New to my '14 Griso

[Asylum]

Well, all I can say is that the first time I saw the Griso 8v, I knew I had to have it. So I bought it the next day ;)

I just love the look of this bike so much that the riding imperfections never made me second guess my choice.

Once I completed my course and received my learners permit, that is when I went shopping for it, so yes this is my first bike. It just scares the heck out of me at low rpm's when turning right from a dead stop. Not being afraid of hurting myself, but being worried of droppin it. Other bikes from the course or my girlfriend's sportster  is a breeze to get going from the friction zone. I find that the griso requires to much throttle control and friction in order to take off smoothly from a stop without chugging. From a straight line take off I'm fine, just on the stop and go turns just make me nervous. I want to get rid of this fear and enjoy her.

I tried the o2 optimizer, helped somewhat, but not enough.

Been reading a bit in the forums and came along some threads about people having great smoothness from Beetles map in the low rpm range.

Would the smoothness they're describing mean exactly what I'm referring to by being rough on the take off almost as if the griso wants to stall unless I feed it enough throttle?

Thanks

[Vasco DG]

Take the O2 sensor off at once unless you want to risk trashing your engine.

As for the map? It's hard to say if your problem is map related but if you want to try one of Mark's maps just buy the cables, download Guzzidiag, reader and writer and Mark or I can flip you a map.

Do be careful, a Griso is not what I would call a 'Beginners' bike.

Pete

[Asylum]

I'll remove the optimizer asap. Don't wanna risk it after reading your post.

I would love to load a different map to see if changes would take affect. Where do you recommend I buy the cables from?
Is tps calibration offered by the software. or would I need something else?

I totally agree with you that it is far from a beginners bike, but I am tamed and respect the bike for what it can do. There is no way I'm pushing this bike to its limits for a looong time.

Thanks for your help bud 

[leafman60]

Does anybody know whether I can fit a Griso side-exit header to my Stelvio NTX?

[fotoguzzi]

Lucky guy!  if crash bars are available, you should get them..

who's your dealer? as far as low speed cornering, maybe it's just not set up right. some dealers just put them out on the road without adjusting the specs/motor settings first.

what's your location? a visit to Rose Farm near Chicago will have it performing perfect!  or MPH in TX..  or Moto International in Seattle.. or Harpers near KC..

[Asylum]

As far as relying on the dealer to get things set up properly, I would have to say i couldn't trust them enough in order to be confident that it was done right. People I've been speaking with don't have great things to say about them. They've only been selling guzzis for the last 2 years.

Ridin the griso out to the states you've mentioned is quite out of the option due to the fact that I live in Montreal, Canada :o

As far as mechanic wise go, I do all the repairs on my own vehicles. Would it be difficult to check and make sure all is well with the griso?

[Vasco DG]

For info on cables etc. look at the 'Tuning with Guzzidiag' thread. Yes, Guzzidiag allows TPS calibration and all the other functions of the factory tooling, just better and for the cost of a donation.

As Foto says poor set-up is one of the major issues with new bikes. Many places just push 'em out the door with zero prep and then are amazed when customers complain. Some shops also don't have a clue about setting them up or tuning them and it may be that your bike has been fiddled with by an idiot. No amount of remapping will prevent it running like a chunk of shit if it isn't tuned correctly.

Given your symptoms it might also be worth you removing the HT lead covers from the rocker covers and having a good squizz, prefferably somewhere dark, at the plug caps. These are easily damaged by ham-fisted removal, (And sometimes they just fail!) but look and listen for the spark 'Snapping' to earth on the rocker cover. This will definitely make the bike run badly even though it may idle OK. It's also death to the cat-con.

Good info available lots of places on the net on set-up but the Griso Ghetto is a good place to start as Steve's site is heavily Griso-centric, it's not exclusively Griso but the non Griso owners are usually 'Modifiers' who go there for Mark's help and knowledge.

Pete

[Asylum]

I'll defiantly look into what you've mentioned.

[lucydad]

Asy,

Good luck with that Griso.  Ride safe, stay smooth and sort out the wrinkles.  Fast bike I hear.

[Vasco DG]

I'll defiantly look into what you've mentioned.

Defiantly! Wow! You are cross! ;D

[Asylum]

Defiantly! Wow! You are cross! ;D

 :BEER: LMAO damn auto-corrector. Guess I chose the wrong word from da list. Too funny

[beetle]

All Griso riders should be defiant. :D

[Bisbonian]

It is also possible that there is nothing at all "wrong" with your new Griso.

The fact is, there is a reason that most people recommend a first motorcycle that is lightweight and fairly inexpensive.

Skills take time to develop.

But now you need to work on developing those skills on a bike that is not only unfamiliar, but probably somewhat unforgiving with its weight and your apprehension of anything happening to it.

I suggest a lot of practice time getting to know your bike; you have definitely bought a cool motorcycle, but also made life a bit harder on yourself by jumping straight into the deep end.

Good luck.

[beetle]

Does anybody know whether I can fit a Griso side-exit header to my Stelvio NTX?

 :o  ???  ~;

[Vasco DG]

Does anybody know whether I can fit a Griso side-exit header to my Stelvio NTX?

What? Like actually physically fit it? We'll probably David but it would most likely require re-location of the oil cooler. The stylistic cue of the Griso pipes meant that the oil cooler had to be put in the 'Box' on the RHSide of the engine or maybe visa-versa but whatever? Thing is the Griso pipes would almost certainly interfere with the cooler on a Stelvio.

Other facts to consider?

The changes to the header pipe lengths will seriously impact the fueling. Especially the delta fueling. It would need a custom map. No question.

Another centre-pipe would be required. Perhaps the Griso one would do but it would require mount modification. This also would have an effect on the fueling.

At the end of the day anything is possible. It just depends on how much pain you are willing to put up with! :D

Pete

[Kiwi_Roy]

Well, all I can say is that the first time I saw the Griso 8v, I knew I had to have it. So I bought it the next day ;)

I just love the look of this bike so much that the riding imperfections never made me second guess my choice.

That's understandable, "Sex on Wheels", is my name for the Griso ;D

[geoff in almonte]

Asylum

For local Guzzi shops - not too sure about Montreal - but there is Kohlman's Wheelsport in Ottawa (east end).  They are new to Guzzi, but Fred (Kohman) has been in the business for decades and is a reputable dealer.

For unsolvable mechanical issues, I would recommend Corsa Mechanica in Toronto.  Strictly a Piaggio/Guzzi/Apprilia dealer.  All his techs have attended Guzzi school.  They are a big supporter of the Ontario Guzzi Riders and a sponsor of the Ontario Guzzi Rally.  George and his crew are good people and passionate about Guzzis.

I would also recommend that you listen to Pete (VasgoDG).  He knows what he's talking about.

Welcome to the forum.

G

[boatdetective]

Before you start f'ing with the bike- you might want to be sure it's the bike and not you. Have a friend who is a more experienced rider give it a try. I found my Griso 1100 very "snatchy" off the line. One thing that was simple was the throttle cables. It seemed that the cable adjustors at the handle would loosen easily. There was a huge amount of slack. I fiddled with it until i took out the slack- yet not enough so the cables were taut. I used threadlock on the nut.  This seemed to help quite a bit with throttle feel.

Guzzidiag is a good suggestion. I installed a map on my 1200S that really improved running and removed popping on decel. I bought an O2 optimizer and Power Commander and it was a total waste of money.   

To repeat another comment- Get crash bars!  I have Hepco Beckers on the 1200 and I can confirm that they work.

[jlburgess]

I saw some Stucchi crash bars at www.mgcycle.com

http://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=172_180&products_id=2358

I never had a problem with low speed turns.  It might take a while to adjust to the friction zone of the clutch as it is a bit narrow.  Adjusting the clutch lever eccentric might help too?
Pete loaded the 068 map on my bike but it mostly helped with lean fueling around 3500 rpm.

[Asylum]

Wow, a lot of info to take in. I'm determined to get my skills down right to enjoy the griso even more. I guess a lot of parking lot slow maneuvering will be on the top of my list before taking it on the road this spring. ;-T

Geoff, I'll look in to the dealership you've mentioned since it's only about an hour away.

As for the crash bars, I plan on ordering them before the season along with the Carc guard.

I thank you again for all your help, you guys are awesome ;D

[Guzzistajohn]

Wow that's quite a machine to start out with. My advice would be to never take your fingers off that clutch during takeoff. Be ready to pull that lever at l times and have an experienced rider check it out. You could leave it at my house for a few months ;D

[Nic in Western NYS]

Accidents happen a LOT at low speeds.  I learned a lot at the MSF Advanced Rider course. Not sure if it's offered in Canada though.

[geoff in almonte]

Wheelsport does not stock a lot of parts if that is all you are after.  Best bet for that is to order from MGCycle or Harpers.

Make a buddy or rent a POBox in upstate NY and have your parts shipped there if the source uses UPS or FEDEX.  Significant "Brokerage Fees" can be avoided by shipping USPS whenever possible.

Cheers!

G

[Asylum]

Here in Quebec, all riders must take a closed circuit course in order to achieve a learners permit which I think is the same as the MSF training offered in the US. We were taught with 250 rebels, which were a piece of cake compared to the griso. Riding my girlfriends bike is no trouble at all. I just wish the griso didn't snatch as much as it does in the lower rpms.  

[Asylum]

Wheelsport does not stock a lot of parts if that is all you are after.  Best bet for that is to order from MGCycle or Harpers.

Make a buddy or rent a POBox in upstate NY and have your parts shipped there if the source uses UPS or FEDEX.  Significant "Brokerage Fees" can be avoided by shipping USPS whenever possible.

Cheers!

G

I'll be ordering them from MGCycle. But over $300 for crash bars is crazy. Guess its cheaper than repairs due to a downed guzzi.

[Nic in Western NYS]

Here in Quebec, all riders must take a closed circuit course in order to achieve a learners permit which I think is the same as the MSF training offered in the US. We were taught with 250 rebels, which were a piece of cake compared to the griso. Riding my girlfriends bike is no trouble at all. I just wish the griso didn't snatch as much as it does in the lower rpms.  

In the US, there is a beginner course and an advanced course.  I'm recommending the advanced course - I assumed you already had something akin to the beginner course.

Enjoy!

Nic

[Asylum]

As far as I know, I don't think there is an advanced course. I'll check it out.

Our course involved most of the slow maneuvering such as cone weaving, emergency braking, tight circling and such. Oh ya, how to start a bike :-\ 

[opc]

I find that the griso requires to much throttle control and friction in order to take off smoothly from a stop without chugging.

Would the smoothness they're describing mean exactly what I'm referring to by being rough on the take off almost as if the griso wants to stall unless I feed it enough throttle?

You'll also want to look into taking up any slack in the throttle cables.  Dealer setups have been known to leave these loose and it does contribute to a lot of jerkiness at take-off and low speeds.

[geoff in almonte]

I'll be ordering them from MGCycle. But over $300 for crash bars is crazy. Guess its cheaper than repairs due to a downed guzzi.

MGCycle will not ship USPS.  Their website claims that they have made a deal with UPS to waive brokerage fees for Canadian customers.  Unfortunately, for me this was not the case.  I have ordered from them several times and would not hesitate to do so again, but only if I had a US shipping address.

Cheers!

G

[rboe]

I didn't think the Griso was snatchy until I bought the CB1100. Now slow speed snatchiness is the norm for her (I've been reflashing the map as the guys develop them); for the most part it's the nature of the beast. Although remapping has helped.

Folks have used the exhaust system on the Stelvio and put it on the Griso. Not aware of the inverse and I'm pretty sure it would be going backwards and I would certainly discourage it.  ::)

The Griso is not a beginners bike; even the CB1100, which is MUCH easier to ride is not beginners bike (in her case it's the excess weight, not so much the power). But this like closing the barn door after the horse has left the farm. So be very careful. She has enough torque and HP to get you in trouble and into the pearly gates before you know something is amiss.  :P