Riding over oranges ...

[jimmigrant]

Greetings, from the mountains of the Spanish Sierra Nevada, where I am impatiently awaiting the arrival next Monday (possibly) of a Kanguro Mk 2 I’ve bought (presumably) over the Internet.
How optimistic is that ?

I looked into various possibilities that would give me transport while I’m down here, bringing one of my own bikes would be expensive and involve mountainous paperwork, hiring is not a local phenomenon, and little was available locally - so I took the plunge with a bike in Barcelona - a runner with necessary paperwork, and decided to take a risk, since 900 Euro ain’t a whole lot, and despite an apparent modification which seems to be coat-hangar wire holding the silencer on, it looks - er … quite shiny.
This forensic mechanical analysis is typical of the level of expertise I bring to Morinis, I’ve noticed them through the years, and thought how ‘right’ they look - but this acquisition will no doubt have much to teach me.
Possibly regarding buying unseen over the Internet.

I should have a couple of weeks to get to know the bike, and what it needs, before my better half flies down with a flight bag full of the necessary spares, sourced in England.
The mileage is quoted as 21k, not much in 30 years, so I’m thinking the cam belt may look better than it actually is, age being a factor, and I assume that and all fluids should be changed. Also it would seem a good time to check timing, tappets and plug condition, as well as frame and bearings.
First impression is that the bike has stood still for most of it’s life.
What I’m wondering is if there is anything peculiar to the breed which I should look for - and I’d be very grateful for any pointers.

The roads here vary from sublime to ridiculous, with very little middle ground. Most of the bikes which cruise through are BMW's, and though some folk ride them off-road, I'm glad to have found something more nimble. I'm old enough to need a bike I can pick up again when it, or both of us fall over.

jimmigrant.

[norbert]

Hi Jimmi,

Do I understand it right, that you want to ride the bike to england?
Then in my opinion it is absolutely necesary to change the cam belt. 90% of broken belts is because they are overaged.

I do have some contacts to moriniriders in Spain, but round about the Sierra Nevada is tierra incognita in the spanish morini scene. I know people in Murcia. Alicante, Madrid, Barcelona, Lerida, and at the north coast (Cantabria, Asturias). If I can help in anything ...
You also can ask for help, if needed, in the morini subforum of Lamaneta http://www.lamaneta.org/forolamaneta/viewforum.php?f=23 . Surely they will answer you although askin in english

This years spanish morini meeting probably will take place 10-12 of June near Madrid

good luck

norbert

[jimmigrant]

Hello norbert, thank you for the link, all sources of information are most welcome.
I've no plans as yet to ride to England, I came down here in the car this time, but it's easier and cheaper to fly, so the Morini is for tootling around in the mountains, since I now am able to visit fairly often.
I hope to eventually make a permanent home here, so I'll be keeping a look-out for 'For Sale' signs, and since most houses are far from the tarmac the Morini sounds ideal.

It was here in Orgiva that I saw my first Kanguro, parked in the town square, a week or so back. I gazed at it for quite a while, realising that it was much more suitable for this area than the BMW airhead I was initially looking for.
Later that day I visited a guy I'd heard about in a nearby village having been told that he might hire out a bike - and when he opened his shed door - there was the Kanguro!
He was very impressed with it, and knew of a similar machine for sale in Barcelona, and I decided that the omens were favourable. Especially as he has spares and will garage the bike and do any work that I can't do myself.

I've always liked V-twins, at home I run a Guzzi V7 as my main bike, and I'm very interested to see what a smaller twin feels like, especially with suspension which should be very kind to my ageing vertebrae.
I suspect that the bike has been standing idle, then prepared for sale as a runner, so I'm hoping there will be some clues - maybe the age of the tyres if that can be ascertained.
If it has been unused for a long time, I'll probably need to do some work on any perishable items - seals etc, and make sure the oilways are not clogged up with ancient gunge.

All in all, I'll need to get to know the bike as quickly as possible, if I'm to avoid getting stuck in the middle of nowhere ...

jimmigrant.

[EVguru]

Clean the carbs, maybe flush the tank.

Change the oil (cheapest you can find, treat it as a flush) and clean the oil strainer.

Fire up the engine, then change the belt (cleans up the pulleys with the old belt).

Lots of stuff on my Youtube channel.

[Derek Wright]

Hi Jimmi,
Follow what Paul says and get some miles in and take it from there, in my experience the more you use them the better they get.
Got my first Morini, '83 Kanguro X about 9 years ago to use on a 30 mile each way commute through UK B roads and loved it, the small tank was a bit of a pain so bought an X3 with the big tank. Used them alternate months for 7 years till I retired. Did about 30,000 miles on the K and sold it a year or so ago, kept the X3 as it has an electric start, my reasoning being that if the old legs go a bit I should still be able to get about . Liked the X the best though as it felt much lighter and easier to chuck about with the small tank and the round tube frame. Have also got a Mark 1 Camel and love that too.
Only had one problem with the X, it had not been used for a good while before I got it, had been outside under a cover, parked on the side stand leaning well over to the left ( side stand was pretty pathetic ) hence oil lying over to the left. Anyway, after about a thousand miles, new chain and smaller rear sprocket fitted, the gearbox output shaft bearing collapsed.
When I stripped it down, the cage had disintegrated and there were signs of corrosion on the race outer ring. So I think possibly with the way the bike had been stored, lack of oil on the bearing ( bike leaning over to the left), condensation etc., then this may have contributed to the bearing failure. I'd also fitted an 'O' ring chain which I think are a bit stiff if not kept well lubed and may have added even more load to a suspect bearing, put a regular chain on after replacing the bearing. After that though, no problems and seemed to thrive on regular use.
Hope I have'nt put you off and look forward to an update when you get the bike on the road.
Just one more thing, if the engine has not run for a while, it will be worth taking the rocker covers off and manually oiling the rockers, the engines rely on oil mist during normal operation so oil might be a bit depleted if the bike has not run for a while.
Derek

[jimmigrant]

Very useful information there, thanks both. I'll definitely refer to the Youtube videos, (when I'm not drooling over Taimane Gardner), and the idea of oiling the rockers would not have occurred to me. I am wondering if there's a way to see that oil is going through the crank in a satisfactory quantity and reaching both big ends ...?
I'm also hoping I can get a cam belt locally - assuming they are a fairly standard item with various applications?
Perhaps if the bike has stood for years on the side-stand, there could be a 'tide-mark' on the inside of the tank -- that's worth a look. If so, I'll have the necessary bearing and seal ready - since there will be two Kanguros in Orgiva, we might as well keep a few spares in hand.

There's a limit to how much maintenance I want to let myself in for, so my DR 650 and 350 Enfield will go on the market this Spring, by which time the lightweight Bullet coming together in the cellar may just be ready.

jimmigrant.

"The Enfield Bullet is motorcycling's answer to the Ukulele.' Abraham Lincoln.

[norbert]

There should be no problem to find a cam belt, you can ask for example for an 124L from Otibelt. They are not measured (A,B o C) but I always could use them, cost about 10€. When asking for them you have to tell them the width (not sure if it was 19 mm?). Probably you will need a pair of suction rubbers (?) between cilinderhead and carbs. They seem not to be that easy to find in spain!

Orgiva, that´s the gate to the Alpujarras that´s a very nice area, you must be lucky to stay there for a while Que lo disfrutes!!! Hablas algo de español?
I propose to get in contact with the spanish morini drivers, they are as nice and cooperative as the english, italian, dutch and german ones, just morineros And tell your friend, we are always interested to build up contacts all over spain, and in the south of andalucia we still don´t have anybody in our urgency-breakdown list

Do the bike have papers? If it is put out of order definitly or if you don´t know the pre-owner it´s very complicate in spain to do the paperwork if you want to ride it with a spanish matricula. If you like, you can tell me the name of the one who sells it, probably it´s one of the guys I know. Maybe then I can find out some details of the bike


norbert

[jimmigrant]

Guten Abend Norbert, thanks for the cam belt information, I don't want to ride the bike until I feel sure of the condition of that vital bit. There will be somewhere in Motril half an hour round the mountain, where I can find one.

As you say, the Alpujarras is a wonderful place to be. I've been coming here for a decade or so, at one time I hoped to move my blacksmithing business down here, but the recession put paid to that. Now I'm retired, and growing old as disgracefully as possible. I think the Morini will help.

The bike has all the papers I believe, and I have taken temporary residency in order to have it registered in my name. This lasts for three months, but I'm hoping that once obtained, it can be extended. It is on the milannuncios website, at 900 euro, but there is no link from the advert to the dealer - I don't think there's much chance of getting any history, but I have the dealer's email, so it's maybe worth a try.

My mechanic friend's wife has eased the way for me through the complex paperwork, and between them if they were so inclined they could provide a marvellous point of contact for passing Morineros. Naturally I can't speak for them, but they are being an invaluable help to me. I will mention your interest.

I have good memories of living in Fischbach, in de neben von Friedrichshaven, in 1969. Ich moechte noch mals tswanzig seine.

jimmigrant.

"Beebop aloobop alam bam boom". Hildegard of Bingen.

[norbert]

I have a Camel registered on my name in spain without having a real residence there. Only a friend where I have my "residence" (his adres) but without dealing with any ayunamiento or something like that. He pased the stuff to a "gestoria" and resolved the problem only with copies of my pasport and authorisacion. Without myself beeing there. I don´t remember, maybe I dealed something with the spanish ambassy in Hamburg. I also had a spanish insurance for about 50 € a year (now cancelled, because the motor quit three years ago ). Ask in your embassy, it´s posible without the problem of the three month If the bike is older than 25 years it was usual htat you even don´t have to pay taxes. But with the crisis there are a lot of ayuntamientos that change this buitiful custom
Get the bike ready and we´ll see us in Madrid in June

saludos
norbert

I´ve found it. For the telefon that Rafa is not in our List.
It looks quite good for that price and he says that it is recently revisada
21000 km is nothing and it has one of the best 350 motors, looks like a good deal if the motor runs fine!
Don´t worry about the electric starter if it doesn´t work, normaly you won´t need it

Now I remember, you need a NIE (Numero de Identificacion Extranjero) that I obtained at the spanish consulado en Hamburg (waited about a month for it).
My insurance company is segurclassic.com

[jimmigrant]

I'm pleased to hear that you think it looks OK Norbert, I'm hoping the price reflects the fact that its a bit unusual, rather than anything else.
I got my NIE number in Motril, at the Police Headquarters, and a local friend gave me a tenancy agreement which means I have an address here where they can send the speeding tickets ...

Bureaucracy seems to have a sense of humour here - the town up the road, Lanjaron, applied to the national Junta to extend its graveyard, and permission was refused. The mayor then passed a new law, and it is now illegal to die in Lanjaron.

jimmigrant.

[jimmigrant]

After what seemed a very long wait, the bike arrived on Saturday morning. The ignition lock was faulty, so we attempted to hot-wire it - and when we finally got the hang of the fact that the switch makes some contacts and breaks others, the bike started and ticked over like a good 'un.
I rode it gently up the track to my rented casita, aware that since the front tyre is from 1999, and unworn, the cam belt was likely to be of similar vintage at best. I stalled it when I stopped to wait for Neil, but found neutral easily, and kick-started it from a sedentary position - so that's all good. Also somewhat surprising since the float bowl on the front carb is nearly at forty-five degrees which must make setting the fuel height a bit tricky -- (is that why that pot is running a bit rich, and no choke is required maybe)?

For a thirty-three year old bike, it seems to have had an easy time of it. The wiring is largely untouched, the 21,000 km is believable, and there's no nasty engine noise.
Neil, who as well as having knowledge of Morinis has been able to introduce me to some of the more interesting facets of life in Spain - for instance, that sticker on the forks (which I would have removed since the colour clashed terribly) indicated that the bike has been MOT'd for the next TWO years. He turned up yesterday on an interesting Ural combo, bringing the flywheel extractor.
Initial attempts to remove the nut failed, due in part to my mistake in using first gear to lock the engine, so there was less solid resistance than would have been the case had I put it in top.

This morning I plan a trip to town to find a suitable heat source and a better spanner (and perhaps a large hammer). The belt looks tired, if not totally exhausted, and the slack is well outside the 6mm limit innit. The pulley is marked 'B' though as I understand it, only Pirelli use that system, and a Gates belt or similar, probably available locally, will be the best I can do.

I suppose the XT 350 was the Morini's chief rival, I've had a couple, and liked them immensely, but the Morini has a feeling of better quality about it - the rims, the forks, the controls all point to a bike built up to a standard, rather than down to a price - and the condition is remarkable for it's age.
For an outlay of around a thousand pounds, I could hardly have been luckier - and having two very helpful people to guide me through the bureaucracy, lend me tools etc, has made the seemingly impossible actually do-able. It will be interesting to see how far I can get before driving back to Yorkshire on Sunday -- and I've booked the casita for May, and some Springtime riding.

jimmigrant.

[EVguru]

Initial attempts to remove the nut failed, due in part to my mistake in using first gear to lock the engine, so there was less solid resistance than would have been the case had I put it in top.

This morning I plan a trip to town to find a suitable heat source and a better spanner (and perhaps a large hammer).

An impact gun works for me every time. The nut really shouldn't be that tight anyway and a strap wrench round the flywheel can work if you don't want to make the flywheel holding tool.

The nut being very tight does not bode well for pulling the flywheel off the taper. I've only been defeated once and that was by a flywheel and crank with perfect unmarked tapers and probably an over-tightened nut. I had to resort to a grinder and a replacement flywheel. You MUST have the puller seated all the way in, or you can strip the threads in the flywheel. If all goes well, I've done the job in around 11 minutes.

The pulley is marked 'B' though as I understand it, only Pirelli use that system, and a Gates belt or similar, probably available locally, will be the best I can do.

Only Morini used that system and had belts specially marked (by Pirelli). The B is the nominal size with A and C being longer or shorter (I forget which way round). It was cheaper for Morini to have belts graded, rather than selected. Tolerances have tightened, so more modern belts will be of nominal length.

[jimmigrant]

I think the application of some silicone spray overnight must have helped, (or the sight of a propane torch) - because the nut came off quite nicely once I'd locked the brake while in top gear. The extractor had no bother either. All seems neat and untouched underneath, the belt was slack and seems like a museum piece. I'll ring NLM tomorrow, if I can get an identification number for a suitable belt, the local depot at Torrox, on the costa might have a replacement - the 124L 075 is not recognised by his system, nor is the bike. So there's just a thin chance I might get to ride it before I go back on Sunday.

jimmigrant.

[EVguru]

The belt part number is absolutely bog standard for a 'classical' industrial timing belt.

'124' = 12.4" pitch length

'L' = 3/8" pitch

"075" = 3/4" wide

What kind of supplier doesn't recoginse 124L075, an automotive parts place I'd guess.

Try a bearing and transmission place instead. You shouldn't be paying more than £10 for a Gates or similar quality (and that's expensive).

[72degrees]

I've just been taking the rotor and stator off the 250 that is in the bike that is the basis of the Forgotten Era Hillclimb project. It sparks so well I decided to rob the 2C ones to speed things up a bit on the build. It was the hardest to remove I've ever known. It needed my home made holding tool and a breaker bar to shift the nut. Then the puller needed holding with a spanner on the flats and the breaker bar again. I was worried that the thread in the rotor might give but I'd made sure the puller was well in before starting. No dramatic bang as there can be (not so much on Morinis as Gilera Nordwests to be fair) and it shifted just a bit at first.

I'd forgotten that a 250 twin weighs as much as a 350, but I managed to heave it out eventually.