Your first Guzzi....?

[F-22]

It sometimes had some severe electronic ignition hiccups, swapped it later for Monza that was better.

Oh yes, same on my V35. The Bosch electronic ignition is quite notorious (used by V35, V50 and V50II, and some other italian bikes like Ducati Pantah and late bevel twins, and Laverdas). The boxes sometimes die if you only charge the battery without disconnecting it from the bike. On my V35, the pickups and the rotor somehow got severely worn, like they were rubbing against eachother, and I have noticed that on other early small block Guzzis I've had as well. The ignition did not advance until about 3000rpm, at which point it started to run completely normal. Replacing the ignition components was and is very costly. Later models used camshaft mounted points which was much better, and had a completely different front engine cover.

[roadventure]

2014 California Custom.  Bought "used" with 3114 miles on it and dressed out as a Touring model.

[guzzisteve]

In Sept 76 after riding my 71 Tri Bonnie from Chicago area to Daytona(3days) and back(23hrs) I had to get a bike you didn't have to tune up every 1200mi. Got an 850T cause the T3 was an extra $350
Daytona



New T



Then it looked like this



Then like this


As you can see the clear coat started to crack and on the top of tank I took it off w/brake fld, shortly after I had all painted w/7 coats black & 2 coats clear. I talked to the owner I sold it to in 81 bout 15yrs ago and it had 120,000mi on it w/original cyls and going strong.

[Nate Russell]

In 1971, After reading an article in a m.c. magazine that referred to Moto Guzzi as being "tractor like" but the kind of motorcycle you could jump on and ride off to Uraguay if you so desired, I bought a 1971 Ambassador.  I didn't go to Uraguay, but put a lot of enjoyable miles on it.

[BikeMike]

Traded the Harley for my first Guzzi about two years ago.




Then I found an 850T Interceptor project locally...




Last year a Convert Police followed me home 




Mike

[Zoom Zoom]

In '99, a buddy, now deceased, purchased a new RE military from a dealer in Pa. who also carried Guzzi. Being 90 miles away made for a good excuse for a ride and then drop into PA for some really nice riding coming home. Anyway, we ride over there one day and there is this 2001 red/pearl EV in the window. I was smitten. After tormenting over it for a couple weeks, my buddy finally said "just buy the d**n thing! You know you want to." Well, I did. I actually bought it on my birthday 2001. (end of January) I got it home and proceeded to put 81K on it before it was lost in the flood at the National in '07. When I bought it, I didn't care for the floorboards and worked a deal with the dealer to swap the pegs off a Bassa he had on the floor. Had I not lost the bike in the flood, I have no doubt I would still have it. I was very attached to it.




John Henry

[Psychopasta]

My first Guzzi was a V50 Mk2 bought in 82 I think. I need to dig out the photos of that bike and scan them.

[Tom]

In '99, a buddy, now deceased, purchased a new RE military from a dealer in Pa. who also carried Guzzi. Being 90 miles away made for a good excuse for a ride and then drop into PA for some really nice riding coming home. Anyway, we ride over there one day and there is this 2001 red/pearl EV in the window. I was smitten. After tormenting over it for a couple weeks, my buddy finally said "just buy the d**n thing! You know you want to." Well, I did. I actually bought it on my birthday 2001. (end of January) I got it home and proceeded to put 81K on it before it was lost in the flood at the National in '07. When I bought it, I didn't care for the floorboards and worked a deal with the dealer to swap the pegs off a Bassa he had on the floor. Had I not lost the bike in the flood, I have no doubt I would still have it. I was very attached to it.




John Henry

Best memory of your EV.   Your passing the HD while pulling your trailer back to your place.     

[Zoom Zoom]

With Jan on the back as well. Of course you didn't waste any time getting around then on the LeMans:




Art is now taking good care of it for me.

John Henry

[Chuck in Indiana]

Art is now taking good care of it for me.

Not to worry, it's in good hands. 

[Fireflyr]

First one, a 2013 V7 Racer, and it's been down hill ever since.  Literally.  An '84 Lemans III, a '77 T3 and now a '74 Eldorado Police.  If I keep going this way I may end up on a nice 500cc single.













Sold the V7 but I'm keeping everything else.

[Carlo DeSantis]

My first Guzzi is the only one (of four) remaining in my garage.  A '75 T-3 that I bought in the Spring of 1999.  It had obviously lived a bit of a rough life, with ham-fisted "mods" and a paint job that Gordon at MG Cycle called "M&M Red" when he first saw the bike.  I rode it that first summer as it was.  The only real problems I had were a balky ignition switch and OEM switchgear that had seen better days.

Over the winter of 1999/2000, I did some work on the old girl.  New paint, ignition switch, switch gear, shocks, front master cylinder, and brake calipers all around.  I also had the seat (from a G5, I think) re-foamed and added relays to the headlights.  A friend called her Sophia along the way, and the name stuck.  This is how she looked in the Spring of 2000:

New Switchgear




Profile





I started to get itchy after about 7 seasons and decided to go all out.  I had installed new Gilardoni cylinders, a Dyna ignition, and a EuroMotoElectric alternator.  Not quite satisfied, I turned it over to Junior Jackson for a nut-and-bolt restoration.  The idea was to get everything about the bike to fit my size and style perfectly.  This is the result:













I can't imagine ever selling this bike. I could easily have bought a pretty nice brand new bike for what I put into Sophia, but it wouldn't suit me as well.  And it's nothing if not a one-off.  This bike gets the love, while the Beemer gets the heavy lifting :)

Best,

Carlo

[egschade]

'03 EV Touring I bought used from a Guzzi dealer who 1) didn't know anything about the bike, 2) didn't care to know anything about the bike and 3) just wanted to unload it so I got a great deal. Rode it a few years then went to a Breva 1100, then Griso 8v and now my V7 Stone iii.

[SED]

Saw a LeMans in the early 80s - Red and fast (even at a stop light) with a big visible engine that sounded like a V8 and I think "What a great bike!"  Even went to a dealer to check them out, but it was those penniless years.  25 years later one was for sale in Portland.

In 2008 heading out on my first ride as owner.

   


Rode it today too.

[Furbo]

Lessee, it was 1987. I'd gotten married in May and was buying/fixing/flipping used bikes in Abilene, TX while finishing college and working at the Kawasaki/Honda dealer doing new bike (Honda 4 Trax 4 Wheelers - we almost never sold new bikes..)

I was at Bockenstead Cycle Salvage one afternoon (I was a frequent customer) and Vince (the sole proprietor of the establishment) mentioned he'd looked at a Moto Guzzi that week but didn't have the cash and I outta take a look at it. 'Whatsa Guzzi?' I asked.   'It's an Italian bike - very reliable once it's set. Ok....

Went to look and it was a '76 T3 with a Pacifico Faring and no seat or title. I paid $150 for it, hauled it home, and sold the Pacifico Faring a week later for a C note.

Usually, the only things the bikes Id get needed was a carb cleaning, battery, bit of paint etc. First thing I noticed about the Guzzi was how easy it was to work on. Wow - compared to the 4 carb banks of the UJM's I normally worked on this was a breeze. I was appalled the first time I started it. It made all kinds of weird noises, shook like a paint mixer...it was very different. Once I started riding it I fell in love with the torque and the quirks.  So much so that I bought my second one, a '72 Eldo the next year. Still have that one.

[Data]

My first and second Guzzi were both V7 Sports. In 1979 I came across a black 1973 model with no tank or front end in a motorcycle wrecker in Sydney. I bought it for $650 intending to put a Ducati disc front end on it and find a tanks from somewhere. On a rare piece of inspiration I also put an ad in the Motorcycle news paper (Revs) looking for whoever may have the front end. A day later a guy rang up and said "Ive got your front end, tank and instruments - I'm broke and you can have it for $250". I got it the next day - all good except slightly bent forks where he had run into something, taken them off for repair, including tank and instruments and the finance company had re-possessed the bike when he didn't make the payments. I kept it for 5 years and stupidly sold it when kids, housing and cars came along. Only one photo survives. Fast forward 30 years and I bought a similar 73 V7 Sport with factory disc brakes, which is my current ride, along with the R100S and the R27. The red isn't original and its a bit rough but will eventually get a restoration.

.

[slowpoke69]

 After a life of UJM's I saw an ad on ADVRider, it was an 06 B11, black on black,   batwing style fairing,  sitting in an overlook on Skyline Drive. It looked GORGEOUS! I read the description,  it read like a very nice parts book.  YSS shock,  Mistral exhaust,  full luggage,  starter interruptus fix,  the wind screen. 
The wife and I left@ 4am, like I always do when traveling , in a rented pickup, on Valentine's day in 2014. Oh yeah,  in a BLIZZARD! We drove from S. Jersey to the panhandle of W. Va., loaded it up,  with some help from Richy, the owner, and hauled ass home. 
It was a 14 hour round trip,  good thing I'm a trucker! We met friends for dinner that night,  bike still in the truck!
I LOVE this bike,  handles great,  nothing phases it,  except road salt (OUCH).
 The wife and I enjoy the hell outta thus bike! I've added a Giant Loop Ft. Rock top bag (88l), she feels so age on it she falls asleep on long rides!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Muzz]

Carlo, I personally think Sophia, along with Dean Rose's White Magnolia would be two of the nicest looking Guzzis around.

[JohninVT]

Coming from an extended family full of motorcyclists, I was aware of Guzzi's most of my life.  I got into bikes with small UJM's and progressed to several Honda V4's( a 750 Interceptor and a couple 500's).  I started collecting in my early 20's and had everything from a CX500 Turbo to a Bridgestone 350 to a BSA Super Rocket to CZ and Bultaco dirtbikes in the garage by the time I was 27 or 28.  I'd ridden and owned a lot of different bikes.   

In 97'(I think) I was driving by AJ Cycle in Mass. and spotted a couple Sport 1100's out front.  I stopped to look at it and a guy came out, talked to me for about 3 minutes, fished in his pocket and handed me the keys for a test ride.  It was the weirdest motorcycle I'd ever ridden.  It was a leftover carb model they'd put velocity stacks on and an exhaust.  The thing twisted and shook at idle.  It was really high geared.  Every time I looked down at the speedo on the test ride I was going about 20mph faster than I thought.  When I whacked the throttle it had a massive intake honk and sounded like it could suck babies right from their carriage on the sidewalk.  It was cramped, uncomfortable and it throbbed like a tractor with an unbalanced crank. 

Obviously...I was instantly hooked.  I didn't buy the bike but the experience was singular.  I couldn't get it out of my head.  About a year later I saw a ratty T3 sitting on a lawn for sale and bought it for $500.  That came and went and then I traded my ZRX1100 for a 2002 Le Mans.  I couldn't gel with it.  Then I bought a beautifully restored 1973 Eldorado.  That was probably my favorite but the drum brakes, even when bedded properly, were terrible.  Then came the 2008 1200 Sport.  Then the California 1400 Touring.  There were bikes in between all the Guzzi's.  A 93' Ducati 900SS, multiple TW200's, several Japanese sportbikes and a couple ADV bikes.  I keep punctuating my motorcycle experiences with Guzzi's though and I blame it on that test ride in 97'.  It's like having a recurring a sickness and the medicine to treat it gets progressively more expensive.           

[Carlo DeSantis]

Carlo, I personally think Sophia, along with Dean Rose's White Magnolia would be two of the nicest looking Guzzis around.

Thanks, Muzz.

C

[jas67]

Datza NICE!

[steven c]

 1974 850-T Black and loud with the Dunstall mufflers, bought in 79 or 80 I think, it had been ridden hard and put away wet, clutch failed first week I owned it, dove right in and learned all about replacing a Guzzi clutch,rode it to Laconia a few weeks later and lost the front brake on the way home. Owned it for 13 years till I bought an SP, sold it to a chain smoking tatted guy from Denmark who bought it to filp in Demark.He left my house in a down pour heading to the docks in NYC I had to lend him a leather jacket and  helmet and rain gear which he mailed back to me.

 By the time I sold it it was 973cc, dual discs and lighten flywheel.

[Numbercruncher]

While I do not own this bike yet, I have a deposit on it and will pick it up in the next two weeks.  I think this qualifies it as my first Moto Guzzi.





NC

[Tom]

 

[ozarksguzzi]

In 1976 I answered an ad in the San Jose Mercury News about a 1971 V7 Special [a European Ambassador]. I set up a time to ride it and when I got there he was riding it. "He should be back in a minute or two." He was. I rode it. I went home and couldn't sleep [I was 28]. I called him and said I would take it. When I arrived at our agreed upon time  - HE WAS RIDING IT! I exchanged money for title when he came back, rode it home and put it in the garage. The next morning I started it to head to work and I thought every bolt on that bike had come loose! He rode it to get rid of the clearance from worn cylinders!
I learned a lot about Guzzi's in the next month. Yes I still own it. Along with a LeMans I and a Strada. Love em all.

[Guzzistajohn]

Nice to see you here Tim, don’t be such a stranger!

[ozarksguzzi]

I know. I know. Old age and hibernation seem to go together.

[Lannis]

The next morning I started it to head to work and I thought every bolt on that bike had come loose! He rode it to get rid of the clearance from worn cylinders!
I learned a lot about Guzzi's in the next month. Yes I still own it. Along with a LeMans I and a Strada. Love em all.

I've had something like that happen.   Bought a Plymouth Valiant convertible from a guy once.    He had some reason he didn't want me to test drive it (said his insurance wouldn't cover me), so he took me for a ride around about 6 blocks.   

Car seemed to run good, shifted smooth (slant 6 automatic), the top worked, body in good shape, so I bought it.

First time I made a left turn on the way home, I realized the point of his "I'll drive" scheme.   When he took me out, he made nothing but right turns, very effectively hiding the fact that the steering had about 3/4 of a turn of slop in it ... Took me $700 on a $2000 car to get it right .... !

Lannis

[Sheepdog]

Eleven years ago I bought my first Guzzi, a brand new 2007 California Vintage. It was a brand of machine I was always fond of, but had never actually purchased or even ridden. I checked one out at the Atlanta International Motorcycle Show and as I sat on it, my local Guzzi dealer (who had set up the trip to Atlanta) told me he�d just taken delivery of one. I rode it for an hour the next day and bought it. I�ve ridden a bunch of bikes over the years, but the CalVin is my favorite. The photo below was taken right about the time my dealer set the hook...

[Strada]

2007 Griso




I miss that bike.