Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: NCAmother on October 23, 2015, 06:23:50 PM
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I love the motoguzzi engine aesthitics. Being from car lineage, the V8 was the secret to power in the 70's, and Guzzi engines remind me of the BB dodge 440's in my garage, the old 352 hemis, cross rams, and even the old WWII engines. There are aesthetics for me on many models of guzzi I could care less for, but nothing like that motor, it's like a bmw motor on three pills of viagra. I also like it's semi exotic to the american layman. Why did you guys jump on the Guzzi wagon? Thanks, nca
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No need to fix, just ride, Great fuel mileage and great range. Nobody knows what it is. You won't see your twin on every corner. I have yet to see one with a for sale sign in some ones front yard.
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Sound.
Italian.
Not Harley.
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The engine. Layout just makes sense, just like a rear drive car.
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1989 Mille Handles very well, comfortable to ride long distances, 250-300 miles to reserve, relatively rare, good looking, unusual engine configuration, flat torque curve, no drive chain, well designed, baffles most people who notice it.
I bought it because it was cheap and I was looking for something to strip to a bare minimum cafe bike. After riding it a few hundred miles, I was so happy with it in its original form that I fixed a few cosmetic problems and plan to enjoy it as it was built, long-term.
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I couldn't really put my finger on it until after I'd put my butt on it.
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I couldn't really put my finger on it until after I'd put my butt on it.
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:thumb:
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A life long friend got me hooked on motorcycling and Moto Guzzi over 25 years ago. It started off two up on a Cal II as I didn't yet have a mc license. Then a LM3 came up for sale from my friend's coworker. We went in on halves, and I learned to ride, and got my license on that very bike. About a year or so later I bought out my friend's half. At that time, I knew very little about motorcycles and absolutly nothing about Moto Guzzi. That being said, I just knew there was something special about this bike. The cool lump of engine turned the "wrong" way, the back end lifting up when you gave it throttle, the oil filter inside the pan, it's general weirdness (nothing else out there like it), the shape of the tank, it's Italian, etc.... I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
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Probably the people , what a great bunch of folks to know and occasionally rally/camp with :bow:
Dusty
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Because so few other people ride them,
the classic lines of the Loop and Tonti frame bikes,
the drive line layout,
the rugged engine construction,
shaft final drive,
quirky switch gear,
huge battery,
Borani flanged rims,
Brembo brakes,
Delorto carbs,
the historic factory,
the great folks who supply parts and service to keep them going
and above all
the helpful and friendly nature of the folks who own them.
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Normal Guzzi Guy.
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic047/needs_zps63artnye.jpg)
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Great feel, balance and comfort. Good brakes and reassuring handling. The engine has great character and adequate power.
Good reliability coupled with enough mechanical issues that are somewhat codependent.
Uniquely individual building on a traditional and somewhat exotic and special historic marque without the drawback of big expenses and headaches.
Great people and fellow riders are the best part that form a great support system.
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Solid design
Unique in the Motorcycle community.
This site.
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Walked into my local mega-size motorcycle store and heard the same tired whiskey rider rock music coming out of the ceiling and decided to check out the smaller Moto Guzzi dealer instead.
No regrets.
(http://wildguzzi.com/forum/Smileys/default/bike-037.gif)
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1. Character
2. Engine and Transmission disassembles like a RWD vehicle so its actually fun to work on if you like to do your own maintenance
3. Nobody really knows what kind of bike your riding.
4. The people you talk to who own them are on the same level of liking ODD BALL Motorcycles.
5. My Breva 1100 I take it everywhere you aren't suppose too, ponds, rock pits, etc.
6. Most Importantly You would feel like a Complete IDIOT if you stole one, IMOH who would you sell the parts to? That wasn't part of the Guzzi Community atleast in Louisiana. Also the chip key won't let the bastard start without it so you can't even joy ride it. So I guess the best you can do is vandalize it. Just a lose lose for a common criminal.
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Normal Guzzi Guy.
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic047/needs_zps63artnye.jpg)
:1: :1: :1:
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Unique, don't see many on the road.
Comfortable
Really wants to be on the highway
Great people to mingle with
2012 Norge
2009 FZ1
1965 305 Dream
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The pie chart does have something missing, you know. The "ride Guzzi" part can still be huge, but...
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The pie chart does have something missing, you know. The "ride Guzzi" part can still be huge, but...
.... you aren't married or your marriage is less than three presidential campaigns old?... just a guess.
for the rest of us; reality is give or take a percent.
Saturday mornings do you;
A) snuggle until noon with that sexy woman next to you in bed. Or,
B) make her coffee for when she wakes; then check tire pressure oil and gas before you set out on a 5 hour loop.
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.... you aren't married or your marriage is less than three presidential campaigns old?... just a guess.
for the rest of us; reality is give or take a percent.
Saturday mornings do you;
A) snuggle until noon with that sexy woman next to you in bed. Or,
B) make her coffee for when she wakes; then check tire pressure oil and gas before you set out on a 5 hour loop.
My kids are graduating from college shortly. The section missing that I was talking about doesn't always relate to a wife being involved. Make what you want from that statement. :laugh:
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In 1988 a buddy had a V50 he wanted to sell because he thought (in his words) it was a "gutless wonder" but he was a kawi 4 cyl guy.
I looked at the bike and it reminded me of a BULTACO Siamese twin and felt fairly confident that I could keep the thing running and bought it for what I thought was a fair price.
The rest is as they say "history" :wink: :thumb:
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To me, motorcycles are all about the motor. <shrug> Every Guzzi I've ridden, small blocks, big blocks, 2V, 4V, all talk to me. The first time I rode one, I was hooked.
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For me it's what Chuck said, he nails it again. Running it W/O is like a V8. Plus coming from Brit bikes in the mid seventies, tune ups were at 1200mi. Guzzi's needed it at 5-6Kmi, what a deal. More riding, less wrenching.
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My first view of one, 89 Mille, sucked me in. I was sitting on my roll around mechanic's seat and the shop owner rode one towards me. My head height was even with the headlight and the beauty of the thing was captivating. I rode it and the power delivery was much like the V8's of my life in the 70's. I bought it, then the Sport 1100 and the V11. All of them share the same DNA but minor differences make them unique. It is 57 F outside and I leave in an hour or so to meet some friends. The leathers will be cozy, the air crisp and when the engine rumbles to wakefulness, I will almost feel the aircraft beginnings. It will be a roughish idle until the head temp comes up and I'll give it a couple of in neutral throttle-ups at the top of the driveway. Open cockpit, of course. Other bikes do not have the visceral connection of Guzzi, at least the ones I have ridden.(100's)
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They do everything I want them to do. Interchangeability of parts is great, the older ones respond well to thought out modifications. In '77 I bought an Ambassador, rode it out to California and I was hooked. Owned or operated a group of other brands but I was stuck on Guzzi's. Best described as " adult motorcycles". The people that ride them seem to be closer to what I consider normal than the lifestylers of other brands. What I think of as normal may not be .
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It was a natural progression for me from air cooled BMW's to Guzzis, which are really very similar. I was
at the Bulow campground at Daytona bike week, and I walked past a bike that just took my breath away,
turned out it was an 850 LeMans, in ice blue, with soft bags, bugs, etc. I was instantly hooked, and within
a year had purchased the exact same color 850 LeMans. What a perfect beginning. Should never have sold
that bike, but since have had seven or eight others, including three SP's, one of which is still with me. And,
as others have said, it's the people.
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It was the mid 70's and I was in my late teens riding 2 stroke Yamahas when I first read about Guzzis in the press. Loopframes hadn't really sold over here. I saw a secondhand V7Sport in a dealer's showroom and was smitten but it was horrendously expensive. A little while later in 1978 a similar sport was advertised in the local paper. Rode it, loved it, bought it, never rode another 2 stroke and have owned it ever since.
When I bought the bike it was rare and exclusive. I think around 60 were sold in the UK and mine came from Germany. The Japanese bike owners were impressed with it as were the Brit bikers. It went very well, handled beautifully and was reliable. It just felt so right. Only once have I come near to selling it. That was when the opportunity came to part exchange it for a Mike Hailwood Replica Ducati but, instead of investing the cash, I got married!
Over the years I've owned other bikes but have always come back to old big block Guzzis, whether that be my V7Sport or something else.
My name is John and I'm a Guzziholic.
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I'm a Manic depressive!
In exuberant mood I might dis-assemble my bike on the garage floor.
It really hurts bad when the depression kicks in and I realize what's taken apart does not appear to be designed for re-assembly.
My medication I discovered in Moto Guzzi's which appear to be designed for re assembly, although I don't discount that being rebuildable might just be a design flaw in this strange disposable world we live. What ever way I'm happy and that's what counts.
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Hmmm, not biasing myself by reading other replies. For me: uniqueness and above that, an integrated, beautiful, and very functional design.
My V7R just sings, and she is predictable and reliable and cuts through our frequent Gulf Coast high winds and rains. We often get complements and the one time I was tempted to trade her, I concluded I would miss the Guzzi terribly. We have fun together. Just about anything Italian twists my heart anyway, and Little Goose is as Tricolore as you can get. She is the first bike of choice when it has rained for a week to roll out.
Heritage and history come to mind, and I love the face Guzzis are still built in the same factory.
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I had a string of Alfas over the years, and always felt lucky/privileged owning them. The upkeep was just the price of getting to drive a special car. Guzzis give me very much the same satisfaction.
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I started very logically. I wanted an older project bike. My dad restores British bikes so I have a love for the brits, but that was his thing. I didn't want to compete. I couldn't afford and Indian. And I liked Ducati, and the Guzzi came up. The rest is history. I now have two of them. Old and new
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Many years ago I was at the Sportbike Rally in Parry Sound. There was a fellow there who had ridden his heavily modified Sportster there fro Texas (!!!). He was holding court in front of several squids on oriental iron when one asked why he had sunk so much time and money into a bike that would never keep up to any of the stock 600cc jap spotbikes.
His reply?
"It makes me smile."
Nuff said.
G
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I'm right, so don't call me a fanatic! :thewife:
The torque, the sound........ Pushing it to 6,000 rpm, then taking off...... :boozing:
Lazy driving in second on twisty roads, between almost standstill and 120 kph, braking with the motor only. :cool:
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I originally gravitated toward Guzzi because I wanted something different. I considered Brit bikes (unreliable, at least that was the rap), BMW (at the time airheads, that sewing machine sound didn't quite cut it), and then saw a V7 sport parked in northwest Denver. I left a note on the seat telling the owner it was the most beautiful bike I had even seen and asked if he would call me to tell me about it. He called, really nice guy (no surprise there), and I ended up on an '83 Lemans with Lafranconis. A bunch of Guzzis later and still love them.
Yes, it's the engine character, the relative ease of maintenance, and it isn't the Same thing everyone else is riding.
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Something Special
(http://6e03aa98bcc77146ae28-3ac901b1d4ca88bbebf58065706ee716.r78.cf5.rackcdn.com/imagefile1/images_1/MechaDragonfly.jpg)
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(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic047/RBBBC-140-Clown-Alley1-550x502_zps3t5tftv8.jpg)
I feel special. I feel at home.
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.... Pushing it to 6,000 rpm, then taking off...... :boozing:
You know you have a dry clutch, right?
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Call me a poser, but all my friends had Harleys, and I wanted a cruiser that absolutely nobody else had. The fact that the California 1400 turned out to be a fantastic motorcycle was secondary. :grin:
Plus, as my username and spouse indicate, I'm an Italophile.
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That fact that a total mechanical ignoramus like me can work on it.
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Didn't know any better. Having owned a Honda 350 CL and an H2 (crashed, are you suprised? http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=68761.0;wap...)
I was speaking to a customer at the service station I managed in Sausalito " I want a basket case Harley or Norton " and afterwards another customer said " Are you interested in a not running Moto Guzzi ? " and I was all " WTF is that ? "
Paid $350 for my first Eldo, woke it up, rode it, and now I'm in trouble...can't quit.
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To me it was the engine layout, and the fact that Guzzis (at least back then) were tinkerer's bikes. You could fool with it all you wanted with half a brain, instead of putting it on a truck and hauling to a dealer. You could rebuild a switch. Parts interchangeability. Quirkiness that attaches itself to you. The feeling that you could ride it around the world and know you'd get there. I never took a long trip on a bike, or considered it, until Guzzi, and I was pushing 40. And I'd been riding a Jap 1100. I did Texas, the Black Hills, and Phoenix in short order. I don't know, I guess if you have to ask, you don't really get it.
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I know what you mean, when I saw a distributor and cap I was stunned...
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Yeah, I really got lucky when I joined this forum, everyone has been helpful, a member even donated a sweet brake light for my project. Sourcing parts is a little expensive, but mostly available and much cheaper than I had thought, used parts for a Tonti are very available. It's that engine I love so much, it's very nostalgic and americana (ironic), it compliments the frame with a muscle look. I love it.
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Why Moto Goozy? :bike-037:
They're original.
They're beautiful.
They're straightforward. .
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Well, I used to be a fanatic Guzzi owner(still have 3) but after 30 years I'm luke warm on them now. When they need certain things like a new clutch, my happiness in them takes a dive. Have found other brand Italian quirky rides to enjoy too at the same time. :boozing: Maybe if I didn't do my own repairs...........
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Well, lets see: Started with the the sighting of a then new V700 in red and silver riding into my hometown when I was 10, then, the awesome black Loops around when I was a teen, helping uncrate a brand new V7 Sport circa 1972, my first own Ambo Loop rescued from a yard in San Francisco, the LM1 sighting in the Euromart showroom in San Jose back in '77 , Mike Baldwin on the LM1 racer, followed by Tontis, road trips on Guzzis for decades, Calis, LM's both Tonti and spine,T's. Asides from that, not much
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I'd been riding since I was nine years-old; my Dad and brothers always had something to ride, from old Triumphs to homemade scooters to small enduros and I finally bought my own CX500 while at University. Life happened and any time and money went to raising the kids. While deployed to the Middle East a few years ago, I convinced myself, and my wife 😉, that when I came home it was time to get back on a bike. I had been thinking HD, everybody I knew was riding a Harley. I had an Austrian friend overseas, however, who wouldn't stop talking about Moto Guzzi, mumbled it to me every time we crossed paths; I had no idea ... by the time I got home, searching for MGs became an obsession. The harder they were to find, the more I wanted one! He was right though, Motto Guzzi was what I had been waiting for all these years. Turns out one of the reasons I love the bike the most is the very reason I started thinking HD in the beginning - I was the only guy I knew riding one, everybody else seemed to be riding a Harley 😎
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Aren't Harley riders just a little laid back ?
(http://6e03aa98bcc77146ae28-3ac901b1d4ca88bbebf58065706ee716.r78.cf5.rackcdn.com/imagefile1/images_1/HD_LaidBack.jpg)
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My dad said "you'll never have a motorcycle while you're living in this house", and he was true to his word. Of course that made me want one even more. I was not forbidden from having motorcycle magazines, and I remember one of them, circa 1967, had a red (I think) Guzzi on the cover with the exotic and mesmerizing V twin engine. I guess it was the 700 and the first time the V twin was available. I'm sure someone will correct me if wrong on the dates, etc. It was love at first sight, and I, for some reason, thought a Guzzi was so exotic and unobtainable that I sort of put that image in the back for my mind for nearly 36 years while I had Japanese bikes. The first Guzzi I ever saw in person was the EV I bought in 2003, and the only time I see them to this day is at rallies and once in a blue moon around Atlanta or maybe on the BRP.
It was the layout of the engine that attracted me and it still does :wink:
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The first time I saw one, around 1969, I thought "That layout makes so much sense, and the proportions are just right -- that's what a motorcycle should look like." I went through three bikes before I stumbled across the T, and it felt so good to ride -- solid and neutral handling with great torque that made everything easy.
'
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The original reason I gravitated towards Guzzi was sloth. I don't like chain maintenance and I really wanted valves I could adjust myself without having to take the whole damn bike apart.
I hate chains, I hate chains. Did I mention I hate chains? So shaft drive it was, and I didn't want a 4 cylinder bike or a parallel twin. That left me with BMW and Guzzi.
BMW is... well Break My Wallet... that and every damn hipster in seattle has one. Not to mention your average BMW rider is a special kind of person that I don't normally associate with. I wanted exclusivity so it was down to just Guzzi. That and I love the engine layout and just the general aesthetics of their bikes, so much more soul than Beemers.
It was actually harder to figure out which model Guzzi I wanted than it was to pick the brand.