Hello from Wirral, UK

Hi all, I’m a MG newbie, looking to add a GRiSO 1200 to my Italian stable.

I’ve had many other Italian beauties over the years. I’ve found it’s vital to understand their weaknesses so you can avoid future heartache
Hence my initial joining of this forum to learn from others.

Welcome to the Ghetto Bob! Wish I had done my research first, bought with my heart and not my head.
Worked out fine though, thanks to this forum, I've got a great running GRiSO now.
The experts will chime in soon to steer you in the right direction

and the main two experts are Mark (Beetle) and the incredibly knowledgeable Pete Roper.

But-the problems from this board have been mainly (in no order)-
1) is it rollerised? Post 2013 (or late 2012) it should be. Before that, ask for receipts to prove it has been if it's earlier. Avoid if it has a lot of miles without rollerisation. Flat tappets kill engines. The 1100 does not have this problem.
2) the rear shock sucks. Haven't changed mine yet though.
3) grease the swing arm.
4) the OEM tyres are lousy and don't suit the bike.
5) the riding position can be painful. Rizoma fat bars and Onur bar risers sort this out.
6) the original map needs a Beetle map installed on the ECU.
7) it's a heavy bastard.

And-it handles well enough. It is long though. Regrease the head bearings. It's a proper analogue bike.

Welcome from the states!
I too purchased my first Guzzi without doing any research. It is my 2nd bike after a Honda VTX so I have gone from basically a maintenance free Jap bike to one that requires a little more attention - but it is absolutely worth it!
good luck

Hi Bob
Welcome from the west country
what Papa Lazarou says is spot on
Hope to see you around UK

Jon

Thanks for all your words of advice  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I ‘may’ have found a bike, it’s a 2015 GRiSO 1200 8V SE in red with 4K miles & 1 owner.
The bike has an Italian exhaust, possibly ipothesys, and comes with the original system, there’s also a Termignoni system which was too close to the fitted GRiSO soft luggage.

3 hours from home is a little problem, in terms of properly inspecting it.

It all adds up to a good deal, soured by scrapes on the shaft drive casing by the ‘CARC’ logo. In the short term, I’d have no issues with dressing it with a needle file, and paint black to match.  In the longer term I may want to replace the casting.  Does anybody know how much this item would cost?  A breaker would be another option?
What’s your thoughts?

Bob

The bevelbox castings are not available as a spare part. Don't ask me why. The only way to replace them is to replace the whole unit. If you are interested I have good condition second hand cases but only in brown. Painting them wouldn't be a big deal though.

Scrapes on the bevel box suggest it's been down on that side. Just FYI.

Pete Roper wrote:

The bevelbox castings are not available as a spare part. Don't ask me why. The only way to replace them is to replace the whole unit. If you are interested I have good condition second hand cases but only in brown. Painting them wouldn't be a big deal though.

Cheers Pete, that would explain why he chose not to have it fixed.  Not at the moment, but out of interest how much?

beetle wrote:

Scrapes on the bevel box suggest it's been down on that side. Just FYI.

Thanks, he described them as scratches lol. I asked him straight, he said he lost it ‘on oil’ on a roundabout about 5 years ago. Was working abroad & left it with main dealer to fix for cash.

The price offered is low for an SE model. Hmmm

Welcome to the Ghetto, Bob. The big boys will get you straightened out, I'm just here for the laughs.

Pete (Street)

BobW981 wrote:

Thanks, he described them as scratches lol. I asked him straight, he said he lost it ‘on oil’ on a roundabout about 5 years ago. Was working abroad & left it with main dealer to fix for cash.

The price offered is £6k, which i think is low for an SE model. Hmmm

He dropped it abroad? Where the drive on the right? Or does Ireland count as "abroad"?

That may mean it flipped right-to-left. Usually in a slow get-off*, the valve covers cop it as well. I know, because I am Mr. Crashy.









* Actually, in any get-off.

Welcome from up the road Bob, personally I'd keep the CARC as is & clean it up a bit....just call it patina (my bikes have a lot of that).

beetle wrote:

BobW981 wrote:

Thanks, he described them as scratches lol. I asked him straight, he said he lost it ‘on oil’ on a roundabout about 5 years ago. Was working abroad & left it with main dealer to fix for cash.

The price offered is £6k, which i think is low for an SE model. Hmmm

He dropped it abroad? Where the drive on the right? Or does Ireland count as "abroad"?

That may mean it flipped right-to-left. Usually in a slow get-off*, the valve covers cop it as well. I know, because I am Mr. Crashy.

* Actually, in any get-off.

Confusion reigns lol. No, it was dropped in UK… the fella works abroad etc.  On my photo inspection, it’s likely levers & pegs were damaged. I had assumed the valve cover was replaced.

I doubt the scrape would cause any mechanical issues, and I am capable of tidily dressing it. My thoughts had moved to longer term ie. resale value if damage was noticeable.

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paulbrice wrote:

Welcome  from up the road Bob, personally I'd keep the CARC as is & clean it up a bit....just call it patina (my bikes have a lot of that).

Yours and mine both! It has so many scuffs and knocks from, (Mainly.) my own stupidity just means it's more *Mine*.

It's thirteen years and nearly 140,000 (?) km old now. Of course it's been crashed and bashed a bit. Thirteen years seemed a bit unlucky. That's why I bought another one....

Thank you for you words of support  [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
The bike otherwise appears in good condition & comes with original parts + MG Termi system.  I think a GRiSO’s coming home, fingers crossed.

How does this image system work? Been trying to show thumbnails, but replaces them with [img] despite uploading some to the Gallery [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

BobW981 wrote:

I doubt the scrape would cause any mechanical issues, and I am capable of tidily dressing it. My thoughts had moved to longer term ie. resale value if damage was noticeable.

They actually crash pretty well. The valve covers should be considered sacrificial. If you end up like me or Pete, you won't be selling it, ever...




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Ouch. That's a bad one.

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…and a close up of the differential hub
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Bob

ouch - but the rest of it is so pretty.

Left side showing the Ipothesys exhaust system

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Cr*p pics, I’ll take & post some decent photos when I get it home.

lcjohnny wrote:

ouch - but the rest of it is so pretty.

If the final price is right, my plan is to dress it up in the short term.  A longer term plan would be either to locate a scrapper & salvage a diff casing, or one winter to strip the diff and make a proper ally repair.

Bob

Longer term plan involving rebuilding CARC bevel box sounds like too much pain for a small cosmetic gain....

Even scrapped boxes have your patina & at least your CARC wording isn't fecked (see ebay currently)

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And Carc covers don't look much better than scratched ones IMHO (before we start on the price)

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I think best option is to dress it carefully and paint it satin black where it's scratched - 90% better and 300% cheaper !

Yup, cleaned up and painted, most people won't notice it.

And don't call it a differential! It doesn't differentiate between anything, it's on a single track vehicle! It has no planetaries! It's a bevelbox! (Mutter, grumble........)