Paging Sweller - Le Mans

Well *almost*
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Moto-Guzzi-Le...ryZ43121QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I think it's kinda a nice, an everyday riding bike. Way nicer than a
Hardly 1200 or the like.
One would have to check the Covenance pretty closely mind.

'Hog

 

There's an owner comfortable with his sexuality...

I'd take issue with this though: "the triple Brembos are in standard
"linked" Guzzi fashion, and the Goodridge pipes can be altered to
standard in no time".

Unless 'no time' means completely re-piping and supplying two new master
cylinders. The front one can't cope with two P8 callipers and the rear
is too much for a single P8 even with the reducing valve in place.

Smells of failed project to me but something could be done with it.

 

Yeah for something a little over a grand. For nearly two or more? nope

What's with "with the timing gears fitted etc"

'Hog

 

Good point. I'd pay what the bid's at ATM tops (£1,050). Its not even
met reserve. Anything else is far too much as even for parts there's not
a lot on it.

It's considered de rigeur to change the Le Man and T3 timing chains for
gears. It's bollocks as they don't need them.

Chains with the auto adjusters are good, quiet and accurate. The cogs
don't wear and the chains last for 30-40K. They're not even a big deal
to change when they do go. It's easier with the engine out but can be
done in situ.

 

it do look rather tidy, though.

is there any point in unlinking the brakes? I always thought the Guzzi
linked brakes were vaguely sensible, unlike Honda's daft system.

well, yeah. but it doesn't look as though it needs a lot doing, to be fair.

 

They are definitely best left linked. As Sweller stated quite accurately,
it's a pain in the arse changing 2 perfectly good m/cyls for no real
benefit. You can squeal the ront just on the single front disc. Bloody good
are Brembo calipers on cast iron discs.

Yup.

JB

 

I looked at that, then searched ebay for a Lemon tank and seat.

 

....and clocks, bars, mudguards (both), sidepanels to begin with

I've just noticed the forks are round the wrong way as well...

 

Urgh. Horrible tank. Digital speedo? No thanks.

 

I rather liked it...

 

They *look* bent in the two sideways-on pictures.

"Trick of the light, mate." Probably, but there's still sommat odd
between the triple clamp and the wheel.

Regards,

Simonm.

 

wrong way? how so?

mind, I agree that the RHS fork looks bent in the side-on photo. the LHS
one doesn't, AFAICS.

definitely one to examine first, though.

 

Callipers would be ahead of the wheel as with my R100. Simple job to
turn it all around though!

'Hog

 

Actually, I'm probably wrong.

This is the ebay machine - other than the obvious trailing callipers you
can see the fork drain at the front of the slider:
http://i13.ebayimg.com/04/i/04/a5/03/bb_12_sb.JPG

Another Le Mans II has them the same
http://www.italomotos.de/guzzi_lemans2_gr.jpg

However, a MkI
http://www.cmelectronica.com.ar/Galerias/Fotos/1970/MotoGuzzi-LeMans-850-1
976.jpg

and my bike:
http://www.tallbloke.net/img/BoSM05/album/images/DSCF0033_jpg.jpg
Ignore the different callipers as they used to be P8s.
http://sweller.co.uk/sob/images/fot-guzzi.jpg

Also worth noting on the ebay bike the front two piece Le Man specific
discs are very worn (see ridge) and are made of unobtainium.

 

might be that some models have 'em behind the fork, some in front.
Mechanical engineering suggest to me that behind ought to be better, as the
brake reaction pushes the caliper towards the fork leg, rather than pulling
it away, which ought, other things being equal, to be stronger.

 

The calipers were ahead of the forks on all the T3s, changed to behind for
the T4 in 1980. Similarly, the LM1 had them in front, the LM2 had them
behind (1978).

I suspect this may have been achieved by turning the forks around.

 

Mass centralisation rings a bell. IIRC, having the calipers behind
the forks reduces the moment of inertia of the whole steering assembly
'cos of the steering stem offset.

 

Wonder how many Guzzi riders noticed the change though? Probably not quite
as many as the LM4 owners noticed the 'new'16" front wheel.

JB

 

It's nicely put together, but I think it looks gash. That fat tank
doesn't go with the slimmed dfown looks, nor the skimpy seat (which
would itsel be a genuine PITA after 10 minutes, I'm sure).

For two grand? No way.

 

I don't know about Guzzis, but I certainly noticed it on my
GT380M. I put a bikini fairing on it whose centre-of-pressure was possibly
ahead of the steering axis and which obviously added to the moment of
inertia of the steering system anyway. It then became prone to steering
wobbles so I swapped the forks and disk over (the wheel was already
drilled and tapped for dual disks) so the caliper was behind the fork.
Steering stability returned.

--
Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@[brunel.ac.uk|cern.ch] Room 40-1-B12, CERN
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