Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: willowstreetguzziguy on July 21, 2019, 04:44:58 PM
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I remember reading a road test in Cycle magazine in 1971 on the V7 Sport. I couldn't afford one at the time but I thought it was one cool bike, and it still is!
I liked the fact that they thought of a "flip up" rear fender to remove the rear wheel. If they thought of that, there must be many other cool things on the bike that they thought of.
I didn't pursue MG because there weren't any dealers in my area. It took 42 years until I sought out Guzzi. Wish I had done it much sooner!!!
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It was July or August of 1978...I was living in Austin, TX, age 23, working for Motorola...and it was just after my "mint" 1978 Yamaha XS-750 was STOLEN from my apartment complex!!!
I had insurance money in hand...and walked into the local Guzzi dealer and there is was...sitting under the spot lights...a brand new red and black 1978 850 LeMans...and I thought...now that's way cool... :thumb: :cool: :smiley: and I bought it!
(https://i.ibb.co/c6sY7DZ/Screen-Shot-2019-07-21-at-2-52-12-PM.png) (https://ibb.co/c6sY7DZ)
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Around 1970 when my buds and I had recently earned our drivers licenses one of the outings we enjoyed was riding around to all the motorcycle dealers. We all lusted over the CB750 at the Honda dealer. Usually the last stop was a small old fashioned shop that had Norton and Moto Guzzi. We all approved of the Norton but thought the Ambassador on display was the ugliest bike we had ever seen. :grin:
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In 1971 I was riding my first proper road bike all around, all the time, a Yamaha CS3 200cc electric start two-stroke twin.
At the north end (Madison Heights end) of the bridge across the James River on US29 from Madison Heights to Lynchburg was an old grocery store. In the basement of the building, open at one end to ground level, was a little motorcycle shop selling Moto Guzzi and Norton motorcycles. At the time, the price of a new Guzzi was about $1500, and I had as much chance of getting that sum into one place as I had of being King of Ruritania, being that the $400 I'd paid for the Yamaha had bankrupted me for the present and obligated me for the foreseeable future.
But the owner offered me a brand new black-and-chrome Guzzi for a test ride. I rode it up the old curvy road into Madison Heights, and I can remember as clearly as if it were yesterday how the bike went sort of "up and down" when I changed gears, due to the torque reaction from the rear drive. It was just a big smooth luxurious ride compared to the little Yamaha, and I dreamed about it for a long time.
But until Jack Arnold introduced me to Guzzi folks and they introduced me to Guzzi bikes in 2001, I never even looked at another one for all that 30 years ....
Lannis
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In the summer of 1967 a new red and silver v700 rolled in our little Italian town .Before then Guzzi Lodolas, Gileras , Moto Morinis, Ducatis, Benellis et all of sub 200 cc displacement were a common sight, with the Guzzi Airones and Falcones from Law enforcement being the big bikes. Nothing was as magnificent to my eyes and ears as that early Loop. That may have shaped my motorcycle consciousness to this day.
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Sometime in 2000, my neighbor across the street came home with a very original ‘71 Ambassador police bike. I was looking for an airhead (/5) at the time, and never heard of Moto Guzzi. When I heard the Ambo pull into his garage, I ran over and asked him “what the hell is that”! It was love at first sight and I knew I had to have one. About a week later I found a police Eldo in the MGNOC newsletter classifieds, and drove out to Pittsburgh to pick it up. I’m currently working on my 9th Guzzi, and currently have an identical ‘71 police Ambo in the garage.
Oh yea, I’ve also had an R75/5 come and go.
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Strangely enough, in Rome on a business trip, about 1987. It was a T3 or similar, parked on one of those eternal streets. I thought it looked badly cared for, but different enough to be exotic and intriguing.
Before that, my main impressions were from the ads for the Ambo/Eldo in the cycle magazines. Even then, it looked like an old man's motorcycle, and I wasn't interested at all.
Moto
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In 73-74 on my BiMX bike through the windows of Vern’s Foreign Motors in Springfield, Mo.
I probably thought “holy shit that’s cool”
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When I was a kid in the early 80s, I was roaming the alleys of my neighborhood when I happened upon a stack of old car and bike magazines someone had set out by the trash - Motor Trend, Hot Rod, Cycle, etc. Late 50s to late 70s. This was around the time that I was starting to learn about cars & engines. I had built that "Visible V8" model kit and had torn apart an old lawnmower. In one of those old magazines was a full page ad for what was a roundhead Tonti of some flavor- A flat side view illustration. I noticed how the engine, trans and rear drive were laid out just like a RWD car, and I thought "That's how a motorcycle should be built."
From that point on, I decided that if I ever got a motorcycle, it would be a Guzzi.
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I've known forever what a Moto Guzzi was. Basically it's an Italian Beemer.
I guess the first one I saw was a yellow 1100 Sport that was riding with several of us on sporty bikes. I was on my 1200 Bandit, a cop was leading on VFR and some guy running a ZX-12 and smoking fast, plus about half dozen more bikes. I didn't know they made a sporty Guzzi and didn't expect him to keep up with us. That cop knew a rode where we ran 145, that ZX went right around us all.
Anyway, I never considered a Guzzi until I wanted a two-up bike to shuttle the wife on occasion. So I looked around and used EVs were cheaper than about anything, Japanese or Harley. So I got on this board, got the EV, and oh my, this thing is lots of fun- the board and the Guzzi. Then I went to the Colorado Rally, took some rides with Michael D and locals, and now I am part of this geriatric motorcycle group of oddballs where I've always belonged.
Like Ken Hand told me, "welcome home John".
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around 1999 my mate bought a lemans III, he started it and i thought, i want one of those. 19 years later i got a Lemans IV.
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Even then, it looked like an old man's motorcycle, and I wasn't interested at all.
Moto
Apparently something has changed over the years .... :evil: :bow:
Lannis
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I was at my girlfriends birthday party(1970) in her front yard as her dad rolled out a brand new BMW /5 for her birthday present when I heard this rumble coming down the hill, and it wasn’t a Harley. I’m guessing it was a new Ambassador, needless to say I thought it was very cool.
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Picture 1953 as a young teen living with my family in Alsace. The streets were filled with mopeds, vespas and the occasional "real motorcycle". The National police would pass through in pairs on their BMW /2's. Impressive! One day a Guzzi came into town and I remember feeling how ancient it looked compared to the beemers Sort if like the 1920's or 30's appearing in the 1950's. Wanted nothing to do with that!!
Fast forward to 2013 or 2014. I was having lunch in Berkeley Springs, WV and went to feed my parking meter.
Nearby there was not one, but two Guzzies! I'd never seen a V7 before, much less two together. The owners were on their way to the VA rally. I was smitten. In July of 2015 I took delivery of my 2016 Stone II and have been happily riding ever since. Great bike!
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I was an avid reader of all the motorcycle magazines from around 9 years of age on. I always liked the special "buyer's guide" issues and it was the Guzzis, Laverdas and Morinis that really caught my eye.
In 1976, the lady that drove the school bus I rode each day noticed me doodling motorcycles on my (brown paper bag) book covers. She asked if I wanted a motorcycle - of course the answer was YES! She told me that I could have the Benelli she owned and that all I needed to do was go pick it up at a local shop. That weekend, my father took me over to Halley's Cycle in Brunswick, MD (now a NAPA) and that's where I saw my first Guzzi - a '76 Convert - in the metal. I thought it was beautiful and bigger than anything I'd ever be able to ride. Two years later, I saw a 1000SP at Gathland State Park. Same woozy feeling came over me.
In '83, a well-worn Convert became my first Guzzi and two years later a 1000SP my second. :grin:
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About 1971 dad came home with a 68 red v700. After riding it I thought, my cb350 will run circles around it.
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In San Diego, after discovering Sonny Angels national city motorcycle shop, I was introduced to cagiva and Guzzi. Apparently, Sonny rode a quota and loved the thing. He tried to sell me a cagiva - the one with the Ducati engine - but I couldn't take my eyes off the strange sideways engine in his Guzzi... and never forgot it.
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I read Cycle, Cycle World, Motorcyclist, and Cycle Guide every month as a young teen. I guess it was around 1970 that Guzzi caught my eye. Back then, the single was still in the lineup and the V-twin was relatively new to the scene. I can remember thinking that the Guzzi made sense like a Beemer (longitudinal crank, shaft drive, heads in the breeze), but not so "stodgy." At the time, the V7 Sport was a brand new thing and it blew me away. Many years passed before I rode a Guzzi (a delightful Mille) and even more before I owned one (my California Vintage). That Calvin remains the most satisfying bike I've ever owned and a big favorite.
(https://i.ibb.co/9Hdz3tL/IMG-0555.jpg) (https://ibb.co/d4H1Jgq)
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I had never seen a Guzzi, at the time I was riding a nice nearly new Suzuki Intruder.
I saw a Guzzi advertised on craigslist so i thought i would go and take a look, had no intention of buying it.
Finally made contact with the owner and he took me to a container to see a bike written off by the insurance company.
Opened the container and there was this Green 01 VII Sport, it was love at first sight, I soon kicked the Suzuki out.
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I cant remember exactly. Like all bikophiles I knew about Guzzi, and of the Honda CX 500 copy of it, but I can't remember seeing a Moto Guzzi in the flesh.
The first one I remember distinctly and seriously got my attention was the 1200 sport I think it was in the year 2000. I saw it in a cycle world magazine but at that time couldn't afford something new. The bike looked perfect to my taste and desires, and still does.
I went many years all the way up until 2015 until I actually got to see a Moto Guzzi in the flesh and had an opportunity to ride one. That Guzzi was my GRiSO.... Totally transformed my riding life.
I'd still love a 1200 Sport or V11 Sport.
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I saw Guzzis in movies (such as Magnum Force) and magazines, but the first one I remember seeing in person (~1980) was the race bike Eric Phillippe was warming up at the self-service garage I used in Raleigh. With the 2-into-1 exhaust, it sounded like a small block Chevy.
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Apparently something has changed over the years .... :evil: :bow:
Lannis
Sigh. So it did. :rolleyes:
But they did make some sportier models along the way, too. :thumb:
Moto
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It was Love at first sight...
It was around 1990. I had given up motorcycling for a few years, but decided I wanted another. It had to be something "interesting" and more exotic than the sub 500cc Honda's and Suzuki 750s I had had before. I was researching my options, with BMW airheads at the top of my list, when I spotted a perfect condition V7 Sport parked in the Highland neighborhood of Denver. I had heard of Moto Guzzi but had never seen one, and it was a WOW moment!
I left a note on the seat saying what a beautiful motorcycle, and asked the owner to call me. He did, and I learned enough from that phone call to convince me I wanted a Moto Guzzi. I ended up with a 1983 Lemans III as my introduction to the brand, and have been working my way through the model lineup ever since. Moto Guzzi and it's community of riders has become a significant part of my life, and I wouldn't trade the experiences for anything.
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Used to walk past a tiny bike parking lot on Johnson St (I think) on my way to class at University of Wisconsin 1989-1990ish. Pretty sure it was a black T3 but maybe not. Didn't know anything about motorcycles then but I liked that bike. Later I decided I liked the look of the loop frames the best and bought an Ambassador ten years later as my first bike.
-AJ
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I had just purchased the first brand-new anything I ever owned, an 83 V45 Interceptor. At a gas stop, a guy was there with a red and black LeMans. I remember thinking it was cool, but it was "just a twin..." Fast forward a few years and bikes later, and I was stopped in my tracks by a rumble coming into the Costco parking lot. When the nuclear-green V11 appeared, I was done. That was exactly how a bike should look and sound. I found my way to this board, and the V11 board, and finally a Tenni. Being laid off led to the Tenni being sold, but the Stelvio I have now is better suited to my current riding and body; I just don't fold up like I used to.
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My uncle bought an 84 Spada 1000 in 1985. He still has it. Even though I hadn't seen in over 20 years when I decided to get a bike, the look of a Honda CX500 had me.
Then I got a California, and then a Sport 1100. Thinking about it, that destiny was shaped 34 years ago!!
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I can’t remember the exact time & space coordinates, it was long ago in a distant galaxy . But , the impression was one of what great common sense the architecture made . I’m still using it as a yardstick when viewing other bikes !
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In 1973 my shop chief, TSgt Fair had a '72 Eldorado. It was the coolest motorcycle I had ever seen! I was riding a rigid Bonneville chopper at the time. Next Guzzi I saw was in 1976. I was at Mike Swider's shop in Colchester, CT buying some parts for my Commando. Mike had a new Lemans on the floor for $3500. I thought it was way cool, but it was a lot of money for a bike, then. I bought my first Guzzi in 1980. It was a '76 Convert with a California sidecar on it. Cheap money from an estate.
Larry
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It may have been in Wales, or in Scotland. I saw a beat-up Loop with a sidecar in the parking lot of a Tesco. There were stickers from all over Europe on the back of the sidecar, and I thought, "THAT is what I want for a motorcycle".
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Well don't remember in person... but I first heard of the brand back in what the late 70's, early 80's when someone was running a LM in the iron butt... It was just so anti tour bike, and so freaken cool I loved it! Fast forward to the late 80's early 90's and im at Amercaide and taking demo rides.. I get on the 1000S and I was hooked for life!!! Sadly it took me a bit to get a MG... but last winter I brought my Cali stone!
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Dad bought a 71 Ambassador in 72, I thought what a pile, the way it clanked and rattled. Looked good though, I bought it from him in 77, rode it out to the west coast and fell in love with it. Bought another just like it in 79 so I always had one running and one in maintenance . Luxurious ride with that long seat and would climb mountains like an old gravel truck.
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Mine is more recent! 2011, I was looking for something with more personality to replace my second V-Strom 650. I was close to buying a Triumph Scrambler or Thruxton 900 and was also eyeing a Thunderbird Sport, when I took a drive over to a little MG dealer on the west side of Houston. I wanted to see a V7 but Mike Haven looked at my 6'3" height and suggested a Breva 1100 instead. I bought a 2008 1200 Sport sight unseen, had it shipped from Detroit, and my first Guzzi ride ever was when I left the shipping company and got into rush hour Houston traffic.
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Through the 80's, I did a lot of musclcar-related trading & selling as the restoration craze was growing. In 89, the reproduction industry hit its stride and really destroyed the margins & market for anything less than NOS parts. Bikes were still dirt cheap and took up no space. some were very cool and even profitable. I got heavy into them. I know I read about MG along with all the rest, but the first one that I remember in the flesh was/is my V7 Sport in '92. It was just another good deal at the time but has been with me ever since, through lots of good and bad. It's a great bike for me.
(https://i.ibb.co/P4XHqpd/image.jpg) (https://ibb.co/P4XHqpd)
Thankfully I never restored it or changed it significantly. it was recently confirmed as an unrestored veteran of the Clemson Cafe Racers from the late 1970's after being sold new here in Spartanburg. Very cool.
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I had gotten tired of chain drive bikes and wanted a BMW or Guzzi, knowing they were shaft drive. It was 1981, living in Los Angeles and visiting a friend living in a rented house. I must have mentioned something about bikes and he said there was an old one in the garage. He took me out there, opened the garage door, and there in the dim light was an old loop. Probably an ex police bike. For a long time I thought I should track down the owner and see if I could buy it but never did. In the late 80s I saw a rider on a LeMans and knew I wanted one, but wound up swapping a Volvo 122 wagon for a friend's R90/6 in 1990. I'd heard that Guzzis weren't dependable so didn't think much about them for the next ten years until they again captured my imagination. But it wasn't until about four years ago I got serious about finding one and giving them a try. Wish I'd pursued that old loop all those years ago.
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Saw my first Guzzi in 2012, a 2010 V7 Classic
Rode mini and dirt bikes all through childhood & teen years, then not at all for the next 15yrs.
I was taking my dad's Road King out for rides a couple times a year, and decided I really wanted to get a road bike, but I knew I deff didnt want a Road King (or any Harley). I started looking at UJM type bikes (i dint know anything outside of Harley and Crotch rockets) and discovered I liked a style of bike that could be called a "cafe racer", a "brat", or a "retro standard".
My former boss had just at that time sold 12 Bones BBQ in Asheville, and opened Eurosport Asheville, a BMW/KTM/Vespa dealership. I went & spoke to him, told him I wanted to buy a bike but I didn't like the 'bug bike style' (i meant ADV bikes).... Could he keep an eye out for any 'cafe racer/brat/retro standard' bike that came thru for sale used or on consignment? Told him I wanted something esoteric, but not so rare it couldn't be worked on or upgraded, moderate power, able to ride 2-up, etc....
2 weeks later he called and said they had taken a 2010 V7 by Moto Guzzi on trade, it was for sale, and he had ppl who could work on it/ get parts for it if needed because it was 'made by the same company as vespa'
I checked it out and more or less fell in love. I pulled the specs of the internet and shared with my dad, who said "well it's not american, but at least it's a v-twin"
I asked friends who were very avid motorcyclists, they said "never heard of it, but it looks cool in an old school way"
I called Tom, and told him I wanted to buy it, but "don't hold it for me, it might take me a few days to get my ducks in a row- but I'm 90% sure thats the one I want
I went to the bank to move around some money and apply for a small personal loan to cover the gap in my "motorcycle fund".... Once I was all set, I called Eurosport to tell them I wanted it & was on the way, cash in hand... The guy who just bought it was in the lot putting the tag on it!!!!
So I didn't get the V7, but 4 months later I found my v65 and I havent looked back since!
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Summer of 1974, I was 9. I was invited by a school friend to go to with him and his parents on holidays
to British Columbia. We spent a 10 days traipsing around the Kootenays in their VW Beetle, camping in
a small tent trailer along the way. For two or three of those nights, there was a pair of big beautiful
motorbikes parked in the same campgrounds we stayed at. I think they were Eldorados, fully dressed for touring.
They left an impression on me, and ever since then Guzzi ownership was a dream.
In the fall of 2016, a couple of months after I got my Cali Stone, I took it through some of those same valleys and
passes we traveled in that noisy little bug decades before. The dream had come true!
(https://5v1u7a.bn.files.1drv.com/y4m-C3tBuBtyGk4Ed2kQIgokfpqakn-mP6ExsxEEy-xmFRrBmrrWHE1HYbgpCTKNPri1GsHLiYDwAeb_QLCIRhaTZNXT3q2__Ugcha3Nou_hRnAiy9t1OWZMjb-JtM3gyfmPq1srqxD7_3YwZejqct7QK-yKzPbdLVDbaGWVN-7eEkKSAgZviIki3vKOudIsjFuWFoiqHK4nevCiwQMLLjViQ?width=3264&height=1836&cropmode=none)
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I was at the Isle of Man TT in 1975 and saw a Guzzi S3 and an MV 750 Sport parked side by side. The sight must have lit some sort of slow burning fuse as it took me 23 years to get a Guzzi of my own. I bought a Le Mans in 1998 and have never been without a Guzzi since.
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I grew up in Akron, Ohio on a side street a couple of blocks from an intersection of a small state highway and a couple of arterials. 6 corners it is called. It was either 1969 or 1970 and I was mowing the front yard when an old geezer on a , it must have been an Ambassador, pulled up and asked me for directions to Rt 261. He must have missed the sign. The guy and his bike were very impressive. He had a long grey beard, ancient leather jacket and a Pennsylvania plate, and was on his way to Michigan. The bike must have been an early Ambassador as it was black with white pinstripes. I remember looking at the cylinders sticking out of the sides, the eagle and Moto Guzzi on the gas tank and thinking that that looked like a serious motorcycle for serious travelers. I tried to give him directions to the freeway so he could get on that and get to the Turnpike. I remember very clearly that he told me in no uncertain terms that super highways were no fun on a motorcycle and he preferred to ride on smaller backroads. So 261 it was. I have always remembered that guy and his Guzzi. It really got my interest in motorcycle travelling going. I have 6 Guzzis now and am an old Geezer myself, and I try to avoid riding the super slab.
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The first one to make a lasting impression was at Nelson Ledges in Ohio. Now I know it was Mike Tiberio's racer, but then I just knew it sounded like god's own motorcycle.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Mike-Tiberio/n-Mbk3W/i-RRTMgQh/0/02a64ef7/O/i-RRTMgQh.jpg)
A year or so later I was a student at the Univ. of Georgia and there was a black/green 1000S with big miles parked at the library most days. Occasionally I'd see it in motion around Athens. The hook was set.
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Back in the early 70's, we used to ride our dirt bikes to the Welsh Farms ice cream factory a few miles from home. I can remember pulling up one afternoon and there was this awesome looking red thing that looked so exotic next to our rat bikes or my father's CB500. Turns out to be the manager's Monza. We talked about his 'grand touring' bike and how different it was from anything else on the market. I wanted one sooo badly.
Other than magazine articles I don't recall ever seeing another one until I walked into a dealer and saw a lonely EV Touring literally sitting in the corner by itself. I was coming off touring rigs and wanted something between a cruiser and standard. One test ride and I've been hooked ever since.
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Early in 1970 the guy I bought my first road bike from, a 68' BMW R60 US, was selling it to buy a new MG Ambassador 750. I had a chance to go over his new Ambo as we worked together. I was totally impressed with the engineering, fit, finish and styling of the Guzzi. After a a couple of years touring two up on the BMW I sold it and bought a new 72' 850 Eldo. I have been riding Guzzi's exclusively from then to this day. :thumb:
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First time I ever saw a Guzzi in the flesh was about 35 years ago when I was working a night shift in my mates servo ( gas station ).
Young lady pulls up on a big black Moto Guzzi and I remember thinking she must be a good rider to manage that beast. She fills the tank and pays for the fuel. As she cranked the motor over the left cylinder becomes enveloped in flames and she has the presence of mind to push the bike clear of the pumps and deploy the side stand. I grabbed a fire extinguisher and smothered the flames which was met with howls of protest about the mess I had made on her bike with the dry powder extinguisher !
Best guess was the needle and seat had stuck on the carb and the rest was history.
Glenn
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When I was 18 some friends and I used to skip class and go down to little Italy to a place that was frequented by a group of older italian gentlemen. The place was all tiled and had an espresso machine and a pool table and that was about it. They kept beers behind the counter for regulars. The waiter was a guy with next to no english that had a quiff and always wore a white t-shirt with his cigarettes rolled up in the sleeve. They caled him Elvis. Out the front of the restaurant he would park his T3 Californian and about every hour he would run out the front start it up and ride flat out around the block to the cheers of the old guys. It was hilarious. I later found out that they tolerated us in their space as they were betting on the results of our games of pool. I later saw a Guzzi in my street burn to the ground. That was really memorable.
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I found the V7 back in 2013 when I got my license. It seemed like exactly what I wanted, but I thought it unwise to spend that much for my first bike.
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I first heard about them in the late 60's when an article appeared in an Australian M/C mag about a V7 that had been entered in a 5 or 6 day off-road event in Aus. The guy fitted a bash plate and won it; everything else in the event that could challenge him fell to bits. The photo of a road bike sending up a shower of sand off the front wheel had me IMPRESSED!!!
Fast forward to the late 90's and I saw a white Lario in a carpark; looked magnificent.
2003, looking at getting another bike without chains, 200,000miles plus, a lot on an old Matchy single and it came down to either BMW or check out a Guzzi. Body was showing signs of wear and tear so it couldn't be too heavy with dodgy shoulders. Couldn't gell with an FS650 BMW but fell in love with the Breva.
The rest as they say, is history. Still have it, still love it.
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It was a then new Mk 2 Le Mans at I think Peter Stevens in Elizabeth St Melbourne.
My Dad took about 5 minutes of me trying to convince him that he really should bring it home. He had ridden there on a tatty 650 Yamaha.
The dealer offered what seemed to be a reasonable amount on the 650 as a trade in on the $4,600 dollar Guzzi.
Dear old Dad took it as a personal insult when the dealer was less than keen to sell the bike with absolutely no profit margin.
He told the bloke his bike was artificially inflated in price and stormed out, riding the XS 650 home.
I really liked the bike, thought Dad was a bit of a tool.
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in the early 80s, just out of college, i read a review in cycle or cycle world or one of them about i think a lemans. the reviewer talked about how different it was, but in its element it was a real pleasure. he described riding in southern indiana along the ohio river, an area i know well. the roads would be perfect for an MG of the day, or today as well. many sweepers. he gave a very funny account of passing an old farmer in an old pickup with an old dog in the back at an outrageous speed on a 2 lane and that the bike went 130 mph. it sounded like a goldie locks bike to me compared to the harder edge ducatis and dull bmws of the time. the wife and i were on a long trip to visit her people in the days of 55mph and i kept thinking how great it would be to be on that bike going 130 (faster than the Cessna 172 cruised in those days for you flyboys), sure would have saved some time. on return home to suburban Maryland, i tried to find one of those bikes. the "dealer" was a guy in an industrial park. his shop was literally a repair shop and he had one bike, not sure it was the same model. but, at that time, it was only a dream for a guy making $200 per week as i think it was in the upper $3,000 range. it took a lot of years, but the idea never left me and here i am typing to you. the weather here finally broke and in 1/2 hour, i am going to ride Blu to the office.
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LeMans III in the moto mags in about 1983.
Been hooked on Guzzis ever since.
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The first one that I saw was in a showroom about 5 years ago. It was not set up for a test ride but they did have a Custom to test. I took it out and it ran terribly...stutteri ng like crazy and nearly stalled at 3,400 rpm. I limped the bike back to the shop and informed them of the problem. I said when it was fixed give me a call, I'll ride it again and if I liked it I would buy the red Cali 1400 Tour on the floor. They never called back. I called about a month later and the bike was sold. I started to poke around in this and another forum and got favorable info on the bike. I called a dealer in PA, bought a red Cali 1400 Tour, had it set up and shipped to me.
When the bike arrived by private carrier, the trailer it was in had been in an accident and the side was nearly torn off. It was held together by duct tape and straps. However, the driver walked the bike out of the back of what was left of the trailer and it was pristine. I told him that I would not accept delivery until I rode it...I've been riding it ever since.
Be well,
DougG
P.S. Both dealers and the transporter are now out of business. Go figure.
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My first experience with an Italian motorcycle is when I bought the first year Ducati 900 SS with the white wheels and frame. Still one of the prettiest bikes ever. I had a trifold brochure and wore it out looking at the pictures and info (pre internet). Then, about a year or so later, I saw my first MG, a Daytona
1000. What curious manner of two wheeled contraption is this? I was totally enamored with my V Twin, but was intrigued with this different way of mounting a 90 degree motor. Interesting...... Fast forward to Daytona for the races in 2000. Spotted this interesting wild green bike with a partial red frame in the vendor area in the front parking lot of the Speedway. I worked my way over and was looking at the preproduction for the V 11 Sport. Bike didn't even run, but it was stunning. A friend of mine bought the green one and still has it today. My second "Ah Hah" Guzzi moment. Third time is a charm as they say.
Got my red/white V 85 last Wednesday. My final motorcycle purchase, my first & last Guzzi. I am convinced I couldn't have chosen better.
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talk me down please. yesterday, i called and confirmed that cadre has a ronald mcdonald v85 with luggage ready to go, unclaimed and that they would give me a crazy amount of money for Blu in trade and that the difference would be piddling. don't let me do this, someone stop me.
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talk me down please. yesterday, i called and confirmed that cadre has a ronald mcdonald v85 with luggage ready to go, unclaimed and that they would give me a crazy amount of money for Blu in trade and that the difference would be piddling. don't let me do this, someone stop me.
A blue 2015 Cal14 Custom recently sold near me at a Honda dealership for $6500. If your dealer is offering "a crazy amount of money" for it, you might seriously consider the offer!
Oh, and it's not a "ronald mcdonald" paint scheme, but a tribute to the Guzzi Paris-Dakar bike from thirty years ago.
(http://www.parisdakar.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/GuzziDakar85.jpg)
(http://www.parisdakar.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/GuzziTorri.jpg)
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talk me down please. yesterday, i called and confirmed that cadre has a ronald mcdonald v85 with luggage ready to go, unclaimed and that they would give me a crazy amount of money for Blu in trade and that the difference would be piddling. don't let me do this, someone stop me.
Do it! Do it! Do it!& Do it! Do it! Do it!Do it! Do it! Do it!Do it! Do it! Do it!Do it! Do it! Do it!Do it! Do it! Do it!Do it! Do it! Do it!
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Depends if you want an adventure style bike.
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I was 18 in 1972, and I had just traded my 1971 Ossa 250 Pioneer and some cash for my dad's 1971 Honda CB750. He replaced his bike with a Moto Guzzi. I thought he was nuts. I'd never heard of them. Gee dad, you just bought an Italian motorcycle that looks something like a Harley and has no manufacturer's warranty. Did you just have a stroke, or what? He was in love with that Guzzi, but I had zero interest in it, and I can't even recall which model it was other than it was likely an Eldorado. Black. I rode it a couple times at his urging, but was totally unimpressed.
Fast forward to a year ago, and I bought my MG, a V7III Special in black. I didn't get it out of any nostalgia. I was looking for a dependable retro machine that was easy to service, etc. and so on.
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The first time I saw a V-twin Guzzi in person was probably in Chicago around 1970, and it must have been a black Ambassador in use as a courier bike for one of the TV stations (in those days, before digital satellites relay, couriers ran news film or videotape from remote locations to the studio). Reading about the bikes in Cycle and Cycle World, the layout just made sense to me and I admired the muscular looks. In 1982 I was living in New York and rebuilding a barn-find Laverda. I went to a dealer in New Jersey for parts, and they had a Guzzi or two in the showroom. I especially admired a used 850T painted in LeMans red-and-black colors. When I finally gave up on the Laverda I traded it for the 850T I still own, and painted it that way.
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Early sixties, downtown Portland looking at a Police Guzzi on the street. :copcar: I am not too sure what i thought of it, but it was stuck in my mind till this day.. Must of been 5 or 6 at the time.. I do remimber the rose city buses had stick shifts
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Mk2 Le Mans at the Karuah River Rally in about 1984. Looked great, sounded great.
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talk me down please. yesterday, i called and confirmed that cadre has a ronald mcdonald v85 with luggage ready to go, unclaimed and that they would give me a crazy amount of money for Blu in trade and that the difference would be piddling. don't let me do this, someone stop me.
I'm not in the market for a V85 presently, but my Stelvio has taught me the utility, seat room, and versatility of the "dual-sport-styled" motorcycles. I don't necessarily like the looks, but for just all-around comfortable, practical, stuff-hauling, long-distance riding, you can't beat this type of bike.
If they really are offering you a decent trade for your current bike (measure twice, cut once) and you've made sure of it, I'd definitely do it.
Lannis
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For 3 years in the early 1980's I lived in London, north of Camden. At the time dispatch riders were the renegade heros carving up the city traffic. Hanging out at a bike repair shop with the dispatch riders I fell for the Mk I red LeMans; small, powerful, beautiful and a glorious sound.
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Might have been about 1973 when I was about 16 years old. But then again, Im so old I cant even remember what I ate yesterday! Oh well, whatever model bike it was it must have been cool because I love the Guzzis! :thumb:
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Early 1970's, with two partners I'm running a racing/dirt bike shop in Norfolk Va. We were all racing MX on local tracks in Va/NC. Dave McAllister, one of our "regulars" showed up one day on a V7 Sport he'd bought in Italy while in the Navy & had shipped to the US. Mac was MX racing a BSA, he built a trailer & would pull the beezer to the track w/his Sport. He also mounted a Velorex sidecar to the bike. My first Guzzi ride wasn't "on" a Guzzi, but "beside"....in the sidecar w/3 cases of beer at Daytona. Dave actually "flew" the car w/me in it heading down the boulevard past the Speedway...yee-ha! A few years later, after a move to Amherst County in the mountains of Va., I was selling bike accessories on the road and trailering a couple Moto Morini's around for Hermy @ Herdan up in Pa. Mac rode the Sport up from Norfolk for a visit. We took the Sport & a 3 1/2 Morini up on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We swapped bikes & I had my first ride on a Guzzi. My thought at the time was "This is God's own locomotive" It was a couple more years 'till I got my sh** together & had a good job so I could buy my first Guzzi, a used Ambassador from a guy in Pittsburgh.
ronkom
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In 1980 I was working as a foreign car mechanic, I bought a Norton Commando from a guy, he was selling it because he had a Le Mans, that was the first Moto Guzzi that I had ever seen up close. It was very impressive and the owner said it was head and shoulders above the Norton, it was also way out of my budget. In 1985 I was working at a small Moto Guzzi dealership while going to college. I took out a student loan and bought a wrecked Le Mans 1000 (IV?). That bike was my main transportation for several years and a part time race bike, I still have it along with several other Moto Guzzis, and a handful of Nortons. So many projects, so little time.