"Retro Roadster"

Motorcycle Consumer News has a strange comparo review this month titled "Retro Roadsters." Their choice of three bikes is pretty weird - the Honda CB1100, the Triumph Bonnie 900, and the GRiSO. The conclusion was that the Honda and the Trumpet look retro but don't feel that way, while the GRiSO looks modern but feels retro. They liked the bike, but didn't like the brakes. I've had no issues with the brakes - have any of you??

MCN is subscription-only, so I can't link to the article. I just got the paper issue - will see if I can figure out how to upload a PDF scan to the forum.

John,

Haven't seen the article, but it's kind of a moot point isn't it since the beautiful GRiSO has been discontinued?

Bah humbug!

The article was probably finished before MG announced they were dropping the model.  I have scanned the article and am trying to figure out how to get it from OneDrive to here.  Stay tuned.

That raises a question: did MG officially announce the demise of the GRiSO, or did it just disappear from the website?

OK, let's try this.

This should be a link to a PDF file containing the scanned article.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

LOL.
Dumb asses probably don't know how to ride motorcycles properly...
I've rode both the the CB and the Bonnie plenty of time since I have friends that own these bikes...
Compared to the GRiSO, the Bonnie is not even close in the brake department or anything else for that matter.
And while the CB has decent brakes, the GRiSO is still a notch above it.

As for the demise of the GRiSO, Piaggio didn't want to spend the money to alter the bike in order to fit the ABS bits for one...and the fact that the bike didn't sell well enough (at least in Europe) with new Euro stupid regulation penalizing big engine bikes and all.

Still the best looking bike Guzzi aver made...after the MGS01

Hi,

Where is it written, the production of the GRiSO stops?
I can't find it...

Ad B

That's just stupid, (the article I mean, not others' comments here). The author's rationale for including the GRiSO in a "retro" class is simply retarded. The Honda CB and the Bonnie are both updates of earlier models from their respective manufacturers, but the GRiSO? It would have made more sense to throw in a Royal Enfield. In the end he's pretty complimentary, but I fail to see the retro aspect and I disagree with his comments about the GRiSO's handling and ergonomics. It suits me just fine, thank you.

Ad B wrote:

Hi,

Where is it written, the production of the GRiSO stops?
I can't find it...

Ad B

It's not written, that's the Italians for you...
It's just not listed on the 2016 Guzzi website and no dealers have a 2016 on the floor, and they won't.

Retro - casting ones mind back to the original V7s and the Le Mans - is where they meant it to be coming from. The only thing that is retro on the GRiSO is the transverse mounted V Twin donc. maybe they got it totally wrong, again.

Lots do not understand Guzzis, let them flounder in their ignorance - they are not for everyone. Only so many are chosen...

OK, I own both the CB and GRiSO, test ridden a couple Bonnies, one I liked, the other, not so much. Not really impressed with it - but not a bad bike.

Vibration: The GRiSO has a pulse, an organic pulse, I would not call it a vibration. The CB does get buzzy over 65mph, but on a road trip this was not an issue. Much better road bike than I was thinking (still prefer the GRiSO for the open road).

Low speed snatchiness; I think it may have been peculiar to that bike. Mine is uber smooth and torquey, in town very easy to ride and ride smoothly. Much better than the GRiSO; which is snatchy and needs some clutch slipping at slow speed. Don't see this trait mentioned on the CB forum either. Odd.

Brakes: The CB has better brakes than the GRiSO. And I thought the GRiSO had really good brakes when I first got it. Word has it the CB got the CBR brakes. In any event they are very very nice.

Ergo's: The GRiSO was hard to fit me, used ROX bar extenders, peg lowers and a Russell Day Long seat to raise my bum. On the CB I had to lower the pegs too. And the stock seat, while better than the GRiSO's, needed upgrading. We're all different so this is a tough call. Neither bike is good for tall riders.

The CB is very easy to ride with no hooligan factor until you dial in a bunch of rpm's then a dark side starts to show her self. But the GRiSO, has this in spades if you want it.

One is a Thunderbird, one is a Boss Mustang. One is a wild Italian woman, the other is Mary Ann.

As I get older I'm thinking I'm more of a CB rider than a GRiSO rider. So the GRiSO may be turned into a California or a V7/9. Or something else that turns up in two or three years. In the mean time, I still enjoy the GRiSO - just see the writing on the wall.

Kinda like Almond Joy and Mounds; sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. That is why I have both.

Oz1200Guzzi wrote:

Lots do not understand Guzzis, let them flounder in their ignorance - they are not for everyone. Only so many are chosen...

That is the main reason I no longer buy magazines, today's journo's are more interested in the sensationalism of hype and bullshit.
Maybe I'm just a boring ol' fart stuck in the last century of 2V push rods.

ghezzi wrote:

Oz1200Guzzi wrote:

Lots do not understand Guzzis, let them flounder in their ignorance - they are not for everyone. Only so many are chosen...

That is the main reason I no longer buy magazines, today's journo's are more interested in the sensationalism of hype and bullshit.
Maybe I'm just a boring ol' fart stuck in the last century of 2V push rods.

my thoughts exactly , and why would I take the word of some bike journalist as judgement , how do they rate better than us ?....

The article its self as to compare these bikes was stupid anyway and poorly written IMO .
Apples and oranges ...as I think rboe has written and all the much better...

Ad B wrote:

Hi,

Where is it written, the production of the GRiSO stops?
I can't find it...

Ad B

l think it may be around for another year in Europe! I was at the bike show in the NEC in Birmingham a few weeks back and they had a red one on the MG Stand. Don't think they would bother if it wasn't on sale in the coming year!
I think the new Euro 4 bulshit doesn't effect existing models until 2017.

Street wrote:

That's just stupid, (the article I mean, not others' comments here). The author's rationale for including the GRiSO in a "retro" class is simply retarded. The Honda CB and the Bonnie are both updates of earlier models from their respective manufacturers, but the GRiSO? It would have made more sense to throw in a Royal Enfield. In the end he's pretty complimentary, but I fail to see the retro aspect and I disagree with his comments about the GRiSO's handling and ergonomics. It suits me just fine, thank you.

Yeah, that's why I called it "strange." Maybe they had the three bikes sitting around, needed a bunch of column inches for that issue, and just cooked up this article to fill space. Pretty weird pairing. And I too have zero issue with the brakes. Ergos-wise, it would be nice if my legs were just a little shorter and my arms were just a little longer. As I get older, I'm not scraping pegs or sidestand as often, so I may go for a set of one-inch-down pegs. It's as close to just right as I would expect from a stock bike, and I just love riding the thing.

'Whatever floats YOUR boat'
Really, all that counts is what you enjoy and love
Some recon I'm nuts, I have 6 Royal Enfields and love each one, and the GRiSO
Some of these journos opinions are just that, their opinions
Regards all and have a joyous day tomorrow with the one's you love

They did admit the GRiSO choice was a stretch; perhaps there was a third or forth bike they wanted to include and couldn't make it happen (usually the BMW R9T is in the mix).

Still. Why not just do the Bonnie and CB? Are they saying MG is a retro manufacture? In a way I suppose they are. They refuse to explore other engine configurations, chassis' are dated, no tupperware crotch rocket in the mix, no racing decals plastered over the body work. Very little of modern electric geegaws that make up your sport bikes of today.

In any event you get one persons take on a bike and if you read that person fairly regularly you know their bias' and know when it's BS and when it might just be accurate. Really not all that different than a forum - except we don't get paid to pontificate.

rboe wrote:

Brakes: The CB has better brakes than the GRiSO. And I thought the GRiSO had really good brakes when I first got it. Word has it the CB got the CBR brakes. In any event they are very very nice.

Ha! See now it's the perfect example of subjectivity...
My friend's CB brakes felt muchier to me than the GRiSO but by no means inadequate, it's very close. Would the big G be lighter...it'd be no contest though.
I will add that I'm 5'7 tall and weight 165lbs so if I was 200lbs or about, I'd probably feel different about my GRiSO but as it is, she's perfect for me...ergo, handling (still a heavy bike), braking etc...me happy
The only downside for me it that I'm not flat footed but it's only a pain in my arse when on not sturdy surface like gravel etc...

So having said that, since owners of the same bike can feel different about it, how can journalists have any clues on what these bikes really are?
Add to that, the fact that the vast majority of them are simply morons, you get a report that isn't even close to the truth.
The Bonnie is a cool looking bike but that's where the fun stops...no balls, poor handling and brakes and a boring engine sorry.
Any parallel twin puts me to sleep, same with the BMW boxer.

And individual bikes will vary a bit. A buddy has an 09 GRiSO and my brakes are better than his; in fact I like my bike over all better than his (but then it turns out his tires were very low on air when I rode it). So there could have been air in the line or other subtle defect. Same with my GRiSO, causing it to feel less than the CB - but I doubt it. The GRiSO brakes seem damn good.

I see you're in Florida, just hop on over for a ride some time!

I'm about 160lbs, 36" inseam, used to be 6-2" but got my spine crunched down in a off long time ago. My inseam gives me grief on most bikes not intended for dirt.

I agree that all moto journalists' reviews are subjective, how could they not be? One man's sweathog is another man's dream. There's a butt for every saddle. Insert your own platitude here. But in MCN's defense, they don't accept advertising, so they don't have to worry about somebody's ox getting gored. If they don't like a bike, they will say so. But they are unabashed motorcycle nuts, so they tend to take an enthusiastic approach. Which is OK, imho. I'm one of those nuts...

rboe wrote:

And individual bikes will vary a bit. A buddy has an 09 GRiSO and my brakes are better than his; in fact I like my bike over all better than his (but then it turns out his tires were very low on air when I rode it). So there could have been air in the line or other subtle defect. Same with my GRiSO, causing it to feel less than the CB - but I doubt it. The GRiSO brakes seem damn good.

I see you're in Florida, just hop on over for a ride some time!  

I'm about 160lbs, 36" inseam, used to be 6-2" but got my spine crunched down in a off long time ago. My inseam gives me grief on most bikes not intended for dirt.

OK, well being tall will have more weight and mass over the handle bars despite that you're not a heavy dude by any means for your size. lol
So it makes the front brakes work harder in that case...on the CB, the handle bar allow for a more relaxed position etc... so those details might take big proportion under braking and penalize the GRiSO. A small bastard like myself is fine on that beast.
And your long legs will make you feel cramped on the GRiSO on long trips as well. Damn Mutants!!!

Anyway, love to come by your neck of the woods sometimes and problem is, it's nothing but flat lands for me to get to you.
I can ride all day on the bike without any pain if I'm somewhat busy with some cornering or non routine type riding conditions...
Miles and miles of Interstate with get me pain in the back of my neck after 200 miles and it gets boring before that.

I hear ya. Been across North and South Dakota many times. On bikes not designed for touring (much less their seats). sigh.....

Something for everyone...

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Interesting thread and I'm afraid my age will show here...I remember riding "retros" before they were "retros". I started riding at about 12 on a Cushman step-through and stepped up to many bikes in the years since. Thinking back...I'm not sure I would want to put up with all the fidgeting, tuning, straightening, lousy braking/suspensions of those early year bikes. Anything made today is a ton better in that regard...retro or not. The one thing that I do miss in most bikes built today is the choice to have a simple set of controls, a good riding position, the right amount of power to satisfy me and easy maintenance...that's hard to find, but the GRiSO has all those attributes in my opinion. I guess those young wipper-snappers that claim to be moto journalists have a different set of values! I'll bet that changes as they gain all the wisdom that comes with aging!!!

I use the HH pads on all our bikes. I have yet to ride a bike that I think stops better than the GRiSO or my V11 Sport. They're almost too powerful. I would bet they had the Kevlar pads on it, which I'm not a huge fan of either.

I don't get why factory can't find a place for the ABS on the GRiSO. I took a new V7II for a ride recently, and the anti lock pump was up front. I can't believe they couldn't get that pump stuffed somewhere in the valley on the GRiSO. Hopefully, they'll figure it out. I think it would be a big mistake to kill their only real sport bike.

I recall from 30 odd years ago ,a discussion with a mate where I said that a proper bike had to have carbys, wire spoke wheels,a kickstarter and chain drive. At the time I was riding a Triumph Trident. We were readin an article in Easyrider about H.D. gettin Porsche to help design a new donk. Fair enough my 1200 has wire wheels but if the cast wheels were an option Id have gone that way. The evolution of bikes is incredible.