Everyday T3?

[Perazzimx14]

Details on the 07 GS. Mileage, location, price?

[Stu]

https://m.facebook.com/groups/814215495331283/permalink/3098214973597979/?sale_post_id=3098214973597979#!/marketplace/item/2697106443908258/?refid=18&__tn__=H-R           

20k miles, Wiltshire UK, asking £4900. Sorry, this wasn't meant to be an ad!

Thanks all for your fantastic insights... Will give it a lot of thought over the weekend, hopefully while riding her!

[SmithSwede]

. . .  daily riding is part of regular maintenance.

That is brilliant.  Well put.  I plan to steal that if you don’t mind. 

[s1120]

My theory is that bikes like to be ridden on a regular basis.  They will actually last longer and be less problematic if you use them. 

If you like the bike, why hesitate to make it a daily rider so you can enjoy it more?  Life is short. 

I would also be patient with the old girl.   Put her back into regular service, and be prepared to address any issues that crop up without getting frustrated or second guessing yourself.  Fix any issues the right way.   Pretty soon it will probably be fine.

I guess that can be said for any Guzzi really..  Even my under 10K mile 02 stone took about a year to get sorted..and fix a few Issues..  Plan for a year of fiddly bits, and then ride! 

[theoneandonlymin]

My "almost new" G5 is on it's second time around the odometer.  I'd get on it tomorrow, and head out to California fully expecting to get there..

My G5 is heading for the 3rd time round and over that time sure its had a few issues but hey... I don't pamper it. Stuff generally gets done when it needs it. Or maybe a few years down the line. Replaced RH carb this week whose lid had been hanging on by one screw due to stripped thread since I dont know when.
Lives outside without a cover 365 days a year in sunny North London.


Cheers
Min

[SmithSwede]

My G5 is heading for the 4th time round and over that time sure its had a few issues but hey... I don't pamper it. Stuff generally gets done when it needs it. Or maybe a few years down the line. Replaced RH carb this week whose lid had been hanging on by one screw due to stripped thread since I dont know when.
Lives outside without a cover 365 days a year in sunny North London.


Cheers
Min

Min, any chance you could post some photos of your bike? 

[theoneandonlymin]

[Stu]

Thanks, that's inspiring! Love a well, used bike like that. 

Mine, coming on...

[huub]

i have been running old guzzi's as daily bike for 25 years, apart from the lario , i had no big surprises.
my current daily ride is the newest guzzi i own , (a 750NTX) but still 30 years old.
i would rather take a old guzzi on a long trip than some modern bike i cant repair on the road.

having said that , expect small things to fail, the generator and starter will eventually fail.
so will the coils.
the UJ will eventually need rebuilding. the gearbox return spring will fail.
no problem if you can handle that, but it is not new honda/BMW 1200GS reliable.

personally i would do some upgrades like electronic ignition , a modern starter, and new coils
these are cheap upgrades, and not worth being stranded later on.
if properly maintained a old guzzi is as reliable as anything out there

[wirespokes]

but it is not new honda/BMW 1200GS reliable.

I've been told BMWs don't enter (or was that , finish?) the iron butt anymore because they can't be trusted.

[Lannis]

I've been told BMWs don't enter (or was that , finish?) the iron butt anymore because they can't be trusted.

Well, whoever told you that, get them to simply have a look at the Iron Butt website for a look at the finishers in recent Iron Butt rallies, and you'll find that THEY can't be trusted ....

Lannis

[jwinwi]

My question is: Is it realistic to have a 44 year old Guzzi as an only bike?

Yes, as long as you know how to and are willing to work on it yourself. The time and money you invest now will continue to pay you back for years to come. In 1999 I bought the Convert as a rig and went through it from stem to stern:  updated suspension, brakes, motor and even replaced the transmission, final drive, U joint etc. Kids are grown so the sidecar is gone but glad I never sold that bike. Just got done replacing foot boards with pegs and it feels like a new bike again. Could be very happy having it as my only bike...
John Wendt in Wisconsin

[s1120]

My question is: Is it realistic to have a 44 year old Guzzi as an only bike?

Yes, as long as you know how to and are willing to work on it yourself. The time and money you invest now will continue to pay you back for years to come. In 1999 I bought the Convert as a rig and went through it from stem to stern:  updated suspension, brakes, motor and even replaced the transmission, final drive, U joint etc. Kids are grown so the sidecar is gone but glad I never sold that bike. Just got done replacing foot boards with pegs and it feels like a new bike again. Could be very happy having it as my only bike...
John Wendt in Wisconsin

I think thats a good point. If you need someone to work on it, you cant really expect every modern guzzi dealer to know the ins and outs of a 40+ year old motorcycle. One of the pet peeves of mine back when I worked for a VW dealer was someone that would show up, after picking up a old aircooled bug, and be pisssed off because the guys didnt have the tools, parts, and skill to work on it.. I love old cars and bikes.. but there is a certain amount of self responsibility that comes with it.

[wirespokes]

Well, whoever told you that, get them to simply have a look at the Iron Butt website for a look at the finishers in recent Iron Butt rallies, and you'll find that THEY can't be trusted ....

Lannis

Thank you for the correction, Lannis. I'll file that tidbit in the circular file. I do recall a time many years ago when that was true with final drives failing and forget what all else. But I don't keep up on the iron butt myself.

[Lannis]

Thank you for the correction, Lannis. I'll file that tidbit in the circular file. I do recall a time many years ago when that was true with final drives failing and forget what all else. But I don't keep up on the iron butt myself.

I don't know whether the "final drive failure" thing was a real issue or not.   People with BMWs had to catch a little bit of a hard time when photos of flaming, exploded BMW rear drives started showing up, especially since (over the years) there are many BMW owners with their noses a bit in the air over their white-glove Teutonic quality and robustness compared to the plebian motorcycles of the common man.   For all I know, the three or four pictures that circulated were all there were out of 100,000 motorcycles, which wouldn't be too bad at all ....

Or it could be that you can't trust them around the block.   Never owned one since my new 1981 R65, which was a REALLY nice motorcycle ...

Lannis

[Furbo]

These have only one real design flaw - the charging system is not up to snuff, especially if you run the headlite around town. Additionally the rotors in older bikes are prone to failure.

Euro Moto Electrics has a kit for it. Not cheap, but it really is an improvement.

[wirespokes]

Lannis - Yeah, who really knows for sure? I don't think you'll ever get the stats from BMW. Perhaps a BMW tech could answer that one. I heard that when they came out with the no-service-needed final drive there was a shop that had no (or not very many) fail because they changed the lube at the first service, which wasn't called for. When did they come out with that final drive? Fifteen years ago? My only excursion into the newer bikes was a one year old R1100S back in 2001. That was enough for me - nice bike, but it just didn't jerk my chain.

Funny you should mention the R65. I've got an 83 LS with an 850 kit and a bunch of engine work. Love that one!

Furbo - I've been riding old airheads and now old Guzzis for 25 years as my main transport. They all use the Bosch charging system. I've done multiple trips across the country without issues. I will say that I've gotten used to riding without heated gear because way too often the connections go bad or break - in the plugs or inside the gear - leaving me without heat. I've grown tired of hassling with it, so haven't placed that strain on the system. Running the largest battery that fits is one way of reducing strain on the charging system. Frankly, from what I've heard, the higher wattage systems don't really provide much more electricity than the stock system. And for a fun machine the Bosch electrics will be more than adequate.