New member / owner

[Tael]

Hi all, just joined up, as I have finally after about 25 years of wanting a 3½ managed to find one.

She's a 1978 3½ sport, in surprisingly good condition, considering that she's been off the road since 1986!!



def a sport ( S under front cylinder ) with a few nice period mods, rearsets 2into1 etc.
Seems to have had some love ( in fact it appears to have been rebuilt between 86 and now) with stainless bolts/nylocks everywhere, seat has prob been recovered etc, what appears to be brand new oil....

One question I hope someone can answer for me, the red frame paint is original, and I believe its actually an Italian market model, as it has stars front and back of the frame/engine no's (which match ) and the frame code is A/3 which the dutch site show as being an italian model. The question is did the english importers/concessionaires sometimes get italian bikes making up their orders? Because the logbook etc clearly states it was sold new in '78 in the UK



anyway lots more questions later I expect, as I try to re-commission it for the spring

[George 350]

Hi and welcome aboard.
Nothing wrong about the frame/engine number - mine look very similar. Both of mine ae A/3---. The fact that you have an engine number suggests it is a UK (Harglo imported) bike, as these are often not on direct Italian imports, other people can confirm or correct me on that. I thought the only difference for UK models was this and an MPH speedo.

The red frame might be original, but the only bikes I saw in dealers in '78 (I bought my Sport new in June '78) had black frames. The red ones didn't appear until the electric start models arrived in mid to late '79. That your engine is all natural alloy and non-electric start would suggest either an old respray or it was an 'interim model' using up non electric start parts. That your bike is about 1100 bikes newer than mine could suggest this latter possibility, but my frame had been stripped down and repainted before it was 3 years old as the paint was flaking off the frame almost everywhere. Other parts like the taillight mount and the steering damper arm being red, to me suggest the older respray. Nothing wrong with that at all.
My '78 Strada (19000miles, dry stored since 1983) frame is also black, definately had the original paint when I bought it and was in much worse condition than yours when I got it 3 years ago.

As you say, looks like a good buy, with sensible mods done. Haven't seen too many with the same seat as mine either. Always did like the 2:1 'Ricky racer' exhaust you have.
Hope you enjoy it after waiting 25 years,

George.

[72degrees]

I always did like the red frame with silver wheels look of my 79 electric start[1] Sport. Looks a nice example, though as George says probably not the original colour scheme. I do remember the Sport for needing to be revved really hard through the gears to make good progress with a pillion aboard. Change up too early and it just wouldn't accelerate.

[1] Which I remember using to good effect on the grid at Snetterton in the one and only production race I entered. It was mainly a VMCC meeting and the scrutineers questioned the eligibility of a production bike with clip-ons and a single seat. The seat was a Harglo optional extra if I remember correctly. I agreed to give up the pot if I won - some chance as it was Snetterton and there were several LCs on the grid never mind the big stuff.

[Tael]

Well its taken quite a bit of work but this afternoon was the moment of truth.

After months of work, starting with the cambelt (the old one crumbled as I removed it !) and getting the carbs ultrasonic cleaned and rebuilt with new parts, completely going through the electrics and cleaning out the reside and rust 26years of inactivity had left in the tank it was time to cross everything and try to finally start it / find out if the engine had indeed been put back together properly, as it appeared from the new gaskets that appeared to be poking out of every joint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn1tKdLHRok

Though to be truthful this was the second time it ran. The first took quite a few kicks, and also took a few seconds to clear and run right, including spewing said 26years worth of small rust particles and assorted junk out of the exhaust (which impressively covered about 2m2 of floor behind the bike in a perfect cone shape)
Now to get the carbs on a balance gauge and try to work out how to get the rev counter running. Its a bit close in time, and probably presumptuous to book it for cadwell to actually ride there (think it'll take a bit of running to be happy enough that everything is ok enough to seriously thrash it on a track yet) but will seriously consider actually bringing it to cadwell anyway as I can't think of a better way to have people who know their stuff give it a once over and point out anything that may not be 100% on it to me, so I can at least get it to 95% for the 1000 bikes at mallory (which I optimistically booked it in for early in Feburary ! )

I am slightly chuffed with myself tbh.

[Emmohaswheelsagain]

Dear Tael,

Another Morini is put back on the road.
As a riders club this is always great news.
You are right that Cadwell may be a bit too early however there will be many others at track side so come up and joint us if you can.
Better still stay over for the weekend and you will get the chance to enjoy a ride out with the club and meet up and talk Morini with
many other owners. George was right in that the sport had a black frame in 78 and it is likely that the frame was resprayed to match
the trend of the time in the early 80's.
Do you know any history of the bike, which dealer supplied it.
My 78 Sport was purchased from Sharpe's of LIncoln in 1979 and was traded in at Chapmans of York in 1981.
Never seen the bike since, however as your story confirms it could still be around, parked in the back of some ones garage.
Anyway, great to see one more Morini has escaped.


Paul

[SupermotoDave]

Absolutely my favourite year, if it starts and runs it is already 100%. My view would be not to try and take it back to original, who wants a R/H dip and those original plug leads and caps, but to run it as it is and enjoy it.
Put it on the track at Cadwell, its as good a place as any to run it to see what it goes like, and it will never be this cheap again!
Cheers

David
(ATG Editor)

[Tael]

Thanks Guys.
I have absolutely no will or intention to 'put it back to standard' David, it is what it is, and its far better as what it has become than a shiny restoration to 'factory'. To that end I am even leaving the worn highspots on the sidepanels and tank where someones boots and knees have rubbed it as its been ridden. Patina is a history of a bikes life. Even though its been laid up for a long time, and has 18k miles on it, it already has more than a few battlescars (including what appears to be a crack across the rh forkleg bottom thats been welded over). As for detailed history i'm afraid it has none, other than coming to me from inverkeithing, Scotland, and spending its early years in Stirling.

No, what I mean by 100% is to be mechanically sound to that level, and capable of running as well as it can - hence welcoming the experience of those that have built and run these for years. I dont yet have the ear to hear if its not quite right, or knowledge to recognise a problem showing signs of manifesting itself.

Cheers T

[corsaro chris]

Lovely, and it even has the "right" MRC sticker on the front mudguard! (Designed it myself, I did, many, many years back).

Hope to see you at a club event sometime soon

And in the meantime, good riding,

CC