BMW or Guzzi

[faffi]

https://www.real-classic.co.uk/2023/12/05/classic-choice-bmw-or-moto-guzzi/

I will admit having a lust for this, but have no room for it https://www.finn.no/mobility/item/412275876?ci=1

[PeteS]

Between the T3 or R90 I would take the Guzzi hands down. The R90 is an excellent bike but the T3 will do everything just as well plus has the V twin sound. The R90 will never sound better than. 5 HP outboard trolling motor.
As for the RS I lusted for one for years but after one ride that cured that desire. Narrow bars and cramped riding position didn’t work for me. The R90S OTOH was about perfect. Comfortable and responsive motor.
850 LM still beats it out for sound.
Pete

[Perazzimx14]

If sound were the matrix we all be riding bevel head Ducati’s.

[chuck peterson]

[Cam3512]

That is so cool.

[n3303j]

Had them both.
Kept the T3.
Hard to flat foot the BMW.
Easy on T3.
BMW has soul.
T3 has a heart.
Once I saw vintage Guzzi in their natural habitat I fell in love.
Had to have them.
Sold all 3 BMW to make room.
Never regretted it.

[Tkelly]

Depends what you want to use them for.For across country or long way round trip the bmw makes more practical sense but for everyday riding the t3 puts the smile on your face and the bmw is an appliance that does the job.Either one is reliable.

[JJ]

Depends what you want to use them for.For across country or long way round trip the bmw makes more practical sense but for everyday riding the t3 puts the smile on your face and the bmw is an appliance that does the job.Either one is reliable.

Agree 100%.   Having owned five (5) of each, they are BOTH great motorcycles.
The Guzzi of course, has much more character and soul, but the airhead Beemers are no slouch either...

[jrt]

Porque no los dos?  I had an R90S and liked it a lot.  My only complaint was that the frame had more flex than my Tonti framed G5 of similar era.  But then, the Guzzi was heavier (or so it seemed).  Very different riding positions (the G5 was the LAPD model), but no complaints here- I still ride an R1250RS, so I guess I like that kind of riding position.  Both were anvil reliable, fun to ride...  yeah, the Guzzi sounds better.

[faffi]

Thanks for the replies. Regarding the weight, I believe the two bikes were quite close, but the BMW probably felt lighter and nimbler when riding, but also less stable.

[bronzestar1]

The comparison between BMW Rs and Guzzis boils down to this:  do you prefer saggy jugs or perky ones?! 

[Dirk_S]

The comparison between BMW Rs and Guzzis boils down to this:  do you prefer saggy jugs or perky ones?! 

Ah, my favorite quip when talking about the two brands. I gotta make a t-shirt sometime.

[blackcat]

Enough said...

"And how did the numbers work out, when all the choices were counted? Unquestionably, people preferred the Moto Guzzi T3 to a BMW /6 Boxer. 66% voted for the Italian; almost twice as many as chose the BMW."

[Bulldog9]

Between those two, Guzzi hands down, but my real choice was and is the Yamaha XS 1100.... Put 124k miles on mine crisscrossing the country between 1984 & 1996.

https://oldbikebarn.com/blogs/blog/the-days-of-xs-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-yamaha-xs1100

Still, between the BMW and Guzzi, the Guzzi is the winner

[willowstreetguzziguy]

Owned and loved an R90S from 1977 to 1986. Beautiful bike. Put many miles on it including a 10,000 mile trip into the Canadian Rockies, California and back to home in PA. Left me stranded TWICE on that trip. I loved it but it didn’t love me. In 2013 I found my Guzzi 1200 Sport. The 12S is so much like what the R90S could and should have been. 10x better. But the R90S was designed a built 33 years earlier. Only wish it had the Daytona Orange paint job.

[wirespokes]

Depends what you want to use them for.For across country or long way round trip the bmw makes more practical sense but for everyday riding the t3 puts the smile on your face and the bmw is an appliance that does the job.Either one is reliable.

That's exactly how I feel. I ride year round and the guzzi doesn't handle the wet winters very well here in the Pacific NW. The Italian chrome rusts and the aluminum corrodes. The Beemers weather much better.

[twowheeladdict]

If sound were the matrix we all be riding bevel head Ducati’s.

Nope.

[aklawok]

The best quote from the article that sums it all up:
"The heart would choose the T3, the head would choose BMW."
My head overrides my heart.....at least the big one does! Lol!!

[YellowDuck]

The R90 will never sound better than. 5 HP outboard trolling motor.

Ha ha ha! Harsh!