our classics - coupes moto légende · our classics while the rest of us have been feverishly...

CLASSIC BIKE (PRESSE D'ANGLETERRE) 01/05/2014

Surface approx. (cm²) : 1914

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Eléments de recherche : Presse étrangère

OUR CLASSICSWhile the rest of us have been feverishly ferreting away prepping our bikes, Pete Norman's Guzzi has

undergone serious gearbox reassignment surgery. Pay attention - we'll be asking questions later

A CONVERT TO AUTOPete's SuzziMatic replica has always looked the part Now it has the automatic transmission,- too

KRAJKA REPLICAMOTO GUZZI

Built as a CBproject in 2012,this is the job thatPete s beenbuilding up to

Buzzing with adrenaline after finishing atrack run at last year's Coupes \fctfoI egende, I was determined to complete thecomplex transplant that'd see my Guzzirace replica's hve-speed manual gearboxditched for a Krajka-like two-speed auto

Allowing myself plenty of time to gatherrare-as-hens'-dentures components, Iplanned to make the realisation of myhomage to Charles Krajka's innovativeGuzziMatic racer as smooth as the

silkmess promised in the 1970s'advertising literature for Mandeilo's much-maligned automatic Convert.

Fight months later, I watch as my 949ccLe Mans is. pushed into the Staffordshireworkshop of noted Guzzi fettler NigelBillingsley. I ike taking your offspring to atattoo parlour, there would be no turningback once the buz? of work commenced -work including new camshafts andfollowers, plus a Convert's timing chestwith interference-fit hydraulic pump, Sachstorque converter, dutch, gearbox, driveshaft and rear drive. Ditto fluid lines,reservoir and transmission fluid cooler.

The bike re-emerges after two days offrenzied mechanical artwork. Thetransformation is absolutely startling.

With the bike on the centrestand, I ticklethe carbs, disengage the dutch and prod

the beefy baritone into lite It settles to aneasy idle — and, with no neutral, releasingthe dutch sees the rear wheel start to spinslowly, minus the dnvcshaft-clunkingtypical of its manual brethren.

The first shakedown ride is like nothingI've experienced before... but I like it. ByKrajka's own admission, his creation was abrilliantly bonkers idea. "Before the raceeverybody except for Guzzi designer LinoTonti thought I was crazy," says Charles.

But he beat a brace of I averdas, sixBMWs and the piston-punctured Ducatisin the 1976 Le Mans 24-Hour race. Thebike ran in low gear except for a sub-40mph upshift onto the main straight. Itwas the hare-and-tortoise fable come true.

mnnth in 168Workshop time 2 days Money £600



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Tsr,n>With the engine supported on acentrestand, the rear wheel, bevel driveand swingarm are removed and theelectrics disconnected The battery trayis removed and the carbs are taken fromtheir manifolds "It's a clever systemonce you know the tricks, says Nigel,after gulping his first Earl Grey of the dayThe factory engine support takes the

weight and the frame is wheeled away"The lower rails are then removed, alongwith the centrestand. which stays boltedin place The crankcase breather, rockerfeed and returns, and the distributorremain on the engine and gearbox.

K N C I N K D I - :The front mounted alternator cover isremoved, and the Bosch rotor is easedfrom the crankshaft taper by the use of abasic extractor bolt Three bolts hold thestator on the timing chest cover, then it'stime for the gearbox removal. "There'ssome weight in it when combined - butonce the 'box is off, the engine is a lotmore manageable and I put it on mybench," says Nigel "The sump oil is thendrained, so the engine can be turnedupside down ready to deal with thecamshaft. That saves us taking theheads off to do the followers. Save timewherever you can."

Nigel whips off the rocker covers andremoves the rockers and pushrods Theoil pump and camshaft are driven byduplex chain, and the three pulleys mustbe removed as one to get the oldcamshaft out. Then Phil Joy's newly-ground Convert B 10 carn is fitted,together with the followers, using thelongest pair of needle nosed pliers I haveever seen "The old camshaft feelsstock," says Nigel Carn done, Nigelcleans the face of the new timing cover -with auto transmission ATP pump fitted- and makes sure the 6mm x 33mm hexdrive from the camshaft seats correctly.



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RAM'I - .S SIRockers and bushes go back in makingsure to ease the spring washers intoplace Then it s time to put the statorback in place While the manual timingcover is flat on top the auto s hydraulicpump housing and pressure relief valveare clear to see Brian Liversidge the guyI had bought the drive train from hadkindly primed and sealed the pump forme The suction from the reservoir tankgoes to the nearside flange (red cap inStep 3 photo above) and the feed to theconverter from the offside flange

Time for the new I 45kg flywheel and themounting of the torque converter Theflywheel is mounted on the shaft usingsix new high tensile bolts and Schnorrwashers The thin ring gear and pressedsteel torque converter mount on theflywheel with four bolts held in placewith lock tabs The converter itself isincredibly small considering it transfersSObhp Once mounted between flywheeland ring gear the converter lock tabs arefinger tightened ahead of the mostcrucial fitting step - alignment

STEP fi \ LK IN MKM"You ve got to get this right to preventagainst oil leaks explains Nigel "Youcan use a dial gauge index The fixingbolts are just slightly tight andeccentricity is reduced by slight taps "he continues Working slowly with a wellused set of feeler gauges he graduallyreduces the run out "There we go we vegot it down to under a thou - that s halfof what the manual recommends "Correctly installing the pressed steeltorque converter is crucial for assuredhigh mileage

GR A XD UNIFICATIONLike a man possessed Nigelconcentrates on lining up the gearboxonto the converter Rushing during thisstage of the operation risks ripping theoil seal hp Two dowels are fitted to alignthe gearbox with the crankcase Althoughhe is always up for another cup of EarlGrey I wait until unification issuccessfully completed before offering -I don't want to break his concentration

STIJ 'S HACK IX THE FR AMTNigel fits the new rocker vent lines to theAgostini breather which is fitted verticallyto help improve crankcase oil recovery(A trip to Spa last year was scuppered atthe last minute when I inadvertentlyclamped the other vent line too tightly )No sooner is the power unit back on theengine stand than Nigel has the lowerrails alongside and is heading to get theframe for the reverse wheelbarrow

A problem The Convert drive shaft has20 splines not 10 it isn t detachablefrom the universal joint and doesn t clearthe swingarm Turns out the swingarm isnot square to the carrier bearing I don tthink it was braced with bevel fitted andspindle spacer during welding says RoyOsborne who shares space in Nigel sshop "The problem comes when the weldstarts to cool down - it pulls it inwards"



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SURGERYNigel ditches the swmgarm, digs out a spare one and gets to work making a new notchwith hacksaw and angle grinder. He also turns a rear axle spindle spacer and bolts thebevel to the swmgarm. "Tig is great; so controllable," says Nigel, flicking down his faceshield. With the weld completed, the swmgarm is raced over to the Belfast sink, inwhich a spray nozzle takes the sting out of the steel, further reducing the risk ofwarping. Nigel sets a new carrier bearing in the swmgarm before giving the bareexternal surface two coats of paint, its curing helped along by a hairdryer

The Convert bevel box pinion is blessedwith nine teeth instead of the more usualseven, which benefits in two ways."Having more teeth makes a hugedifference in terms of smoothness,"explains Nigel, "and the extra teeth meanthis pinion will never wear out."

ii- TWKAKFNC AND TltlMMINCThe swmgarm goes back on the bike. The dnveshaft runs trueand the new axle spacer allows the spindle to slide through withease. The gear selecter mechanism is different on the auto tothe manual and the footrest linkages need a moment's thought."In the end, all I have to do is swap the two linkages and it fitsspot-on," says Nigel With the wheel mounted, Nigel mounts theATP reservoir and oil cooler The alternator and ignition wiring isreconnected and HT leads trimmed as the coils are nowmounted under the tank, the reservoir having taken their place.

Nigel's brother Adam helps out. The banjo unions are onlyloosely fitted until all the piping is sized. "The two hoses on topof the converter - one to the cooler and one from the pump -need about three or four crush washers underneath the banjo tostop the domed nut bottoming out when tightened,' warnsNigel "The parts diagram doesn't show that and you riskstripping the thread and having problems with leaks otherwise."It turns out that one of my pipes is just slightly too short, soAdam swiftly knocks up a longer version to replace it.



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i IE HOME STRAIGHTNo bolts here - Guzzi tanks cleverly hinge between two frontrubber bushes held down by a rubber strap. And once againthose enormous needle-nosed pliers prove invaluable - thistime for fitting the fuel tank hoses. With the uphill part of the jobnow over and on a downhill run to the finishing line, Nigel gets tostand back and enjoy the warmth of another tea while assessingthe results of his labours "Nice one We're almost there "

STEP li LOOK - XO MORE MANUAL SllIFTINC,!With the bike outside, Nigel gives it a final check over beforefilling the ATP reservoir Two bolts get the Valpolmi tail unit on.Two rubber-bushed dash hex bolts and two smaller bushed boltson the crankcase sides have the fairing back on A black fairing-lower bolts the Sprint Manufacturing fairing together for addedrigidity The horn is moved up to the steering head bracket, asits original position is replaced by the cooler And we're done...

WHAT'S ITLIKE? without a neutral its

only other use is theshift from low' to

>.:;,»c' for flying abovethe national limit.

At traffic lights, onefinger on the frontbrake holds it steadyat a throbbing900rpro. Increasingrevs slightly inakes the

drive's lifting trait.before slowly sinkingagain. There'snoticeable lag o-> \:tf«off from idle -why the literatu.tsuggests holding thebrakes, cranking thethrottle wide andletting the anchors gofora fast start. But.

potential of SOOOrpmand bent valves withsue5 -,. torquecor..-. bon holdsthe revs just under theSOQOrpin mark.

Once mobile.

vegiia tache actionand no heavy flywheel:- •-.;!.<;. Instead. • • ••

monotone boom frontthe pipes anesmooth speec = . . - •The only worry isengine braking -despite my lightenedflywheel. As DaveGuzzio/ogy Richardsonquipped, • -->•' ' 'ride a Ci.standard uywreoi <m ,\cliff and the flvwheei



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WHAT IS ATOROIECONVERTER?



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££,£.BEN MILLER RICK PARKINSON HUGO WILSON

1991 Honda NC301972 Laverda

750SF. 1951 ESABantam 125

1927 Rex Acme IT1949/56 Norvm1935 Norton Inter

and six more

1977 Monni 3%Sport and 500

Camel 1929 ArielModel B

MICKDUCKWORTH1958/70 Triton

6501959 Tri Greeves

1977 BMW R100S

BOB DIXON1971 Bultaco

Matador 1980Suzuki PE175 and abunch of Laverdas

GGKANE1976 Miller Honda

TL150 1965Gllera124

RUPERT PAULI960 Royal EnfieldMeteor M nor 500

1998 Ducatl900SS 1998Ducatl M600

MARK HOLMES1975 Triumph

Bonneville T140V

PETE NORMAN1976 Moto Guzzi LeMans (one standardone Krajka replica)

1979 Morint350 Sport

our classics - coupes moto légende · our classics while the rest of us have been feverishly...

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