30 in the evening on Tuesday 22nd August.

This picture taken just a few days before whilst at the IoM

This article gives some detail.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/motorsport/66593828

Ian was a massive help in putting the T3 back together in 2015.  Only 69 and full of life.  A terrible loss.

Blowing the stacks

 August 3rd

In addition to sorting out front indicators, also purchased a pair of velocity stacks (£64) to replace the air filters which were being noticeably squeezed and therefore probably restricting flow.

from this

To this

Source Custom Bike Bits Chorley, excellent service.

Click here for link

New set up feels like the motor pulls with more urgency and things get very rapid revving to 5,000rpm in third fourth and fifth.  No jetting changes.  Bike feels a little less easy going (docile) in pick up at low speeds with low openings.

On return checked with Morgan carbtune, made slight adjustments to synchro, pilot screws both out two turns.

Blinking 'Eck

August 1st

Front indicator mounting bar (off CALIFORNIA  II?)  arrived ex Guzzibits (£42)

Mounts to rear of bottom yoke

Not quite enough spare bits to make a pair of indicators, have one one complete, plus one exterior shell (polished up ok) so lacking lens and bulb mount/reflector.

All enquiries made (FB), lens sourced (£5 plus postage, 2 lenses).  Reflectors possible via Ion Drakos, meanwhile fabricated a bodge (using plastic lid of cleaning spray canister).

A bit of judicious soldering to the pin terminal on the bulb and a trapped connecter to the bulb body, a spare spark plug cap rubber and the job, as they say, is a good 'n!

VC and Bar

 July 26

Valve clearance check

Last trip out noticed a pretty strong tappet rattle on start up.   So had a check to see where we are at.

LH inlet  .25 mm tightened up a little to tight .23

LH exhaust  .28mm tightened up to tight .23

RH inlet a bit tight .2mm adjusted to tight .23

RH exhaust, 25mm adjusted to a tight .23

Double glitch

29 May

A lovely sunny day, not much on so time to put the replacement rev counter to a road test.  This was a 2nd hand item from Guzzibits.  Unfortunately I'd made a hash of gluing the stopper pin on the old one, which I carelessly broke whilst (mis)handling it on the refit of the original binacle. So the dial had got a bit messy and I couldn't bear to look at it.

Anyhow the replacement from Guzzibits (£62 including postage) got fitted last Friday.

So before I changed into leathers I thought I'd start her up to warm up a bit.  I thought wrong.  No sign of ignition on turning over.  It always fires straight away.  It did after I'd done the latest loom alterations in the headlight.   So first thing have a look in headlight, 12V at the green wire to coils.  So then had a think and remembered I'd pulled off the sidepanel where the coils are to help access the fuel pipe for strimmer top up.  Had a look and hey presto, terminal to coil dangling in space.  So got the pliers out and tightened up the spade a bit, pushed it back on, proper tight now.  Pushed the GO button and BOOM we're away!  

Got togged up, rolled the bike out.  Pressed start.  No go!!  Wheeled her back in.  Into the headlight loom for a look, as I half suspected the trouble was in the 15 pin molex connector.  So I re-jigged its route and pushed it firmly home.  Once again we have sparks! Checked the lock to lock and no loss of ignition.  So the run out was back on and duly delivered.  

Bike going well, pulling strongly.

New rev counter much more heavily damped than original.  Very smooth and steady.  Wish the speedo was the same, still tends to wander a bit

Note red line still at 8K, but top reading now 10K.  Hence 5K now at 12 oclock (4K previously).

Ready to roll again after a glitchy half hour.  As usual self inflicted the old girl has a lot to put up with from her care taker in chief.

Late Loom Final

 May 14-17

Test riode fine, but on return problem with fuse blowing when lights turned on.

Fault traced to short circuit of yellow wire tail light feed inside rear mudguard mount.  Fixed by bending connector tabs to give adequate clearance, and adding insulator to spade connector.

Also other improvements to headlight loom, replacing over thick wires and dispensing with a paperclip bridge in the process.

Also shows new diode OR gate to enable single warning light for LH and RH flashing

Clocking On

 May 9th

Follwing recent less than flattering comments on new style alloy clocks and instrument mount (bought at some expense almost ten years ago!) initiated a project to refurbish old set up.  Just to prove I can.

Initially couldn't locate the relevant parts in the junk(?) bins, but another rummage revealed the alloy fitting, light nacelle and all the old wiring.  

Sent off for some extra wiring and connectors and set about reassembly.

As per rebuild

New wiring built and ready to fit.

Refitted, as per factory 1975.

With added patina.

( Almost) all warning lights fully operational

(LB stays on when HB selected)

Generator warning now working, goes out

Indicator warning still to figure out!

Bell Bottom Blues

 April 28

After the recent run out, the slight drip from the bottom of the bell housing seems to have got worse with a significant patch on the rubber flooring.  It is definitely EP90, so likely the g/box input shaft seal.

Spoke to Teasdale Motors (Guzzi dealership) in Thirsk, not able to do the job any time soon with a full workshop order book.

They advised me to contact Doug at DG Autros who could help if it needed doing urgently.

 01845 522370

Will have to keep an eye on it, and not park up on any posh driveways!  Provisional plan is to wait until off road in Autumn and sort out over the winter.

2023 - up and running

 Sunday 23 April

Headlight loom installed after mods for indicators and general tidy up.  Headlamp reassembled.  New petrol in tank (old in the Audi).  Dry roads, sun almost shining, time for a spin

All set

The updated instrument panel.  I have it on good advice it looks like a crazed insect.  That's what friends are for.

The LED indicators are purely for effect. Can't get them working.  The single warning light looks pleasantly retro I think.  And works in idiosyncrasy mode only.

Anyway at least vehicles behind will have an idea of where I plan to be going.

Live action - click here

Changed the Sachse timing setting from 8 to 3 for the return ride.  I think the bike felt (even) more willing.  But that may be just be a psychosomatic effect in the dynamometer of my mind.

For background see also https://theguzzilab.blogspot.com/2022/11/inappropriate-advances.html

Bloomin' Loomin! - Upgrades to connections in headlamp shell

 April 2023

As usual one thing leads to another.

Installing tail light indicator assembly  

- connect to loom

- how about some warning lights on the panel ?

-  obtain LEDs, adapt loom, and connect

- very difficult to make the connections, even then the warning lights remained inactive

- resort to single standard bulb warning light similar to original as bought

All the above generated hours of fiddling on, resulting in a duty to ensure all work properly documented for owner number 3 (whoever that might be).  The rebuild was some time ago, and back then a bespoke loom was built to replace the old knackered stuff in the headlight shell, however this was not a copy of the factory version.

The whole exercise has made me think the best thing would be to start all over again, maybe that will be a project for next winter.

Below is a schematic, followed by a connection matrix.  This covers it I think.  

Click on images to get a full size view for a legible result.

Child's play.........

Tail Light Tale

 March 12

The tail light/indicator assembly (original 1976 item long since replaced by more substantial Ducati version) needs alternate holes drilled in the mudguard, further up towards the grabrail, otherwise the tail light pointed towards the ground.  

I'd done this when I first put this item on the bike back in about 1985.  But was reluctant to drill the new (second hand) rear mudguard, preferring to keep it intact.  

So to use the existing holes for mounting and wiring, need some sort of offset spacer to adjust the angle of the tail light.  Various gimcrack solutions investigated, before today's brainwave.  Simply cut some rubber fuel pipe tubing at an angle to create individual spacers for each mounting bolt. Just a few minutes with a junior hacksaw created a few spacers at various angles, trial and error for ten minutes to find the best fit, and job done!

Detail highlighted in yellow.

Also creates vibration (?)  absorbing mounting!  

Click below to play video

Testing  - Brake light - check!

                 Tail Light - check!

                   Indicators - check!

Contra Indications

Winter 22/23

Before

Had the old rear light and indicator assembly cleaned up and powder coated (ROMAX of Stockton), cleaned some indicators and refitted to rear mudguard.  RH indicator works, LH fails to wink.

Brief trouble shoot with ohmmeter revealed a break somewhere in the green-black wire in the new loom, confirmed when bypassed with an independent wire created a working winker (careful).  See diagram below, has to be a break somewhere in the loom bundle between A and B. 

Going to have to route a new wire along the outside of the loom, a bit sub-optimal but no alternative really.