Accidental old Morini purchase

[Dickyboy]

Left-handed kick start, not many of them, my old MZ etz was a left pegger I think

Right foot gear change too, luckily I don't use a rear brake much but still managed to lock the rear wheel a couple of times "changing down" keeps you immersed in the riding....

[Skub]

Left-handed kick start, not many of them, my old MZ etz was a left pegger I think

Some Suzukis had a left side kicker. Early strokers like T250 and GT250.

[Yorick]

Left-handed kick start, not many of them, my old MZ etz was a left pegger I think

Some Suzukis had a left side kicker. Early strokers like T250 and GT250.

I can't remember that ???

[Skub]

It's your age.

[Yorick]

It's your age.

I'll get you at playtime.

[demographic]

Looks nice that.
The wheels look similar to Guzzi 850 ones.

[Druid]

Left-handed kick start, not many of them, my old MZ etz was a left pegger I think

Some Suzukis had a left side kicker. Early strokers like T250 and GT250.

and the T500/GT500

I had a CZ250 which had a left hand kickstart, which doubled as a gear lever

[Supermofo]

Left-handed kick start, not many of them, my old MZ etz was a left pegger I think

The Duke 2 had a left kicker, when mine was being serviced the shops one had a flat battery when I was at work. What a bastid to start!

[David]

Left-handed kick start, not many of them, my old MZ etz was a left pegger I think

Right foot gear change too, luckily I don't use a rear brake much but still managed to lock the rear wheel a couple of times "changing down" keeps you immersed in the riding....

Gear change should be on the right on a proper bike....

[Dickyboy]

Turns out the ignition switch has three positions, 1 = off, 2 = everything except rear light works & 3 = everything works and with a bit of old fashioned removal from bike, wd40 & wiggling I even managed to get the trip reset working. Need to change the oil & brake fluid for peace of mind more than anything & compile a to do list for winter work, roll on the proper summer.

[Mr Moofo]

Turns out the ignition switch has three positions, 1 = off, 2 = everything except rear light works & 3 = everything works and with a bit of old fashioned removal from bike, wd40 & wiggling I even managed to get the trip reset working. Need to change the oil & brake fluid for peace of mind more than anything & compile a to do list for winter work, roll on the proper summer.

Sound like you are happy with the purchase

[Rockburner]

You may find that a lot of the ancillary parts were also fitted to Guzzis/Ducatis of the same age. Might make finding bits easier? (Eg things like twist grips or switchgear)

[JackyJoll]

Left-handed kick start, not many of them, my old MZ etz was a left pegger I think

Right foot gear change too, luckily I don't use a rear brake much but still managed to lock the rear wheel a couple of times "changing down" keeps you immersed in the riding....

Gear change should be on the right on a proper bike....

And one up, three down!

[jacoboliverleo]

Having had a few of them in the past & having lost my sister in law to multiple sclerosis back in 2020, when I saw that two Morini 500's had been donated to the MS Society for auction at the recent Iconic Auction and having wanted an older bike for pottering around on, it seemed a match made in heaven. As the weeks passed leading up to the auction I convinced myself that I didn't need a third bike, didn't have enough space & would rather spend the money on the ones I have, that didn't stop me from registering with Iconic & taking a nosey on the day though, oh no... Ooo I'll just bid that one up in the name of charity, can't let it go to cheap, someone is bound to bid more... oops no you've just won the auction & are the proud owner of a shiny red Moto Morini 500 Sport & am currently waiting patiently for its delivery, only an hour or so to go & it will be tucked up in the garage with its younger fitter brother

Sounds like a classic case of “accidental” bidding! At least it’s for a great cause, and now you’ve got a beautiful Morini 500 to enjoy.

[Tricky]

Not quite sure how I missed this thread (well, it's probably as I haven't been logging in much lately I guess), but I love it- top darts old boy!

I've got what is probably a slightly perverse love of Morinis, spawned way back in the late 70s when my old Dad gifted me his 3 1/2 Strada that he had had a love/hate relationship with ever since he bought it (from new I think) in the mid-70s.
He was a V-twin fanatic, I guess as a result of his Vincents mainly, and loved the 3 1/2 when it was running, and used to go on and on about how well it handled , and how frugal it was on fuel, but had his fair share of problems with it, caused primarily IMO by the shithouse wiring loom and electrics in general.

As a 17 or 18 YO at the time who had spent most of my life taking things apart and putting them together ,and working at a bike dealer on Saturdays since I was 11 on almost every marque you can think of (except Morinis ) , his ritual for starting it from cold (something like flip the choke on front cyl only, kick it 3 times with x mm of throttle before turning the ignition and other carb choke on , saying start you fecker and going for it ) ) used to make me roll my eyes as unnecessary and illogical, but I guess it seemed to work for him as a cold-start procedure.

Anyway, the straw that broke the camel's back as it were, was when it inexplicably ran the big-ends- Dad was fastidious with maintenance on all his bikes so not sure why it happened, but the result was he parked it outside the front of the house, replaced it (with an R100CS I think) as his daily, and let it rot , and the elements weren't kind to it, it really did rust and corrode.
After it had been sitting completely unloved for a year or so I asked him what he was going to do with it and he said I was welcome to have it if I wanted it, so I completely stripped it, rebuilt the motor , replaced a lot of the nasty cheap wiring loom connectors, fusebox and coils, rattle canned the now quite badly rusted frame and tinware , spent hours with autosol bringing all the ally and chrome back, and changed the tank and sidepanel colour from the original pukey flat bronze to Rosso Red to try and make it look like a Sport, and the original shocks to try and make them look like Konis .
This is how it looked when I was finished- I was dead proud of it at the time as a 17 YO





I then thrashed it around (it wasn't fast, but I loved the noise it made, and riding it) for a year or so until I flogged it and replaced it with an RD400 ,or 400 Dream- can't remember exactly which but I had them both at the same time.
I know it frustrated the hell out of Dad because after my rebuild, and I think specifically attention to the electrical system, I could guarantee it would be a first time starter hot or cold with no funny rituals - he would still insist that, to be sure, (he was actually Norn-oirish too ), his weird ritual should be followed, and was willing it not to start whenever I walked up to it, but it always did

Anyway, I've woffled on, but enough to say, I always fancied a 500, and that looks like a pretty tidy original- all the best with it, and I for one will watch with interest whenever I get on here

[Rockburner]

Not quite sure how I missed this thread (well, it's probably as I haven't been logging in much lately I guess), but I love it- top darts old boy!

I've got what is probably a slightly perverse love of Morinis, spawned way back in the late 70s when my old Dad gifted me his 3 1/2 Strada that he had had a love/hate relationship with ever since he bought it (from new I think) in the mid-70s.
He was a V-twin fanatic, I guess as a result of his Vincents mainly, and loved the 3 1/2 when it was running, and used to go on and on about how well it handled , and how frugal it was on fuel, but had his fair share of problems with it, caused primarily IMO by the shithouse wiring loom and electrics in general.

As a 17 or 18 YO at the time who had spent most of my life taking things apart and putting them together ,and working at a bike dealer on Saturdays since I was 11 on almost every marque you can think of (except Morinis ) , his ritual for starting it from cold (something like flip the choke on front cyl only, kick it 3 times with x mm of throttle before turning the ignition and other carb choke on , saying start you fecker and going for it ) ) used to make me roll my eyes as unnecessary and illogical, but I guess it seemed to work for him as a cold-start procedure.

Anyway, the straw that broke the camel's back as it were, was when it inexplicably ran the big-ends- Dad was fastidious with maintenance on all his bikes so not sure why it happened, but the result was he parked it outside the front of the house, replaced it (with an R100CS I think) as his daily, and let it rot , and the elements weren't kind to it, it really did rust and corrode.
After it had been sitting completely unloved for a year or so I asked him what he was going to do with it and he said I was welcome to have it if I wanted it, so I completely stripped it, rebuilt the motor , replaced a lot of the nasty cheap wiring loom connectors, fusebox and coils, rattle canned the now quite badly rusted frame and tinware , spent hours with autosol bringing all the ally and chrome back, and changed the tank and sidepanel colour from the original pukey flat bronze to Rosso Red to try and make it look like a Sport, and the original shocks to try and make them look like Konis .
This is how it looked when I was finished- I was dead proud of it at the time as a 17 YO





I then thrashed it around (it wasn't fast, but I loved the noise it made, and riding it) for a year or so until I flogged it and replaced it with an RD400 ,or 400 Dream- can't remember exactly which but I had them both at the same time.
I know it frustrated the hell out of Dad because after my rebuild, and I think specifically attention to the electrical system, I could guarantee it would be a first time starter hot or cold with no funny rituals - he would still insist that, to be sure, (he was actually Norn-oirish too ), his weird ritual should be followed, and was willing it not to start whenever I walked up to it, but it always did

Anyway, I've woffled on, but enough to say, I always fancied a 500, and that looks like a pretty tidy original- all the best with it, and I for one will watch with interest whenever I get on here

Is that the R100CS in the photo? Certainly looks like a BM.

My Dad used to wax lyrical about them too - no idea why, he never rode one! But he certainly liked the way they looked.

[Tricky]

Yup, I think it is- AFAIR the CS was the sporty (relative term ) variant, with DelOrtos etc, but I have to say I never saw the attraction of it ( or TBH any of the BM airheads except the R69S- I think that era are beautiful, and the R90S, again mainly for for looking-at reasons,) , really due to the ponderous sort of gearchange and suspension uppy-downy thing they did when you wound them on

[Dickyboy]

@Tricky great story, thanks. The flip one choke on at a time was a thing on a previous Morini I had as there was no adjustment on the carb top levers, both on & the engine would race away, so just one at a time to warm both cylinders. Luckily this one has handlebar lever & cable choke so easy to adjust till warmed up.

[Dickyboy]

Got Instagrammed by an influencer at the dgr in Oxford on Sunday

[Dickyboy]

Tried sorting the flat spot at 3k by replacing plugs & going down a size or two on the pilot jets, seemed to improve things a wee bit and went out for a spin around the countryside, popped some flowers on an old mates resting spot, then sadly something went rattle rattle ha ha clonk as I dashed up Old Dashwood Hill & I had to call the AA out to get myself home, haven't investigated yet as been on my hols en France, starter spins but doesn't engaged and still got good compression on the kickstarter, so fingers crossed it's just a starter problem - Morinis have a weird centrifugal clutch type starter...