Gilera Saturno 500 Anniversary edition.

[nsrpaul]

tony mac, bucket racing legend

[oyster]

No 67 is in in a million bits, under my bench awaiting repair.
What happened is the water pump bearings crapped out and since the pump is driven by a flat pulley off the outside of the timing belt, the bearing failure took out the near new belt. In turn it then bent all the valves. What a mess, and the parts are VERY expensive. So I've made a new waterpump housing from scratch, and machining up new valves from aftermarket racing quality blanks. The reason being the waterpump is around $800, the valves about $200 each and the exhausts "on order forever"
SO CHECK THE WATERPUMP. The 350 seen for sale at Ruapuna has had the waterpump pressed apart and new bearings put in. The original ones were right on the edge of failing.

[NordieBoy]

No 67 is in in a million bits, under my bench awaiting repair.
What happened is the water pump bearings crapped out and since the pump is driven by a flat pulley off the outside of the timing belt, the bearing failure took out the near new belt. In turn it then bent all the valves. What a mess, and the parts are VERY expensive. So I've made a new waterpump housing from scratch, and machining up new valves from aftermarket racing quality blanks. The reason being the waterpump is around $800, the valves about $200 each and the exhausts "on order forever"
SO CHECK THE WATERPUMP. The 350 seen for sale at Ruapuna has had the waterpump pressed apart and new bearings put in. The original ones were right on the edge of failing.

The waterpump should only be a couple of hundred $?

I would love a Saturno. Especially one with a blown motor

Big bore Saturno

[gavinnz]

All good into chaps!

I can add a couple of things...
They came in three colour variations, all three could be 350 or 500cc.
All red.
Black with white wheels.
Black with gold wheels (Anniversary edition).

I have owned and black and white 350 in the past and currently own a red 350 that I am repowering with a 558 Nordwest engine. I am also modifying the bike to even lighter than the 145kg mine was when I started.

I will have a 350 engine spare soon if anyone needs one.. 6500km only and runs great.... and a few other original parts I have replaced with lighter ones.

Regards
Gavin

[NordieBoy]

I have owned and black and white 350 in the past and currently own a red 350 that I am repowering with a 558 Nordwest engine. I am also modifying the bike to even lighter than the 145kg mine was when I started.

Café racer style like Pete Fisher's one or with the fairings?

[Eurodave]

Just out of interest, I make fibreglass/carbon replica Saturno fairings & seats & tinted windscreens.........

[grotto]

One of the guys at Red Baron in Auckland had one (may still). best sounding bike I've heard for a long time. I talked to him about it, but he said parts were a hassle to get and his spent quite a bit of time off the road.
Beautiful bikes

[gavinnz]

Café racer style like Pete Fisher's one or with the fairings?

With fairing...
I have set myself some rules to making the bike light...
aim...
Make the lightest roading Gilera Saturno.
Must be ridable and road legal with lights.
Must be recognisable as a Saturno. (so yes I aim keeping the fairings shape)
Weight to be taken with the bike ready to go if only petrol was added.
Modifications must not make the bike less of a weapon on a tight road.

I have do quite a lot already and lost almost 10kg without doing some big ticket items yet. I am trying to think outside the box a little.
I run this thought process on every single part however small....

1. Focus on one part.
2. What is it for? What does it need to do?
3. Can it be done without?
4. Can it be replaced with a lighter component?
5. Can it be made smaller?
6. Can it be made from a different material?
7. Can it be incorperated into another part to do two jobs?

It's amazing what you can do when you think along those lines.

Some of the things I have done so far....
Cut and redon the rear sub frame shorter.... in the process of making a one piece carbon/kevlar gas tank and self suporting seat.
Under engine carbon muffler.
Carbon front guard and faring.
Cut down screen in thinner material without a trim.
Trail tech dash... gets rid of speedo and drive, tacho and drive and water temp guage and does it all in one.
Higher pressure coolent tank cap without catch tank... no fans... I will not be city riding on it... it's weekend tight road fun bike.
Led bar end indicators that work both ways....
LED tail light.
Aluminum rear sprocket that saved 700 grams!
Hollowed axles... smaller wheel bearings with aluminum spacers.
It all adds up!

before anyone tells me it's a waste of time....
I know it is... I am doing it for a fun intellectual and practical creative
exercise.

Gavin