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Moto Guzzi Eldorado
This is my 1973 Moto Guzzi Eldorado. I found her in a barn in 2010, where she had been in storage, covered with pigeon droppings and mouse dung. After a quick clean-up and a riding season, just to check it out for any running issues, we pulled off the metalware and painted everything. The only mods were European Norton Commando ’bars, a 1973 Yamaha light/horn/turn signal switch to replace the unreliable Italian CEV ones, and a Greg Bender digital relay kit for starter and high/ low beam. The motor has never been apart and runs like the proverbial sewing machine! Over the years, I’ve owned three Triumphs, a Norton and two /5 Beemers – all great machines, but this is by far the best machine I have ever owned!
Restored
Suzuki RL250
Certainly, a love/hate relationship at times, but at others, a welcome distraction from the rigours of day-to-day life! Here’s my 1981 Suzuki RL250 Beamish, which steadfastly refused to run properly – thank you, Mr Previous Owner! – before undergoing an engine strip and rebuild. Thankfully, we have an excellent owners’ club, combined with good parts availability (the TS250 association helps), making ownership of these bikes rewarding and immersive.
Project
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Restored
Matchless G3
I bought this 1954 Matchless G3 in 2020 as a lockdown project,as I had enjoyed an identical bike 50 years previously, when I was 19 years old. It was definitely a ‘heart rather than head’ purchase, as the seller described it as ‘basically a collection of parts loosely bolted together’ – and he wasn’t wrong .
I decided to make it a rolling restoration so I could get the enjoyment of riding it rather than get bogged down spending hours trying to achieve a show pony. The vision was to build a G80CS lookalike with the emphasis on weight saving, removing as many unnecessary bits as possible.
The bike came with a 5
