Simply: having fun – column

Sometimes I get to drive very nice, very expensive classics and call that 'work'. Then I sometimes think back, because as a Certified Old Man I also drove many of those things when they were worth 'nothing'. When I bought a Ducati 750 GT for 2.000 guilders, I was seriously depressed. The machine was painted a sleek olive green by the father of a friend, an NTS scenery painter who worked hard during working hours. For a case of beer. It wasn't a perfectly original 750 GT, but I liked it. He made noise. And was mine. That such a thing in top condition is now worth € 40.000? Nice is not it! But what else should you do with it?

And that's a thing I have with perfectly restored classics and with engines with instant patina. Somehow all those investments and all that perfection are now a bridge too far for me. Such show pieces are priceless to me anyway, but I never see one in rainy weather in the Ardennes or when commuting on the A2. For me they have surpassed their basic purpose, ordinary, or extraordinary, motorcycle.

Together with some like-minded people, we are therefore in the corner where we once came from: we drive classically because we simply like that stuff better. And that it concerns motorcycles that are not worth a fortune or that do not emphatically confirm our financial reach or stretch? We're just having fun.

The most recent resident of the house garage is a good example of this. The ex-Spanish Police Moto Guzzi V65 was exchanged with closed wallet for a beautiful MZ 250TS. The Guzzi was a very neat thing. Apparently it had once been serviced by MW Motoren in Borne. The wiring was neatly done and there were a lot of stainless steel Allen screws on it. The V-twin with its thick polyester cases and its radio antenna was completely white and instead of the blue, there were just white spotlights in the cockpit. The suspender attachment was another typical example of Italian genius.

White is not my color. And full tubs are not my thing. The fairing came off and ended up with someone who happened to be looking for one. Yield: A bottle of whiskey. Comrade Jan had his V50 gun metal blue painted by Hornbach. That would also be the color of my acquisition. Because: Beautiful!

In the meantime, you calmly inspect such an acquisition and you find some things. You do some things. Ali supplied the rear fog light that went on the mounting platform of the on-board radio. That red lamp was switched over the brake light. A pair of Ali halelujalogen spotlights were installed at the front, which in terms of power should not be used with the high beam. The Italo police bikes do not have much space when it comes to the power of the generator, according to friend and Guzzi expert Jan K. So.

The spotlights fit nicely on the front crash bar, which had been used as a fairing mounting bracket. The rear fog light and spotlights came with different mounting and switching material than shown in the photo. But look: that's what the scrap metal bin is for. The Guz had a lot of (new) wiring that I found a bit difficult. So I drew a basic diagram from the battery for the spotlights. From my previous 25 years of Guzzi experience I pulled some extra mass connections. For example, the operation of the flashing lights improved considerably. The very thick exhaust mufflers were replaced by a pair of fresh Jama's that Gerrit Kranenberg had saved for me for about thirty years. The end plates were attached with three poppers each. These were removed and eight additional holes became available. Later I will see if those holes need to be made a little bigger.

The spraying work was therefore done with shaking cans. The freely structured gun metal paint would give a hammer effect when applied with a double layer. But that was a bit too much 'heavy metal' for me. The person who brought the paint for me also brought clear coat to paint it off nicely. That turned out to be water-based clear lacquer. And it sputtered and snotted from the spray can to land pockmarked on its surface. I went inside a bit somberly for cigars and whiskey. The next morning the clear coat - curing time of four days - turned out to have stretched beyond expectations.   

In the meantime, there is a, to my taste, very neat, beautiful V65 on the lift bridge. There is still some detail work to be done, but then it will be ready. We are talking about a motorcycle from 1986 that is neither very rare nor extremely popular. In any case, the color is not original and the paint job would have been done better by a professional. But I am very proud of the orange lines. The hard core enthusiast might say that I ruined a classic. But I'm back to square one. I have a good, nice old motorcycle with a lot of input. And the whole party cost me very little. What if someone suggested that I want to exchange it for such an apparently phenomenal Moto Guzzi V85 Travel? Then I would miss that opportunity.

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