Sorted? Not Too Far Now…

Okay, so the last time I posted there was a problem with the Guzzi firing only on one cylinder.  Fuel was clearly coming through the carburettor as the flame in the exhaust and the rather loud misfire was testament to.  So a couple of days ago the left hand spark plug was pulled out and held against the engine with it being started to check on the strength of the spark which on inspection was considered very good.  So today the float bowl was taken off again to check that the float wasn’t set too low and running lean.  It was fine.  We changed the spark plugs over and checked their gaps too to find that one was way out…could this be the culprit?  Indeed it was as we are firing on both cylinders and the exhausts are hot on both sides whereas the left one was previously stone cold.  Sorted!

The next issue was the intermittent starter motor which was requiring a ‘tap’ with a screwdriver handle to ensure the solenoid engaged properly.  The starter motor can be seen below picked out in a lovely shade which will need re-painting…or replacing!

So the starter was taken off and the solenoid taken apart to inspect and clean the contacts which are the likely cause.

 

 

Once back together tapping on the solenoid casing was still required, however it then started to engage as it should without any tapping needed.  I am hoping that this situation continues and that a new starter is not needed…it could be that the contacts have bedded in slightly from their earlier cleaning.

Next up was a bit of fabrication and welding for the seat pan…none of which I have the skills to do, so these tasks were handled by my brother-in-law again who has done a smashing job as usual.  Now the seat pan will be secured in the middle and has an extension at the front that was welded on today that hooks under a lip at the rear of the tank.

  A piece of box section welded to the underneath of the seat pan raises the hook enough for the pan to be correctly seated…

…and temporarily fitted…

…along with the rear light and number plate mount which requires a little adjustment to centralise it.

The gear lever needed some adjustment as I had positioned it too high originally, but as these lovely rear sets have plenty of adjustment potential I am sure I can fine tune it as required.

And finally…away she goes!!!

So, what’s left then?  Well, some adjustment to the seat pan to centralise it better and in due course a lovely leather upholstered seat will take the place of a small square of race seat foam!  But for the purposes of the MOT the foam will suffice.  The bar end mirror needs milling down a tiny fraction to go inside the clip-on tube.  There is a problem with the front right brake calliper binding on so the front wheel is going to be coming out again to try and find the cause…then it will be MOT time, hopefully within the next couple of weeks or so.