1979 Moto Guzzi V50 II Cafe

Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Cafe Build Diary

Beautiful job so far, man. Congrats.
 
Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Cafe Build Diary

Slice said:
Nice work on the top of the steering head... Like a mirror.
Hey thanks man, Nothin' like a bit o' ol' polishn' :)


LOCKARD666 said:
those 4 holes would be a great place for oil pressure/high beam/neutral/turn signal led's.
Crap thats a good idea. I never thought of that! Thanks a bunch for the idea. I'll bear this in mind when it comes to the instruments! ....


crazypj said:
Been a long time since I was into one of those rear bevel boxes.(leaky seals)
Had a couple of Guzzi 500's, like them a lot.
They were great with Bosch electrics (although switches a bit strange on early models)
Had the 750 for a few months, more powerful but didn't 'feel' the same
I'm really happy to hear from so many different sources that this bike is really nice to live with and ride. Great to know! Thanks for the ecouragement!


sxecafe said:
Beautiful job so far, man. Congrats.
Thanks sxecafe!
 
Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Cafe Build Diary

( 07_Clip-Ons )

The forks are 32mm.
I had a set of clip-ons that were slightly larger up in diameter. Cant exactly remember what they were.
Managed to find some 40mm aluminium tubing 1.2mm thick, which would give me pretty close to what I needed.
Cut it down to make sleaves. Fits perfectly.

clip_on_01.jpg


clip_on_02.jpg


upfront_03.jpg


upfront_02.jpg
 
Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Cafe Build Diary

You are going to have a beautiful bike. Some day I may have a Guzzi. They just look really cool. Great job so far!
 
Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Cafe Build Diary

dude this ride is looking killer... I hadn't thought about cutting the mounts off my triple tree but now I have no choice because now there all see.. thanks hahah... Did you just knock them off with an angle grinder then polish them with a belt sander so something?? what kind of grinder discs/sand paper/files did you use?? please do tell I need them gone!!
 
Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Cafe Build Diary

Thanks Juggernaut. This is a dream bike for me, so its really cool to be working on it! :)

Onion Man, yes, an angle grinder is pretty much my tool of choice here! :) As I said, you have to be really careful to not go too far.
There's no EDIT > UNDO.

I used a cutting disc to to get the bulk of the material off, and then used a flap disc to get the shape to about 95%.

Then using a fairly fine file got it to about 99% of the shape. Remember, its going to be really tough to polish out any deeper marks, so you have to be patient, and do it right, or you're just going to end up doing more work than necessary.

Then I sand it down to see where I'm at, and for the deeper marks, I wrap sandpaper around a fine file, and file them down.

Final step is polishing compound on an abrasive wheel, working your way down to finer compounds and wheels.
 
Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

( 08_Brake Discs )

I'm bouncing around a bit, but figured since the wheels are such a definitive part of the look of a bike, that I would post this.



So, started up cleaning up some rusty bits...

Rusty.jpg


- Removed the rust from the cast iron discs, and painted up the insides with Hammerite.

- Then we had a huge storm, and some rain got into my garage and wet some of the parts...

- The discs rusted instantly.

- Now, this means, I'm going to have to live with brown discs, because any exposure to water simply brings on surface rust.
Sure, as soon as you brake, it rubs off, but you're always going to have that thin brown line on the edges.

RearDisc_01.jpg


Found these Stainless replacement discs...

19613335.jpg


Advertised for $195. Not sure if that's *each* or for *a pair*.

Plus side here is:

1. They're drilled
2. Much lighter
3. Wont rust


Down side:

1. Not easy on the wallet
2. Finish doesn't look great, but I can sort that out.

If anyone can give me some pointers on this issue, please do.
 
Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

( 09_Wheels )

- Powder coated the wheels.

- I had an almost new Michelin Macadam 120/90/18 so fitted it to the rear, and got a 110/80/18 for the front.

- Really good feeling popping new bearings in!

- Bolted up the refurbished disc brakes with stainless steel cap screws.

- Rounded off nicely with new metal valve caps.


Front_Wheel_before.jpg


Front_Wheel.jpg


RearWheel.jpg
 
Re: Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

Missed the beginning of this build and sorry that I have. It's looking great. One of these days I will get back to my own project, but for now I'll just enjoy the work you and everyone else is doing!
 
Re: Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

Awesome work so far fella 8)

Those cast discs pose a bit of a quandary don't they? I understand they're a better braking material than stainless, but the down side is the surface rust. I think if I was in your situation, I'd retain the iron.

keep those updates coming ;)

cheers
ian
 
Re: Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

Hey BigBSBusa, thanks for dropping in here. :) Enjoy the break! :)


bikeboy said:
I understand they're a better braking material than stainless, but the down side is the surface rust.

I wasn't aware of that. The stainless ones I found have cross drilling. Wonder if that would compensate, and give me similar performance to what the standard irons are? Dunno? I'm not an expert on discs.

And you know, I think youre right, just keep the current discs - they *work*, and in the future, if it really bothers me I can always swop out. The rust is part of the "personality" and quirks of an older bike anyway.

Thanks for the info Ian.
 
Re: Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

Dale, love your little MG! You have done an outstanding job. Can't wait to see how it finishes up. Cast iron is generally considered to be a much better rotor material than stainless steel. Supposedly the iron comes up to optimum functioning temperature much quicker than SS and then throws off the excess heat quicker, too. The reason that the bike manufacturers have gone almost exclusively to SS is basically an aesthetic marketing decision. They didn't want to hear "what's wrong with my brakes......they are rusting away!" Coupled with trying to settle a bunch of ridiculous warranty claims, they just bit the bullet and used the SS rotors.
I do have a question about your bike.......bear with me 'cause I have no idea how you are planning on finishing out the rear wheel area. Are you planning on running some kind of rear fender? It would seem that with your current set up, the back of your engine and drive unit would end up being sprayed with water and various damaging road crud. It would be a shame for that to mess up all the hard work you have done. Have you considered extending the seat pan about 6 inches and maybe making something like the "tidy tails" you see on modern sport bikes? Just a thought!
 
Re: Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

I'd keep the iron rotors as well. Better braking and they're the original. To the 'cognoscenti' it's a mark of coolness. People who know will know they're iron and not simply neglected. It's like riding Tubulars on a race bicycle, the right people know what they're looking at. I wouild also cross drill them, better initial bite, better outgassing, slightly lighter, (rotating mass) very cool look. Do not chamfer the holes de-burr only.
Cheers, 50gary
 
Re: Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

i agree. i would run iron. since those rotors dont float, i would thing that with that amount of offset the stainless would be VERY susceptible to warping.


or, what i would realllyyy do, is get some alloy spacers machined and mount whatever modern rotor thats of the same diameter to that. would be lighter, brake WAY better, look better (in my opinion) and last a lot longer. probably be just as pricy as the stainless rotors.
 
Re: Re: Moto Guzzi V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

Thanks guys for the thoughts and info on the discs. Ive leaned a whole bunch just by you guys giving me feedback. Thats what makes forums like this great.

First and foremost is functionality, and the fact that the irons are best for the job seals it. Taking the next step, as you say 50gary by cross drilling pushes the effectiveness even further, not to mention making it cooler (in both ways :). Good to know on the burring.

Rocan, sure, that is a solution, and a smart one, but the amount of work, costs and specialised tools required to fasten and float the discs would be overkill for my build.

jackstra650, thanks alot. Appreciate the explanation.

jackstraw650 said:
I do have a question about your bike.......bear with me 'cause I have no idea how you are planning on finishing out the rear wheel area. Are you planning on running some kind of rear fender? It would seem that with your current set up, the back of your engine and drive unit would end up being sprayed with water and various damaging road crud. It would be a shame for that to mess up all the hard work you have done. Have you considered extending the seat pan about 6 inches and maybe making something like the "tidy tails" you see on modern sport bikes? Just a thought!

The idea is to put an aluminium plate directly onto the frame along the two sidecover struts, and take it down as far as possible. I would have to check once the bike was mocked up whether I would have to panel beat a buldge into the plate to compensate for when the rear shocks are at full compression, and how close the tyre gets to the plate. As for shifting the seat back, the line of flinging debris off the wheel will definitely be taken into account. I'm a bit of a sucker for the rear wheel sticking out as much as possible, but the practical placement of stuff will dictate to a large degree where it will go, and as you say, if the seat is further back, it helps with the number plate placement and angle...

[Edit] > Oh, and of course, the length of the seat would have to accommodate the rider, and the concept may not be in line with that... Ill only know when I get to that point.

frame.jpg
 
Re: MOTO GUZZI V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

( 10_Exhaust )

Thought about whether I wanted the exhaust matt or shiny for about 5 seconds.

The powder coating guy showed me this black powder coating which can withstand temperatures up to 800 deg Celsius.

The Exhaust cones are not the prettiest, but I kinda liked the neutrality of the shape, and I want to prioritize spend on other areas.

That, and they are made from Stainless Steel.

When I opened them up I was surprised to see that each muffler was of a different design. The one was shorter than the other, the shorter one being open on the one end. I can categorically state that they haven't been modified, and the pop rivet holding them in the cone looked factory.


Does anyone have any knowledge around this?


I have never seen such restricted units. It baffles me that they can actually expel air at all! Spoke to a friend of a friend who builds racing exhausts for a living. Showed them to him, and he suggested the best thing to do would be to drill 12mm holes into the mufflers. "No bigger - 12mm is perfect" he said.
Turns out, he had one of these V50's when he was younger. Again - had great things to say about the bike and its handling.

So I drilled the holes - Damn! The material had hardened. Cutting oil all the way.

Exhaust_01.jpg



The lower exhaust clamps were in a bit of a state, not un-fixable, but I found these great stainless steel clamps.

Exhaust_clamp.jpg



The header spacers were pretty rusted up, but I got them looking better than expected with a copper brush.

Exhaust_spacers.jpg



New gaskets :)

Exhaust_gaskets.jpg
 
Re: MOTO GUZZI V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

( 11_Intake )

This motorcycle has a massive air box. The two carburetors feed into a chamber via a set of very angled intake manifolds. This chamber then has a big plastic tubular structure which houses a long cylindrical filter. Breather pipes from the cylinder also feed into it along with an oil recovery pipe from the sump.

air_box_01.jpg


inlet_manifold.jpg



Now, I want the bike to:

1. Breathe better.
2. Have a more straightened out intake manifold for performance reasons.
3. Have as little bulky equipment in the engine area as possible.
4. Have as much clear space in the side panel area.


Right now it has:

1. Fairly restrictive breathing.
2. Very curved intake manifolds.
3. A huge air filter box that fills up the space between the engine, tank and battery compartment, making up a large amount of space.
4. A massive battery taking up the entire side panel area.




So may plan is two phased. ( I think ).

Phase 1.
- Get rid of the air box, and fit conical air filters directly to the carburetors.
- Make up a smaller version of the air box to service the oil recovery and breather pipes. Oil from the engine needs to come up, settle, and drain back. Breather pipes need to be filtered.

So this is what I’m thinking right now:
Let me know if this is not sound.


AirFilters.jpg


CirculatingBreatherSystem.jpg





Phase 2.
- Fabricate straightened out intake manifolds.
- Move the battery forward and out of the way, creating a nice cavity where the side panels used to be.

IntakeManifolds.jpg





The objective is to achieve this:

Moto_Guzzi_V50_Monza_MKII_darkgrey_twotone_cavity.jpg




Please let me know what you guys think, and whether this is a good solution, or I'm missing something here... :)
 
Re: MOTO GUZZI V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

Yep - This project is as suspected.... wicked!
 
Re: MOTO GUZZI V50II Detailed Cafe Build Diary

I would not take out one air box then go through the trouble of making a smaller one. I would also look into buying a (I know they're costly) a lithium battery, they are compact, lighter by almost half and yet powerful. This gives up valuable real estate in a crowded area. Just a note, the different muffler packing had you "baffled" pun intended? I wonder if there might be a curved and contoured inner fender that could be adapted between the rear tire and the engine area? On my CX500 cafe project I used the existing plastic inner fender and cut it down it worked well and didn't show. Great bike and I like your style. Before I forget, I highly recommend Race Tech fork emulators, they will transform your front end.
Cheers, 50gary
 
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