Wow, that's a very good looking MGX-21. Someone got a very nice and a very unique MGX-21. And you did well by it! I always thought Moto Guzzi should have used the back half of the MGX mated to the front half of the CA Touring. I'm always a fan of the integrated 'designed in' look. Like what the MGX bags have with the back of the bike. Even the GIVI trunk looks good on that one.
I was just happy to get out of it without too much of a hit.
I liked the bike, and as a Touring bike, it was sublime. Powerful, nimble at certain speeds, and of course unique.
Ultimately 3 months after buying it, my hip socket finally tore open and the back of the labrum tore out. This triggered the need for a hip replacement (too old for labrum repair), and because the knee on that same leg was shot (3 ACL replacements and annual arthroscopy to clean up the torn and disappearing meniscus) and had to be replaced as well, I was looking at a year of being down for the count, the idea of pushing around an almost 900 lb bike was just not in the cards. I still had a year and a half of the warranty left, and decided to sell. Sold it in 3 days to a 'one and done' dude on Wild Guzzi. His check cleared so I didn't mind.
If I LOVED the bike I would have kept it, but it had several fatal flaws beyond the fatness IMO.
1. Low speed stability. No matter how I fiddled, adjusted suspension, tire pressures, the bike felt extremely unstable at parking lot, driveway, neighborhood and slow speeds under 25-30mph. I never dropped it and it had good center of gravity, but the front end was nerve racking.
2. High Speed Stability. This was worse. Without the Isotta Hand guards mounted to the top of the batwing, it was VERY unstable and light at speeds above 75. With, that bumped it up to 85, but the front just got too floaty. I don't often get into triple digits, but after years on a Norge and Griso and FJR, that lack of locked in freight train feeling. Of course, it was sublime on country highway and roads, and as I did a ride trade and ride of about 300 miles each way taking the same route, I was faster and enjoyed the trip back on the MGX more than I expected.
The side cases were all but useless, as was the speaker system. In addition to being obnoxious, the sound was bad, even with upgraded speakers (which I never did). Truth is, it was a novelty, and had they used the Eldorado front fork and geometry instead of that 19 or 20" wheel, it would have been brilliant I think. I don't miss the bike at all, where I missed the Norge every day. It just wasn't for me.
Isotta also made a seat bracket that mounted under the pillion seat. This allowed me to fabricate two pieces of C Channel Steel and mount the Norge Baseplate and topcase I had saved from the Norge. I took a body panel to the local Napa, matched the paint as close as possible and painted it up. It really was a looker, and the Ago Exhaust sounded great.
As it would turn out, I made a 110% recovery from the joint replacements, and I could have easily handled the weight, but it was still too big and heavy for my likes. I am VERY happy with my 2012 Norge.
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