New from the uk

Hi All

quick hello from the East Mids UK

Used to own an 1100 GRiSO bought new when I was credit-rich (dealer started one up in front of me with optional Termi and my wallet turned to jelly) Will post photos.

Later became credit-poor and had to sell it.

Just done a speed awareness course.

In due course will probably have to part with my 06 Daytona 955i and reduce the number of available horses by roughly half.

two bikes are being mulled over - the MT 01 and the GRiSO : MG wins on price and looks by a mile, Yam wins on torque.

hoping to catch up on GRiSO news to help me decide ( hadn't heard about the issues with the 8v motor for example)

many thanks in advance for any advice I can pick up from you guys

Welcome. You do realise that on a GRiSO forum, we're all going to tell you to get a GRiSO?

Forget the Yamaha.

beetle wrote:

Welcome. You do realise that on a GRiSO forum, we're all going to tell you to get a GRiSO?

Forget the Yamaha.

Yeah I know

maybe thats telling me something.

If I do get one again it will be a biggish deal because at 65 yrs I only have so many loans left.

I have yet to revisit any bike

If you haven't, you should ride a GRiSO. They're not for everyone.

If you go for it, and plan to buy a pre 2013 8V model, make sure it has been rollerised, or at least ensure the price is low enough to cover rollerisation. Make no mistake, every flat tappet model will fail and must be updated.

Mike Baby

The 1200 is a very different beast to the 1100, you won't miss much from the Triumph at sane speeds (under 100 your honor!)

I too like the MT01, but i think i would get frustrated with it. It's a mix of two different styles of bike, so not coherent especially when riding one i would guess, looks like a nice roadster goes like a cruiser. The GRiSO as you know looks like a roadster and especially the 1200, goes like one too.

GRiSO is cheaper too :-)

Oh and welcome from a local GRiSO owner

Personally I would go for a mint 1100 (they do come up on ebay) or a factory 8V roller bike. Avoid anything inbetween unless at a bargain price with full documentation of work carried out.
I came off a Tiger 1050 Sport and to be honest the GRiSO 1100 would keep up with it in most circumstances and has that certain character the Tiger never had.
Don't listen to any sales patter claiming the 8V motor doesn't need rollers, it certainly does. There are plenty of deniers/liars/ill informed out there.

1200 all the way, once they are sorted they go on forever. If i had purchased an 1100 i would not be riding a GRiSO now, it would have got traded in. It has just the right amount of go, and only just, to make it a keeper

Welcome Mike,

All as all above.....there's an argument that the rollers issue has already trashed re-sale values of 8V which would otherwise have had low depreciation like RnineT. The un-rollered ones are gathering dust in garages & dealers waiting for somebody stupid enough to not know about the issues; and the rollered/sorted early ones are tarred with same brush...

As Mark (Beetle) says you have to factor in the replacement cost which sits at approx £900 for the parts (if you do it yourself) plus approx £900 again for services (may vary wildly) .....

But xmas coming, dealers need turkey on the table, stock crumbling on the forecourt ...with eyes wide open could be a great buying opportunity to push for up to £2000 discount on early 8V

sidrat wrote:

1200 all the way, once they are sorted they go on forever. If i had purchased an 1100 i would not be riding a GRiSO now, it would have got traded in. It has just the right amount of go, and only just, to make  it a keeper

I don't want To get into a pissing contest of the 8V or 2V motor saga. I have had three 2V CARC models and rode most of the 8V range plus over the years numerous different bikes and the 1100/1200 2V Guzzi motor is a sweet thing. It revs better than comparable boxer engines with less vibration. My local dealer who has rode most of the Guzzi range from the factory to the UK also prefers the 2V motor.
I certainly wouldn't dismiss a 1100 GRiSO, mine is good for 120mph without breaking into a sweat, has nearly 60ft/lbs of torque and more than adequate for the shit roads in the UK. It has just about reached the bottom of it's depreciation curve and is a keeper.

davem wrote:

sidrat wrote:

1200 all the way, once they are sorted they go on forever. If i had purchased an 1100 i would not be riding a GRiSO now, it would have got traded in. It has just the right amount of go, and only just, to make  it a keeper

I don't want To get into a pissing contest of the 8V or 2V motor saga. I have had three 2V CARC models and rode most of the 8V range plus over the years numerous different bikes and the 1100/1200 2V Guzzi motor is a sweet thing. It revs better than comparable  boxer engines with less vibration. My local dealer who has rode most of the Guzzi range from the factory to the UK also prefers the 2V motor.
I certainly wouldn't dismiss a 1100 GRiSO,  mine is good for 120mph without breaking into a sweat, has nearly 60ft/lbs of torque and  more than adequate for the shit roads in the UK. It has just about reached the bottom of it's depreciation curve and is a keeper.

You have just pissed all over my argument

Hello ! Welcome. Congrats for your new GRiSO. 1100 or 1200 no matter as long as you ride one .

marmike wrote:

hadn't heard about the issues with the 8v motor for example

many thanks in advance for any advice I can pick up from you guys

Don't know if the following has already been posted here but I found on the web this detailed and thorough explanation on the flat tappets problem and how to deal with it --> CLIK 

it is worth to be read and then you know - almost - everything about it.

Just to point out that that post on GT doesn't really explain why the failures occur, nor does it give accurate info on the Sport 8V models none of which were rollerised ex-factory.

There is also the common assertion that it is a material problem that causes the failure. I don't believe that it is. Yes the DLC fails but the reason it fails is not just because it has been nibbled by unicorns! Also the oil type used, as long as it is a full synthetic, is irrelevant.

Pete

GRiSO!

Oh, and welcome to the Ghetto, Marmike!

Pete (Street)

Thanks for the warm welcome guys!

before coming on here all i had picked up was that for some reason Guzzi decided to apply a D-L coating which can degrade causing obscenely rapid wear of the mating surface substrate and the answer is to have a roller tipped follower instead. I heard the 1100s were not affected and the late 12-early 13 MY 1200s onward were factory modded before sale, but from your posts it woulds seem some of you are dubious that it is as clear-cut as that so i will read more posts on here as I am sure you don't wanna go through it all again.

1100 vs 1200 :
I remember feeling a little bit cheated at the time that my dealer didn't tell me the 1200 was on the way when I bought the 1100 but soon forgot about it when i started to get to know my bike. I will need to get a test ride on a 12 before making up my mind about the power difference but I seem to remember they shortened the bars a little when they brought out the 1200 and that would be a minus for me as I loved pinging around the bends with my arms outstretched like a little kid pretending to be a plane ( I guess you had to be there.)


One thing I personally had an issue with and i would love to have the chance to see if I could sort it/would like to know if anyone else has had it?
I found that when cornering fairly enthusiastically the back wheel had a tendency to step out quite a lot while leant over. I was unable to adjust it out and went to Hagons, who very kindly offered to use my bike as a development mule as they didn't have a shock for the GRiSO at the time. They produced one for the sum of £100 which was nice but it didn't sort the problem. I had to sell the bike before I could take it any further but I assumed at the time rightly or wrongly that it might be due to the considerable mass of the shaft/Ss swing arm overpowering the shock when hitting a sharp bump. I would think ( If the problem does turn out to be not a one-off) that it ought to be solvable with valving or oil weight or some such - Maybe the 1200 didn't suffer? Has anyone found this?

Hello Marmike,

Well my friends have 3 x MT-01 between them and they all reckon my GRiSO is the nuts, they also don’t ride their MT-01 because they eat chains, rust like a Yamaha and they’re worth more parked up doing nothing so you’ll be paying through the nose to get one.

Bag yourself a bargain GRiSO, ok it’s a bit like adopting a child but once you both respect each other is a beautiful organic relationship.

Go and have a word with Tiko at Staffs Triumph as he had a white one up at £4900 and he’d have let us have it for £4500 and now they really do have to shift it as it’s less cost to lose money on the bikes than pay to store them while they have their new Triumph approved shop built and it’s down at £4400 on the ticket. I think it may even be rollered but you just need to check first, what’s the worst that could happen - you pay him £4400 if it is rollered

Also Richard-HdS many thanks for the link

Robinson_Spike wrote:

Hello Marmike,

Well my friends have 3 x MT-01 between them and they all reckon my GRiSO is the nuts, they also don’t ride their MT-01 because they eat chains, rust like a Yamaha and they’re worth more parked up doing nothing so you’ll be paying through the nose to get one.

Bag yourself a bargain GRiSO, ok it’s a bit like adopting a child but once you both respect each other is a beautiful organic relationship.

Go and have a word with Tiko at Staffs Triumph as he had a white one up at £4900 and he’d have let us have it for £4500 and now they really do have to shift it as it’s less cost to lose money on the bikes than pay to store them while they have their new Triumph approved shop built and it’s down at £4400 on the ticket. I think it may even be rollered but you just need to check first, what’s the worst that could happen - you pay him £4400 if it is rollered

Hello mate thanks for the tip off I will look into it. Its a bit premature for me as I still have 4 or 5 months left paying off the Triumph but you never know, figures can be manipulated some times!! Cheers

Hello Marmike,

Newish GRiSO owner here also, this is a fantastic forum for GRiSO tribal knowledge.  I have a VStrom and a V7 in our stable too.  The GRiSO is my go to bike for now- the Strom and the V7 each have their virtues as well.  Happy riding and welcome!

marmike wrote:

Thanks for the warm welcome guys!

One thing I personally had an issue with and i would love to have the chance to see if I could sort it/would like to know if anyone else has had it?
I found that when cornering fairly enthusiastically the back wheel had a tendency to step out quite a lot while leant over. I was unable to adjust it out and went to Hagons, who very kindly offered to use my bike as a development mule as they didn't have a shock for the GRiSO at the time. They produced one for the sum of £100 which was nice but it didn't sort the problem. I had to sell the bike before I could take it any further but I assumed at the time rightly or wrongly that it might be due to the considerable mass of the shaft/Ss swing arm overpowering the shock when hitting a sharp bump. I would think ( If the problem does turn out to be not a one-off) that it ought to be solvable with valving or oil weight or some such - Maybe the 1200 didn't suffer? Has anyone found this?

Welcome marmike
I've done a lot of 'enthusiastic cornering' on my 8V in the two years I've had it... no such issues once I sorted the (stock) suspension. I've noticed that the side stand touches down before the peg though.
For me, the bike's a keeper.

I bought a 2013 GRiSO a year ago at the young age of 68, love the bike and plan on keeping it for a long time. I came off a Concours 14 hitting 150 hp and 97 ftlb and the GRiSO can hold it's own in the twisties

Pete Roper wrote:

Just to point out that that post on GT doesn't really explain why the failures occur, nor does it give accurate info on the Sport 8V models none of which were rollerised ex-factory.

There is also the common assertion that it is a material problem that causes the failure. I don't believe that it is. Yes the DLC fails but the reason it fails is not just because it has been nibbled by unicorns! Also the oil type used, as long as it is a full synthetic, is irrelevant.

Pete

Yes. You’re certainly right, there are some missing elements. My knowledge in mechanics is quiete poor compared to yours but the GT post gives a global picture of the problem and sum up the situation for those who try to understand what’s going on with the 1200 8v engine.

What’s interesting is that according to the numerous law court actions against MG for this, it has never been evidenced that it was a design deficiency / latent defect. But obviously as you outlined above it was.

There is plenty of advice on here about suspension, my fix has been a Stelvio rear shock, that and a beetle map are the two biggest improvements i have made, runs better and i no longer get the pegs down on the right, and it lifts it enough to stop worrying about the sidestand on the left.

GRiSO is in hybernation at present, but you are welcome to pop over and have a sit on it and a chat over a beer or coffee

sidrat wrote:

GRiSO is in hybernation at present, but you are welcome to pop over and have a sit on it and a chat over a beer or coffee

Thats right neighbourly of you Sidrat, would welcome that. Is there a PM system on this forum ? Maybe the 'hidden' tab?

(I just pressed something to see what would happen and it seems I have voted for something)