Guzzi 1100 custom build

[buzzer]

By popular demand I thought I would start a new thread on the build of my 2001 Guzzi California. I have had it a few months but only really started things in earnest last week... I had been doing some jobs in the background though before I got it on the hoist.

here is how it arrived.



how it looked naked!



I bought some FCRs to put on it, and decided I may used some bell mouths.. so I set about making some...

here is a video of how I made them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brYe3Hnpd1g

[Albie]

Like button pressed

[jerry]

lovely project ,got to get rid of the ugly tank ,, great bike but ugliest GUZZI ever

[buzzer]

Originally Posted by jerry

lovely project ,got to get rid of the ugly tank ,, great bike but ugliest GUZZI ever

yea, its not pretty is it!

One thing I hated about the bike was the side stand… Just how agricultural is that bracket! I know its a great functional design, but its SO ugly! so out come the angle grinder and it is no more! In the loft (or as my wife calls it the spares department!!) i had a side stand off a 1994 Honda CBR 600… it bolted straight on! Just need to adjust the angle a little when the ride height has been set. a job for much later on...

[crawsue]

It’s already on my homepage....!!!

[walkingpictures]

I'm in,good on ya Tony

[Christy]

An interesting project

Are you going to paint that orange too??

[buzzer]

Originally Posted by Christy

An interesting project

Are you going to paint that orange too??

yes! when I went to the paint supplier last time he said "don't tell me... 1/4 ltr of Orange base coat..." I said no, make it a ltr as I have a Guzzi tank to do soon

[Christy]

Originally Posted by buzzer

yes! when I went to the paint supplier last time he said "don't tell me... 1/4 ltr of Orange base coat..." I said no, make it a ltr as I have a Guzzi tank to do soon

I thought you would

Enjoying the build, keep the updates coming.

[Bitza]

While you in mind to get rid of the prop stand bracket, how about getting rid of the bottom rails altogether, you'll need a later alternator cover with the brackets to link up with the front down tubes, vast improvement was a common period race mode. Minus two lengths of scaffold pipe has to be a good idea right?

[buzzer]

Originally Posted by Bitza

While you in mind to get rid of the prop stand bracket, how about getting rid of the bottom rails altogether, you'll need a later alternator cover with the brackets to link up with the front down tubes, vast improvement was a common period race mode. Minus two lengths of scaffold pipe has to be a good idea right?

I did think about it, but its a rare and expensive component... and once I had chopped off all the brackets they looked much cleaner... but what sold keeping them was although I am going for the cafe racer look, it will have higher bars and importantly med foot rests as I cant do clip ons and rearsets these days

Up on the hoist for the first time… I have temporarily used a build stand that I have used for Ducati’s, but I will have to make a specific one as this one will impede making the exhaust fit on the bike. First job has been to make some inlet manifolds to fit the carbs… I wanted them angled upwards and inwards, and that took some working out to get the compound angle right! it ended up as 68.5 degrees. As the carb diameter is larger than the head inlet, I needed to use a tapered tube… To do this I turned up a tapered mandrel, and after annealing the alloy tube, I pressed it in with the vice, which expanded the tube by the required few mm. I then turned a grove to accept the lip inside the carb mounting blocks.

the next bit was actually quite difficult… I needed to make the hole on the flange a nice fit on the tube, but at an angle. I deliberately cut the 10mm plate quite large so I could get it mounted on the milling machine at the exact angle. I then bored the hole with an indexable boring head. If that milling machine looks old, it is! I did some work on it a few months ago and found a date… 1929!

Next job was to TIG weld the flanges on, drill the holes, and finally cut to shape. here is a video of how I made them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2EfrVdAiKo&t=18s

[buzzer]

yesterdays job was to mock up the exhaust... I had ordered some 2" mandrel bends and straight pipe as I wanted that chunky look, and for the pipe to fit straight into the silencer with no reducer. From a performance aspect, the large headers are probably not I deal... but I wont miss a few BHP! I also wanted that angled swept back look (old School!!) The bends are 135, 45 and 30 degrees. It should all polish nicely as its stainless steel. This bike will have more forward mounted foot rests, hence I could kick up the silencers earlier...

I find making exhaust systems quite therapeutic, although sometimes I could do with a third hand. My wife used to help, but since I burned the back of her hand with the hot end of the filler rod, all help has been withdrawn

[Albie]

You sir are so fast and super skilled.

[buzzer]

Next on the list is the new foot controls… I sat on the bike and decided where I wanted the foot pegs to be. This bike wont have rear-sets, I want to to be comfortable to ride! I then measured how long from the peg the brake and gear lever needed to be and set about designing some controls. It would have been easier to have had them water jet cut, but that’s a 3 hour round trip for me, and usually quite a wait, so I decided to mill them out instead. What has made a BIG difference to me is the acquisition of a band saw… Its great for cutting stuff like this out! I was so lucky to acquire it… my mate was throwing it out!

I made a couple of spigots to mount them on the frame which I will weld on. I have used a couple of Oilite bushes on the holes rather than run the alloy directly on the steel. the first spigot I made I realised I had counter bored it a bit too far and it would have been too weak… a case of measure twice cut once! I then bent them in the vice to get the correct crank angle to clear the exhaust.

[buzzer]

The finished results, apart from a good polish... As I am going to use a Ducati rear calliper, I have also used a Ducati Master cylinder, and also used the same leverage ratio for the pedal... here is a short video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Uw3wcT7-40