Any opinions

999Ric

999Ric

New member
I have been offerred "foc" a 1980 Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mark II by an old friend whom I hadn't seen for years and who I vaguely remember ran this bike years ago.

Its a "V" plate and hasn't been started for a loonngg time although kept garaged. As a winter or maybe two winters project is this generally considered a classic in any way and as such worth doing as a restoration Project.

It is Italian and a motorbike after all !!!!!!!!!
 
Take it quick Ricc as i know there's a couple of mates of mine that would snaffle it right away.
 
Snatch his hand off! If you have somewhere to keep it, you have a winter project there. Your mate must be rich or crackers!
 
Don't listen to Paul, buy it, keep it original and it will be worth a bob or two in the not too distant future. Brilliant bike (the first bike I ever sold at Baines Racing) :)
 
Yeah, lovely bike but the seat is hard! Keep the bike, change the seat if you can but the seat itself is a classic shape.....
 
As all above , The Guzzi mk11 is allready a classic imo , In its day it was the worlds fastest production V twin and one of the bikes that is right up there at the top of my wishlist .

I insist you contact your mate this instant before he changes his mind and tell him you will have it :)
 
Screwy I have now secured it however it is needing a lot of TLC however I can see the character and potential , even for its age its a classy looking bike which in 1980 must have been years ahead of itself.

I have had to defect to the Guzzi Club forum for assistance contacts and advice on spare parts dealers , copies of manuals , technical info etc
 
Good man :cool: If you get stuck with regards any machining/Fabricating just PM me , I,m a jobbing machinist by trade ;)
 
999Ric said:
Screwy I have now secured it however it is needing a lot of TLC however I can see the character and potential , even for its age its a classy looking bike which in 1980 must have been years ahead of itself.

I have had to defect to the Guzzi Club forum for assistance contacts and advice on spare parts dealers , copies of manuals , technical info etc
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They are gonna love you.....I'm a newbie and I have just been GIVEN this Mk2 Le Mans.....now can you..............:(
 
Take It Don't Ride It!

Unless you are 18 years old. Excruciating riding position but fantastic engine. MK1 was much more sought/valuable. But 750 S3 was responsible for my weak kneed reaction to Eytie machines. Size of a Japper 125 with eyewatering acceleration back in 1976..........
 
Good stuff
Keep the bike STANDARD!
It maybe not quite as pretty as a MKI but they still look cool.
Mechanically they are a better bet than a Ducati Bevel both in terms of durability and serviceability! ( Which just goes to show that I'm not too biased despite being a current owner of 4 bevels!)

They are also quite small height wise in comparison to a 900ss.
The engines can also be tuned to give a fair bit more power without throwing large sums of money or sacrificing reliability.

Now the bad news:

The linked brakes might not be to your taste ( or anyone's......) and as for separating the compression & rebound into different fork legs well.........

The electrics will be sh1t if no one has sorted them.
Argicultural gearbox & shaft drive.
Engine cylinders are pointing the wrong way giving rise to wierd torque reactions.
Engine designed to power ditch pumps military/ police trikes!


PS last bit is mostly true but down to jealousy that you've scored a freebie!
 
Engine cylinders are pointing the wrong way giving rise to wierd torque reactions.

Is that why they go round left hand bends easier than right hand bends then?
 
OOps, missed this while I was away. One of my favourite bikes and already prices are rising on them, well worth restoring to original condition and getting out riding it.

I'm jealous :D
 
One of my faves as well. Started looking at them a few years ago and saw a few nice ones (mk1) for about the £2000 mark. I thought it too much at the time! You live and learn etc. Saw one at Devils a few month back and it looked totally original and unrestored (and a bit tatty) but looked great and had a certain something that a restored bike can never have. Its how do you stop yourself from starting improving it? Before you know it you end up with a pile of bits! Speaking from personal experience here as nearly 20 years ago the core plug popped out of the block on my 1962 mk2 jag. By the time the core plugs arrived in the post the car was in a million pieces. A few weeks later the shell was minus its paint. Cars still not finished now 18 years and £15000 down the line. Wish I had sold it and bought a nice unmolested one.
 
MartinH said:
One of my faves as well. Started looking at them a few years ago and saw a few nice ones (mk1) for about the £2000 mark. I thought it too much at the time! You live and learn etc. Saw one at Devils a few month back and it looked totally original and unrestored (and a bit tatty) but looked great and had a certain something that a restored bike can never have. Its how do you stop yourself from starting improving it? Before you know it you end up with a pile of bits! Speaking from personal experience here as nearly 20 years ago the core plug popped out of the block on my 1962 mk2 jag. By the time the core plugs arrived in the post the car was in a million pieces. A few weeks later the shell was minus its paint. Cars still not finished now 18 years and £15000 down the line. Wish I had sold it and bought a nice unmolested one.
Click to expand...

That's because you're always snowed under with work :p
 
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