Tell me about a 1200 Sport

[Rebochi]

   I Bought my 08 1200S  with 7500 miles on it and it is one of my favorite bikes.  Problems were No-start at 12000 miles,instrument panel failed  at 17500miles,oil pump failed at around 30,000 miles.
   If I were buying a  1200S or a Norge I would replace the oil pump immediately just to be sure and add a separate starter relay before you are forced to figure out the starter problem on the road.
   Mods are Griso bars with Moto international bar risers, foot pegs lowered 1 inch and a Corbin seat with 1 inch add height. Engine and transmission is from a 2013 Griso.
   The bike has been on multiple trips on the PCH from Washington to LA, Idaho and Montana.




 
 

[Unkept]

Nice drivetrain swap!

[Chuck in Indiana]

A guy wouldn't notice unless he *looked.* Nice job..

[willowstreetguzziguy]

No one really has brought this up but according to my calculations, only about 125  1200 Sports were brought into the states in 2008.

Figuring, Moto Guzzi imports about 750 bikes per year. Divide that number by 6 models (1200 Sport, Norge, Griso, Cal Vin, Nevada Classic and Breva 750) and you end up with about 125 here.    ~63 Red and 63 Black. That's pretty rare. 

P.S. Installing the center stand is well worth it!

[pete roper]

   I Bought my 08 1200S  with 7500 miles on it and it is one of my favorite bikes.  Problems were No-start at 12000 miles,instrument panel failed  at 17500miles,oil pump failed at around 30,000 miles.
   If I were buying a  1200S or a Norge I would replace the oil pump immediately just to be sure and add a separate starter relay before you are forced to figure out the starter problem on the road.
   Mods are Griso bars with Moto international bar risers, foot pegs lowered 1 inch and a Corbin seat with 1 inch add height. Engine and transmission is from a 2013 Griso.
   The bike has been on multiple trips on the PCH from Washington to LA, Idaho and Montana.




 
 

Well that answers the question of whether you can stick an 8V in the 2V chassis. Nice job.

Pete

[jas67]

Nice!
 

[NC Steve]

Hey Brad, did you ever make any move on the Sport 1200?

[fotoguzzi]

No, I figured if he can't be bothered to send me some better pics it's not worth my time.


it's still listed.

[M0T0Geezer]

Yo Seth !!

I too have been interested in the Guzzi 1200 Sport.  I have gathered this engine information which I believe to be true but which could be completely wrong (will those who really know for sure please correct):

2008 1200 Sport (and Norge) and prior have 2V cyl heads.
2009 1200 Sport - 1st (& only) year for the 4V cyl heads (therefore one must be sure the roller tappet mod has been made).

Therefore, looks like you are "safe" with the 2V heads on the 2008 in the CL ad you linked.

Dan

[bad Chad]

The 4v head 1200 sport was never sold in North America.

[Huzo]

Well that answers the question of whether you can stick an 8V in the 2V chassis. Nice job.

Pete

Okaaaayyyy...??
Hmmmm..

[Huzo]

Well that answers the question of whether you can stick an 8V in the 2V chassis. Nice job.

Pete

Is that the same frame as mine Pete ?
Would have loved that free Stelvio that was "too far away" for any bugger to go and get...

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Everyone seems hot to put the Aprilla Mana bars on their bike, but where can they be had for under $220???

I put the KX High bar from Protaper on my breva with the Sport 1200 clamps and faring... $45!

[Darren Williams]

Everyone seems hot to put the Aprilla Mana bars on their bike, but where can they be had for under $220???

I put the KX High bar from Protaper on my breva with the Sport 1200 clamps and faring... $45!

I put ProTaper (I think the 621?) bars on mine, at Dave Richardson's recommendation. Much more economical and gave me the ergonomics I was looking for.

[drdwb]

Foto I believe this bike was originally sold by Caswell to a guy from Mora, he had it for a few years but wasn’t riding it much,he owned a septic service in Mora. I saw the bike at the Money Creak rally but I can’t remember the year, his wife didn’t like riding 2 up so he was talking about selling. I was considering it but next year he wasn’t at rally and Caswell told me he sold it very cheap to a guy near Cambridge. I can’t remember the guys name but around the Caswell camp site he would sing country western songs at night,he had a great voice, maybe you can recall.
Anyway if you get vin # you could check with Caswell,he did all the service to it.
Dave

[Bill Dee]

I recently purchased a 2008 1200 Sport for $3,200 with 33,000 miles on it.  It has many upgrade components such as PCV w/Auto Tune, Mistral Exhaust, Air intake snorkel removed,  HH Sintered brake pads, front fork springs changed to Progressive, rear shock changed to Traxxion Dynamics, dash changed 3000 miles ago, Mana bars and extended risers. 

What else can I do to improve power output ? 

It has an undersized rear tire on it 170/60. Is there any handling or gearing advantage to this ? 

Bill.

[ohiorider]

Everyone seems hot to put the Aprilla Mana bars on their bike, but where can they be had for under $220???

I put the KX High bar from Protaper on my breva with the Sport 1200 clamps and faring... $45!

I don't remember what I paid for mine.  But you're right, the bars weren't cheap.  However, since I've owned and ridden the bike for 8 years since purchasing, it's sort of a pro rated thing.

Bob

[pete roper]

Remove and throw away the PCV/AT, make sure it’s got a real air filter in it, tune it properly and try a 180 section rear, (You can always revert to the 170 if you find you prefer it.). Real maps are available to make it run better if desired.

Pete

[Bill Dee]

Remove and throw away the PCV/AT, make sure it’s got a real air filter in it, tune it properly and try a 180 section rear, (You can always revert to the 170 if you find you prefer it.). Real maps are available to make it run better if desired.

Pete

Pete please tell me more about the PCVAT. Are there problems with it ?  Yes it has a real pleated paper filter in it.  Looks new and is very clean.  How are maps loaded into the ECU ?  I have and use TuneECU for my Triumph Rocket III. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

Bill, if *it runs fine, gives good fuel mileage, plugs look good, etc.* I'd just ride it. If not, I'd listen to Pete. 
Welcome to WG, btw. It's a good place to learn about all the foibles and fantasticnious of Guzzi. 

[ohiorider]

Bill, if *it runs fine, gives good fuel mileage, plugs look good, etc.* I'd just ride it. If not, I'd listen to Pete. 
Welcome to WG, btw. It's a good place to learn about all the foibles and fantasticnious of Guzzi. 

Aside from routine maintenance, some grease on the swing arm bearings and splines, that's what I've been doing for the past 67,000 miles,  Oh, and a used dashboard at about 60,000 miles.  She's been a great bike!  If you want a spreadsheet service record, send me via PM your email address, and I'll send you the excel file.

Anyway, a heavy bike that is an absolute mile muncher!

BTW - talk to us about the need for more power.

Bob

[menzies]

Everyone seems hot to put the Aprilla Mana bars on their bike, but where can they be had for under $220???

I put the KX High bar from Protaper on my breva with the Sport 1200 clamps and faring... $45!

I have a set of Mana bars I had fitted to my Breva that I would sell for a very fair price. Shipping would probably BE 15-20 CONUS.

[Bill Dee]

Can any of you guys tell me what is available for a service manual and where one can be obtained ? 

[pete roper]

You’ll probably find it’s available on Greg Bender’s ‘This old tractor’ site.

Most important thing for novices to know is that you don’t try and alter the idle speed by playing with the throttle stop screws.

For tuning you’ll need a laptop with Guzzidiag installed or one of the other proprietary tuning interfaces.

Pete

[ohiorider]

Can any of you guys tell me what is available for a service manual and where one can be obtained ?

If your email will accept a file that is almost 8meg, (and if mine will permit me to attach and send it,) drop me your email address and I'll attach and send it to you.

Bob

[Tom]

Shift at 6K.  Cruise at 5K. 

[boatdetective]

I had one and enjoyed it. As others mentioned, there are a number of mods to be done- bars, seat, startus interuptus, swingarm bearings/linkage/driveshaft, replace half plastic fuel filter inside the tank, replace starter immobilizer that fried (surprisingly difficult to get to and time consuming). I had real problems with the high idle issue. I did everything recommended short of cutting out the stepper motor (or whatever rewire was recommended). There was no permanent fix (and yes, I did follow the instruction of St. Roper). It was always worse at temps below 60 deg F. The bike just would not idle below 2000rpm in lower temps. Really irritating. I had the guzzi software and was in there resetting CO and TPS many times.  The bike is definitely top heavy.  The plastic tank swells with ethanol gas and in some cases can distort. Mine seemed to get longer- so removing the tan k became a chore (I had to use a ratchet strap to get the rear mounting hole to line up). The motor is fine and was reliable. However, the last straw was the impending doom of the dash. I never had problems, but wanted to sell the machine before anything happened. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

So, it was essentially trouble free,then,  Jonathan? 




That would definitely have soured me on Guzzis..

[ohiorider]

I had real problems with the high idle issue. I did everything recommended short of cutting out the stepper motor (or whatever rewire was recommended). There was no permanent fix (and yes, I did follow the instruction of St. Roper). It was always worse at temps below 60 deg F. The bike just would not idle below 2000rpm in lower temps. Really irritating. I had the guzzi software and was in there resetting CO and TPS many times.

My 1200 Sport has similar fast idle symptoms, though at temps of 50F or lower.  Makes me think it may be the ambient air temp sensor or engine temp sensor not sending the proper data to the ECU.  In other words, the ECU thinks the ambient air temp (or engine temp) is colder than 'true' temp, and bumps up the idle to compensate.  I don't think the dash temp sensor provides data to the ECU, but not sure about this.  The analog output specs for these sensors are available.  I found them on line in some training materials for the B11.  Any thoughts from those who know these engines?  I'm only speculating. 

[jas67]

The plastic tank swells with ethanol gas and in some cases can distort. Mine seemed to get longer- so removing the tan k became a chore (I had to use a ratchet strap to get the rear mounting hole to line up).

I had the same problem of the lengthening fuel tank with my 2006 Breva 1100, and also with my 2009 V7 Classic.
I also had to use a ratchet strap to get the rear mounting hole to line up on both bikes.