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Hello All,

I'm Rory, a new MRC member, and living in Manchester. I have owned lots of bikes in 30 odd years but this is my first Morini and currently my only bike, a 1978 cast wheel Strada. I had set out to buy a 500 but it's hard to find a good early one. I'm less keen on the 80s models and so a 350 it was, just to get on the Morini ladder. Bought a few months ago cheap (ish) and turning out to have a few issues like blowing head and base gaskets (now fixed), and a very worn front cylinder bore. This manifests in a trail of blue smoke from the RH pipe above 60 mph, and a fouled plug. Top end a bit rattly too. Apart from that I love the the handling, the style, and the light weight. It's a keeper but I want to improve it.

I've found answers some of my other questions by reading back through this excellent forum. There are clearly some very knowledgeable people out there.

I would appreciate some thoughts and comments on the points below.

It needs reboring to cure the smoking and so I am thinking I'll go for the 64mm pistons sold by NLM as '375' but by my maths actually 367cc. These come as 11:1 CR but can be machined down to 10:1. NLM tell me that most Strada owners just put them in at 11:1 and are happy. Can anyone comment on that from experience? Do they work OK on the softer cam and will the motor still rev out?

I have seen websites selling larger pistons of 66 and 67mm, do these need a new liner or can you take the standard liner out that far?

The bike came with Armours pipes which I thought a bit noisy (after only having owned Jap bikes). And so I bought a set of twin seam Brituros from NLM - if anything these are noisier! Are Sitos quieter? I'm getting used to the noise now!

Not many Morinis seen around my neck of the woods but I'll put in a good word for Track & Classics, a small old fashioned bike shop in Stockport, Run by Mark Turner, a Ducati man but who likes most things Italian and has worked on Morinis. He has done some good work finding and sorting the problems on my Strada, and his charges are very reasonable.

Hi Rory, and welcome to the MRC and the forum. I'd like to think that Morinis are distinctive in their sound rather than noisy! My Strada with stainless steel silencers is noisier than my Sport which still has the original Lafranconis, but it's a noise that makes people smile rather than wince or frown. Both easily passed the Cadwell decibel test. NLM will be a good source of information and you ideally want to meet some other local Morini riders to compare exhaust sounds. The club's membership secretary can probably put you in touch with other local people.

Enjoy your Strada. Regards, Mark.

v10 wrote:Top end a bit rattly too.

'They're all like that sir!'

The collective noun might possibly be a 'clatter' of Morinis.

The rocker tips wear so you can't measure the valve clearance without a narrow gauge or wire. I use a diamond lap to reprofile the rocker. The rocker bushes can wear if the bike has seen a lot of occasional use so the mist lubrication hasn't been able to work.

It needs reboring to cure the smoking and so I am thinking I'll go for the 64mm pistons sold by NLM as '375' but by my maths actually 367cc. These come as 11:1 CR but can be machined down to 10:1. NLM tell me that most Strada owners just put them in at 11:1 and are happy. Can anyone comment on that from experience? Do they work OK on the softer cam and will the motor still rev out?

All later 350 engines were 11:1 compression. Stick with the high compression and run high octane (better mpg offsets the cost and it's mostly Ethanol free).

I have seen websites selling larger pistons of 66 and 67mm, do these need a new liner or can you take the standard liner out that far?

There used to be special 500 pistons (71mm) with a pin bore to suit the 350 rod and as far as I know they used stock liners.

Thanks for the replies.

Regarding the 'noisy' pipes I think it is just me being used to sanitised Japanese silencers over the years, plus I have some hearing damage and so I'm sensitive to noise. I am getting used to it and yes, it is a lovely sound. The 72 degree firing pulses sound to me rather like a single when slogging in a high gear, rising to a booming wail from 6000rpm. Unique.

A re-bore has moved up the urgency rating as it now smokes like a two-stroke from start up and at most revs, and gets through half a litre of oil every 500 miles, dribbling emulsified oil from the breathers when cooling down.