This will be my last post for a while... the Ducati build is almost at an end and before I start the next project I have a list of house DIY jobs to do :lol this has been my 9th Ducati build / restoration so I fancy a change... the next bike will be a Guzzi 1100 For now, here is a short video that tells the story of the last build... merry Christmas!
Hi Buzzer, I have just read this build thread from start to finish and I have to say what a fantastic job you have done! I was enthralled by your workmanship and the photography not to mention engineering excellence shown throughout! This is real world craftsmanship being shown to us mere mortals from a master, I look forward to going back through your previous posts, every day is a school day!
Hi Buzzer, I have been reading through your blog and loving it, just wish you would get cracking with your Guzzi build as I have one in my garage that I am dying to get stuck in to, its a late model Le Mans that has already had some work done to make it in to a cafe racer, it's too far gone to restore for the purists, so I am going balls deep if I can on it! Looking forward to following your progress as I am sure to pick up tips and inspiration!!!
A couple of things were bugging me about this build… one was the inlet manifold where I had used the original rubber manifolds, they looked out of place, and gave to much movement on the carbs. I decided to re-make the manifolds. they are a bit difficult as the carbs are bigger than the port, so I had to expand some alloy tube a bit with a tapered mandrel. The other thing was the foam filters… I really wanted bell mouths, but as the carbs were forward facing it was to risky to have big open, sucking carbs… So I decided to make some bell mouths with mesh… they came out well! I have also tidied up the under seat area. Finally, I set the timing accurately it was out by 2 degrees cylinder to cylinder, probably do to me getting the positioning of the hall sensors slightly out. Its easy to correct for that in the ignitech software though. A couple more videos... she says it sounds like a bag of spanners with the clutch out!
Question for you guys... My Ducati builds have come to an end for now as I have gone to the dark side and bought a Guzzi, which I will be doing a custom build on. The question is, do I continue to post in this thread about the Guzzi if you guys are interested in its progress, or say goodbye until the next Ducati? happy to do either... I have to say I find some of the Guzzi guys a bit "strange" !!! Here is the guzzi on the hoist!
Go for it, I don’t think this section is exclusively for Ducati’s, if you built a skate board I’d follow it, engineering on this level is interesting no mater what it is (well it is for me)
Just as Ackers said, e don't mind what you're building just keep us posted, a well built and engineered project is always a joy! On the subject of "Guzzi owners" being strange, I know just what you mean!!!
its been a while, this has been at the back of the garage waiting for spring... been out on it the last few days and its a hoot to ride! just a few niggles to sort... speedo needs calibrating, brake pedal adjustment and a few odd jobs... Although I have used the same silencer (loose term!!) on other builds for some reason on this one its MEGA loud. maybe the length of pipe or something, but I am going to have to use a baffle... In order not to annoy the neighbours I decided to go somewhere quiet and out of the way to adjust the carbs, they take a bit of time... I pulled up in a quiet lane in the middle of nowhere... I was sitting there when a car drove by and stopped, two guys got out and came over, said they were bikers and asked if I needed help... we chatted for almost an hour!
well its a while since I posted on this thread... I did quite a few miles on this build this year as its now the only bike I own with a dual seat after I sold my Harley V-ROD... My wife likes to ride pillion but the Harley just became too heavy for me to move around However, I never liked the way the exhaust looked... so out came the welder and I made another... I am not keen on lobster cut bends so I have used some stainless mandrel bends, which are quite cheap and come in many angles. A tip when making exhausts is to temporarily hold things together with Jubilee clips, and if you slot a couple, you can tack through the slot which keeps things nicely aligned No full bike build for me this year house renovations instead, but they are now almost complete...) Happy wife, happy life :lol:
