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Help ID'ing 1978 850 Le Mans

C

Crystal

Just got it firing!
Joined
Oct 7, 2019
Messages
4
Location
Utah
Hello all! I hope this is the right spot for this. I searched the forums before posting, and hope this is where I can find my answer.

I have a 1978 850 Le Mans that has not been driven since 1996. It sat in storage due to a death in the family and wasn't properly maintained. As such the gas tank has rusted out and I have a 16 yr old that wants to get it up and running again. I need to find out which version of the Le Mans it is to know which tank to track down. I have the VIN, title, etc. and have tried to Google to the best of my ability, however I'm coming up without answers. Would anyone here know what to do, or where to go? I saw another post linking to a Scandinavian site, but I wasn't sure how to navigate it.

Thanks in advance!!
 
Pictures of what you have would help, but I think the 1978 is the LeMans II . the part number for that tank is 14100257 or 14100258 depending on the color you want. For parts this old, I suggest you contact a long time dealer that may have used parts around. An example would be Harper's Moto Guzzi http://www.harpermoto.com/ Also posting a wanted in the classified of this site may yield a tank.
 
Except for the fuel tank and missing front fender she looks pretty good. Well worth bringing back to life.
 
john zibell said:
Except for the fuel tank and missing front fender she looks pretty good. Well worth bringing back to life.
Click to expand...
I have the fender, my dad liked the look without it so he took it off. On a different note, it's missing the rear blinkers, but I can't ever remember it having them. I would assume you'd need them. Thoughts?
 
Yes blinkers are good and it originally had them. Check with dealers and MG cycle to see if you can get what you need.
 
Looks like you are sitting on an original Le Mans. The extended headlight rim, the upper triple clamp with central friction damper etc.
Production of the Mk 2 started in '78. We had 2 in the family in the early eighties.
Frame and rims have been painted (there was an enthusiast owner in its past).
Of the v-twins this is one of a handful of "collectable" models. It will probably not be worth the cost of a full restoration, but if you can make a runner out of it without breaking the bank, you have got something.
I would be hard pressed to pass it on to a 16 year old, but then I don't have one in the family.....
 
I am looking at a '76 model LeMans and having trouble verifying it to be a true Lemans. Cosmetically it looks to be correct. The engine number is VE 071818. The ID plate on the steering head is stamped 071818. I can't find any reference to this as a VIN for a '76 model. Can you tell me if your bike has a tag on the steering head and if the frame number matches the motor number? Also, does the frame number have a VE prefix? I have read posts on other sites where the ID tag on the steering head covers the actual VIN that would have been stamped in the frame.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
Chris Doskocil said:
I am looking at a '76 model LeMans and having trouble verifying it to be a true Lemans. Cosmetically it looks to be correct. The engine number is VE 071818. The ID plate on the steering head is stamped 071818. I can't find any reference to this as a VIN for a '76 model. Can you tell me if your bike has a tag on the steering head and if the frame number matches the motor number? Also, does the frame number have a VE prefix? I have read posts on other sites where the ID tag on the steering head covers the actual VIN that would have been stamped in the frame.

Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...


In 1976 Moto Guzzi didn't use the VIN numbering system.
 
Nordicnorm said:
Looks like you are sitting on an original Le Mans. The extended headlight rim, the upper triple clamp with central friction damper etc.
Production of the Mk 2 started in '78. We had 2 in the family in the early eighties.
Frame and rims have been painted (there was an enthusiast owner in its past).
Of the v-twins this is one of a handful of "collectable" models. It will probably not be worth the cost of a full restoration, but if you can make a runner out of it without breaking the bank, you have got something.
I would be hard pressed to pass it on to a 16 year old, but then I don't have one in the family.....
Click to expand...

Thank you for your help!! It was my father's bike, and he had repainted it a handful of times to change the aesthetic. I still have pictures of the original paint job. Since it was my father's and my son never had the chance to meet his grandfather, that is why I'd pass it down to my 16 yr old. He also wants the challenge of restoring it and putting it back together, so for Christmas I figured I'd try to find a new gas tank for it.
 
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