Here we go again - SP3 makeover - freshen up.

Ash

Oh Yes....
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An intro into this fiasco -

As much as I love my Convert, I now realise it's not suitable for me with my disabilities. :tears
My mate got his Le Man's 5 on the road, so we took a ride south heading for MotoCorsa's workshop near Blandford & new showroom in Gillingham Dorset.

Now I have been trying to get the convert to fit me, but the simple truth is there is just not enough room from seat to footboards & the footboards in general for my pinned right leg, which is why I have tended to stick to GS's. ( due to the distance between seat & footpegs).

God knows I have tried adding my Airhawk to add seat height, but this was my first ride out with another bike & had the brakes unlinked because I just can't use the rear brake peddle.

Anyway we got to Blandford, I was suffering from real bad cramp in my right leg which I get when my right leg does not sit correctly.
This was down to the fact that the convert has footboards, we carried on to West Bay, by this time i realised that I couldn't use the Convert for any distance work & due to my personal & medical circumstances I can't have a bike just for the sake of a the work I had put into it.

It has to work for me.

So I have decided to part with the Convert ( up 4 sale very soon )

I have a trip booked for leaving Portsmouth on the 3rd of September to Mandello De Lario & really wanted to use the convert, so I thought I would see if I could find d a Spada 1 or 2 as both have footpegs & they are sit up and beg bikes...

Lady luck shone on me & an SP3 or Spada 3 which ever suits came up locally...

Now I had owned a SP3 for a few years leading up to my accident in 2003 & it had to be sold along with all my other toys about a year afterwards :(

Never thought of getting another SP3 even though it was one of the best bikes I had owned.

I rang the seller & went to view the bike which he listed as being in " excellent condition ".

His view of excellent & mine were about a 100 yrs apart, but nothing I couldn't sort out, my only worry was if it needed more than I thought I would have to take the 700GS to Italy.

I put my maximum bid in at about 25 seconds to go & got it for what I thought was a good price.

eBay add & piccies below....
 

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Let the fun begin....:blast
 
Throttle felt very notchy, I wonder why.....

So up on the bike lift she goes - piccy 2

And apart she comes - piccy 3
 

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Always a risk buying something when you only have a guys word for a vehicles history.
But I took a picture of the V5C especially for the previous owners details, so on the Sunday morning after picking bike up on the Saturday pm I use tinternet to get previous owners phone number the checks against V5C regarding address, so I rang & speak to malcom who bought the SP in 1995 with 9k miles on it & had toured Europe a few times, a change in jobs & a house move meant the bike was parked up about 8 yrs ago.
He was an Engineer by trade & serviced the bike well b4 Guzzies schedule, had put a Lucas Rita ignition on as the Motoplatt plated up.
Always garage kept & never used in winter.
The Suzuki switch gear was put on by the first owner...
He had lost the paperwork when he moved house, but seemed a genuine guy & also said he had pictures of the bike all over Europe.

It was good to confirm basically what I was told....

So fingers crossed the motors OK & will just need a Good sort out.. ;)
 
Looks like a very nice bike I did see it for sale but I'd spent my money. Will you take it back to the factory if get it ready for Italy?
 
Having Suzuki switchgear throw up an odd one as the bike has one throttle cable from the bars, a splitter then into two cables ( one for each carburetor ) under the fuel tank.
I spent almost Sunday pm looking at guzzi spares sites to match all 3 cables. No luck anywhere.
I had new Stainless cables made some years earlier, so first thing Monday off I go to Dorking..

www.venhill.co.uk
 

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Looks like a very nice bike I did see it for sale but I'd spent my money. Will you take it back to the factory if get it ready for Italy?

That's my plan....
They are cracking tourers & Guzzi made a good job as a Gentlemans tourer.... With panniers as standard.
The fairing may be ugly but does a good job..
 
Should you wish to contact earlier previous owners you can apply for a V888 from DVLA -
https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...an-individual-for-information-about-a-vehicle
Takes quite a few weeks to arrive though and costs £5 but will give you details of all the previous owners of the bike.

Obviously the further back you go the more difficult it can be finding the previous owners as they could have moved house.
 
Darned Ulcer on my leg, put paid to anymore fettling until Saturday.
Off with the exhaust -
Fairly good Guzzi down pipes -
( will clean up )
Very good condition mid box section & stainless Keihan tail pipes. :)
 
Next was the Handlebar cover, which was split with bits missing.
So out with the P38, black spray & lacquer..

Turned out ok for a flyddy

£113 for a new one from -
www.stein-dinse.biz
 

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Should you wish to contact earlier previous owners you can apply for a V888 from DVLA -
https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...an-individual-for-information-about-a-vehicle
Takes quite a few weeks to arrive though and costs £5 but will give you details of all the previous owners of the bike.

Obviously the further back you go the more difficult it can be finding the previous owners as they could have moved house.

Luckily I did contact the one owner that mattered because he had the bike from 1995 until 2017.
And from 9k miles until nearly 35 K miles , which is what's on it now.
Just a shame no paper trail, but then the bike would of sold for considerable more than I paid..
 
I had noticed that it had one new coil this year, although the guy that got it running & MOT's it didn't say a word about it..
So I ordered a bed 6 volt Lucas coil & fitted it.
It has 2 X 6 volt coils because of the Lucas Rita ignition.
 

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The guy I bought it off said he had changed the oil & filter.
But I will let you decide if he was telling porkies by looking at the 3 sump pictures I took yesterday.
mmmmmmmmmmmmm I don't fink so :mad:

Oil was very dirty...
 

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Next was the stands.
Needed a slight repaint.

I did primer the stands but must of forgot to take a picture :blast
 

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Just a little insight into the palaver i have to go through just to play with dirt, grease & any contaminates.
As I have no spleen I have to protect myself from such things.
I also wear thin work gloves over the top..
As well as no wrist movement, certainly make life interesting...
 

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B4 & after.... :thumb2
 

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And another... ;)
 

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Are those cable ties around your wrists you mad fecker?

You are a one-man Guzzi saviour. :clap
 


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