Ebay Excalibur

[pedro]

There is currently a 500 Excalibur on Ebay, it's described as a 500 but my suspicion is that it is a 350 into which someone has put a 478cc engine, I am no expert so I would be happy to hear other opinions.

MOTO MORINI EXCALIBUR 500 CC
( 201990788151 )

[MickeyMoto]

See Faceache Morini page for more pictures...

[pedro]

I have contacted the owner and there is no gillardoni marking between the fins at the bottom of the barrels, is there any other way to tell the 478cc and 507cc engines apart?

['It must be a .....']

Hi, all 500/501 barrels have 8 fins and 350s have 6 fins. Early 501 barrels look similar to 500s but the later ones had larger and more square fins with notches for rubbers (as did the 350s); the later heads also had bigger fins.
All heads have 6 fins.
It should have 28mm PHBH carbs if it is a 501 (26mm for 500s).
The engine looks right for a series 1 Excalibur, just make sure it's not a 350.
Hope this helps

['It must be a .....']

Have a look at this viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1410

[MickeyMoto]

My worry is that the side panels say RLX, which I thought was the later Kokusan engine. Also the sidepanels say 50 - no 1 or 3?

[morini_tom]

Looks like a pre Kokusan 500 motor to me (tall barrels and round slide carbs suggest it's not a 350)

However the side panels and 8500rpm redline suggest this perhaps started life as a 350, or at least has had these parts changed (in fact, excaliburs had white faced dials so the clocks are almost certainly not original)

If you do a tax check on dvla (the reg number is visible in one of the pics) it's been off the road since 2012 and is registered as a 1990 bike with a 500cc engine.

1990 definitely would have had a kokusan 501 or 350 motor so this may well be a bit of a bitsa.

But do you know what, fair play I say. Too many Excaliburs get broken for their engines and if somebody has at some point decided to put this one back together (and moreover, put a 500 motor in rather than an easier to get 350), then this bike deserves a nice home.

I hope somebody buys it and enjoys it for what it is.

(And before you think I've been on the vino, whilst I don't really like the way they look, I appreciate what they are, and it's just a shame how so many of them end up- I should know, both my dart's 501 engines came from excaliburs!)

[Ming]

I can't even see it on ebay - and I like them!

['It must be a .....']

Hi, I agree with Tom that it looks like a 'pre Kokusan 500 motor' and if not original to the bike could even be from a late 501 Camel (electric start).
I've seen 3 different types of 501 barrels; fins as the 500, larger square fins with indents for rubber blocks/strips and finally large square fins with the top 3 larger again to match the head fins.
As much as most of us? like the Morini mix n match possibilities it can give others grief when buying a bike especially when originality matters.
Enjoy the fun

[MickeyMoto]

If it is a late Camel, the cam would be hotter than the standard Excretia? May be worth a punt, if so.

[pedro]

I've been asking some questions from the vendor, who seems a very helpful chap although he knows little about the bike.
It appears to not have any Gillardoni markings between the fins at the base of the barrels which I thought all 501's did have, it also seems to only have a 5 speed box from going through the gears with it on the centre stand, however it does have PHBH28 carbs which would be right for a 501, my hunch would be that it's a 478cc engine with bigger carbs, but as I said before, I am no expert.

[norbert]

If the barrels are not marced with "Gilardoni" it will be no 501. All the barrels with Nikasil (350 or 507) wear the "Gilardoni"