finally got sick of constant injection problems/reliability with my V7 II, which in all other aspects is a good bike. I would like to convert it to a single carb where the throttle body will be - no major problems to do that. Have even worked out how to get juice from the tank to the carb without major surgery.
The bit I foresee as a bit of a challenge would be to put electronic ignition on it. Of course there is the crank sensor which I would assume works in the same way as the pickup and an aftermarket ignition module. I’m hoping I can use a Boyer or Mahle unit in place of the ECU. Any thougqhts out there?
There was a major article about such a conversion in March-April 2016 issue of Gambalunga. I know because as I am not a fan of modern stuff I scanned it, and have easy access to. The difference is, the guy just put V7 engine into old TT bike, but mind, in part two(July-August) he shows that to put Dyna ignition unit, he had to get back to old style camshaft. You will find it all in the abovementioned issues, I am in no position to add my threepence to that.
I remember the article and thinking that will be useful, but I didn’t copy it. Could you send me a copy of your scan please. That would be very helpful. Cheers Jon
Hi Adam
I would be very interested in seeing that article as a friend is building a project using a 650 chassis and this 850 engine he bought at Founders Day. It came with a twin choke Dellorto carb!
I know the new owner who is working on the project and exploring options to get the engine running on carbs and electonic ignition without using the standard Guzzi engine management system. I think Steve has been in touch with you about bits and pieces of the project.
Not many of us here do a real fiddle - keep us informed and entertained, pleeez! A few challenges on way, I presume - what makes this project much more interesting than changing colour scheme:>
have taken the plunge and now have an Ignitek unit ready to fit into the V7. My friend Heinz donated a 34mm Amal Concentric Mk 2 as well and I have a Royal Enfield throttle cable from my box of junk . Ready to go! I will see how it runs with the 34mm carb as it is about 20% smaller in throat area then the 38mm throttle body so it may be a proof of concept thing. If it’s a bit limp with the 34mm carb, the plan would be to scour Ebay for a 38mm Amal or a Mikuni VM38 clone from China. I’ll take a few photos etc for a Grumblemonger article for the future. cheers Jon
the Ignitech did not prove to be the plug and play solution I had hoped. 2 weeks later, 3 different programs, 2 different versions of the control app, a change of coils, double checking the phonic wheel by removing the alternator cover, and still no joy. Finally got sparks by removing the O-ring from the pickup to reduce the air gap slightly. As far as I know I’m the only person to have this problem, but I tried it with 2 pickups with the same result. Anyway we are there now…
Just fitted the carb. The ECU and the airbox are a swine to get out, requiring the firm but gentle hand of a gynaecologist. Some modification required to the twist grip but very minor. The airbox doubles as the battery tray so I will be trimming that to clear the carb filter.
When I get some final little bits of hardware I hope to run it up at the end of next week. Then there’s going to be a bit of headscratching while I work out a circuit which retains the neutral light, neutral, clutch and side stand switches. Final challenge will be to get the Cali coils I am using tucked into the frame, if that’s possible . They’re currently sitting above the intake manifolds which is not ideal or pretty.
Current status - lots of detail work carried out. The airbox is also a breather unit and battery holder. To keep the battery holder bit, the airbox was split in half and cut away to clear the carb. Then I had to make up a new breather system to cope with the 4 pipes coming out of the engine. New brackets have been made up for the Cali coils and these now sit in the airbox space very close to the carb. Stays have been made to hold support the carb as otherwise it would just flap about on the rubber manifold. A petrol tap from a lawn mower has been fitted into the fuel line from the tank and connected to a filter and then to the carb. The filter has been removed from the pump unit and a direct loop from pump to fuel suction pipe made. An Enfield throttle cable has been installed and the twist grip modified to suit. Tomorrow I will do the last of the wiring, and test the ignition box. Wednesday I hope to run the bike up.
Hi - mixed results to report. Ignitech, the ignition box manufacturer have supplied me with 4 ignition curves. Having tried 3 and found them to be no good, I went to upload the last one and found the interface lead had failed between PC and box - grrrr. Got another one, tried the last curve and it seemed to work the best. I eventually got it to idle, but it seemed to be very weak, overheating, spitting back, and not running with the choke off. My friend Neil confirmed the diagnosis. I have stripped the carb and found it to have a 210 main jet instead of the 260 fitted as standard. So I have ordered 260 and 270 jets and will clean the carb up while I’m waiting. Also not entirely happy with the flow of petrol from the tank so have rigged up a temporary transparent tank and pipe so I can see what is going on. I think it’s going to run, but we may be playing around with jets…
