An introduction

Sunday morning, two weeks after finding her and one week after convincing her to come home with me I can finally sit down and ponder the decision.
I’ve been riding motorcycles since the early 1970’s rode an 850T3 to its second factory service around 1978, about a 400km round trip through some of the best motorcycle roads in Northern New South Wales, and fell in love with the Guzzi experience. At the time we were riding the new in line fours from Honda and Kawasaki and the T3 was a return to what I had experienced as a kid on the back of my Uncles BSA’s and Triumphs of the 1960’s, albeit with its own unique character.
The years rolled by but the memory of the Guzzi lingered. There’s been a few bikes under the bridge since those heady days of youthful exuberance and anticipation of what possibilities are out there, a ‘79 Bonnie,’81 Shovelhead,’68 Sportster,’58 3TA,’58 Speed Twin, ‘59 R60,’07 KTM 990 Adventure and a GS 1200.
Still own the Harley...40 years next year and she runs as well now as ever, and the GS is the do everything machine for myself and partner and now after 42 years of remembering the T3 I have my Guzzi! And what a beast it is!I’m 64 and feel 21 again!
It is the essence of motorcycling.........Raw, tough and visceral.....a mans machine!

Year? Colour? Mods? C'mon. We need pics!

trying to work out how to fly this thing! Have a pic but how to post it?
If you are from Bungendore Pete, you know the bike.

I’ll spend a few hours trying to work out how to post a picture but meantime the bike is a 2010 GRiSO 8V SE which I have just purchased from another Forum member ( thank you very much mate, the smile
hasn’t left my face,) 
It was once owned by Michael Medveski (spelling?) mechanic at Moto Moda 
Bungendore. 
I once built some houses in Bungendore, maybe 1982-3 and would never have expected there to even be a motorcycle shop there, let alone a Guzzi specialist? Never say never!

When did you open the shop Pete?

Twenty or so years ago. Michael’s bike is a peach. He’s a perfectionist. I’ll let him know it’s got a new owner.

I plan on keeping it until they prize me off it! I’ll give you guys a call sometime soon just touch base.

If you've Michael's old GRiSO, you've got one of the best fettled GRiSO's on Earth.

Posting pictures is easy:

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Oh, and welcome to the Ghetto Closetolife!

Pete (Street)

Thanks to Street for directions. It certainly is Michaels bike. She has appeared in numerous Facebook posts lurking around Bungendore,

Not too many out there with black on black, highlighted by black valve covers?

I say “ certainly is” unless of course it was owned by someone else in Bungendore?

It was. Before it was owned by Michael!

Welcome - i also have one from March 2010. I remember my dealer saying, that the factory painted the frames black by mistake. So they put no longer silver frames on the standard GRiSO. Maybe it's a true story.

Markus

Thet bike has a bit of an interesting history. It started out life as a Tenni, hence the black frame, but it's owner moved to the US and wanted to take the Tenni bodywork with him. I bought the bike without bodywork and put a set of black bodywork from a bike I'd wrecked out on it and Michael bought it, (This was a couple of years before his crash.) and blacked everything else out on it. It's had *everything* done to it that needs doing by an obsessive perfectionist!

Thanks for the info Pete. I like the look of it, and the fact it has some "uniqueness" to it. The bike rides very nicely too thank you very much!
I'm a Sydney boy and have a house up the NSW North Coast but I'm down here for work so wanted a Vic registered bike. I have a good mate here with a Tenni, which I rode about two years ago and loved it so was on the lookout for one when I saw this one for sale. Right bike, right place, right needs and right $. Was transferred into my name this morning. If I have any issues I'll be in touch for advice.
Now, if we can get some favourable weather conditions down here instead of shitty and cold or shitty cold and wet then it should be enjoyable to ride! I lived in Canberra for four years, early 1980's and rode in that brutal cold winter weather there but even with the cold, at least it wasn't changing every 4 hours! I never believed the stories about Melbourne well......as Davey Jones used to sing....Now I'm a believer!

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That is one beautiful GRiSO, love the black on black on black, classy look.

Nice to see it go to a good home. Enjoy your bike mate.

Since picking up the GRiSO and getting used to it’s quirks I’ve been interested in reading on line reviews to see what others have thought of the machine. Good to see that many don’t get what they expect and so denigrate the machine as being heavy, slow, mechanically noisy, suspension too hard.....etc. Good to see because it means these fools won’t own one and they will leave us owners to enjoy the spirit of the GRiSO!
And yes,it’s an old school design but it’s what we all used to ride before the advent or mobile phones and ABS. Motorcycling is a sensory experience and there is no better experience than punching that 8V up a long hill in 4th gear,listening to the deep baritone , feeling the roll of the engine as you change up, and realising you need to back off before someone sees you and wants a donation to the public fund!
Love this machine! Riding it revives the spirit!

BE the light at the end of the tunnel!

A great looking bike. Yes, the black on black looks fabulous.

Welcome to the ghetto Mr. Closet o' Life!

Pete Roper wrote:

Thet bike has a bit of an interesting history. It started out life as a Tenni, hence the black frame, but it's owner moved to the US and wanted to take the Tenni bodywork with him. I bought the bike without bodywork and put a set of black bodywork from a bike I'd wrecked out on it and Michael bought it, (This was a couple of years before his crash.) and blacked everything else out on it. It's had *everything* done to it that needs doing by an obsessive perfectionist!

Hi Pete, As a new to GRiSO owner and having a stock 2013 8V SE I am interested in peaking the engine performance. What does "Everything" actually mean. Can you please list the mods made to this bike ? Can you also please list the mods needed to get peak engine performance out of a GRiSO ?

Thanks, Bill.