Next Steps

So I went to the Chicago Motorcycle show and was smitten with the new R1200RS.

Then thought it was massively overly plastic'd and my wife doesn't ride with me that often.

So I want to turn my GRiSO into more of a sport tourer-ish bike. I'm 3/4 of the way there with a fly screen, bars that fit my ergo's for all day riding, and HB Junior bags.  I have the 30L's and will pick up 40L's for when it's needed.

So I'm thinking heated grips, Matris shock and then a new can that will fit under the bags. That's the tough one.

Open to ideas on what's worked for everybody here!

Heated grips and hand guards from the Stelvio work for me.

I have 1" bar risers and a tank mount Givi adapter ring. I only have their smallest tank bag, but thinking about a large one now.

Canyon Carver wrote:

I have 1" bar risers and a tank mount Givi adapter ring. I only have their smallest tank bag, but thinking about a large one now.

 I might have missed something earlier, but am keen to know what bar risers you are using.   A pic would also be good if you have one, thanks.

Birch,

Out here in the Pacific Northwest we ride year round in almost all conditions and we LOVE road trips. For me, the GRiSO (2007 1100) is a great sport tourer. It's got all the performance I need and it fits me well for long days on the road. There have been many days over 600 miles and I've currently got 45k on the odo. Below are a few of the things I've done to make mine super-functional.

I installed the GRiSO tail bag rack and always have that bag with me, even on a short run to the summit of Snoqualmie Pass for a cup of coffee. It's only 110 miles round trip and the road is clear and dry most of the time so we can do this short jaunt pretty much whenever we feel like getting out of town. I like the tail bag, it's smallish, but expandable and really convenient for a camera, water bottle and such - but unlike a tank bag, it doesn't have to be removed to re-fuel. In front of that is a custom luggage rack that I fabricated that allows me to strap camping gear on without the gear or the straps touching the paint or the seat. Luckily for me, my wife, Esther rides her own bike (V7 Stone - similarly outfitted), and I never carry a passenger. Below the seat is a set of racks I fabricated for the HB hard bags. The stock rack was back-ordered at the time and I just decided to build my own. This also allowed me to position them where I want them and to work around the High Mistral exhaust. These racks are removable without a great deal of effort, but I've ended up leaving them on all the time as that gives me ultimate flexibility and I'm ready to hit the road on short notice. And no, I'm not interested in producing these for others. You're all more than welcome to copy, steal, or modify my designs to your hearts' content, but production work bores me and I'd rather make art or go out for a ride. (That's the front wheel of Steak's SE behind the GRiSO Rosso).

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Here's a different look at the powder-coated racks and how they allow space for the Mistral. Note that there is some height to the luggage rack over the rear pillion - that's so the seat can be removed without removing the rack itself. (Also note the Moto Guzzi forklift - one of a kind)

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Here's how it looks fully loaded and secured for a crossing on the Black Ball Ferry between Port Angeles, WA and Victoria, BC.

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And from the front, in the high New Mexican desert. You can see how the luggage rack keeps everything off of the seat:

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I've found the HB bags to be completely water-tight and here you can see the "shower cap" that Esther made for my tail bag, keeps the bag and contents dry and a whole lot cleaner.

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Even if I'm not carrying camping gear, I leave the luggage rack in place. I kind of like the way it looks.

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This is a GIVI A770 fairing which I've reinforced against buffeting and vibration with these stainless steel struts. Originally, they were symmetrical, right and left, but when I added the radar detector I re-fashioned a new brace on the left-hand side to get a little more clearance. I made the 1" risers myself and I've installed KOSO heated grips (not shown) [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I also have a Gerbing's heated jacket liner and gloves and for xmas, Esther gave me a pair of ThermaCELL ProFLEX battery powered heated insoles. I tried them out on our annual New Year's Day ride to Neah Bay, WA and they worked just fine: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

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That's a great touring rig! Very impressed with your enginuity!
as to my risers, do a search in the forum to find a couple resources.
here's thread. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Isn't that Givi "no longer available"??

Thanks so much! I'm definitely getting heated grips and the taller GRiSO windscreen next.

New pipe and tune improve performance at all or is it just for the sound?

DM not for a few years now. I keep searching eBay hoping one pops up.

sigh. yes. I haven't been looking yet until my cash hiccups are resolved (in a few months).

Birch wrote:

New pipe and tune improve performance at all or is it just for the sound?

I bought the bike with 1000 miles on it and it came with the Mistral exhaust. I like it just fine and with Beetle's map, it runs great!

DM,

Yeah, the A770 is no longer available. I've shown this in an earlier post, but here it is again - I wrecked the A770 in the Yukon last summer and the closest replacement I could find on ebay was an A750 which I don't like quite as well, but it's a bit smaller profile and some might like it better. It's one of my biggest pet peaves that whenever I find something I like, invariably it gets discontinued. Apparently that's going to happen with our beloved GRiSO in the near future too, but I'm hoping I can score a 2015 eventually like I did my 1100 - low miles, perfect condition, new exhaust, half the price of a new one.

A770, fucked up A770, A750:

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Oh! So there's some 1100 maps out there?

I'm thinking of getting the Spark pipe and keeping the baffles in. Have no idea how to do a map tho.

I replaced the A770 with a MRA that has a laminar lip. A770 is being tested on my CB1100. Found that while a Russell Day Long is fine for the bum, the A770 puts too much wind on my shoulders. Perhaps I just need to get in shape.

I went with the Stelvio hand guards, but Bikemaster heated grips. I really really like the larger size and feel of the rubber on the Bikemaster grips. Plus they are "cheap" at $60. I pull current from the headlight socket; works like a champ.

I picked up some Ortlieb bags from a Quota owner. They work, are totally dry but frankly I'm not keen on the over the seat strap. Wolfman may get the nod to replace them. Last year I picked up a Guzzi luggage rack and strapped on a medium Wolfman duffle bag. Love it!

I also use the Large GRiSO tank bag but the rain cover only helps a bit. I took to putting stuff in some stuff sacks that came with my Giant Loop Great Basin saddle "bag". I'd stick to it but the Russell Day Long is the wrong shape for it. I'm considering having the RDL redone to purge the rear bucket.

Street; we had a fellow from your neck of the woods using the metal braces on his A770 on his GRiSO attend our monthly Guzzi breakfast. I assume it was you, can't be that many folks with a braced A770 on a GRiSO! I've kept an eye on mine after seeing yours and have yet to see a need for them. But then I have the 2013 with a different motor.

Forgot to add, ROX 1" handlebar risers. Pushed me back enough to take some strain off the neck. Some crushed pie shaped vertebrae gives me an odd geometry so the risers help to compensate for this.

rboe wrote:

Street; we had a fellow from your neck of the woods using the metal braces on his A770 on his GRiSO attend our monthly Guzzi breakfast. I assume it was you, can't be that many folks with a braced A770 on a GRiSO! I've kept an eye on mine after seeing yours and have yet to see a need for them. But then I have the 2013 with a different motor.

Yeah, that was me - I was working on a public art project in Albuquerque at the time (October 2013) and I scooted over to Phoenix and joined you guys for your monthly breakfast. I met Greg Bender there too and have since had him make up a complete wiring harness for my '74 Eldo. Great group of folks out there, hope we'll cross paths again one day.

What prompted me to add the fairing struts was an annoying harmonic hum in my ears from the fairing vibrating at speed. You can certainly live without the braces, but I'd rather do without the hum.

Pete

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Maybe after the Quota I'm somewhat immune to the hum, but I suspect the harmonics are different with my 8V. I also wear ear plugs.

Shame that the A770 is no longer produced, as well as anything apealing from GIVI really...
For $300 or so, you still can get the one from the V11 Copa Italia.
Looks like the A750 but more better.