Introductions thread...Introduce yourself to the group !

[sgl0226]

I just ordered a 2014 white Norge.  I'm told the dealer should have it in 1-2 weeks.  It will join my 2014 Harley Ultra in the garage.  I used to have a BMW RT and decided I wanted a sport tourer again, but this time without giving up my Harley.  I test drove everything but always wanted a Moto Guzzi.  The Norge seemed perfect.  I will have tons of questions once I get the bike, but for now just a few simple ones.  Which gas?  Regular, mid grade, or premium?  Anyone know where I can get covers for the rear brake pedal and shifter to make them a little bigger (that's the problem of being used to a Harley)?  I know there are some on here who have designed and built their own risers, are there any commercially available for the 2014  (besides Helio bars)?
I'll be back again looking for lots of advice.  In the meantime, can't wait for the bike to get here. 

[dezmundo]

Hello all

I'm Daryl Moughanni living in Beirut, Lebanon.

Rode a '97 Harley Heritage Springer for about 8 years, gave it up in 2005.

At the beginning of this year I saw a second hand 2012 Stelvio NTX for sale and bought it on a whim because it was so pretty and now I can't get off!

[gfritzmeier]

 I'm Gary Fritzmeier.  Live in Rochester, MN    I'll be 70 in three weeks and love riding just as much today as I did when I was 15.
Present ride is 2003 MG Aluminum that I've owned just over a year. My first Guzzi and I love it.
Past rides are 1958 Alstate, 196? 350 Honda Dream(for 2 weeks): 1962 Triumph Bonneville : 1966 Triumph Bonneville: 1984 Yamaha Virago:
1988 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500: 1998 Triumph Thunderbird & my Guzzi
I'm retired.

[opc]

Hello, I'm Jose Gomez.  I'm out of Phoenix AZ and I'm in my mid-40's and earn my leisure time funding by doing engineering stuff.

I'm riding a 2014 GRiSO 8V 1200SE which I picked up in June.  Haven't ridden very much because of the summer heat here, but as the weather continues to cool off I'm looking forward to more saddle time.

Cheers!

[bib]

Hi wildguzzi,
bib from NSW in OZ
2012 Norge 8v - recent acquisition
Riding mo-bikes since 1978
Have owned Honda 250T - first bike in OZ, large 250, comfortable but could not keep up with friends Yahama RD250
400T - larger version of Hawk 250T - could keep up with friends Yammy RD400 - not while accelerating though.
750F1 - big heavy 750, lots of torque in mid-range, not an enjoyable as CX500
CX500 - memorable bike, smooth power up top, nice pulse in low/mid, great fuel range, as fast as the 750 with better comfort. Never rode it to find handling limitations as others have criticised, loved riding it.
250S - lawn mower sound, quick off the lights and happy at 100kmph - was commute hack for awhile.
BMW R100RS - original 1976 rebuilt (not by me)- non-working steering damper resulted in most vicious head shake at 60kmph - felt like I was to end up wearing an oncoming grill. Was enjoyable when running well, this was very brief before it went back to running bad.
Kawasaki GPZ1100- wow! smooth tractor that became a (mis)guided missile. The engine note once past 7000 was addictive. The only bike I had that made cars in mirrors mere flyspecks in blink of an eye. Would have one again.
GPZ600 - needed 7000 before it got going, once going it was gone. Tiresome in traffic, fun once away from traffic. VERY easy to ride fast.
ST1100 - smooth, strong, long range and comfortable, was a good commuter with strong mid-range, this bike always made me feel safe, this bike I dropped whilst pushing, standing still many times. Heavy and ungainly when not moving. One of my favorites.
VStrom - Did everything the ST did, and did it with a bit of character- pulsing twin 2300-4000, then playful powerhouse. Fastest accelerating bike in traffic I have ever ridden, any revs above 3500 in any gear except 6th...did not use 6th in traffic anyway. Light and powerful, responsive, stock suspension more comfortable than ST- great headlights. More comfortable than ST for two up. A riders bike for all roads, all weather all day.
Current 2012 Norge-  finally realised what I have been missing in bike riding - soul! A tangible sense of being 'together', little things like the "chuff" and shudder when switched off, the soft shimmy at idle, the feelings of 60kmph baritone pulse sending a tingle of enjoyment, the 'oh-shit' moment on opening the throttle at 85kmph to overtake and finding myself at 130kmph a blink later approaching a 80kmph sweeper... the go-fast boys can use the fast lane, would like to keep the secret, on a MG life is GREAT in the slow lane. 

[Allflatblack]

John Waverka

Garwood NJ, 35
Building bikes for the last 15 years, racing with AHRMA, metal work.

[MamaKV]

Hi!

Kathie Varney in Seattle, WA with a 2004 Breva 750. Bought the bike a few weeks back and took it to Moto International for the 10,000 service. Risers installed, shocks to lower a bit and the fit is perfect. Best ride ever even in rush hour traffic!! LOVE the bike and the awesome new friends at Moto Int.

As a woman rider I have to say 99% of my experience at motorcycle shops and stores is awkward and miserable. NOT HERE. I will be telling EVERY FEMALE rider I meet. Also a BIG shout out to Chris at Harpers Moto, great treatment there as well. Best online resource and service to be sure.

So Saturday morning heading out with my husband for our 24th Anniversary Cruise - The 3 pass blast over the Cascades!  :drool I'll be on the Breva and my DH on a '04 Honda ST1300.

[Unkept]

Hi!

Kathie Varney in Seattle, WA with a 2004 Breva 750. Bought the bike a few weeks back and took it to Moto International for the 10,000 service. Risers installed, shocks to lower a bit and the fit is perfect. Best ride ever even in rush hour traffic!! LOVE the bike and the awesome new friends at Moto Int.

As a woman rider I have to say 99% of my experience at motorcycle shops and stores is awkward and miserable. NOT HERE. I will be telling EVERY FEMALE rider I meet. Also a BIG shout out to Chris at Harpers Moto, great treatment there as well. Best online resource and service to be sure.

So Saturday morning heading out with my husband for our 24th Anniversary Cruise - The 3 pass blast over the Cascades!  :drool I'll be on the Breva and my DH on a '04 Honda ST1300.

:) Welcome! My wife and I will be headed out for out second marriage anniversary this weekend as well. Congrats.

Also, my wife's Breva 750 is a great bike... and Moto International are good folks in my experience as well. Sometimes a bit slow on orders, with a hiccup or two in their ordering system... but good folks with a well of Guzzi knowlege.

-Joe

[Chuckster78]

Hello everyone,

Chuck from Harrisburg Pa.

Happy owner of a new Stone that is still in the break in phase.  I'm loving it.


I work for Comcast business, and my vices include, airplanes, guitars, vintage stuff of all sorts, golf, hiking, and way too many other hobbies.

My first change on my bike has to be the mirrors, I can only see my shoulders, so bar ends or extensions of some sort........suggest ions welcome!

[jbell]

Hello, I'm Jose Gomez.  I'm out of Phoenix AZ and I'm in my mid-40's and earn my leisure time funding by doing engineering stuff.

I'm riding a 2014 GRiSO 8V 1200SE which I picked up in June.  Haven't ridden very much because of the summer heat here, but as the weather continues to cool off I'm looking forward to more saddle time.

Cheers!

Hey, Jose.  I grew up in Phoenix and lived in Glendale after I got out of the service.  Living in Texas, now.  The thing I remember about that Phoenix heat was that it didn't cool off at night, still in the 90's, whew.  Used to do the Wickenburg, Yarnell Hill, Prescott loop pretty regular.  Your Griso should be perfect for that.  This is a great forum with anything Guzzi you might want to know.  Welcome.

[opc]

Hey, Jose.  I grew up in Phoenix and lived in Glendale after I got out of the service.  Living in Texas, now.  The thing I remember about that Phoenix heat was that it didn't cool off at night, still in the 90's, whew.  Used to do the Wickenburg, Yarnell Hill, Prescott loop pretty regular.  Your Griso should be perfect for that.  This is a great forum with anything Guzzi you might want to know.  Welcome.

Thanks, jbell!  The weather patterns haven't changed.  :-\ But I do look forward to taking a shot at those roads on the GRiSO this fall.

Cheers!

[silverbullet]

Hello,

I am silverbullet or Martin, I am 55 years old and live in Coventry UK. I bought my Moto Guzzi Breva 1100 early on this year. My bike looks like a 1200 sports with the nose fairing and seat cowling, it is red and white in colour. My hobbies are: my Guzzi obviously, exercise, photography and computers. I work as a support worker for people with mental health problems

[thevin70]

Vince
44
Married
West MI.
Gas Utility Co.

I recently picked up a 84 1000SP Cafe Racer, it's been stripped of fairing and gauges, guy needed money for other things. Been looking for a Guzzi for a while to turn into a cafe project since.

2010 Road King
1984 1000 SP
1965,67,68, 250 Ducati's

[TheWarbuckle]

Alan Bendele, 40, Married, Web Development Manager . . .

Just bought a 2003 California EV, my first bike!  LOVE it.

[Brightblade]

Hi all, ran  across this site when I was looking for answers about my newly acquired 04 moto guzzi california ev.  Lot of good information here. 

We'll I'm not very good at introductions so I'll just say good to meet all of you.

[Zef]

Hi,
my names Jonas and I am a medstudent from Czech Republic.

I am new to MG world and to motorcycle world overall, so I hope you will have patience with my newbie questions :-)

Looking forward to friendly and educative discussions about MG bikes.

[jordaf]

Hi folks
Francois or Frank the crank for my english speaking pals.
Currently riding (separately) Cali 89,electra89,softail 96 all rats AND my new baby Bellagio14.
Soon 55, 5 kids, 4 grand kids and more to come I am afraid.....
I am made in France cor the best and the worst and live in the Alps.
Tks for takin me on board
Ps
If you see a message of mine along the same lines, it aint coz of my huge ego but coz I screwed up the 1st time

[Dougsdrive]

New here.

Doug Schneider

Central Illinois
2013 Moto Guzzi Norge

IBA #45013

Would enjoy contacting local fellow Moto Guzzi owners.

[Thundergoose]

My name is John Jutzy. I have had my 1996 Moto Guzzi California 1100i since about 2002. I bought it from the PO that treated it like his child. It had just over 2,000 miles on it. Today it is approaching 8,000 miles. It has been a great, relatively trouble free bike. I am joining the forum in hopes of being able to find solutions to problems and also to offer assistance to others. I like to take and post pictures of my work.

A bit more about me. I am currently studying for my Bachelors in Global Business Administration and working on an MBA at Thunderbird School of Global Business Management. Yes, that is the reason for my handle, Thundergoose. I am pretty proud of my school and I love my goose. I quit my job in Chile and moved to Surprise, Arizona with my wife and daughters 9 y/o and 2 y/o to get my MBA. I have travelled quite a bit, including 6 weeks exploring North Western India on a Royal Enfield with my brother. That trip was a blast. I am an expert on car care products, worked as product manager for Chile for Meguiar's. Would be happy to assist anyone with inquiries about making your bike shine again! I love riding, camping, and amateur gold prospecting. I could go on. Just happy to be here. Hope to get to know some of the Arizona folks as soon as I get my bike running again.

[Jamie_h]

Hey guys, Jamie from Louisiana here. Just got back from the Barber Vintage Festival, will post pics soon. Never have owned a motorcycle, but am looking forward to purchasing something soon (I hope). Love the Guzzis I have seen so far. Thanks for the  invite!

[ilya]

Hi everyone,

I'm Ilya from Los Angeles. I've recently bought a 2013 V7 Stone and I really like it so far (except for off-idle cold stumble issue.) One day I decided to list all the features which I was looking for in my next motorcycle and wound up with the following:

- standard UJM styling
- lighter weight and more narrow than the R1200GS I had at the time
- fuel tank with at least 5 gallon capacity and no plastic tank expansion headaches of Ducati
- preferably shaft drive to skip chain maintenance
- moderate power, definitely less than 1000cc engine
- availability of touring accessories, e.g. luggage rack, center stand
- cast wheels with tubeless tires

After thorough research it turned out, much to my surprise, that only 2013+ V7 fit all of those requirements! Then the search for the right used specimen has started and now I'm here.

[Scribbles]

Andrea Augello from Tonawanda, NY (halfway between Buffalo and Niagara Falls).  43 Years old, Noob to the world of Moto Guzzi.  Just bought a project Eldorado and hoping I'm not in over my head.

[grumpy1]

howya. Ger Daly from Kinsale Ireland here. into guzzis and bikes and shit.

[OlderSlower]

Bob Scheuneman, Psychiatric Nurse, Central Ohio.  Just bought my first Guzzi (09 Norge) after having lots of bikes over the years. 

[philip]

Philip Schreck
Rider for 62 years
At present I have 6 cycles. 1940 BSA. 1963 Norton. 1986 Yamaha, 2003 Aprillia, 2011 Honda, 2013 Moto Guzzi.
I am retired and ride just about every day.

[grantsjeep]

For the last few years I have been rebuilding 1968 Moto Guzzi V700.  Just got the bike running, but still need some tuning. 

I have 4 kids and am a police officer, so it has taken me several years to get my project to this point.

[Shadyapex]

Hey everybody, Steve here with a "new" '77 T3 dressed up as a Le Mans. I'm in Bishop CA and have wanted a Le Mans for years but should have bought one back when they were affordable. So I picked up this bike just the other day and its great aside from some tuning problems that I'm sure I'll have some questions about. I'll try to post in the appropriate place.
Looking forward to chatting with everyone. Cheers,,,,,

http://stevenbaldwin.zenfolio.com/p1041015419/e20d92933

[Viker]

Hi folks :-)

I've been lurking around these pages for a few months, soaking up impressions and knowledge about Guzzis and what it's like to own them.

Right now I’m on the fence about buying a Moto Guzzi Stelvio (a beautiful name for a beautiful bike) or a KTM 1190 Adventure (an ugly name for a high-tech bike).

I’m a professional pixel-wrangler in south-east Australia.

[Scud]

Greetings. I just picked up my first Guzzi last week - a V11 Scura.

I live in Carlsbad, CA in San Diego County - home to some of the best motorcycle roads (and year-round riding weather) in the world.

I am partner in a training business. www.corestrengths.c om

[scuba]

hi All
just joined the forum today 55 year old miner from tipperary ireland,ride a 2001 v11 sport
my work finishs early next year as our mine will be mined out
and that is my reason to do then what i have wanted to do for years
...a road trip in the states on a guzzi
never been to america ..so looking forward to it
only in the very early stages of  planing the trip
can not find any where to rent a guzzi....prefer a cali
so thinking of buying one...then either ship it home or sell it there
route i am looking at is the east coast.....end in florida...but not sure
where i will start
any tips would be appreciated