| Author | Message | ||
     Ft_bstrd |
I just can't get my eyes around Guzzis. If BWM R models have their boobs in their arm pits, Guzzis have them on their shoulders. Great bikes as are the BMWs. I just can't get into them. | ||
| Tramp |
Yep- Outstanding machines, both marques... I just don't like torque-roll much, and find shaft-drive to provide dull-at-best feedback. As to the XB frame, I was under the impression that they were originally manufactured here, for a very limited run, then later outsourced 'alitalia'.... che cosa? | ||
| Hexangler |
 The Moto Guzzi V50iii was my first street bike . I bought it from my best friend Adam Fisher when I was 19. I commuted to San Francisco from Berkeley for the first time over the Bay Bridge on it. 24 years later, I can still remember that first ride. Great bike. I was soooo in love with it. Ahhhh the romance! | ||
| Prof_stack |
Great photos of the Guzzi's! That V50iii is definitely a classic!! I rode 180 miles today on the Nevada and really had a nice ride, except for getting beat up by the winds at freeway speed which was about 50 of those miles. A windscreen is on the short list. 405 miles in 4 days is not bad for day trips, but perhaps 200 miles tomorrow? Anyway, I'm really starting to like this bike a lot. 57 mpg for today's ride and the motor continues to loosen up. No oil use or leaks so far. My brother, on his Ultra Classic, only has 2k miles on his, but was pretty comfortable on his sofa. He snapped the photo below at our lunch stop in Sedro-Woolley, WA. The torque effect is weird at first but not a problem. I really like shaft drive. This is my first bike with it.  | ||
| Danger_dave |
You get used to the torque lift in a short time. FWIW BMW Megamoto is my 'Bike of the Year' - to date. PS Prof - I was ribbing the Mandello - not yours. (Message edited by danger_dave on August 04, 2008) | ||
| Tramp |
The odd thing about torque-roll is how it affects the shaft-drive rider when she/he takes off on a non-shaft-drive mount....such a rider often finds her/himself unconsciously 'pre-rolling' to one side . My problem with torque-roll has less to do with my own getting used to it as it does with the variance, from one side to the other, of how the machine accelerates into corners...esp. wet ones Don't get me wrong, though- I truly love airhead BMS and Guzzis, and I think prof-stack's new Guzzi is beautiful, and very likely bullet-proff. | ||
| Irideabuell |
I really liked the look of the Guzzi Norge in the mags and thought I would like one in the future.....until I saw one at a dealer in Seattle recently. Very ugly and cheap in appearance which certainly wasn't reflected in the price tag. | ||
| Tramp |
Probably a good idea to ride it before you cross it off your list. Of course, with a name like "Norge" you'd better be wearing a belt and try your best to sit upright on it.... | ||
| Cruisin |
I know the XB frames were being made by Verlicchi, in Italy. I remember seeing the 1125R frames being sourced here in the US, but I wasn't sure if they brought the XB production home as well. it's neat to go to their website (www.verlicchi.it) to see what they do (like some of the subframe for the BMW R1200RT, as well as some of the F650GS) | ||
| Prof_stack |
Congrats on the new purchase. I too looked at the Guzzi before I got the XT. My concern was first hitting my shins on the heads and second the heat coming off the heads roasting my shins, Let us know if these are valid concerns. By the way, great looking ride. Even though the 750 Guzzi's use the "small block" motors with shorter cylinder heads, heat does come off the cylinders. With "proper" riding gear it is not a big concern. Yesterday I rode 105 miles in mid 80's temperature with just jeans over my legs. My shins were warm but not hot. But long legged riders would have more problem with their legs touching the cylinders. They would have to either get a larger Moto Guzzi or spread out their legs a little. With gear over the jeans the heat is not noticed as much when riding because of the oncoming wind. My bro on his Ultra Classic said that there was a lot of heat coming from the cylinders right under his seat. Kind of like it was on my XB9S. | ||
| Striperx3 |
I've got a 79' V 50 mkII sitting in my garage (purchased new). Sometime when I quit having fun with my ST1300 and 1125r(t), I'll bring it back to life. After 27,000 miles she still ran great (up to 5-6 years ago). She was my 2nd Guzzi. I had a 76' 850 T-3 (Windjammer and Guzzi bags) that I sold with 60,000 miles to get my V 50. Both were ROCK solid and a pleasure to ride. Then someone attracted me to the "dark side" and I found an American motorcycle that could keep up, and pass the European M/C's in the corners. Five Buells later, I don't regret a single mile or smile! Time4Lunch Neil S. | ||
| Irideabuell |
My dig to the Norge Tramp was that it is touted as a sport tourer and was very bare bones and cheap in appearance. I could get a ZX-14 Concours for far less and be much better off IMO. | ||
| Jlnance |
- no rear cylinder fan. The jugs both get air cooling. The first time I saw a Guzzi I knew that was the right way to mount an V-twin. I've never ridden one, but I like the marque. They are on my "to own one day" list. | ||
| Crusty |
I could get a ZX-14 Concours for far less and be much better off IMO. Yeah, but then you'd be stuck riding a bland appliance, instead of a motorcycle with panache. For that matter, you could buy a KIA with its 100,000 mile warranty and be even better off than with the Concours. (Message edited by Crusty on August 06, 2008) | ||
| Prof_stack |
Just got the Guzzi back from its 621 mile (1,000 km) servicing after one week of ownership. I let the shop do all the work this time and paid $250. TPS adjust, valve adjustment, 3 fluids, head steering bearing, etc. Next service is due at 3k miles when I change just the oil. Then at 6k miles another bigger servicing is due. Should be cheaper than the XB was/is. (Downtown HarleyBuell of Seattle/Renton is $425 for the 1000 and 5000 mile servicing and $625 for the big one, the 10k mile job.) 10W-60 (!) synthetic oil was used. $16/qt!! I'll use Amsoil 20W-50 when I do it, with the shop owner's blessing, who is fine with it. More likes/dislikes compared to my old XB9S: - It's nice to be able to easily move the bike in gear w/ the clutch pulled in - The sidestand is very stable, no worries about the bike moving off of it. - I miss the 2nd tripmeter on the XB, but the layout of the Guzzi is easier to deal with; it doesn't have a cable blocking the push buttons. - Shiny stainless spoke wheels are classic! - Redline shockproof gear oil is okay to use in the rear shaft gearbox. - Did I mention how nice it is to be 5 miles away from the top dealer in the US?  So, again, I have no regrets in selling the XB9S but hope to see an improved single cylinder bike from Buell to add to the garage in the future. | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
 Service costs... You just had to rub it in... | ||
| Cityxslicker |
DIRTY BIKE 450cc. Fabulous. | ||
| Prof_stack |
Uh, is the dirty bike your own creation, via Blast frame and rice motor? | ||
| Tramp |
"More likes/dislikes compared to my old XB9S: - It's nice to be able to easily move the bike in gear w/ the clutch pulled in..." yeah, the insanity of having to actually move the shift lever to the neutral position really breaks me all up. Now that I think of it, I should junk my Buell and get me a Guzzi guido-cruiser asap, to rid myself of this heinous inconvenience...  } (Message edited by tramp on August 09, 2008) | ||
| Prof_stack |
yeah, the insanity of having to actually move the shift lever to the neutral position really breaks me all up. Now that I think of it, I should junk my Buell and get me a Guzzi guido-cruiser asap, to rid myself of this heinous inconvenience... Hardly heinous, Tramp, just an observation. Of the 8 cycles I've owned only the 2 Buells were like that. No motorcycle is perfect, duh. | ||
| Djkaplan |
I've always wanted a Guzzi, starting with the old LeMans 850 over 30 years ago. Any Guzzi makes me stop and look and talk to the owner, though. One of my old dear friends, Keith Reid, had an ancient Guzzi that finally outlived him. Keith was a lifelong motorcyclist who learned how to ride in the 50's on an Indian from the 30's. His only real goal in life (which he achieved) was to not die on a bike. I hope they're both doing fine... where ever they are. That old Guzzi will probably outlive its next owner too. | ||
| Mbsween |
I rode the Norge at Vintage Days cuz I was too late to get on a Griso or Sport 1200. I was bummed as I'm not a big fan of touring bikes but went on the ride anyways. I was very surprised how much I liked the bike. Power was good, handling was very good and it didn't do anything except what I asked. I didn't mess around with the bags so no comment there. The switchgear for the windscreen was kinda cheesey, but otherwise I was impressed with the bike. Granted the ride was only around 30 miles, but the road had some twists, rolling hills and even a decreasing radius corner. I even got into triple digits with the damn thing. The only "strange" thing was the starter , just touch it and it does the rest. I really wished I could have ridden the Griso 8v. Still waiting for my Buell/Ducati/Guzzi/Triumph dealer to appear  | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
It is kinda ashame you keep mentioning the nearness of your dealer. I still enjoy working on my bike. I hope that it will never grace their service bay again. I was raped by their special buell price sheet once never again. I have been heckled by the employees and garage groupies when I pull up. Nope don't need it. | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
It is kinda ashame you keep mentioning the nearness of your dealer. If you knew the dealer he was going to you might have a different view. The little Guzzi dealer is like a little art gallery. They seem to have a very good rating in the MG world. Much like Appleton in our world. | ||
| Prof_stack |
If you knew the dealer he was going to you might have a different view. The little Guzzi dealer is like a little art gallery. They seem to have a very good rating in the MG world. Much like Appleton in our world. That's very true. Moto International is perhaps the top dealer in the USA. The "Wild Goose Chase" forum is, like Badweb, very active and MI gets continual praise. I'm still too new to fully understand all the hoopla as I'm new to Guzzi in general. Like Appleton (like when Daves was there), a guy is flying in from Boulder on Tuesday to get a new Breva 1100. He will quickly put 621 miles on it, return for the first servicing, and then head out for a Guzzi fest of some kind in OR. BTW, I plan on doing most of the servicing myself. | ||
| Blake |
It's easy to change the spark plugs and exhaust header gaskets on a Guzzi. I don't much push my Buell around. I usually ride it to where I want to park it. | ||
| Tramp |
I don't much push my Buell around. I usually ride it to where I want to park it.  | ||
| Prof_stack |
Tonight Jamie (Corporate Monkey) and I took a 50 mile sunset ride. It was the first night ride for me since the accident last summer. It was a great ride. We swapped bikes part way through and I got to re-experience the XB. Sure is a brute for power compared to the small block Guzzi. Handling was unusual because of the squared off Scorpions after Jamie's last long ride. His HID up front sure is bright. But the Guzzi's lights are much better at night than the stock XB's.   The ride ended with Jamie's taillight fading away far into the distance.  Thanks bro, let's do it again sometime! | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
My experience on the Guzzi: Having never rode a MG before, it was sure interesting. I nearly stalled it because I am so used to the Buells heavy flywheel. But I will say the 750 motor is a gem. It sounds wonderful above 4000rpm. I was not a huge fan of the vibration. It is not a strong as my buell, but it is at a higher frequency, so I could see that being an annoyance on a long ride. Seat was hard, and the seating position was a little short of my legs. But I can almost look over all of it idiosyncrasies to play with the motor. Norm made a fine motorcycle choice. | ||
| Jramsey |
Nice pics. guys. I guess you don't have bugs in the North West? Here in South East Kansas in the summer time after a 20 mile ride evening ride I look like I went to a paint ball battle and lost. As I said before nice looking Guzzi. |
