Just got a new machine, looks to have a very early (1985) Alazzurra frame (same as a Pantah) and an Elefant 650 motor (rear cylinder head reversed, with intake at front). Zero history so am changing belts and fully recommissioning before using.
That's one of those, I'm not sure why but I quite like that, bikes. Looking forward to some more pics please
Just re-commissioning it - new (Exactfit) cambelts and lots of fettling required. This is old school styling - thin as a slice of salami. Skinny wheels and drum brakes. I love the way you can see down the throats of those big fat Dell'Orto carbs. Clip-ons, rear sets, all those Ace Cafe requirements! Frame number is (Cagiva) IN000013, engine DM650LE*6500131* which I think puts it as an early Cagiva rebadge in 1985 when they acquired Ducati. But the frame and engine seem to be a mismatch: Elefant engine in a Pantah frame??? Any info gratefully received!
Interesting custom special. Pantahs and Alazzuras never had drum brakes, or wire spoke wheels, or Contis, or handlebar controls like those in the photos which are from earlier periods. Also never had a reversed rear head, as fitted to later models. Looks nicely done, and blue frame has a 1972 Imola look.
There is an Italian sense to the build, in that the mechanicals are nicely done but the electrics are a total bodge. Electrical tape should be a controlled substance.....nothing that can't be fixed though. DVLA have it UK-registered in 1999 but built in 1985, and the UK insurance Database thinks it's a Cagiva Elefant plain and simple. And not a scrap of history came with it.
As with all project bikes, I am having the occasional "WTF!" moment. Here's a device that was encased in ancient gaffer tape and fixed to the frame with a cable tie. It does connect to the harness using a multi-way plug though. any thoughts as to what purpose it might serve? I am taking the electrics back to basics having first removed all tape and ties.
The wiring on this project is a total mess, so I am stripping it all out and starting from scratch. Question: there is only a single CDI unit (Bosch 1 217 280 034) - I thought you needed one of these for each coil? Confusingly, the parts list says you need 3... Can one CDI unit drive 2 coils? Can't see any resistors in the circuit either as shown on the parts list and circuit diagram. The coils are marked Tec MP06, so maybe they don't need the 0.9 ohm resistors? Back in the day, I had a Jota and the Bosch CDI system was a total pain, so I switched to Lucas. If I need to get another Bosch unit, I might switch to another ignition system if kits are available - any suggestions? Any advice gratefully received... I think I have just answered my own question: the "missing" CDI unit is per my posting above - that manky old device, that was wrapped in gaffer tape and cable-tied to the frame. So, yes, I need another Bosch unit, and yes, I would far prefer to switch to another ignition system!
It would be good to know about the 0.9 ohm resistors (or lack of them) between CDI unit and coils - were they only required for the Bosch coils and not for later ones like the Tec units I have?
Interesting special – just for ref, the frame is nothing like any of the Elefants and the engine is possibly an early Pantah due to the reversed head. No 650 Elefants were fitted with reversed head as std either but I know that some have spoken of converting later engines to this spec. I hope others can come along and add to this.
Frame looks like a Pantah to me... Very interesting ref the engine being an early Pantah 650. Engine number is DM650LE*6500131* if that throws any light on it. The reversed head would appear to be useful if fitting a twin-choke carb, but this one has Dell'Orto 38mm carbs. The frame rather gets in the way of the intake of the vertical cylinder carb and the exhaust line is convoluted to say the least.
