Show us yer Tontis!

[80CX100]

18 hours ago, Chuck said:

 About the only mod is tubeless wheels via the marine adhesive trick.

I haven't gone down that road yet, I regret not going tubeless on the bikes right from the get go.

I know you love the Contis, are you running classic attacks or similar on that bike?

[Chuck]

5 hours ago, 80CX100 said:

I haven't gone down that road yet, I regret not going tubeless on the bikes right from the get go.

I know you love the Contis, are you running classic attacks or similar on that bike?

No, they're Shinkos. They are..uh.. ok for what I use this bike for in the plains of Indiana.

[Kane]

All of these bikes look great. My first real motorcycle was a ‘76 850T. I love my V11, but my old T was a fun and bomb-proof ride.

I do have a question about the Tonti frame platform: my understanding is that bikes from the the 70’s era LeMans and T’s up to the early 2000’s era California model dresser and cruiser style bikes are considered to be Tontis.

Did the frame geometry change for the different styles of Tontis? If you stripped a late 70’s LeMans down to a rolling chassis and did the same to a mid-2000’s California, how different would the frames and geometries be?

[Chuck]

They are quite similar. Early Tonti's are the same, as far as I know, up to the LeMans 3, which had a longer swing arm..from memory.. always dangerous with me. Then the steering neck was longer from the Cal 2, I think..swing arm length changed again,  maybe other changes like a wider swing arm on later models. As far as I know, though, the frame rails stayed consistent, so yes, the frames are similar.

Take all this with a grain of salt if you are planning on making an early LeMans out of a Tonti frame, though.. the information is out there with enough research.

[Kane]

There are a couple of 2000 era California models on the CL down here. It might be a cool project to do a stripped down / bobber Tonti cruiser. Anyone done this or have examples of this? I have thought a T3 project, probably a cafe type bike would be great, and I’ve seen many examples of this, but the Tonti family seems to range over many styles.

So the Tonti frame and the Spine frame were made concurrently? I thought it was a linear progression from Loop to Tonti to Spine to whatever came after.....

The Griso looks like something out of Aliens. Is the big silver exoskeleton tube the frame? The current V7’s look like Tonti bikes.

[docc]

I can say that, yes,  SpineFrames and Tonti were made concurrently. Spines were the sporty end and Tonti the cruisers (EV/ California and all those iterations) . . .

[footgoose]

3 hours ago, Kane said:

There are a couple of 2000 era California models on the CL down here. It might be a cool project to do a stripped down / bobber Tonti cruiser. Anyone done this or have examples of this? I have thought a T3 project, probably a cafe type bike would be great, and I’ve seen many examples of this, but the Tonti family seems to range over many styles.

So the Tonti frame and the Spine frame were made concurrently? I thought it was a linear progression from Loop to Tonti to Spine to whatever came after.....

The Griso looks like something out of Aliens. Is the big silver exoskeleton tube the frame? The current V7’s look like Tonti bikes.

I was stricken by the same curiosity. Here's an old thread from Wild Goose I think you'll like

https://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=46890.0

[Kane]

Thank you. I’m looking forward to checking it out. Just waiting for registration to view that site.

[Kane]

Finally got to check out the Wildguzzi Jackal thread. That bike looks great with the T3 style tank. I love that tank. So, would you say a Jackal is a California Lite?

[Chuck]

Nope, a Jackal is a California built to a price.   Single front disc, no integrated brakes, adjustable suspension, tubeless wheels, etc.

What it is.. is a blank canvas. A fine bike in it's own right.

[Kane]

Interesting. Btw, there are a couple of nice looking Californias in the L.A. CL.

[Chuck]

Here's the old Jack-All hack tractor.. Like I said, you can make a Jackal anything you want.

 

[Kane]

What a great looking bike. Love the “springer” front end! And the fairing, paint, etc.  I would love to see the side car side. Is this your bike, Chuck? 

[guzzigary]

That is a good looking unit.

I believe that’s an Earles type fork, popular with hacks for the adjustability of rake and trail.

[Chuck]

2 hours ago, Kane said:

What a great looking bike. Love the “springer” front end! And the fairing, paint, etc.  I would love to see the side car side. Is this your bike, Chuck? 

Thanks. The front end is a Unit. It is the first they made for a Jackal after some measurements travelling back and forth across the Atlantic. I built it for a trip on all of route 66 that I could research. I *knew* there was no way we could be out for 3-4 weeks with all of Dorcia's (ahem) stuff on two wheels. After that, it became our long distance rally rig for a couple of years.

I bought the Jack-All tractor at a wrecking yard with 600 miles on it. The car came from Pittsburg, and had been rear ended, but had nice stuff on it like a brake, and *electric lean* so the rig could be trimmed out to run straight on different cambered roads and cross winds. It was a successful rig, but while I can operate one, I'm just not a sidecarist.

I'll look and see if I can find a picture of the car.

Edit:

Ahh here's one with the top up so m'lady would be more comfortable in inclimate weather.