RE Classic 350 & Moto Guzzi V7 Failures!!

I did this rear rack upgrade a couple of months back, using the rear pillion seat frame as a base. Works perfectly, as it should carry the same weight as a pillion rider. I fitted a 3mm flat aluminium plate to the seat frame with the perimeter edges folded down at an angle with 2 elongated slots on each side for passing straps through for carrying purposes. Not really a Royal Enfield structural failure imho, more a structural aftermarket failure to to exceeding it's weight limit, as you rightly said. Glad you got home safely with it, thanks for the video.

I snapped the rack on my Himmie with an empty but quite large top box, then bought a replacement from India which wouldn’t fit, 🤦🏼‍♂️ moral of the story…. Maybe carry less junk… seriously though a replacement Uk made rack from Hitchcock, 3x the price but fits properly and is rated at 10 kg so at least I can carry a a lock and a takeaway! Lovely autumn leaves in GoC. Thanks Dave.

I think this applies to almost everything. They don’t make them like they used to my friend. Enjoy the ride, brother God bless.

We need skill share.
Not everyone understands their limitations are not universal.
Hope it all works out.
I was put off the Guzzi V11 sport because the gear shift issues were from inside the box.
I like the repairable designs that became unpopular around 20 years ago.
The trend seemed to start with domestic printers and worked really well for that industry.

That’s a refreshing video Dave, it’s rare you find anyone on you tube that isn’t painting rose tinted reviews of absolutely everything. Yes we all know that there are small issues with all our machines but in you tube review land they are never mentioned or the opposite where you hear nothing but a complete slagging off. Manufacturers need to waken up and not want all perfect reviews. It would be far better to show a few problems and how they rectify them, especially under warranty. Glad you’ve got things sorted out

You jinxed it when you said there were no problems with any of your bikes 🤣. Love the 350

Oh dear, yes a Hitchcocks rack I believe 5kg max ooops !
Lot of leverage on that rack extending out the back aswell, I think it's meant for soft bags and the like, oh well 🫤

There is a certain amount of pleasure overcoming/adapting to unexpected problems with ones 'Pride and Joy'...Enjoyed my morning ride....lovely colours and light. Looking forward to going for a ride myself later this morning.. Greeting from España.

I don’t think some riders realise how heavy a smallish plastic Givi box can weigh on its own , before it’s even loaded with swag . I lost the paper work on my Givi but I think it’s around 3 •5 kgs , with a capacity load weight of about the same 3•5 kgs , irrespective of what the bikes carrier load is rated at . A decent chain & lock ,can weigh more than the givi top case load limit on its own ,before any more swag is added . To be honest that rack never looked up to the job , be it Hitchcock supplied tat or not . I am fortunate as my rack is a feat of engineering not seen since the days of Isambard Kingdom Brunel , fitted at factory by Suzuki , load capacity 18 kgs . Even so when top box is attached I never load it with more than about 3 - 4 kgs . The solution you have chosen to re position the rack to pillion is a wise one , it shifts the load to more natural position . The decision to sort out your guzzie gear linkage & not leave bike in any dealers , in present financial climate & bike shops going to the wall ,is also a wise one . 👍

Salt? You lucky thing. Our council prefer the sheet ice effect.

An old chap once told me,what is the most important bolt on a bike not sure I said,A LOOSE ONE .😂

All fair comment, Dave. Far too much of the fixings hardware these days is very poor quality, chewing-gum frequently being tougher! If a bolt breaks, I have a simple philosophy; if the broken bolt was a Grade 2, I replace it with a Grade 5. If the Grade 5 is broken, replace with Grade 8. Those are Imperial gradings; if Metric (which runs between Class 4.6 and Class 12.9) use an equivalent increase in upgraded strengths.

You are Right TBW! Tiger Ness is an excellent channel too with good mechanical propositions for the 350 en some pretty trips with it 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Similar thing happened to my V7 re: gear linkage. Fixed under warranty and no issues since. Was stranded but luckily dealer could come and pick me and the bike up without too much drama. Cheers

Shame little Norman isn't looking as you would like but you've redolved the problem. Wise choice on the gear links not worth the risk.

I have a sticker on my Royal Enfield rack which looks the same as the one in your video which says maximum load 3kg. Doesn't seem a lot so maybe the racks aren't the strongest item.

HI ,
A mate of mine fitted a rear rack to a Norton Commando Interstate way back in the day, it snapped the bike frame,
Norton didnt want to know!!! We sleeved the tubes inside and rewelded it. Shame it was a new bike !,,
On my RE 350 ive done the same as Tiger Ness, too the only downside is the plate spacers are only secured to the sub frame with 4 x M6 screws, this I feel is a bit flimsy,
If it becomes a problem the sub frame will get drilled for M8 as the subframe doesnt use the mounting holes for anything..
Works well so far..
Rgds MikeN

I have a rack that I put on my Interceptor that I bought cheap-ish from India. It doesn't stay on permanently because it's pig ugly and ruins the lines of the bike, so I only fit it when I need it.

I bought it mainly because it had a (removable) back rest so when Mrs SteveW rides pillion it's a bit more comfortable for her. I purposely don't put anything heavy on the rack itself, for the exact reason that happened to you Dave - but I did use it on a recent short tour of France, where I balanced my big tail bag half on the rear seat and half on the rack. It held up fine like that, but there's no way I'd have trusted it with the full weight of the 60L tail bag! 🤣

Done something very similar to my RE Meteor.
Stripped everything off to do with a pillion, fabricated a 3mm alloy plate to cover the exposed frame and the top box screws to home fabricated nut plates fixed to that.. On the Meteor, if you don't have a rack fitted you will need a way to lift it on the m.stand.
50 years in aircraft maintenance helps 😂.
Just love these 350 Js.

Great video nice scenery my goldstar is in hibernation for a while need a four wheel drive to get through the salt on the roads over here in northern ireland must be three inches deep wee bit more brittle than I was when I went on the roads in 1970 so ill stick to watching your videos till spring 😊

would not like to use that grab [ rack ] handle as a grab handle ;;;

Dave, i have a Guzzi V7 Stone Special Edition (1 year ago) and one Royal Enfield Classic 350 halcyon green since 2 weeks ago ( both with no problems so far), so It´s clear to me you are a man with good taste! 😃 Greetings from Spain.

Your the problem

Superb video, informative. I'm the same way with most issues on my bike...if i can fix it, i will take that option over possible issues that could arise at any dealership. Don't like not having my bike for prolonged period of time plus the dealership is 4 hours North of me location.

Folk running to dealers with the most trivial repairs is a sign of the times. Well done for setting an example.

The top box in that location will be closer to the bike's CoG. That can only be beneficial to the handling. I've always hated the appearance of top boxes (although very handy) unless on a full dress tourer. Classic looks fine now.

My Moto Guzzi V9 had a similar issue on my very first ride! The rod connecting the gear lever to the transmission unscrewed itself and left me stuck in 5th gear. Luckily was just a few miles from home and was able to nurse it back safely, did have to run a redlight but fortunately no traffic. Not sure if the blame was on MG or the dealership that did the bike prep. Had a replacement rod within a few weeks and all good since.

The most dangerous nut is the one holding the handlebars!

seems to me many lessons are learned the hard way...

I’ve got shaky hands so I quite often have to stick a nut to my finger. I use painters paper tape wrapped around nut and finger tip . Once the nut’s on just pull your finger out!

Glad you got you two minor failures sorted. Sometimes a warranty situation is more trouble and cost than it's worth. Good on you for sorting it all yourself.

Cheers. BJ

A very practical solution to the topbox problem with the added bonus of better handling, especially if you have a substantial weight in the box. Much better to have the load directly over the wheel rather than hanging out past the rear axle.

Love the look of the classic, nice one, very practical as well, enjoying the channel, much appreciated.

Hi do you want the rack repairing?
Possible mod required for extra support.
Let me know.
Cheers

Why would they even put rear racks with such light weight tolerances on there. They really need to find a way to make them stronger.

A mate of mine bought a spare pillion seat for his bike, not an RE, and bolted a top box base plate onto the spare seat. So, he's got the original pillion seat when he needs it, but just swaps the spare seat with the top box plate onto the bike when he needs to use the top box. On his bike it takes seconds to swap the pillion seat pads over, so he can swap between the two easily.

Mr Tiger Ness, is a top bloke, given me some very useful advice. If ever I have an issue or require a little advice, then I know he be willing to help.😊
The bike does look real cool with the top box as is Dave, top job.😊

I would still report the failure to MG.

First givi box I had. Didn’t get the click as you push it on. First junction I stopped box hit me in the back rolled over me head landed over junction in pub yard. 😂 didn’t kill anyone. Still use same box. Clunk Click

Looks great. 👍 I think many owners would be very surprised if they found out how little weight their oem rear racks are rated for. I actually looked it up once before strapping on a large bag for a tour, the recommended limit was 5kg.😂

That exact failure happened to me on a Yamaha about 20 years ago. I downshifted in a sweeper turn onto a highway and the shift lever just fell on the ground! I was also in 3rd gear and made the way back up the mountain to my garage, after dismounting on the shoulder of the road, running back and forth across a lane of the highway to retrieve the lever. That bike was as solid as any I’ve ever had, but that happened. I never figured out what the lesson was, I maintained the bike like one would care for a child. “It apparently sometimes happens” is not the best learned experience.

Get a sportster.
Had mine 17 years and no problems whatsoever.

Dave. You should have kept your Super Meteor. You’ll have nowt but trouble with that Guzzi.

Very interesting video and your bike .look great.

Dave, get a true classic, I'm uploading a video about my 1970s Ducati later. Modern Moto Guzzi's and REs that mirror their original concepts are copies nothing more. Same company with different owners. RE and Guzzi. Modern Guzzi's are OK so are modern REs but anything trying to be a throwback nahhhh

Loving the autumn 🍁 colours 🎉xx

I would guess Dave that most of your viewers outside Yorkshire might need you to explain wenting

Mate had same thing on his 350 meteor put round steel bar down tube welded back together

My rear rack says 6kg (or so) is the maximum. I can't imagine putting double that (or more) on those bolts! Thank you for the video, Dave!

Glueing ?
Come on old mate , we down here in Australia use rolls of 3M double sided tape cut of about 3/8 inch ( 10mm ) long .
On the Guzzie bolt , Chinese plastic ? , it should ne a grade 8.8 high tensile ? , It's a mechanical part FFS !
Love the look of Norman , what a sweet bike . Chinaplastic bolt as well ? Yep I recon .
Thanks again for a great story , mate .