I live in London, bikes much bigger than 550cc more hassle than they are worth. In fact, I was quite happy with my nearly new MZ 250. Not so happy when someone nicked it! I knew the insurance company would eventually pay out a pittance so started looking around for something a bit worn around the edges but basically sound. Guzzi V50's don't have much of a reputation on the used market so it was with some reluctance that I took the Tube over to Islington.
The borough was gradually working its way up to middle-class status but the back alley I ended up in was definitely blue-collar. The owner a beer swilling yob whose first words were: no offers, boy! I looked around to see who he was talking to but eventually worked out it was me. The bike was in a large garden shed and didn't look half bad in the muted light that filtered through the grime covered windows. With much muttering of obscenities, the owner agreed to push the bike out into the daylight.
This aged the V50 by about five years! An early model with 14000 miles on the clock. Undoubtedly false, as a few seconds under power revealed that the shaft's universal joint was, er, shafted! The yob ranted and raved, reckoned it was all in my imagination. I said, bye, bye; suddenly I was a hero, a god to be worshipped... how about 250 notes, said he (instead of the 600 demanded in the advert!). I said 200 quid was about right and after some more obscenities and scowls the bike was mine.
The five mile push home was very educational. No less than three bored cops stopped me and enquired as to where I was coming from and whence I was destined. They found my answers hilarious, patted me on the head and bid me on my way. Less amusing, a council estate I took a short cut through - the youths shook their fists at me as if I was trespassing on private land - not something to do in the night!
Home was reached, the V50 dumped in the front room workshop and I repaired to the nearest pub to recover and rejoice in a bargain found! Guzzi's are fairly simple to work on if you're into the largest available hammer ethos. Took about half an hour to get the swinging arm and shaft off. The cast rear wheel had loads of tiny cracks in it! There are a couple of breakers who specialise in Guzzi's and I soon had a pile of used parts, less than a hundred quid. A half day's work had the back end reassembled.
The first ride was quite amusing. I was expecting a bit of blood and guts from the 50hp 90 degree vee twin but ended up with a lot of engine noise, a trumpeting exhaust note and acceleration that wasn't any heavier than my MZ's. I adjusted the valves and balanced the carbs (turned out to be a 750 mile chore), gave an immediate improvement - much faster accelerating and a lot quieter.
By modern standards the Guzzi's quite narrow despite having its cylinders stuck out in the air but by MZ standards it's rather wide, needed some mental adjustment. Still, my knees were well protected by the bulk of the engine which gave a strange reassurance in the dense, mad London traffic. It isn't a heavy bike at about 360lbs but it doesn't turn with the ease of a 250, needs quite a bit of muscle to hustle and the steering lock isn't exactly generous. There's a point reached in slow speed manoeuvres when the front wheel seems to tuck in and it's dead easy to tip the bike right over! Don't ask how I know.
I could live with such limitations, rather more frightening were the brakes. Much modified, so Guzzi diehards please don't have a heart attack. A single front and rear disc, not linked as per the Guzzi norm. The problem with the front was that it shook the forks, lurching the bike towards the pavement. The V50 had an unhealthy appetite for pedestrians! I soon learnt to compensate for this trait with a bit of muscle on the bars.
The back brake basically didn't want to work, down to crud in the calipers, though as it was a shaftie there seemed no excuse or cause for such insubordination. Whacking the throttle shut caused the back wheel to patter in an alarming manner, some odd vibrations thrumming through the whole chassis. Repeated abuse would doubtless shred the universal joint in short order! Gradual backing off of the throttle wasn't a problem, though, so it was possible to slow down without wrecking the machine!
The gearbox was designed to confuse thieves, unless a firm and skilled boot was employed it gave every impression of having a plenitude of false neutrals. The clunk-clicking wasn't up to the standards of older Beemers (as in, was that the back wheel falling out of the swinging arm or a gear engaging?) but certainly sorted the real motorcyclists from the scooter graduates.
None of this really mattered, used as I was to vagaries of old hacks, the little Guzzi could be hurled through the traffic at anywhere between 20 and 90mph. Below 20mph the driveline did a good impression of self-destructing and above 90mph the engine put out such a mechanical clatter that I felt sure it was going to blow up in a big way. The theoretical top speed's about 105mph but I never tried for it, preferring longevity over highway kicks. Boring old sod, I know!
The first accident wasn't a long time coming. I had the choice of running down a cyclist or swerving into the side of a car! Yes, I know, you would have done the push-bike, especially as he'd jumped a red light, but I'm not into maiming people, even if they are morons! By the time the Ford Fiasco driver realised he had a Guzzi implanted in the side of his car, said cyclist was nowhere to be seen and I was obviously totally incompetent. Oh dear. Thank God for insurance, as the cage looked a write-off! The Guzzi had some more dents added to its outline and needed a few kicks to straighten the ancillaries out. Quite tough, I was shaking from the cager's threats and verbal bashing!
I gave the V50 a good blast, tried to recover my nerve. Almost had another accident when some guy in a white car opened his door! Stood the Guzzi on its head, the back wheel screaming away, flashes of the UJ's exploding running through my mind. Snap, my mind suddenly focused on the guy who'd climbed out of the car, leapt about a yard in the air, and then put a pointy hat on his head. A bloody cop! He pulled me over (there wasn't any way around him!), did a vehicle and document check, annoyed when he couldn't find anything to do me for. I denied vehemently doing 70mph between the lines of traffic and as he hadn't seen me before I nearly ran him down he obviously couldn't claim otherwise!
One of those days. Parking up at work, the bike fell off its stand and tried to crush me to the ground but I leapt out of its path. Did more damage to the sun fried tarmac than the bike. Ready for home, the Guzzi didn't want to start, almost flattened the battery until I sussed one of the HT leads had come loose. After all the day's abuse something had to give and I was thankful that it was only minor.
The Guzzi was turning in 65mpg despite being abused. I checked this every which way but couldn't find any fault in my calculations. The MZ used to do 40mpg at similar speeds so I had an immediate and significant saving in running costs. Makes some modern bikes look very silly! Oil needed every week but not a huge amount. No chain to worry about but then the UJ's have a not dissimilar longevity to a high quality O-ring chain!
After sorting out all the minor problems and getting used to its ways, I was becoming quite attached to the bike! Hard to believe but it had just enough vee twin character to make it interesting. I even became used to the soggy suspension that, by all accounts, wasn't even firm when new let alone a couple of decades down the road. The relative lack of mass meant the bike never went totally out of control but it would snap the bars in my hands quite viciously when ploughing through pot-holes and over large bumps. After a little time, all this looseness faded into the background and I was able to ride along at a fairly relentless pace - compared to an MZ, anyway.
Not fast enough for some cager. Yes, the dreaded Volvo hearse owner! I was cantering along the motorway slow lane at 80mph, cheerfully contented with my lot. When said cage cut in front of me, obviously annoyed that the bike was sitting in the centre of the lane rather than right over to the left. I had to viciously brake and swerve - left the chassis feeling like it was falling apart. The debacle wasn't helped by the mirrors blurring into uselessness above 70mph, though the general vibration level was minimal. It takes an Italian to so ill-match the ancillaries that they don't work on what's by most definitions a smooth motorcycle!
After all the initial traumas, the bike and I settled into an easy embrace, have got 17,400 miles out of her with hardly any other problems. Now, the UJ's are making funny noises, the top end's rattly and there's heavy corrosion taking the paint off. New suspension and brakes are on the cards. Shove it in the nearest skip or canal? Naw, I'll go a few rounds with the breakers and recreate the Guzzi. I like the bike too much to dump it! Nothing as queer as folk, as my grandpa (Velo riding nutter) used to say!
Geoff Barling
The borough was gradually working its way up to middle-class status but the back alley I ended up in was definitely blue-collar. The owner a beer swilling yob whose first words were: no offers, boy! I looked around to see who he was talking to but eventually worked out it was me. The bike was in a large garden shed and didn't look half bad in the muted light that filtered through the grime covered windows. With much muttering of obscenities, the owner agreed to push the bike out into the daylight.
This aged the V50 by about five years! An early model with 14000 miles on the clock. Undoubtedly false, as a few seconds under power revealed that the shaft's universal joint was, er, shafted! The yob ranted and raved, reckoned it was all in my imagination. I said, bye, bye; suddenly I was a hero, a god to be worshipped... how about 250 notes, said he (instead of the 600 demanded in the advert!). I said 200 quid was about right and after some more obscenities and scowls the bike was mine.
The five mile push home was very educational. No less than three bored cops stopped me and enquired as to where I was coming from and whence I was destined. They found my answers hilarious, patted me on the head and bid me on my way. Less amusing, a council estate I took a short cut through - the youths shook their fists at me as if I was trespassing on private land - not something to do in the night!
Home was reached, the V50 dumped in the front room workshop and I repaired to the nearest pub to recover and rejoice in a bargain found! Guzzi's are fairly simple to work on if you're into the largest available hammer ethos. Took about half an hour to get the swinging arm and shaft off. The cast rear wheel had loads of tiny cracks in it! There are a couple of breakers who specialise in Guzzi's and I soon had a pile of used parts, less than a hundred quid. A half day's work had the back end reassembled.
The first ride was quite amusing. I was expecting a bit of blood and guts from the 50hp 90 degree vee twin but ended up with a lot of engine noise, a trumpeting exhaust note and acceleration that wasn't any heavier than my MZ's. I adjusted the valves and balanced the carbs (turned out to be a 750 mile chore), gave an immediate improvement - much faster accelerating and a lot quieter.
By modern standards the Guzzi's quite narrow despite having its cylinders stuck out in the air but by MZ standards it's rather wide, needed some mental adjustment. Still, my knees were well protected by the bulk of the engine which gave a strange reassurance in the dense, mad London traffic. It isn't a heavy bike at about 360lbs but it doesn't turn with the ease of a 250, needs quite a bit of muscle to hustle and the steering lock isn't exactly generous. There's a point reached in slow speed manoeuvres when the front wheel seems to tuck in and it's dead easy to tip the bike right over! Don't ask how I know.
I could live with such limitations, rather more frightening were the brakes. Much modified, so Guzzi diehards please don't have a heart attack. A single front and rear disc, not linked as per the Guzzi norm. The problem with the front was that it shook the forks, lurching the bike towards the pavement. The V50 had an unhealthy appetite for pedestrians! I soon learnt to compensate for this trait with a bit of muscle on the bars.
The back brake basically didn't want to work, down to crud in the calipers, though as it was a shaftie there seemed no excuse or cause for such insubordination. Whacking the throttle shut caused the back wheel to patter in an alarming manner, some odd vibrations thrumming through the whole chassis. Repeated abuse would doubtless shred the universal joint in short order! Gradual backing off of the throttle wasn't a problem, though, so it was possible to slow down without wrecking the machine!
The gearbox was designed to confuse thieves, unless a firm and skilled boot was employed it gave every impression of having a plenitude of false neutrals. The clunk-clicking wasn't up to the standards of older Beemers (as in, was that the back wheel falling out of the swinging arm or a gear engaging?) but certainly sorted the real motorcyclists from the scooter graduates.
None of this really mattered, used as I was to vagaries of old hacks, the little Guzzi could be hurled through the traffic at anywhere between 20 and 90mph. Below 20mph the driveline did a good impression of self-destructing and above 90mph the engine put out such a mechanical clatter that I felt sure it was going to blow up in a big way. The theoretical top speed's about 105mph but I never tried for it, preferring longevity over highway kicks. Boring old sod, I know!
The first accident wasn't a long time coming. I had the choice of running down a cyclist or swerving into the side of a car! Yes, I know, you would have done the push-bike, especially as he'd jumped a red light, but I'm not into maiming people, even if they are morons! By the time the Ford Fiasco driver realised he had a Guzzi implanted in the side of his car, said cyclist was nowhere to be seen and I was obviously totally incompetent. Oh dear. Thank God for insurance, as the cage looked a write-off! The Guzzi had some more dents added to its outline and needed a few kicks to straighten the ancillaries out. Quite tough, I was shaking from the cager's threats and verbal bashing!
I gave the V50 a good blast, tried to recover my nerve. Almost had another accident when some guy in a white car opened his door! Stood the Guzzi on its head, the back wheel screaming away, flashes of the UJ's exploding running through my mind. Snap, my mind suddenly focused on the guy who'd climbed out of the car, leapt about a yard in the air, and then put a pointy hat on his head. A bloody cop! He pulled me over (there wasn't any way around him!), did a vehicle and document check, annoyed when he couldn't find anything to do me for. I denied vehemently doing 70mph between the lines of traffic and as he hadn't seen me before I nearly ran him down he obviously couldn't claim otherwise!
One of those days. Parking up at work, the bike fell off its stand and tried to crush me to the ground but I leapt out of its path. Did more damage to the sun fried tarmac than the bike. Ready for home, the Guzzi didn't want to start, almost flattened the battery until I sussed one of the HT leads had come loose. After all the day's abuse something had to give and I was thankful that it was only minor.
The Guzzi was turning in 65mpg despite being abused. I checked this every which way but couldn't find any fault in my calculations. The MZ used to do 40mpg at similar speeds so I had an immediate and significant saving in running costs. Makes some modern bikes look very silly! Oil needed every week but not a huge amount. No chain to worry about but then the UJ's have a not dissimilar longevity to a high quality O-ring chain!
After sorting out all the minor problems and getting used to its ways, I was becoming quite attached to the bike! Hard to believe but it had just enough vee twin character to make it interesting. I even became used to the soggy suspension that, by all accounts, wasn't even firm when new let alone a couple of decades down the road. The relative lack of mass meant the bike never went totally out of control but it would snap the bars in my hands quite viciously when ploughing through pot-holes and over large bumps. After a little time, all this looseness faded into the background and I was able to ride along at a fairly relentless pace - compared to an MZ, anyway.
Not fast enough for some cager. Yes, the dreaded Volvo hearse owner! I was cantering along the motorway slow lane at 80mph, cheerfully contented with my lot. When said cage cut in front of me, obviously annoyed that the bike was sitting in the centre of the lane rather than right over to the left. I had to viciously brake and swerve - left the chassis feeling like it was falling apart. The debacle wasn't helped by the mirrors blurring into uselessness above 70mph, though the general vibration level was minimal. It takes an Italian to so ill-match the ancillaries that they don't work on what's by most definitions a smooth motorcycle!
After all the initial traumas, the bike and I settled into an easy embrace, have got 17,400 miles out of her with hardly any other problems. Now, the UJ's are making funny noises, the top end's rattly and there's heavy corrosion taking the paint off. New suspension and brakes are on the cards. Shove it in the nearest skip or canal? Naw, I'll go a few rounds with the breakers and recreate the Guzzi. I like the bike too much to dump it! Nothing as queer as folk, as my grandpa (Velo riding nutter) used to say!
Geoff Barling