Siblings. 20 Years Between Them

[Dave Swanson]

Just a gratuitous shot.  They are seldom side by side.   1973 V7 Sport,  1993 1000S

[nick949]

Timeless beauty 

[jwinwi]

Two very nice examples, Dave. *That's* why the V7 Sport is so significant; without it there'd be no LeMans in any of its models including the 1000S.
One could argue the V7 Sport, like many before it, saved kept Guzzi in business for another decade or two. Discuss.

[s1120]

Both stunning!!!

[T4halo]

Two of my all time favorites.  Thanks for sharing.

T

[Cam3512]

Beauty’s!  Gotta think Guzzi was the first to go “Retro” in 1991.

[JC85]

Beautiful pair! To go along with the theme, here is my '74 Eldo and John Henry's modern Eldo at the Cedar Vale rally.

[LowRyter]

My brother is 15 years younger than me.   

[oldbike54]

  Gorgeous .

 Dusty

[Muzz]

  Gorgeous .

 Dusty

I'm with you on that Dusty.

A couple of beautiful machines there Dave.

[jas67]

Bellissimo!

Two of my favorite model Guzzis right there, both on my bucket list.

[pete roper]

And that, right there, is why Guzzi has become a fringe dweller in motorcycling.

I'm not saying they aren't nice bikes. But in 20 years nothing much happened.

If you were looking for a fridge or car today would you buy one identical to one sold in 1999.

Flame away.

Pete

[Lannis]

And that, right there, is why Guzzi has become a fringe dweller in motorcycling.

I'm not saying they aren't nice bikes. But in 20 years nothing much happened.

If you were looking for a fridge or car today would you buy one identical to one sold in 1999.

Flame away.

Pete

This is probably the wrong place to ask that!

Of COURSE I would.   Nobody makes a car as light, easy to handle, easy to work on, and as good on gas as my 1990 Ford Fest!va.    I'd buy a new one exactly like it if they sold one.   And I got 270,000 miles out of my last one.

We just bought a new Whirlpool refrigerator last month, and I don't like it nearly as well as the 1993 Whirlpool it replaced.   Too much plastic in the wrong places, too many "features" I don't need.

And for my purposes, no one, including Guzzi, makes a motorcycle that is a better combination of long-distance tourer, sporty bike, comfort, and ease of maintenance than an SP-NT.

Lannis

[Tusayan]

The newest of my eight or nine bikes (I've forgotten the number for the moment) was made in 2002, and the lowest mileage of them has 2300 miles (a 2001 Ducati 996).  Last year I flew 400 miles to buy an as-new 4000 mile bike made in 1999, because it's exactly what I wanted, and not what I didn't want...  It now has 12,000 miles on the clock.  So I think my answer to the question is clear. 

What's interesting to me about the very pretty photo is that the older of the two bikes is a bit nicer looking. Most bikes made today are really ugly and you can see that even 25 years ago the trend had started - Guzzi couldn't copy their own work without a slight esthetic downgrade, even at that time.

[blackcat]

Nice bikes, maybe when I finish the Lemans I my next search will be for a Sport.....



Long shot, but I'm looking for that little piece of plastic for the license plate bracket. Maybe someone has one sitting around taking up space?

[canuck750]

And that, right there, is why Guzzi has become a fringe dweller in motorcycling.

I'm not saying they aren't nice bikes. But in 20 years nothing much happened.

If you were looking for a fridge or car today would you buy one identical to one sold in 1999.

Flame away.

Pete

If I could find a ‘new’ 20 year old washing machine or dryer I would snap it up, this new garbage last 7 years tops, refrigerators are not much better.

Beautiful picture Dave!

[wirespokes]

Same here - give me an older fridge! The new ones have computer modules that fail in a couple years and aren't cheap to fix.
A friend of mine repairs appliances, so I've heard the stories.

The older ones might not be as efficient, but at least they're dead simple and just keep working.

I don't buy new bikes - they just don't appeal to me, and I'm not real excited about being the beta tester, worrying if the warranty will cover repairs, or if I'll be stuck with the shop bill. Yeah, the newer stuff has more power, stops better, bla bla bla, but the older stuff does everything well enough for real-world traveling. We've all been through this before.

Trying to exactly duplicate a bike produced 20 years ago could be difficult. Products available back then, might not be now. Regulations could force differences in the design. Production process might be all different now, and reverting to the old might not be worth it - such as the alloy of aluminum and the way it had to be cast.

You get a genius like Tonti creating a masterpiece, and then try to copy that with modern day materials? For a reasonable price? Duplicating a masterpiece isn't easy in the first place.

[Lannis]

Same here - give me an older fridge! The new ones have computer modules that fail in a couple years and aren't cheap to fix.
A friend of mine repairs appliances, so I've heard the stories.

My "Red Jacket" brand in-well pump has been pumping water to the house for 25 years.   I recently contacted the well company that installed it asking if it might not be time to replace it.

The guy said "If it's a Red Jacket, I would leave it there.   They don't make them any more.  A 25-year-old Red Jacket pump will outlast any pump I can source for you today; they're just junk, no matter where we buy them."

With bikes, if you can "feel" the difference between the way an ECU controls the engine versus the way a set of points, coils, and carburetors controls the engine, and you really like the difference, then a new bike is definitely the way to go FOR YOU.    For me, the difference in response is minimal, while the difference in serviceability for a shade-tree owner is huge ....

Lannis

[wirespokes]

With bikes, if you can "feel" the difference between the way an ECU controls the engine versus the way a set of points, coils, and carburetors controls the engine, and you really like the difference, then a new bike is definitely the way to go FOR YOU.    For me, the difference in response is minimal, while the difference in serviceability for a shade-tree owner is huge ....

Lannis

Exactly!

I haven't seen any difference in fuel economy either between the two. Of course, the non-ecu bike requires more attention to keep it in tune and running optimally for best power and economy, but I prefer that over the electronic 'sudden death syndrome', that could have me walking at any moment with no warning.

And if you're upset about poor running from the factory with mis-jetted carbs, don't forget all the work spent on fixing poor ECU mapping.

Electronics are nice when they're working, but what a headache when they're not, or kinda not.

[Daleroso]

My grandfather-"the more you have the more goes wrong."
Alan Girdler (I'm paraphrasing)-" all the latest tech & speed of the newest bikes does is increase the speed at which one day you will eventually crash."