350 ALPINO ready for the road

[corsaro]

Well that is the first of my two projects virtually complete, might even take it outside if it ever stops raining here in the UK. The bike is an early 78 350 model with balance shaft engine. items left to finish are steering and seat locks, running up and some fine tuning.
The odometer reads 5000 km and looking inside the engine that well may be correct as there appears to be no wear anywhere.
Paintwork finished in Carmine red and white logo which seems to suit the bike.The early bikes seems to have had minimalist paintwork so I replicated what was on it from new.
2nd project - the 500 Alpino from 77 pre balance shaft fitment is now 70% complete. Paintwork for this one in black blue and gold. this one seems to have had 33k km before the sticking valve bucket caused some issues.
When stripping the paint from the items I was surprised how badly applied it was, with bubbles between primer and top coat if I was trying to reach a similar factory finish I would have had to lower my standards substantially........
Actually not unlike the Saturno 350 paintwork and the Belgarda 660 Paintworks - so painting in the 70's and 80's and even 90's can not have been an italian speciality.

Stu

 

[pf1]

But will the 350 pull the skin off a rice pudding? That's what we need to know.

 

[CLEMTOG]

if it was my mums rice pudding, you would need a 4x4 John Deer! and to get the rest out of the pot, you would need a rino horn, on a JCB3CX!
CLEM

 

[rocketonarail]

One of the six or seven 350`s Dennis Kelly brought into the UK maybe ?

........ Would probably leave a Jota for dead between Saint Arvans and Tintern if you wind it up and use that `box ...... Probably .... .........

 

[a14rgs]

One of the six or seven 350`s Dennis Kelly brought into the UK maybe ?

........ Would probably leave a Jota for dead between Saint Arvans and Tintern if you wind it up and use that `box ...... Probably .... .........

That's a cracking stretch of road

 

[rocketonarail]

That's a cracking stretch of road View attachment 89260

Sure is Alan .......... That first righthander leaving St Arvans takes you up a straight stretch to another tighter righthander , and then a succession of narrow left / rights ......... I`ve been riding up there for the last fifty years , and that road is still much quicker than I am .......... The older I get the more difficult it is for my mind to keep up with what comes next ........ and I was never very quick to start with ..... .........

Sometimes it`s a relief to get held up by a car in front ......... at least I`ve got an excuse to slow down and stop scaring myself .... !! .....

... The B4235 between Chepstow and Mynydd-bach is just as frightening .... sorry , just as exciting .......

 

[The Sock]

... The B4235 between Chepstow and Mynydd-bach is just as frightening .... sorry , just as exciting .......

Even at 20mph?

 

[Andy J]

I can testify to pissing all over larger capacity bikes on that stretch of road on my 350; and it wasn’t just on that road.
However, I have to admit to over doing it on a Slaters’ weekend, in I think 1981, and ending up on my arse in a farmyard as a result of going over a blind rise in the road far too fast only to discover a 90 degree bend on the other side. I’ve still got the booby prize awarded to me by ‘PK’, who was still wearing his neck brace following his own spectacular crash at the TT.

 

[rocketonarail]

Even at 20mph?

....... probably ........ although on a narrow road which becomes even narrower as you approach the next blind 90 degree bend , the last thing I might be looking at is the speedo ....... more concerned with what I might be about to hit ....... cars coming the other way tend to take up half of your side of the road as well as theirs ....... ...........

........ Making the return trip along that stretch for the first time in a while , I thought I was doing quite well , when some local hero ( I like to think ) , on a Street Triple comes bounding by as if I were standing still ....... Obviously suffers from a lack of imagination ....... ..............

 

[rocketonarail]

B4235 approaching Coppice Mawr ........

This is the start ........ many more to come ..... looks much wider here than it seems when approaching at XX mph ...... If it wasn`t for the gravel and stuff coming the other way it could almost be good fun .........