Why a Guzzi

beetle wrote:

I you think your license is safe with the GRiSO, think again!

It will bring out the hooligan in you. I ride mine faster than any other bike I've owned.

Yeah.... I'm already coming to that conclusion. The way this thing handles means that corners are not much cause to slow down

Best talk to the wife about a radar detector!

beetle wrote:

I you think your license is safe with the GRiSO, think again!

It will bring out the hooligan in you. I ride mine faster than any other bike I've owned.

Yes,

the Bravi attitude certainly appears from time to time when riding the GRiSO.

/Ron

Caedmon wrote:

The way this thing handles means that corners are not much cause to slow down

  Slow down?? You're supposed to speed up for the corners!   

beetle wrote:

Caedmon wrote:

The way this thing handles means that corners are not much cause to slow down

   Slow down?? You're supposed to speed up for the corners!    

  

Lots of tight corners on my regular ride instant loss of licence if you get caught doing 140 kph, and just can't seem to keep a bike much under that. I'm a bit more relaxed on the GRiSO..... But it's so easy to ride

Hi Guys & Girls
More new members on board so if you haven't already told us.
please tell us as we all have a story.

Why Moto Guzzi


Pre Guzzi

My love of Guzzi was born of my interest in BMW, which was born of my rebellion against Harley.

My older brother is a Harley man from way back, and when I was seventeen he took me to a graveyard parking lot and handed me the keys to his ’83 Sportster. He explained how the controls worked and I spent the next hour becoming a motorcyclist. After that he generously tossed me the keys whenever I wanted.

Along with the bike came the mystique, or more accurately, the syndrome of fantasies my brother had accumulated while growing up, an odd mix of biker culture and military culture: think Easyriders meets Soldier of Fortune. I liked Harley, and the colorful characters (seriously, Sons of Anarchy is bit of deja vu for me), but a younger brother can only live for so long in the dreams of the elder. It just wasn’t me. Plus, the bike was unpredictable -- I pushed that Sportster all over town.

One day, on a whim, I walked into a BMW shop. On the floor was a white boxer twin, most likely an R75, and the thing stunned me: clean, simple, horizontal cylinders. I’d never seen anything like it. My independent motorcycle identity was born on the spot, but it was so far out of my price range that it lived only in fantasy. Ten years and a string of UJM’s later, I did own a BMW, two in fact (R60, R100), and I liked them, but didn't love them. I sold them without a second thought. I was in a duplex at the time and parking them outside and the bitch across the street kept having them towed. It wasn't until later when I bought a house that the itch for a bike returned.


The V11 Stone

I'd never heard of Moto Guzzi before I actually saw one: a red Jackal. Once again I was stopped dead in my tracks. Clean, beautiful, odd cylinder configuration; I must have circled the bike for fifteen minutes. So when the time came to get a new bike I immediately thought of Guzzi. I went down to Moto International and talked to Dave about getting a used Jackal and he basically told me to forget it. People loved them and he rarely got them back used. Not having the cash for the new version, which was now called The Stone, I decided to stick with Beemers.

I monitored the used bikes page of the BMW shop for a few weeks, hoping something would materialize in my price range. I didn't really like the new models; I found them cumbersome and overly-technical, but I hoped something older might pop up. What popped up was a white Stone. I was literally at the shop an hour later for a test ride. I was sold before the bike left the parking lot.

The thrill was electric. The engine felt amazing, that twin pulse I liked from Harley and BMW, but without the various “resistances”. The other bikes always felt sluggish and off-balance in some way. The Guzzi had gotten it all right. I was polishing it in my garage that evening.
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Along with the Guzzi came the Guzzisti. The first person I met was Enzo, who had recently bought a Green V11 Sport. Here was another model that completely floored me. It was the most beautiful motorcycle I had ever seen. The Stone had appealed to my cruiser instincts and mixed it with my love of the horizontal twin. The V11 Sport was a new world: sporty but classy, without the insect-like look of the race-replica UJM's. Enzo and I swapped bikes frequently, and it was a joy to ride -- until the modifications began. Watching him transform that bike was like watching Michael Jackson transform his face with plastic surgery.

Enzo and I met Greg at the Buckaroo and he helped me modify the Stone a bit. Soon Steak showed up, and a while later we were all tearing around the west coast like a band of lunatics. My riding skills improved and I was starting to feel the limitations of the Stone (at least in my imagination). I was intrigued by the GRiSO but at the time they were out of my price range, so I gave a used Ducati GT1000 a shot. Even so, I couldn't bear to be without a Guzzi.


The V11 Sport

As my 40th birthday approached, my wife let it be known that I was allowed a second motorcycle. I knew exactly what it would be. I watched Craigslist for a while and soon a green V11 Sport showed up in Portland. Three hours later I was kicking the tires. The owner was a grad student and leaving the area. He was not particularly a bike person – he’d bought the thing on a lark – and he decided not to take it with him. The bike was in excellent shape, other than it wouldn't start. I figured the battery was just dead, but the question mark took five hundred off the price.

Again, Greg helped me modify it a little, and it still runs fabulously:
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The GRiSO

The Ducati was fun. I still appreciate the craftsmanship, and I confess I miss the raw acceleration. But I was using it to tour, and frankly, with the upkeep plus the chain drive, it was not the most practical choice. So when it came time for the 15K maintenance I took it back down to Moto. Dave is quite the wizard when it comes to finding deals on Guzzis, and at this time he was blowing out a batch of 2007 Grisos. Steak bought one of the first ones, and I believe mine was the second to last one.

To tell the truth, I liked the GRiSO okay, but it felt a little like they were going the way of BMW. The engine felt encased in glass or something – at least compared to raw feel of the V11. Still, with the suspension tweaked it was a nice ride; of all the Guzzis I've been on it is probably the best overall package for the street. I haven’t modified it much; my plan was to keep a stock Guzzi around and periodically swap up for a newer model. But now with the new map that Beetle cooked up, all bets are off. This thing roars.

No pic available, but it's pretty much stock.


The Centauro

As some of you know, with a little help from my friends, I am now the custodian of Nick’s old bike. My brother has it in storage, and the plan is to hop on a plane Memorial Day weekend in full gear and ride it back up. I'm really looking forward to getting to know her.
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So, why Guzzi?

Truly, these bikes are a mixture of pure beauty combined with absolutely the most enjoyable engine on the planet, IMO. But perhaps above all, it's the people. Guzzi people are on the whole a friendly, intelligent, creative bunch, without so much of the cock-measuring one finds with other groups. They never fail to humble me with their generosity and willingness to help out, often at their own expense. It is community in the best tradition.

Plus, these damned bikes are built to last, and now with three of them, what choice do I have?

Here's a pic of Vance's GRiSO from a ride we took this past October. Thanks again for the beer and hot-wings!

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Great Pic!!

What was I doing that day that I was too busy to join you guys. There should be three beautiful Grisos in that picture!

Great story, Vance. Can't wait to throw a leg over that Centauro. To me they look like they have a little junk in the trunk, but who doesn't like that?

Street wrote:

What was I doing that day that I was too busy to join you guys. There should be three beautiful Grisos in that picture!

Great story, Vance. Can't wait to throw a leg over that Centauro. To me they look like they have a little junk in the trunk, but who doesn't like that?

That was the day Steak loaded the new map on my bike. He called you, but you must have been busy.

Dunno if I've posted in this thread before but 'Why a Guzzi' for me was because I got sick and tired of rebuilding my old Triumph 500 back in the very early eighties. It was in such a high state of tune it broke all the time and that gets old quickly, not so quickly that dumb-fuck me stuck with it for four or five years!

Anyway I was looking for something *Better*. BMW were out of my price range and anyway they were stodgy and ridden by pricks. I loved the look of Ducatis but I'd owned a 350 single, 'nuff said! I was also penniless which didn't help.

Long story cut short, I found a cheap, ratted, V50. I flogged it for a year and it didn't break. Working on that principle I spent £1,000, all the money I had, on a second hand SP1000 working on the principle that bigger was better.

It was.

The rest is history. Guzzi has been part of my life ever since and I've never failed to get home on one apart from when I've crashed and you can't blame the bike for that!

Pete

This is a great thread, really intersting stories. I can't possibly go through my bike list as the GRiSO is number 68 over a 40 year persiod (i'm 54). 50% of them have been european. They include race bikes, Isle of Man TT and World Superbike and my lovely old SR500 Yamaha that i road around the world on, none of which i still own, soo many house moves and a divorce.

Anyway the Guzzi thing for me is quite simple. When i lived in New Zealand as a boy there was always some great bikes in the local shop, but my favourite was the Mk1 Le mans (and the eddie lawson rep!) then many years later i was very close to losing my licence so had to buy something a little slower, My brother in law had an early california that he loved. So the then Ducati went and i bought an 1100i california. I loved that bike, but it eventually went to buy something faster but i never forgot it. I went into our local MG dealer when the GRiSO was first launched and loved the looks, they then started one up and it was idleing there shaking its head as though it as alive, i was in love. When the finances allowed i sold the current Triumph Speed Four (what a great handling bike) and bought the GRiSO. It would be hard to find another bike that i like the look of and has so much soul. I am not with the rest of you with the handling, i think its ok, but it can be made so much better i am sure, but i like the fact that it can be improved and still worked on by me.

Bring on spring, i will be on it all the time

Various bikes over the years - was not looking to change - went to look at bike clothing and crash helmets then thought ah what the hell why not look at some bikes........

I was looking at a Triumph 1200 Explorer and I could hear a whisper in my ear... [ don't do it - don't go down that route...come and see me I have something different to offer ] so I turned on my heel and wandered to where I was called from. Sitting in the corner of the showroom was the Tenni GRiSO - just hunkered down and waiting for me.

Job done.

Ah, the siren's call...

Steak wrote:

Ah, the siren's call...

Perfect description!

In 1993  I had opportunity with others to create a Canadian distributor for.. Moto Guzzi ..
Guzzi at the time was coming in through the USA and was poorly distributed and few and far between.
We all had together enough capital to buy  a  SP3, Californian , Daytona 1200,and a 1000s the green one ..my favorite.. and proceeded to try to develop dealerships through out Canada ..
Guzzi was not what you could call helpful  at the time , failing to comply with what Transport Canada deemed important to selling Guzzi in a Canadian market ,there were other problems associated with marketing and partner involvement  so long story short ...it went kaput.
But we did still have the aforementioned bikes and they were allowed to remain to sell or to own as per our positive relationship with the importer and the feds ..
So we chose to sell and keep them , at the time I wanted the 1000s but money was dear and I took a buyout instead , I regret that to this day.. the other bikes were sold off except the Daytona who went to a senior partner as penance...
At this point I had never ridden a Guzzi, eventually I did get to ride the 1200 but it was not sorted so my impressions were muted at best.
Ducati became my ride of choice , but I always wanted a Guzzi as well , something about that beautiful motor and the presence that the bike had , I became familiar with them through the shop a friend owned , saw them apart and restored , listened  to the stories and the dedication to the brand .
Then in 2007 I saw a new black 1100 GRiSO , I was in lust but at the time again with a growing collection and limited funds it was not possible List on the bike at that time was $15k ..

Six years later in  2013 checking out the used bikes on the net, I find a 2007 1100 black GRiSO for sale low km , some nice farkles  reasonable price and the rest is now history.
Finally ...a Guzzi and a GRiSO to boot and I am loving it ...and I know that I waited to long.

Grew up on Japanese dirtbikes and three-wheelers in the wilds near Cedar Rapids Iowa. First bike was a Honda CT70 at the age of 5 or 6. Years passed and I got real sick of winter and the inability to ride for months. ATVs are fun in the snow only until your fingers and nuts go numb. Finished school at the U of I and landed a job in Socal. The main draw for me was and still is the ability to ride comfortably year round. That's why I pay through the nose and put up with all the crap to live here. Modern Bonnie was my first non-Japanese bike. Set her up just the way I like and she's a keeper. So's the girl.

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Never thought I'd need a bike with a motor bigger than 800cc. Loved the GRiSO look when it first came out, but kept telling myself nobody needs a motor that big. Then I saw the Tenni when it came out and started rationalizing. Shortly after that, I met the girl above, who loves to ride pillion in the mountains. That was all the excuse I needed. But even without my lovely passenger, I probably would have ended up with a Tenni sooner or later. I used to wake up Saturday morning and lay there in bed thinking about the Tenni before I got up and went for a ride on the Bonnie or K75. The Tenni got in my brain and refused to leave. So here I am. It's such a unique machine. Another keeper I think.

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Quote :

nobody needs a motor that big

It ain't about need, it's about want.

Great story and pics - good to also have a pillion who appreciates the Tenni [ as I have too ]

I am getting married next July and I am going to ride to the Wedding on the GRiSO.

LBC: #wining!
Beetle: as I always say, "Need is a funny word..."
Bluesun: Congrats!

I got into Guzzi's because the guy that got me into bikes rode an 850-T3. For years he had it and it never seemed to break. When he did work on it (high comp, double plug, etc. etc.) it looked easy.

A number of years ago I came across an 850-T for sale cheap and bought it. Except for a gearbox issue (probably the fault of some prev owner never changing the oil) it's never had a problem. Wait, not true: the starter solenoid went once.

Then last summer I had 4 bikes not work when I went to go for a ride with my lady. My Commando for various issues (go figure!) and my '96 900SS suddenly needed clutch plates (first time it let me down). So I turned to the trusty Guzzi. Gave it a once-over since it'd been 3 or 4 months and saw a frayed clutch cable. Did I have a spare? Noooooo. So I was left with taking my only other bike: an '82 FXR. Very ugly but it worked. Coming back home guess what? It broke.

So I decided right then I needed a) to sell that Harley and b) get a modern bike! I like older bikes, and they can be had cheap (so that's why I had 4 of them). But sometimes you want to just get on something, push a button and go. Plus if that something has a bunch of power, great brakes and suspension all the better.

I sold the FXR and started looking for a new bike. I was leaning towards a Triumph but knew a sportbike would get old fast, especially for long rides. Plus I have the 900SS for that. The Bonnevilles, etc. while neat just didn't "speak to me" as Steak would say, so I almost got a Speed Triple.

But I was thinking "What I really want is the 850-T but more modern". So I did a search and there was the GRiSO: nice balance between sporty and comfy ergos, good power, OK - a little heavy, electric start, radial brakes, no chain, fuel injection. Best of all: looked really cool and had lots of "character". So I went to see one in person and take a test ride. Even with the stock fueling and stiff suspension I liked it. Put my deposit down and that's all she wrote!

Spring of 1981. I am 16 and get my license on Wednesday. On Friday I almost loose it for speeding on my gold-and-black Honda CB125 K5. Not bad with only 12 hp. I torture the faithful Honda until I turn 18 and can ride big bikes. While fascinated by the Zed 1000 and the hyped Ducati Pantah a string on affordable half liter jap bikes follows.

Fast forward to 1998.

Have a proper job now and Foggy is winning everything in Superbike on the Ducati 916. Everyone has to have one, including me. Life is all about Ducatis now. Trackdays, one piece leathers and everything. During the annual Italian meet at Skokloster I spot this black and green Guzzi, a 70s locomotive of a bike. Beautiful. The rider prods the starter, the locomotive shudders into life and I watch him chuffing away. Moodily soulful and mechanical. The memory stays with me.

Fast forward to 2011.

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Less to prove these days and my Ducati’s S2R is the perfect compromise. I am crossing the Pyrennees into France, together with my wife Eva (also on a Duc). We stop at a café in a small village southwest of Toulouse . A scruffy, oily California parked outside. The biker, stubbly and with far too many Pastis inside, lifts the café owners kid onto the Cali, fires it up and urges the kid to twist the throttle. Fully. The engine races, the kid loves it and the biker beams with pride. The clattering roar never stops. After an eternity the café owner puts an end to it. Kid and biker are deeply disappointed, but the Cali seems to just shrugs it off, now idling calmly. Eva and I leave and the S2R suddenly feels a bit… anemic.

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I now start to read up on Guzzi. And on the community.  I learn about Charles Krajka in the 1976 Bol d’Or on a LeMans 2-speed Convert. I am fascinated by the V8, the wind tunnel and the general proud history of the marque. Soooo, which one is it to be? Well, the small block Guzzis appear to be underrated, easy to work on and I with a weak spot for the 70s era and café racers I just like them. Never ridden one though. Eventually, after much pondering, I end up with a V7 in late 2013

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What a great little bike! Rearsets, TT-bars and Napoleon bar end mirrors goes on. I use it for everything. It never fails, uses no oil and is beautifully put together. it In my open Caberg helmet and Baruffaldi goggles I keep telling Eva that this is the bike I’ll keep. And I firmly shut up when I spot my Diavolo Nero GRiSO in November this year. It now sits in my garage and I am so looking forward to the spring.

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So why Guzzi? Cannot explain. Logic? No need. It just feels right.

"So why Guzzi? Cannot explain. Logic? No need. It just feels right."

I think I should use that for my sig on the Apriliaforum.

Plagiarizer #2.
I may have to use that phrase too, not many people understand my Maranello marrow and having to explain the addition of carbon fibre wheels ............................... coz it feels right!

It's unusual, Italian, looks great, sounds good and a blast to ride.

Following the youthful exuberance of a Puch 150, Honda250, Kawasaki750, Ducati 900GTS adult irrational exuberance (I was married) took hold in 1979 and I bought a '76 MG 750S3 in London. That sexy beast stayed with me until this summer when as a sign of senior (or senility) exuberance I saw a 2013 Tenni. I blacked out: sold the 750S3 to a Guzzi magician in Edmonton and I am now finding my youthful exuberance again in the best and ultimate fusion of technology and art: Il GRiSO.