The Guzzi 850 T5 Cafe Racer Project

[judgefargo]

Hello to all.
Pretty new to this forum but not to guzzis, for my father has been a hard rider of such bikes and have seen them in the family for practically all my life.
I finally got down to starting one of the projects I have always dreamed of, which is making my own guzzi.
I would like to share my experience with you all, and specially help out any people looking to do something similar, for I know this is pretty much trial and error, and learning from other peoples doings and mistakes.

Please be patient, I am not a mechanic or anything similar (am actually a graphic designer) so it's gonna be a long process with a rather low budget..

Hope you like it, feel free to ask any questions, I'll try to detail parts and adaptations if needed.

 

[judgefargo]

Anyway, here is the donor bike. Picked it up here in Spain where I live, only 1 owner, said engine was good as well as chassis, which was very important for me due to my lack of mechanic skills. Had 27.000kms on the clock, and believe it or not it is from 1985 (my year of birth!). Price was 2.730€ if curious.
Paid for it and got someone to bring it over to my town in Mallorca.





Yes she is one ugly beast I must admit, but I really like the square barrel engine, plus it had low miles, 1 owner, good nick and well, low price..

 

[judgefargo]

I had already been working on the bike for some weekends before creating this thread, but have not had the chance to upload any content, so will be doing so this weekend. I will try and elaborate on process and small details, for these are the most annoying ones I have figured out by now..

First step is pretty straight forward. Lightening the bike!



As mentioned, removing parts is pretty straight forward, just be patient and all will go well

 

[judgefargo]

These are a few examples of bikes I have used as inspiration, I presume most of you know them quite well.
My idea has shifted a little, but is still constant. I would really like to make a bike that is both classic and modern at the same time. So other inspirational elements you may recognize from the film Tron Legacy and the beautiful Ducati 1100S that appears on that.



'This is the famous KAFFEMASCHINE Mark 2 if not mistaken. It's my strongest inspirational pull, and I would like to create a modenrized version of this if capable..



Love the front end on this plus Rims, is something I am adapting as well. Sorry to say don't ave the same budget as this genius who is known by the name Moto Nero. I hope you like it.

 

[judgefargo]

I think this was the first part I bought. It's a monoposto seat of a V7. Got it second hand quite cheap. Needs adapting but am waiting for my tank to arrive, which is being made by the genius Mr. John from Thetankshop UK. Will probably be the most expensive part on the bike, but also the most iconic and the one that I really wanted. I chose a matt aluminium finish with aircraft filer. Will show you guys when it arrives.

I will be buying the locking mechanism for the v7 if I can find it, then it will be easy to remove the seat and access any electrical system etc..

Here some pics of the seat, as mentioned can't adapt it until I get the tank (will take at least another month).

 

[judgefargo]

Stripped the whole bike down, to the chassis and electrical/engine. Learning how the electrical system works and what every part does. A lot of reading I must say for my knowledge of electrical systems is not to wide.. One recommendation, label everything! I have used white tape and a permanent marker to make notes on all cables, trust me, there are plenty of them

Have read that some people rewire the whole bike, It is something I have considered, but not at this point.

 

[judgefargo]

In the end I made my mind and risked it, and bought a whole front end except wheel of a Suzuki GSXR. I read other people had adapted this set of forks for it has very similar geometry to the original ones, plus It's the look I wanted.



In these pictures I just put the forks on to see how it looks. I will explain in the next post the process and parts needed to properly mount the forks and the adaptations needed.

 

[judgefargo]

Adapting the Gixxer forks to the Tonti frame.

To be honest I thought this process would be much more complicated. I will not lie.. I did have a little help from my father for I could not seem to get the original yolk out. Nothing a good rubber hammer and a normal one wont do son..

Once the original yolk is out you will be able to measure the needed bearings. DO NOT make the same mistake as me and measure the bearings separately, for they are conic and have different measurements, so put them back together when measuring if needed.

The correct measurements for the bearings to adapt the GSXR forks onto the Tonti frame are as follows:
30x52x16mm

I bought the bearings from Pyramid Parts, reference:
1x Steering Head Bearings Kit 22-1013 BR11

The part I had to adapt was the original guzzi metal cap that covers the bearing, for the inner hole was smaller. I filed it out putting the Gixxer cap on top of it so I could give it the same shape and worked out fine.
Here a picture of the original yolks, you have to hammer pretty hard to get them out.



Feel free to ask any questions, I will try and post some more info later on when I have more time.

 

[Trout]

Nice work so far.

I used to love doing this sort of thing many years ago but at present I don't have a shop or time & if I did I don't know that I would enjoy it as much as I did in the past.

Always good to know people are still doing this.

 

[judgefargo]

Thanks a lot mate, I understand you. I presume I enjoy it because my job doesn't involve exactly this. I am a designer, so all I want to see is how my ideas come to life, even though my tools are not to good. But time is my ally so am taking it easy.. To be honest bellow is a pic of my other bike! hehe, so am not exactly rideles..


Feel free to ask any questions, I will try and post some more info later on when I have more time.

Nice work so far.

I used to love doing this sort of thing many years ago but at present I don't have a shop or time & if I did I don't know that I would enjoy it as much as I did in the past.

Always good to know people are still doing this.

 

[judgefargo]

I have also been adapting the Gixxer controls, manual parts for now, will do electrics after.
I have managed to get the clutch from the guzzi to work with the Gixxer clutch leaver. I must tell you this is quite laborious, the cable nipple will fit with little filing, but the metal stopper on the end of the cable will take at least an hour to get it to fit into the adjustable hole that keeps the cable in position at the end of the clutch leaver.

Then to my amusement when I turned the throttle of the Gixxer, I realized one of the cables went up and the other one down! Being a newer bike the injection system works slightly different. So in the end I had to make an indentation in the throttle and pass the cable through on side of the throttle handle. Sorry I did not make pictures of this, feel free to ask for any questions if my explanation is not to good (I'm afraid English is not my first language).

Forgot to mention one thing, the cables from the Gixxer can also be used, all you have to do is buy some 6mm screw nipples and pass the original guzzi cables through the gixxer ones (taking the threaded part out of course).

Here some pics of the look of the bike with front end mounted, I also put the tank and seat on so it looked like a bike again...

 

[judgefargo]

And this is the last thing I have been doing at the moment, bought a headlight I sort of liked, just placed it over forks, haven't connected it or anything yet.
The one I really liked I just could not find anywhere. Wanted the one I have left in the picture beneath, which was done by an American company called Santiago Chopper (the bike I mean), sent them 2 emails see if they could sell or at least tell me what make/model it was.. and sorry to say it but got no reply which was pretty upsetting.. but I'm sure they have their
reasons.

In the photo you can also appreciate better the clutch cable adaptation. I also left the black rubber grommet for I thought it gave it a nice look. Remember my idea is to make a bit of a futuristic classic bike, so you may all not like it, but please don't be offended..

 

[aussiedave]

Hi, i enjoy watching your project. The T5 was an ugly duckling, so in need of new robes. i like your enthusiasm and lack of boundaries .
dave in australia ,

 

[abbienormal]

Looks like a fun project. Like Trout I used to play a lot like this but not anymore. It appears the bike had the original steering bearings in it which explains why they were a bit difficult to remove. I understand why you liked that other headlight. Shame they would not answer you. Keep at it. I like your choice of other ride also.

 

[judgefargo]

Thanks for the comments guys, most appreciated! I'm afraid I have not had time to do any more work on the bike, plus been waiting for some parts to arrive. Bought some Molex connectors from USA but they ended up being the wrong ones, plus couldn't find the correct crimping tool either. In the end I opted for a different model of connectors, think they call them waterproof/weather proof connectors. Still haven't arrived so am a bit stuck at the moment.

I will stick to tracking down the rims and how to mount them for now. It seems like the hub from a super tenere will work and fit the gixxer forks. Will try to post some more info as soon as I get a chance to play around on the bike.

Hope you are all good, enjoy the summer and ride safe!

 

[johnno]

Hi the T5 as a sweet 850 engine which is real good for road riding . I like what your doing and look forward to your progress

 

[judgefargo]

Hi the T5 as a sweet 850 engine which is real good for road riding . I like what your doing and look forward to your progress

To be honest sole reason I bought it was for the engine, contrary to my fathers beliefs I love the square barrel as opposed to the round one which he swears on (he has had a Lemans 1 and a few others.. die hard guzzi rider). It's an aesthetic project and a mix between my design impulses and budget.

Thanks for all the support, off to Madrid this weekend to see the lady, so no progress either this weekend, sorry guys...

 

[judgefargo]

Got some spare time and had a few parts delivered so went ahead and started placing the footrests. Really I was looking for the Tarozzi ones in the same colour and shape but have had some trouble finding them, plus the astronomical price they cost have been putting me off (250€ plush shipping). These on the other hand you will find on ebay from a British seller for roughly 80€ which I thought was rather good for they are a nice quality and look great in my eyes at least.

Here some photos so you can see what they look like. Will have to adapt the controls to them for the mechanism on the old T5 system is quite different, or at least on the gear change side.

 

[judgefargo]

Can't really appreciate it but also managed to adapt the Gixxer accelerator controls to the guzzi carbs. Will not know if it has worked until I get the electrical system running for can't start the bike in its current state.

It's a bit of a nightmare the electrical system to be honest and am a little lost. In the end I decided to upgrade the fuse box for the blade type fuses, for the other system seemed a little dated.

I have been contemplating trashing the whole electrical system and doing my own, but with my reduced electrical knowledge I'm not quite up to the task.

Another thought on my mind is to upgrade to an electrical ignition system (Dynatek III), first to improve the bike performance and secondly to get rid of those awful chunky coils. Will see what happens. The connectors I bought aren't the best quality I have seen so am a little disappointed, I have learned a lot regarding Crimping tools and how to use them that's for sure!

Well guys that is all for this week. I will be receiving my tank shortly Mr. John Williams from Thetankshop has informed me, seems like it is almost finished. I may try to put back the electrical system so I can start the bike for now. Also been looking for the front wheel hub to start making the wheel. Taking its time for they are quite hard to come by at a reasonable price..

I wish you all a good week, ride safe!

 

[kampe]

Beautiful project. I would recommend you to use a newer ignition system. Better reliability and combustion.
I'm looking forward to your posts and foto's