TRAVELLERS’ TALES

Some friends recently let me know that my Moto Guzzi appeared in RC234, when my wife Cheryl and I were mentioned in a letter that recalled a trip in 1974.

We bought our 850 GT Guzzi in Melbourne, Australia, but took delivery of it in Switzerland. We toured through Europe, England, Scotland – including the Outer Hebrides – Wales and the Isle of Man for the TT. We met our friend Julian at a rally. We’d already planned our ride back to Aussie via North Africa and Julian decided to join us.

When we crossed the Channel at the beginning of January 1976, the Moto Guzzi had 52,000km on its clock. Arriving in Freemantle, Australia, it showed 84,000km and we still had the ride to Melbourne to complete. The Guzzi’s motor was rebuilt in New Zealand at 105,000km.

I have owned two British bikes. One was a new 1969 BSA Lightning. At 11,500 miles one of the pistons split horizontally at the gudgeon. The lower half was skewed in the crankcase while the top half turned through 90-degrees. With the gudgeon pin still in situ, the conrod was mated with the valves. I had the motor repaired.

The second bike was a new BSA Rocket 3 which holed the right piston at around 12,750 miles. We could find no reason for the failure and I repaired the engine. When similar symptoms appeared at 22,000 miles, a strip revealed that the right piston was on the way out again. And again there was no apparent cause. The Rocket 3 also had a habit of breaking the hardened tip of the valve clearance adjuster screws, so I kept a spare in my jacket pocket. I sold it when I left for Australia.

We’ve kept in touch with Julian for many years and we able to meet at a winter rally until the pause caused by covid.

Stuart Hoffman

Excellent stuff! Thanks for this, Stuart. Frank W

Julian and Stuart on a cold road in Afghanistan in 1976

The Guzzi 850GT on the highest pass between Srinagar and Leh, heading for Tibet

Nearly 50 years later, that same Guzzi GT fording the Manuherikia river in New Zealand