Despite having been released from doing DIY there has sadly not been a lot of progress with Rhino. So no pics this time.
I did go to the Stafford Classic Bike Show but didn’t buy much there. I got a secondhand later Bosch pre-engaged starter motor from Pete at Reboot Guzzi Spares. This will replace the original V7Sport type which was renowned for damaging the engine ring gear. It has worn the teeth on Rhino but not too badly.
I had a sneaky suspicion that I didn’t use the correct high tensile 10.9 bolts to attach the massive flywheel to the crankshaft when I rebuilt the engine a few years back. So I separated gearbox from engine and found this to be the case. I don’t want that 6 Kilo lump (flywheel, ring gear and clutch) to come adrift at 6000+ RPM beneath me so I’ll change them. I also saw that the splines on the clutch centre are beyond their best. I’d known this before but had decided to leave it due to lack of funds. However, I think I’ll change this now. Can’t say money’s no object but things are better than they were back then.
I have completed the mammoth task of going through everything, making a list of parts needed, work to be put out (chroming and the like) and searching the net for stuff. Most of the parts I need are available somewhere but, of course, at a price. Ordering has begun.
Today I dropped off the tank and tool boxes to be painted. They will be candy burgundy/dark cherry over a silver base. This, I have established, is how the original finish was achieved. It is unlikely that the colour will be a faithful reproduction of the original but it should be close. I haven’t been able to find a bike with the same finish in the UK. The colour was peculiar to V7Sports sent to the States. Other Guzzi models, although burgundy, were not the same. I’ve seen plenty of photos of original and refinished bikes and they all seem to be different. An issue is that the candy finish paint can appear to be anything between burgundy and light red depending on lighting conditions. I’ve been given two “exact” matches from restorers in the US which are very different!
In other news, I changed the rear tyre on the S3. I hadn’t done anything more meaty than a push bike tyre till now. All achieved without blood being spilled and very little cussing.
The Racing Rhino 