Skylark Takes Flight. My Lodola 175. |
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Doug
Senior Member Joined: 25 Sep 2014 Location: North East UK Status: Offline Points: 246 |
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Posted: 23 Oct 2016 at 20:57 |
Around about April of this year I put a wanted ad on this forum for a project and I ended up with a 1957 Lodola 175. I've been quite busy with it over the last few months and although it's not quite finished and I'm sure it'll offend some purists I thought I'd post the results of my efforts. I managed to get most of the parts I needed from various suppliers on ebay and a couple of Italian Gumtree/CL equivalents. Thanks must also go to Jezguz for all his help in supplying bits and pieces. Pics are not the best quality but you'll get the general idea I'm sure. The bike was in bits when I bought it. But fortified by plenty of this. And using the latest in tool technology. I set to work. The frame, swinging arm, forks, wheel hubs and chainguard got a coat or two of Rustoleum "Hard Hat" red paint, all I can say is that I won't be using that again. Woo-Hoo USD forks. Roller tappets too. V Strom is my daily commuter. Bit of a size difference Sporti 1100 is for high days and holidays. Bit of a weight difference. Wheel rims were shot, they had cracks around the nipple holes and cracks on the outside edge of the rims. They were replaced with chromed steel rims. The oil tank, battery box and mudguards got Fiat Red Orange, the fuel tank got the same red but I put VW Alpine White panels on it with a gold pinstripe. This is more or less the stage it's at now although I have put some gold Moto Guzzi decals on the tank. Paint is a lot better than it appears on the pics. The carb was flooding very badly when I rebuilt it as unknown to me it had the wrong type of float needle in. So when it came to trying to start it I just turned the fuel taps on enough to get some fuel into the bowl then switched them off again so it wouldn't flood. So it was ignition on, full choke and kick away. It gave a bit of a cough and fart on the first kick and the bloody thing started on the second. Here's a link to a youtube vid I did on start up. To finish, I need to sort out the spacer arrangement on the rear wheel as the brake drum is catching slightly and it needs a speedo cable and some of the fasteners need tidying up. There's lots of odd metric sizes M7, M9 and M11 in both fine and normal pitch so I've had to make some studs and nuts and bolts. Other than that it'll not be long before it's on the road. |
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Tarquin
Senior Member Joined: 30 May 2014 Location: Durham Status: Offline Points: 3274 |
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Great job. Well done and thanks for a good write up.
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California 111,California 1100i,Suzuki FZ50, Yamaha YB100, NSU Quickly,
“Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” |
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Jerry atric
Senior Member Joined: 24 Nov 2014 Location: Wiltshire Status: Offline Points: 3367 |
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Looks great to me
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Oldrat
Senior Member Joined: 31 May 2014 Location: Harrow Status: Offline Points: 1659 |
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Nice one Doug, a good job there.
Thanks for taking the trouble to document it. |
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1976 "Zagato" Gootsi cafe racer
BMW GSA |
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kateguy
Senior Member Joined: 24 Nov 2014 Location: uk Status: Offline Points: 984 |
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Enjoyed this...thought when I saw the flywheel painted you mite be runnin the bike without the cover which is what I do with mine....plus a bicycle clip !
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Moto Guzzi Club GB.....
850 LE MANS...1 & 2....V7 Loop Frame..V7 Sport replica...Guzzi Daytona...Ducati 900ss Bevel not belt.....Laverda 3C ....and an MZ... |
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iceni
Senior Member Joined: 16 Sep 2014 Location: Colchester Status: Offline Points: 2480 |
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I thought same as Kate. The external / exposed flywheel adds a certain novelty to the machine, even if it's supposed to be covered.
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italianmotor
Senior Member Joined: 14 May 2014 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 2101 |
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Having sold the 175 project to Doug in the first place, I'm really impressed to see what he's has done with it, and so quickly too. It was a motley collection of bits but what it did have going for it from the off was that it was the core fo a 175 with correct and matched frame and motor, and it had both a dating letter and NOVA for it to be easily registered.
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Guzzi lover doing my own thing: http://www.italianmotormagazine.com
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johnno
Senior Member Joined: 19 Jul 2014 Location: loughborough uk Status: Offline Points: 5582 |
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nice work , that's a good cross section of bikes
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1100 sport corsa , Yam R1, guzzi 650tt rider
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Jerry atric
Senior Member Joined: 24 Nov 2014 Location: Wiltshire Status: Offline Points: 3367 |
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Whats the story with the spanners, Doug? most intriguing.
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Doug
Senior Member Joined: 25 Sep 2014 Location: North East UK Status: Offline Points: 246 |
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Thanks for the positive comments, can't wait to get it on the road, neither can my neighbour who's watched me getting frustrated and listened to me swearing for the last few months.
The spanners have different uses Jerry, the double ended one is for metric or imperial nuts, or sometimes used for right or left hand threads, the one with the hammer end is for straightening bent nails. Or maybe not. |
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Brian UK
Moderator Group Joined: 13 May 2014 Location: Surrey Status: Offline Points: 17641 |
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I thought the double ended one was for left and right hand threads.
The other one, just a plain Brummie's screwdriver. |
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Brian.
Better 5 minutes late in this world than years early in the next. |
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Jezguz
Senior Member Joined: 23 Mar 2015 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 117 |
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Looks good Doug, I must get my finger out and get my pile of bits into a similar state
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