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is it worth it, 1962 175

9K views 54 replies 13 participants last post by  DongXu 
#1 · (Edited)
Is it worth it, 1962 175 (now with a picture)

a local harley shop has what i was told is a '62 175 complete with a locked up motor, pretty rusty but complete for $1500. without know anything else is it worth picking up?
thx
allen
 

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#4 ·
'worth it' depends- it would be worth much more than that to me, but if you had to pay someone to get it running you could easily end up 'underwater' on it- more invested than it's worth.
It's a nice motorcycle with a frustrating lack of information and almost no spare parts- if you have time to do some research and can do the work yourself, the asking price is cheap.
If you buy it, I hope you think twice before 'restoring it'- looks good to me as it is.
If you don't have time to spend on it, I'd offer you a very nice profit to sell it to me- will send a PM.
Rick
 
#6 ·
Hey guy's, I just bought it!
I'm friends with the guy that owns the place. It' still in the window, but it's coming home with me next week.
It will be living with it's big brother.......

My BIIIIIG question here is, does anyone know wear I can get rocker arms? One is broken, the other is a question mark, as I haven't looked under the valve cover yet. That, and the right side tool box is among the missing, as is tail light. I'm imagining the T/light will be easy, as the esteemed Albert Bold told me he's got one.
I guess my other question is, what the hell year is this thing? Ed, at the shop told me it's a 64. Did they still have the OHC 175 in '64, or is thing earlier?
Albert re-built my Dad's 750 (now mine) waaaay back in something like 1985, after he bisected a deer in CT. I'm really hoping I can get some help from you guy's in locating rockers, so I can have some hope of getting this running, and then tear it down to nothing to start to make it look as nice as it's big bro.
*fingers crossed*

Thanks,
Chris Wyckoff
 
#8 ·
If open the engine you can see the date of manufactoring stamped in the cast. Parts are sometimes on Ebay in Europe. Just a few weeks ago some rockers and camshafts were sold from a Belgian guy.

Part list and Owners manual you can download for free from the MV AGUSTA Club of Switzerland. Search with Googgle, it ist easy to find.

Greetings Alexander
 
#13 ·
Just went down and picked up my little diamond in the rough.
Some good news................the motor isn't locked up! :mouthwate:yo::highclap::highclap:
Hopefully, with searching by me, and maybe with a little help from you guy's, I can get my dirty hands on some rocker arms and get this thing fired up before Labor Day!
Then the restoration into a thing of beauty will start.
Oh, looks like the chain guard is among the missing, along with the right side tool box.
No key either, but isn't it sort of a generic "key", like the old BMW's where you could use a nail if need be?

Chris
 
#14 ·
So, the CT title says that it's a 1960. I know that doesn't mean much, but that's what it say's. It was bought from Camrod in NYC.
Now, I can't find any pics of anything later than '58 with a mostly white tank with red sides by where the MV logo goes. I can find mostly red w/white where the logo goes, with the correct muffler also, but NOTHING that is exactly like mine. I wonder if mine is another bastardized cob-job of differing year parts???
Hmmmmmm?
Also, does anyone of you know if the intake and exhaust rockers happen to be the same part number? If so, I could just have somebody "copy" the existing still intact rocker.

Chris
 
#19 ·
My observation over many years studying the 175 models is that MV Agusta assembled the bikes fairly consistently in quality and parts. Indications exist that some high performance models such as CSS and Squalo were built in separate, small batches, using special parts. Unusual parts on the regular models are far more likely to have been changed by dealers at delivery or by owners after purchase, or as repairs over the years. Also, there is a lot of creative license taken, especially in Italy, with unwary collectors who can't see beyond shiny red paint... Just my $0.02 worth.
 
#17 · (Edited)
OK, any of you guy's ever hear of a Desmo MV 175? Because it seems I've got one!
Look...............





Since I bought this thing home, I've been looking at the broken rocker thinking.................how the hell does this thing work with the hair-pin springs? I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it, so I just popped the valve cover of and I was like.......................WTF???????? When I first looked at the broken rocker last week, the first thing I thought was that this looks like some sort of a desmo set-up, but, but, it's an MV and I never heard of a desmo MV. The cam has four lobes and all!!!!!!
Maybe this was something a machinist over on this side of the pond dreamed up himself?
Should I try and fix this set-up, or throw it in the garbage and keep my fingers crossed I can find a cam, rockers, and valves to put it back to stock?
SO? Any answers???????
Postulation???
Guessing???
I'm at a loss.

Chris
 
#20 ·
Here is a photo from another thread on this forum. It shows what the Sport 175 rocker setup should look like.

http://www.mvagusta.net/forum/showthread.php?t=145154&page=2

I cannot view your photos, unfortunately. But if you are lucky, yours may have an updated oil feed that pumps oil directly thru drillings in the cam.
 
#21 ·
Chris,
Your photos don't display.
It's possible that someone grafted a desmo valve assembly to your MV head- the MV rocker arm/cam carrier assembly is bolted to the head, so machining a new carrier to accept other cams and rockers would be easier than modifying a head that is cast as a single part.
I'll attach a photo of the Ducati single cylinder desmo parts- cam is about the same length- by duplicating the Ducati cam and rocker arm axle layout the Ducati parts could be adapted.

I've seen a picture of a 175 with a series of spur gears driving the camshaft- like the MV multis, so there's a history of people doing some fairly exotic mods to MV 175s.
Restoring an old MV is something that requires patience- parts are scarce and I've never heard of a service manual- it takes a long time to collect enough information to feel confident that you won't ruin impossible to replace parts.
I told the original poster who found this bike that I'd be willing to buy it - if you lose interest I'm still interested.
Rick
 

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#32 ·
I didn't "sideswipe" anybody!
Bike didn't have a deposit on it, and I knew about it back in December, long before Allen knew anything about it.
I might be a smart-ass, but I didn't skunk anyone out of anything.
Go back and carefully read the first post, and tell me if Allen mentions anything saying that he's actually going to BUY it. He asked if it was worth it.
I didn't waste time wondering, I thought it was!:mouthwate

See Ya!
Chris
 
#25 ·
The fact that o.c.f rider used my pictures and post to this forum where I asked for help, pisses me off. Even the shop owner said he found the bike from this site. I was planning on restoring for an anniversary gift for my wife. At least 9 people contacted me off the list to ask whether I was going to buy it or not and they'd wait till I did it didn't. I was away from home working and didn't get back till 3am this morning when I noticed the bike not in the window
 
#26 ·
It's also been three weeks and the purchaser of the bike also stated that he knows the owner of the shop. Purchaser of the bike also didn't buy it for almost 13 days after your post. Announcing a great buy to an international enthusiast forum on the Internet and then hanging out for a month is not the best way to get a good deal. Did you expect the whole world to respect the fact that you wanted to buy the bike? Seems to me you posted it on here, but by not buying it immediately left it as fair game for someone else, I don't feel like you have any real reason to be upset.

Just my opinion though....
 
#27 ·
i know, should have jumped on it when i saw it, but was heading out of town and just got back. i had been speaking to the seller, can't get upset with him, he wants to make money. the seller said the buyer found it from my ad. my only issue is that others contacted me and asked what my intentions were. whatever, just venting. wasn't meant to be, just bummed
 
#29 ·
Bottom line is you were a little naive, and a lot slow to move on a good deal. Only nasty of the seller, if he knew your intention was to buy it. He *could have* asked... But since you didn't make things clear, you kinda left the door ajar.

On the bright side, another good deal always comes along! I know where some MV 175 Sports slumber, and if they ever come up for sale I sure will decide what I want to do and act accordingly before mentioning a word to this bunch of squalos :naughty: (kidding)
 
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