My bike's gorgeous, but a Frankenstein of year models

[d1jezek]

Looked like a Cafe Sport or Ballabio, but hunting for parts reveals that her VIN is from a Nero Corsa and her front end is two years older.  Maybe her tail section is not original either.  What is she?

[czakky]

i've never seen such nice looking black lafranconi mufflers. My right is almost back to aluminum while my left is half purple.

[PDoz]

I can only think of two reasons why marzochis would live on a nero

 

1 is the frame still straight after the crash?

 

2 it's a Postumi di sbornia ?

 

Ps love the grey pork chops!

[d1jezek]

Nothing has ever felt wonky or out of line. I'm not even sure there ever was a crash. It's just my going theory about the odd VIN. Everything looks like it could just as easily started as a standard LeMans and then it got a new front end. Could have just been a style choice.

[docc]

It does look exactly like a 2004 LeMans except for the faring.

 

The VIN have been so dubious on Moto Guzzi that I wonder how anyone could declare it a Corsa form the numbers. Even down to a "black" Corsa and not red? Probably not as much of a Frankenbike as you would have first thought.

[d1jezek]

There wasn't a long run of Nero Corsas so maybe this LeMans was just mixed in somehow. And there's still the possibility that the fairing and it's two year old bracket system were just parts Guzzi was using up.

[docc]

Is there no way to know where it was originally sold? Or even registered? Like a "CarFax . .  ."

[d1jezek]

I think there's a motorcycle version of carfax. I'm trying to decide if I'm curious enough to pay for the information.

[docc]

It's a fine looking "Sport" no matter how you slice it!

[d1jezek]

yes! I thought she was perfect. that's why my goal is to just return her appaearance to just the way she looks here after I scuffed some parts up.  the fairing was the biggest puzzle.  that paint scheme seems to be rare and the mounting system isn't what you'll find in the diagrams for the 04 models.  But if the original owner just liked the sport fairing better and switched it out, maybe it was easier or cheaper to do with the 02 parts.  nothing else on the bike seems unusual for a standard LeMans.  the black forks, grey pork chops and cylinder heads and the red/black paint scheme all seem the same as the half faired LeMans, and I don't see any special parts like a Nero corsa would have.  On the thread where i originally posted about this, someone gave a breakdown of VINs by the first 6 characters.  Mine starts ZGUKTC and the letter C is the one that might mean something about the specific variant of V11. 

[dangerous]

Looked like a Cafe Sport or Ballabio, but hunting for parts reveals that her VIN is from a Nero Corsa and her front end is two years older.  Maybe her tail section is not original either.  What is she?

Cafe and Ball have bars not clipons, lemans have orange indercators... puzling do the pork chops and rocker covers look like they have been repainted?

A beter side on pic might help. the fairing on a cafe or ball sit forward of the bike were a earler small faired 11 sits more snug and IMO beter... Im thinking a Lemans (not corsa) with a different fairing, 2nd choice a mongrell LOL

[d1jezek]

She's got clip-ons and clear lenses on the signal lights.  Really everything on the bike looked fresh when i got her.  that plus the fact that I don't see any of the upgrades that were on any of the other models makes me think there's just some error with the VIN and that what i have is a LeMans which has been outfitted with a sport fairing and that could have been a style choice on the part of the original owner.  or maybe he busted up the front and these parts were easy to obtain instead of the original fairing.  she didn't have many miles on her so maybe whover made the changes just decided that one accident was enough and had someone slap the new bits on and then sold her off.  The mirrors are Rizoma, the hand levers are CRG and the cylinder guards were interesting aluminum jobs with cutouts, but i couldn't find those so i'm switching those for the simpler looking kind.  if this had been a Nero Corsa i can't figure why someone would change out the red porkchops and cylinder heads, plus change the tank and tail section.  there's no way ALL of that was damaged so it seems more likely that none of it was and that most of the bike really is stock except for some minor accessorizing.

[dangerous]

wouldent be the 1st time MG through a bargin bin spesial togeather... does the fairing sit forward of the forks or tucked back in? looks in to me telling me its a older frame or front end, does it look like the holding bolts have been moved ie damage by tools, cant see mine from here but if it was a LeMans I would think the old fairing mounts would be obvious. 

[d1jezek]

i can't get the picture in this thread but i'd say my fairing is the closer fitting variant.  from the side, you can't see any instuments or the headlight mount.  looks about like your second pic.  the bolts look good.  one of the screws holding the screen onto the fairing was crossed up a little but nothing about it looked badly installed.  up until needing to find parts i've always assumed it was just some kind of Sport or Ballabio model.  i'm glad the fairing mounts the way it does. that has a cleaner look than the one with extra room between it and the bars.

[dangerous]

RIGHTOOOOooooooooooo... court is in sesion, here is my beliefs

 

its a 2003 Lemans, less the fairing swaped for a early scura style painted to match the later scuraR and the indercator lenses have been swaped for clear ones (hey I swaped mine for smoked.

 

NB the blue adjuster knob on the rear shock, that matchs the forks so Im thinking the front end is stock there fore not a Ohlins equiped Corsa.