Author Topic: good/bad assembled c5's or why i bought 2!  (Read 1193 times)

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wildbill

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on: May 02, 2013, 01:08:35 pm
My first c5 chrome was a real p.o.s! i can honestly look back and see the light. it must have been assemble on a very late Friday afternoon. problems i encountered were to name a few
cross threaded acorn bolt on right shock
cross threaded bolt holding solo seat on
front disc brake which locked on application.
o ring chain that froze at 600 kl
a bike that wanted to go straight ahead in the corners and would scare you many many times.
engine vibration that after 30 kl had your hands buzzing and nothing i did fixed it.
continuous spark plug fouling.
i could go on but what;s the use. a smart person might say - it's not for me but i did like the bike. enough so to buy myself another one.
as for the new unit it really is a nice sweet ride. the very first day on the bike i rode about 30 kl and the difference was immediate. it was good! very good.
a very well put together bit of machinery and i enjoy riding it .
these days my factory turbo mx5 is rarely driven and that car gets up and goes. a few days back i had it out and it's not quite the same buzz as the bike.
over the past 10 years Ive had about 20 convertibles and i thought nothing could be better than those - but even a convertible is not match for the wind in the face of a motorcycle.
it's hard to believe almost 40 years have passed since my last bike. but better late than never to experience it again.
a year or so back by accident i stumbled across this site and eagerly read thread upon thread on the U.C.E. and as they say the rest is history.
hopefully the cafe racer will be here in December and i'm in the book for the first unit. will be keen to read 'Bares' impressions and thought when he grips the bars for the very first time.
this is a great forum with plenty of on hand riders  ;) if a problem does arrive and you post a problem thread - most chip in and steer you in the right direction.
may the site continue for many many years to come.
regards all





barenekd

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Reply #1 on: May 02, 2013, 07:03:41 pm
Glad after all the trials and tribulations, you're sticking with us! I can say that with all the little niggling things that I worked on on my G5, really made me enjoy it more. It was fun to work on. Most of the stuff, I would've probably just accepted on other bikes.
It was a great bike and probably my number 1 favorite overall in the last 50 years. The only one that was close probably my ThunderAce. It covered pretty much all the same ground that the Enfield did, and it had all the great characteristics, smooth, fast, great handling, decent mileage for a liter bike, very comfortable. As far as problems went, I bought it used and it used oil like a geyser from a new well. It was a problem with that model. I did get the shop and Yamaha to help my out warranty since it was out of Warranty. I think I only had to pay the labor on the job which was enough! I had to replace a couple of plastic panels when I dropped it in the garage and it landed on the GB. The GB footpeg put a hole in one of the them, the other just broke. It was a very hard, brittle plastic. I don't recall any other problems with it.
The G5 was almost the total antithesis to the Yamaha, but it was more fun. It would go about 1/2 as fast as the Yamaha, but get twice the mileage, well, almost. It was as comfortable, I could ride either of them over 300 miles a day in the twisties. It vibrated, but it was a soothing feel kinda like the Lazy Boys with the built massagers. It had true character! More smiles per mile than any other that I owned.
Both of them, unfortunately, met with disastrous endings! The RE and Yamaha are two of only 3 bikes I ever totaled. One, I was glad to be rid of!
Bare
2013 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer
2011 Black Classic G5 (RIP)
I refuse to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death
http://www.controllineplans.com


AussieDave

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Reply #2 on: May 02, 2013, 09:52:48 pm
C'mon Bare be fair .  You didn't total it ,was the insurance company. You just gave it a little more  character. Hope your wait isn't too long. regards, Dave
"Glorious,stirring sight! The poetry of motion! The real way to travel! The only way to travel! ... O bliss ! O poop poop ! Oh my! Oh my!" - Toad of Toad Hall.