1979 V1000 G5...anyone know anything about them?

[WitchCityBallabio]

I think this is where I'm going with mine. This isn't a round head, but you get the idea. I've already sourced most of the parts I'm gonna need. Just have to find someone to build a seat like this. I'd like to find a more upswept exhaust than what I'm seeing available too. Perhaps custom.

[waspp]

I think this is where I'm going with mine. This isn't a round head, but you get the idea. I've already sourced most of the parts I'm gonna need. Just have to find someone to build a seat like this. I'd like to find a more upswept exhaust than what I'm seeing available too. Perhaps custom.

 

 

Hey Doug there's a guy in Mass with a custom Guzzi chopper that can make some really uspwept exhaust! :lol:

 

Hal

[WitchCityBallabio]

Yeah, and made of copper no less!!!

[WitchCityBallabio]

Okay, here's a wierd question. On the G5 my calipers are mounted in front of the fork. As I am going to upgrade to modern Brembo gold calipers and updated rotors, I would like them to be positioned behind the fork for aesthetics. Is it acceptable and/or possible to just put the left fork on the right and vice versa to achieve this? I notice on that years SP the rotors are behind the forks yet the forks appear to be the same or similar.

 

Thanks,

 

Doug

[Baldini]

Okay, here's a wierd question. On the G5 my calipers are mounted in front of the fork. As I am going to upgrade to modern Brembo gold calipers and updated rotors, I would like them to be positioned behind the fork for aesthetics. Is it acceptable and/or possible to just put the left fork on the right and vice versa to achieve this? I notice on that years SP the rotors are behind the forks yet the forks appear to be the same or similar.

 

Thanks,

 

Doug

 

Doug,

 

As I recall you can just turn the forks round to move calipers to rear, no problems. Obviously mudguard mounts will switch to front, but I guess you'll be using a different guard anyhow?

 

How you going to mount the modern Brembo calipers? They have different centres - on old ones, mounts are spaced further apart? Adaptor plate? I'm interested in doing same myself.

 

Cheers,

 

Keith

[WitchCityBallabio]

I downloaded the SP and G5 manual last night and after looking at it, it does indeed look like you can flip sides no problem. The SP actually uses the forks in that configuration and the G5 in the other. Specs on the forks are identical.

 

Guzzitech has the adapter to allow fitting the Brembo golds in place of the old style. If you look at that picture I posted of that dark "roadster", you can actually see those plates.

 

Todd and Ed at Guzzitech also tipped me off to these new style rotors that are a direct bolt on. Pricey, but pretty.

 

Rotors

 

When I say upswept pipes, I mean similar to those on that picture. Short and angled up. Most of the pipes I have found lay flat along the frame. The pipes on this silver Cafe' are really what I would like to get, but I can't find them anywhere.

[Skeeve]

Well I went ahead and bought the G5. I got what I think is a great deal on it. 700 bucks. It's been sitting for a few years and needs some serious restoration, paint, polish etc, but I think it will be a good platform for a Cafe'. From what I can tell by quickly going over it, it needs the forks rebuilt, the calipers rebuilt, the carbs rebuilt, etc, etc. This will become the wife's bike when done. I'll post pics during the progress. The bike previously had a gigantic fairing, a king/queen saddle and a ridiculous back rest/rack. The guy I got it from thankfully stripped it all off. Here's a pic of it without the seat, headlight bucket etc. At any rate, I'm gonna be busy this winter....

 

You'll want to use the long-overlap cam from a V7 Sport on it, since they both have small-valve heads. In Tonti We Trust!

[Skeeve]

Hi all,

 

I've just be given an old Mille for free, that had been left unused for some years from a relative.

I'm not a great fan of the mille looks and am going to also make it into a cafe racer project.

Have stripped it down, took the heads and barrels off and they are in great condition, as new, the bike has only 24000 miles on the clock, though two of the cam followers has slight pitting on the surface; cams are fine.

Have scoured the internet for images of guzzi cafe racers which has given me some ideas.

Does anyone know any good forums that specialize more on tonti frame projects, or any suggestions on converting a mille and things to look out for that might be unique to this model.

cheers

 

Suggestion: since the Mille GT (iirc) is the same-same in all details as the 1000S except for cosmetics, and the 1000S is the ne plus ultra of factory homages to their own watershed model [v750S], why not convert it to a 1000S? Cool factory cafe look, easy fitment of parts [i'm not talking about finding them, just attaching them once found! ] and btw, congrats on the free bike!

 

[Skeeve]

Skeeve, the Mille GT and 1000S have slightly different engines. The Mille has smaller valves and smaller carbs, ~30 mm, whereas the early big-valve 1000S ('91) has 40 mm carbs and larger valves and higher compression like the Le Mans. In '93 the 1000S got the "world" engine, which I believe had mid-sized valves like the 1000SP and 36 mm carbs. Either way, the difference in output between the Mille GT and big-valve 1000S is probably 20 HP or so.

 

Thanks for the correction; my understanding was that the Mille GT and the later mid-valve 1000S were pretty much identical except for obvious cosmetic differences like tank, paint, instruments, etc. I know that the early big-valve 1000S had (of course) bigger valves than the Mille GT, but nevertheless, I think that as a starting point for a "cafe project" like the OP desired, the Mille -> 1000S conversion would be the best option.

 

It was only a suggestion, but then I'm hopelessly fond of the 1000S, remembering seeing an ad for it back in '90? or '91? & thinking "Ahh, if only..." At the time I hadn't ridden a bike on the street in half a dozen years or more, and it would be another year or more before I horse-traded into a running bike & got back into riding via a '79 Yamaha XS Eleven [former "V.P. for life" of the XSives, & I've got the patch to prove it! ]

 

Ride on!

[pete roper]

If your G5 has wire wheels when you swap the fork legs you'll also have to turn the wheel round and mount the tyre the other way. The bearing on the side away from the one that the spindle goes in from is retained by a circlip and the bearings aren't exactly symetrical with the centreline of the bike. If you simply swap the legs, (Or just the sliders.) you'll find the wheel will pull up against one of the legs.

 

pete

[Guest kjh]

Suggestion: since the Mille GT (iirc) is the same-same in all details as the 1000S except for cosmetics, and the 1000S is the ne plus ultra of factory homages to their own watershed model [v750S], why not convert it to a 1000S? Cool factory cafe look, easy fitment of parts [i'm not talking about finding them, just attaching them once found! ] and btw, congrats on the free bike!

 

Skeeve thanks for the info about the 1000s, pity the engine is a bit down on power compared to the 1000s, but I can live with that.

The silver cafe racer above sure looks nice.

[WitchCityBallabio]

If your G5 has wire wheels when you swap the fork legs you'll also have to turn the wheel round and mount the tyre the other way. The bearing on the side away from the one that the spindle goes in from is retained by a circlip and the bearings aren't exactly symetrical with the centreline of the bike. If you simply swap the legs, (Or just the sliders.) you'll find the wheel will pull up against one of the legs.

 

pete

 

 

Thanks for that tip Pete. I'm sure I would have been scratching my head over that one.

 

Doug