I repaired a Mk.1 Le Mans for a friend who had an "excursion" at a Knockhill production race. The machine was an ex Steve Wynne Sports Motorcycles team bike and it was a flyer with the full works 970 motor. Top end the 900SS had the edge but the torque coming out of the corners was of Massey Fergie proportions. Agricultural ? YES ! The gearbox internals had so much inertia that any hope of a quick change was nil, as the saying goes "Ye canna hurry a Murray" ( Murray Mints ad.). Wasn't the engine / gearbox originally intended for an Italienne army off road vehicle ?
You know your Massey Fergies Guillaume, are you a member of the Friends of Ferguson Club ? Does your FF30 have the dual action clutch to separate the forward drive from the P.T.O. ?
I'd always thought the engine was originally designed as a water pump and for all the agricultural jibes it did make a characterful motor. I had many jolly miles on a V50 and the Le Mans was my dream bike until led astray by the Darmah.
Aye Andy, the water pump engine was the Coventry Climax design which was eventually used for the Hillman Imp, road sweepers, generators etc. and that Guzzi V twin was as strong as strong could be.
Not a member of any Fergie Club, no. I use it around our property to mow and move wood (lumber ?) out of the woods. I initially restored a couple scythes (MF832) as I really wanted to use the hay, but it was too complicated, a little scary, and I would have needed to get fanning and balling tools. Not enough time to go the whole nine yard. No double clutch between forward drive and PTO on these, so you have to be careful when reaching the edges of the field. To avoid unwanted inertial forward movement, I added a free wheel (overrunning clutch?) between the big triple bladed mower and the PTO. Works a treat !
Several Guzzi sites on the internet say the V twin was developed as a 700 cc engine for a Govt competition for an Italian police bike, and also considered were a 600cc version for a ‘Carlos Fandango’ go faster Fiat 500 (the Guzzi engine would have probably doubled the power from the Fiats 21hp to over 40hp !) and a 750 version for a military 3 wheeler, although neither of these two versions made it to production. Nothing to support the engines origins as a ditch pump….although compared to other Italian bikes of the era, they certainly were towards the agricultural end of the spectrum, however, plenty of very high mileage ones still out and about!
Aye Mike, I ken why you sold your Pierre TerribleBlanche creation, the twa designer slots above the air inlets and atween the ghastly headlamps do nought but cause serious instability problems at high speed and freezes the fingers to boot ! Am I richt ? And Aye, I've must admit to having its bigger brother which the collie uses if he canna get to the tree in time.
And there was me thinking that it was the humid Scottish air that cause surface rust on discs from time to time when not in use..
I take it you are not a fan of early 749/999s. Did you not hear that these had had a resurgence and the cognoscenti are now lapping them up?
Not a TerribleBlanche fan at all. Met him at WDW1, 1997, when he ran a designer's workshop at the Misano circuit. I said that I didn't envy his task in designing a 916 replacement quoting the 916 was the revolution, your remit is with evolution. Suggested he read up on Porsche history when they abandoned the 365 / 911 lineage and produced the 924 - 944 - 928 replacements which almost bankrupted the company before seeing sense. Got him to sign one of his doodles and out plopped the 749 - 999 abortions. The 916 is primarily a race bike designed by an engineer with mods. for road homologation, its replacement a road bike modified for racing, therein lies the difference atween an Engineer and Designer although the "Bean Counters" always prefer the latter. As for the rise in popularity of the 749 - Nein Nen Nein series this is the result of daft money, (£156,000), being paid for the 750SS Roundcase Bevel which effectively drags up all the so called lesser models, right down to the TerribleBlanche iterations. If you mention Pierre and the SuperMono in the same breath then don't forget who was controlling his pencil hand, non other than Tamburini of Bimoto and CRC fame.
You seem to have expanded your fleet a bit since I last saw it a puckle years ago Francis. I canna mind sae mony tractors, I only saw the grey Fergie. An I'm sure there wisna the Arrow Super Sport either. I passed my test on ane.
At the risk of further prodding… If the 916 series was designed primarily as a race bike, not sure why it would have a heavy and structurally inefficient swinging arm. Notwithstanding any of the above - I very much like both the 916 series and **9 series and have no personal issues against any Ducati employees.
The race bike had a magnesium swinging arm of slightly different length to the road models and well braced internally. Excellent for endurance tyre changes but the engine / gearbox somewhat too fragile for the likes of the Bol.
View attachment 333198 View attachment 333199 Expanded indeed Derek, every now and then adopt a "road kill" diet with the savings eventually invested in yet another two wheeler. The '55 BSA C12 was traded for a Golden Arrow which then was swapped for a Ducati 200SS in'67 and been with the marque ever since. Come roond past if in the vicinity, ye ken far I bide.
I stopped at your place a couple of years ago when I going bye but the gate was locked and ye wirna in. I've become a bit disabled recently but intend to be back on the bikes by the summer so expect a visit at some point. When I was 14 that RE Crusader Sport was my dream bike, by the time I was 16 it was the Ducati 250 Mach 1. I never managed to own either of them.
At that age Derek those bikes were totally unobtainable for the likes of us, my first road legal bike in 1966 was a '55 BSA C12 bought for 25 bob, £1.25 in new money. A Postie from Manchester come up on holiday for a week but couldna face the ride home so I offered a £1 for it but he held out for the extra 5 bob for a few pints on the train hame. These last few years I've reverted to my time in the '60's with the C12 - Golden Arrow - 200SS, with the Conti GT and Mach 1 to experience fit I couldna afford back than, neither were disappointments and worth the wait. That Mach 1 aint so practical as I can balance on that kickstart till the coos come hame withoot it budging, same as the 200SS back in the day but I had the knack and age on side then, ye ken fit I mean !
