1972 Moto Guzzi Eldorado

(Page 4 of 4)

November/December 2005
By Ric Anderson and Richard Backus 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share

Duenner discovered what LAPD and CHP officers knew very well: The Eldorado doesn’t break down often. And when it does, it’s about as hard to fix as an Erector crane.

RELATED CONTENT

“I like things that are simple and easy to work on, and that’s what attracted me to the Eldorado and the Ambassador,’’ Duenner says. “Even a mechanic with medium skills can figure it out if something breaks down on it.’’

Duenner, who calls himself “the Fred Sanford of Moto Guzzis,’’ still owns the first Eldorado he bought. In his three-person business, he specializes in restoring and producing replacement parts for pre-1975 Guzzis.

 “I’ve seen a lot of other bikes, but there’s nothing else that really interests me,’’ he says. “I used to go to some of the Harley rides here — ones where there would be 3,000 or 4,000 Harleys — and the Guzzis would always get a lot of compliments. A lot of the old guys from the Sixties or Seventies would come up and say, ‘Wow, that’s a cool bike.’’’

Mike Harper, who has been selling and restoring Moto Guzzis for more than 30 years in the Kansas City, Mo., area, rates the Ambassador and Eldorado among the company’s finest bikes.

“The motor is set a little farther forward, which gives you more legroom,’’ he says. “And the engine design is very strong. It’s pretty common to see 100,000 miles on these engines, and you see some guys who have put 200,000 on them.’’

After Moraga’s 1974 accident, his bike went to a repair shop whose operator informed him that the accident must have been caused by rider error. To prove it, the operator rode the bike to the accident site and opened the throttle. “At the same location at the same speed, he went down,’’ Moraga says. “I went to see him in the hospital and said, ‘I see you found the speed wobble on my bike.’ He just grumbled.’’

The bike disappeared, but Moraga stayed with the CHP through 15 years and somewhere around 1 million miles, riding Harleys and Kawasakis. He never had another wreck, but he never complained about the Eldorado, either. “I loved those machines,’’ he says, “except for the one I had.’’ MC

 

 

Page: << Previous 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

Comments

  • Danilo Gurovich 2/20/2009 3:48:14 PM

    I own a '72 Eldorado, and last year racked up 13K+ miles on it. It is a bike I will never sell and one I ride as often as possible. I have had the "wobble" that the officer described. It comes from a loose axle nut at the rear wheel. I was fortunate enough to stop my bike from 80 before I dropped it, so all I had was a serious pucker.

    Proper torque on the axle is all that's needed. Another way to introduce wobble on the bike is from a front windscreen -- you should ALWAYS add a steering damper for this. They are available from the usual Guzzi sources -- late police Eldos and Tonti-framed bikes had them when delivered.

Add Your Comment

You can use this comment form to enter your personal experiences or additional information and resources that you'd like to share with Motorcycle Classics readers. Your helpful advice will be posted on this page.  E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Motorcycle Classics?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Save $5 when you subscribe today!
First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
 
The sound and the fury: celebrate the machines that changed the world! Subscribe to Motorcycle Classics today!

Motorcycle Classics is America's premier magazine for collectors and enthusiasts, dreamers and restorers, newcomers and life long motorheads who love the sound and the beauty of classic bikes. Every issue  delivers exciting and evocative articles and photographs of the most brilliant, unusual and popular motorcycles ever made!

Save Even More Money with our RALLY-RATE plan!

Pay now with a credit card and take advantage of our RALLY-RATE automatic renewal savings plan. You save an additional $4.95 and get 6 issues of Motorcycle Classics for only $24.95 (USA only).

Or, Bill Me Later and I'll pay just $29.95 for a one year subscription!