The Barney Project Blog

By Charlie Mullendore

Charlie Mullendore of Antietam Classic Cycle asked me to preserve his blog on my website. So, here it is. Unaltered and in Charlie's own words. If you've not read it, you should. It is a wealth of information.

'70 Ambassador brochure. I'm trying to make Barney look something like this.

I've decided to do a few things different with this project. First, keeping a blog of the build, second, not doing any of the three "Ps" (powdercoating, painting, polishing), third, not starting with a complete bike but rather from pieces I've collected from all over. The goal with "Barney" is to have it look like it was rolled out of a barn somewhere, cleaned and freshened a bit, then put into service. It's been tough restraining myself from making things "pretty", but so far I have. Kind of the reverse of "Sophia", my '72 Ambassador - with that bike if I needed a part to replace a defective one, I'd go out to my parts shed and pick out a nice replacement (the first steps down the slippery slope to a complete restoration). For Barney, I've intentionally picked parts that have the same level of "patina" but are still good (just not pretty). This is harder than it sounds - recently I cleaned the rust off of the handlebar risers I planned to use. One was sufficiently dull, however the other looked like a new part. So I found another in my stock and cleaned it - still too nice. Third try was successful and now I have a matched pair of semi-dull risers. It was easier being anal retentive! :-) Anywho, here we go…

In the beginning… plastic tote and cardboard boxes of parts from a wrecked '70 Ambo, parts pulled from my stash and a few bought on eBay as needed.

Jan. 14th

- was planning on going to the Cycle World motorcycle show in DC with some friends, but they all decided not to go. I could have gone alone, but chickened out and went out into the shop to play instead. Let's see, where's that '71 civilian Ambassador frame (with good title) in all of this mess?

Carried it downstairs, put it on the lift and cleaned it with mineral spirits. Lots of patina here - chips, scratches, dings and the remnants of 36 year old paint. After a heavy coat of wax it looks pretty good (from 20 feet away) and I dig out a centerstand, triple clamp and top plate to match.

Jan. 21st -

Was planning on going to the Vintage Swapmeet and Show in York, PA with some friends, but didn't feel like risking my life to get there. Snow was falling steadily and the State Police were urging people to stay off the road. Ate a hearty breakfast and went out into the shop instead. Cleaned up the previously mentioned handlebar risers with chrome polish and a few other pieces with mineral spirits. Puttered around with miscellany like the ignition switch and making a list of things I needed (ignition keys, steering head and swing arm bearings, swing arm seals). Dug out some more bits that matched (swing arm pivots, locking nuts and cover nuts, shock mount studs).

Feb. 4th -

One of the coldest days so far this winter, but I managed to convince myself to go out to the shop, build a fire in the woodstove and get something done. Put a good coat of wax on the centerstand, triple clamp, top plate and handlebar risers. Drilled out the steering lock after checking every Neiman key I have and finding none that worked. Good thing I found that new lock with key in some saddlebags that I bought a while back! Had a few new rivets, washers and springs in my stash, reused the cover. Once the new lock was in, I installed the steering head bearing outer races, packed the inners with grease, packed the steering head tube with a bit of grease as well and assembled the steering head. Making slow progress…

Feb. 9th -

Parts haven't arrived for the three paying projects I'm working on, so after lunch my brother and I bought the engine and transmission in from the shed. They're supposed to be from a 15k miles bike that was crashed and then parted out. We'll see if the reality of the inside agrees, but there isn't a lot of grunge build-up. There are some broken fins on the timing cover though, so I'll be swapping that out for a good one.

Once the transmission is off, I'm more convinced it's fairly low mileage. No spline wear, leaky seals though. Clutch is oily - looks and smells like gear lube. Transmission input shaft feels kind of notchy at first then frees up, output shaft however won't turn a full revolution. Better have a look inside…

Two hours or so later, it's down to this:

Heads look perfect, left piston needed some convincing to come out of the cylinder, the right side was no problem. Lifters look like new, no divot on the tips of the rockers, no wear on the rocker shafts. Clean inside and behind flywheel - could really be a 15k miles engine.

As that old Ray Steven song goes, "Everything is beautiful…" and I'm loving it - usually when I dig into a Loop engine, there's been a few "mechanics" there before me, buggering things up. Earlier this afternoon the Conti Blitz tires I ordered from Donelson Cycles and the hardware kit from Stainless Cycle arrived. Now we're cooking. Parts arrived for the paying work too, so next week it's back to fitting Barney in whenever I can. There's still Sat. and Sun. to get more done though…

Feb. 10th -

Installed the replacement timing cover after a little cleaning and installing a new seal. Turned my attention to the flywheel side then, sealing the cam plug with JB Weld, new gaskets on the larger breather pipe and rear main bearing flange, new crush washers on the smaller breather pipe's banjo fitting, and a new crank seal. Old one showed signs of leaking and no wonder - it was hard and brittle. Next - the cylinder heads!

Feb. 11th -

Disassembled the cylinder heads and the results were 50/50. Intake valves looked good - the seats weren't pitted and the guides were within spec. But, the exhaust valves and seats showed some pitting and the guides are too worn. Noticed the right head has a few bent fins too. So, I decided to do it right and rebuild the heads with new valves and guides. While I'm waiting for the machine shop to finish the heads, I'll work on the transmission.

Picked a very worn driveshaft coupler off the shelf to use as a output shaft holding tool. After working the output shaft back and forth a bit, it finally would make a full revolution. Made some nice crunchy sounds at first, then turned smoothly. Shifted through the gears well too. Decided just to run the transmission the way it is - NOT! :-) Visions of rust chunks in bearings and me sliding down the road on my ass after having been spat off of the bike filled my noggin. She's coming apart for a bearingectimy. With the excellent tool Stephen Brenton made for me, the ring nut on the output shaft came off without a fight. The throwout bearing was still the loose ball type, so I'll order a needle bearing type from Harper's. That's as far as I got - somehow I got sidetracked on cleaning out and arranging the tap and die drawer of the big workbench. Probably hadn't been done in over 40 years!

Feb. 19th -

Opened up the transmission today and found about what I expected. Two bearings had flaky rust on them, but I didn't expect that the shift fork and sliding sleeve for third and fourth gears would be rusted also. The fork wasn't rusted on the machined surface, but the sleeve was in it's machined groove pretty badly. It should be reusable, but since I had a new-old-stock one in my stash, decided to replace it. The gears and remainder of the bearings look perfect, but I'll replace the bearings anyway since I have them on hand. Bought all of the ball bearing type for less than $30 from Emerson Bearing, but the hard-to-find needle bearing cost $44 off of eBay. I got all the new bearings in except one - one on the back cover fit loosely enough that it could be pulled out by hand. I'll need to get some Loctite Retaining Compound to secure it and am waiting on shift drum shims, clutch hub circlips and the shift shaft o-ring to arrive from MG Cycle. Reassembly shouldn't be too bad since I took lots of photos, drew diagrams and have Gregory Bender's excellent website http://www.thisoldtractor.com/gtbender/loopframe.htm to reference when/if I get stuck.

Above - lower bearing on the rear cover had flaky rust in and on it - not good. The bearing on the other end the same shaft looked just as bad.

Above - 3rd/4th gear sliding sleeve and fork didn't look so hot either. Luckily, I have a new-old-stock sleeve (below) and the fork will clean up no problem.

Below - used a zip-tie to keep all the little fiddly bits where they belong until time for reassembly. Was a bit worried about springs, plungers and selector pawls flying everywhere and then trying to find them. This has worked a treat so far…

Feb. 24th -

Had a few spare minutes today and decided to clean up the dash then install the speedo and ignition switch. After a thorough cleaning with Eagle 1 Mag wheel Cleaner, a toothbrush and a Scotchbrite pad, I used a red shop towel and some Autosol metal polish on it. Yeah, I know that I said no polishing - should have said no machine polishing, only by hand.The speedo I'm using has lettering that is falling off, but is otherwise very nice. Slipped on an o-ring I got from McMaster-Carr to replace the rotted original and set the speedo into place. Cleaned up the flip-cover for the ignition key and installed the switch too. Carried it out into the sunlight to admire my work. Beautious!

At the end of the evening I had a few more minutes and installed the bearing that was a finger tight fit into the rear cover with a bit of Loctite Retaining Compound to keep it in place. My parts came from MG Cycle today, so I hope to work on shimming the shift drum tomorrow and make progress towards reassembly.

Mar. 10th -

"Four-speed Fun" is the theme for today. Didn't get the shift drum shimming needed determined until today so reassembly isn't going according to plan (what does?). Once I figure out the shims needed though, I started on reassembly. I hadn't really looked the individual gears and shafts over very well, just a cursory inspection. So, it was no real surprise when I found the layshaft had some light scoring where fourth gear runs on it. Hoping to find one in slightly better condition, I went out to the shed and pulled the box of transmission internals that were from a crashed early Ambo. That should have been a clue to inspect everything even more thoroughly, but it wasn't until I had the trans. almost completely buttoned up that I noticed the layshaft was bent where the u-joint slips on. Damn! Pull it back apart and go out to the shed again for a mostly assembled trans. to pull the shaft from. Open that one up and find this:

It's an early V700 'box with all straight-cut gears and square shift pawls! Rather strange since it had the later rear cover with it's 22mm clutch throwout bearing. Okay, put that one back together and go get another one. This one is pretty early too, having a straight-cut first gear, but the rest helical-cut, 22mm throwout bearing too - WTH? No biggie - I can swap first gears and be good-to-go. But now the shimming is a bit off - more are needed at the front of drum or the shift forks bind. Arrg!! Fed up, I quit for the night.

Mar. 11th -

Thinking the situation over whilst tossing and turning Saturday night, I decide to use the original shaft since the scoring was barely noticable anyway. Well at least now I know the condition and vintage of those two 'boxes (only three more to go!) :-) . Back in with the original shim set and on with the back cover. Spins freely, shifts well, neutral light works - good. Put the speedo drive, spacer and nut on the layshaft and tighten - now only get 1st and 2nd well, 3rd and 4th with much effort and it drags/binds in 2nd! Damn, I just can't get a break! Take the nut, spacer and speedo drive back off and it works better, but still not too well. Push the layshaft forward/inward and suddenly it's back to shifting like it should. Pull the 'box back apart for a thorough look-see. As far as I can tell, either the factory doesn't seat the back end layshaft bearing fully (instead leaving it flush with the machined surface of the back cover) or the width of my replacement bearing is different. In any case, the plan is to place an .031" shim (determined by measuring the distance from the transmission case gasket surface to the thick layshaft washer, plus the amount the layshaft bearing is recessed into the back cover) on the layshaft between the thick washer and bearing before installing the back cover. Then when the rest of the bits are installed and the nut tightened, the layshaft won't be pulled rearwards/outwards, binding the shift forks. We'll see how theory holds up in practice when the shim assortment arrives from McMaster-Carr…

April 15th -

Well, it's been quite a while since I've done anything on this project. Paying work, a little riding and some route planning for the upcoming Spring Ride (see Upcoming Events) has kept me busy. But, today I finally decided to see how much I could get accomplished since it was cool and rainy outside. The cylinder heads finally returned from the machine shop (guess I shouldn't have told him "no hurry") on Thursday, so instead of gearbox work I decided to do engine.

Mmm, shiny…

Cleaned the keepers, springs, etc. and in no time the heads were assembled.

The original cylinders were trashed from sitting around, so I replaced them with a pair of Gilardoni kits. They're really nice - no more worries about peeling chrome or any of the issues common with sleeved cylinders. Assembly goes quickly once the rings are on the piston.

In no time at all the heads are on and torqued down. There are a lot of differing opinions on when retorquing should be done, but I do the initial torque during assembly, then let it sit for a day or so, retorque, finish assembly, then after five heat/cool cycles (during break-in) I retorque and reset the valve lash. Do it all again after 1,000 miles and change the oil.

Next, it's finish assembly, a few more bits to reinstall, a good cleaning and then it'll be ready to go into the frame! Can't wait - it seems once I get to that point, the pace of assembly picks up. Was hoping to have it ready for the British & European Classic Motorcycle Day in Germantown, MD (May 20th), but that's not going to happen. Gotta' get the customer /2 BMW conversion (has a /6 engine, /5 transmission and electrics) finished for that event first. I'm thinking maybe by the VA MGNOC Rally in Buena Vista (June 22-24), might be a more realistic goal at this point.

June 15th -

I read the last sentence above and laugh now - it's been two months since I last worked on the bike. Decided to not set a deadline and just have the goal of having it on the road sometime this year. Should be able to make that if I try hard! :-) Anyway, finally did finish shimming the transmission last evening and installed the rear cover (hopefully) for the last time. With the .031" additional shim on the layshaft, it turns freely and shifts through all the gears with a satisfying click-click.

June 19th -

Finished assembling the engine - installed all the valve gear, cleaned the dist., replaced the points, condenser and springs, then static set the timing. Installed a new oil pressure sender, installed the oil line to the heads. Dropped the oil sump to clean it, the strainer and oil line as well as check the relief valve for proper operation. Everything looks super!

July 4th - Happy Independence Day! -

Fireworks and family get-together aren't until Saturday, so I decide to use the day for engine and transmission cleaning instead. The engine really wasn't all that dirty and after cleaning with Gunk, I questioned the need to use the Eagle 1 Mag Wheel Cleaner. But, I decided to after all and I'm glad I did as it looks much better. The transmission took a lot more time and effort to get looking as good, but it too was worth it. Compare with the before photos above and you'll see what I mean.

Cleaned up the flywheel and installed it, then used RTV to hold the springs in place.

I use the clutch hub to align the friction plates and compress the springs during assembly. Found a spacer that had the perfect o.d. to fit inside of the clutch hub, only the i.d. needed to be opened up a bit. Got lucky again and found a bolt the correct size, threads and length to do the job. I have this habit of squirreling away unused bolts from various projects (I think this one came from some Audi suspension work?) and sometimes it pays off.

Pressure plate was cleaned and installed with the marks aligned, the tool threaded into place a few threads to hold it there. Cleaned the ring gear and intermediate plate thoroughly. Inspected the friction plates and found them to be within spec. for friction material thickness and with perfect teeth. But, they were very oil soaked, so I put them in a small pan of mineral spirits and will let them set overnight.

July 5th -

Had a few minutes today, so pulled the friction plates from their bath and blew them off with compressed air. Only now I notice how loose the rivets are! It's only 4 pm in CA so I give Mark Etheridge of Moto Guzzi Classics http://www.motoguzziclassics.com a call with the intent of buying a set of his bonded plates. Instead, he talks me into reusing my plates by peening the rivets tight again. Great guy, always happy to give free advice even if it costs him a parts sale! Will peen them next chance I get after finishing removal of the oily residue from them.

July 6th -

Had a better look at the clutch plates today and decided to replace them. The rivet holes are worn severely oblong and even if I peen the rivets, the friction material will still likely move around. Will send these to Mark as cores for relining, otherwise they're scrap. Have to wait until I save a few bucks before I proceed.

July 7th -

Broke a rear brake shoe spring on my '69 and while the wheel is off for that, I may as well replace the very worn tire. Since progress has been rather slow on Barney, I'll use the Conti Blitz for him on the '69. Now I have to save a few dollars for clutch plates and a rear tire.

Aug. 1st -

Finally saved enough money from selling some eBay stuff to afford the clutch plates. Compressed the clutch springs with the homemade tool and installed the clutch late this evening. The excellent tool Stephen Brenton made for me to hold the crankshaft from turning came in handy when I torqued the ring gear bolts down and again later when I did the front crankshaft nut also. Now, anyone want to place bets on how long it will be before the engine finds it's way into the frame? :-)

August 7th -

Super hot day today with little immediate relief in sight according to the weatherman. Was going to do the assembly of Barney out in my parts shed so I wouldn't take up already lacking shop space. But the thought of working out in that hot, cluttered, little building and having to carry tools back and forth didn't appeal to me. So, I bought the frame and other other needed components up to the (only slightly cooler) shop, turned the floor fan on High and started working. I slipped the left crash bar into place and secured it loosely with bolts top and bottom. With the frame on the floor, put two 2x6s in between the frame rails. With the assistance of my brother the engine was lifted onto the 2x6s.

Then the front of the frame lifted up and the front engine bolt and spacers slipped into place.

The transmission was attached…

… and the rear bolt, spacers, foot pegs and shift shaft installed. Now where did I put those M12-1.5 nuts? Oops, used them up on a customer's bike. Let's see, www.mcmaster.com …

The centerstand and spring was next, then it's up off of the ground. Big oak block and some smaller pieces of wood bring it almost level. Right crash bar is installed and all four crash bar bolts tightened. Stopped playing with my toys at this point and tried to make a little money! Amazing though how quickly it all went together thus far.

August 10th -

Installed the shift linkage with ball end joints and shift pedal, test mounted the battery tray and battery. Later chose a pair of fork shrouds that matched pretty well, cleaned and waxed them. Test fitted them, the fork top plate and instrument housing. Mounted the coil and starting sorting hardware to make a list for any I still needed.

August 14th -

Late this evening I decided to work on the swing arm replacing the bearings, seals, cleaning and waxing it. The old swing arm pivot bearings came out without any problems, but when I tried to drive the u-joint carrier bearing out as I usually do, the outer race split in two. It appears to have been partially fractured for some time and I just finished it off. How to get the remaining piece out? It's too hard for a chisel or die grinder to even make a mark, too close quarters to use the die grinder with abrasive wheel. Thankfully I have a Dremel and after using up a half dozen of the little abrasive discs, I'd ground away enough for the piece to be dislodged. A normally fifteen minute job turned into an hour and a half one. As soon as I thoroughly clean everything, it'll be ready for the new bearings to go in.

August 15th -

Cleaned and waxed the swing arm and brake tie rod, then installed the bearings, seals, circlip, etc.

August 16th -

Cleaned the u-joint, driveshaft and coupler, swing arm pivot pins and locknuts. Installed the u-joint into the swing arm, slipped on the boot and attempted to install the swing arm into the frame. Attempted, because the swing arm was hitting the shift linkage. Needed a straight shift lever for clearance and since I didn't have one, installed the stock linkage with clevis and pins instead of the ball-end joints. Once that was taken care of, the swing arm went in with no further problems.

August 22nd -

Installed the brake shaft and bell crank, brake light switch and pedal.

After that, cleaned and waxed the headlight bucket, replaced the two large grommets and mounted it for a test fit.

Lots of patina evident here - the camera flash makes all of the black parts look worse than they are.

Found an old VW Bosch horn in some junk. Cleaned and mounted it. Not sure it will stay as I have a nice pair of vintage Fiamm horns with chrome domes that I might use instead. But then, they're a bit too pretty for this project …

August 23rd -

Decided to work on the front suspension and fenders until the springs Ray Hale is sending me from Florida arrive. I'd already picked out what looked like good pieces to assemble, so it should have just been a matter of disassembling them, cleaning everything, replacing the o-rings and seals and reassembling. Turned out to be a bit more involved than that as one fork tube was bent (only discovered after I had that side assembled - Doh!). Found another good one and swapped it in - by now it was 2300 hrs. (didn't start until 2130) so I decided to continue the next day.

August 24th -

After the right fork debacle of the previous night, the left went together without any problems. However, when I went to thread the "fork puller upper" tool into it so I could pull it up into the triple clamp, I discovered that the threads were a bit boogered. Not having a tap that size (note to self: buy one), I chucked an M7-1.00 tap into a handle and used that to slowly scrape the threads back into shape. After about a half hour of scraping, the top plug and tool both threaded in nicely and I proceeded with assembling the front end, which went well. Whew!

August 25th -

Due to chores in the morning and the extreme heat with high humidity mid-day, I didn't feel much like working in the shop until late. The floor of the shop was wet just like someone had turned a hose on it. Along with oily residue, it made for slippery walking. Finally after a storm came through around 1800, conditions were much improved and I started work. Got out the power washer and cleaned the underneath of the fender - there was a thick layer of hardened dirt and tar which must have added five pounds to the weight. Gave the upper side a good cleaning and waxing, then bolted it loosely into place. Dug out a pair of fender braces that looked straight and had semi-good chrome, polished those and started installation. Finished up after a quick supper and then set to work on the handlebars and controls.

Decided to try a different set of handlebars than stock - approximately two inches lower with about the same width. I had tried them on an Ambo once before when I was mocking up "Sophia" and found that the starter button bracket would hit the tank when near full right lock. So, I'll be using the key switch to start it (like a car) and either will have to grow another arm or make sure it's in neutral before starting each time. :-) Cleaned and waxed the lever perches - noticed there was no hole for an enricher lever on the right one, so it looks like I'll be using "flip chokes" too (might need a fourth arm). Looks very clean without a starter button and enricher lever. Then I got to thinking about mirrors - do I use that nice pair of CRG bar-ends won as a door prize two years ago, a used pair of Napolean bar-ends from my stash or do the same thing as on Sophia (buy two universal lever assemblies and cut off everything that doesn't look like a mirror mount, use two universal screw-in mirrors)? I'm leaning towards the CRGs as the Napoleans never seem to stay put, plus I'm too cheap to buy lever assemblies and screw-in mirrors! Guess I'll have to mount them and then decide if they provide enough rearward vision. Looks pretty cool with the lower 'bars, should lean me forward a bit more. That will be a good thing since I'm not planning on fitting a windshield (well, maybe a small one for long trips).

August 26th -

Went for a short ride 50 mile mid-day - lack of sleep the previous two nights (weekend guests) and debris on the road from the storm the night before made it hard to get "in the groove". Had a late lunch and then headed out to the shop. Cleaned up a throttle assembly and slipped that on the bars, dug out the CRG mirrors and tried them on for looks. Very nice, if a bit modern for the bike. Cut the ends off of a pair of Grand Touring Tacki-Grips to allow for the CRG mirrors. Once I'm satisfied that I'll use these 'bars for sure, I'll stick them permanently into place.

Paul Linn sent me a regulator bracket with the tab for a starter relay (the original didn't have one), so I cleaned that and mounted up the voltage regulator and a starter relay I had in my stash. Since I needed to get up early the next day, I quit for the night.

August 27th -

Met this morning with Dan Friend to swap rear fenders with him. He had kept the rear fender (as a spare for his Eldo) when he sold me the parts that form the basis of this project. The one I had intended to use had a few dents that couldn't be removed without damaging the original paint and I remembered the one Dan had was straighter. So, I swapped him a good fender in lovely spray bomb black I had bought for the '75 ex-LAPD Eldo project for his straight one in original paint. Initially it looked a bit rough - someone had spilled what looked like thick red primer down the back of it and the paint was pretty chalky. In the photo below you can see the worst part of it remains around where the taillight mounts and where I'd already removed the rest. Luckily it came off easily once a bit of heat was applied to the underside of the fender.

Once all of that was off, I used Meguir's 3-step products to revive the paint. Up near the battery it still looks a bit rough, but overall not too bad. Matches the front fender really well - surprising since they're from two different bikes.

Mounted the fender into place to check for fit - ah, just right!

Glued the little rubber strips onto the bottom of the regulator bracket, then attached it too. Cut a mouse-pad for use as a battery cushion and laid that in place. Have to get up early again, so quit early and went in to eat, read my emails and then get some shut-eye.

Sept.

7th - Had a few minutes to play this evening, so cleaned and mounted the taillight, taillight bracket and reflectors. Lacking red rear small Lucas reflectors, I used amber ones instead. Strangely enough, that's what they show on the brochures I have.

Started working on matching the brake shoes I got from Moto Guzzi Classics to the brake drum, but only got as far applying some adhesive backed 80 grit sandpaper to the drum. Decided to go this route rather than mounting the backing plate to an axle, chucking the assembly into the lathe and turning then down as suggested by Vintage Brake. We'll see how this works. I've already mounted the shoes onto the backing plate and used a rasp to remove enough material so that the assembly would slip into the drum. Once the sandpaper was applied, it wouldn't fit again, so I quit for the night and will give some thought on how best to proceed.

Sept. 10th -

Decided the fit wasn't so tight that removing material with the rasp again would be necessary. Mounted a spare left front fork assembly up in the vise and inserted an axle.

Then slipped the backing plate assembly down over the axle. Finally the wheel was lowered down onto the brake assembly and turned slowly until the wheel was seated completely against the axle and the sandpaper had removed enough material that the wheel turned freely.

Removed the wheel, made several marks with a pencil across the brake shoes, then put the wheel back on. Turning the wheel with one hand, I moved the brake arms (independently - no link rod between them) with the other. After a few revolutions, I removed the wheel to see if the pencil marks were gone. Once satisfied that the complete shoe had been in contact, I removed the wheel and backing plate to clean them off.

Next thing on the list was to check the wheel bearing clearance. Removed the seals and slipped an axle in, with two wheel bearing central spacers and a washer to fill in the extra axle length. Tightened the nut and found that the bearings were too tight. I had written "needs shims" on the wheel at some point in time (likely just after I "borrowed" it's shims for another project) and had bought a packet of twenty-five .1mm thick shims from McMaster-Carr to replace those I'd taken. The approx. 3mm thick shim was still there and after about eight tries I found that eighteen of the thin ones (1.8mm) in addition was ideal.

Sept. 11th -

Finished the wheel bearings, cleaning and repacking them before setting them back into place and reinstalling the seals. Polished the hub, rim and hub cover using Mother's aluminum polish and lots of elbow grease. Turned out pretty nice!

Disassembled the front brake assembly, greased all of the moving bits and then reassembled it. Hand polished the brake arms and installed them along with the tie rod. Didn't tighten these parts down because they'll likely have to be removed later. Next up - tire and tube, then the wheel goes on!

Sept. 13th -

Mounted the Conti Blitz tire to the wheel and the wheel to the bike. Polished aluminum, shiny chrome and black paint (even if it is faded) look so good together!

Sept. 17th -

Took the generator to Auto Electric in Hagerstown to have them check it for proper operation. Bad news - bearings are rough and "it tried to charge but didn't". Quoted cost to rebuild it was only $80, so I told them to do it. Could do it myself, but I've got enough to keep me busy otherwise.

Sept. 18th -

Decided to start on resealing the rear drive. Opened it up and discovered that what I thought was a good unit was in fact for the most part scrap. The teeth on the pinion were galled, the inner race of the needle bearing was loose on the hub and the remaining bearings felt rough. After I sank into a funk for a few hours, I posted a message to the Loopframe Guzzi Yahoo Group asking if anyone had a good used unit I could buy. Instead, Charley Cole of Zydeco Racing http://www.zydecoracing.com came to rescue once again with good gears and a good deal on rebuilding the drive. Boxed it up and sent it off to him the next day.

Sept. 20th -

Cleaned up and hand polished the rear brake backing plate and arm, then installed replated and stainless hardware. Mounted a pair of n.o.s. Ferodo lined shoes I had in my stash along with new springs. Will need to turn these shoes down on the lathe before they'll fit, so saved that for another time. Started rebuilding the carburetors - they were mostly apart in a plastic bin, so first I loosely assembled them to see what was missing. After I added the missing pieces from my stash of parts, I disassembled them and dunked all the pieces for one in carburetor cleaner. Once everything was clean, it was time to quit for the night. The MD/DC Guzzi Rally is this weekend, so no more progress will be made for a few days.

Sept. 24th -

Both carburetor bodies needed to be drilled to accept the "flip choke" enrichers I'm using, so I took care of that first. Once that was done, I assembled the right carburetor and installed it on the bike while the left one was soaking. Out of time again, so the other one will have to wait.

Sept. 25th -

Assembled the left carburetor and installed it, then moved on to the airbox.

Cleaned and waxed the airbox and picked out the stainless hardware needed to attach it. Decided to use one of the three n.o.s. K&N filters made for the stock airbox that I have. Oiled it and set it aside to let any excess run off. Installed a new airbox boot to the carbs and then bolted on the back half of the airbox for a test fit.

Sept. 27th -

Installed the generator bracket this evening. Used a pair of studs that were part of a kit from MG Cycle meant to secure the exhaust flanges on Tonti-framed Guzzis. Had to remove approx. 6mm from the end that screws into the block, but otherwise they were perfect.

Installed the bands and hardware so when I pick my generator up on Monday, everything will be ready for it. Auto Electric told me to bring my regulator along and they'd hook it up to the generator and test for proper function. Good deal!

Sept. 28th -

Changed my mind about using the low handlebars. After riding around on my '69 all of last weekend, I think the stock ones are my best choice. Cleaned up a pair I got from Mike Skaggs and installed them, then switched all of the controls over. I decided to use a starter button also, since it will clear the tank now.

Started on the breather box - needed to open it up to remove the stock "flapper" since I will be using the ball type valve from a later Guzzi. Decided the easiest way to open it up and then close it back up was to grind off the weld at the perimeter seam. Worked perfectly - just enough lip left to clamp to when welding back together. Half of the flapper disc was already gone, so I sliced the support on either side and removed it. Cleaned everything up and it's ready for closure.

Won this nice red plastic dust cover as a door prize (donated by Speaker's Cycles in Steubenville, OH) at the MD/DC Rally, so now Barney goes undercover every night!

Sept. 29th -

Finished installing the airbox this evening and worked on (hand) polishing the rear drive that came back from Charley Cole yesterday. Very quick service!

Sept. 30th -

Installed the rear drive this morning and am getting increasingly eager to get this thing on it's wheels! Need to turn the rear brake shoes down just over 1/8" before they'll fit into the brake drum, so will have to clear a path to the "big" lathe to do the job. Didn't feel like tackling that today, so moved on to other things, such as grab rails and head pipes.

Decided to use a pair of new-old-stock header nuts I have with a pair of the finned collars to keep them tight. Bought the finned collars for the '75 Eldo project, but since it will be using Convert heads, these were available. I'm also using the strap type head pipe-to-frame clamps, since the '70 style stainless steel ones I had made years ago are all gone.

Oct. 1st. -

Picked up the generator today after they tested it with the regulator I had intended to use. Unfortunately, that regulator was kaput, so I'll be using my last new-old-stock Marelli unit.

Oct. 2nd. -

Bolted up the regulator and made a new locating pin for the generator. The pin fits pretty snug in the hole, but I usually apply a little JB Weld to that area and to the "saddle" the generator sits in (especially if there's a groove worn into the generator). Test fitted the generator to make sure the bracket was straight and all of the curved surfaces were contacting evenly. Yes, I know the generator doesn't look like it's been rebuilt - that was intentional. I asked Tony at Auto Electric not to glass-bead and paint it. Once I was satisfied with the fit, JB Weld was applied and the clamp tightened down.

Oct. 4th. -

Decided to work on installing the toolboxes, since I couldn't access the lathe to do the brakes yet. After a thorough cleaning with S100 (Note: don't leave it on too long or it'll dissolve the original pinstripes! Yikes!), I used Meguir's paint cleaner and then polish to bring back the gloss. A heavy coat of Mother's California Gold wax and they were ready to install.

Before and after:

Getting the bolt holes to all line up was a bit tricky, but eventually the toolboxes were on. Decided to clean up a battery cover too, so I could see how they'd look together. Same procedure - turned out nice and both match the front fender and fuel tank (both from another bike) pretty well.

October 17th -

Set to work on the rear brakes. The shoes I used here were a n.o.s. set with Ferodo "green" linings. Mounted them to the backing plate with all the hardware, then installed an axle and several bearings and spacers to take up length. Tried mounting it into my small Logan lathe and it fit, just barely. Definitely not optimum as the tool holder was at nearly a right angle to the shoe surface. When cutting started the bit would just skip along and not do much - too much play.

Second try - mount it up in the "big lathe" (12" x 72"). This worked much better! Cut the shoe surface evenly and quickly without chatter or skipping. Following Vintage Brakes advice, I turned the outer diameter to .010" less than the inner diameter of the drum.

Still, I final arced the shoe to the drum using sandpaper as on the front brake. The Ferodo material is quite a bit harder so it took longer, but I finally got it done.

Nov. 6th -

Finally got back to work on Barney. Been playing with my "new" toy (a '95 MZ Saxon Country 500 - see "My Other Toys") quite a bit lately. But with cooler weather setting in, I'm more inclined to work in the shop than ride. Cleaned and hand polished the rear wheel. Didn't shine up quite as nice as the front though.

Nov. 10th -

Cleaned and repacked the wheel bearings. Mounted the tire after warming the bead up a bit with a heat gun (it was only 45° in the shop when I started). Had I planned a bit better, the tire would have warmed in the house. The heat gun worked well though - the tire went on easier than any in recent memory. Finally ready to put the rear wheel on and get this thing rolling!

Nov. 12th -

Rolling finally! Needed a bit of room to work, so moved the lift forward out of the way and slid Barney over a bit. Lifted the rear with two 2x6s and a 1x6 under the centerstand. Decided this might not a bad time to install the wiring for the taillight since once the wheel is in place, room to work is tight. Once that was done, I lubed the drive splines with some Permatex Fifth Wheel Grease that Bruce Giller gave me. Usually it's a minor battle getting the wheel into place and keeping everything lined up to install the axle. But, this time everything went smoothly and no cussing was needed! :-) Somehow I'm missing one flat washer for the axle, so it's not tightened down yet, but everything else is in place securely.

Had a few minutes left before I quit for the evening, so made up the spark plug wires and installed them.

Nov. 16th -

Started on the wiring. I had already tagged the wires of the harness for where they connected, so progress was relatively rapid. In no time the main harness was connected to the fuse block and terminal board as was the wiring from the ignition switch. The headlight/horn switch was next and then the starter button. Ran out of time, so the rest will have to wait for another day.

Nov. 23rd - 27th -

Brother Karl left on Thanksgiving for Ecuador, so I've got the whole shop to myself for a while. I rolled the bike into the front of the shop where I had much more room and worked on the left side for once! :-) Instead of continuing with wiring, I wanted to finish the exhaust, shocks and front brake, then rebuild and install the starter. Installed the head pipe, then worked on cleaning up the mufflers and clamps. The right muffler looks nice until you notice to small patches on the inside rear. The left muffler is faded and has been welded around the crossover spigot. They're still solid otherwise and will do fine until I find a better set. Painted the crossover (broke my own rule) and installed everything.

Disassembled the starter and found it in pretty good condition, except for the brushes which were worn considerably. I had a box of used starter parts and found another brush holder with nearly new ones. Decided to use the last of my new-old-stock solenoids also. Cleaned and lubed where needed, reassembled it, then tested it. Works super!

Just for fun, I put the tank and seat on the bike. I'm getting there, the list is only fourteen items long now…

Oct. 28th - Dec. 1st -

I'm having trouble remembering what I did when now. The last week has been a bit of a blur as I'm trying to get as much done as possible before my bro' returns Monday. Wired up the generator and installed the cover(s) - plural because I sliced the new plastic cover down the center as Mark at Moto Guzzi Classic suggests. Definitely helped make installation easier and will hopefully keep it from cracking too.

Once the breather box was welded shut and painted, the new ball check valve, hoses and it were installed.

Continued wiring - fabricated a small bracket to mount a Mercedes-Benz auxiliary fuse block. The direct power wire for the headlight will run through it. Fished the orange wire for that circuit and two black wires for the front brake light switch up through the original harness for less clutter. Instead of running four wires down to the rear brake light switch and then having to stuff them into the tiny terminals of the switch, I used a European-style junction block to tie them together and then route two wires down. I also used the junction to join the taillight wires which will make it easier to remove the rear fender if needed.

Tidied up a few wires and them slipped the battery into position (again) to check how everything fits. That's one tall battery, so I removed about 1/8" from the top of the posts and covered the positive terminal so that it wouldn't accidentally contact the battery cover.

On to the headlight relays - I wasn't happy with the fuse block and terminal board installed earlier. Some of the fuses and connections were rather loose due to both getting hot and melting a bit in the past. Dug new-old-stock replacements out of my stash and redid all of the wiring in the headlight bucket. While it was empty seemed like the best time to install the cube relays for the headlight high and low beams. Wiring was simple as was mounting - I've been using the longer headlight bolts and nuts to secure them in the past and did the same again.

Reconnected all of the other wires, routing them carefully to achieve maximum room between the headlight plug (which I slipped a piece of heat-shrink tubing over) and the fuse block and to minimize the chance of them getting pinched and short circuiting. Wiring is finally done! :-)

The list grows shorter (grips; clean the tank, install new mounting rubbers, petcocks, fuel hoses and filters; install the seat, JB Weld one bottom tab of the left side cover and polish/wax it out; fill what fluids I haven't already; then double check everything before "first fire"). I had hoped to get a few miles on it before the first snow/ice/etc. fell, but the forecast looks pretty grim as I write this. If there's salt on the road, test rides will have to wait. Don't want to have to give my freshly reassembled bike a bath (or risk corrosion) after it's first test hop. Bummer.

Dec. 2nd -

Installed the fuel lines with filters this evening. First installed the V65 petcocks and adapters from Moto International onto the tank and then the tank onto the bike so I could get hose lengths to my liking. The V65 petcocks are a vast improvement over the original "sugar cube" units and in addition to not leaking, have the advantage of a reserve position on each. After that, I JB Welded the tab onto the side cover, installed the hand grips, filled the engine and rear drive with oil and fiddled with front brake adjustment some more. Bro' comes back tomorrow, so Barney goes back into it's "hole" in my work area Tuesday.

Dec. 4th -

Began preparing to remove the light rust from the inside of the fuel tank. Been wanting to try the electrolysis method outlined here: http://650rider.com/Content/pid=6.html so bought a few rubber stoppers - two for the petcock holes and a large one for the cap opening. Drilled two holes for the coat-hanger wire anode, bent the wire into the fork shape described and checked that it didn't contact the tank when inserted. Ready to mix up the solution tomorrow and give it a try!

Dec. 5th -

Mixed up the washing soda solution today and (over)filled the tank with it. Put the stopper in and the excess started running out all down over the tank. Hooked the battery charger up and turned it on - even more was running out. Note to self: don't overfill it next time!

Checked after eight hours to see what if any progress had been made. Found much to my delight that the sacrificial anode was encrusted like a ship wreck on the bottom of the ocean!

Lots more floating around inside the tank too. Someone had lined the tank very poorly with some sort of red material and that's coming off too.

Dec. 7th -

Installed the battery frame I bought from Gregory Bender after a little alteration to clear the battery posts. Just used off-the-shelf hold down bolts shortened by an inch. Cleaned and polished the left battery cover and installed it. Ready for the fuel tank and seat, then assembly is finished!

Dec. 8th -

It's alive, my creation is alive! Really, it runs! Pretty well too with a minimum of fiddling. See and hear it run here: http://tinyurl.com/279cl2 Okay, I got that out of the way! Just couldn't hold it in, like a proud papa holding his newborn. :-)

Finished cleaning the fuel tank after lunch today. After draining all of the washing soda solution, I sat the tank on a ramp and flushed it out thoroughly with my pressure washer.

Worked pretty well too - clean metal inside. Decided not to line the tank with anything right now, so dumped two big bottles of rubbing alcohol into the tank and sloshed it around to disperse any remaining water. Drained that and then used my heat gun set on low to warm the tank and dry the alcohol. That done, it was on to buffing it out and waxing, then installed the petcocks, mounting rubbers with "top hats" and gas cap. Before installing the adapters, I drilled them slightly larger and tapped them so that the filter screens from the stock petcocks would fit.

I also altered the two rear tank mounting "top hats" so that they'd clear the tank and not rub against (or through) it. There was evidence of the originals doing just that, so I aim to prevent it.

Finished tank:

Installed the tank, cleaned up the seat and mounted it. Pulled the plugs out and cranked the engine over with the starter until the oil light went out, then put the plugs back in. Checked the bike over to make sure I hadn't missed anything, then put a splash of gas in the tank. Once the carbs filled, the petcocks started leaking. Damn!! But after a minute they stopped - guess the gaskets had dried out a bit and needed to swell. Turn the key, give the throttle two twists and hit the starter button. Cranks, but doesn't start. Has spark, but at the right time? - did I time it? Yes, but then moved the distributor for some reason later. Okay, set the timing and try again. Fires right off! Warm it up a bit, then let it idle - too low, set that up. Let it warm a bit more and then adjust the idle mixture closer to correct. Idling very nice now and takes the throttle without hesitation. A bit more fiddling with the timing and a good carburetor synchronization will make it even sharper. First hurdle cleared, I'm now ready for some road tests when the weather allows. Raining as I write this and the temperature is dropping once again. :-(

Dec. 12th -

Today dawned dark and dreary, but warm (50°) and by noon the roads were starting to dry a bit. All sorts of frozen crap is now forecast through Monday and then it gets colder. That was all of the encouragement I needed to do a first test ride before the front moved in. Rolled Barney out, fired up and let him idle while I grabbed my helmet. Pulled in the clutch, clunked the transmission into first, eased out the clutch and we were under way. Just a few quick trips up to the local church and back at first getting a feel for it, then I put on my jacket and go for some longer ones "around the loop", south and north to the next small towns. Everything worked as it should, except for a light clunk when moving off from a stop (found this to be the rear shocks topping out). No leaks, valves quieted down, handlebars are a bit to the right and will need to be set straight, brakes not quite as powerful as I'd hoped (might need to bed in a bit). I was most worried about the transmission function, but it's working very well. A bit stiff on the 1-2 shift and it still clunks on downshifts, but it's very positive on up-shifts, makes all the right whining noises and the neutral light even works correctly. Cruises smoothly at 60 mph and seems more powerful than my '69 (should be since this engine has larger valves and was rated at 50 vs. 45 hp). All in all the first test was a success. I still haven't adjusted the timing any more or synchronized the carbs, so those two items along those noted above are on my "to do" list.

Out in the daylight for the first time, it's amazing how well the painted parts match - considering that the tank and front fender are from one bike, the battery covers, toolboxes and rear fender from another, the fork covers and headlight from another and the frame from yet another, the similarity of patina is incredible. Likewise with smaller items like foot pegs, shift and brake levers and such. I am very pleased to have achieved my goal of having it all look as if it was always one bike, not a collection of parts thrown together.

Already thinking about some saddlebags and a windshield… :-)

Dec. 14th -

Got out for another short test ride this afternoon. Only 28 miles on some local back roads then home but very enjoyable anyway. Seems to run better every mile - I'm really looking forward to some overnight trips in the spring. Found that the rear shocks were cranked up to their highest preload setting, so dialed that down to the lowest and the "clunk" noise went away. Rides better too. The front brakes don't seem to be improving, so I'll be pulling the wheel and installing the "best" brake shoes that I bought from Mark @ Moto Guzzi Classics. A small leak has appeared at the clutch throwout bearing area on the rear of the transmission - the likely source is the o-ring on the outer body. Might have to pull the clutch arm and outer body to replace the o-ring, could have damaged it during installation.

Dec. 20th -

Rode another 39 miles today - it was 42° when I left and only 36° when I returned. Just a bit nippy! As soon as I get another SAE plug, I'll assemble a wiring harness for this bike so I can hook up my Eclipse heated vest. As long as there's no salt on the road, I'll keep riding.

Two more good heat cycles and then I'll retorque the heads and exhaust header nuts, set the valves, check the point gap (new points always seem to close up some at first), set the timing and synchronize the carburetors. I'm wondering how accurate the speedo is - the needle doesn't wobble like that of my '69 Ambo, but it just feels like the speedo is a bit optimistic. I'll have to borrow my friend Joseph's little handheld GPS unit and check it I guess.

Dec. 24th -

Went out for a pleasurable 50 mile ride today and the bike keeps running better all the time. The right rear shock has started leaking, so I'll be buying new Progressive or Hagon shocks soon.

Dec. 29th -

50 more miles and this time I got a chance to find out how well the $10 "Autopal" headlight I bought off eBay works. Stopped to visit some friends along the way and before I knew it the sun had set. Fortunately, the lighting is very good - I only had to adjust the headlight up a bit. I'll be doing the head retorque and all of the other stuff as soon as I get a chance, then might work on mounting the Guzzi "polizia" fairing and Wixom saddlebags I have. With a "bra" (that fits around the crash bars) from Mark at Moto Guzzi Classics and wiring for my vest, I'll be equipped to ride through Winter this year!

Jan. 6th -

Did a short 90 mile ride up along the MD/PA line and the old beast ran very well. Ended up riding the last 25 miles in the dark again - I'm not going to let these short winter days cramp my style!

Jan. 7th -

I wasn't going to ride today, but needed to drop off some small items at a friend's house. Rather than take the car, I decided to take Barney since it was such a beautiful day. Planned to drop them off and head back to the house, change to the van and go do my usual Monday shopping. But the sky was nearly cloudless, temps in the upper 50s and the road was rapidly drying from an overnight rain shower. No way I was going to do anything but ride, you never know when you'll have the chance again in January! 200 miles later I rolled home (in the dark yet again) after a great day of riding in central PA. I'm starting to really get used to not having a windshield, but do miss saddlebags.

Jan. 15th -

This evening I finally got around to installing the Progressive Suspension shocks I bought from Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse. Part of the problem was they come with the springs separate, so I needed a spring compressor. Since I'm too cheap to shell out $50 for one, I instead grab some suitable scrap metal, buy a length of angle iron and a pin, then set to work making my own. Two hours later it's done and the springs are on the shocks.

The shocks go onto the bike without any fuss, but I'll have to wait a while for a road test - the temps have dropped into the 20's with no improvement forecast for quite some time. That's okay though, I still have to retorque the heads, do the final tune and other things on my "to do" list. When I retorque the heads, the present dull rocker covers will be replaced with the final shiny ones. Spent a few minutes before I quit for the evening on cleaning and (hand) polishing one - looks much better, can't wait to put them on!

March 1st & 2nd -

Finally got around to retorquing the heads and most of the other stuff on my "to do" list. The cylinder gaskets had sacked quite a bit as have the intake manifold gaskets, but everything else looked great. Plugs were burning a nice light brown, point gap hadn't closed up, timing was still spot on. Looks sharp with the polished rocker covers. Took it out for a short 46 mile test loop and it runs even better now, but there's still a little low-end "softness" I attribute to the chilly (45 F) temps. Weatherman says temps in the mid 60s tomorrow, so I'm going riding!

March 3rd -

Weatherman was mostly correct - he got the temperature and clear skies right, but the wind was definitely more than the 5-10 mph predicted. A few strong gusts while running into a headwind made me think even more seriously about fitting a windshield or fairing. Since I have a nice Guzzi "polizia" fairing shell, that's what I plan to use. You can't beat the protection it provides and I like the looks (although some folks think they're ugly). I'll have it painted white with black stripes to match the very nice pair of Wixom saddlebags I bought recently. The black bike - white fairing and bags will look pretty good I think, just can't bear the thought of covering such nice original paint (gel-coat?) on the bags.

Other than the wind, the day was extremely enjoyable, reminding me why I went to all of the trouble to resurrect yet another basket case Ambo. There's just nothing like a good running Loop on a winding country back road, enjoying the warm air and listening to the rumble of the exhaust and ticking of the valves. I followed the Shenandoah River south from Harpers Ferry, crossed at Morgan Ford, headed west to Strasburg and lunch, then back northward home. Only 150 miles total, but a very relaxing day.

The new shocks work well, swallowing up most everything and keeping the rear end firmly planted. The springs I chose are a good match for the front springs too - no "hobby horsing" at all. The low-end response was just fine today, so I guess it just doesn't like cooler temps. Once the fairing, bags and some auxiliary lighting are installed, we'll be ready for some serious riding!

March 18th -

Worked a while today on removing the fairing, bags and auxiliary lighting from the '69 Ambo. I decided that one "dresser" in my fleet would be enough, so Barney will be fully "pimped out" and the '69 will go naked for the first time since I bought it in '97. I love the way it looks without all of the accessories…

The "polizia" fairing for Barney is already at the body shop to be color-matched to the Wixom saddlebags, hopefully it will be finished in another week or so. I ordered some stainless hardware and rubber trim from McMaster-Carr, a new windscreen from MG Cycle. Mounted up the spotlights and brackets first…

… then the Wixom brackets and rear aux. tail and brake lights.

Got started on the bracket for the turn signal switch (a simple SPDT toggle), then ran out of time. Lots of little stuff to do yet - finish that bracket, mount the "beehive" lights on the 'bags (inner red incandescents will be running lights, outer amber LEDs will be turn signals), assemble and mount the fairing with front signals (amber truck cab marker lights with LED bulbs), fabricate the "dashboard" (.25" plexiglass) and mount it to the fairing, then wire everything up. I'll try to do it in small installments so the bike won't be out of commission should a sunny day pop up! Of course, there's always the MZ …

Mar. 20th -

Tried three different types of switches for turn signals and finally settled on the simplest and cheapest one (go figure). First possibility was an aftermarket accessories switch with a big red knob. Didn't like the "up for right", "down for right" or non-stock appearance. Next was the '70's Suzuki headlight/horn/signal unit with aluminum housing. Would have looked nice once polished and matching up the wiring wasn't a big deal. But it would have required shortening the grip or moving the lever perch in, compromising operation. The Loopframe_Guzzi group was talking about how to add a switch for driving lights and that gave me the idea to make another bracket like the starter button one on the right. Use an off the shelf single-pole, double-throw toggle switch with rubber boots for weatherproofing. Simple.

Easily operated with a gloved thumb, reached without removing my hand from the grip.

Mar. 22th - 28th -

Stripped the Wixom saddlebags down to replace the rusty rivets, rotted seals and lights. Some of the rivets were a royal pain in the butt to remove, but eventually I got them all out. Cleaned the bodies and lids, polished the aluminum trims, hinges and latches. Laid out where the new "beehive" lights would go and drilled the necessary holes.

Applied a bead of silicone sealer around the hole and attached the light mounts.

Lights twisted on, most of the hardware reattached.

Still have to wire them up, but they look pretty cool! Waiting for the fairing to return from the painter and then I'll mount it up and begin wiring everything.

April 4th -

The fairing body returned from the painter today, unfortunately he didn't paint the inside like I asked him to or have time to pinstripe it. Bought an aerosol can of Dupli-Color truck bedliner, masked the outside and sprayed three light coats on the inside. Dried quickly, looks very nice in my opinion - certainly better than primer and over spray!

Went riding Saturday instead of installing it like I'd planned, but the weathermen were totally wrong as usual and I needed to ride anyway. Sunday turned out to be a rather gloomy day, so I puttered around the house in the morning and after a late lunch went out to the shop and set to work. Installed the weather seal around the headlight opening (same seal I used on the saddlebags).

Sprayed the seal good with silicone and then slid the fairing over the headlight. Fits quite snug, stays in place without any fasteners, but I held it in place with two bolts on either side of the headlight until I had the brackets installed anyway.

Then comes the fun part - installing the new windscreen with rubber seal and aluminum trim strip. Two of the holes in the windscreen don't line up with the trim too well, so I redrill them. Then when the bolts are installed, the windscreen bows out between the same two holes, so I elongate the holes in the fairing body. Finally with the help of my brother, it goes on more or less correctly. Still needs a bit of fiddling before I'll be satisfied. By this time, it's getting rather late and I'm hungry, so I quickly install the truck cab marker lights I'm using for signals and then call it a night.

Once I get the necessary pinstriping tape, that will be next on the agenda. That should break up the large expanse of creamy whiteness some. I might put a "Moto Guzzi" with birdy decal above the headlight too if there's room and it'll look right. Then I'll move on to wiring the signals up and finishing a few jobs from my "to do" list that I forgot.

April 7th -

Picked up some pinstripe tape today and this evening laid it on. I had a set of John Prusnek's excellent tank and fender tip decals. so used one of them just above the headlight. Looks even better now!

April 13th -

Went for a nice afternoon ride yesterday and on the way home, one of the new rear brake springs I installed less than 1k miles ago, broke at the bend. So, today I put the bike up on the Loop Lifter and pulled the wheel off to fix that. Decided while I'm in there, I'd go ahead and install the Moto Guzzi Classics "Best" brake shoes. Mounted the shoes to the backing plate, measured the outer diameter and compared that to the inner diameter of the drum. It was only .032" difference, so I didn't arc the shoes, but just went ahead and reinstalled the wheel. Once that was done, I still had time, so I went ahead and installed the same great shoes in the front. Again, no arcing necessary, just swap the shoes, reassemble, then adjust the linkage. No time to try them out and by now it had started to rain again.

April 18th -

Finally had the time to wire up the running lights and turn signals. Carefully laid out the wiring, zip-tied the wires together, and heat shrinked everything. I installed an electronic flasher in hopes that it would work with the LED bulbs, but it didn't. So, I reinstalled the incandescent #67 bulbs into the front signals and it worked but flashed erratically. Installed a normal old thermal flasher unit and it worked perfectly. I'll try the electronic unit again once I install some resistors into the circuit.

April 19th -

Rode down to Keysville, VA today for lunch with the Southwest VA Guzzi folks. I was a bit worried about how the new brake shoes would work since they hadn't been bedded in yet. No worries, they worked great almost immediately and got even better after 400+ miles. I'd definitely recommend them to everyone with a drum-braked Loop.

April 23rd-25th -

Spent the last several days recovering the seat. Probably could have finished it in one day if I'd had enough clamps to hold the cover in place while the glue dried. The old cover was just too cracked and stiff for comfort, so the new cover was really a necessity. Removed the old cover and found the foam to be in excellent condition - it appears that a thin layer of new foam had already been applied over the old. While the cover was off, I wire brushed the the base and sprayed it with Dupli-Color Truck Bed Liner.

The new cover from Harper's "fit like a glove", with plenty of extra material to fold over and attach to the base. "Marvelous Marv" on the Loopframe Guzzi Yahoo Group recommended Pliobond brand cement and that proved to be the best I've ever used. Easy to apply, plenty of time to work with, dries quickly. The refurbished seat proved to be more comfortable on the trip down to the MD/DC MGNOC Spring Campout over the weekend and looks very nice. Success!

May 1st & 2nd -

One more item on my "to do" list was a front brake light switch. I initially tried to achieve this with one of the Barnett cables I had made with a switch built in. But, somehow I managed to over lube the cable and shorted the switch, rendering it useless. So, I put a Barnett cable without switch back on and began thinking about another way of doing it. A while back I'd bought several Harley Sprint brake lever perches which incorporate a switch, the throttle and mirror mount. Nice, but the stock Guzzi lever wouldn't work and the Sprint lever would require cable alterations. The project was "backburnered" while I pondered it some more. Digging around in my drawer of switches the other day and found a Bosch brake light switch with spring and a little clamp for around a brake rod. A little light bulb lit above my head! Last year I had been checking out Rob Prins' Ambo and noticed the Honda brake light switch he had attached to the front fender stay. The switch I found would be perfect to do the same thing! Made a bracket out of some scrap stainless steel and a short harness to connect the switch to the wires already in place from the aborted cable activated one.

Works great, looks a bit "Rube Goldberg", but if it keeps me from being rear ended it's worth it.

May 3rd -

Retorqued the heads again today, all the nuts were tight except the top one. The valve clearances were a little loose, but once that nut was properly torqued, the clearance was spot on again. Next project is fitting a stock Guzzi steering damper.

To prevent clearance issues (the fender is known to hit the forward attachment bolt under full compression) I plan to remove approx. 3mm from the aluminum block and shorten the bushing at that end as well. Hopefully, these alterations along with a button-head cap screw will give me adequate clearance.

May 5th & 6th -

Shaved the aluminum block down, but after mounting everything up realized I really didn't need to. Same with altering the bushing - no need. I simply pressed the bushing off to one side instead.

It was necessary to offset the bushing this way so that the tube of the damper would clear the lower triple clamp at full right lock. I also needed to clearance the original turn signal bracket that my right spotlight mounts to.

Took a bit of fiddling with the frame bracket, but eventually everything mounted up and cleared.

The best thing - plenty of clearance under full compression! Only two items remain on the "to do" list - slightly larger pilot jets (crappy 10% ethanol fuel!) and indicator lights for the turn signals.

Some "finished" photos:

The Final Entry

Sept. 11th, 2008 -

All good things must come to an end, so they say. As much as I enjoyed building and riding Barney, the need for a new heating system in my home, necessitated that I sell him. Luckily I had a few people interested that I knew would give him a good home and would allow me "visitation" occasionally. :-) This morning John Fisher became the new owner. Barney joins his stable of other Guzzis (a few BMWs too) and I'm sure will be well cared for and appreciated.

Coming soon! The Burgandy Build Blog! Just kidding (maybe).