Best Guzzi for racing.

[Yukonica]

nuff said, I had a GPZ1100 for a short time, felt supersonic compared to the Guzzi I had then ( a Cali of some variant)



I bought at a garage sale for $650.. it had a bent tie rod between the carbs so didn't run.. fixed for under $150 rode for 1 summer then sold for $2400..  it was fast!

Interesting background in the photo ... considering the thread. 

[CLZ]

So it's not going to be a Goose. Still leaning towards a red 916. I have plenty of rational reasons for picking just that. No subjectivity here

A friend and I went to a track day / riding school in the late 90's.  He had a '96 916 and I had a '98 ZX6r.  We swapped bikes for a session and I rode his, he rode mine.  We compared notes afterwards and both agreed the ZX6r was much easier to ride quickly.  Out of the box, the 916/748 is set up very conservatively from a handling standpoint.  This can be fixed by changing ride height, re-setting the adjustable rake to the steeper setting, and getting the forks & shocks set up for your weight BUT every time you adjust the chain it changes the rear ride height (because of the eccentric adjuster in the single sided swingarm) so then if you want it to handle like it did before, you have to go back and re-adjust the rear ride height.  Moral of the story, if you like to CONSTANTLY tinker with your bike, get a 916/996/998.  If you like to go have fun.  Get a 636 Kawasaki (or equivalent) and have a blast! 

It's really hard to beat a supersport 600 for a track day.  They tend to have decent suspension and decent setup out of the crate and you can find ones which have been set up to race already for reasonable money.  Most of all, parts are reasonable and readily available (people at the track day may even have spares on hand if you drop it?). 

If you decide you MUST own a Ducati, do yourself a favor and get one with a Testastrata engine.  The 916/996 engines are horrible for maintenance.  They have a tiny little access port in the heads to check & adjust valves through (The Haynes manual I had recommended removing the engine and cyl heads if you had to adjust the closing shims but I expect the dealers have a good method to get around doing that).  The Testastrata engine has a full valve cover which gives you access to everything.  Much easier to maintain.  The last years of the 998 has the Testastrata engine with the "old school" 916 bodywork.  Best of both worlds.  Oh yeah, some years of the 916/996 engines have rocker arms where the hard chrome surfacing flakes off.  It's $500 - $800 worth of rockers arms (don't forget there are 16 rocker arms to replace on an 8 valve engine!) if it hasn't been done and then there's the labor charge to swap them out and re-set all of the clearances.  I'd set aside around $2k for the job.  Oh and while you're in there, you might consider replacing the collets on closing rocker shims with the upgraded versions. 

A decade after that first ride on a 916 I decided I needed to get one of my own.  I rode it for a couple of years then sold it.  I occasionally reminisce about the sound and the looks but after owning a Ducati once, I don't think I'd be able to talk myself into owning another.  Same goes for KTM's...

[oldbike54]

 CLZ , all true , plus one must be built like an orangutan to ride a 916 series Duc 

  Dusty

[CLZ]

CLZ , all true , plus one must be built like an orangutan to ride a 916 series Duc 

  Dusty

Yeah, the stock clip-on position is horrible.  Pro-Italia made a replacement upper triple-clamp which allowed the clip-ons to be installed on top of the clamp instead of under it.  It raises them about 1" or so and it really helps a lot.  For a track only bike, the position is tolerable.  Puttering through a city at 30-40 mph it's the worst!

Also, don't forget the 916 is a 20 yr old bike these days and was pretty low production compared to the newer Duc's.  When I had my 916 five years ago I would occasionally run into small parts which were becoming hard to find.

[guzzied]

 " If you like to go have fun.  Get a 636 Kawasaki (or equivalent) and have a blast! 

It's really hard to beat a supersport 600 for a track day.  They tend to have decent suspension and decent setup out of the crate and you can find ones which have been set up to race already for reasonable money.  Most of all, parts are reasonable and readily available (people at the track day may even have spares on hand if you drop it?). "



Totally agree on the 636, so easy to ride and you will be dragging your knees around every turn!

My track buddy had a Ducati 748 with 30,000 miles on it and it developed a rod knock during a track day. Was cheaper to go out and buy a used engine than fix the original engine, he ended up selling it after that.

Moral to the story, Ducati's aren't cheap to repair!

Mike

[BRIO]

Sigh...

I choose bikes like I choose women. Why do I always wan't the high maintenance ones?

[CLZ]

A wise old man once told me: "Motorcycles are like women.  Find one you think you want to ride and if it works out, great, if it doesn't, get rid of it and try another one" 

Neither motorcycles or women make much practical sense so if you're going to have either, be prepared for the expenses that come along with them and realize some are cheaper than others to have around. 

Sigh...

I choose bikes like I choose women. Why do I always wan't the high maintenance ones?