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Author Archives: admin

1975 Moto Guzzi 850T stripped for action

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Lands End Trial 2012 – glory postponed, again

Or … ‘In praise of the good people of Barbrook, Devon.’ What are these? They are the end of my Lands End Trial, that’s what they are. At some hard-to-determine time between 3am and 6am on Saturday multiple punctures brought my LET 2012 to a complete halt with just two sections and two tests under … Continue reading »

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Mystery oil leak on Spada

Well, not such a mystery really. The original pipework feeding oil to the heads has called it a day. The perishing is obvious, but what you can’t see is that every hose joint is loose as well. Time for some lovely new braided hose.  

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Laverda 2TR – preparing for the Lands End Trial – Part 3

As a first time competitor in a long distance trial and a complete off-road novice, the one thing that baffled me beyond anything else (beyond single digit tyre pressures even!) was how the hell I was going to read (and manipulate) a route card that runs to 20 pages of A4 whilst nipping around the … Continue reading »

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1975 Moto Guzzi 850T arrives for restoration

Last summer we took delivery of this true moto simpatico. Our instructions were to revive, restore and upgrade – to prepare for future touring. Now that the rebuild has begun in earnest, it’s time to start to tell her remarkable story. She is a much-loved, well-travelled and very tired old girl. Bought new in Johannesburg … Continue reading »

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My dad.

This is a man happy to have put his side-valve days behind him. A demobbed War Department Norton 16H, repainted civilian silver in his mum’s Pimlico basement, had taken him courting. But now a Triumph Speed Twin would carry him and his new wife around London … and far beyond. Four sons still lie in … Continue reading »

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Cafe Le Mans

With the Spada Royale now ready for long distance duties, and the timely appearance last summer of a lightly-used aluminium tank, the fates had begun to tell me that it was time to crack on with my plans for a Le Mans II-based cafe racer. I bought my Le Mans about 15 years ago as … Continue reading »

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Gaffa tape – the universal palliative?

Well I still can’t say for sure that it would be any help with, for example, a headache. But even I, Gaffa tape’s most enthusiastic promoter, have been startled by recent developments in its application for medical purposes. A friend of mine, a gifted craftsman in iron, copper and wood, is notorious for inflicting self-harm … Continue reading »

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Sad news about summer wasps (Vespas)

Given how wet it was last summer, we saw quite a few wasps here in 2011. It started with Vespa Bianco (VB); a lovely white GTS300 Super, in for an oil and filter change.   Then its stable-mate, Vespa Nero (VN), an equally well-loved GT200, arrived for a full service and a bit of a … Continue reading »

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Of brake light switches and MOTs

With the Laverda mechanicals all sorted out I turned to the electrics, anticipating what would surely be an easy MOT. The horn had by-now given up the ghost, but that was no big deal. Simple pattern replacement sourced for a tenner; beautiful original stored for future diagnostics. New old stock CEV headlamp with lovely fresh … Continue reading »

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