What did you do in your garage today..?

I have been working on my newly acquired Moto Guzzi V50ii.
It had sat in a basement for 30 years.
Picked it up two weeks ago and hope to have it back on the road shortly.
I want to take it to the VMCG Rally in Paris ON June 13-15
I have done the oil (engine, tranny & rear drive) and filter changes
To change the air filter you have to pull the mufflers to get the rear wheel off and then, and then, and!!!
Currently waiting on parts to rebuild the Brembo brakes.
The brake fluid had been drained and the seals where swollen.
The rear master cylinder would not even come apart.
Fork oil has been changed.
Put new gaskets and seals in the carbs.
Put enough gas in the carbs to start it up and check oil flow to the heads with valve covers off.

Moto Guzzi V50.jpg

The brake and shift levers where just chrome on steel so they are peeling and rusting like 60, and 70s Jap Crap.
I will strip the chrome with muratic acid and use my Caswell zinc Copy Cad setup to plate them.
They may not be chrome but will still shine.
The ultimate goal is to have it look like a well cared for 45 year old daily rider rather than a restoration.

Moto Guzzi V50-1.jpg

My ex girlfiend's V50
Quicksilver fairing, solo police saddle, Guzzi hard bags from my 850T and a fiberglass pacemaker trunk built by friends in Edmonton.

V50.jpg
 
I have been working on my newly acquired Moto Guzzi V50ii.
It had sat in a basement for 30 years.
Picked it up two weeks ago and hope to have it back on the road shortly.
I want to take it to the VMCG Rally in Paris ON June 13-15
I have done the oil (engine, tranny & rear drive) and filter changes
To change the air filter you have to pull the mufflers to get the rear wheel off and then, and then, and!!!
Currently waiting on parts to rebuild the Brembo brakes.
The brake fluid had been drained and the seals where swollen.
The rear master cylinder would not even come apart.
Fork oil has been changed.
Put new gaskets and seals in the carbs.
Put enough gas in the carbs to start it up and check oil flow to the heads with valve covers off.

View attachment 73169

The brake and shift levers where just chrome on steel so they are peeling and rusting like 60, and 70s Jap Crap.
I will strip the chrome with muratic acid and use my Caswell zinc Copy Cad setup to plate them.
They may not be chrome but will still shine.
The ultimate goal is to have it look like a well cared for 45 year old daily rider rather than a restoration.

View attachment 73170

My ex girlfiend's V50
Quicksilver fairing, solo police saddle, Guzzi hard bags from my 850T and a fiberglass pacemaker trunk built by friends in Edmonton.

View attachment 73171

The basis of one of my all-time favorite customs:


1743370374198.jpeg
 
WHY!!!
I prefer to ride my motorcycles, especialy around sharp corners.
The only custom I ever built was for a friend who wanted a bobber for going to Tim's.
I used a 1980s Honda CM400 because I knew the world would never mis it.
 
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Still trying to sort missing instrument cluster on the CB500F. Went to start it the day before and no info...bike runs fine, lights, signals etc ...no blown fuses so dealer drop off who wants to keep it a couple of days and of course the weather is nice ...sunny and staying under 30.
Bike is safe to ride using voice speedometer, turn signals work and show as do front and rear lights.
Tracking distance with Gmaps but will fill up often anyways.
Voice speedo kinda neat.
Phone overheats in tropical sun when under plastic and have not replaced my phone holder - was waiting on help with crossbar on bars...third party and no idea why the previous owner wanted it. :unsure:
Sorted the phone holder...air was a bit blue and was sweating majorily in 30c heat.
Screen Shot 2025-04-01 at Apr, 1    2025    4.33.58 AM.jpg

Going out to put the front seat back on after epoxying the rubber bumpers back on. Thought there was something up with the way the seat felt. They are nicely set in the tropical sun this morning.
Except one fell off the seat which was sitting on an angle was still tacky so put it back and got seat back on ....no guarantee they are still in place as had to wrestle a bit to get the seat screws seated and that actually may have been positive.

Big gain is getting my phone holder back - tight fit and awkward set up holding the ball joint in place. 20 minutes of wrestling - at least out of the sun and it caught - might be cross threaded...don't care its useable and can see the phone for nav and maybe a different Speedo app while dash is out.
I rarely use the phone in its mount but just now very useful.
This should work and it's free. Taking me back to Superhawk days - no fancy dash then.
1743381593654.png
 
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I found a box with two brand new oil filters for the Goldwing that came with it when I bought these.
Looks like the dragWing will start life with new oil and filter. FWIW the first dragWing lived it's life with me (over 50 passes I'm guessing) with whatever oil was in it when it was given to me. I can't actually even remember looking in the sight glass for that matter... but I might have.
 
WHY!!!
I prefer to ride my motorcycles, especialy around sharp corners.
The only custom I ever built was for a friend who wanted a bobber for going to Tim's.
I used a 1980s Honda CM400 because I knew the world would never mis it.

Why not? And why would you assume that just because it's customized it wouldn't handle well? It's not like he made it a chopper with ape hangers.
 
WHY!!!
I prefer to ride my motorcycles, especialy around sharp corners.

You mean sharp corners like this where the tires wear bald on the sides and the center is still good for our roads back home.
Splügen.jpg

San Gotthard.jpg
 

I can't cast any stones. I'll admit to mounting a tire backwards once when I was in a rush to get to a Burger night. I still rode on it (and got an earful), but it's not like it makes any difference in the dry at street legal speeds. But it is funny that with all the attention to detail on that build, they didn't notice it, or didn't care enough to fix it for the shot.
 
Maybe they deliberately put the tire on the wrong way to be "cool" and not follow the heard.
To me it looks like a drag bike.
 
I have been working on my newly acquired Moto Guzzi V50ii.
It had sat in a basement for 30 years.
Picked it up two weeks ago and hope to have it back on the road shortly.
I want to take it to the VMCG Rally in Paris ON June 13-15
I have done the oil (engine, tranny & rear drive) and filter changes
To change the air filter you have to pull the mufflers to get the rear wheel off and then, and then, and!!!
Currently waiting on parts to rebuild the Brembo brakes.
The brake fluid had been drained and the seals where swollen.
The rear master cylinder would not even come apart.
Fork oil has been changed.
Put new gaskets and seals in the carbs.
Put enough gas in the carbs to start it up and check oil flow to the heads with valve covers off.

View attachment 73169

The brake and shift levers where just chrome on steel so they are peeling and rusting like 60, and 70s Jap Crap.
I will strip the chrome with muratic acid and use my Caswell zinc Copy Cad setup to plate them.
They may not be chrome but will still shine.
The ultimate goal is to have it look like a well cared for 45 year old daily rider rather than a restoration.

View attachment 73170

My ex girlfiend's V50
Quicksilver fairing, solo police saddle, Guzzi hard bags from my 850T and a fiberglass pacemaker trunk built by friends in Edmonton.

View attachment 73171
Very cool restoration project, and a pretty rare model. Great find!

But as a life long Guzzi fan (though never an owner - yet) a Vetter fairing of any design seems a stylistic mismatch and perhaps outright heresy.

Just me and my preconceived notions.
 
Very cool restoration project, and a pretty rare model. Great find!

But as a life long Guzzi fan (though never an owner - yet) a Vetter fairing of any design seems a stylistic mismatch and perhaps outright heresy.

Just me and my preconceived notions.
Hey! it was the 80's
A lot of things we did then is frowned upon today.
As a touring bike it worked without drastically effecting handling.
It was nice to be able to ride with an open face helmet when crossing the Mohave Dessert at 124 degrees F.
Full coverage helmets did not have vents or flip up shields back then and where brain roasters.
 
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