Cheers Guys ! I hope to go see it this weekend, and will keep you posted. Could you send me that link too - might spur me on !
I live in Todmorden Dave, give me a shout and pop over for a brew whilst your this way. I'd imagine you'd pass pretty close in your way from Selby.
Hi Guys, the dashboard/cockpit panels look to be a fairly poor fit on the Blue Elefant, is that a worry or are they all like that ??
no - you are right, there is some past trauma there as the front panel fixings are not symetrical. Also I hadn't looked in detail until today but the surface corrosion around handlebars showing on one dashboard shot does look a bit advanced. Definitely needs a visit before bidding.
Cheers Chris, tt is with me at the mo, and I have bid a little higher, but nowhere near the £1100 he wants !! I might give him a bell tonight to set up a viewing. I have gradually developed the £1400 max rule, that includes the purchase price, and a rough guess as to the level of spend to get it through an MOT, so belts, battery, pads, tyres and fluids. In addition the bike has got too light a small spark deep within, which this one is not doing just now. This lack of spark serves to lower the £1400. On the plus side, do I understand that they will stand a bit of light off-roading ? I have a few green lanes around me and fancy a slide about !
hard to call what a correct price is these days Dave but my gut reaction is that £1.4 is way too much with no MOT/time of year plus the general corrosion that might be around. To give you an idea a squeaky clean low mileage 900 went for around £1600 in London last summer after hanging around for a month. They had it on for £1350 'Buyitnow' before that without interest (wish i'd seen it). If you are happy to go that high then I would consider the 900 that's on at the moment :- Cagiva Elefant 900 very rare 1994 with Ducati 900 V twin engine | eBay. This is his second attempt (with no interest) so he might play ball at some time and take a lower offer maybe. (shame about the colour (personally!)).
I am looking for a winter project rather than a road ready bike. I tinker-on and listen to R4 in my wall to wall carperted garage, while HID watches Egg Heads etc ! I rather favour the £1 per cc method of calculating the worth of a dodgy non-runner; although the £1400 rule is also brought to bear. Are they OK for some light off roading ??
Update Guys _ went to see the bike on saturday, genuine guy and genuine bike. The oddly matched dash panels are a photo thing, they looked fine in the flesh. Well the auction has now finished, and I am the proud owner of ( what will be ) a very nice 750 Elefant for a mere £750 !! I feel quite guilty really !! Perhap we could have a Cagiva Section of the Forum ??
Well done Dave, At that price a bargain. mine was £250 less but is going to cost me twice as much to rebuild i bet. I collected mine on friday and rode it 300 miles home. Clutch pressure went on the M4 so i had to limp it home. 2 sheets of A4 jobs to do. No doubt i'd not get my money back when its done but i want to make it my own. Defo need a elefant page on here. The google group is good with some fantastic knowledge but not as nice a layout as a web page.
CHeers Matt, mine is coming home in a van on Wed evening. Not sure what to do, I guess it would be sensible to change the belts and oils, free off the brakes, new battery etc and do a few miles before I strip it down. Trouble with that is I will end up riding it all winter, and it is supposed to be a winter project !! I cant see a Haynes for it, so I will get the equivilant Ducati one, be nice to have a harness drawing though. Keep in touch !
This is great news Dave - we can't help but build up a Tech section on here now. I hope Mahout and Pat1098 pick this up - they both have late 750 like 'ours'. There isn't a Haynes so carb 750SS from same period is useful (as you guessed) plus here :- Cagiva Elefant 750 1994 - Download service / repair / owner / maintenance manuals, motorcycle tutorials, microfiche
yes it is - have a new decal set all ready for a respray - around £18 on Ebay. I like yours in met blue just as much though. EDIT you are right to change oil as judging by surface rust internals could be an issue. I can't remember, did he say 3 years standing? You could drain existing oil and have a careful study of it (leave filter) then fill with cheapy oil just to warm up until nice and hot and then drain that (I then use it for oil cans etc!) before new filter and 'propah' oil - as for which type (groan) you probably already know it's a massive subject.. you have a wet clutch (i'm sure you know) so a 'semi' for motorcycle use only as car ones contain additional friction modifiers which could lead to early clutch slip. Belts :- again, pop off covers (front one could be a pain depending on how oil cooler pipe is run) and carefully study for wear or perishing or if it seems to have taken a 'set' where it has wrapped around pulley(s) also back face will give you a clue as to mileage (is manufacturer writing etc still there/partially rubbed off?) or alternatively can give a clue if any tensioner bearings are binding - give them all a swivel - chances are some will need replacing - it's the one piece, small diameter one that's expensive the larger dia twin bearings are easily obtainable and quite cheap. If in any doubt then obviously put a new pair of belts on as you can't beat the piece of mind that this brings but as long as they aren't badly worn/shredded/loose then they will be ok to run it up for the oil change (while inspecting as they revolve)
Many Thanks for the pointers Chris, I will post photos, and keep a running commentary going in this thread - until we get an Elefant Section anyway ! ( hint hint !) Do you use MdinItalia for your spares, or Italsport in Bury ??
I haven't used either yet but have heard of people using Italsport. Last service bits I got were front and rear discs off Ebay. Don't be surprised if low fuel light doesn't work (btw don't let it go to reserve as it's been standing - rust not a problem but water) it has a really naff/afterthought design where wires disappear into bottom of fuelcock body and stuck with silicone. The unit usually works fine but the wires break. Also don't be tempted to remove either fuelcock bodies for whatever reason as this often scraps the tank as threaded inserts can turn or leak.
Well the strip down and securing of parts for mine continues. Have a set of original clocks on their way but have just spotted the trail tech digital dashes. Speedo works just like a bicycle one with a magnet and pickup thus negating the weak cable. The clocks I've managed to find don't have the warning lights where the vapor dash has an add on for those. At £130 for pretty much all I'm after in a nice looking package I think I'm going to have to go for one.
My met. blue e750 is making progress - the plastics are in good shape, all washed and out of harms way in the spare bedroom. I am working my way through the carbs, brakes and electrics, although every one of those cheap dome head screws puts up a fight. I have ordered a Anakee 2 for the rear to match the front, so should be OK for a little mild off-roading, the rims look very nice polished up. Cant contact Italsport though, and www.ital.net does not seem to exist, no email address either. Have not yet decided wether to remove the engine to tart it up, seems a lot of work for a bit of shiney !!
