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[simon]

ducked into an excellent local Indian take away for a samosa or two the other day and spotted for the first time a lawn mower shop across the road. A customer in the shop said "is that your old Ducati mate? I've got to sell a little Moto Guzzi that's sitting in my shed for the last few years". So I walk round the corner and there is a lovely little 1981 Monza V50. It's been sitting for at least fifteen years but I'm hooked. Twenty minutes later I'm home explaining to the wife that my $4.40 lunch cost a couple of grand and a bit more. Very little sympathy to my obvious dilemma but what the hell its ticking over like a watch already with just a carb clean and a new battery. Happy days!

[PeteF]

Pictures, we need pictures!☺

[simon]

As found

[simon]

[simon]

At home.

[Scalyback]

That looks like a win !

Neat!

[Chris Tindal]

Nice find Simon, I used to lust after a V50 Monza when I was 17, ended up with a CX500 instead!

[simon]

It's in remarkably good order for a machine that hasn't been run for 15 years. Wasn't seized, engine or clutch. Replaced all the oils engine, gearbox and crown wheel, air and oil filters and the only thing I have to do is re kit all the brakes as the seals are US. They were working just until I tried to replace the fluid and then they all packed up. It goes like a charm and with a new set of tyres and re compliancing (the old rego has expired) it will be ready for the road. I have a feeling it was imported from the USA as it has the ridiculous 80 mph speedo rather than the 240 kmph one that it would have come with had it been an original NZ import. It's only got 14,000 miles on the clock and from the complete lack of wear in the carbs I think it might be telling the truth.

[simon]

Quick update. Long weekend for Queens Birthday (nothing to do with HRH's actual birthday but humour us we are colonials) spent most of it attempting to sort the linked brakes. Turns out the master cylinder has the exact same piston as the Ducati front brake so I was able to re kit the foot brake master cylinder as I had a spare kit in the shed. I then took it for a ride down the motorway about twenty miles all up. Interesting bike, not really much livelier off the mark than the 350 Bullet but with much longer legs. It weighs about the same as the Bullet and if it weren't for the fact that it hasn't had reg or WOF (tax and MOT) since 2000 I'd have gone a lot further. Because it has been unregistered for so long it has to have the full compliancing treatment and it will be a week or possibly two until I have it road legal. Certainly nothing like the big block Guzzis I've ridden but not without charm.

[Gwilly]

I sit here in awe of a man who can get an impulse purchase past the wife and still be attached to his dangly bits..

Not too sure about performance as i read should produce about 45bhp and cover a standing 1/4mile in 15 secs..

Either something slightly adrift here or your enfield is a wolf in sheep's clothing..

Great to hear about it though, not the slightest bit jealous, not at all.... No really... sniff..