70s bike tries to spit off rider

I think it was a one off and due to some fairly hefty mileage, all year
round abuse.

Not any more.

I've got an old pair of non-piggybacks I refurbished ages ago but haven't
any oil in, now I can't remember how much and what weight they need.

 

If you're thinking of 1970s Marzocchis you may as well hardtail the bike...

 

My company owns Koni. I think everyone should buy Koni. Lots of
them.

 

Good man.

 

Next time you ask for a dream interpretation I won't warn you of the
impending crash like I did last time.

 

You mean the red ones?
http://www.ducatimeccanica.com/marzocchi1.html
They were brilliant, unless you had one of those nasty, flexible,
Japanese bikes.

 

ITYM "especially".

 

I had a set of factory shocks go like that - under the dinky little
rubber cover for the adjuster, the corrosion was eating away at the
alloy. Just snapped off one day.

 

Maxtons are the current front runners but short term finances may dictate
IKON.

I've scored a set of good, tested, OE shocks from Steve Wesson to use as
a stop gap. How I can ride round them will determine the urgency with
which they're replaced.

I shall take this forced hiatus as an opportunity to fit the two-stage
air assisted fork internals and a new clutch plain plate.

 

ITYM "especially".[/QUOTE]

I never got to find out if reserve reservoir Paiolis were crap or not,
as my Z750 was nicked before I'd ridden it with them on it.

 

Not really, when the damage report came back from bike techniques, for
the crash with a GPO van the week before the 83 TT, it pointed out
that the frame was bent. (which is presumably why it handled a little
oddly on Mad Sunday)

Insurance coughed 950 for a bike I'd paid a grand for a year
previously.

 

Shows how much you know then.

As the PB writer put it a few years ago:

"These bikes handle pretty well even by modern standards"

They are a bit heavier than a modern sports bike, but that make no
difference to the 'sensitivity' of the handling, just the damping and
spring rates.

The rigidity of the frame, the quality of the swinging arm bearings, and
the nicely poised steering angles combine with a solidity which provides a
reassuring and useable ride in a variety of road conditions which would
unsettle lighter track orientated bikes.

I think you should have said:

"not as twitchy as, say, a Jap sports bike would be."

 

tell me more.

 

I'd suggest you ride one in anger. They may not be as precise or razor
sharp as a modern bike but worn or sub standard suspension components
will show themselves very quickly and, IME, in a frightening manner.

 

Ben Blaney says...

Kahlua I'll stick with, but I'm only buying Koni if you decide to
reciprocate and buy Nitro helmets from now on. Fair's fair.

 

Wessons is getting out of Guzzi spares (he's not broken one for 6 years)
so is having a bit of a sale and I picked a new set of FAC (I think, but
can't remember as the packet isn't to hand) air assisted fork cartridges,
two piece dual rate springs and the other gubbins needed to fit to my
current sliders and stanchions.

Also got some other goodies...

 

Guzzi's OE forks had sealed cartridges - at least, my Spadas both had
them, IIRC.

They were utter crap.

I always thought that Guzzis handled well because they had a stiff
frame, very lazy geometry, and good weight distribution. Even with
shagged suspnesion, mine seemed to corner OK.

 

They're fine when they've got some damping but they would go off and had
a penchant for one of them leaking and being no use. Apparently many
would do this within minutes of leaving the showroom.

Of course the other one would work giving a reduced and unbalanced
effect. Add to that the oil damping the forks had anyway it felt like it
had /something/ but what it had was crap. In reality they needed
attention but would carry on in this state indefinitely.

You could buy aftermarket Marzocchi forks which were nothing special to
begin with and wore out all by themselves.

I'm fitting the later machines' much improved air assisted system.

With half decent suspension they can be made to corner better than OK.

 

It was downhill all the way from there - I used the money to buy the
worst Z650C2 in existence.

 

Haven't heard of FAC but they maybe Fonatana in another guise. I'll have to
give him a ring.