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Need your help with Le Mans mk4

figaro

figaro

Tuned and Synch'ed
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
81
Location
Chertsey
A guy has offered me a deal, my 2006 Griso for his '88 Le Mans mk4 plus cash. But I don't know what the Le Mans is worth. He's offering £1200 plus the bike, which gives it an approximate value of £2500, but that seems a little high to me. He describes the bike as clean and reliable but slightly scruffy paintwork.

Now I realise the majority of you guys are across the pond from me, but even value in dollars will help.

I'm not at all familiar with this era of Guzzi, so any hints you can give me on what to look for would be very gratefully received.

Here's the bike...

MartsLeman4002-1_zps5d683d04.jpg


MartsLeman4004-1_zpsde3ce74e.jpg
 
Well over here NADA has a 89 Le' Mans listed in blue book in very good condition for $2500 US. An 87 shows $1500 US. They don't show a value for an 88. But I know Blue Book does not have much to do with reality.

06 Griso shows average retail for $6300 US

But using these figures it looks like he would need to come up with about $3800 US difference.

So doing my poor math, that would be a difference of $2926 Euro's or $2500 pounds.

But it all boils down to what you want. I have spent way too much on bikes just to get a hold of that particular model.

Marc
 
I may be mistaken, but that looks like an '87 LeMans SE to me. Very nice bike if its in good condition with the proper modifications. I've seen decent ones for sale on rare occasions for around the $3000 mark. Hope this helps.
 
$6-7,000 over here for an original well sorted version. I would also say it's an '87 SE

You would have to realy want it to do a trade like that. have you ridden one before ?
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Stmike, you say the bike is an SE (and I'll bow to your greater knowledge of course), but what modifications over a standard Le Mans should I expect? I'm told by the owner that the fairing is an official Moto Guzzi item, but I've never seen one like that before, and he also mentions it having BA10 cams.

Price-wise I'm thinking now that he's probably in the ball park, so I'll try to squeeze a few more bucks out of him, but if the bike's as healthy as he suggests I reckon this deal is a goer.

Sad to say I've not really gelled with the Griso; I've owned Guzzis years before (a V50 mk2 and a very rough T3) and loved them to bits, but the Griso isn't clicking with me in the same way. And I've always wanted a Le Mans.
 
An SE would have a close ration gearbox and I think a 16 inch front wheel from the factory. Also the fairing was not frame mounted. The B 10 cam is a nice mod to have, although I've got a MkV and it does quite well with the stock cam.
 
Found out a little more about the bike now. It's not an SE, it's a standard mk4 with an 18" front wheel. The original owner ordered the SE paintjob and the aftermarket fairing from the dealer (the fairing is made by Sprint Manufacturing in the UK, and some dealers offered the fairing as an option on new bikes). That would explain why the block is unpainted rather than black.

I've also learned that the current owner has had a new clutch, timing chain and auto tensioner, and a standard airbox fitted, UJ checked and a clean bill of health given by his local Guzzi specialist. So it looks like this deal is definitely a goer, hopefully this weekend. I'm genuinely excited! :woohoo:
 
Well, I got the bike but all is not well. It pumped oil all over my leg on the way home and the headlights don't work. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement; the former owner mentioned a 'slight oil weep' from a breather at the point of sale, but I wouldn't call half a pint of oil up my leg a 'slight weep'! :angry:

I was due out as soon as I got home so didn't have a chance to look over the bike. The bike has a deep sump, so I'm hoping he just over-filled it with oil; if it's anything more sinister he may be getting a punch on the chin soon. The headlight is probably just a blown fuse, but it's not a good start.

What a lovely bike to ride though. I immediately felt at home on it, it has all the character the Griso was missing, and it's far more composed and wieldy than I thought it would be. I hope the oil leak is a simple fix, cos I'm in love with this bike already :p
 
I don't know if you still have the bike, I owned it for many years.

I don't think it is an SE, I assumed it was a direct import. The frame is stamped '86 but the first registration in this country was later (Portsmouth), I have the docs. The SE bikes here were black engine and red/white although Guzzi have always been a bit like that.

Looking back i think the bike may have had a slide early on, The bars didn't match when I got it. The front wheel was a standard mod but I always wondered if the wheel and fairing happened at the same time (there is some fin damage to the OS pot). The chrome bars are from a 1000s, the bar ends cost a fortune. When I first got it the bike has an odd 2 into 1

Sprint were very proud of the fairing, it was featured on the Guzzi stand one year, it makes the bike a lot more rideable at speed. The wing mirrors were from a Fiat Strada which is a problem. i still have a new 'shark fin' indicator somewhere.

Unfortunately the bike fell over in the wind in Yorkshire which is where the damage to the OS fairing lower occurred.

It's a good old thing. It always poured oil although it's not as much as it seems. I used to put a catch tank in the NS fairing lower. I don't think it liked continuous high revs.

Let me know if you still have it.

A
 
I've still got it alright, and thanks very much for the background history. Keep hold of that indicator, they're rarer than hens' teeth! The fairing's off now, and the bike undergoing a cafe-ish makeover; I initially tried to find a stock headlamp fairing in order to put it back to standard, but I cannot find the strange under-tank fairings for love nor money, so gave up on the idea.

I rather hope I've fixed the leak, replacing the oil lines to the heads and using new crush washers - the local dealer seems to think that'll cure it - but have not taken it on a long run since I did the work.

I'm currently trying to work out how the wiring for the headlight has been altered (it has a feed directly from the battery) so I can fit a single headlamp and digital dashboard. I rather hope the work will turn out well enough to please the previous owners; I'll be happy to send some pics once it's done.

Thanks once again for getting in touch :)
 
Gambalunga said:
2003, I guess when I got it
Click to expand...

Blimey, it hasn't changed much at all. Wheels are now black (not for long...) and obviously the exhausts are different. Looks much nicer with the red wheels I think.
 
I don't suppose there's any chance you have the spare keys for the bike..? I've only got one set, and while getting a new ignition key isn't a problem, getting a spare for the fuel cover is proving a nightmare :(
 
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