I-Convert project

Total hours expended to date = 43.25

This is a 1980 Moto Guzzi Convert project bike that I purchased on February 18, 2008 from a gentleman in Phoenix, Arizona. It is mostly complete and is in good, solid condition. It does not run. During conversations with the previous owner, I learned that the oil filter came loose in the sump and destroyed the main bearings, etc. This happened to - perhaps - the first owner. The second owner had intentions of fixing the bike up, but never did anything to it. Then the previous owner purchased the bike in 1997 and proceeded to go through the engine. After repairing the damage and replacing numerous parts, the previous owner rode the bike for about 15 miles. The bike started running rough (perhaps due to rust in the tank), and he parked it. It sat untouched until I purchased it. That makes me the fourth owner (maybe).

Before starting any disassembly, I believed:

• the main and big end bearings have been replaced
• the original 1000cc pistons and cylinders were replaced with 850 Le Mans nikisil pistons and cylinders
• the wheel bearings were replaced
• the brakes were rebuilt
• the rear drive and transmission have not been touched
• the u-joint has been replaced

It is tempting to clean the tank, replace the fluids, shove in a battery and see if the bike will run. However, experience has taught me that sitting bikes learn to leak. I'd rather fix these bits preemptively rather than deal with it afterward. My goal is to perform what I call a mechanical rejuvenation. This will include:

• Evaluating all mechanical bits to ensure they are in satisfactory condition.
• Replacing all gaskets, seals, and o-rings in the engine, transmission, and rear drive.
• Rebuilding the carburetors.
• Sealing the fuel tank.
• Flushing the brake fluid.
• Rebuilding the forks with new seals.
• Replace the stock airbox with a larger, more efficient unit.
• Fit pod filters instead of the stock airbox.
• Converting the tires to tubeless (if they are not already).
• Replacing the battery.
• Fitting a 7" headlight bucket.
• Replacing the handlebars with something having a different shape.
• Replacing worn cables.
• etc.

I'll probably end up cleaning up some of the larger cosmetic bits along the way (chrome, frame paint) and I absolutely have to do something with the seat. But, I certainly do not want to perform complete, fully polished, cosmetic restoration. The idea is to turn this bike into a solid, dependable runner that doesn't puke oil all over the place.

What will it look like when I'm done? Well, I'm not certain yet. Right now I'm leaning toward leaving off all the crash bars, rack, bags, fairing, etc and keeping it slimmer and trimmer. But, we'll see how my desires evolve.

I plan to keep a very careful tally of the hours I spend working on this project (along with detailed descriptions of what I did with that time). Although there will be desk time involved (reading instructions, ordering parts, etc), I'll only keep track of actual garage time.

May 11, 2008 - Paint and powder coat clean up (2.00 hours)

• Painted the other side of the rotors.
• Chased all the threads in the parts that had been powder coated.
• Cleaned up all the overspray in the powder coated parts.

May 10, 2008 - Clean and paint (0.75 hours)

• Cleaned up the brake rotors and painted one side them with high-temp matte black paint (BBQ grill paint). I thought about going with a gloss, but I think I'll like the matte finish against the gloss wheels.

May 08, 2008 - Assembly (0.50 hours)

• Cleaned excess powdercoat off of the front wheel and drove both bearings into place, with the spacer in the middle. I applied anti-sieze to the bearing holes to make future removal easier. I liberally greased the exterior of the bearing spacer to prevent corrosion.

May 07, 2008 - Assembly (0.50 hours)

• Cleaned excess powdercoat off of the rear wheel and drove the rear wheel bearing carrier back into place. I applied anti-sieze to the bearing carrier to make future removal easier.

Mar 14, 2008 - Fixing (2.00 hours)

• Straightened up the fins on the oil cooler.
• Disassembled, cleaned, and resolder connections for the throttle, kill switch, and starter button.

Mar 13, 2008 - Order parts (0.00 hours)

• I placed orders today for the vast majority of parts I'll need to complete this project. There are a few outstanding things I've yet to order, but I've got the main stuff coming.

Mar 12, 2008 - Disassembly, cleaning (3.00 hours)

• Cleaned up a lot of remaining parts. Pretty much everything is cleaned up now.
• Disassembled both master cylinders and all three calipers. The master cylinders are in certain need of new seals. One of the calipers has been updated to the anodized pistons; the remaining two still have the steel pistons. I'll upgrade the steel pistons to anodized and install new seal kits on everything. All the pads are in good shape. Going to this much effort (not to mention expense) really makes me glad that I replace the brake fluid in my Quota once each year. Cheap and easy insurance compared to all this effort.

Mar 08, 2008 - Disassembly, cleaning, measuring (5.00 hours)

• Disassembled transmission completely. Things look very good inside.
• Cleaned up all the transmission and clutch components. Everything cleaned up very nicely.
• Measured up all the bearings and seals and o-rings.

Mar 07, 2008 - Trip to powder coater, disassembly (3.00 hours)

• Delievered all the parts to the powder coater. Gloss black for the frame and associated bits. A "chrome gloss" for the rims (really looks like aluminum).
• Disassembled the clutch. Things look very good inside.

Mar 06, 2008 - Powder coat prep (0.25 hours)

• Cleaned up the frame to get ready to take to the powder coater: filed down sharp edges, straightened small bent parts, etc.

Mar 05, 2008 - Shipping, organization, and disassembly (0.50 hours)

• Shipped both cylinders to Millennium Technologies. One certainly needs plating. I'm having them verify the other one.
• Moved some parts around the garage for better storage.
• Removed the front wheel bearings from the front wheel.
• Removed the rear wheel bearing carrier assembly from the rear wheel.
• Started disassemblying the clutch from the transmission. Made almost zero progress there.

Mar 03, 2008 - Disassembly (2.50 hours)

• Removed the rear fender.
• Removed the complete wiring harness, labelling each connecting as I went. It'll still take some work to get it properly sorted when I put everything back together, but the labels will help.
• Removed the handlebars and the complete brake system.
• Removed the steering stem and drove out the bearing races. The bearings are notchy. I'm not sure if it is due to hardened grease or worn out components.
• Removed the VIN tag by using a rolling head pry bar inside the steering neck to pry each rivet outward. Once the rivet popped loose, it was a simple matter of grabbing it's head with a pliers and twisting it out. No damage done to the VIN tag.
• Removed the steering head lock. I didn't have the key, so I drilled it out.
• Frame is now completely bare and ready to be blasted and powder coated. I need to gather up a few more bits and pieces and make sure I have everything together before I make the run down to the powder coater.

Mar 01, 2008 - Measuring and cleaning (4.50 hours)

• Measured the main bearings and the big end rod bearings. Everything measured out very well.
• Took the plug out of the sludge trap in the crank and cleaned it out. It had a little bit in it, no where near full. But, since the engine is this far apart, it only makes sense to clean it completely.
• Disassembled the floor boards/lower frame rails and cleaned up all the various bits.
• Removed the brake disks from both wheels. Cleaned up the discs and fasteners.
• Removed the cush drive from the rear wheel. Cleaned up the pieces.
• Removed the front and rear tires from the wheels. Cleaned up the tires and wheels.

I still need to strip the frame.I still need to strip the frame.

A bunch of (mostly) clean parts.A bunch of (mostly) clean parts.

Parts awaiting cleaning.Parts awaiting cleaning.

Striped frame components cleaned and awaiting blast and powdercoat.Striped frame components cleaned and awaiting blast and powdercoat.

Some parts from the rear wheel.Some parts from the rear wheel.

Polished shiny bits. The mufflers aren't perfect, but this picture sure makes them look worse than they are!Polished shiny bits. The mufflers aren't perfect, but this picture sure makes them look worse than they are!

Rims and discs.Rims and discs.

Tires.Tires.

Crank and mains.Crank and mains.

Feb 29, 2008 - Polishing (0.75 hours)

• Polished up most of the chrome and stainless bits. The chrome isn't perfect, but it isn't horrible, either. It will suite me just fine not to replace it.

Feb 28, 2008 - Cleaning (0.25 hours)

• Did the final cleaning on the rear drive case (inside had been soaking in degreaser for several days) the large bearing, and the needle bearing. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the bearings cleaned up quite nicely. I believe that I'll be reusing them.

Feb 27, 2008 - Measuring (1.50 hours)

• Spent a bunch of time measuring fasteners. I'll be putting together a fastener spreadsheet similar to what has already been done for the loop frames, so I wanted to take the time to document the I-Convert fasteners.

Feb 26, 2008 - Clean up (0.75 hours)

• Spent some time cleaning up the garage of all the disarray that had begun with the disassembly of the convert. No real progress, just getting things in order.

Feb 25, 2008 - Disassembly and Cleaning (1.00 hours)

• Disassembled rear drive. Ring and pinion are in fantastic shape. Bearings have some light rust on them. I'll try to clean, but I believe they are bin-worthy.
• Cleaned all the parts. Case turned out very nice.
• Heated the rear drive in my turkey roaster until the outer race fell out. I love this technique. Painless and no damage to parts!

Feb 24, 2008 - Cleaning (2.50 hours)

• Scraped all the stuck on gasket material off of all the engine parts. Always a joy.
• Cleaned many of the engine parts. Case turned out very nice.
• Tom Short (Arizona MGNOC rep) came over part way through and we had a good time chatting for a while.

Feb 23, 2008 - Disassembly and cleaning (1.50 hours)

• Removed the swing arm bearings and races.
• Removed the U-Joint carrier bearing.
• Removed the only remaining bits off of the engine case: oil pump and distributor. The oil pump is missing its bearing. I thought perhaps it has fell out when I was moving and rotating the case around. But, I searched everywhere (including the trash) and could not find it. I'm glad this engine only saw 15 miles after rebuild...that missing bearing could have done some real damage.
• Removed the gasket material from the rear main bearing flange.
• Cleaned the front and rear main bearings.

Feb 21, 2008 - Disassembly (5.50 hours)

• With a lot of help from Mike Tiberio over the internet, I was able to determine:
  • My pistons were originally designed for an 850T/T3. The previous owner had remembered them being 850 Le Mans pistons and he had added a spacer between two base gaskets to provide sufficient clearance. I no longer have to worry about that...nor about trying to get 850 LeMans pistons to work well with small valve heads.
  • My block is from an 850. This is a good thing as I wanted the 850 cylinders to have a slide-in fit into the case with the proper case-cylinder clearance.
  • This means that somewhere along the way, the original convert engine was replaced with an engine from an 850. Probably an 850 T3.
• Both master cylinders were mostly dry (just a little damp brake fluid residue left in them). I filled them up and did a quick bleed of the brakes. Some pistons work fine, others are pretty stiff, and I've got a leak where the hose connects to the rear master cylinder (that explains the missing paint on the frame in that location much better than battery acid). These will need some work. Brakes cannot simply stay good without being used regularly.
• Pulled the rear wheel. Splines look good.
• Pulled the rear drive. There was silicone goop between the swing arm and the rear drive. The silicone goop was dangerously close to getting in the rear pinion bearing, but seems to have been spared that fate. I removed the pinion carrier and the pinion teeth look fantastic! I am very pleased the rear drive isn't trash.
• Pulled the front wheel and front fender.
• Removed the swing arm. U-Joint is in perfect condition.
• Drained as much ATF fluid as I could from the lines and reservoir.
• Removed the frame. I used the "crabbing" technique to do this. This was my first attempt at crabbing a Tonti frame. For the most part, it went rather well. It did get a little dicey when I removed the frame from the engine/transmission. But, no damage to any parts :>
• Separated the engine from the transmission and drained the oil from the torque converter.
• At this point, the garage is a bloody mess. ATF fluid everywhere from spills. I've not had this messy of an experience in a long time. I've got some cleaning to do.
• Tore the engine down close to studs. No measurements yet, but everything looks to be in fantastic shape. Mains and big end bearings look new. Crank is in fantastic shape. Cam journals are in great condition. Cam is in good condition. Cam followers are in great condition. This is all very great news!

Feb 19, 2008 - Disassembly (2.00 hours)

• Pulled the petcocks from the tank and drained the old gas. Petcocks were not clogged (although the inside of the tank certainly needs to be coated).
• Pulled and disassembled the carbs. They'll need new kits, but they don't appear to have been clogged.
• Pulled the heads...they look terrific!
• Pulled the right cylinder and piston. It is Nikisil and looks brand new. It is in fantastic shape.
• Pulled the left cylinder and piston. The oil ring is broken. Appears one end may have gotten hung up during reassembly and snapped off. All the nikisil plating is gone from this cylinder. It appears to be easily re-platable. I certainly cannot run it the way it is.
• Drained the engine. Normally cold oil drains pretty slowly because it is so thick. But, this stuff shot clear past the center stand almost to the rear tire. It had been diluted with gasoline that had leaked past the petcocks. It made a nasty, stinky mess.

Feb 18, 2008 - Purchase and disassembly (3.00 hours)

The previous owner delivered the convert to me this afternoon. We did the deal, took a couple photos, and then I proceeded to begin disassembly. Overall, I am quite pleased with how well things came apart. There were no rusty, crusty, stuck bits and even the exhaust slid apart like a dream. Good stuff. I think the bike has sat outside for the last couple months here in Phoenix. But, it most certainly did not spend the last 11 years outside. It is in too good of condition for that to have been the case.

I discovered a couple of surprises along the way...(1) an extra Dyna ignition! and (2) the wiring to the Pacifico fairing only tapped into existing wires...leaving the original wiring and connectors intact!