
Originally Posted by
angelo
Well I got one (Sport 1100) because I saw one new many years ago but it was too expensive and well, a bit nuts really - I had a Honda Blackbird at the time - still there was something about this red ballistic tractor called a Guzzi that I liked, oh yes and it was italian and red and mean and grunty and shaped like a ...... well I could go on.
Anyhow some 13 years on I found one on ebay!!! Still £1500 is cheap enough for a bag of Guzzi bits except this wasnt a bag of bits but a good one with a couple of things to sort out. Like it had and upside down fork conversion (this early one had standard forks on production - carb model) - no crash damage etc - staright but with convereted forks - Showas -it looked good but I could not get my head around the handling. I have a 1300 Pan, and Africa Twin and an old 500 Triumph but this was not like any and it felt as though it was goimng to tuck on all the bends - the faster you went the better it was but hey got to have some sense eh!
Anyhow a mate of mine tried it loved it and went out and bought a newer mint 1000 Sport Corsa - parked next to each other I noticed his was higher - well the front was by 40mm - oh yest the forks on mine were 40mm too short !!! it is as if you dropped the forks in the yolks by that much - oh I must be such a good rider !! ha ha
Then I tried his - sheer bliss, grunt and handling (Fuel injection helps, mine has 40mm Delortos builds arms like Garth to ride I tell you - those arent carb springs they are an exercise machime!!!)
So I went back to mine and pondered over the forks - how could I extend them etc. To cut a very long story short I ended up buying (from ebay) a set of Paoili Forks from a Laverda 750 - the right size (length) loads of adjustment and the Brembos etc fitted - the Yolks and spindle were a different matter so with a friendly machinist (£10) spindle sorted and then a cut and very well made plug weld the yolkes were sorted (thanks Hywel favour due)
Now I have a fully sorted Sport 1100 with some unusual forks - it hadles and looks great and the Showas I had before had a Carbon Ducati 996R Front mudguard which has fitted staright onto the new forks.
Next Job is a carb strip to see if I can sort out a bit more low down power - it is so highly geared and as it is the early one has staright cut gears and a twist throttlethat required more than one handful to open it right out.
I am now thinking that perhaps this is not the forum for this bike but hey I own and absolutely love my Africa Twin so perhaps you will accept my literary indulgence !!!
Cheers
Angelo
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